Author: Communications

PTA Meeting Minutes: 9/10/24

Meeting Called to Order at 7:35 PM

WELCOME

PTA Dashboard (slide presentation)
Board & Member Introductions

PRESIDENT UPDATES

2024-2025 Goals
Dashboard Review – 118 members today
Meeting Structure Overview – 2nd Tuesday of the month PTA meetings, with an optional work session on the first Tuesday of the month at 7. Next month’s topics are brainstorming a future potential goodbye to Mr. Pule. Open to all
Standing Rules Updates – Kate will pass around, will vote on next month
Curriculum Night (9/19) Table: Ideas & Volunteers

TEAM AND CHAIR UPDATES

Chair Updates

Hospitality report on pre-school start activities and upcoming (tears and cheers, curriculum night staff dinner, October 5th grade staff appreciation sign-up)

Programs

We’re adding a Lego robotics club to our fall lineup for grades 4-5!
Kong Academy for grades 1-2
View all fall programs here: https://bit.ly/whittier-after-school-programs
Registration opens 9/23
Clubs begin week of 10/7 (M,T,Th; ~2:15-3:30/4pm)
Clubs conclude 12/9
Various promos going out over the coming weeks (thank you, Meg!)

Room Rep Coordinator:

Room Reps full! Need to support Faith and Rose and other extended resources.
Training & Get Together scheduled for 9/17

Elan – Spring Fling Co-Chair –

Seriously looking for a co-chair
Rena Giannoulakis wants to help
Start thinking about donations and connections

Communications

Still working on refining the process. Support family participation in Whittier and PTA activities by providing relevant information through accessible channels at a sustainable frequency.
Monday: (Community Update – Watters)
Tuesday: Take Home Tuesday – PTA Channel / (Infrequent Konstella)
Wednesday: WildChat – PTA Channel
Thursday: Konstella – PTA Channel
Friday: (Teacher Weekly Newsletters)
Submit all requests through the Submission Form 10 days in advance – can be found on the website
Plan Your Communications
Example One
Example Two
Make a Copy of the Examples to use for Yourself!
Meg Traveling 9/9 – 9/13; first Wildchat will be 9/18 or 9/25

Annual Give

$38,715 (28% of goal) – great for first week
Doesn’t include employer matches
Most participation gets Sharkcat
Trying to wrap up by end of September

Membership:

Board members all renewed memberships

Treasurer’s Update (michelle)

New bookkeeper – Courntey with Day By Day Bookkeeping
Approved budget from last year will have changes and those will be reviewed at the next meeting.
Michelle will email everyone what their approved line item budget number will be. People will send reimbursement requests to Michelle
6 people on Financial Review Committee – still in progress, will have update in October

KUDOS AND THANK YOUS

Brie and Leah – Back to Business Chairs
Angie – Visual design
Ashley and Jess – Annual Give Kickoff
Laura and Jennifer – Programs Planning and flyers
Emily – Popsicle Playdates, Kinder Pizza and Shirts
Campus Clean-up Volunteers
Back to Business Volunteers
Staff Lounge Restock Donors
Kathleen and Jess – Staff Lounge, Staff Welcome Treats and Gifts, Kinder Tears & Cheers
Anika – Back to Business Info Copyediting
John – transition and Google Accounts support
Angie – incredible visual design!
Laura – Student Directory planning and flyers
Megan – Website updates
Anjean – Great early membership push!
Sara – Great drive for Room Reps!
Meg – Working with Bonnie over the summer for Ice Skating, Grade-level Happy Hours

VOTING FOR PTA MEMBERS

Approval of Executive Committee Addition – Allie Delong Thomas
- Katie Stiver motioned to approve
- Sara Lukas seconded
  - Approved

(Executive Committee) Approval of Board of Directors
- Allie DeLong Thomas motioned to approve
- Sara Lukas seconded
  - Approved
Approval of May and June 2024 Meeting Minutes
- Kate motioned to approve
- Sara Lukas seconded
  - Approved

PRINCIPAL WATTERS UPDATE

Curriculum Night next week – students will be your guide
School closure options will be provided tomorrow at 3:30pm
Will include an interactive website
Whittier could potentially add 3 or 4 more homerooms in the building
Custodial budget got cut, now we don’t have the late evening shift. Cindy is taking out the garbage

Work Session Round Up – Minimum Floor Definition

Minimum Floor Definition
Objective, Current Results to Review
Use and Next Steps (Please add to it before 9/29!)

Conversation: EDI & Belonging

Book recommendations including Design For Belonging
PTA group activity prompt: What is a moment in your life when you felt like you truly belonged?
Discussed moving this topic up in the agenda for subsequent meetings

Meeting Adjourned 9:01 pm

What's Happening This Month:

10/17: October Staff Appreciation (5th Grade)
10/22: Kinder – 1st Grade Caregiver Happy Hour
10/25: Whittier PTA Fall Carnival
11/05: PTA Work Session (Election Night Edition)
11/05 – 11/08: In-School Hearing & Vision Screening
11/12: PTA Meeting
11/20: Helping Hands Drive Begins!
11/21: November Staff Appreciation (4th Grade)
11/26: Wildcats Ice Skate

No More Manual Entry of Events!

Subscribe to Our Calendar
Select “Sync to My Calendar” to subscribe to our Konstella calendar. Or, subscribe to our Google Calendar

Volunteer Opportunities!

Fall Carnival
October 25th
3:30 – 8:00 pm
One hour shifts shifts
Sign up here!

Fall Carnival Dessert Donations
October 25th
Sign up here!

Helping Hands Assistant
November through December, especially 12/16 – 12/20
Primarily remote, self-paced
Learn more and sign up here!

Visit https://whittierptaseattle.org/volunteer/ for more ways to get involved!

*ALL volunteers for classroom or on-campus events during the school day MUST be cleared by Seattle Public Schools prior to volunteering. Your volunteer clearance is good for two years. Learn more here. If you need any help or have any questions, please contact Ms. Monica at maganyard@seattleschools.org

We Need YOU!

Where are we in fundraising for our school?

We have accomplished an amazing feat, raising $100,880! Our goal is $138,000 so we need to come together to raise $37,370 by October 25th!

Unfortunately, given the current state of public school funding, if we do not meet our fundraising goal THIS YEAR, we could lose some of our school enrichment programs.

We need YOU to support enrichment programs like Massive Monkees, WildCats Read, and in-house field trips such as author visits, African drumming, and plays. We need YOU to support art, PE, performing arts, math assistance, a nurse, and social worker.

Learn more and donate here!

We need a two-prong approach:

Fundraise right now for our children’s education
Advocate loudly for funding reform

Here are some stats from this year’s Annual Give:

56% of students have turned in their forms! That means, we still need 151 forms returned.
We are 67% to goal to keep these amazing programs running. We can do this!
We need to raise $37,370 by October 25th!

If you have not donated, WE NEED YOU. We really do need your donation to run programs and fund staffing grants. Come on WildCats, let’s shoot for 100% participation!

Fall Carnival is on Friday, October 25th from 5-7pm on the Whittier Blacktop!
Costumes are welcome but completely optional.

Get ready for amazing activities, food, and fun, including:

Raffle!
Popcorn!
Food trucks!
Dessert Dash!
Pumpkin Patch!
Apple Toss!
Photo Booth!

Face Painting!
Candy Corn Toss!
Glow in the Dark
Tattoo Parlor!
Pumpkin Decoration!
Black Light Art Gallery!
Guess What’s Gross?!

This year, skip the concession ticket line and pre-purchase your cotton candy and popcorn tickets! Tickets can be purchased here.

As always, this is a completely volunteer run event, so any help you can give is greatly appreciated.

Sign up to volunteer here!

Older family members, Whittier Alumni, and high school students looking to fulfill their volunteer requirements are also invited to volunteer!

Donate baked goods for the Dessert Dash here!

All Wildcat alumni and friends are welcome. Our neighborhood is our community! We can’t wait to celebrate this wonderful Whittier tradition with you all

Submit Your Photos to Whittier's Yearbook Committee!

We’re looking for high-resolution photos that capture our community learning and having fun together!

Submit photos for Whittier’s 2024-2025 yearbook to yearbook@whittierptaseattle.org.

Performing Arts of Whitman Proudly Presents Their Festive Fall Comedy!

Come check out your future middle school in this hilarious spoof of a Charles Dicken’s classic where a slacker student is visited by ghosts from Quizzes past, present and future!

When: Thursday, 10/24 and Friday, 10/25

Time: 6:00 – 6:45 pm. Doors open at 5:30.

Location: Whitman Middle School Auditorium

Appropriate Age: Recommended for 7+

Tickets: $10 per adult, $5 per student, $20 per family (including Grandparents, aunts, etc), sold via QR code at the door.

Parekh's Pack is collecting SOCKS for SOCKTOBER!

Room 210 is collecting socks to be donated to The Bridge Care Center in Ballard. All Sizes! All Colors!

We collected 458 pairs last year… this year, we hope to collect at least 500 pairs of socks! Spread the word to family and friends and start collecting as many socks as you can!

Send your collected socks in with your Wildcat or drop off in the Front Office.

Let’s help everyone in our community get a warm pair of socks (or two) this year! Thank you for helping us make this a successful Socktober!

Reflections Art Contest 2024-2025: "Accepting Imperfection"

Whittier is excited to be taking part in the Reflections Art program this year! Reflections is a National PTA arts recognition program that helps students pre-K through grade 12:

Explore their own thoughts, feelings, and ideas
Develop artistic literacy (by describing how their art relates to a theme)
Increase confidence
Find a love for learning that will help them become more successful not only in school but in life

Students create original works of art in response to a theme. Finalists from local PTAs will move on to their council PTA, then finalists from councils will advance to the state round. Washington State PTA finalists who receive an “Outstanding Interpretation award will advance to the National PTA round.

Students may enter in one or more of the available arts categories (literature, music composition, photography, visual arts, film/video, choreography/dance).

The theme for 2024-2025 is “Accepting Imperfection.”

To learn more, watch this short video.

Access the entry form here.

All entries will be due by Friday, November 22nd (end of day) to vp@whittierptaseattle.org. For physical entries, please contact this email address to coordinate a drop off.

Questions? Contact Renee Hartnett at vp@whittierptaseattle.org.

PNW Parent Education 2024-2025 Speaker Lineup

Save the date for the three FREE speaker events we have planned! These are provided at no cost to you thanks to donors. You can register now for all events, and we will send more details as each event gets closer.

REGISTER FOR EVENTS HERE!

Wildcats Ice Skate at the Kraken Community Iceplex!

Join us for fun on the ice with our family ice skating event at the Kraken Community Iceplex during Thanksgiving break!

Date: November 26th, 2024
2:00 to 3:00 pm

We are looking for volunteers to sign in skaters at the beginning of the event. Please sign up here if you are interested.

To reserve your spot, please pay through the PayPal link. Make sure you arrive ~30 minutes early to get your bracelet and skates before hitting the ice! The Iceplex will provide some skate aids for our group.

Cost: $12 per skater, which includes skate rental.

Payment: Visit paypal.me/WhittierPTASeattle.
Please add a message and indicate payment is for the ice skating event. Include your name and number of skaters.

Waivers: Download here. One waiver is required per skater each year.

What to bring: Waiver and helmet.

Can’t wait to see you on the ice!

Well-Resourced Schools Update 10/9/24

Update following 10/9 SPS School Board Meeting

All Directors (except Sarah Clark) voted to approve SPS creating a proposal for the ’25-26 school year that would address budget concerns and include closing up to five schools
Superintendent Brent Jones said school communities would be consolidating (not splitting apart); the list of impacted schools is expected to be shared on October 21st
Directors expect to vote on the proposal during their January general board meeting
The language of the vote strongly suggested that future school closures remain on the table for future school years

Well-Resourced Schools Updates: 10/9/24

The October 9 School Board meeting agenda was amended on October 8th to include an intro/vote item related to a 5 school closure plan but the scope/purpose is unclear (full agenda here)
Sarah Clark, our D2 director, wrote a Seattle Times Op Ed condemning closure plans. Read the full article >>
Principal Watters identified her key advocacy priorities during the October 8 PTA Meeting:
- Demand the State Fully Fund Education
- Ensure State Legislators, SPS, and our School Board understand Well-Resourced Schools include a full time Social Worker, math and literacy intervention, funded Advanced Learning and HC programs in neighborhood schools, sufficient custodial staff, and smaller class sizes
- Explain we can’t keep chipping away at programs and services and expect school communities to continue to absorb them; PTA dollars can’t continue to bridge the gap between service standards and actual funding
WSPTA and SCPTSA are in conflict regarding WSPTA’s upcoming Legislative Assembly
- SCPTSA is asking SPS PTAs to boycott this event due to WSPTA’s choice of venue (SPU has a public record of anti LGBTQ+ practices) and WSPTA’s choice to make the event in-person (hybrid isn’t an option due to event logistics) which presents accessibility challenges. Read more here >>
- Dissenting opinion (shared by WSPTA and some other SPS PTAs) is that WSPTA’s current legislative priorities do not properly reflect the advocacy needs of more urban districts and urban district PTAs need to be more vocal and involved so their concerns are addressed
  - WSPTA advocates for more funding but does not address the structural failure in the state’s education funding model that leads to underfunding in districts with higher costs of living
  - WSPTA does not have a priority to revise or alter levy funding caps so local communities could fund their districts
  - WSPTA does not explicitly ask for a return to 50% education funding
SPS has to present the results of their literacy performance assessment (which assesses 3rd graders) at the October 9th school board meeting
- Link to the progress monitoring document
- Summary: The district assessed itself as failing to meet literacy standards (and will continue to do so without significantly changing their curriculum/process/implementation
Many groups continue to organize specific advocacy opportunities:
- District PTAs are drafting a collective letter with specific demands regarding closing the budget deficit; they’re asking PTA board members to sign if they agree (Note: Our PTA requested to add that any future deficit proposals identify any changes to the student experience, such as continuing assignments, bell changes, childcare solutions, etc)
- District PTAs are also drafting a proposed WSPTA bylaw addition that would require district-level PTA’s (like Seattle Council PTSAs) decisions reflect the views of their local PTAs; they’re asking any PTA member (not just board members) to sign if they agree
- The Fund SPS organizing group is asking community members to:
  - Send a letter to all the School Board Directors asking for closures to be off the table (Note: you can adjust the suggested language before sending if you have a different opinion)
  - Send a letter to State Legislators to fully fund education
- All Together for Seattle Schools is holding rallies before upcoming School Board meetings (3:45pm) in front of the John Stanford Center (attendees are encouraged to wear red and make signs); upcoming School Board meetings are scheduled for 10/9, 11/19, and 12/18
- Sign-up to testify at School Board meetings and attend (in-person or virtually). Instructions for how to participate can be found here or here
- Gatewood PTA is also circulating a letter requesting the State Legislature hold a special session to address education funding and are asking community members to sign if they agree
SPS is asking families to vote to pass levies on upcoming ballots
- SPS-sourced information about levies
- Here’s a background on levy funding that’s pretty easy to digest
We’re still looking for 1-2 volunteers that would be willing to (virtually) attend School Board and/or Seattle Council PTA meetings and bring a summary back to our community (Interested or planning to cover a specific meeting? Please email us!):
- School Board meetings (meetings start at 4:15pm): 10/9, 11/19, 12/18, 1/22, 2/12, 3/12
- Seattle Council PTSA general membership meetings (meetings start at 7pm): 11/12, 2/24, 4/1, 6/10
- Seattle Council PTSA board meetings (meetings start at 6:30pm): 10/15, 11/4, 12/9, 1/13, 2/10, 3/10, 4/7, 5/12, 6/4
We continue to have a cool community that covers current and historical district issues

The Wildchat: 10/09/2024

Wednesday, October 9, 2024

What's Happening This Month:

10/10: 4th – 5th Grade Caregiver Happy Hour
10/11: NO SCHOOL (In-Service Day)
10/15: School Portrait Make-Up Day
10/15: 2nd – 3rd Grade Caregiver Happy Hour
10/17: Vaccine Clinic *NEW DATE!*
10/17: October Staff Appreciation (5th Grade)
10/22: Kinder – 1st Grade Caregiver Happy Hour
10/25: Whittier PTA Fall Carnival
11/05: PTA Work Session (Election Night Edition)
11/05 – 11/08: In-School Hearing & Vision Screening
11/12: PTA Meeting

Subscribe to Our Calendar!

No more manual entry of events!

Select “Sync to My Calendar” to subscribe to our Konstella calendar. Or, subscribe to our Google Calendar

Volunteer Opportunities!

Fall After School Programs Helper*
10/07 – 12/09
2:15 – 3:15
30 minute shifts
Learn more and sign up here!

Vaccine Clinic * – Seeking 4 More Volunteers!
~~October 10th~~
October 17 *NEW DATE!*
11:30 am – 5:00 pm
90 minute shifts
Sign up here!

Fall Carnival – Seeking 23 Volunteers!
October 25th
3:30 – 8:00 pm
One hour shifts
Sign up here!

Visit https://whittierptaseattle.org/volunteer/ for more ways to get involved!

Final Week for Whittier's Largest Fundraiser of the Year!

We have raised 72% of our $138,250 goal for this Fall which is nearly $100,000 (AMAZING!!). THANK YOU, WILDCATS!

In this final week, we encourage everyone who hasn’t donated yet to participate at whatever level you’re able. Every dollar truly counts.

The Annual Give Fundraiser supports education and enrichment for this 2024-2025 school year for our amazing Whittier scholars:

Specialist, Nurse, Library, and Reading Intervention Staffing
The Math Agency
Field Trips
The Massive Monkees Residency
Curriculum Supports and School Supplies
Community Events Such As Fall Festival
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Events Such As Drag Queen Story Time
And More!

Learn more and donate here!

NEW DATE! The Vaccine Clinic has Been Rescheduled to 10/17

Due to a lack of vaccine supply caused by high demand and shipping delays, the vaccine clinic has been rescheduled to 10/17.

If you have already registered your child, there is nothing else you need to do. They will receive the vaccines as planned on the 17th.

If you would still like to register, Nurse Marissa will re-open the registration form until Monday 10/14 so that additional students can register.

If you need to change your child’s registration, please send Nurse Marissa a Talking Points message or e-mail no later than Tuesday 10/15.

Pre-Registration is required in order for students to receive vaccines without a parent or guardian present. Please register here.

Vaccines Available for Children Aged 0-18. Students and siblings are welcome!

October 17, 2024
Time: 12 pm – 5 pm

Whittier Elementary School
1320 NW 75th St., Seattle, WA 98117

Nurse Marissa is looking for volunteers! To sign up for a shift, please visit the Sign Up Genius.

Questions?
Contact Nurse Marissa
mrfitzpatric@seattleschools.org

Caregiver Happy Hours are Back!

For questions about Caregiver Happy Hours, contact Meg Pietz at events@whittierptaseattle.org

School Portrait Make-Up Day

Yuen Lui Studio will photograph makeup and retake portraits at Whittier on Tuesday, 10/15

Families can preorder makeup portraits here
For retake portraits, students who preordered picture day packets for the September picture day can return their package to the photographer in exchange for a retake
Families can view and order portraits from the September 3rd picture day here
October 15 images will be available via the same link about one week after retake day
Images are password protected by an online code. The online code is your student’s school ID number
Orders can be placed anytime throughout the year and are individually processed, packaged, and shipped directly to families’ homes

Submit Your Photos to Whittier's Yearbook Committee!

We’re looking for high-resolution photos that capture our community learning and having fun together!

Submit photos for Whittier’s 2024-2025 yearbook to yearbook@whittierptaseattle.org.

Mark your calendars for the biggest Whittier Party of the year!

Raffle!
Popcorn!
Food trucks!
Dessert Dash!
Pumpkin Patch!
Apple Toss!
Photo Booth!

Face Painting!
Candy Corn Toss!
Glow in the Dark
Tattoo Parlor!
Pumpkin Decoration!
Black Light Art Gallery!
Guess What’s Gross?!

Costumes are welcomed but completely optional.

As always, this is a completely volunteer run event, so any help you can give is greatly appreciated.

Sign up to volunteer here!

Older family members, Whittier Alumni, and high school students looking to fulfill their volunteer requirements are also invited to volunteer!

Donate baked goods for the Dessert Dash here!

All Wildcat alumni and friends are welcome. Our neighborhood is our community! We can’t wait to celebrate this wonderful Whittier tradition with you all!

Welcome to SOCKTOBER!

Parekh’s Pack is collecting SOCKS for SOCKTOBER!

Room 210 is collecting socks to be donated to The Bridge Care Center in Ballard. All Sizes! All Colors!

We collected 458 pairs last year… this year, we hope to collect at least 500 pairs of socks! Spread the word to family and friends and start collecting as many socks as you can!

Send your collected socks in with your Wildcat or drop off in the Front Office.

Let’s help everyone in our community get a warm pair of socks (or two) this year! Thank you for helping us make this a successful Socktober!

Reflections Art Contest is Coming!

Whittier is excited to be taking part in the Reflections Art program this year! Reflections is a National PTA arts recognition program that helps students pre-K through grade 12:

Explore their own thoughts, feelings, and ideas
Develop artistic literacy (by describing how their art relates to a theme)
Increase confidence
Find a love for learning that will help them become more successful not only in school but in life

Students may enter in one or more of the available arts categories (literature, music composition, photography, visual arts, film/video, choreography/dance).

The theme for 2024-2025 is “Accepting Imperfection.”

To learn more, watch this short video.

Access the entry form here.

All entries will be due by Friday, November 22nd (end of day) to vp@whittierptaseattle.org. For physical entries, please contact this email address to coordinate a drop off.

Questions? Contact Renee Hartnett at vp@whittierptaseattle.org.

PTA Meeting Agenda (10/8/2024)

October 8, 2024
Whittier Library & Zoom (passcode: wildcats)
7:00pm
Click here to view the Meeting Presentation PDF

AGENDA

7:00pm

Welcome and Call to Order
Belonging Practice

7:15pm – “The More You Know” Panel + Q&A with Principal Watters, Ms. Lauren, Mr. Collin, and More

Learn tips and best practices for communicating with school staff in support of students. To include everything from who to include, what to expect for response time, what’s appropriate to share with a teacher and how best to advocate for the needs of your student. We will also touch on smart devices (watches, phones, drones, etc).

7:40pm – President Updates

Dashboard Review
Standing Rules
Math Agency update
Well-Resourced Schools Update & Advocacy Opportunities
Book Fair update
Annual Give party check-in/opportunity
10/1 Work Session results + 11/5 poll

7:50pm – Principal Watters Updates

8:00pm – Team and Chair Updates

Fundraising
- Progress so-far
- Campaign extended to 10/14
- Class-specific messaging planned next
EDI
- Launched EDI and B survey to PTA volunteers
- ‘24-25 family education and engagement opportunities in development
Programs
- Programs started this week (M, T, Th)
- Strong 3rd-5th grade enrollment
- Low K-2nd enrollment (added K to boost enrollment)
- Volunteer needed – Th 2:15 – 3:30pm
Fall Carnival (10/25 from 5-7pm)
- Return to “Carnival” name
- Sign-up to Volunteer and to donate a dessert
- Pre-purchasing tickets
- PTA Membership table volunteers
Advocacy
- Lots of good information on the Advocacy webpage of our PTA website on Well Resourced Schools (thanks, Kate!)
- Jon will be attending the WSTPA Legislative Assembly at the end of October. At the 10/8 meeting he’ll update the PTA on the state PTA’s legislative agenda
Communications
- Weekly Wildchats are in effect! Quick, easy to digest information allowing us to proactively communicate and rely less on constant Konstella blasts.
- Weekly format allows content to run multiple times and can be updated with more relevant info as we get closer.
- Please submit publish-ready content and images using the Submission Form 10 days in advance.
- Content Submission hints:
  - Links for graphics please!
  - Scannable format is better than text heavy (brief or bulleted): Quick, engaging intro, bulleted details, fun graphic!
  - Want to change your graphic? Send me an updated link in the submission form. Easy!
  - Want to update your verbiage? Send me a quick update in the submission Form. No problem!
Secretary
- Insurance Policy Renewal
- September meeting minutes
Yearbook – send photos of events and activities to yearbook@whittierptaseattle.org!
Volunteer
- Visit “Volunteers” on the PTA website for open positions
- Volunteer database has been built for direct solicitation
- Volunteer retention and attraction strategy in-progress
Treasurer
- Financial Review Committee summary
- Updated Reimbursement Form on website
- July, Aug, Sept financial reports
- Revised Budget
Room Reps – communication
VP/Reflections Art Contest Chair
- More info in this week’s Wildchat
- Submissions due 11/22!
Spring Fling
- Seeking Committee members
  - 2 Auction Procurement Lead volunteers
  - 1 Entertainment Lead volunteer
  - Please reach out by 10/22!
- Seeking nautical-themed event name ideas for Spring Fling 2025! Please Email your ideas!

8:20pm – Kudos & Thank Yous

Kathleen & Jess – September Staff Appreciation
Laura – Student Directory data entry!
Sara – All Room Rep positions filled, Room Rep welcome and training
Laura and Jenn – Programs Coordination
Meg H. – Weekly Wildchats (amazing!), Comms planning, Comms execution
Meg P. – Caregiver Happy Hour planning!
Anjean – Membership gains!
Jared & the Fall Carnival Committee – Excellent planning and comms!
Emily – Successful morning coffee!
Ashley & Jess – 72% to goal! Great feedback on incentives!! Great work on the extension!
Angie – Fall Carnival Logo
Kristin – Volunteer sign-ups, database, and attraction/retention strategy
Megan – Website updates!
Michelle – Reimbursement form, signer on-boarding, invoice processing, and more!
Financial Review committee’s hard review and work!
Renee – Reflections Art Contest planning and comms

8:25pm – Voting

8:30pm – Adjourn

(POST-MEETING GATHERING AT PHINNEY STATION)

RESOURCES

The Wildchat: 10/02/2024

Wednesday, October 2, 2024

What's Happening This Month:

10/07: Morning Coffee with the PTA
(7:40 – 8:15 am, at Drop-Off)
10/08: PTA Meeting
10/10: Free Flu and COVID Vaccine Clinic
10/10: 4th – 5th Grade Caregiver Happy Hour
10/15: 2nd – 3rd Grade Caregiver Happy Hour
10/22: Kinder – 1st Grade Caregiver Happy Hour
10/11: NO SCHOOL (In-Service Day)
10/25: Whittier PTA Fall Festival

Subscribe to Our Calendar!

Select “Sync to My Calendar” to subscribe to our Konstella calendar. Or, subscribe to our Google Calendar – no more manual entry of events!

Extended Through October 14th!

Annual Give is cruising, but we have not quite hit our goal – We need your participation to keep our awesome programs and services at Whittier!

We are hoping that 100% of our families make a personally significant contribution that will directly impact your child’s education. Donations average from $50 to $2,500 from families.

The Annual Give Fundraiser supports education and enrichment for this 2024-2025 school year for our amazing Whittier scholars:

Specialist, Nurse, Library, and Reading Intervention Staffing
The Math Agency
Field Trips
The Massive Monkees Residency
Curriculum Supports and School Supplies
Community Events Such As Fall Festival
Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Events Such As Drag Queen Story Time
And More!

It’s easy to participate! Simply donate online here, then return your donation form and yellow envelope to your child’s classroom. Or, include a check in your yellow envelope.

For more information on why we fundraise and what we support, please visit https://whittierptaseattle.org/annual-give-2024/

Space is Still Available in 1st and 2nd Grade Programs -

Now Expanded to Include Our Kindergarten Wildcats!

Register by 10/04 Here!

Does your kiddo love parkour, board games, and building moving contraptions with LEGOs? There are spaces available in these Whittier after-school programs, which have been expanded to include students in K-2.

Kong Academy – Movement Games

Tuesdays 2:30 – 3:30

Gamer Group with Mr. Buck
Tuesdays 2:30 – 4:00

Brick City Engineers with Bricks 4 Kidz
Thursdays 2:30 – 3:30

Classes are held after school at Whittier, starting on October 7 and running through early December. Open to all kindergarten through 2nd-grade families, including students who participate in Whittier Kids.

We need a few more families to enroll to meet the minimum for these classes to run. Learn more and sign up here.

Scholarships are available! Please contact programs@whittierptaseattle.org for more info.

Welcome to SOCKTOBER!

Parekh’s Pack is collecting SOCKS for SOCKTOBER!

Room 210 is collecting socks to be donated to The Bridge Care Center in Ballard. All Sizes! All Colors!

We collected 458 pairs last year… this year, we hope to collect at least 500 pairs of socks! Spread the word to family and friends and start collecting as many socks as you can!

Send your collected socks in with your Wildcat or drop off in the Front Office.

Let’s help everyone in our community get a warm pair of socks (or two) this year! Thank you for helping us make this a successful Socktober!

Volunteer Opportunities!

Vaccine Clinic*
October 10th
11:30 am – 5:00 pm
90 minute shifts
Sign up here!

Fall Festival
October 25th
3:30 – 8:00 pm
One hour shifts
Sign up here!

Visit https://whittierptaseattle.org/volunteer/ for more ways to get involved!

Submit Your Photos to Whittier's Yearbook Committee!

We’re looking for high-resolution photos that capture our community learning and having fun together!

Submit photos for Whittier’s 2024-2025 yearbook to yearbook@whittierptaseattle.org.

The Whittier PTA is excited to announce that our annual 2024 Fall Carnival is right around the corner!

Be sure to mark your calendars for Friday, October 25th from 5-7pm for the biggest Whittier Party of the year!

There will be games, activities, food trucks and plenty of fun for everyone in the family. Halloween Gaga Ball anyone??? Costumes are welcomed but completely optional, and all Wildcat alumni and friends are welcome as well. Our neighborhood is our community!

We can’t wait to celebrate this wonderful Whittier tradition with you all!

As always, this is a completely volunteer run event, so any help you can give is greatly appreciated.

We need a variety of helpers for set up, clean up, and all of the fun activities we have planned. Shifts are short so you can help and still enjoy the party!

We also welcome older family members, Whittier Alumni, and any high school students looking to fulfill their volunteer requirements!

"Well-Resourced Schools" Updates & Advocacy

With Superintendent Brent Jones’ email rescheduling community meetings, there have been important updates around the Well-Resourced Schools proposals, including:

Possible cuts in a closure-less plan
“Three Bells” and how it could affect your family
Opportunities to advocate more specifically for yourself and your community

Read the latest update here.

And don’t forget to check out our new Advocacy page on the Whittier PTA website that rounds up these updates and advocacy opportunities.

Nurse Marissa is hosting a Free Flu and COVID Vaccine Clinic at Whitter Elementary

Students and siblings are welcome!

Pre-Registration is required in order for students to receive vaccines without a parent or guardian present. Please register here.

Nurse Marissa is looking for volunteers! To sign up for a shift, please visit the Sign Up Genius.

Vaccines Available for Children Aged 0-18

October 10, 2024
Time: 12 pm – 5 pm

Whittier Elementary School
1320 NW 75^th St., Seattle, WA 98117

Questions?
Contact Nurse Marissa
mrfitzpatric@seattleschools.org

Caregiver Happy Hours at Chuck's are Back!

Calling all Whittier Caregivers! Celebrate the start of the school year with other Whittier Elementary caregivers in your child’s grade over happy hour at Chuck’s.

Time: 6-8pm

Where: Chuck’s Hop Shop
656 NW 85th St, Seattle

When:
Thurs Oct 10: 4th-5th grade
Tues Oct 15: 2nd-3rd grade
Tues Oct 22: K-1st grade

This event is primarily for caregivers of Whittier Elementary scholars. However, if you need to bring your kiddo to make it, no problem. We can all celebrate the school year at Chuck’s over beer & ice cream!

For questions, contact Meg Pietz at events@whittierptaseattle.org

PTA Meeting Minutes: 6/11/24

Meeting Called to Order at 7:29 PM

SIGNERS NAMES AND ROLES

Check signers for this year (2023-2024):

Renee Hartnett, Co-President
Michelle Nemeth, Treasurer
Courtney Siever, Co-President
Jess Templeton, Vice President

Check signers for next year (2024-25):

Kate Scher, President
Emily Robertson, Co-Secretary
Renee Hartnett, Vice President
Michelle Nemeth, Treasurer

PRESIDENT UPDATES

May minutes to be approved in August
Highlighted the year’s successes
Anjean volunteered to organize the book fair in 2024-25
David Peabody will do Move-a-Thon next year
Anika will do yearbook next year

Meeting Adjourned 8:40 pm

PTA Meeting Minutes: 5/7/24

Meeting Called to Order at 7:02 PM (recorded)

WELCOME

Core Values
Approval of April PTA Meeting minutes
Jess Templeton motioned to approve the minutes, Courtney seconded the motion
Approved, no objections or abstentions

APPRECIATIONS

Move-a-thon – huge thanks for a big draw, hype videos 29K (shout out to communications, Anjean, Ashley helping with volunteer sign ups, Ms. Monica and Rebecca for helping with logistics)
Budget Committee (Renee, Ashley, Kate, Annika, Michelle)
EDI Committee Staff Appreciation Week (Emily and Kathleen)

NOMINATING COMMITTEE

2024-45 Slate of Executive Officers

Kate Scher will be co-president (need co-president) – Kate does a lot of lifting with comm
Renee VP
Secretaries – Melissa and Emily
Treasurer – Michelle will be assistant
Communications – Meg will continue
EDI co-chair needed

Vote: Motion to approve the executive officers (I missed who this was), Courtney seconded the motion

Results: Approved, no objections or abstentions

TREASURER’S REPORT (MICHELLE NEMETH)

Financials

262K bank Balance end of april
Main income annual 3700
Main expenses about 1200 finishing gaga ball and party for annual give

Committee – 5 people, 4 hours, line items on budget

Prior to meeting, Michelle asked line item owners about this and next year
Majority of line items stayed about the same
Some went up, some went down

Highlights

Income – biggest numbers were what do we expect for the fundraisers (annual give, spring fling and move-a-thon)?
- Spring fling 75K
- Move-a-thon 20K
- Annual Give a bit of a question mark, but we know we have to go up a bit more to support staffing grant and math agency – around 130K
- New line item for programs (a bit extra)
Expenses –
- Next year we’re planning to pay for an accountant 4650 for accountant and quickbooks $1100
- Line item 4800 Taxes
- Line item 7750 Wild Cats Read increased for “Book Break” – has a different author come online every month. Plus some $500 to $1800
- Whittier support grant, similar to last year (includes 4th quarter from this year)
- Math Agency
- Fragile families, item 7150
- Massive Monkeys
- Author Visits
- There’s a number of items that are zeroed out

Bottom Line – assuming we follow this budget, our net income puts us at around -22K. Last year we thought we’d be at -24K and we were positive 70K. End of year bank should be at around 230K, so we may have to dip into this a bit.

Budget Proposal

Vote: Ashley motioned to approve the proposed budget, Jess seconded the motion

Results: Approved, no objections or abstentions

TIMELY CHAIR UPDATES

Spring Fling

195 tickets sold so far
Friday, catalog will be available
Art preview Friday
Next week huge communications push – thank you, Meg and Sarah for reaching out
Volunteers needed, gaps for clean-up etc.
Push for tickets
People need a bid number

EDI Committee

■ Drag Queen Story Time

Hospitality

Showering staff with love and attention – flowers, barking dog lunch, smoothie bar, custom tumblers, donuts, dress like your teacher
Celebrating 5th graders
Microwave broke, Michell helped coordinate replacing it

Membership

No membership updates, end of school year
Memberplanet platform changing to Giftbags Jun 30, 2024 migrated over. More user friendly, similar to Konstella. Lots of capabilities for coordinating volunteers, spirit gear sales, etc.
Look out for renewal notification in July or August

Outreach (Emily Schweiger)

New kindercat June 12, 5-6p – going to have a question table
Popsicles
Pizza party

Jess – Golden Acorn

If anyone has nominations email Jess

PRESIDENT’S UPDATES

Transitions
Job Descriptions – will share out document
Trainings

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

Spring Fling day/night of help
Kinder welcome event

Meeting Adjourned 8:04 pm

PTA Meeting Minutes: 4/16/24

Meeting Called to Order at 7:02 PM

WELCOME

● Core Values

● Ice Breaker

● Approval of March PTA Meeting minutes

○ Jess motioned, Meg P. seconded

■ Approved, no objections or abstentions

APPRECIATIONS

● Morning coffee – Emily Schweiger

● Spring Fling Committee

● Exec Committee

● Programs – Laura & Jennifer

TIMELY CHAIR UPDATES

● Spring Fling

○ 101 tickets sold

○ Cool items

○ SignUp Genius coming out

○ Looking for good donations, vacation home stays, etc.

● Move-a-thon (David Peabody)

○ 10 days away!!

○ Need some cleanup volunteers, water, snack

○ Need chalk stick

○ $9,899 raised so far

○ Transportation permit obtained

● EDI Committee

○ Events

■ 1000% Me Growing Up Mixed film screening

■ Drag Queen Storytime

■ 4/18 Racing to Equity Workshop (at Loyal Heights Elementary)

● Hospitality

○ Lots of events and staff appreciation underway

○ Supplies, events, hosting graduation (solidifying going forward)

● Other Events

○ 209 Mariners tix sold so far

PRESIDENT’S UPDATES

● Math Agency recap/discussion if desired

○ Had a special session April 1st, sent recording

■ Question from Sarah L: What happens if we don’t meet our fundraising goals? ■ Kate Sher: did we share the treasurer bookkeeper role? Should be about 3K ● Budget committee still needs to come together to establish goals (in the coming weeks)

○ The following question was put to vote (by paper ballot and online via google forms): Do you approve the Whittier PTA Executive Committee recommendation to fund the Math Agency in the amount of $60,000 for the 2024-2025 school year?

■ Kathleen motioned, Jennifer seconded

● Results: Approved (31 yes, 2 no, including votes from Google Forms poll

sent out through Zoom)

TREASURER’S REPORT (MICHELLE NEMETH)

● March 2024 Financial Report

○ Money Spent

■ $2500 EDI

■ $1500 School Celebration

■ $6200 Massive Monkeys

○ $259K balance currently

PRINCIPAL WATTERS

● Thank you to Ashley and Glenda for the School Celebration – received very positive feedback

● Massive Monkeys – success, working on layout/viewing for next year (maybe in the round?)

● Bike Week starts next week

● 2 minute talent show coming up in June, no parents:

○ K/1

○ 2/3

○ 4/5

○ Live or video

● Wildcats Wonder (in place of a Career Day) – probably a day in June

○ Ask the kids what problems they want to work on, sort in topics, then source from community/connections people that are working on those problems to come in and talk about it

○ Needs some co-conspirators

○ Cindy needs another week or so to put thoughts together

● First Enrollment numbers are in: 340 kids on rolls – missing 8 kinders of incoming families. Will probably land around 350. May 8 school board meeting, they’ll announce plans for closures and consolidations for 2025-26 school year. Cindy’s hope would be that there would be boundary shifting to increase enrollment to around 375. Won’t be getting teachers back no matter what the numbers will be.

● 5th Grade overnight trip (next year)

○ Probably going to Islandwood on Bainbridge, in December

○ It’s closer and they have more purpose-built facilities

○ 3 nights instead of 2

○ Need to “accrue points” to get in with them, maybe get a better spot

○ Accommodates neurodiversity, kids can come out for the day

● Reimbursement for 5th grade families from this year’s trip

● 5th Grade Adventure Day

○ Private movie screening @ Majestic Bay (walk from Whittier)

○ Popcorn, Soda

○ Salmon Bay Park

○ Pizza

○ Year Book

○ Specialists come for the last hour

● Math Agency – thank you for support, we’ll have some great opportunities next year, and likely some extension (advanced learning).

Meeting Adjourned 7:59 pm

Well-Resourced Schools Update: 9/26/24

Here’s a round-up of what’s been happening with the Well-Resourced Schools proposals since last week:

10/1 Update: Brent Jones has sent an email to families identifying that five schools would now be targeted to close for the 2025-2026 school year; the names of schools will be shared at the “end of October”
Brent Jones sent an email to all families announcing that community meetings would be rescheduled and suggesting an alternate proposal is in the works
Gina Topp, D6 School Board Director, held her community meeting anyway and it was reported:
- There was great turnout
- Families were able to share feedback
- She shared current plans close too many schools but remains open to closing some schools
- She confirmed Brent Jones is working on an alternate plan with fewer school closures and cutting staff to make up the difference (see below for two possible directions that have been circulating)
- She confirmed an interest to engage with state legislators but also stated SPS’ budget needs to be balanced by the end of the year
- She confirmed a decision has to be made in December to take effect for the 2025-2026 school year
- Media outlets attended the meeting
SPS added a tool to their website to compare school size against neighboring districts
Seattle Hall Pass released episodes that cover the School Board’s decision making methodology and a digestible history of how we ended up in this situation
Community members produced a transcript of the September Board meeting
Families are learning more about “Three Bells” after SPS quietly introduced the idea during their presentation at the September Board Meeting
There are new advocacy opportunities to participate in! Learn more on our new comprehensive Advocacy page
Consider completing this survey produced by SPS parents and community members to better understand the collective community’s opinion on the proposals
Save the Date for the upcoming Seattle School Board meeting on October 9th where we’ll get more updates direct from SPS

Plan "Cs" or Alternate Plans to Close the Gap

Two plans have been circulated around how to close the gap outside of savings from school closures.

Note 1: Original Proposal B explicitly included references to staffing cuts, but they were largely unspecified
Note 2: When presenting Proposals A and B, SPS included information about how the remaining 70% of the budget deficit would be closed, which included some cuts

Plan C1

Published 8/28/24
Not included in SPS’ presentation at the September School Board meeting
Addresses how a 30% budget gap could be closed via cuts (left side) compared to school closures (right side)
This doesn’t address the remaining 70% of the deficit
This plan explicitly increases class sizes and reduces Librarian assignments
At Whittier, this would likely mean losing at least one homeroom teacher and a reduction in library access. Library access could potentially be recovered using PTA funds, but funding a homeroom teacher would be both cost-prohibitive and likely exceed the maximum dollar amount we can contribute to school staffing
Have opinions on this plan? Email Director Sarah Clark and use SPS’ Let’s Talk link to let them know you’re against bigger class sizes and Librarian staff reductions!

Plan C2

Presented by SPS during the September Board meeting
This is aimed to address the remaining 70% of the budget deficit, but could be a framework for increasing these cuts to resolve the 30% intended to be closed via school closures
Transportation changes refers to a shift to “Three Bells” (learn more below)
“School Staffing reductions (est. $0-31.6 million)” likely refers to the cuts detailed in plan C1 but could be different
Here’s more info from Save Seattle Schools blog about this slide

What Are "Three Bells"?

“Bell Times” are what SPS refers to as the start/end times for each school in the district. SPS currently uses two bell times (school start times) for all schools in the district: 7:55am (for elementary schools) and 8:55am (for middle and high schools).

In 2022, SPS announced they would be shifting to three bell times starting in the 2023-2024 school year in an effort to save money on transportation. Here’s an article from 2022 that provides an overview of the proposal and the outcome of community pushback that prevented the change from happening. In the 2022 proposal, a shift to three bells would move schools to 7:25am, 8:25am, and 9:25am school starts. Some elementary schools would start at 7:25am (like Whittier) and other nearby schools would start at 9:25am.

Families pushed back as they were concerned about young children walking to school in the dark, the ability for middle and high school students to participate in after school activities and sports, concern about bus stop schedules shifting far too early for appropriate sleep, and the challenge of providing transportation for families with children at multiple schools.

Most seriously, the proposal would create a significant childcare challenge for elementary school families. In order for the system to work, nearby schools would have to be at different start times (7:25am and 9:25am). This means some families at 9:25am schools would need before care, but families at nearby schools wouldn’t. If there wasn’t a high enough population needing before care or school buildings weren’t set-up to offer before care in the building, childcare providers couldn’t offer it, leaving families without access to childcare when they need it. In addition, childcare providers would be unlikely to be able to provide both before and after care as workers would have to come for an early morning shift, then have a break, and then return at the end of the school day. In short, it seemed like before care would be too challenging for childcare providers to offer unless all elementary schools participated.

Similarly, schools shifted to an early start (and an earlier pick-up) would likely find a need for more after school care. But neighborhood childcare providers were already at capacity, which was often restricted due to building size. How would they absorb more families to provide this necessary childcare? And how could we ensure all this additional childcare would be affordable for families throughout the district?

Because of these issues, SPS tabled the shift in 2022 (although a few schools–including West Woodland–were informed in May 2022 that their school would still shift to an 8:55am bell time anyway). Then, at the September 18th School Board meeting, part of SPS’ presentation included the reference (see the pie charts above) to shifting to three bell times for the 2025-2026 school year. If school closures are pursued, there will be fewer buildings to host before and after school childcare and longer bus rides for students with transportation, meaning the challenges identified in 2022 would be even worse in 2025.

If you have an opinion about a bell time change, be sure to email Sarah Clark asking her to vote “no” on disruptive district proposals that have boundary line changes dividing established communities, bell time changes that can only provide worse outcomes for students and families, and that don’t preserve continuing assignments through middle school that families count on.