(Note: Daily fresh meals are also offered (Breakfast – $2.25, Lunch – $3.25); visit this page to see current menus.)
| BREAKFAST | |
| Entrée only or 2nd entrée | $2.00 |
| Bowl of cereal with milk | $1.50 |
| Bowl of cereal (no milk) | $1.00 |
| 4 oz. yogurt | $1.50 |
| Toast (per slice) | $0.50 |
| LUNCH | |
| Entrée only or 2nd entrée | $3.00 |
| 1 serving of fruit, bread, or vegetable | $1.00 |
| BEVERAGES | |
| 8 oz. soy milk | $1.00 |
| 8 oz. milk | $0.50 |
| 4 oz. 100% fruit juice | $0.50 |
| Bottled water | $1.00 |
Whether you’ve been clued in or you’re feeling a little lost, the Whittier PTA has assembled some important information to help you understand (and make it through) this strike.
Channels of direct communications from stakeholder groups:
SPS Culinary Services is offering free sack lunch meals beginning Wednesday, Sept. 7, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. for pick-up at Whittier near the main office. This is available for all students. Parents, and guardians may pick up meals for students. Students do not need to be in attendance. Looking for help picking up meals? Want to offer to help drop-off meals to a Whittier family? Contact outreach@whittierptaseattle.org.
Support our Fall fundraising with a Fall Move-a-thon, “Wildcats on the Runway,” on Friday, October 7th! This annual, community favorite fundraising event asks families for per lap donations from friends, family, and community to raise funds for essential staff and services, community programs, and more. In conjunction with our Annual Give campaign, we’re aiming to raise $90,000 this Fall.
Putting the FUN in FUNdraising
This event supports the 2022-23 Whittier PTA budget–student enrichment, staffing support, equipment upgrades, and community events. Students raise personal sponsorships from family, friends and/or neighbors (see details below).
Our overall fundraising goal this fall is $90,000 or $250/student between participation in our Annual Give and Move-a-thon. Donations are NOT required to participate but will support all students, staff and community members.
Running Schedule
| 3rd | 8:45 – 9:15am |
| K | 9:25 – 9:55am |
| 2nd | 12:05 – 12:35pm |
| 4th | 12:40 – 1:10pm |
| 1st | 1:15 – 1:45pm |
| 5th | 1:50 – 2:20pm |
How does the fundraising work?
Students can raise Move-a-Thon sponsorships online or in person as flat donations or per lap pledges.
All donations are due by 10/14!
How can parents participate at the event?
We need MANY event and classroom volunteers to make the Move-a-Thon run smoothly: Volunteer sign-up sheet
Volunteers MUST complete the SPS Volunteer Application OR Renewal process in order to participate (see details below). Please allow one week for application approval. Your application will be valid for two years.
Questions? Contact Katie (lydenkatie@gmail.com)
SPS Volunteer Application Process
Before you begin, please have the following items ready:
NOTE: All volunteers are required to complete an online Health & Safety Course (23 minutes) and show proof of COVID-19 vaccination.
The Whittier PTA’s 2022-2023 budget was approved by the Community at the PTA Community meeting on May 19, 2022. Interested to have input on next year’s budget? Please join us!
The Whittier PTA is powered by dozens of parents and staff members who do everything from helping to organize and run events, raising funds, planning parent education events, shaping our school’s EDI efforts, and coordinating community outreach. Leading their efforts are the members of the Whittier PTA board, who each oversee a different facet of the PTA’s work. We’re such a fun bunch, you might just be tempted to join us next year. (You’ve been warned. Just kidding, but only kind of. We’re always on the hunt for more parents who want to help make Whittier even better for everyone.) And if you see us at school or around the neighborhood, come say hi! We love getting to know the families in our community.
President
Leah Lansberry Austin
Co-President
Seeking Volunteer!
Vice President
TBA
Co-Secretaries
Jess Templeton and Jared Cortese
Treasurer
Renee Hartnett
Assistant Treasurer
Stacy Rose
Communications Chair
Kate Scher
Communications Co-Chair
Seeking Volunteer!
Fundraising Co-Chairs
Ashley Schiavone and Glenda Elley
Family and Community Engagement Co-Chairs
Kathleen Donahoe and Courtney Sievers
Family and Community Engagement – Events Chair
Emily Grosse
Programs Chair
Seeking Volunteer!
Legislative Reps
Emily Barbee and Megan Wildenradt
Membership Chair
Tricia Schalekamp
Family and Community Engagement – Outreach Chair
Sara Lukas
Volunteer Chair
Mendy Minjarez
Equity, Diversity & Inclusion (EDI) Committee Co-Chairs
Susan Hernandez and Melissa O’Keefe
Website Editor
Seeking Volunteer!
WildChat Editor
Kate Scher
Spring Fling Chair
Courtney Sievers and Renee Hartnett
Move-a-thon
Katie Lyden
Spirit Gear
Tina Lilley
What do all these people do? See our Board Position Descriptions for a detailed description of job duties.
Students can bring a packed lunch to school in a lunch container (that they can open themselves) with an ice pack, if they need to be kept cold. Students may be able to get disposable utensils school. Ask your student’s teacher if they can still purchase a lunch if you pack a lunch. You may receive a note from our amazing Kitchen Manager, Lara, to confirm you’re ok with your Wildcat purchasing lunch.
Fresh meals are available for purchase daily. Breakfast is $2.25 and Lunch is $3.25. Students may also purchase some foods a la carte, like milk. To purchase meals, your student will require a student account. Students can bring a check (payable to “Culinary Services”) or cash for a pre-paid deposit to our Kitchen Manager, Lara.
Alternatively, caregivers can set-up a MySchoolBucks account to use a credit card to establish a pre-paid deposit account. PayPams require the Student’s ID number or meal account pin number (provided by the school) to create an account. Student ID numbers can be found on report cards or by accessing The Source. There is a fee per student for each transaction.
Breakfast & Lunch menus are posted monthly by SPS here. Please note Culinary Services has advised meals are subject to change.
Learn more about and apply to free and reduced meal programs here.
Please note Culinary Services is unable to notify sites which hot options are available until the day of service so this menu may be subject to change.
On Tuesday, September 6, it’s time to get back to business! Join us on the Whittier Playground to celebrate the new school year!
Yuen Lui will take school pictures and the Whittier PTA will be on hand to provide back-to-school resources and information about our wonderful community. Full details/schedule to follow and a later date will be provided for those who can’t make it. Stop by and see us!
Picture Day Schedule
Families, we hope you can make it during your assigned time slot, but if it doesn’t work for you, come when you can!
(If your family can’t attend the event, no worries–you can take school photos during a class picture make-up day later in the Fall.)
In a jam-packed month, Whittier families may feel like their focus is being pulled in many directions. But during this month, we also celebrate LGBTQIA2+ Pride and our diverse Whittier community, alongside SPS. LGTBQIA2+ is an acronym for Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender, Queer and/or Questioning, Intersex, Asexual, Two-Spirit, and other affirmative ways in which people choose to self-identify.At Whittier, our celebration takes on many forms. From teacher-led discussions and projects, ensuring LGTBQIA2+ representation in our library through our student-led book drive, establishing gender neutral bathrooms and safe spaces in our school, and even Principal Watters’ glorious collection of Pride shirts she’s wearing every day this month. Want to continue the conversation at home? SPS has created a collection of K-5 gender books, lessons, and videos have been posted to the SPS Health Education webpage. Earlier this month, SPS raised rainbow and transgender flags outside the SPS Central Office to kickoff their Pride celebration. SPS will also be participate in the Pride Parade later this month. Join the Seattle Public Schools contingent as students, staff, and families march together with pride alongside our school bus float. The parade starts at 11 a.m. on Sunday, June 26. SPS will be in the staging on 4th Avenue prior to the start time. Come early to make posters, hand out candy, and enjoy the cheering crowd. The parade route moves north along 4th Avenue between Union and the Seattle Center, where the party continues with a family-friendly festival including music, booths, food and fun! For more information about these events, contact Lisa at llove@seattleschools.org. We are so proud of our Whittier community and appreciate the opportunity to celebrate every Whittier scholar as they are. Go Wildcats!
Thank you to our Whittier community for your energy, investment, and effort to make the 2021-2022 an amazing success. We are SO proud of what we accomplished together this year, including:
We’re excited (and a little exhausted) but we can’t wait to make next year even better. The PTA is still seeking Whittier community members to join us in essential board positions next year. Many hands make light work; reach out to Leah, next year’s PTA President, for more information on open positions or to become part of our board.
Collect Your Lost & Found Items!
This is the FINAL week to collect any Lost & Found items from Whittier! Look for the Lost & Found rack outside the main entrance at pick-up every day this week. Any items not collected by 6/17 will be donated. Thank you!
Whittier’s Building Leadership Team (BLT) is seeking a parent/caregiver representative. This volunteer position is a two year commitment and the BLT meets for an hour and a half in the afternoon on the first Monday each month throughout the school year to discuss curriculum, building strategy, budget, and other school wide topics. The BLT is made up of two parent representatives, the principal, an administrative representative, representatives from the different grade levels teachers, a representative from the Specialists and a learning interventionist representative.Please direct questions and interest to the current parent reps:
Interested to volunteer but not sure if the BLT role is right for you? Reach out to vp@whittierptaseattle.org to learn about more volunteer opportunities!
Enjoy these Wildcat stats from the Move-a-Thon:
AMAZING! Thank you to our Wildcat community! Questions? Contact fundraising@whittierptaseattle.com.
This year’s fifth grade class is filled with special scholars and young leaders destined to change the world. We are grateful for the way they’ve lead their Whittier peers throughout this year, including cheering them on during our first assemblies, supporting others during this year’s Booster clinic, and sharing their voices and concerns during PTA Board Meetings.
This week’s celebration of our fifth graders includes today’s Adventure Day and a Promotion Ceremony for fifth graders and their parents on Thursday, June 16, during the school day. During this promotion ceremony, fifth grade families will have the opportunity to take photos at our our new photo booth, created for this fifth grade’s promotion.
Thank you to our fifth grade families for their service, Wildcat spirit, and stewardship throughout your tenure at Whittier. We know you won’t go far and you’ll always be welcomed in the Whittier community (after all, you’ll all still be Wildcats at Whitman!). Best of luck to our fifth grade Wildcats!
We are so excited to complete our final playground improvement of the year. Donated by the Fifth Grade class of 2020 (and tirelessly coordinated by PTA President Tina), this Buddy Bench will be a great space for Whittier friends to connect for years to come. Go Wildcats!
We thank the incredible teachers, staff and leadership at Whittier for their steadfast dedication to making our school a safe and joyful space for our kids every single day.
As we continue to grapple with the recent devastating acts of violence, we feel called to ACTION. Gun violence is a public health crisis. It impacts each of us but it’s important to remember that it does not impact us equally. Read more about how gun violence impacts communities in Washington.
We CAN fight against this. Please take less than 1 minute (YES, really!) to complete these 3 quick and meaningful actions TODAY.
Eager for more information? Montlake Elementary has put an amazing comprehensive list together of many more ways you can learn and get involved over the summer. Questions? Ideas? Contact advocacy@whittierptaseattle.org
Have you found a wayward Whittier library book in your house? Please send it with your Wildcat or drop it at the Front Office for collection. They were due last week!
An ENORMOUS THANK YOU to Nurse Marissa, Dr. Chanelle Roberts and the Docere Center for Natural Medicine, caregiver volunteers, Principal Watters, Whittier teachers and staff, and our Wildcat students for making our Booster/Vaccine clinic a success! In four hours we were able to boost or vaccinate 189 Whittier students. It was amazing to see Wildcats support one another with cheers, helpful gestures (like sharing a stuffed animal), and kind words. We are so proud of everyone’s hard work to help keep our community safe!
Looking for vaccine or booster clinics? SPS is hosting a couple more this year! Learn more.
2021-2022 Yearbooks are arriving! 5th graders will receive theirs early (during their adventure day). Other grades should expect their yearbooks to be distributed on Thursday or Friday.
Whittier Playground WILL be open this summer!
Enjoy and please help us caretake this space when you’re there!
Your Whittier Family Directory is coming home soon! Thanks to our amazing volunteers, especially Amy Bryan and Todd Simonson, for putting this together. Be sure to use this amazing resource this summer!
Returning to Whittier? Expect to receive information about next year’s class assignments on Wednesday, August 31. Have a great summer!
Psst! Want a sneak preview of next year’s event and school calendar? It’s already up on Konstella!
Do you know a neighborhood family considering Whittier? Encourage them to register today! Teacher and classroom assignments are being made early this summer, so future Whittier families shouldn’t delay in registering (even if they’re still deciding between Whittier and another school).
Note: If you’re new to the Whittier community or Seattle Public Schools, there’s no need to re-register. Unless you’ve chosen to transfer district schools, your child will automatically continue at Whittier (or their next school) next year.
The school year is out, but our community is still organizing, connecting, and planning! Stay connected to friends, events, and updates:
We hope to see you there!
Please note: Child supervision is NOT provided at Popsicle playdates; families are responsible for supervising their children. In addition, no bathroom facilities will be available as the building will be closed for the summer.