Whittier News

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 […]

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 […]

Well-Resourced Schools Update: 9/18/24 There’s been some updates since last week’s Well-Resourced Schools announcement last week. Here’s a summary: SPS released more information with justifications and data related to each plan. You can view it here (page 7 begins the specific data sharing). It should be noted that many community members are questioning the source […]

Advocacy Opportunity: Send Letters to our Reps Writing to our local representatives today is a great way to share your voice. Our representatives can’t know whether our community agrees with SPS’ Well-Resourced Schools plans unless we contact them. For ease, we’ve drafted sample letters you can customize when contacting representatives. Click on the links below […]

Latest “Well-Resourced School” Updates All recent updates are shared on our Advocacy page September 26th Summary September 18th Summary Recent Updates and Advocacy Calls to Action September 12, 2024 Hello Incredible Whittier Community,  Amidst the reveal of SPS’ Well-Resourced Schools update yesterday, we as a PTA wanted to reach out as fellow families navigating and processing these […]

Asking Questions & Sharing Your Voice on the Well-Resourced Schools Plans There are opportunities to ask questions and share your voice about the Well-Resourced Schools Plans. Learn more below: Individual Action Contact our local representatives and ask questions, share your concerns, and demand they advocate for your family.  Click here for direct links with pre-populated […]

Whittier’s amazing Front Office team is seeking donations of spare clothing for Wildcat students to access throughout the school year. We are specifically seeking donations of clean, great condition: Gender Neutral Socks (sizes XS – XL) Gender Neutral Underwear (sizes XS – XL)Gender Neutral Soft Pants (sizes XS – XL)We’re also seeking:Gender Neutral Short Sleeve […]

Want to help Whittier over the summer? Here’s how: Volunteer for one of our key open positions on the PTA. Roles with bite-sized, fun-sized, and full-sized commitments and remote/in-person work styles are available! Help us restock our Staff Lounge! Join us for campus clean-up work parties (8/25 and 8/26)! Volunteer to help during Back to […]

Whittier PTA is seeking community members to volunteer for key volunteer roles for the 2024-2025 school year. These positions have different commitment levels, including some that can be accomplished remotely. Whittier PTA is an all-volunteer run organization that aims to have fun, build community, and support Whittier Elementary’s educational excellence. Open 2024-2025 PTA Roles Wildchat […]

We love our Whittier teachers and staff! In addition to our on-going appreciation activities, we participate in a full week of appreciation hosted by the Whittier PTA.  Whittier PTA hosts most of these appreciation events, but students are invited to participate for two activities during this week: Monday (5/6): Bring flowers to morning drop-off! A […]

If you missed last month’s budget conversations with Principal Watters, we encourage all members of our community to watch this virtual version to better understand how Whittier’s budget works and the PTA’s role. As SPS’ budget woes continue, we’ll need to be more transparent and proactive in understanding the important role our PTA plays to […]

Get excited for Move-a-thon 2024 on Friday, April 26th! This annual fundraiser encourages Wildcats to move while supporting Whittier PTA’s programs that fund essential staff and services, community events, academic enrichment, and more.https://youtu.be/oC5L6WDtqEo Families–keep an eye out for more information about how you can help your Wildcat fundraise and fun volunteer opportunities to help make […]

Meet the Board  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 […]

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Now in its second year, Whittier Elementary celebrates “Prides of March”–a month-long focus on community service for a community partner and in-school spirit events. This year’s “Prides of March” partner organizations are Luther Memorial Church Food Pantry (located directly across from Broadview-Thomson K8 School) and Ballard High School Teen Health Center. Donations can be dropped […]

We are seeking volunteers to help with our upcoming Family Dance & Game Night on Friday, March 3! To help make the event run successfully, we need adult caregivers like you to help: Day-of Can you partner with another adult caregiver to supervise activities during the event? We are seeking two volunteers for each of […]

First and foremost, SAVE THE DATE MAY 20th for this year’s SPRING FLING FUNDRAISER – Highway to the Wildcat Zone! Yes, that means this year’s theme is Top Gun! The goal is for tickets to go on sale March 1st, more details to follow in the upcoming weeks! This is another one of our big fundraising efforts to raise money […]

Whittier’s Love of Reading is Out of This World! BOOK FAIR SHOPPING 2:30 – 7:30pm in the Library Provided by Phinney Books % of all sales benefit the Whittier Library Shop for yourself, family, or teachers! Can’t make it in-person? An online shopping link will be available soon. LITERACY NIGHT EVENTS 5:30 – 7:30pm in the […]

If you’re new to understanding the complex funding structure of education (and SPS and Washington State public schools in particular), you may be confused about the PTA’s role in “essential staff and services” at Whittier. Learn more about the role PTA funds play in Whittier’s annual operations and budgets: Whittier is the 16th largest elementary […]

Does your Wildcat enjoy art, music and dance or have an interest in writing, producing films and taking photos? Then join us and have fun unleashing your inner artist with PTA Reflections, a national arts recognition program. WHAT IS THE REFLECTIONS PROGRAM?Reflections is a national arts contest. All students are invited to reflect on this […]

The clinic will be held on Wednesday, October 19 between 8:30am – 1pm. We will be giving flu shots and hopefully the new, pediatric bivalent COVID booster (as long as it is released in time). Children are eligible for the booster as long as it has been 2 months since their last booster and they […]

At Whittier, students rotate which Specialist they visit every two days (AA/BB/CC). This schedule is partially funded by the Whittier PTA. Classes visit the same Specialist class two days in a row before rotating to the next. Holidays are skipped over (resuming wherever classes left off in the rotation) so no classroom misses specialist instruction. […]

Join the Whittier PTA for tasty drinks while supporting Whittier! Between 3-10pm on Wednesday, October 5, Wheelie Pop Brewing will donate $1 per pint or tasting tray purchased at their brewery (1110 NW 50th Street) to the Whittier PTA. Wheelie Pop has indoor and outdoor seating, is family friendly, and they’ll have Burger Planet on-site (and Trailbend […]

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. HOW CAN I FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION? Channels of direct communications from stakeholder groups: SEA: FB: https://www.facebook.com/SeattleEALinktree (including links to website and past contracts): https://linktr.ee/seattleea…Position statements side-by-side: https://www.washingtonea.org/file_viewer.php?id=53001Bargaining updates: […]