Whittier WildChat
March 13, 2019
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PAWS UP WILDCATS!
Whittier is proud we're going to shout out loud…
Responsibility, Respect, and Safety!
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IMPORTANT Whittier Budget Update!
Whittier received its 2019-2020 school budget allocations from Seattle Public Schools (SPS) in late February and is
facing notable staffing cuts next year
:
- Our Specialist allocation (Performing Arts, Visual Arts, and PE) was reduced from 3.0 to 2.5 employees; and
- We lost funding that supported 2.5 days of Literacy Specialist instruction.
These cuts reflect expected lower enrollment at Whittier next year, and a shortfall in the SPS budget due in part to changes in state funding policies.
The Whittier PTA Board relies on family input
to help us assess our capacity to support the school budget, including staffing positions—we will have the opportunity to help mitigate these budget cuts next year.
The budget process is complicated. We hope you will take some time to
learn more
here
. We also encourage all of our families to
complete our budget survey
here
—share your values and priorities, thoughts and ideas about how we can best support families, students and staff next year.
Finally, please mark your calendars—
all community members are invited to attend:
PTA Community Meeting, Thursday, March 14 7:00pm (6:30pm snacks & mingle) in the Library
PTA members will vote on funding requests of the PTA to support 2019-2020 school staffing positions.
- PTA membership is required to vote; if you are not yet a PTA member, register here or in person at the meeting. You do not have to be a paid PTA member to attend meetings and ask questions.
- View the meeting live on the Whittier Communications Facebook page.
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Thurs., March 14
PTA Community Meeting 7:00pm (6:30pm snacks & mingle), Library
Thurs., March 21
STEM fair
6-8.00 pm
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Whittier Elementary STEM Fair 2019
Our STEM Fair will be held on March 21st from 6-8 pm at Whittier Elementary School.
Please come and share your projects with our Wildcat community! Get challenged with your entire family by working together on different projects and experiments to earn popcorn, prizes, and also enter into the drawing for a family package to the Pacific Science Center.
There also will be a bake sale to benefit Nature Bridge 2020!!
Contact us at events.whittierpta@gmail.com if you have any questions.
This event cannot happen without the help of our wonderful volunteers! Please help us make this a great STEM Fair by volunteering (setting up, cleaning up, helping in the classrooms with the activities, handing out our STEM Fair passports,...).
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Author Russell Ginns to Visit Whittier
We are excited to welcome the author Russell Ginns to Whittier March 21st to talk with our 3rd-5th grades.
Please see the attached form, that will also be coming home with students later this week, to find out more about Russell and his new book series. If your child is interested in purchasing one of his books, orders need to be sent in next Thursday, the day of his visit.
Please let me know if you have any questions! Thank you, Ms. Newcomb.
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2018-19 YEARBOOK
It’s time to start thinking about the Whittier Wildcat yearbook!
We need to start collecting photos from the community.
If you have photos from events, please upload them here;
If you have photos from your student’s classroom, please upload them here;
Requests for yearbook cover art have been sent home via KidMail, please have your Wildcats submit their artwork to the office by March 29
th
.
Information for ordering YOUR yearbook will be advertised soon!
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Latest Building Leadership Team (BLT) Meeting Minutes
Here
are the latest minutes from the BLT including budget/staffing discussions. The BLT includes the principal, teachers, PCP/library teachers/tutors/assistants, administrative staff, community representatives, and two parent representatives.
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THANK YOU to everyone that was able to attend this past Saturday’s Spring Fling!
It was an amazing event which included lots of good times and lots of fundraising.
If you weren’t able to make it to the event there are still some opportunities for you.
Some sign-up parties and staff donated items still have openings. Please click
here
to see some of the great items still available.
The 2019-2020 School Year poses massive challenges for Whittier, but we've got an opportunity to rescue our school and our students from the imminent funding crisis. Some of our most important programs (ART, LITERACY, LIBRARY, & NURSING) - and some of our most essential staff - are at risk. We need
your
help to preserve the Whittier we know and love. Please click
here
if you would are able to donate.
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Calling All Volunteers!
Both Greenwood and Loyal Height Elementary are looking for parent volunteers for their school auctions on the evening of March 23rd. These are really fun events!! If you are interested, please email Jennifer Mannheim at
nurse_barker@hotmail.com
for details. Thanks for considering!
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Contact Us
- Contact the WildChat Editor with questions about or submissions to this newsletter.
- WildChat content should be submitted via email no later than Tuesdays at12 PM for Wednesday publication.
- Please use the SafeUnsubscribe link at the bottom of this message if you do not wish to receive further issues of the WildChat.
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Shopping for Whittier
Support our Wildcats by shopping! (Really!) These retailers donate a % of your purchases to Whittier...
- AmazonSmile - Select "Whittier PTA Seattle Council" during the easy set-up at smile.amazon.com. Bookmark it and click it every time you shop! (Tech support tip: Amazon Smile only works on browsers, not the Amazon app.)
- Fred Meyer - Link your Fred Meyer Rewards card to Whittier PTA (NPO# 85919). You keep your Rewards points!
- Ballard Market - Look for the jar labeled Ballard Market receipts on the table in the lobby and stuff your collected receipts inside.
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