Whittier WildChat
May 29, 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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Student council is pleased to announce Kindness Challenge Week from June 3-7!
Each day will bring a different spirit day and target challenge to complete. Throughout the week, K and 1st grade students will work on completing a checklist of 12 kind acts while 2nd-5th graders will tackle a list of 50! Students who complete their entire checklist will be invited to place a handprint on a poster during recess on Friday. The schedule of spirit days and daily challenges are as follows:
Monday: Team Kindness (team shirt/jersey day); sit with someone new at lunch
Tuesday: Peace, Love & Kindness (hippie day); entertain someone with a happy dance
Wednesday: Wild About Kindness (animal day); bring a flower to the office staff
Thursday: Dream of Kindness (pajama day); learn to say hello in a different language
Friday: Express your Kindness (individuality day); invite a new friend to play with you
Families are also invited to participate at home with the family checklist. To find it, go to the Family Edition page at
www.greatkindnesschallenge.org. We hope the Whittier community will join us in celebrating kindness during the challenge and beyond!
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WildChat Editor Still Needed for Next Year!
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June 3-7
Kindness Challenge Week
June 13, Thursday: Math Night for K- 2 Families 6:00 – 7:30
Friday, June 14
Field Day
Thursday, June 20
Spring Sing and Art Walk
Friday, June 21
Whittier Jogathon – Rainbow Spirit Day
Thursday, June 27th
5th Grade Moving Up Assembly/Celebration at 8:15 – 10:30
Early Dismissal for all at 1:25
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Whittier Book Swap
To promote reading throughout the summer, we will be having a book swap in the library starting the week of June 10th. I am asking each student to bring in at least one used book to exchange for a new-to-them book to read over the summer. If you have additional books to donate, it would be greatly appreciated! Please keep us in mind if you are cleaning out your child’s bookshelves! If we have enough donations, students will be able to select more than one book and they will have more of a selection to pick from. Books remaining after the book swap will be added to the book exchange outside the office, saved for next year or donated.
Some things to consider:
- Books should be appropriate reading for grades K-5 (picture books, early readers, non-fiction, chapter books)
- No adult books, magazines or board books please
- Books should be in good to excellent condition (no rips, stains, missing pages, or writing in them)
We can start accepting books for the swap on Monday, June 3rd. It’s important for us to get the books prior to the day the classes come in so that we can sort them. If you have any questions or would like to donate extra books, please contact me at
shnewcomb@seattleschools.org.
Thank you! Ms. Newcomb
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Field Day on June 14 -Celebrate the Women's World Cup 2019 in France 2019
Old hands or new, everyone is welcome! Let's celebrate Women's World Cup France 2019 on Field Day in true Wildcat fashion and have a blast!
Sign up today.
Volunteers are asked to wear the colors of the defending Women's World Cup Champions, Team USA... It is an easy one. Red, White, and Blue. A double winner!
Face paint and dyed hair a bonus! It will be a blaze of color!
STATION VOLUNTEERS SHOULD MEET MR. PULE IN THE WHITTIER GYM @ 11:15 AM. Mr. Pule will present a quick Field Day Activities 101 wiki-course. In a few minutes, you will be an expert in the field day arts! Bring a friend and really have a Flag Waving, World Cup Field Day .
Date: 06/14/2019 (Fri.)
Time: 8:00am - 2:20pm PDT
Location: Whittier Elementary
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Stride to show your WILDCAT PRIDE!
Time to lace up those running shoes, Wildcats! Whittier’s Annual Jog-A-Thon is Friday, June 21st! Race into the end of the school, putting the FUN in fundraising! Every student is invited to run, jog or walk and will earn a fantastic Whittier running themed prize and a Popsicle!
- When is it? Friday, June 21, 2019
- How does it work? Kids walk, jog or run around the playground during the school day. Each grade walks or runs as many laps as they can in their 30-minute period.
- How much are we trying to raise? We encourage Kids to gather sponsorships from family, friends and neighbors. Our fundraising goal for the Jog-A-Thon is $16,000 or approximately $50 per student. Funds raised at the Jog-A-Thon will be used to fund Whittier PTA sponsored programs such as staffing positions, artists in residence and field trips!
How do I sponsor a Wildcat Runner?
Students can raise Jog-A-Thon Sponsorships online or in person, as flat donations or per lap pledges.
2. Pledge envelopes will be sent home in KidMail on Friday, June 7!
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Extra Support for Struggling Families Over the Summer-Gift Card Drive thru June 5th!
Make sure you check everyone’s school backpack this week. You’ll find a yellow envelope that can help families in our community and our sister school, Bailey Gatzert Elementary who are still struggling to make up lost income and additional expenses from this winter’s snowmageddon.
The next time you’re at Safeway, Fred Meyer, or Bartell Drugs, pick up a Gift Certificate, and pop it in that yellow envelope.
Then drop the gift card in the envelope in KidMail this week—before June 5, 2019.
This fast and easy Gift Card Drive is a powerful and immediate way you can help support every student in our communities.
So don’t forget to check those backpacks!
Thank you, PTA Outreach Team
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Whittier’s Building Leadership Team (BLT) is Seeking a Parent Rep
The BLT is seeking a parent rep to serve a two year term beginning summer 2019. The BLT includes the principal, teachers, PCP/library teachers/tutors/assistants, community representatives, and two parent representatives who serve in alternating two-year terms. We are in need of a parent rep for 2019-2020, beginning this summer! The commitment includes regular meetings on Mondays after school, generally once per month, with more frequent meetings during budget season (February and March). Interested in learning more about how we work to improve the school? Contact Kathleen Durham or Tracy Yetter, your current BLT reps, at
khdurham@hotmail.com
or
kearnsyetter@comcast.net
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The PTA still looking for a few people to help our community for the next school year!
We are focusing on the following spots that we have yet to fill:
WildChat Editor and Spring Fling chair.
- WildChat Editor: Are you computer savvy and a good editor? Want something you can manage from your home in your PJ's? We are looking for a WildChat newsletter Editor. A lot of copy/pasting and some formatting, typically a 1 hour per week commitment (rarely more).
- Spring Fling Chair: Love to plan a party? We need someone to chair this next years Spring Fling. This years party was a great community building experience and we need someone to help that magic happen again.
And because we would like the PTA board and committees to reflect the diversity of our community, we encourage parents of color, parents in the LGBTQ community, neurodiverse parents, parents with disabilities, and parents who speak a language other than English at home to look into these positions.
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Flag Raising Ceremony to Recognize Pride Month
Both the rainbow flag and the Trans Pride flag will be flown at the Seattle Public School's district office during June. A flag raising ceremony will be held at 9am on Friday, May 31st at John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence (2445 3rd Ave S). This event is for students, staff, and families.
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Hello Wildcat family!
Those of you who have walked to school and had to cross 80th Ave during rush hour traffic before and after school have no doubt noticed that our dear SPS crossing guard, Mary, has been there every. single. time. As far as I can recall she's missed one day of work, a Friday, so that she could spend time with her son who goes to college out of state. Mary arrives early to keep our kids safe each day no matter the weather (and there have been some seriously cold and wet days) and always with a joyful smile and a warm hello. Wouldn't it be fun to surprise her with an end of the year thank you gift of a Visa gift card, a bouquet of flowers and a Wildcat hoodie?
If this sounds like something you would like to participate in, know that no donation is too small. This is simply a gesture of gratitude. I will collect money between now and June 7 and present it to her Monday, June 10th, so we all have ample time to tell her thank you so much for her service.
My Venmo is @IN8SOCIETY
PayPal is jerrica.kostis@gmail.com
Square cash is $JerricaKostis
Message me at jerrica.kostis@gmail.com if you have any questions.
Cheers to you, Wildcats! -Jerrica Kostis (mama to Zoley and Corinne)
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Whittier Kids Preschool - 2019-20 School Year Openings
Now enrolling for Tuesday/Thursday openings for the 2019-20 school year! Whittier Kids Preschool is located onsite at Whittier Elementary and offers a high-quality, play-based program for 3-5 year olds. Our program runs from 8am-2pm during the school year and focuses on dynamic curriculum, building social emotional skills and instilling a love of learning. More info online:
https://www.phinneycenter.org/whittierkids/preschool-enrollment/
or email
whittierkids@phinneycenter.org
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Free class for Whittier parents at barre3 Ballard on June 6th!
Summer is amazing and stressful all at once. We know that carving time out of your day to care for yourself is already challenging and can be even more difficult in the summer. Why not get started with us before summer kicks in?
Have you met us yet? Barre3 Ballard is an independent, family owned, fitness studio moments from your neighborhood school. Barre3 is a full body, balanced workout combining strength conditioning, cardio and mindfulness. We are community centered and always looking to meet new members that are excited about finding strength on both the inside and out.
Come connect with us at a free community event on Thursday, June 6th, before school is out for summer! Experience a FREE 60 minute class for members of the Whittier Elementary Community!
See you there!
Katie Lyden-Whittier Mom, barre3 instructor and barre3 Ballard Community Manager
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Transform Your Child’s Summer!
Studies have shown that students can regress in their math knowledge by up to two and a half months over the summer. Mathnasium of Northwest Seattle in Ballard can help your student avoid this “summer slide” with Summer Power Math Workout Programs focusing on numerical fluency, fractions, multiplication, algebra readiness, geometry readiness and more. Contact Mathnasium to plan your child’s summer program at: 206-588-0460 or northwestseattle@mathnasium.com. Learn more at
http://www.mathnasium.com/northwestseattle.
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Welcome to Robert Eagle Staff Middle School: New Student & Family Welcome
June 6, 7:00-8:15 pm
Join us for student-led school tours, performances, and a welcome from school staff & community partners
Additional New Student & Family Welcome
**June 11** (NEW DATE!), 6:00-7:15 pm
Stay for our end of the year Orchestra Concert!
Updated with new date!
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The 7th annual PhinneyWood Pride Rainbow Hop
Celebrate love and solidarity with our LGBTQ families and friends.
Saturday June 1, 10:30am-1:30pm, FREE
Join us to kick off Pride Month with face painting, arts and crafts, music, and other exciting activities!
Participating businesses along the “Hop Route” will host activities that promote inclusiveness and fun. The event map with all the activities will be available at this link and at a participating locations.
Explore the neighborhood, have fun, and get your map stamped at each stop. Kids who collect 6 stamps or more on their map can exchange it for a ticket to the Woodland Park Zoo.
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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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