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Whittier WildChat
December 12, 2018
PAWS UP WILDCATS!
Whittier is proud we're going to shout out loud…
Responsibility, Respect, and Safety!
Helping Hands Holiday Gift Drive... A Huge Thank You!  
Our annual Helping Hands Gift Drive was a GREAT success this year! Thanks so much for all your generous donations and help. Our Whittier community donated so many wonderful gifts, sure to make this a joyous season for Whittier and Bailey Gatzert families-in-need. 

☸ Over $1,800 in grocery gift cards!
☸ More than 150 books and toys!
☸ Bringing smiles to 65 kids and 37 families!

And this couldn’t have been such a success without all the help from our volunteers! Decorating mittens, creating the beautiful tree display, selling grocery gift cards in the rain and cold, organizing and checking in gifts, sorting, wrapping, and last of all delivering… it takes a village and you all stepped up to help. A personal thanks from us, Dawn and Lena, for your help and support.

Have a fabulous and joyous holiday!
Calendar
Wed., December 12,
Whittier Spring Musical Mandatory Parent Meeting
6:30-7:15 pm library

Friday, December 14,
Wear your Whittier Wildcat Spirit Gear 

Friday, December 21
Early release for Winter Break

Sat., March 9, 2019,
Spring Fling FUNraiser
7:00pm – 11:00pm
News from the Office
Come Learn about the Spring Musical
In 4 th  or 5 th  grade? Like Green??? Like to sing, dance and create something great with friends???
Then you’ll love Whittier Wildcat Player’s

Mandatory parent meeting
Please come pick up our child’s paperwork and hear more about the musical process
Wednesday December 12
From 6:30-7:15 in the library
if you can’t make the meeting please contact Ms. Steph to schedule an alternate time at  whittierwildcatplayers@gmail.com
Coaches Needed for Girls on the Run
Are you looking for a way to empower girls in your community? Become a Girls on the Run or Heart & Sole Coach!

Volunteer coaches work directly with the 3rd – 5th or 6th – 8th grade girls in the Girls on the Run program by leading them through fun and active lessons that intentionally teach life skills such as confidence, empathy and conscious decision-making. Our season runs from early March – mid May, and coaches work with girls twice a week for 90 minutes during that 10-week season. Girls build endurance through walking and running activities in order to complete a non-competitive 5k (3.1 Miles) at the end of the season!

Coaches do not have to be runners, just individuals who care about empowering young women in our communities! Gain internship credit, volunteer hours and unmatched teaching, coaching and mentoring experience, join us today!
Learn more and apply at www.girlsrun.org, or email us at info@girlsrun.org
Bring Helments for PE!
Whitttier PE’s skate unit started Monday, Nov.26th. and will run until Winter Break

All students will need to wear a helmet. Please bring your helmet from home. We have quad skates, wrist guards, and pads at school. You may bring your own quad/inline skates as well, but label everything and store in unbreakable bag.

Be sure to sign up for notifications like this from Schoology.
News from the PTA
Volunteer for Whittier's Spring Fling FUNraiser
Looking for a creative and fun way to get involved in your kiddo’s classroom while helping to raise money for Whittier at the same time? We’ve got you covered! The Spring Fling FUNraiser needs one parent volunteer from each classroom to coordinate a themed bucket to be auctioned off the night of the event. You can pick the theme and recruit other parents from the classroom to contribute items. Ideas for buckets could be anything from Ballard Brews to Family Game Night to Emergency Preparedness or anything else you can imagine. Sign up here!

More interested in a hands-on volunteer experience? No problem!
We also need one parent volunteer from each classroom to develop an art project to be auctioned off at the Spring Fling. You’ll pick the project, coordinate times with the teacher, and deliver the project by Monday, February 25th. This year, the theme is BALLARD! Sign up here!
SCRIP Sale
Whittier PTA has quite a few SCRIP cards just waiting to be spent... everything from Target and Macy's to Apple and Safeway! We are phasing out selling them at school, so we're having a fire sale to sell the cards in our inventory ($2000!). Great as a gift for the Holidays or use for places you shop everyday anyway... and Whittier PTA gets a % of the sales so you're helping Whittier at the same time.
Click below to view cards and denominations.

Here you can order cards and pay either via PayPal OR by dropping a check made out to Whittier PTA to the office (PTA file box/SCRIP orders folder). We will then send the cards home via kidmail.
For questions, please email Dawn Eggerts ( dawn.eggerts@gmail.com ).
Thanks! Dawn
Whittier PTA Equity Review- Get Involved
The Whittier PTA is in the process of conducting an equity review with consultant Erin Okuno. Erin is reviewing various documents inducing our budget and standing rules. She is hoping to gain the perspective of a few parents of color within the Whittier community. We are looking for 2 or 3 parents of color who would be open to an email or phone call with Erin. All feedback would be anonymous and a stipend for your time would be provided. Thank you for considering. 

Please contact the Diversity and Inclusion Committee if interested:  dandi.whittierpta@gmail.com
District News
Special Education Resource Fair
Learn useful information from department staff, relevant district representatives, and community groups!

SEATTLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS INVITES YOU TO
SOUTH LAKE HIGH SCHOOL COMMONS
8601 RAINIER AVE S. SEATTLE, WA 98118 
Tuesday, January 22nd
6:30 - 8:00pm

This school year, the Special Education Department is holding resource fairs instead of regional meetings. Learn face-to-face from the people who help coordinate services to support your student. Special Education directors and other staff will be onsite during this open-house style event, so bring your questions!
For more details, contact  SpEdCommunications@seattleschools.org
Childcare will be provided.
Community News
Countering Whiteness: Working for Racial Equity in White Spaces
Join this workshop on Wednesday, December 12th from 6:30pm-8:30pm in the Salmon Bay School Auditorium, hosted by the Friends of Salmon Bay Diversity Committee. 

Please RSVP to  fosbdiversity@gmail.com  so we can know how many people to expect.

"Countering Whiteness: What can you do to work for racial equity in predominately white settings?"
Explore this question in a workshop led by Tracy Castro-Gill, 2019 Puget Sound Educational Service District Teacher of the Year and Seattle Public Schools Ethnic Studies Program Manager, and Jon Greenberg, an award-winning educator and writer whose pieces on racial justice have been featured in NPR, Huffington Post an Yes! Magazine.

This free event is not just for Salmon Bay parents, but is open to the greater community, Seattle Public School parents and community members interested in learning more about and supporting racial equity work at Seattle Public Schools.
Whitman Screening of “Angst”, an IndieFlix Documentary Designed to Raise Awareness Around Anxiety

Location:  Whitman Middle School’s auditorium
Date:  January 23rd 
Time:  7:00 PM (doors will open at 6:40 PM)

Although the film is appropriate for ages 11+, we ask that only adults attend.  The event is free, however, a ticket is required for entry. Please use the ticket registration link provided to secure your entry into the screening. The PTSA will be accepting donations at the event to offset the cost of the movie. We plan to have an informal discussion after the screening.

Reserve your tickets for  Angst  a new documentary about anxiety. We want to start a conversation! #AngstMovie @IndieFlix Whitman Middle School  https://www.facebook.com/events/302338833822392/
Spring Season registration is now open for Seattle Celtic Soccer Club! 
Seattle Celtic will be holding Spring season tryouts in early January. Celtic have teams at all levels for players born between 2001 and 2012 and a coaching staff with the perfect mix of energy, passion and expertise to help players develop and excel in a fun environment. 

 Tryouts are free to attend and details can be found at  www.seattleceltic.com  

 Questions? Contact us at  info@seattleceltic.com  for further information.
Attention all Baseball, Softball, and Tee-Ball players!
Northwest Seattle Little League ("NWSLL") opened for registration on December 1st!
 
NWSLL has served our local NW Seattle neighborhoods since 1959 and is chartered through Little League Baseball, offering a variety of divisions for baseball and softball as well as numerous volunteer opportunities.  NWSLL’s boundaries extend from Puget Sound to I-5 and from roughly 85th to 145th.
 
On-time registration runs through January 27th, and we are offering a $10 discount for those who register before January 1st!  Our Kid-Pitch players (ages 8 and up) have Evaluation Weekend on February 9-10 to assist in creating balanced teams. After February 10 th  registration for Kid-Pitch teams is based on availability. For players age 8 and younger (who play Coach-Pitch or Tee-Ball), teams start up later, so we accept registrations through early to mid-March. Lastly, NWSLL liberally grants scholarship requests to families in need of assistance. Our goal is to help every kid play ball who wants to enjoy the game with friends!
 
Please visit  http://nwsll.org/  to learn more and register online.
 
Questions? Please send email to  info@nwsll.org   PLAY BALL!

Thank Yous!
A big thank you to Phinney Books that made our Book Fair possible this year. Also a big thank you to Danielle Poll, Sara Schmidt, Patrick McCann, Anna Reeve, Deborah Shiff, Emily Gross, and Hilarie Sander for volunteering and making this another successful Book Fair!

Thank you to Emily Clark and Marlen Iñiguez Martinez for organizing the 4th Grade Sponsored Take and Go Coffee
Contact Us
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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.