PTA Weekly
Important Upcoming Dates
See the Wedgwood PTA website calendar for a full list of events
February 11, 6:30-8 p.m: PTA Board Meeting in Wedgwood Library
February 18-22: NO SCHOOL, Presidents Day and Mid-winter break
February 28, 5-7 p.m.: Wedgwood Elementary Potluck
Middle-school tours and open-enrollment period
Attention fifth-grade families! Are you considering Eckstein or Jane Addams for middle school? School tours are coming up, please click on the school name for more details on each tour:
Jane Addams Middle School: Wednesday, February 6, 6:30 p.m.
Eckstein Middle School: Thursday, February 7, 6 p.m.
Enrollment for the 2019-2020 school year begins: January 7, 2019
Open enrollment for School Choice: Feb. 4 – Feb. 15, 2019
Wedgwood PTA endorses a YES vote for renewing education levies on the Feb. 12 ballot
On your Feb. 12, 2019 ballot, you will see two important education levies, which are set to expire in 2019. Your Wedgwood Elementary PTA has endorsed a yes vote and contributed $1000 from the PTA budget toward SchoolsFirst to help support the levy campaign. Thank you for taking the time to read more about these important measures.
Proposition 1: The educational programs and operations levy (EP&O) levy bridges the funding gap for critical support staff such as nurses, librarians, counselors, family support workers, and more.
Proposition 2: The building excellence levy (BEX V) will provide our students with healthier and safer buildings and improved technology.
You can read more at The Stranger, The Seattle Times, or on the Seattle Public Schools website.
You can always find the latest news on legislative actions from the WA State PTA advocacy page:
To join the 2018-2019 WWE PTA as legislative representative, contact: Amalia Magaret.
Black Lives Matter at School: Feb. 4-8
February is Black History Month! February 4-8, be part of the nationwide movement that started in Seattle to stand up for black lives and education - Black Lives Matter at School. See Mr. Liu's Principal Newsletter for more information about what's happening at Wedgwood. Families can also read this resolution passed by the Seattle Council PTSA in support, and don't be afraid to talk about race and equity with your child at home. Looking to diversify your home library? Teaching for Change is a great resource for books, listed by topic (including Black History) and grouped for different ages.
Check out the Diversity and Inclusion bulletin board in February for more on Black History and Black Lives Matter!
Wedgwood musical sold out (but you could still maybe get tickets)
The Wedgwood Musical is now SOLD OUT for all three performances.
The good news is that all the Wedgwood kids will get to see the whole play at an in-school performance on Monday 3/11. Note that this is not open to the public.
How can you still get tickets? A small amount of tickets will get released before the show (such as cast/crew tickets that go unused or tickets that aren't paid by February 14). To get on the wait list for a particular night, please use the ticket sales link. and sign up for the wait list for whatever nights(s) you want. We will start to work through the wait list and notify people after 2/14. Unused tickets will be offered based on website timestamp.
Location: Wedgwood Elementary Stage (in the Cafeteria)
Run Time: 75 minutes
Cost: $5/ticket (please contact Ms. Waltzer for financial assistance)
Please direct any questions to wedgwoodmusical@gmail.com.
Join us at the UW Women's Basketball game on Feb. 9
On Saturday, February 9 at 2 p.m., the UW Women's Basketball team is hosting the Arizona State Sun Devils. This is open to ALL Wedgwood Elementary School families. We would love to have a great Marmot turnout to cheer them along!
For those who would like to join, please RSVP by sending an email to justin@mwagnerteam.com. I will be sponsoring this event and will purchase tickets for your family so everyone who joins can sit in the same section. Please only RSVP if you are sure you are able to go as purchased tickets will not be able to be returned. All RSVP's must be made NO LATER than Wednesday, February 6 at 6 p.m. After this time you are welcome to join but will need to purchase your own tickets.
Call or text Justin at 206-595-2307, send me an email or contact me through email if you have ANY questions at all.
Global Reading Challenge: In-school competition 2/7
Our Global Reading Challenge teams will be participating in an in-school competition onThursday, February 7 at 12:45 p.m. Please come support our students as they battle it out in a "quiz show" style competition to answer questions on 10 diverse books selected by the Seattle Public Library. This is the third year our school has participating in the competition. This year we have a record-setting nine teams with 63 students competing to be the representatives for Wedgwood at the semi-finals on February 28.
We'd love your support. If you have questions, please email Mrs. Leland at klleland@seattleschools.org.
It's auction time! Register early and enter to win a $50 gift card to Mioposto
The Wedgwood Auction is Friday, March 22, 6-10 p.m. at The Mountaineers. This year’s theme is "A Night in Monte Carlo," and it’s shaping up to be a magical night of food, fun and fundraising!
Look for your invitation this week in KidMail or register online at charityauction.bid/wedgwoodauction. Register early, by Feb 15, to enter to win a $50 gift card to Mioposto!
Why do we do the auction? Did you know that the school auction raises a significant portion of the PTA budget, which funds enrichment programs like garden education, art docents, classroom technology, student council activities, and community-building events like the back-to-school barbeque? It even pays for copy room supplies and a per teacher stipend for classroom and curriculum supplies.
How can you help? None of that is possible without you – our amazing community of parents and educators. To have a successful auction, we need items to auction off:
Vacations – second homes, time shares and boats outings.
Tickets – Seats at sporting events and performing arts.
Alcohol – Premium wine or liquor. Know a brewer, vintner or distiller? Hook us up with a private tasting or club membership!
Parties – Brunch, BBQ, bourbon tasting, the possibilities are endless.
Do you own a business or sell your services? Auction sponsorships are a great way to advertise to the Wedgwood community and start at just $100!
Donation Deadline is February 15, 2019.
Click here to download the procurement/sponsorship form. For more information, please contact Chris Korol at procurement.auctionwedgwood@gmail.com or Martina Austin @ sponsorship.auctionwedgwood@gmail.com.
Coffee for prospective Decatur students
The Decatur PTA is hosting an informal coffee hour for families whose children have tested into the HCC program but who may have questions about the program as Open Enrollment starts. Decatur parents will host a discussion and answer questions on Friday, February 8 at 9 a.m. at the University Zoka. (Prospective families are still encouraged to attend the Decatur Open House on Jan 31, where they will have the chance to tour the school and meet with teachers and staff.) For for information, contact Elizabeth Lunney, president@decaturpta.org.
Donate your used books for the PTA used book sale
Time to start your spring cleaning: The PTA will start collecting used children’s books for the upcoming used book sale starting next week! Drop your donations in front of the library – kid's books only please. All book sales support our PTA and your kids! (P.S. Save the date: Sale will be Wednesday-Friday, April 24-26 in the library. If you want to help out or have question contact Emilie Wicker at Emiliewicker@hotmail.com.
Admin needed for Wedgwood Families Facebook group
If you are on the private Wedgwood Families Facebook group and enjoy the discussions, fun photos, resources, and quick answers you get from other parents in the community, consider signing up to act as the Administrator for the group during the 2019-2020 school year. The gig is easy and requires less than an hour a week of time. All you have to do is read the posts to make sure people are posting appropriate material, not posting kids’ full names, and acting civilly towards one another.
We have a great community so this is rarely an issue. You also need to approve new member requests, which consists of making sure the person has either been added by a current parent member or is definitely a parent at the school. My child graduates this year, so I need a K-4 parent to take over in June, 2018. Because the WW Facebook group is NOT administered by the school or PTA and is parent run, it requires a current parent to act as Administrator. Please send Elise Gruber a private message through Facebook if you are interested. Thanks!
Junior League Northwest Art Exhibit returns to Wedgwood
The Junior League has lent Wedgwood another beautiful art exhibit, which we have installed in the library. The show is "Wildlife- Free and Untamed" - a collection of pieces that were all created by Northwest artists and share the theme of animals. Some of you may remember this program from years past, it will be new to many.
Please feel free to still into the library after school to view the entire exhibit as a whole; there are just 7 pieces, so it's a quick trip to the "art museum."
Reasons why the NW Art Exhibit is great:
It's a real art exhibit in our school! We have kids at Wedgwood who haven't had exposure to museums and this is a great way to get the art to them. Easier than a field trip!
There are several works in the exhibit so there's something for every kid- sculpture, mixed media, painting...
Every piece has an animal this year! What kid doesn't love animals?
The kids are invited to touch the sculptures. Just make sure it's a "one finger" touch.
The show is up until February 8, so make sure to take a peek before it's too late. And don't miss the largest piece in the window- covered in sequins, it's a showstopper!
Who wants to play ultimate frisbee?
Is your 3rd-5th grade child interested in playing Ultimate Frisbee? We are looking at starting a team at Wedgwood and trying to gauge interest. Ultimate is a very fun, active, and unique team sport that emphasizes sportsmanship and 'spirit of the game'. It is co-ed and multi-grade.
Practices will most likely take on Mondays from 5-6 p.m. at Thornton Creek play field with games on Saturdays. Even if your child has never played an organized sport, Ultimate is a welcoming environment for everyone.
If your child is interested and/or you are interested in helping out, please email WedgwoodUltimate@gmail.com asap. Team sign ups are mid-February.
Learn more about Ultimate Frisbee at this great clinic! Come play Ultimate Frisbee with us! Cascades Academy is a 2.5-hour clinic taught by a rotating cast of elite players from Seattle Cascades men's & women's teams, Seattle Riot, Seattle Underground, and UW's Sundodgers. Available to students in grades 3rd-8th; clinics are hosted around the Seattle area at a variety of playfields and welcome all abilities and genders. Click here to register.
Saturday, February 9:
Montlake Playfield (turf); Elementary School 1-3:30 p.m.; middle school 1-3:30 p.m. - Theme: “MEET THE CASCADES!”
Clinics are $35, or $50 includes either a jersey, shorts or a disc.
Eckstein pickleball court project update
Please join the discussion and our mailing list to hear more about this project. Emailpickleballeckstein@gmail.com or text the keyword EMSpickleball to 22828. We are in the design phase with an architect to replace a damaged locked tennis court at Eckstein with four new pickleball courts to be used by students during the day (PE and Lunch, after school) and the general public evenings, weekends and Summer vacation. Come see the renderings at the 6th grade open house at EMS on Feb. 7, 2019. Friends of Eckstein MS Pickleball, volunteer committee.
Submitting to the Weekly
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Wedgwood Weekly | news@wedgwoodpta.org