PTA Weekly
Important Upcoming Dates
See the Wedgwood PTA website calendar for a full list of events
PTA General Meeting & Guest Speaker – Wednesday, Jan. 23, 6:30-8:30 p.m., school cafeteria (note: this is a new time!)
Wedgwood School Tour: Thursday January 24, 6:30-8:30 p.m.
No School – Day Between Semesters: Wednesday, Jan. 30
Wedgwood Cultural Celebration – Friday, Feb. 1, 6-8 p.m.
Vote for Seattle Public Schools Levies: Feb. 2019
In February 2019, Seattle voters will be asked to replace two expiring levies to fund Seattle Public Schools — an operations levy and a capital levy.
There is currently a gap between what the state funds and what Seattle students need, including Wedgwood Elementary. So every three years, the district asks voters to renew the operations levy. The levy funds critical needs of the district and maintains the quality of education that our students and families expect. This levy helps make up the gap to fund critical needs.
The Wedgwood Elementary PTA, along with the Seattle Council PTSA have voted to endorse the renewal of these expiring levies. Please visit our blog post written by PTA Legislative Coordinator Amalia Magaret to learn more about what these levies will provide, and how you can support its passage.
PTA general meeting and guest speaker on kids and food (with child care!): This Wednesday!
Please join the Wedgwood community on Wednesday, Jan. 23 from 6:30-8:30 p.m. in the cafeteria for a PTA General Meeting followed by a guest speaker. General meetings are held three times a year, providing an opportunity to share information from the PTA, Principal Liu and often a guest speaker on a topic of interest.
For our January meeting, Mr Liu will give a short presentation on the upcoming levies. It’s a great opportunity to hear about what’s happening in the district and at Wedgwoodaround school funding and budget.
Following Mr. Liu’s presentation, we are excited to welcome Dr. Lenna Liu to WedgwoodElementary, who will speak on the topic of "Cradled at the Table: Nourishing Children Through Healthy Relationships With Food." She will share her experience in promoting healthy relationships with food for your child and family. Participants will leave with a more holistic and expanded view of food and eating, as well as strategies to ride the waves in children’s changing eating behaviors. Explore possibilities to reclaim mealtime as a nourishing, enjoyable time of the day.
Child care will be provided by staff during the general meeting in the back of the cafeteria.
Wedgwood Open House & School Tour- Volunteers needed
Do you have friends or neighbors with little ones ready to start kindergarten, or who are interested in Wedgwood for other grades? Wedgwood will host its open house on Thursday, Jan. 24, 6:30-8:30 p.m. Spread the word!
Volunteers Needed: here is your chance to welcome new families to Wedgwood by introducing them to the school with a tour! We are looking for a few more Wedgwoodambassadors to lead small group tours following a welcome message from Principal Liu. The tour will last 30-45 minutes, and will be an informal way for incoming-kindergarten families and new-to-the-neighborhood families to check out the school and learn more about our vibrant, active community. Please email ann.grodnik@gmail.com if you're interested in helping out.
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
Cultural festival - join the fun!
New and exciting things are happening at this year’s Cultural Festival, on Friday, Feb. 1 from 6-8 p.m.!
There are only two people planning this school event and we need YOU to make it success.
These positions must be filled:
Stage Manager: make sure acts begin on time
Student/Family Performers: 5 minutes on stage to dance, sing, read a poem or showcase cultural clothing. Students, families and teachers/staff are welcome!
How can you participate? Everyone has a culture! Family traditions, customs and values are a part of our culture.
Showcase your culture by bringing a homemade or store bought dish to the potluck. What food is important to your family? What foods did you eat as a child? What are your favorite foods?
Two potluck options: Serve and present your food in the cafeteria -OR- put it on the self serve table in the gym.
Activity Tables: Showcase your family’s culture in the form of an activity. (origami, games, artifacts, maps, pictures)
Perform on stage: Five-minute performances for students, families, teacher/staff and community members. Performances will begin at 6:20!
Please visit the Cultural Festival on the PTA website for more potluck details, to sign up to bring a dish, perform on stage or help out with the event. For questions, Contact Kris Van Houten at kvanhouten209@gmail.com or Tonya Webster at chanelbonheu@gmail.com.
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.
Help keep kids moving: Volunteer for Mighty Movers!
Hey Wedgwood parents! Are your kids in K-3? Want them moving at lunch recess? Help keep the Mighty Movers program running! Sign up here. No weekly commitment needed. Volunteers needed on Mondays from 11:25- 12:20.
If the weather is rainy we cancel for that day. Help make this program a success. We couldn’t do it without you!!! Questions? Contact Roshni Hourselt at: azroshni04@yahoo.com
Yearbook cover contest: deadline Wednesday, Jan. 23
The yearbook cover contest has an early deadline this year — all artist submissions are due by Wednesday, Jan. 23. Look for details in kid mail and on the table outside the main office where you can pick up a sheet on which to create your original art.
The theme of this year's cover is "Marmots Make a Splash" — submissions should show fun and learning at Wedgwood on one of our many rainy days. Budding artists should be sure to incorporate Marty Marmot into the design and include the words "WedgwoodElementary" and the year "2018-2019."
The winner will be selected by the yearbook committee and will receive a free yearbook — in addition to the honor of their immortalized artwork!
Email yearbook coordinator Lori Kelley at WedgwoodYearbookSea@gmail.com with any questions.
Calling all photographers: submit yearbook photos
This year you can upload images of your kids and their friends directly to the yearbook portal to be considered for inclusion in the 2018-19 book. We're looking for candid shots of kids having fun, learning, and growing at Wedgwood and at any Wedgwood-related activity this school year. The theme of this year's book is "Making a Splash at Wedgwood," so photos of students playing in the rain, under a rainbow (!) or otherwise weathering the storm earn bonus points.
To upload, go to commpe.pictavo.com and click "Create an Account." Find your school, enter your info, verify email and login. Upload photos, tag them and choose an album from the dropdown menu.
Extra credit if you tag the kids in each image (listed, separated by commas) and indicate the class (by teacher name, not room number) or event (such as Move-a-Thon, winter concert, cultural festival, etc.)
Email Lori Kelley at WedgwoodYearbookSea@gmail.com with questions.
Salmon in the schools
Hello environmentalists of Wedgwood! As many of you have probably noticed, the salmon tank is up and already has coho eggs from the Issaquah hatchery. This is very exciting to many of us. There are plenty of volunteer opportunities for every age group.
You can sign up for feedings on the website or water changes and chemistry tests on the water.
Please contact Nurse Cherokee at cherokeed@gmail.com to find out about additional activities you may want to help with!
Plan your family adventures: Local event features Wedgwood parent at Third Place Books Ravenna
Starting to stress about summer planning? Mark your calendars for Sunday, Jan. 27 at 7 p.m., for a free event at Third Place books featuring Wedgwood parent Elisa Murray, editor of the newly published ParentMap book "52 Seattle Adventures With Kids."
Elisa (who, full disclosure, is also the editor of this newsletter) and contributors to the book will share tips on top seasonal adventures that are close, low-cost and great for all ages.
North Seattle Baseball & Softball - spring 2019 registration is open
Early registration is now open at North Seattle Baseball for Spring 2019 teams, the season begins in early March. Last year, NSB introduced softball to its league and it was a huge success. Three teams were comprised of Wedgwood players and Wedgwood parent coaches. We are looking for more!
You can create your own team; if you don’t have a team, you will be placed with an existing team and make new friends. Clinics are offered throughout the season. ALL skill levels welcome. Sports play a vital role in the physical and social health of girls … plus, it’s a lot of fun!
Sign up here: https://northseattlebaseball.website.siplay.com
Questions? Contact Jason Bergstrom, NSB Softball Commissioner: jason@northseattlesoftball.org
Northeast Seattle Little League registration is open for the 2019 season
For kids 4-6 years old, NESLL’s tee ball program is a great way to introduce the game. NESLL’s softball program is the best in the region and a great way to get young girls involved in athletics and be a part of championship teams. NESLL’s baseball program is for boys and girls ages 6-16 and a great opportunity to learn about teamwork and the fundamentals of the game.
Register at www.NESLL.net. For questions about registration, please email NESLL's registrar at registrar@nesll.net. For baseball and tee ball questions contact nesllbaseball@gmail.com. For softball questions contact Eric Knutson at edknutson@gmail.com
Welcome to the new Wedgwood Weekly
In an effort to consolidate communication from the school, and reduce the emails in your inboxes, we will use The Weekly as our main outlet for school news.
So, if you opted in to receive emails from your Room Parent, you will receive The Weekly; there is an unsubscribe link at the bottom of this newsletter should you move, transition to middle school or simply no longer wish to receive communication from the school.
Got a news item you want the school community to know about? Send your news item (that's either related to Wedgwood or our local community) in 200 words or less byThursday at 5 p.m. to news@wedgwoodpta.org.
Please include your text in the body of an email and remove all formatting. Please do not submit PDFs, flyers or images. (See archived issues of the newsletter.)
Submitting to the Weekly
Got a news item you want the school community to know about? Send your news item (that's either related to Wedgwood or our local community) in 200 words or less by Thursday at 5pm to news@wedgwoodpta.org. Please include your text in the body of an email and remove all formatting. Please do not submit PDFs, flyers or images. (See archived issues of the newsletter.)
Wedgwood Weekly | news@wedgwoodpta.org