News from your North Beach PTA
November 22, 2019
Dates to Remember
- Fri. Nov. 22: TODAY is the last day for the BIG GIVE!
Mon. Nov. 25: Giving Tree gift tags available in lobby and online
- November 25-27: Elementary Conferences, no school
- November 28-29: Thanksgiving break, no school
- Tues. Dec. 10: PTA Meeting **All are welcome!**
- Wed. Dec. 11: School Board Meeting 4:15-6:30pm, John Stanford Center
- Thurs. Dec. 12: Giving Tree gifts due!
A Note from Our Principal
Dear North Beach Families and Community,
As we all look forward to Thanksgiving break, I would like to express my ongoing gratitude for being a member of the North Beach community. Every day, our students impress me with their creativity, empathy, and thoughtfulness. I look forward to seeing them grow under the dedicated efforts of our teachers and support staff. The work we do every day is supported by the generosity of families at our school. As we wrap up our Annual Giving Campaign (The Big Give!), I want to thank you for your ongoing support.
Next week there is no school. Parent conferences are being held to give teachers an opportunity to have in-depth meetings with each family to provide information on their student's progress. If you have not confirmed your conference time yet, please contact your child's teacher.
Have an enjoyable holiday weekend. We look forward to seeing all students back at school on Monday, December 2nd, rejuvenated and ready to learn!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Kristine McLane, kemclane@seattleschools.org
Principal, North Beach Elementary
206-252-1510
From the Office
Sarah & Carolyn
Counselor’s Corner
Our Book of the Month for November is an oldie but goodie, The Zax by Dr. Seuss. We are using this to introduce/review the final Anchor Tool of RULER, the Blueprint (below). The Blueprint helps students and adults develop empathy, learn to problem solve, make decisions, and resolve conflict.
We encourage use of the Blueprint when interpersonal situations arise in the classroom or on the playground that require perspective-taking. The Blueprint can be applied to situations that occurred in the past, are happening in the present, or might occur in the future. You can practice using the Blueprint at home when disagreements and conflict arise or by encouraging your child to think how storybook characters can resolve their conflicts.
The BIG GIVE wraps up today!
Lots of fun was had around the school with Herbie and the kids during the BIG GIVE Campaign! As of this morning, we've reached $63,345 of our $70,000 goal. Thank you to all who participated! Remember to check if your company will match, and your donation could go even further.
Please note that while the November Campaign and classroom competitions have ended, the opportunity to make donations is open all year. These funds support our counselor and tutors, as well as library books, classroom technology, curriculum support, Classroom Mini-Grants, and more, all to empower our students while they receive a well-rounded education. CLICK HERE TO DONATE!
A huge thank you to our awesome Big Give volunteers, the amazing front office staff, and our fabulous teachers for making this campaign exciting and fun for the kids. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone!
SPS Special Education Family Newsletter
To keep informed on information, resources, and news regarding Special Education please sign up to receive the SPS Special Education Family Newsletter at:
PTA Spotlight on Volunteers
Big thanks to the Big Give team—Mary Balmaceda, Beth Carman, Megan Stewart, Valerie Pagel, Rebecca Peacock, Erin Healey, Tara Nessan, Phillipa Dugaw, Raj Mathew, and Bryce Carman— for an amazing fundraising campaign. The new name, the updated marketing—including a super cute video appeal from students, and the new Miir mugs helped push the donations to new levels. Thank you to all families who participated. The support of families makes North Beach a wonderful school.
Thanks also to parents Mary Balmaceda, Diane Coyne, Christine Tang, Adrianna Hulscher, Jun Zhuang, and Patricia Lu who attended School Board Director Pinkham’s community meeting and advocated for our school and all students. The more we as parents express our concerns to the school board and to the state legislature, the better our schools will become.
How to Speak at a School Board Meeting
The first regular school board meeting with the new board members will be on Wednesday, December 11, starting at 4:30pm, at the John Stanford Center. Public testimony begins at 5:30pm. The agenda for the meeting will be available on the SPS website on Friday, December 6. If you would like to speak to the board, here’s the process: email boardagenda@seattleschools.org or call 206-252-0040 between Monday, December 9, at 8am, and Tuesday, December 10, at noon, and provide your name, contact information, and topic you would like to address. Only 25 adults will be allotted time to address the board. All children who ask will be included. Children may speak for the entire two minutes, or after speaking for 30 seconds, they made cede their remaining time to a parent. If you would like to speak on an issue and this sounds too complicated, please contact me (Suzanne Hurley) at president@northbeachpta.org, and I’ll walk you through the steps. We will also have some advocacy training in the new year.
Hello from our new Music Teacher!
Dear North Beach Families,
This is Deirdre Lacambra, the new music teacher, and I wanted to introduce myself to let you know how happy I am to have landed here in this North Beach community. I have seen the students five or six times now and am starting to get lots of the names down! Your kids are wonderful. Hopefully the kids are coming home singing Over the River or The Turkey Song for Thanksgiving!
I’m excited to hit December with holiday and winter music and to make lots of joyful noise with all of our amazing instruments in P-10! I am here Thursdays and Fridays and ½ day on Wednesday. Email me with any questions and concerns and I will look forward to checking in with you!
Happiest of Thanksgivings to you all!
Deirdre
Portable phone: (206)252-1552 & email: dwlacambra@seattleschools.org
Did you know you have a PTA Parent Representative?
Hi Folks! I am your PTA Parent Representative on the Building Leadership Team (BLT) here at North Beach Elementary School.
The Building Leadership Teams (BLT) were created by SPS “to advise and work with the building principal/program manager and building staff in facilitating continuous improvement of student achievement.” (SPS, Policy F20.00 April 1996)
The BLT touches on all aspects of school policy. (goals of the school and how we implement them, homework policy, recess policy, professional development for teachers and staff, etc.)
If you have concerns, questions or suggestions about any school policies or practices, please share with me. I will bring that information to the monthly BLT meeting.
Thank you and have a great Thanksgiving break!
Diane Coyne blt@northbeachpta.org
Giving Tree Holiday Tradition Returns!
The Giving Tree is our holiday tradition where North Beach families donate gifts for North Beach, Whitman, and Broadview-Thomson K-8 families who could use a helping hand. Gift tags will be available in the lobby starting on Monday, November 25. Consider purchasing the gift through the Amazon Smile URL that will appear on the tag. The school will receive a donation in return for your purchase. This year if you cannot get to the lobby during school hours, you will be able to sign up for a gift online. Please take a tag or sign up online only if you can return the unwrapped gift by Thursday, December 12. If you have any questions, please contact the Giving Tree volunteers at northbeach.givingback@gmail.com or 206-276-3210. Thank you for your generosity!
Bike Safety Unit Begins Nov. 21st! Bring Your Helmets to School!
Between November 21st – December 16th, we are going start our bike safety unit. The unit is for 3rd-5th grade with bikes, but I’m going to be extend it for K-2nd. I’ll be teaching some of the same rules of the road while using razor scooters. The students riding the bikes will be outside riding on the far basketball court near P8. The students riding the razor scooters will be riding in the gym and on the play court. Any student who would like to bring their own helmet is encouraged to do so. This will make fitting helmets much easier and allows us more time to focus on other content. I feel this is a good opportunity for our kids to show responsibility. I have helmets available for any student who doesn’t have one. If you have any questions, please ask!
Thanks,
Frank Willis (Coach Willis)
Global Reading Challenge for 4th & 5th graders!
Dear 4th & 5th Grade Families! It's time for the 2020 Global Reading Challenge! All 4th and 5th graders are invited to participate in this fun 3 month event that encourages students to work in teams reading a selection of 10 books. Teams then compete with other teams in a book trivia challenge. For more details on this fun event and how to have your student sign-up, please see visit the external here. To see the complete list of books, click here.
If you have any questions, please contact Librarian, Luci Bakker labakker@seattleschools.org.
Board Games Still Needed!
Do you have board games (with all their game pieces) that your kids have out grown or you want to upgrade? Ms. Gabrielson, our wonderful Art Teacher, would like to take them off your hands. To donate please leave in her classroom (room 15) or in the office. These games are going to be put to good use.
New Car Seat Law - Effective January 1, 2020
A new car seat law goes into effect in WA on Jan 1,2020. Here is a link to a good breakdown of the new law:
https://wereparents.com/washington-state-car-seat-laws-2019/
The biggest change is that any child under 4'9" will need to be in a booster seat effective 1/1/20. Please check your child's total height as this may mean some kids going back into booster seats.
Morning Drop Off and Afternoon Pick Up
Mornings can be quite hectic around the school so please observe the following guidelines to keep our children safe:
- Do not park in the drop off lane in front of the school. This lane is for children exiting the car quickly. Have your child ready to go before you get in the line.
If you would like to walk your child to the front door or to their classroom, please park in a legal parking spot in the neighborhood. Do not park in the drop off lane.
Cross only at crosswalks. Do not cross in the middle of the street.
Speed limit in front of the school is 15 mph.
Parking around the school is limited. Do not park within 30 feet of a stop sign or within 20 feet of a marked or unmarked crosswalk.
No U-turns on 24th Avenue, or using 91st Street to make a U-turn.
No parking in the bus zone (even when no busses are present)
Parallel parking only in front of the house at the NW corner of 24th and 91st. Let's also be good neighbors and not block their mailbox.
No parking facing the wrong direction.
Do not leave your car running, if unattended.
Do not leave your child unattended in a running car.
Seattle Police regularly patrol the area and will issue tickets!
8% of Purchases come back to North Beach!
Shop for cards and photos at www.NorthBeach.ShutterflyStoreFront.com and help contribute 8% to the North Beach PTA!
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Community News & Events (The programs below are not endorsed by either North Beach PTA or SPS, and are posted for informational purposes only.)
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Ballard Basketball School's Out Clinics
For boys and girls 4th & 5th grades
Monday, Nov. 25 and/or Tuesday, Nov. 26
From 9am-3pm each day
$70/camper/day- Scholarships available
Limit 30 campers
Register here: https://ballardgirlsbasketball.sportngin.com/register/form/924117659
Questions?? Contact Sara Wetstone at ballardbasketballinfo@gmail.com
Mathnasium Fall Promotion for North Beach Families
Mathnasium of Northwest Seattle provides math support and enrichment for students in grades 2 – 12. As students increase comprehension and build math skills, their confidence grows and their attitude toward math improves. Through November 30th, North Beach students will receive a free math skills assessment and $50 off registration fees when they join Mathnasium of Northwest Seattle in Ballard. Contact us to schedule an assessment for your child at: 206-588-0460 or northwestseattle@mathnasium.com. Learn more at http://www.mathnasium.com/northwestseattle.
SHOE DRIVE | DELIVER TO WHITMAN MIDDLE SCHOOL | ENDS THE WEEK OF THANKSGIVING!
Auditions for Fall Enrollment: Northwest Boychoir
The Northwest Boychoir is now scheduling tryouts for boys who like to sing! Boys who are ages 6-9 years old are invited to audition and no previous music training is needed. Classes for new members begin in January and are held at the University Heights Center in Seattle. Auditions are free of charge.
For more than 40 years, the Northwest Boychoir has helped young people discover the joy of singing, self-discipline and teamwork. We are proud to be an inclusive and equitable organization and are firmly committed to assisting families with financial aid. The Northwest Boychoir offers the perfect blend of music training and Serious Fun!
At the Northwest Boychoir, you can…
- Be part of a program nationally recognized for musical excellence!
- Make great friends in an upbeat team setting!
- Develop confidence by doing amazing things!
To schedule an audition appointment or for more information: 206-524-3234 or nwboychoir.org. Northwest Boychoir Audition Flyer: Download Click for more info and be sure to share the new Boychoir Audition Video!
Before/After School Programs
Boys & Girls Club
Hours: 7:00 - 7:50 am and 2:25 am - 6:00 pm M-F
Questions? 206-582-3512 or choover@positiveplace.org.
Registration Information and enrollment paperwork is available at: http://positiveplace.org/locations/childcare/Pages/northbeachchildcare.aspx
Small Faces
The school-aged program at Small Faces serves kindergarten through fifth grade children. At the end of the school day, a school bus takes kids to Small Faces Center where they are greeted by teachers and offered a snack before the program activities begin. Doors close at 6pm. Contact Kathy Brockman with questions and to enroll: kbrockman@smallfaces.org
Illumination Learning Studio
Illumination Learning Studio provides After School Programs for children K-5. We provide transportation after school each day. This is an arts-focused educational program. Please visit our website for more information https://www.illuminationlearningstudio.com/.
Beachcomber Email
Article submissions for this newsletter are due by 5:00pm Wednesdays. Please send articles to beachcomber@northbeachpta.org
About North Beach Elementary
PTA website: northbeachelementary.org
School website: northbeaches.seattleschools.org
Email: beachcomber@northbeachpta.org
Website: northbeachelementary.org
Location: 9018 24th Avenue NW Seattle, WA 98117
Phone: (206) 252-1510
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/northbeachpta/
Twitter: @sealsnorthbeach