Pathfinder Compass
November 1, 2021
What to expect with The Compass!
Every Sunday you will receive The Compass to keep us all informed and connected of essential Pathfinder news. If you are interested in narrating The Compass please reach out to Dr. Holmes!
In this issue:
- Welcome Back Pathfinder
- Mark Your Calendars
New News
- Clickable Link for Pathfinder Needs
- Pathfinder Wreath-Making
- Clickable Link for Direct Give
- Pathfinder Operations
- Just so you know...
Old News
- Clickable Link for Blazing Trails News
- Upcoming Listening Sessions
- Lost and Found Fridays
- Recordings of Virtual Events
- Previous Compass Links
- Dr. Holmes' Incoming Goals
The greatness of a community is most accurately measured by the compassionate actions of its members.
- Coretta Scott King
Welcome Back Pathfinder
As you all know we are coming back from a traumatic event on Friday. We are bringing in a trauma response team to support us in moving forward. So you have a better understanding, please review the plan for tomorrow.
The following information will be shared with all scholars in K-2, 3-5, and Middle School grade bands.
Friday afternoon at about 8:50 AM a staff member discovered a noose attached to a tree on our campus. The noose was removed within minutes of being discovered. The school immediately contacted the Seattle Public Schools’ Safety and Security Office, and a report was made to the Seattle Police Department as well. This incident is still under investigation. We don’t have additional details to share currently because this is an active investigation. When more information becomes available that we can share in regard to this investigation, we will share it with Pathfinder students, families, and the community.
A noose has dark historical roots in the United States and is seen as a symbol of fear, brutality, racial violence, and hatred of African Americans. Regardless of the intent of the noose that was discovered on our campus, the impact is significant, especially for our Black students, families, and staff. The noose also has significant impact to other students, families, and staff of color.
We talked about this as a staff this morning and decided that we should share this news in class today so that students hear the same information from an adult at the same time. We also wanted you to know this because some students and staff might be showing their emotions this week and into the future. Your family received a letter Friday night, so you may have talked with them about this incident already too. You may notice that we have additional staff from Seattle Public Schools’ Coordinated School Health Department in our building this week to support the Pathfinder community.
To address the harm to Black students and other students of color, we will be offering affinity spaces today for students who want to process this incident or have further questions or concerns. This is an optional support space for students.
An affinity group is a designated safe space where everyone in that group shares a particular identity. This identity can be based on race, gender, sexual orientation, language, nationality, physical/mental ability, socio-economic class, family structure, religion, etc. The affinity spaces for today will be based on racial identity.
At Pathfinder, we will not tolerate any symbols of hatred, oppression, or violence. As a community we are working to be anti-racist. Across the city and state, we have seen an increase in hate speech and crimes in the form of discrimination, police brutality, institutionalized racism, anti-Asian and anti-Blackness, among other incidents, that has created tragic loss of life for members of our community. Seattle Public Schools feels deeply for any members of our community who continue to experience the hurt, anxiety, uncertainty, and fear from these unwarranted acts.
Following the sharing of this information, students will be invited to break into affinity spaces to further process. We are providing affinity spaces for Black, White, and Mixed Race groups. Please support your scholar in deciding the most appropriate space for them. If your scholar does not want to join an affinity space, they will be sent back to class to engage in academic content - not to further debrief Fridays event. K-2 students will be joining racial affinity groups for 30 minutes, 3 - 8 grade students are allotted one hour.
We are working hard to be mindful of this event for our entire community and are hopeful the trauma team will support us in positively moving forward with restorative justice in mind.
Thank you all for your patience, partnership and support as we move forward.
Please look at the following resources in case they are helpful to conversations at home:
- Your Kids Aren't Too Young to Talk About Race: Resource Roundup
- Seattle Public Schools’ Addressing Incidents of Hate and Bias
- Dr. Holmes
Mark Your Calendars!
October 26 - November 10 SBA Testing for Grades 4 - 8
November 1st - November 15th Direct Give
November 5th During School Spooky Spirit Day
November 8th 6:00 - 7:00pm SPED Families Listening Session
November 9th Picture Retakes
November 15th 6:00 - 7:00pm BIPOC Families Listening Session
November 18 - December 12 Pathfinder Wreath-Making
Pathfinder Wreath-Making
Save the Date! Nov. 18 - Dec. 12
We are pleased to announce that Pathfinder Wreaths are a go! For the past 20 years, we have been making and selling 100% homemade wreaths as a way to benefit outdoor education at Pathfinder. But it is much more than a fundraiser -- it is a community-raising event as well, and we encourage you to be a part of it!
This year, we will have five dispersed sites set up at Pathfinder homes where up to 4 to 5 adults can make wreaths, and we plan to host grade-oriented work parties where small groups of adults can learn to make wreaths and meet one another. Stay tuned for details.
Are you interested in being a part of the wreath team? We welcome new volunteers for roles big and small! Please contact Susan Elderkin at wreaths@pathfinderk8ptsa.org for more info.
SBA Testing
Fourth - Eighth Grades
The fall window for the SBA assessment is open. Please prepare your scholar by ensuring they have a good night sleep and a hearty breakfast!
We have also learned it is VERY helpful to restart laptops multiple times prior to the assessment, this allows for necessary updates to be installed. Please ensure your scholar restarts their laptop at least once each night!
Pathfinder Operations
Arrival and Dismissal
K-3 Families: We have established a reasonably efficiently pick up and drop off process, a few asks:
- Ensure you keep the entrance to the roundabout clear as we had families who park in the ADA lot.
- Ensure you drive along the curb as tight as possible to ensure there is another lane open for traffic flow.
Just so you know...
November Principle - Trans Affirming
We embrace and make space for trans brothers, sisters, and siblings to participate and lead while being self-reflective and doing the work to dismantle cis-gender privilege and uplift Black trans folks.
People know in their hearts and minds whether they are a boy, a girl, both, or neither. We call this gender identity. At Pathfinder, we respect people’s genders, and understand that being trans or non-binary is not a choice.
Upcoming Listening Sessions
Our upcoming sessions will be focused on grade band specific information and opportunities to share praises, questions, and concerns. We look forward to seeing you all on Zoom! All sessions will be recorded and take place 6 - 7pm.
Folx with students in any Special Education program | November 8th
BIPOC Folx | November 16th
Girl Scout Information
Troops are active and forming at Pathfinder K-8! Girl Scouts are making an impact in the world, taking on challenges, learning STEM and outdoor skills, making friends, and much more. There are activities and options to fit every age and interest. Want to learn more? Attend a virtual information night on Monday, November 8 at 6:30. Sign up HERE.
Lost and Found Fridays
Recordings of Virtual Events
- Dr. Holmes Meet and Greet
- MS Orientation
- School Opening and Pathfinder 101
- Second and Third Listening Session
- Kindergarten and First Listening Session
- Curriculum Night, Music with Mr. Bores, Elementary and Middle School Art with Adrian, Garden with Karen
- Fourth and Fifth Listening Session
- Middle School Listening Session
Dr. Holmes' Incoming Goals
- To know all folx personally and professionally connected to the school. Further, allow others to know me as fully as possible outside day to day connection, crisis, and problem solving.
- To use qualitative and quantitative data to determine concerns and issues regarding improving student performance that needs to be closely examined and addressed to repay the educational debt.
- To learn the artifacts, beliefs, and basic underlying assumptions through engaging in essential conversations with Pathfinder students, staff, and community.
- To identify, hold onto, and strengthen traditions that center students and bring the community together. Further, partner with students, staff, and the community to ensure social emotional learning and growth is embedded in the curriculum, adult strengths are highlighted, and we have fun!