News from your North Beach PTA
February 7, 2020
Dates to Remember
- Saturday, February 8: We Are Family Auction
- Tuesday, February 11: PTA Meeting + RESCHEDULED Beyond the Birds and Bees talk
- February 17-21: Mid-Winter Break - NO SCHOOL
- Thursday, February 27: Culture Night, 6:30 p.m.
- Thursday, March 5: All School Assembly, 1:40 p.m.
- Sunday, March 29: North Beach at the Mariners’ game, info to come
Wednesday, Sept 2: First of day of school for 1-5 (Wednesday BEFORE Labor Day)
Tuesday, Sept 8: First day of school for kindergarteners
A Note from Our Principal
Dear North Beach Families and Community,
By the time the Beachcomber goes out this afternoon, our annual Global Reading Challenge in-school challenge will be complete. Thank you to Ms. Bakker for organizing this event for our 4th and 5th graders. I love this program for so many reasons – it fosters teamwork, supports reading comprehension, encourages students to read outside their normal preferred genres, and helps kids meet new friends. Only one team will be moving on to the semi-final competition, but as the SPL librarians always say, every child who reads is a winner. Congratulations to all our participants!
Due to scheduling challenges and snow days, we haven’t been able to hold a principal coffee this month, and our PTA meeting will be very short due to the rescheduled Birds and Bees presentation. If you would like to drop in early before our PTA meeting next Tuesday, February 11, I will be available at 6:00 pm for drop-in conversation and questions.
Looking forward to next year, our 2020-2021 school year will start BEFORE Labor Day. This is the first time in several years that this has happened. SPS has traditionally started school on the 1st Wednesday of September, and this year it will fall on September 2nd. The school board just approved the calendar, trying their best to get this information to families as soon as possible, in consideration of holiday weekend plans.
We have one more week of school and then we are out for mid-winter break. Don’t forget to turn in those planned absence forms if your student will miss any school before or after. I hope everyone has a warm, restful and safe time. School will resume Monday, February 24th.
I look forward to seeing you at North Beach auction tomorrow night. Our PTA has worked for months and months to make this event a success. Thank you, PTA!
Have a wonderful weekend!
Kristine McLane, kemclane@seattleschools.org
Principal, North Beach Elementary
206-252-1510
From the Office
North Beach Elementary would like to thank Crown Hill Grocery Outlet. Over the holidays the owners of Grocery Outlet donated Thanksgiving dinners for any family who asked. Over the winter holidays, they provided warm hats and gloves. They did all of this without being asked. They contacted us first and asked if there was any need they could help meet.
We want to thank our good neighbors at Crown Hill Grocery Outlet!
AUCTION COUNTDOWN: See you Saturday!
If you purchased a ticket to the auction, we will see you at 6:00 p.m. on Saturday,
February 8th at the Nordic Museum!
Please be on the lookout for the auction catalog in Monday’s Kid-Mail—going home to
each family joining us at the “We Are Family” school auction. Happy perusing!
If you did not buy a ticket, we will miss you! We’ve officially reached capacity and have
already turned in our final catering count. Email us at auction@northbeachpta.org if
you’d like to be added to a waitlist in case we have any cancellations.
PTA Spotlight on Volunteers
PTA General Meeting, Tuesday, February 11, 6:30pm
We will have a brief meeting before next Tuesday’s Birds and Bees Speaker to discuss how you can help advocate for district and state support of counselors in schools. We will also be electing three nominating committee members. If you’d like to have a role in selecting PTA officers for next year, please consider volunteering for this important short-term position. You can contact me (Suzanne Hurley) at president@northbeachpta.org to volunteer. See you on Tuesday!
Beyond the Birds and Bees Rescheduled for February 11 PTA Meeting
NEW DATE: Tuesday, February 11th
6:30-7:00 PTA General Meeting
7:00-8:30 Parent Education Evening
Childcare for K-5 students is available! Kids will be in the Library and watch the movie Tale of Despereaux, have story time, and enjoy light snacks (please feed your child dinner before coming)- send a water bottle with your child. A limited number of childcare spots are available, signing up in advance is highly recommended. Sign up will display under your name, please sign up the number of times for children you need child care for (ex: if you have two kids coming sign up twice) and put their name and grade in the comment section. Check in will begin at 6:20 and childcare will end at the conclusion of the Birds and Bees presentation.
Sign up at: https://www.konstella.com/app/school/59bc8f8ce4b0996f734081bb/signups/5e140ac5e4b0131706441354
Beyond Birds and Bees: Bringing Home a New Message
to Our Kids about Sex, Love, and Equality
Now that the #MeToo movement and current events have parents and educators asking how best to raise young people with healthy, positive, shame-free and egalitarian attitudes about bodies, gender, sex, and relationships, Bonnie J. Rough, author of Beyond Birds and Bees: Bringing Home a New Message to Our Kids About Sex, Love, and Equality, will share the practical lessons she learned as a parent and journalist when she took a close look at the world-famous Dutch approach to sex education, instrumental in producing one of the most sexually healthy and gender-equal societies on the globe. With immediate takeaways for PreK-6 parents/caregivers and time for sharing and questions, this event will show how we can make the most of—and enjoy—life’s many opportunities to change the conversation with our kids as we empower them to build a more equitable and inclusive future.
About Bonnie J. Rough and Beyond Birds & Bees
Bonnie J. Rough is an American author, journalist, and speaker focusing on families, health, education, parenting and sexuality. Her latest book is Beyond Birds & Bees: Bringing Home a New Message to Our Kids about Sex, Love, and Equality, described as “a groundbreaking inquiry into how we teach our children about bodies, sex, relationships, and equality—with revelatory, practical takeaways from the world-famous Dutch approach.” Since its August 2018 release, Beyond Birds and Bees has seen coverage in many national, international, and regional outlets including The New York Times, Washington Post, Salon, Huffington Post, The Establishment, Chicago Tribune, Good Morning Washington, New York Public Radio, Wisconsin Public Radio, North Texas Public Radio, KUOW Seattle, King 5 TV News, New Day Northwest, and many other podcasts and media outlets. Bonnie has written recently for the New York Times on teaching young children about boundaries and consent as well as the value of childhood crushes, for The Atlantic on both the link between sex ed and gender equality and the case for comprehensive sex ed, for The Cut on raising kids without sexual shame, and for the Washington Post on gender and sex ed and how straight parents can raise kids to be allies with the LGBTQ+ community. Her previous books are The Girls, Alone and Carrier, winner of a 2011 Minnesota Book Award. Learn more at www.bonniejrough.com.
5th Grade Car Wash Fundraiser
Brown Bear Car Wash tickets ($10/ea) to support fundraising for 5th grade camp are still available! Contact Jen Osborn for info or tickets which can be delivered via kidmail: jenosborn0@gmail.com.
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!
Support North Beach Elementary When You Shop!
Amazon Smile: 0.5% of eligible purchases back to North Beach!
https://smile.amazon.com/ch/91-1320831
Shutterfly: 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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Calling on girls grades 3-5th grades, Girls on the Run 2020 is here!
What is Girls on the Run?
At Girls on the Run we inspire girls to recognize their inner strength and celebrate what makes them one of a kind. Trained coaches lead small teams through our research-based curricula which includes dynamic discussions, fun activities and running games. Over the course of the ten-week program, girls in 3rd-5th grade develop essential skills to help them navigate their worlds and establish a lifetime appreciation for health and fitness. The program culminates with girls positively impacting their communities through a service project and being physically and emotionally prepared to complete a celebratory 5K event. Seeing hundreds of girls streaming across the finish line is beautiful!
Start Date: March 3rd, Tuesday and Thursdays right after school. Registration closes March 9th.
The 5k: May 17th at Memorial Stadium in Renton.
Check out this link to program details and registration resources:
https://www.gotrpugetsound.org/Program-Registration
https://www.gotrpugetsound.org/our-programs
If you have questions contact North Beach liaison:
Jeannette Kane
206-604-4121
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