News from your North Beach PTA
January 10, 2020
Dates to Remember
- Monday, January 13: New Family/Kindergarten Tour, 6:30 p.m.
- Tuesday, January 14: PTA General Meeting, 6:30 - 7:00 p.m. and Parent Education: Birds & Bees author/speaker, Bonnie J. Rough, 7:00 - 8:30 p.m.
- Monday, January 20: PTA Advocacy Day (see below for details)
- Monday, January 20: No School
- Friday, January 24: We Are Family school dance, 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
- Monday, January 27: New Family/Kindergarten Tour, 9:00 a.m.
- Wednesday, January 29: No School (Possible Snow Make-up Day)
- Saturday, February 8: We Are Family Auction (purchase tickets here)
A Note from Our Principal
Dear North Beach Families and Community,
Happy New Year! We kicked off the new year with our monthly community time assembly. Our 4th graders performed skits tied to our theme of the month: grit/perseverance. Teachers find that when students return from a long break, it’s a good time to review classroom and school-wide expectations. In addition to diving back in to where we left off in December, we have been spending some time this week revisiting some of the things we initially taught to students back in September. We want them to remember the North Beach Way: to be Safe, Kind, and Respectful.
If you or anyone you know has an incoming kindergarten student, please join us for our school tour and kindergarten information night next Monday, January 13, at 6:30 p.m. We will have a repeat session of the same information on Monday, January 27 at 9:00 a.m.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Kristine McLane, kemclane@seattleschools.org
Principal, North Beach Elementary
206-252-1510
From the Office
Tell your friends or anyone you know that is starting North Beach next year:
New family tours!
Monday, January 13 6:30pm
Monday, January 27th 9:00am
Counselor’s Corner
Happy New Year and welcome back! I hope you and your family found a little time to relax and
rejuvenate together over winter break. We are using this first week back to reset behavioral
expectations with students to make sure we’re all living the North Beach Way of being Safe, Kind and Respectful. You can support our efforts by asking your student about the North Beach Way. Ask questions such as, “Tell me about lunch time. How do you show respect to Mr. Ray in the cafeteria?” (making sure we clean up after ourselves) or “What are some rules that keep you safe on the playground?” (staying where teachers can see you at all times; using two-finger gentle touches when playing, etc.) Below, you’ll find a copy of our behavior expectations in case you’re curious. Thanks for helping us to make North Beach Safe Kind and Respectful!
Winter Enrichment starts next week, and we still have sessions available!
It’s not too late to sign up for some great after school activities. Check out the options below for some additional enrichment for your kids.
Monday
Yoga (3-5) | 2:30pm – 3:30pm | Spots Available: 5
Tuesday
North Beach Chess Club (K-5) | 2:25pm – 3:30pm | Spots Available: 14
Sing Along with Mode (K-2) | 2:25pm – 3:55pm | Spots Available: 6
Wednesday
Creative Coding: Level Up! (3-5) | 1:10pm – 2:40pm | Spots Available: 1
Thursday
North Beach DebateAble Club (4-5) | 2:30pm – 3:30pm | Spots Available: 10
Art with Andrew (K-5) |2:30pm – 3:30pm | Spots Available: 7
Friday
Spanish by Sponge Language Institute (K-5) | 2:25pm – 3:25pm | Spots Available: 6
Sign up for Winter Enrichment Programs here: https://www.6crickets.com/schools/US/WA/Seattle/North-Beach-Elementary/4722?refer=&school=4722&include_sold_out=&address=seattle,%20wa,%20US#programs
PTA General Meeting, Tuesday, January 14, 6:30pm
We will have a brief meeting before 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!
Tuesday, January 14th : PTA General Meeting and Parent Education Evening / Phinney Books book sale
Tuesday, January 14th
6:30-7:00 PTA General Meeting
7:00-8:30 Parent Education Evening / Phinney Books will have books for sale at the event
Beyond Birds and Bees: Bringing Home a New Message to
Our Kids about Sex, Love, and Equality
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
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.
PTA Spotlight on Volunteers
This week we’d like to thank the parents of the 5th grade safety patrol and the patrol members. During these dark and wet mornings and afternoons, we’re thankful the students are out there at the crosswalks keeping us safe. We also know it takes parental support and encouragement—and maybe a little bit of bribery--to get them to school early and to stay late. So thank you, parents!
Attention North Beach Families! Our annual food drive to benefit the Ballard Food bank is beginning!
Attention North Beach Families! Our annual food drive to benefit the Ballard Food bank is beginning!
This year's food drive will run from Thursday 1/9 to next Friday, 1/17. All non-perishable donated items will be given to our neighborhood Food Bank. Students are coming home this week with a grocery bag and a flier (attached) with a list of food items most requested by the Ballard Food bank.
This year, 5th Grade Leadership team members will be posted at morning student drop-off spots to help parents and students collect donations and carry them to the main collection point outside the front office. Feel free to drop off you donations at morning drop off by sending your student to give donations to a 5th grade leadership volunteer standing at all main doorways! A large collection bin will also be located outside the front office for afternoon pick-up.
Thank you for your generosity supporting those in need in our community. We hope to make this years food drive as successful as last year, which included well over 4,000 food items for donation! More information and a flier can be found on Konstella.
AUCTION COUNTDOWN: Only Four Weeks Away!
Sitter booked?
70s attire prepped?
Tickets purchased?
Don’t delay – you won’t want to miss out on all of the community-wide fun on Saturday, February 8th when we come together at the Nordic Museum from 6:00 p.m. until 11:00 p.m.
The auction is our biggest fundraiser and (quite-frankly) PAR-tay for North Beach’s school community. Year after year, North Beach’s PTA auction raises vital funds to help supplement the deficit of state funding for our school. What we raise during the auction will go toward the PTA’s general fund which covers things like counseling, technology, tutors, author visits, teacher mini-grants, and so much more. These programs – which inspire our children today – help our children explore who they are right now and think about who they want to become tomorrow.
We are thrilled that ticket sales have been soaring, but please note that we have a limited number of seats at the venue. We want to be sure you are there, too, so get your tickets today!
https://northbeachelementary.ejoinme.org/auction2020-tickets
North Beach PTA presents…Family Fun Night -- Friday January 24th
North Beach PTA presents…Family Fun Night
We Are Family Dance!
Friday January 24th 6:30-8:30pm
What YOU want to know:
- Admission is free, includes DJ with dancing and games
- Snowflake scarf craft $4 while supplies last
- Back by popular demand- photo booth $2, includes 2-3 professionally taken photos available online after the event
- Herbie meals $6.50, includes pretzel bread slider sandwich, apple slices, chips, water, and a baby Herbie mini stuffy while supplies last
- Dress up in the sprit of this year’s winter dance- We Are Family...bring back the 70s by wearing tie dye or other bright funky colors, the options are unlimited
- Please volunteer to help make this FUN and SUCCESSFUL for our North Beach Seals, and we bet you’ll have some fun too- sign up via Konstella
- This is not a drop off event- make sure there is an adult on site responsible for your child(s)
- Save time and avoid lines at entry- a Pre-order form went home via kid mail this week, additional copies are available in the office. Pre-orders must be received by Tuesday, January 21st.
Legislative Corner
WA State PTA Legislative Focus Day is on January 20th. Ways to participate:
Attend focus day! Bring the kids to meet their legislators and see our beautiful state capitol.
Read the top legislative priorities and contact the 36th district representatives on topics that matter to you. Amplify your voice by mentioning you are a PTA member.
Come to the PTA general meeting and cast your vote on the resolution to support implementation of voter approved initiative 1351.
During each year’s legislative session, Washington State PTA holds its annual Focus Day to bring members together at the state capitol to advocate for the association’s legislative platform. This year’s roster includes speakers such as Chris Reykdal the Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction and a meet & greet with the representatives of the 36th legislative district (the district North Beach is in).
Interested in joining or have questions? Contact: klabelle@gmail.com
Yearbook Volunteers Needed
We need one Lead Editor (Looking for someone who is willing to commit for 2-3 years - you will shadow the outgoing editor) and a Classroom Editor for each room (that’s 21 volunteers) to help bring the yearbook together. Sign up on Konstella at https://www.konstella.com/cd/kwOOxf
If you have any questions about what’s involved please contact Phillipa at phillipasara@gmail.com
For those who have already volunteered, pages will be coming soon. Now is the time to collect around 20 images for your classroom page. Group images are best as our goal is to have every kid represented on their classroom page.
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.
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!
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!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Community News & Events (The programs below are not endorsed by either North Beach PTA or SPS, and are posted for informational purposes only.)
----------------------------------------------------------------------------------
Back for another year - Ballard High School Gymnastics Kids Camps!! - Tomorrow, Saturday January 11th
Greetings gymnastics enthusiasts and community members!
Back for another year - Ballard High School Gymnastics Kids Camps!!
The Ballard High School gymnastics team - 4th place winners at the 2019 Washington State Gymnastics Championships - welcomes your child to join our 2020 kids camps! BHS gymnasts will teach campers on bars, beam, vault, and floor for hours of fun and instruction.
Tickets are $45 per date, per camper (additional campers from the same family are $40) per date. No gymnastics experience is needed!
Registration for Camp 1: Sat. January 11, 2020 (9AM to noon)
https://bhsgymnasticscamp2020-1.bpt.me
Registration for Camp 2: Sat. January 25, 2020 (9AM to noon)
Free seminar - Mental Health and Our Kids
Monday, January 27, 2020 at 7:00 PM
Phinney Neighborhood Center Lower Building
Doors open at 6:30 for a social half hour
Join PNW Parent Education for a critical conversation on mental health and our kids. Jason Reid, CEO, author, and parent will share his story of heartbreak and hope. We’ll also have a mental health expert to provide practical and relevant information on how parents can help promote mental health in their children at an early age. Lastly, a local youth will share their personal experience and the tools that they use to help fight the stigma and symptoms associated with anxiety and depression.
In this important talk, you’ll learn:
- The right questions to ask and the best conversation starters to use with kids about mental health.
- How to identify early signs and symptoms of mental health problems such as anxiety and depression.
Register in advance to secure your free seat.
Whitman Middle School Open House - January 21
Open House, January 21st:
6:00-6:30 special education information session in library
6:30-6:55 information tables in foyer
7:00 Presentation in Auditorium
7:30 Tours led by WEB and/or visit information tables
Information Tables:
- department/class information
- Athletics
- WEB (Where everyone belongs)
- Activities/ ASB
- PTSA
- counseling
- nurse
- registration and general info
- attendance
- family services
Northwest Seattle Little League Registration Now Open
Attention all Baseball, Softball, and Tee-Ball players: Registration for Spring ball with Northwest Seattle Little League ("NWSLL") is open!
NWSLL serves our local NW Seattle neighborhoods and is chartered through Little League Baseball, offering a variety of divisions for baseball and softball as well as numerous volunteer opportunities.
On-time Registration runs from December 1-January 15.
Please visit http://nwsll.org/ to learn more and register online.
Questions? Please send email to info@nwsll.org
PLAY BALL!
Attention Kindergarten and First Grade Parents:
Loyal Heights Martin Luther King Jr Teen March 2020
It is almost time for our 16th Annual Martin Luther King Jr Teen March. Can you please help us promote this event to your students and their families. School administrators can you mention the activity calendar and MLK march in your bulletin. Parents and Guardians can you please encourage your teens, per-teen, children and the whole family to attend this event. We will be offering rides from your community center to this event. Contact the recreation leader at the nearest community center to your home. High school students can earn service credits for volunteering and attending this event.
Need a ride to the march? The Loyal Heights Teen Program will be meeting at Loyal Heights Community Center (2101 NW 77th Street, Seattle, WA 98117) at 8 a.m. Saturday, January 18, 2020 to attend the march. Contact Ron Brown to sign up for the march and to reserve your seat in our van because space is limited. (206)684-4052 or ronald.brown@seattle.gov
Ballard High School Performing Arts presents: 61st Annual Spaghetti Dinner
Feb 1st, 2020 5:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m.
Ballard High School Commons
This fundraiser is your one chance this year to hear every Ballard Performing Arts group perform! Yes, all 15 of them. This year's theme is music from the '90s. Plus, catch a sneak preview of the upcoming musical, Xanadu.
Tickets available online NOW. https://www.ballardperformingartsboosters.org/spaghetti-dinner-2020-1 or purchased at the door. $15 adults, $10 students, $22.50 for all you can eat.
Enjoy a spaghetti dinner with options of homemade meat or vegetarian sauce, regular or gluten-free noodles, salad, bread, drink, and dessert. Extra desserts are available at the bake sale. And don't miss our raffle with tickets pulled 3 times during the evening.
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