News from your North Beach PTA
February 4, 2022
Dates to Remember
- Tuesday, February 8: 6:30pm PTA Meeting
- Tuesday, February 8: 7pm Special Ed PTSA General Meeting
- February 21-25: Mid-Winter break, no school
- Saturday, March 12: North Beach Auction, 6-11pm @ The Nordic Heritage Museum
North Beach Multicultural calendar - February
During February the North Beach community celebrates the following multicultural groups. We will highlight resources and opportunities to learn more about these groups during the month.
Feb 1-28: Black History Month
Feb 1: Lunar New Year, Year of the Tiger
Feb 17-March 1: Mardi Gras
Feb 20: World Day of Social Justice
Feb 21: President's Day
A Note From our Principal
February 4, 2022
Hello Seals,
February! Spring is right around the corner. We are still deep into the pandemic but we’ve made a lot of headway with kids now eligible for the vaccine. We have been continuing to monitor weather day to day and on very cold days, the kids come inside to eat. Omicron has been so much more contagious than its predecessors, tripling our number of positive cases at school, that it is even more imperative now, to slow the spread wherever possible. Which brings me to my next topic of Valentines Day. We must continue to follow protocols. This means we cannot have parents in classrooms for parties, and we cannot have treats to eat in the classrooms. So please keep this in mind when planning.
Everyone have a great weekend and we’ll see you next week.
Kristine McLane, Principal
Auction donations—final push!
We’ve got a lot of fun stuff for the auction—thank you! We’re in the final push and could still use donations in two main categories:
- Kids' Stuff: parties, classes, camps, gear. We all know what kids like!
- Booze: beer, wine, or hard alcohol. Know anyone who can donate a Pacific NW Whiskey basket (or similar) for the auction? Or a few cases of wine or beer for the party itself?
We appreciate your donations, connections, and enthusiasm. We can’t wait to celebrate with you.
VOTE TODAY!
Capital levies are the main source of funding to ensure that every student has a safe, welcoming learning environment. The levy funds critical district resources and systems: school nurses, custodians, updates to fire alarm systems, roof repairs, the phone bill, and more.
North Beach is lucky to benefit from a well resourced PTA. A good example: reading through the list of what the levy will be used for, you will see electronic whiteboards. More than 10 years ago, NB PTA raised the funds to purchase these classroom tools - no small effort and definitely not an option for all schools. Now, the district is raising the funds for more schools to have electronic whiteboards and you can support this effort by voting for the levy today.
At the January general meeting, the NB PTA voted unanimously to support a yes vote on proposition 1 and proposition 2.
Ballots due on Tuesday.
Drop them in the mail, or at a ballot dropbox by the public library.
Special Education Updates
Seattle Special Education General PTSA Meeting: Tuesday, February 8th 7pm-9pm.
The ARC of King County's African American Family Support Coordinator Richard Mullen will talk about his work including:
- the different experiences Black families have from white families in the special education system.
- how this PTSA and other disability advocacy organizations can be better allies.
Executive Director of Special Education Dr. Rocky Torres will also join the meeting to present about recovery services and take questions. ASL provided
Register at: Eventbrite
For more information on Seattle Special Education PTSA sponsored events, go to: Events Calendar (seattlespecialeducationptsa.org)
February Staff Appreciation
The PTA would like all the teachers and staff of North Beach to really feel the love this month. We're asking you to bring a small note of appreciation to your classroom teacher during the week of Valentine's Day.
Additionally, please fill out this very short form to submit a shout out to other NB staff. https://forms.gle/9A1qnnm3ADi7bHCz9
Submissions due 2/17. Thanks for taking a moment to appreciate all the hard work going on at school.
The Origins of Black History Month
The relevance of February goes back to 1926, when ASALH’s (Association for the study of Aftrican American Life and History) founder Dr. Carter G. Woodson first established “Negro History Week” during the second week of February. And why that week? Because it encompasses the birthdays of Abraham Lincoln and Frederick Douglass—both men being great American symbols of freedom. However, Woodson never confined Negro History to a week. His life’s work and the mission of ASALH since its founding in 1915 represent a living testimony to the year-round and year-after-year study of African American history.
When did it shift to a month long celebration?
The first official observance came in February 1976, from President Gerald Ford whose words established Black History Month in eloquent homage to Woodson and ASALH. He proclaimed: “IN THE Bicentennial year of our Independence, we can review with admiration the impressive contributions of black Americans to our national life….[T]o help highlight these achievements, Dr. Carter G. Woodson founded the Association for the Study of Afro-American Life and History. We are grateful to him today for his initiative, and we are richer for the work of his organization.
Ten years later in 1986, which was also the first year of the celebration of Martin Luther King, Jr.’s birthday as a national holiday, the U.S. Congress, in a joint resolution of the House and Senate, designated the month of February as “National Black History Month.” The resolution authorized and requested President Ronald Reagan to issue a proclamation in observance. In 1986, the Presidential Proclamation 5443 noted that “the foremost purpose of Black History Month is to make all Americans aware of this struggle for freedom and equal opportunity.
Black History Month is a powerful symbolic celebration. And symbols always stand for something bigger—in our case, the important role of Black History in pursuit of racial justice and equality.
Above excerpts are from
https://asalh.org/about-us/about-black-history-month/
Black History Virtual Festival
Carter G Woodson book award winners (elementary level)
The Power of her Pen:The Story of Groundbreaking Journalist Ethel L. Payne by Lesa Cline-Ransome
William Still and His Freedom Stories by Don Tate
The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander
Free Covid Resources
What: Vaccine Clinic at Broadview Thomson K-8 School
Who: ALL SPS students and staff, ages 5 and up
Dates: Saturday, Feb 5th and Saturday, Feb 26th
Time: 9:00 am - 1:00 pm
Location: Broadview-Thomson K-8 School, 13052 Greenwood Ave. N, Seattle, WA 98133
Pre-registration is encouraged, and there is also capacity for walk-ins.
US Government - 4 tests available per home - Covidtests.gov
Coming soon - Free government issued N95 adult masks at local pharmacies such as Walgreens.
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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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Parent Education Opportunities
- Seattle Children's seminar series: Conversations about Autism
Podcast: Play-Based Learning with Teacher Tom
February (various dates):Your Insight on Healthcare Delivery is Needed: Dept. of Health Listening Sessions
Attention all Baseball, Softball, and Tee-Ball players!
Northwest Seattle Little League ("NWSLL") opened for registration on December 1st!
NWSLL has served our local NW Seattle neighborhoods since 1959 and is chartered through Little League Baseball, offering a variety of divisions for baseball and softball as well as numerous volunteer opportunities. NWSLL’s boundaries extend from Puget Sound to I-5 and from 85th Street to 145th Street. And our home fields are at Soundview (next to Whitman), Crown Hill (off Holman Road), and Northacres (near Haller Lake).
On-time registration for Kid-Pitch players (league ages 8 thru 12, where league age is age as of 8/31/22) runs through January 26th. For league age 8 players, typically half play Kid-Pitch ball. Registrations after January 26th is accepted as slots remain available (our website will indicate if roster slots remain in a division). Our Kid-Pitch age players (ages 8 and up) have Evaluation Day on Sunday, February 27th to assist in (1) determining if an age 8 player is ready for Kid-Pitch, (2) placing players as appropriate in AA, AA, or Majors, and (3) creating balanced teams. Those teams will be created in early March.
For players league age 8 and younger (who play Coach-Pitch or Tee-Ball), teams start up later (early to mid-April), and registrations is open through mid-March. We form teams around March 20th, so register by then to make sure you get any buddy requests granted. Coach-Pitch and Tee-Ball events are typically held at our Crown Hill Field on Holman Road. Lastly, NWSLL liberally grants scholarship requests to families in need of assistance. Our goal is to help every kid play ball who wants to enjoy the game with friends!
Please visit http://nwsll.org/ to learn more and register online.
Questions? Please send email to info@nwsll.org
PLAY BALL!
J Camp at the Stroum JCC
Registration for our 2022 season opens next week!
Build your own experience with Summer J Camp! With more than 60 camps to choose from, Summer J Camp is 10 weeks of fun. Running from June 21 - Aug. 26 with options for kids in pre-K through 10th grades (and job opportunities for anyone older). Bus transportation is available, along with our extended care program and swim lessons. Sign up by March 11 to get our Early Bird Discount and save 10%.
Registration open Feb. 2.
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Support North Beach Elementary When You Shop!
Amazon Smile: 0.5% of eligible purchases back to North Beach!