Issue: #13
January 4, 2016

This Week:

Welcome back! 

 

It's Time to Act!
by Lissa Armato - auction@thorntoncreek.org

We have a lot to do in a very short amount of time. We need all families to participate!  To date only 20% of families have donated. If we work together we can reach our goal of
100% participation.  
The auction needs MORE items.


Tickets will go on sale ONE WEEK from today!  Mark your calendars and purchase your seats to our school's biggest fundraiser of the year!  

We need volunteers!  Please contact Lissa Armato if you are interested in volunteering for the event.  There are many things that need to be done!

WE ARE ONE!

From the Principal
From the Principal
by John Miner - jminer@seattleschools.org
Thornton Creek Principal

Thornton Creek Families
 
Happy New Year to all of you and welcome back to school.  I hope you were able to relax and enjoy family time together.   Favorite memories for me was having time with my wife, Esther, this last week of break, reading with my one year old granddaughter, Ellie, and making cupcakes with my two year old grandson, Evan.
 
We are preparing for open enrollment and new parent tours later this month,  our winter science fair, as well as our all school Talents Night.  After the extended rest of winter break we will speed up again with lots going on across the community.
 
Thank you for your commitment to this wonderful community.
From the Office
Office News
by Jennifer Evans  - jevans@seattleschools.org
 
Open Enrollment
Open Enrollment is Feb. 17 - March 1. New kindergarten families will have the best chance of being assigned to a school outside their attendance area if Choice forms are returned during this window. May 31 is the final deadline for current students to request a different school. Kindergarten Admissions Nights will be held in each of the district's five regions beginning in January. Please see the flier for more information.
School & Program Tours and Open House
by Emily Wong - emily.seattle@gmail.com
Jennifer McDowell -  jenniferwisemcdowell@hotmail.com
Co-Chairs Hiring and Recruitment Committee 

We are quickly approaching the time of year when families take on the challenging task of choosing a school for their children. After break during 5 weeks, Thornton Creek will offer several opportunities for families to see what our school and community are all about.

Our morning tours will begin at 9:30 am on the following dates:
  • Jan 28 (Thurs)
  • Feb. 4 (Thurs)
  • Feb. 8 (Mon)
  • Feb. 11 (Thurs)
  • Feb. 25 (Thurs)
There will be one evening open house & tour: Feb. 23 (Tues) 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

Tours can last up to 2 hours. 

There are two ways for you to get involved:   
  1. Volunteer!  We need parent volunteers to assist creating a welcoming and informative environment for prospective families.
  2. Spread the word!  If you know families who are looking for a great school, let them know about Thornton Creek and the upcoming tours and open house.  You can always refer them to our website.
If you are interested in helping out, please contact Emily or Jennifer.
January Lunch Menu

The January Lunch Menu is posted here.
 
From Your PE Teacher
Start Thinking Ahead to Archery Season

Winter is archery season at Thornton Creek.  In February, third, fourth and fifth graders will learn archery safety and skills in PE.  Fourth and fifth graders will be eligible to join Thornton Creek's archery team and participate in the state tournament in March.  There will be more information coming after the break so please keep an eye on the newsletter and information coming home from PE. 
From Site Council
Next Site Council Meeting - January 12th
by Stacy Earlywine - stacy.earlywine@gmail.com
Site Council Chair

Happy New Year!  Mark your calendar... January 12th at 7pm is our first Site Council meeting of the new year!  Come see what's going on.  We need you!  Our meeting will be held in the school library this month.  Agenda will be posted in next week's newsletter.
Cheers!
From the Traffic and Safety Committee
by Lyndee Belinda - lyndeebelina@comcast.net

As you all know, increased traffic and reduced parking are a challenge this year.  As part of the Thornton Creek Transition committee, a traffic and safety subcommittee was formed to identify ways we can make sure our students get to and from school safely.  Right now the main focus is to make drop-off and pick-up times efficient and safe, and to encourage people who park to follow the City of Seattle parking rules.

Due to increased traffic around our school, we are asking the Thornton Creek community to follow these traffic rules to keep our students safe:
  • Park 30 feet from all stop signs and 20 feet from all crosswalks (marked and unmarked).
  • Please do not park in front of curb cuts or driveways.
     
  • If you drop off your student at school, please only do so on the north side of the school.  Pull all the way forward and parallel to the drop off zone.  Jim (our wonderful morning helper) says that there is room for 3 vehicles to drop off at a time, as long as you pull forward!
  • Once you have pulled in parallel, please make sure your child gets out on the right side of the car.
     
  • Do not pull in as if to park in the drop off zone. When you back out, you stop traffic and put students at risk.
  • After you drop off your child, please continue east on NE 80th St.  Do not turn right onto 43rd Ave NE, due to bus traffic.
When we return to school the week of January 4th you might see signs encouraging you to park mindfully.  Please remember that this is not to scold or inconvenience anyone, but to make sure no one gets hurt.

Traffic Survey
Another item the traffic and safety team would like to do is to find out how our students get to school.  As our school grows, traffic will be more challenging.  The possibility that another program will move into the Decatur building when we move to our new building is very high, which will mean even more traffic.  We hope to find out where people live, how they get to school, what might encourage them to carpool, walk, bike or take the bus.  Please fill out this short survey to help us understand what we can work on for next year and beyond.
http://tinyurl.com/grbhwr3

Please feel free to contact me with any questions or comments about traffic or safety issues,
Lyndee Belina
Parent Group
Talent Night Sign-ups This Week!
by Kirsten Fonken - Kirsten.fonken@gmail.com
 
Sign-ups this week -  Jan. 4 - Jan. 8.
 
Kids sign up:
  • Sign-up sheets will be on a bulletin board in the main hallway.
  • All acts should sign up, whether individual or group.
  • You will need to provide the following information when you sign up:
  • First and last name of all people in the act
  • Type of Act
  • Room # (if act has kids from other classrooms)
    • Fourth and Fifth graders can sign up for additional roles
Parents sign up:
  • Parents need to sign your kids up online as well! Go to: this link
  • All acts should sign up, whether individual or group
  • You will need to provide the following information:    
  • First and last name of all people in the act
  • Type of Act (singing or playing music, dancing, acting...)
  • Room #
  • Fourth and Fifth graders can sign up for additional roles
  • Select a time block for EACH Saturday (all 3, not just 1) rehearsal. The time blocks are: 11:00am - 1:00pm OR 1:30pm - 4:00pm
Summary of important dates:
Rehearsals:
  • Saturday, Jan. 16 - 11:00am - 1:00pm OR 1:30-4:00pm.
  • Saturday, Jan. 23 - 11:00am - 1:00pm OR 1:30-4:00pm.
  • Saturday, Jan. 30 - 11:00am - 1:00pm OR 1:30-4:00pm.
Dress rehearsal:
  • Wednesday, Feb. 3 (evening)
Talent Night:
  • Friday, Feb. 5 (evening)
If you have any questions, please feel free to contact me,
Kirsten Fonken (Calvin Fonken, 4th grade and Nicholas Fonken, 1st grade),

This is a Parent Group lead event.
Save the Date: Thornton Creek Science Fair March 9
by Pat Boyle and Tracy Fuentes - patboyle@gmail.com tracyfuentes@gmail.com
 
Thornton Creek parents are organizing a science fair.  The Thornton Creek Science Fair is scheduled for Wed, March 9 from 6:30-8:00pm. More details are available at: http://tcsciencefair.blogspot.com/

You can sign up online.

There will be 1-2 informational sessions to help brainstorm ideas and help with the project in February.

Parent Group Fundraising
Auction Volunteers Needed
by Hee Jung Kim - heejungkimbel@gmail.com 

Volunteers are needed for Thornton Creek's annual fundraiser auction to be held March 25th at Husky Stadium. I hope you will join our team of volunteers who will create a successful event to benefit our children.  The auction is the biggest fundraiser for the school and also a night of great fun and community for our school families.

Please contribute your talents to our event by filling one of the 80 volunteer positions which are detailed here: http://thorntoncreek.org/auction/volunteer

Please sign up using the Signup Genius link:
http://www.signupgenius.com/go/20f0e45a5af2aa7f49-2015

To our wonderful bartender volunteers, sadly there will be no bartenders needed this year since Husky Stadium will handle all the alcohol.

Thank you for volunteering!

From the Scrip table
by Leslie Cary - scrip@thorntoncreek.org

Thanks to everyone who bought scrip at the winter bazaar and in the last week or two before break. We sold an incredible amount in December! Every sale helps support our awesome school.

An online order will be placed late this week to restock the scrip table. If you'd like to order cards for yourself and save on shipping, place your order at scripzone.com before Thursday 1/7 (our school ID is 206TCPG) and select "pay to group coordinator". Pay for your cards when you pick them up at the scrip table. Purchase cards for your favorite stores and restaurants while supporting Thornton Creek!
District Approved Communications to Families
Please Note: Information below is not specifically endorsed by the school, nor have they been vetted by school staff.
Advertising Review/Approval Process

Per Seattle Public School Board Policy, outside materials must be approved before being distributed. The materials must meet district criteria, be approved by the Office of Public Affairs, and must be pre-printed and delivered to the school with the approval form attached.

 

You can find details regarding the review/approval process here. All requests to include information in the Thornton Creek Newsletter should be submitted via this process. 

Open Enrollment

Open Enrollment is Feb. 17 - March 1. New kindergarten families will have the best chance of being assigned to a school outside their attendance area if Choice forms are returned during this window. May 31 is the final deadline for current students to request a different school. Kindergarten Admissions Nights will be held in each of the district's five regions beginning in January. Please see the flier for more information.

JAMS Tour Date - February 11, 2016

Jane Addams Open House/Tour date for prospective students and parents, will be Thursday, February 11th, from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m.
Events
TC Logo Medium7711 43rd Ave NE
Seattle, WA 98115

TEL: 206-252-5300
FAX: 206-252-5301
In This Issue
Auction Update
From the Principal
Office Updates
School Tours & Open House
January Lunch Menu
Archery
From Site Council
Traffic and Safety
Talent Night
Science Fair
Auction Volunteers Needed
Scrip
calendar icon
CALENDAR 

The 2015-16 Seattle Schools Calendar (in PDF format) can be found here.   
 
Thornton Creek calendar can be found here

January 12
Site Council Meeting

January 13
Early Dismissal

January 18
Martin Luther King Jr. Day (No School)

January 28
Thornton Creek Tour 9:30-11:30 a.m.

January 29 
School Day (revised)

February 4
Thornton Creek Tour 9:30-11:30 a.m.

February 8
Thornton Creek Tour 9:30-11:30 a.m.

February 11
Thornton Creek Tour 9:30-11:30 a.m.

February 15-16
President's Day/Midwinter Break

February 17-19
School Days (revised) 

February 23
Thornton Creek Tour 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.

February 25
Thornton Creek Tour 9:30-11:30 a.m.

Quick Links

  
  
  
  
The Source Children's
Library accounts
Thornton Creek is a Box Tops for Education School

 

Thornton Creek Elementary is a Box Tops for Education school! Look for pink Box Top coupons on products you have at home (e.g. Cascadian Farm cereal), then just clip and drop them in the collection basket just inside the front door of the school. For coupon information, go to:  

www.boxtops4education.com 

Say Thank you

We have a tradition at our school of saying "thank you." If you would like to submit a thank-you note, send an email to ae2newseditor@gmail.com or  click here.

Robin Belz & Carrie Tzou
Thanks for all your work to organize the Winter Bazaar. This was such a fun event! Thank you!
NEWSLETTER SUBMISSIONS
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Click here for submission guidelines. Click here to send your article to the editors. Content is due Thursday for the following Monday's edition.