Issue: #27
April 18, 2016
This Week:
Welcome back!
After School Enrichment starts this week
From The Office
Lunch time 100 patriotic
April Lunch Menu
by Jennifer Evans -  jevans@seattleschools.org 

April lunch menu here

School Choice Assignment

Open Enrollment for School Choice for the 2016-17 school year was February 17 to March 1, 2016. 


Late choice applications will be accepted until May 31, 2016, but will not receive priority tiebreakers. 

 

The results of Open Enrollment will be: 

  • Available online April 15 with Assignment Lookup Tool
  • Sent out by mail to students granted new assignment in late April 2016
Please visit our registration webpage for more information.
From the Library
Ocean Annie Visits
by Virginia Allemann - vaallemann@seattleschools.org

Underwater photographer, filmmaker, author and ocean conservationist, Ocean Annie aka Annie Crawley, brought the ocean to Thornton Creek Elementary Students on April 1. She discussed how important our ocean is in our lives and shared how people are impacting our ocean. Scientists released a report that by 2050 there will be more plastic by weight in our ocean than fish. Ocean Annie just launched the 30 Day Challenge and hopes all of our families will take the challenge.

Some of you may recognize her as she is also the Camp Director of Beach Camp at Sunset Bay www.SunsetBay.com

Check out our latest interactive books on iTunes!
Spring Book Fair: May 16-19
by Kaori Tanaka - tanaka.kaori@gmail.com
The Spring Book Fair is May 16 - 19. It is held here at the school in the Mary Cooper Library with books from the Secret Garden Book Shop, an independent book store and long-time supporter of school libraries. Typically, 25% of sales goes towards our library. A significant portion of funds for new materials comes from the Spring and Fall Book Fairs.

The Spring Book Fair is open 9:00-9:30 and 3:40-4:40 for sales. The Fair is open for browsing during lunch and recesses, but no sales will be transacted during school hours. The Fair will also be open Thursday night, May 19, before and during Athletic Skills & Art Show Night.

Volunteer Opportunity
Please consider volunteering for an hour or two May 16-19. You can write receipts, make change, straighten displays, help children find prices and write wish lists, and check out all the new books! Go to www.SignUpGenius.com/go/508044DAEAC2CA75-spring to sign up.

Dress Up As A Book Character Day: May 18
A school tradition, Dress Up As A Book Character Day, is a chance to celebrate books and book characters we know and love. Students and teachers celebrate reading and literature by dressing up as a favorite character.
From the Art Studio
News from the Art Studio
by Maria Callahan - mlcallahan@seattleschools.org

I want to say a huge thank you to all those parents who helped create our auction art this year! Parents put in hours and hours of time to make those beautiful pieces. To all those who worked on auction art, I know how hard you worked and I am very grateful to you. All the pieces were gorgeous!

We have a wonderful traveling exhibit from the Junior League of Seattle at our school right now! It will leave on Thursday and will have been with us for 10 days.  This is a terrific opportunity for our students to see some museum works up close. All grade levels have had great discussions thus far.  The art pieces are by Northwest artists. We have focused on a piece of photography by Spike Mafford and a painting/drawing by Fay Jones. Be sure to enjoy the pieces as you walk through our halls this week.

The piece by Fay Jones has helped us to highlight an idea. Images in works can be, or look, like more than one thing. We read the book Duck, Rabbit to illustrate this very point. Now we have an art room joke; if it looks like more than one thing we call it a 'duck/rabbit'. Ms. Jones also creates her pieces with little to no plan in mind. The children had an eager response to this, with lots of wiggling hands in agreement. So we all set down to do a piece, using oil pastels and paint and no plan. This lead us to talk about how you choose a color; does it sing to you or just feel right? We also discussed whether our images were representational, or designs, or a mixture of the two.

Our entire room right now is full of clay pieces. We have clay animals from the Lewis and Clark trail, clay ravens, clay birds and clay tile hearts. Our plan is to display these at our all school art show. So... mark your calendars for Art and Athletic Skills Night on Thursday, May 19th.

Third graders are working on some beautiful weavings right now. I asked them what they enjoy about weaving. There were comments about relaxation, the calming rhythm, getting to use lots of colors, the satisfying feeling of the yarn, and just feeling like you are good at doing it. I love doing weaving the kids for all these reasons and all the problems solving situations that arise. Tangles yarn and knot tying are good problems to solve.

 Some fourth and fifth grade classes are working on flat, articulated puppets or paper mache  hand puppets. Mark and Steve's classes are looking at the work of sculptor Alberto Giacometti. We will be creating our sculptures based on his work.

Students in rooms 3, 6, and 10 are working from a book called My River. We are creating large collages of animals who live in river habitats. And we are singing and laughing often, too.

Come the art studio by anytime!
From Site Council
Site Council April Meeting Minutes
by Stacy Earlywine - stacy.earlywine@gmail.com
From the Parents
After School Enrichment Classes start this week
by Andrea - Tcenrichment@gmail.com
ASE Coordinator
Classes will be held Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. 
For a complete listing of classes, please see the ASE website . http://tcafterschoolenrichment.weebly.com/registration--class-information.html

All classes meet in the cafeteria from 3:40 to 3:55 pm for attendance and snack and then head to their locations.  Please send a nut free snack clearly labeled for after school snack time with your child on days they have Enrichment classes.

Parents, please remind your children about their classes. If your child will miss class, please notify the class instructor as well as the ASE Coordinator, Andrea, at Tcenrichment@gmail.com.

Got ideas for classes for next year, fill out the form found at this link. If you have any questions, please contact Andrea at Tcenrichment@gmail.com.
Athletic Skills and Art Night is May 19, 2016!
by Cindy Hazard- crhazard@gmail.com
Please join us for a fun evening of art and athletic presentations. Here is what you need to know to participate in this fun event:

Guidelines for Athletic Skill performers:
  1. A child may perform in a maximum of one act
  2. A performance must last no longer than 1 ½ minutes
  3. Performances should contain appropriate language, no violence or weapons
  4. One copy of the music should be provided to Alan Chitlik at alan@pugetsounddj.com. Please include the song title and artist. Alan usually has access to most songs chosen. Please choose your music as soon as possible. A CD can be given to Sue for practice in the gym during scheduled lunch practices. 
Preparing your Child
Please help your child with his/her routine as soon as possible, he or she may need your coaching at home or during school practices.

Your child's teacher will allow for rehearsal time outside of class and during recess, but otherwise will not work with children on their acts during class time.

Please remind your child to practice during the lunch time practice provided, see below for days available.

It is very important your child be ready with his/her act by dress rehearsal on Wednesday, May 18, 2016 starting right after school. Parents, please arrange transportation and supervision of your child during their dress rehearsal time slot. If you know of any scheduling conflicts, we would like to know about them asap. This helps us prepare a line-up that doesn't have to be revised at the last minute. Thanks!

Behind the scenes opportunities for 4th and 5th graders only

Gym Assistants -moving equipment (mats), microphones, sound equipment. If we have more students than jobs, we will first limit the jobs to 5th graders and then if need be, we will choose from a lottery to fill the jobs available. Gym assistants can be in 1 other act.

Masters of Ceremony (M.C.'s) for 5th graders only
Depending on the number of kids that sign-up, we may have to select by a lottery. M.C.'s can be in 1 other act.

Sign-ups
Sign ups and permission slip acceptance will close April 29, 2016. Please use our NEW online permission form found here: You must submit an ONLINE signed permission slip before you may practice.

Schedule
  • Sign-ups Until till April 29th
  • NEW Lunch Rehearsal schedule:
  • Tuesdays during lunch will be for K-2.
  • Thursdays during lunch will be for 3-5. These are the only days there will be lunch rehearsals so please have your children plan accordingly.
  • Dress Rehearsal is Wednesday May 18, 2016 right after school
  • Athletic Skills Night is Thursday May 19th, 2016 
Any questions? contact Sue Doty, 206-252-5260 or lsdoty@seattleschools.org or Cindy Hazard at crhazard@gmail.com.
Teacher Appreciation Day
by Lisa Skylnd - skylynd@nurturingknowledge.com
Teacher Appreciation Day is coming up on Tuesday, May 3rd!  This year, we are planning to celebrate our teachers all week with treats each day.  Please choose a day and dish that works for you to share with our wonderful teachers and staff at Thornton Creek using our Sign-up Genius poll http://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0b4ea5a72ea0f49-teacher/.  

Any snacks or contributions are welcome so feel free to be creative.  We know our teachers appreciate having healthy options and especially enjoy homemade items but bring whatever inspires you on whichever day fits best for you.  We welcome cards and artwork to decorate the table and show you/your child's appreciation.  Thanks, in advance, for your contributions to celebrate our teachers!  
  • Please have dishes ready to serve and eat, labeled so teachers/staff will know what ingredients are included.  We will have some labels available for you to use. 
  • Breakfast items on Tuesday should be delivered to the school staff room by 9:15am.  
  • Lunch items on Thursday should be in the school staff room by 11:45.  
  • Snack items, drinks, and desserts should be brought to staff room by the start of school. 
Lisa Skylynd, Amy Roberts, Polk Pud"homme, Heather Sorenson
Hospitality Committee
Incoming Kindergarten Siblings Interested in Playing Soccer
by Molly Shumway - mollsnow@comcast.net
Hello TC parents! Do you have an incoming kindergartner who is interested in playing soccer in the fall with other TC kinders? There are local age 4-5 program accepting sign-ups in May. Send me a message if you're interested. Thank you!
Parent Group Fundraising
Thornton Creek Night at the Mariners
by Erica Lerer  - ericaeirene@yahoo.com
Take me out to the ball game!  Join other Thornton Creek families and enjoy the fun of a Mariner's Game! See our school's name on the big screen during the 4th Inning! The Seattle Mariners are contenders for the pennant this season. Hopes are running high! And the first 20,000 fans will take home Kyle Seager Bobble-Heads!
  • When: Saturday, May 14, 6:10pm (first pitch)
  • What: Seattle Mariners vs. LA Angels of Anaheim 
  • Cost: $15 each ($3 of the ticket will go to the Thornton Creek Parent Group)
A flyer with form for ticket orders will go home in kids' backpacks this week. If you'd like to sit next to friends, please submit the order forms and payment together in one envelope. There will be a box in the office to collect orders.  Ticket order deadline is April 22.

Questions? Email room 14 parent, Erica Lerer ericaeirene@yahoo.com
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. 
TC Logo Medium7711 43rd Ave NE
Seattle, WA 98115

TEL: 206-252-5300
FAX: 206-252-5301
In This Issue
April Lunch Menu
From the Library
Spring Book Fair
From the Art Studio
Site Council News
Enrichment
Athletic Skills and Art Night
Teacher Appreciation Day
Incoming Kindergarten Sibling Soccer
TC at the Mariners
District Approved Communications
calendar icon
CALENDAR 

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

April 25th
Expedition Series Film Screening

May 3
Teacher Appreciation Day

May 10
Site Council Meeting

May 16-19
Spring Book Fair

May 18
Dress Like a Book Character Day

May 19
Athletic Skills & Art Show Night

May 23rd
Expedition Series Film Screening

May 26
ELOB Exhibition Night

May 30
Memorial Day - No School

June 1
2-hour early dismissal

June 14
Site Council Meeting

June 17
Field Day & Wacky Hair Day

June 24
Last Day of School; 1-hr Early Dismissal

Quick Links



Site Council Information & Meeting Minutes
  
  
  
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.

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.