Good Times! Last night was incredibly fun, thanks to a huge turn out, an enthusiastic community and great games! If you found a game you really loved, make sure to visit Blue Highway Games and support their generosity with a purchase!

Also Teacher Appreciation Week is May 7th-11th!
Please ask your class coordinator what else you can do to help make it a memorable week for our teachers!

Thanks to all!
The PTSA

This year the state administration of the Measurement of Student Progress (MSP) is available on line.  Our school has decided to test grades 3-5/Math, Science (only 5th), Reading) online.  The test questions are the same as paper/pencil version, but shown in different order on each computer screen for test security.  Students will have the same amount of time to take the test as before and there are tools built into the presentation for students to use.  The test window is extended for the online version to allow all students time in the computer lab.  The writing test will continue to be paper/pencil due to the volume of handwritten response.   Your child’s teacher will be sending home notification of specific dates for online tests that we are involved in this year.  We want our students to be well prepared and comfortable with the online format as this moves forward.
 
Please ensure your child is rested, has a good breakfast and comes to school ready to focus on the MSP.  If you would like to view a demonstartion of this test and also take a sample test with test questions in the different subjects and grades please go to OSPI’s link: http://www.k12.wa.us/Assessment/StateTesting/OnlineTesting.aspx  The box on the right has the downloads for you to view.
All students will have the opportunity to see both the DEMO and the Online Training Tools (Sample test) at school.  Viewing it at home, with parents, is encouraged as well.
 
If you have further questions, please contact Jeffrey Riley – jsriley@seattleschools.org – 206 252 2511
Thank you for your support in helping to make this a successful experience for our students.
 
QAE MSP Schedule: (All testing to begin at 9:45)
 
 
Math
Reading
Science
Writing
3rd
5/23
5/16
X
 
3rd/4th
5/22
5/24
X
5/3, 5/8
5th
5/15
5/14
5/21
 
 
 
 

Buen apetito!  Kick off the spring season with fellow QAE parents at a fun, swanky tapas party.  This auction buy-in party still has a couple of seats available!  Nosh on Spanish nibbles, sip Spanish wine, listen to Spanish music... You get the idea.

Reserve your spot now at http://www.queenanneelementary.com/auction-buyins.html.

Date:  Saturday May 5
Time:  7:00pm
Location:  QAE family residence, address will be shared with attendees.

All families are invited to join art teacher Ms. Meg and the Garden Committee as we celebrate your child's art work and the QAE Garden.  What can you expect at this exciting event...?

*The walls throughout the brick building will be FULL of student art work, much of which will be unveiled for the first time!  Come and see what your brilliant child has been creating.
*Live music will be performed by renowned songwriter and vocalist (and parent of Ruby), Connor Desai!
*The garden will be newly planted by every student in every grade and decorated with stunning new signage and ART!
*Cheeses and treats and kid-friendly bubbly will be served in the reception area (i.e. cafeteria) throughout the event!

Please mark your calendars and come at any time during this two hour event.  This is one Art Walk you won't want to miss.

REMINDER:
Join us for our biggest garden workday of the year this weekend, Saturday, April 28, 10am-1pm.
QAE's Garden Week is April 30-May 4.  Before the kids can get to work, we need to prepare the garden space for them.  To keep our garden program alive, we need you! 

No experience required.  Just show up and we will give you direction-- you might be surprised by how much fun you have.  Donuts and coffee included.
 
If you support the garden program and are available, join us at the garden for any amount of time this Saturday.  Let's keep our garden program growing for our kids and our community.  RSVP to Elizabeth Kruse if you can be there (emdowell@comcast.net).
 

Our QAE community generously donated over 3000 books to our chosen organization--Treehouse.  The amount of books collected completely exceeded our expectations!  It was uplifting to see the faces of the students each day as they brought their donations into the school, or when they would check the boxes outside of their classrooms.  Thank you so very, very much for helping to make this event so incredibly successful!  We can't wait to deliver the books to Treehouse this week.

While the competition for lunch with our visiting author, Derek Munson, was tight ... the classroom who donated the most books was Ms. Leland's room with a grand total of 710 books.  That's a lot of books!  A big high five, and much congratulations to Ms. Leland's first graders.  

The Book Drive team (Laura Cooper, Laurie Reed, and Lara Francisco) would like to extend a great big THANK YOU to all of you who participated.  It was an amazing experience, a lot of fun, and we are really proud of our student participants!

Only a few days away, so make sure you save the date!  Click HERE for more details

Order your own copy of Enemy Pie and have it signed by the author, Derek Munson, on April 25th.

If you would like a copy of the book Enemy Pie, print & fill out the order form (below or here) and return it to your teacher the day after Spring Break (4/23).
Derek Munson will bring all ordered books with him on the 25th, and will be signing personalized copies at the end of the day.

SAVE THE DATE for QAE's First Annual Art and Garden Walk on May 3, from 4:00 -6:00 pm.

All families are invited to join art teacher Ms. Meg and the Garden Committee as we celebrate your child's art work and the QAE Garden.  What can you expect at this exciting event...?
*The walls throughout the brick building will be FULL of student art work, much of which will be unveiled for the first time!  Come and see what your brilliant child has been creating.
*Live music will be performed by renowned songwriter and vocalist (and parent of Ruby), Connor Desai!
*The garden will be newly planted by every student in every grade and decorated with stunning new signage and ART!
*Cheeses and treats and kid-friendly bubbly will be served in the reception area (i.e. cafeteria) throughout the event!

Please mark your calendars and come at any time during this two hour event.  This is one Art Walk you won't want to miss.

If you support the garden program and are available, please join us at the garden for any amount of time during this Spring Break Garden Workday.  Let's keep our garden alive and growing for our kids and our community.
 
SPRING BREAK GARDEN WORK PARTY:
Tuesday, April 17, 3 - 5:30pm
 
Please RSVP Elizabeth Kruse if you can attend at emdowell@comcast.net

Yearbook order forms are coming home  it orange folders this week.  If  you would like to own a copy of the annual for your child, please fill it out and send it back in an envelope marked: PTSA Yearbook, by Friday, May 4th.

The books will be 36 full color pages.  Each class will have its own two-page spread with student pictures and classroom collages!  This year's book  is full of fun pictures of school events like the jog-a-thon, community garden/QAE Cafe, before and after school clubs and classes, Islandwood and so much more!  The QAE yearbook will be a wonderful memento for you and your family for years to come.  These are your pictures and your memories. Don't forget them.  (Plus students won't want to miss out on all the fun when the yearbooks arrive.)  We are only ordering the number of books sold, so if you don't purchase one now, you will not have another chance.

Buy yours TODAY!

What Discoveries in Brain Science Tell Us About Elementary Education and How People Learn

In the past 10 year, neuroscientists have learned amazing things about how the human brain functions, and how it learns.  This research is beginning to reshape fundamental components of education.  The way society approaches educating our young, the way teachers teach, and the way school districts support educators and students from birth to college, could soon shift to entirely new models.  

Two scientist who are on the cutting edge of research and dissemination of this new learning are Drs. Patricia Kuhl and Andrew Meltzoff.  In 2000, they co-wrote (with Alison Gopnik) the enormously popular book The Scientist in the Crib.  Together, Kuhl and Meltzoff founded and co-direct the Institute for Learning and Brain Sciences (I-LABS) at UW.  In 2010, they launched the Developing Mind Project, which is a multi-year initiative that will use brain-imaging technology to explore how young children learn.

On Tuesday, April 24th, Drs. Kuhl and Meltzoff will present some of their latest work on what brain science tells us about elementary education and how people learn.  If you have read Brain Rules or Brain Rules for Babies, NutureShock, or seen Education Nation, you will be fascinated by their work.

This is a rare opportunity to hear about what current research might mean for education.  Drs. Kuhl and Meltzoff are internationally recognized scholars.  They have been interviewed by such notables as Charlie Rose, had one-on-ones with Presidents Clinton and Bush, and their work was highlighted in the PBS documentary “This Emotional Life” and other national and international outlets.  Don't miss this great presentation!

When:  April 24 at 7pm
Where:  QAE Library
RSVP online by April 23: http://snipr.com/22zprtq

Open to the public. 

April 27th will be our first community event celebrating our young students as authors.

If you have not experienced a Young Authors Day before, it is a fabulous time!  The day will start off with a congratulatory message (via video) from author Derek Munson.  From there the kids will gather their stories and head to their groups for sharing.  This is a cross-age event where students share published pieces of their writing with each other, with the opportunity for positive comments, questions, and discussion.

The event will be wrapped up with a special "High Five" and a "Well Done" during that day's lunch. It's the students, after all, who are the stars of this show!  If you are interested in helping with Young Authors Day, you are in luck! 

While this is not a "spectator" event, we do need over 30 Group Leaders to make it happen.  There are very few requirements .. a love of writing, a positive attitude, and a joy of listening to kids sharing their stories.

More information on how you can get involved with Young Authors Day can be found by contacting any of the three following people: Lara Francisco, Laura Cooper, and Laurie Reed.   You might also want to ask your child's teacher if they need any help getting the students' stories "published" and ready to share on the 27th.

This is the last week to participate in our school wide Book Drive benefiting Treehouse.

The participation so far has been truly amazing.  Some classrooms are actually on their 4th or 5th box of books collected!

Have you gone through your collection at home yet?  Remember, the classroom that collects the most donations, will have the opportunity to eat lunch with next month's visiting author Derek Munson, of Enemy Pie.

All books will be collected at the end of school on Friday (April 13th) and sorted through during Spring Break.

Please help support this wonderful opportunity for "kids helping kids", and donate your gently used and/or new books to the QAE Book Drive!