The big day is upon us!!   A few reminders and ideas:

-          Make sure that your student is dressed for the weather and for running (running shoes)
-          The weather forecast is for sun and 80 degrees!  We will have water stations set up, please consider having your student bring a water bottle so that we don’t use a thousand cups :)
-          Pledge envelopes are being collected starting today- if you didn’t send it today, that’s ok, send it tomorrow.  If you didn’t have a chance to collect all of your pledges, you can turn your envelope and sponsor form in anyway, and either have the sponsors make their donation online via PayPal on the QAE website, or collect them and turn them in next week with a copy of your sponsor sheet or notation about who they are from.  Our financial goal is $100 or more per student, but our other very important goal is 100% participation- every envelope and every student who contributes their effort counts!
-          Come join the fun!!  You are invited and encouraged to come cheer them on – or lace up your running shoes and run with them!
-          Bring your camera!  We would love to have lots of photographers there to document the fun.
Here’s the schedule:

1:15              Kick off
1:30-2:15       First group runs- Kindergarten and 1st graders
2:25- 3:10      Second group runs- 2nd, 3rd, 4th and 5th graders
3:15              Celebrate!!

Thank you to all of the volunteers who are coming to help tomorrow—please check in for your t-shirt, information, and assignment in room 140 in the east hallway of the brick building.

Thank you also to all of our local business sponsors- their donations cover the cost of t-shirts for every student, and also include refreshments and prizes! They are:

Queen Anne Dispatch
STS Construction
Holley Ring real estate
Leone & Vaughn orthodontists
Knoq
Sela's Small Couture
Twirl
Kast
Communique
Blue Highway Games
Trader Joe's
Umpqua Bank

See you tomorrow! Any questions please contact Holley Ring hring@windermere.com or Natalie Carlson carlson_natalie@earthlink.net.
Thank you!

Keep up the Sun Dance!  Jog-a-Thon is coming up this Friday!
 
There are only a few more days to gather sponsors, so parents, see if you can help your kids  – you can visit neighbors, and call friends and family. 
The kids feel really proud of themselves when they win over a sponsor, and love that they can do their part to support the great programs at QAE. 
Our financial goal is $100 or more per student, but our biggest goal for this year is for every student to feel like they have contributed to the
effort.

Also, there are prizes…
 
The class that raises the most wins the Jog-a-thon Rocket trophy and a party, the kids from each class who raise the most or gather the most sponsors can win gift certificates from Queen Anne business sponsors like Blue Highway Games and Communique Toys!
 
Sponsors who are pledging from afar can make their donations via Pay Pal on the QAE website at http://www.queenanneelementary.com/jog-a-thon.html, Just make sure that they make a notation about which student they are sponsoring!  All other pledges should be collected up front and envelopes should be turned in to teachers by this Thursday. 

If you are able, please feel free to join us on Friday afternoon!  Whether you are signed up as a volunteer or not, we would love to have you there to join in the fun and cheer the kids on as they run!  The event will kick off at about 1:00 and will go until just before the end of the school day at 3:30.
 
See you then!

During the month of May, you can raise money for our PTSA by identifying "QAE" when you order at Zaw.  On Tuesdays and Wednesdays, throughout the entire month of May, orders of $20 or more = $5 for QAE PTSA.  When you sign up at the store and identify your school, you'll also receive a scrumptious bonus, a big bake at home cookie with your order.

As a special thanks to our hard-working teachers, the school with the most orders by May 31st will also receive a catered gourmet artisan pizza celebration for the school staff. 

For pickup or delivery, call or stop by the Queen Anne store, 207-787-1198.  www.zaw.com

Don't forget to mention QAE when ordering!

As you probably know, both the Washington State House and Senate have finished the current legislative session without completing the duty to finalize the State budget. Governor Inslee has required Senators and Representatives to return to Olympia next week for a special session to finish the job. This gives parents and educators one last chance to convince politicians to vote for students and their education. 
 
Currently, the House and Senate each has a bill they are proposing for education funding. The Washington PTA supports any bill that would fully meet the States' constitutional requirements to fund Basic Education as mandated by the Supreme Court. The House bill most closely meets that requirement at this time. Please visit the Washington State PTA website to read an overview of both bills and send a pre-writted letter (which you can edit if you choose, and is located at the bottom of the site's page) to state politicians urging them to find a resolution on education funding next week. When you complete the contact portion of the message tool, the WSPTA automatically imports your district's senator and respresentatives' contact information so that you don't have to look it up. 
 
Thanks for your help in this important matter, 
Angie Masco & Tanea Stephens, Queen Anne Elementary Legislative Co-Chairs 

If you have not experienced a Young Authors Day before, you will not want to miss it! 
The day will start off with an assembly led by our guest of honor, author/illustrator Richard Jesse Watson.  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. This is the key part of the event when our young authors really get to honor the works they have created. The students will then see our author one more time where he will present the ins and outs of writing and illustrating a book.

We do need over 35 Group Leaders to make YA Day happen! There are very few requirements ... a love of writing, a positive attitude, and a joy of listening to kids sharing their stories. The most vital time we need volunteers is between 9:30 and 11:15. You can sign up at Volunteer Spot here: http://vols.pt/wkYDwp. 
If you have any questions about this event or would like more information on how you can get involved with Young Authors Day please contact Victoria Nunes at victoria.spearman.nunes@gmail.com. 

Please do join us for Young Author's Day!
QAE PTSA