School photos will be delivered to the classrooms tomorrow, Friday, October 31, so please look for those in your child's orange folder.

Retake Day is next Thursday, November 6. 

Absent on Picture Day? Yuen Lui Studio will take photos of all students who were absent on Picture Day for the school yearbook and the district database. If you would like to order photos, you can find order forms on the bookshelf in the hallway near the school office, or you may order online at yuenluistudio.com (click on the School Prepay tab and search for Queen Anne Elementary).

Bad Hair Day? Yuen Lui Studio will retake your child's photo at no cost for any reason. Kindly return your child's picture package on or before retake day so the photographer is aware of the package you ordered.

Please sign up if your child will have a photo taken on Retake Day (to ensure we don't miss anyone). If you have any questions, please contact Cari Lui.

Thank you! 
QAE PTSA Yearbook Committee

As the QAE-Dwankhozi Partnership continues to grow, there is an interest from a parent perspective to create a parent partnership team who could meet regularly to discuss the impact this will have on our kids, how we can support the school & teachers, and how to involve other parents who are interested. The first meeting for this group will be Friday, November 7th. Parents who are interested in simply learning more about the partnership can come meet in the cafeteria from 3:00-3:50. The parent partnership team will then meet in room 210 of the treehouse at 4:00 to discuss upcoming Dwankhozi events and how to get involved. If you are interested in being a part of this team, please fill in the google doc below with your information.

Google Doc

Thank you,
Rene Ward

The 2014 Election is almost upon us.  If you haven’t voted yet, please do.  There are two ballot measures related to education.  Like the Seattle Council PTSA, the QAE PTSA has not taken a position on either ballot measure: while each has good ideas, each also has problems.  But we do want to be sure you can cast an informed ballot on these important issues.  Ballots must be postmarked by Nov. 4!

I-1351-smaller class sizes in K-12:  NO POSITION TAKEN BY QAE PTSA.  While we support smaller classes sizes, this initiative does not identify funding sources for meeting class size reductions.  The McCleary decision already requires some smaller class sizes (particularly in K-3), and the legislature is presently in contempt as they still have not shown real and measurable progress toward meeting the constitutional mandate to amply fund K-12 education.  Class size does matter, and the legislature isn't funding the existing mandates.  Read more here.

Proposition 1A/1B-childcare and preschool:  NO POSITION TAKEN BY QAE PTSA.  We believe in advocating for early childhood education and childcare.  However, this ballot measure is challenged by requiring voters to choose between two policies with different approaches and not quite similar objectives.  1A focuses on childcare and providers for all children from birth to 5 in Seattle, and 1B focuses on a small number of the city's 3 and 4 year olds. 

Voters are asked to make two votes.  First, “Should either of these measures be enacted into law?”  Second, regardless of how you voted on the first question, “if one of these measures is enacted, which one should it be?”  It’s confusing, and as the League of Women Voters has said, based on the way the vote is set up it’s unclear what the results will mean.

Voting No? If you will vote no on Prop 1, but you want to support early childhood education, please contact Mayor Ed Murray's office and Education and Governance Chair, Tim Burgess and let them know this is an important issue and you want them to keep working on it.

There was an interesting debate last night at the General Meeting on the various options for Propositions 1A & 1B.  We were joined by Joanna Cullen, League of Women Voters – Seattle/King County (in favor of voting No and forcing a unified plan), Emerald Walker, Yes for Early Success (in favor of adopting 1A), and Michael DeBell, Seattle School Board, retired (in favor of adopting 1B).  If you missed it, the Seattle channel Seattle Speaks: Preschool Politics video provides a comprehensive debate between the two.

Aside from the election issues, we want to keep you apprised of multiple education advocacy issues at the state and local level.  Read more here.

Thank you,
QAE Legislative Committee 

The annual lesbian, gay, bisexual, and transgender (LGBT) Families Dinner will be held Thursday, Nov. 13, from 6 to 8 p.m. at NOVA/Seattle World School (300 20th Ave. E). Members of the school board will attend to welcome LGBT families and their friends. All district families and staff are welcome to attend!  This donation-funded event is brought to you by the Health Education Office and the Office of School Family Partnerships. Dinner and entertainment will be provided through community donations. To reserve space at this popular event, please RSVP with the number of people in your party to Lisa Love in the Health Intervention Office at 252-0982.

Thank you,
Lisa Love
Manager, Health Education
Seattle Public Schools

The students had a blast running laps in the rain for the Jog-a-Thon! A big thank you to all of the volunteers who put their time and energy into making this event such a huge success! For those of you who sponsored a runner, your financial support enables us to fund our music program as well as other vital PTSA programs for our students - if your employer sponsors a matching program, increase your impact by requesting a matching gift today! Thank you!

We are grateful for your support - what a great way to Blast Off into the school year!

QAE PTSA

There are three education issues affecting children and students that will be on your November 4th ballot.  Below are some quick links on each item. 

Please join us at our PTSA General Membership meeting on Oct. 29th from 7pm-9pm to hear more from both sides.

City and State Voter's Guide Links
Seattle Voter's Guide for Propositions 1A and 1B (Early Learning Programs)
Washington State Voter's Guide for I-1351 (Initiative to Reduce Class Size)

Select Links for Voter Education
Seattle Times - 2014 Ballot Decoder
League of Women Voters - Seattle 
Yes on 1351 &  No on 1351
Yes on Prop 1A & No on Prop 1A & 1B

The first General PTSA Meeting of the school year will be next week, Wednesday, October 29, 7pm - 9pm in the school cafeteria.  
QAE PTSA will review the plans for the year, talk about what is funded, goals for the year and hear from special speakers about education issues up for vote on Tuesday Nov. 4th. 

Childcare will be available in the library for a nominal $5 suggested donation.  
Hope to see you there,
QAE PTSA

QAE's Annual Halloween Parade is next week on Friday, October 31, starting at 2:15pm.  
Come join in the fun, cheer on our students as they show off their favorite characters and creativity!  

Remember to check the QAE Calendar to keep up to date on school happenings.  
Upcoming dates:

• QAE & Dwankhozi Informational Night - Tonight, Thursday, October 23, 8pm-10pm
  
• Oktoberfest Parents' Night Out - Friday, October 24, 6pm-10pm
  
• Early Release - Wednesday, October 29, 1:40pm
  
• General PTSA Meeting - Wednesday, October 29, 7pm-9pm
  
• Girls Rock Math Registration Deadline - Wednesday, October 29
• Daylight Savings Time Ends - Sunday, November 2 (fall back one hour)
  
• Picture Retake Day - Thursday November 6
  
• Veterans Day - No School - Tuesday, November 11

Come by tomorrow to cheer on our runners as they Blast Off to raise funds for our beloved school. The Jog-a-Thon will kick-off at 1:00 and will end at around 3:30 after a performance by Ms. Stone. You can find your classroom run time on the updated schedule below. Please remember to return your sponsorship form tomorrow morning if you haven't already (extra forms can be downloaded here). Our financial goal is $125 or more per student, but our other very important goal is 100% participation – every sponsorship form and every student who contributes an effort counts! Funds raised through the Jog-a-Thon will help pay for our music program and other vital PTSA programs!

Schedule – Day of the Event  (Rain or Shine!)
1:00-1:15pm - Kick-off  (All grades on playground)
1:15-1:40pm - Kindergarten, Ms. Diller's Class, Ms. Kiley's Class
1:50-2:20pm - Ms. Meck's Class, Ms. Smith's Class, 2nd Grade
2:30-3:10pm - 3rd-5th Grades
3:15-3:30pm - Celebrate (with a performance by Ms. Stone) and go back to class

Thank you for your generous support!
Kristi Barnes & Karen Lonergan 
QAE PTSA Jog-a-Thon