​All QAE families are invited to join us for the Families of Color meeting on Thursday, October 24 from 6-7:30pm in the QAE Chill Room (next to the cafeteria). Please join us in welcoming new families to QAE, a discussion on what cultural competency look like at QAE, and planning events for the year.

Also, we’re looking for volunteers who are interested in supporting the group in other ways - Do you like making posters? We need you! Can you drop off flyers? Let us know! Can you help coordinate community meetings? Have other ideas on programming? Please come! We welcome and need all perspectives.

More info on games club will follow. Questions? Please contact Kay Dumlao Doherty at foc1@qaeptsa.org. ​See you on Thursday! 

Journalist Brandon Macz from the Queen Anne & Magnolia News visited QAE during the Jog-A-Thon and wrote a fun little story (with photos from the run)! Check out the article here...

And a big thanks to every family member, friend and neighbor who donated to support our children! Thank YOU to all the parents for making it happen! Together we raised more than $36,000 to support the school. A big hooray to Ms. Hartmann, Ms. Dickersen and Mr. Backman's classes for each raising more than $4,000!

Passing along a message from Ballard High School:
Students in grades K-8 are invited to join the Ballard High School Dancers for an afternoon of dancing. All participants will learn choreography (taught by the BHS Dance Team members) and receive a BHS Dance T-Shirt. We'll have arts & crafts, face painting, and other fun activities. Costumes are encouraged! A small snack will be provided (gluten, dairy, and nut free). Join us on Sunday October 27 from 2:00 - 4:00pm in the Ballard High School Gym. Click here to register or email us at bhsdanceteam@gmail.com for more information.

Slightly delayed news, but we're excited to share that the QAE Ultimate Frisbee team won this year's championship in their division! Congratulations to all the kids as well as our parent coaches Andy Cook and Patrick Negron!
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This year's team was mostly 4th and 5th Graders. With the 5th Graders moving on, we can use some more kids. If you have a kid who would be interested in joining next year, please contact Andy at andy.c.cook@hotmail.com

Information meeting for Queen Anne Scouts BSA
Monday, June 17, 2019 @ 6pm
David Rodgers Park – West Raye and 1st Avenue West

The Scouts BSA has Co-ed Pack 7072 for kids K-5 and Troops for Boys and Girls entering the 6th grade.

Scouting is a parent volunteer, scout lead group that builds leadership and promotes community involvement, all while having tons of fun.  Activities and camps are year-round.

Come learn more and enjoy an evening of activities.

For more info please contact Aaron Edwards at:
http://qascouts.org/ or 206-229-6256

Summer is almost here! Which means a break from school, but we want to welcome our new families to the QAE community! If you have an incoming Kindergartener or are new to the school (or just want to meet some new families), please join on the following dates. 

​For all dates, please RSVP here to let us know you're coming!

Sunday, June 30th 9-11am
Coffee and park play at Little Howe Park, 1912 Warren Ave N

Thursday, July 11th 5-7pm
Populuxe Brewery, 826 NW 49th St in Ballard
Family friendly! Food truck! Outdoor play area!

Monday, August 19th 12-2pm
BYO lunch picnic at Little Howe Park, 1912 Warren Ave N, or QAE playground (if it's open!) following Jumpstart!

Thursday, September 5th, 5-7pm
BYO picnic dinner & play at Big Howe Park playground, 150 W Blaine St.

Help us plan -- RSVP here for the Playdates...

Questions? Please contact Lorin Belcher at ltbelcher@seattleschools.org

To help you get connected, we suggest new families:

1 - Sign Up for the Rocket Reader e-newsletter
Use the form on the right to sign up for our weekly Rocket Reader e-newsletter or write to communications@qaeptsa.org

2 - Join Facebook groups/"like" our page
If you're on Facebook, there's a few groups that are a 

• QAE Community Discussions Facebook group
  An all school FB group, open to parents of QAE students looking to get school info, exchange ideas, ask questions, find out about fun parent and kiddo events and learn more about the educational system. (not hosted by the QAE PTSA)
• Queen Anne Elementary PTSA Facebook page
  Official QAE PTSA FB group....a helpful resource to get info. of QAE PTSA events and happenings around school. This page is hosted by QAE PTSA. Be sure to "like" the page so you can follow what's going on.
• QAE Families of Color Facebook group
  A page for all families at QAE with a focus given to the QAE Families of Color group that holds parent meetings and hosts community gatherings for and at QAE. Also a great resource for social justice, equity, ethnic studies, and education. 

3 - Follow the QAE PTSA on Twitter
Follow us at https://twitter.com/qaeptsa

Spring in Seattle is here and so is QAE Culture Night! We're so thrilled to come together to share food, music, dance, and fun! Over the years, this event has become one that families look forward to being able to gather and celebrate one another, celebrate the diversity of QAE, and the diverse communities of Seattle. 

When: Friday, June 7th, 6-8pm
Where: QAE at John Marshall, Cafeteria

We’re so excited that the Students of Color group, comprised of 4th and 5th graders, will be playing an integral role in leading this event with help in marketing to other classes and signs around school. We also have a special something planned from them for the night of the event! 

Also, we've confirmed that the Filipino Youth Activities (FYA) Drill Team will be performing! Established in 1959, (and celebrating its 60th year!) the FYA Drill Team was created to enhance the Filipino American Culture, to instill discipline, respect, hard work, responsibility, accountability and core Filipino family values. In addition to private performances, the FYA Drill Team can be seen at APIA Heritage Festival (Seattle Center) Pagidiriwang Philippine Festival (Seattle Center), Pista Sa Nayon (Seafair), and in parades and festivals all over Washington state, including the Torchlight Parade this summer!

As always, the success of this event is only based on participation! All families are welcome! Below are some links on how you can participate. 

Do you have a favorite dish? Please feel free to bring it! 
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0b45a9ad2fa6f94-qaeculture3  

Does your family have cultural traditions or talents you or your family would like to share? Sign up here!
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0b45a9ad2fa6f94-qaeculture4  

Or do you want to help set-up or clean up? Team work makes the dream work!! 
https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10c0b45a9ad2fa6f94-qaeculture5  

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to Kay Dumlao at kaydumlao@gmail.com. See you on June 7th!
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Join the QAE community for an afternoon at Rooftop Brewing in Queen Anne! A portion of each pint sold during this time will be donated to support the QAE trip to IslandWood! Hang out in the newly expanded Rooftop patio area with other QAE families.

When: Sunday, June 2nd, 2-4:30pm. Stop by any time!
Where: Brew Room at Rooftop Brewing, 1220 W Nickerson St. 

In addition to pints and baked goods to support IslandWood, we'll also be selling custom QAE wine, kids framed art and Rocket growlers. Check it out at the event or purchase the wine, the kid art or growlers ahead of time and pick up at the event!

We're also talking to Rooftop about whether a food truck will be available at the time.

We are doing a bake sale and need some bakers! Please email Andrea at andrea_delarosa@msn.com to help out. Thank you!

Can't attend, but still would like to support the QAE IslandWood trip? You can donate directly to support our trip here!

Like many of you, we as the QAE PTSA Board have been processing the news of the group of Queen Anne Elementary teachers leaving for Magnolia Elementary. We recognize this is a wonderful opportunity for these teachers to be part of a starter school. As one parent shared – these teachers are seeds going into the world to grow these communities and children. And we will certainly miss them, celebrate them and wish them tons of success. 
 
But, honestly, we are a mix of emotions. We’re wondering some of the same things you may be – what this means for our school, whether we’ll be able to find teachers as wonderful as those who are leaving, why teachers and families would want to leave QAE. 

These are complex issues, but we want to highlight a few things we’ve been thinking about: 

• The hiring teams are excited about the resumes they are seeing and the candidates they have interviewed. We have received over 300 resumes for our open positions! 
• There was a principal change at QAE four years ago. Janine was chosen by a hiring team (of teachers and parents) as their number one choice. This was based on her desire to uphold our school pillars, honor our traditions and has strong leadership background. And we believe these all hold true today. 
• Last four years the school and community has faced unknowns but QAE parents are willing to dig in and represent QAE’s interests – teacher strike, principal change, option vs neighborhood school, building construction, buses, teachers and families coming/going. 
• A new cohort of teachers means new opportunities. Janine is already looking toward team building and professional development of existing and new teachers. 
• There are fewer students at QAE than the peak enrollment in Fall 2015. This does equate to fewer fundraising dollars. Families have helped step up to help raise more per student but total dollars are fewer than before. What does this mean for QAE? Happy to discuss but would invite you to our next PTSA meeting to dive into all the various options. 
• Enrollment projections vs actual student count has been hard to predict until the first day of school when kids show up. We will continue to work with Janine and SPS in order to be conservative about hiring and minimize classroom impacts at the beginning of the year.  
• SPS has seen a decline in student enrollment which impacts all the schools across the board. And as an option school we have seen more movement in our student population ranging from HCC programs, private schools and general life changes. 
• The principal at Magnolia Elementary is a great educator and has a very strong relationship with all of our staff (did you know Katie Cryan Leary, the new principal for Magnolia Elementary, was a Kindergarten teacher at QAE from 2010-2018? She’s also been a principal in the past). Hiring for Magnolia has also affected other schools in the area – at least 5 teachers from other schools in our zone are leaving to be part of the Magnolia staff. 
• Next year we’ll be back on Queen Anne in an expanded building with a full-sized gym, a dedicated MakerSpace, more classrooms and other amenities. Can’t wait! 

There is a lot to process, but we feel excited about the long-term future of QAE. Maybe it's because we see Janine's dedication on a daily basis, the strong teachers who are staying or the truly incredible candidates who have been applying. We see new teachers eager to join QAE and drive it into its next phase as a learning community while honoring our Five Pillars and SEL approach.  
 
If you have questions or would like to talk, please consider coming to a Caffeine with Janine after Monday Morning Meeting, reaching out to her directly or speaking with a PTSA Board member.  

Best, 

Ian, Reem, Sandra and the rest of the PTSA team 

PS - If you have additional questions you can email them to vp2@qaeptsa.org (this will go to Sandra to consolidate) 

PPS - If you know you are not returning to QAE next year, it would be tremendously helpful if you did the following:

• Planning to attend your neighborhood school - Contact SPS Enrollment. They can provide you with the enrollment paperwork for your neighborhood school. Please also send an email Karen Rang at the QAE office at ksrang@seattleschools.org to say you are changing schools.
• If you are leaving SPS completely (for a private school, moving out of town) - fill out the SPS form here. Please also send an email Karen Rang at the QAE office at ksrang@seattleschools.org to say you are leaving the district.

Thank you!

McClure Middle School on Queen Anne is hosting a parent education night on internet safety. They wanted to extend the invitation to all families in the area:

Parent Education Night on Internet Safety with expert, Stefanie Thomas 
When: March 27th, 2019, 6:30pm
Where: McClure Middle School  Cafeteria
Adults only, please.

This is a parent-education night you don’t want to miss! McClure PTSA invites you to join our winter general meeting and free parent education session on Internet Safety with presenter, Stefanie Thomas. Stefanie is an internet safety expert who has worked with law enforcement for the past 7 years in the area of the exploitation of children online. Sharing what she’s learned, she has educated over 30,000 parents in the greater Seattle area.  All are welcome. No RSVP required. 

Session includes: 

• Cyberbullying 
• Social networking/online gaming
• Online posting
• Sexting
• The reality of tweens/teens as targets
• Cell phone & internet safety tips

For more information, please email presidents@mccluremavericks.org 

Ms. Roy shared this message with QAE families:

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Dear QAE families,
 
Queen Anne Elementary community takes pride in our commitment to making our school environment a welcoming and inclusive place for all our students and families. 
 
In the following weeks, our students will be reading, learning and having conversations around gender diversity. Every class will be reading books from the K-5 Seattle Public Schoolsgender kit and from other resources we have in our school library.
 
Overall, the K-5 Gender Book Kit aims to:

• Meet the Washington State Health Education Standards for Self-Identity, while aligning with grade-level Literacy Standards;
• Reflect the lived experiences of students, families, and friends;
• Provide accurate, age-appropriate information about gender identity and expression;
• Build empathy for people whose experiences are different from their own;
• Decrease bullying and harassment.

 
We want to invite you to come and spend some time with other parents in our wonderfullibrary to see the books we will be sharing with students.  QAE School Counselor Paulina Cuevas-Vega and QAE Librarian Natalie Van Stone will have the books and resources from the K-5 Gender kit available for QAE parents to read, discuss and learn together.  

We think this is an exciting opportunity to get together and have some of those interesting conversations, ask questions and share experiences. 
 
We also believe it will be very helpful for you to know the books and the lessons, so you have the resources and tools to support your children around this topic.

When: Wednesday, March 27th 

Choose the time that works best for you:

• 10:00-11:30am
• 12:30-2:00pm
• 4:30-6pm

 
Sign up by emailing Paulina Cuevas-Vega at pfcuevasvega@seattleschools.org so we know how many people we need to plan for.
 
We are looking forward to sharing these great books with you!
 
To learn more about the K5 gender kit, go to:
 https://www.seattleschools.org/academics/curriculum/health_education/lgbtq_programs__curriculum_and_support

The QAE PTSA is hosting a screening of The Most Dangerous Year on Wednesday, Feb. 27th at John Marshall. It was named on the best documentaries at the Seattle International Film Festival and has been featured in festivals around the country. It's a compelling story exploring how Washington families (including some from QAE) with transgender children fought multiple legislative efforts to limit their rights.

​When: Wednesday, February 27th, 6:30pm
Where: QAE at John Marshall, 520 NE Ravenna Blvd
Cost: To cover the cost of showing the film, $5 per adult who attends. Kids are welcome and free!

RSVP:
Please RSVP here to reserve your spots...

All are welcome to attend, including families from other schools. We want this screening to be inclusive and accessible to all — if the cost is a burden, please come anyway!

About the Movie
In 2016 a small group of families with transgender kids joined the fight against a wave of discriminatory anti-transgender legislation that swept the nation and their home state. With the help of a coalition of civil rights activists and ally lawmakers, these families embarked on an uncharted journey of fighting for their children’s lives and futures in this present-day civil rights story. Find out more here: 
​https://www.themostdangerousyear.com/
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Our fellow PTSA at Loyal Heights Elementary in Crown Hill is inviting any interested families to attend a Q&A on Saturday with Rep. Gael Tarleton:

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I am the PTA co-President at Loyal Heights Elementary School.  Our community has become increasingly concerned about the state's failure to fully fund education.  While property taxes continue to go up, SPS is yet again facing a potential $40mil deficit, and our PTA continues to raise money to support basic education for our kids.   

In response to our concerns, we have arranged for Representative Gael Tartleton come speak at our school and answer questions. We would like to invite all the staff and families at your schools to attend this Q&A session. 

When: Saturday February 16th at 10am
Where: Loyal Heights Elementary Cafeteria 7735 25th Ave NW

Thank you!  
Natalie Ward
Loyal Heights Elementary PTA co-President

Rescheduled to Tuesday, March 12th due to the Snowpocalypse! (Our apologies, we first had it listed as happening on Wednesday. It will happen on Tuesday, March 12th!)

What is Positive Discipline?
Will it work for my child/family?
How are teachers using it at QAE? 

Please join us on the evening of Tuesday, March 12th for a brief PTSA General Meeting followed by an Introduction to Positive Discipline workshop by our new school counselor, Paulina Cuevas-Vega. This is a great opportunity to learn how to teach our kids important social and life skills based on encouragement and mutual respect. Please join us to hear the latest from the PTSA about our budget, updates about our move back to the expanded Boston St. campus and more. We'll keep the meeting short and jump right into learning about positive discipline! Get to know our new counselor and learn how you can apply Positive Discipline at home.

When: Tuesday, March 12th, 2019. 6pm - PTSA General Meeting; 6:30-8pm - Positive Discipline Workshop
Where: Queen Anne Community Center, 1901 1st Ave W

Reserve a spot for Games Club during the meeting:
https://qaeptsa.wufoo.com/forms/2019-positive-discipline-workshop-games-club/

About Positive Discipline
Positive Discipline is a program based on Adlerian Psychology principles, and designed to teach young people to become responsible, respectful, and resourceful members of their communities. Based on the best-selling Positive Discipline parenting books by Dr. Jane Nelsen, the program teaches important social and life skills in a manner that is deeply respectful and encouraging for both children and adults. Parenting with Positive Discipline means being kind and firm at the same time, which is effective long-term and helps children feel a connection — a sense of belonging and significance. 

About Paulina
Paulina joined QAE in Fall 2018. Originally from Chile, Paulina most recently lived in China for 5 years teaching positive discipline. She has a psychology degree, a MA in Educational Psychology, a PK-12 school counseling license and 15 years of experience working as a School Counselor in local and international schools in the USA, Chile and China.
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