Ms. Roy shared this message with QAE families:

----

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 school levy ballots are due on Tuesday! With the snow, remember to send it in if you aren't able to drop it off at a ballot box.*

In its January board meeting the QAE PTSA endorsed a yes vote on both of Seattle Public Schools levy requests on the ballot Tuesday, February 12th. All registered voters should have received a ballot in the mail; King County no longer requires a stamp. 

For more information, please begin by referring to the Seattle Council PTSA statement on their endorsement of both levies:
https://www.scptsa.org/news/2019/1/18/vote-yes-on-the-seattle-school-districts-capital-and-operations-levies
​

Dear families and staff,

Please join Superintendent Denise Juneau and other district leaders to learn more about the upcoming Seattle Public Schools February 2019 levies at three Levy Informational Meetings in January 2019. All meetings are from 7-8 p.m.

Each meeting will include a short presentation, starting at 7:10 p.m. about what’s on the Educational Programs and Operations Levy (EP&O), and the Building Excellence V (BEXV) Capital Levy. People will also have time to ask questions about the ballot propositions, the process, and what’s included for each school in the district’s levy request. 

• Tuesday, Jan. 8 – John Rogers Elementary School Cafeteria, 4030 NE 109th Street
• Thursday, Jan. 10 – Montlake Elementary School Gymnasium, 2409 22nd Ave. E.
• Tuesday, Jan. 22 – Rainier Beach High School Cafeteria, 8815 Seward Pk. Ave. S.

Language interpretation will be provided at each meeting. If you need ASL interpretation, please contact 504coordinator@seattleschools.org 

Wondering why the district is asking voters to consider local education levies? Watch our budget video here http://bit.ly/SPSbudgetvideo

The EP&O and BEXV levies replace existing levies and are not a new tax to Seattle property owners. All funds stay in Seattle to support our students and schools and pay for safety and security upgrades at every school, critical day-to-day operations, educator salaries, technology supports, and will fund eight major school construction projects across the district. These projects will increase the number of classrooms, reduce portables, and balance class size.

Learn more about our Building for Learning levies here: www.seattleschools.org/levies
See this meeting notice on the district website.

Comments and questions are welcome via email or mail:

• BEX V Capital Levy: capitallevy2019@seattleschools.org
• Educational Programs & Operations Levy: budget@seattleschools.org
• Mail: Levies 2019, Seattle Public Schools, MS 22-336, PO Box 34165, Seattle, 98124

The year is flying by and the season of open houses and school tours is upon us! We've updated our Prospective Families page with information about what makes QAE special, including our Five Pillars and Social Emotional Learning.

Here's some of the upcoming dates if you're a prospective parent who'd like to see QAE or are a current family who has friends who may be interested. Share away!

Open House
Thursday, January 17, 2019, 6:30-7:30pm

School Tours
Thursday, January 24, 2019, 9-10am
Thursday, February 7, 2019, 9-10am
Monday, February 12, 2019, 9-10am

QAE is an option school, so the key milestone is the open enrollment for school choice - Feb. 4th-15th, 2019. See the page for more details!

Remember - QAE will be moving back to our newly expanded school back on top of Queen Anne for the 2019-20 year.
​

As we settle in to the school year, we thought it'd be useful to have a reminder about numbers to call and other helpful resources for QAE families.

Attendance/Sick Kids
Always let the school know if your child is going to be absent. Contact Catie Coyle, our new attendance/office assistant via the main QAE office phone number 206-252-2480 or at cmcoyle@seattleschools.org. It's also useful to let your child's teacher know, particularly if it's a longer term absence. 

Transportation Issues and Questions
Contact the SPS Transportation department at 206-252-0910 or visit their website. They have the most up to date info of buses and can actually access the drivers. Principal Roy also sends out regular updates via email and there's often discussions in the Facebook QAE Community Discussions group about bus status.

Lunch and Meals
Contact our wonderful Nutritionist/QAE Chef Nancy Buran at 206-252-3589. You can also view your child's balance and add money to purchase breakfast and lunch on the SPS's PayPams site. You can view the current menus for breakfast and lunch.

Lost and Found
Our lost and found located directly inside the main doors of QAE. Have your child take a look if they're missing something. You can also contact the main QAE office number if you have a question - 206-252-2480.

Building Availability
The main QAE Office should be contacted if you're hoping to use space in the building for something outside of regular school hours - 206-252-2480.

QAE Communications
There's a number of ways you can keep up with everything that's going on at QAE. Some of it is managed by the school, others by the PTSA.

• Orange folders - these are the ubiquitous folders that go to/from school with the kids. Always check for printed announcements that come from the school or are about PTSA events.
• Emails from Principal Roy - Janine sends out weekly emails and other announcements via email. She uses the email lists provided by SPS.
• Emails from your child's teachers - Some teachers send out updates via email. They usually start with lists provided by SPS and the PTSA, but sometimes add addresses as they get them from parents.
• Emails from classroom coordinators - Each class has a coordinator who sends out weekly emails. They also start with the list provided by the PTSA with additions from the teachers.
• Rocker Reader Newsletters and other emails from the PTSA - these are sent approximately weekly and come via the QAE PTSA's Mailchimp service. We start with those addresses provided when parents fill out the online directory form here.
• Facebook - QAE PTSA page - this is the "official" page for the PTSA. We post announcements, events, etc.
• Facebook - QAE Community Discussions group - this a parent driven group where anyone who is a member can post and comment. It's a helpful way to connect with other families. It's been used for things like updates on late buses.
• Twitter - the PTSA has an account. As does Principal Roy and a number of the teachers.

All these methods have you confused? We get it, there's a lot. If you're not receiving the information you need, feel free to contact the PTSA at communications@qaeptsa.org and we'll try to help. If you aren't hearing from Principal Roy or your teacher/coordinator, contact them to make sure they have the proper email for you.

​

New Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Denise Juneau is embarking on a district-wide Listening and Learning Tour to better understand the concerns of our families. 

Given the recent reductions in staffing that left QAE (and other schools) scrambling, the listening tour is a good opportunity to share our concerns. The closest to our area is Ballard High School on October 4th, 7-8:30pm.

See the Superintendent Juneau's Listening Tour site for more information and other dates.

As families have seen on various outlets, including the email sent today by Janine – SPS enrollment was low and many schools are being impacted in losing teachers and reorganizing classes. QAE is one of the many schools being impacted. We would have had to say good-bye to Ms. Bonnie as our newest 2nd grade teacher and it would have impacted all of our classrooms through a reconfiguration of 2nd grade (would have need to created many split grades that would have had a cascading effect from K to 5th). 

The impact to our student community seemed too great. The PTSA started exploring options with school staff. The team dived into all options ranging from doing nothing to revising the entire PTSA budget to do something. It is with great gratitude to Bonnie, Megan and Helene for volunteering a creative solution of job sharing and personal sacrifice that allowed us to arrive at today’s solution. We are impacting the least amount of students, a class gets to have 2 great teachers, we lose no teachers from our QAE family and PTSA helps bridge a gap to continue to support our students.

But this action is also met with the knowledge that many other schools are in a worse situation. Schools do not always have the resources or ability to have so many pieces come together. During the fundraising season, the PTSA may come to you with asks fo money but today we are asking for your time: please lend your voice to the other schools in our community that need our help.

This is absolutely unacceptable and we need our collective voices to be heard on how this impacts our communities. Please consider editing and sending a version of the note below and spreading the word to all of your friends within SPS to write them. Any letters can be sent to schoolboard@seattleschools.org. We need to galvanize and flood them with letters to show them how displeased we are. 

See the SPS summary of the staffing adjustment as well as their FAQ about the process.

Another way to advocate is to attend one of the upcoming Superintendent listening tours. The closest to our area is Ballard High School on October 4th.

------
​
Sample Letter to Send to the SPS Board
This is just an example, please write your own or edit as you see fit. Note the underlined sections that should definitely be edited.

To: schoolboard@seattleschools.org
Subject: Unacceptable displacement of teaching staff

Dear Superintendent, School Board and senior SPS staff,

I am parent of two SPS students - a second and fourth grader at Queen Anne Elementary. I am incredibly frustrated to see that SPS is displacing staff from approximately twenty different schools and majorly disrupting the lives of teachers, families and communities as a result. The impact on students at Nova and Interagency is even greater given the disproportionate impact on them.

I understand that there is a correlation in number of students and revenue and with the 1.4% enrollment decrease, you need to find ways to cut cost. Is there a reduction in staff or other major cost cutting efforts happening at the JSCEE? Why are schools bearing all the reductions in revenue? This is absolutely unacceptable.

Also, you are already in violation of the McCleary ruling on classroom sizes which as you know should be a maximum of 17 students for K-3 and 25 students for 4th grade and up. At my kids' schools, they have more kids in their classrooms already so combining classrooms will only put SPS further away from appropriate class sizes.

You need to do better for teachers, families and communities. How will you retain top talent when teachers can easily go to neighboring districts that are more effectively managed where they can make more money? How can you shuffle kids around after school has started which is hard for all of them but especially for neuro-atypical children in our system?

At work, if I were to consistently miss projections and disrupt hundreds or thousands of customers regularly, I would have been fired long ago. Please take us off this annual enrollment projection roller coaster and find ways to keep communities intact. 

Best,
[ Your name ]

Earlier this afternoon Principal Roy shared the following e-mail with the student community. The PTSA wants to underscore the thanks given to Ms. Dudley, Ms. Palumbo and Ms. McCormick for helping us work through this difficult situation. We are relieved that there will be no reduction in existing classrooms at QAE!

--------

Dear QAE Parents/Guardians,

Each September, Seattle Public Schools examines initial school enrollment and makes staffing adjustments district-wide. This year, SPS enrollment is significantly below projections which impacted many schools across the district. Queen Anne Elementary is one of several SPS elementary schools directed to make staffing adjustments. This means we must adjust our staffing by one full-time teacher. Our next step is to determine how to best do this while having the least impact on students.

In light of losing a full-time teacher, which would force a reorganization of almost all of our classes, the staff came up with a unique approach that minimizes the impact on our children. We thank Ms. Bonnie Dudley, Ms. Megan Palumbo and Ms. Helene McCormick for their dedication to supporting our students in crafting an innovative plan.

After consensus with the Building Leadership Team (composed of staff, PTSA Executive and parents; K – 5th grade teachers and Career Ladder Teachers) and QAE staff, here is our plan:

• Ms. Bonnie Dudley and Ms. Megan Palumbo will job-share the 2nd grade class. When Ms. Palumbo goes on maternity leave in March, Ms. Dudley will teach the class full time for the remainder of the year.
• Ms. McCormick, our 0.6 Reading Specialist, voluntarily reduced her assignment by 0.1 FTE. PTSA generously agreed to fund an additional 0.4 FTE so that QAE will keep a Reading Specialist at QAE. We are thrilled that Ms. McCormick will continue supporting QAE explorers this year. Thank you so much, PTSA!

What does this mean for your child?

• All our classes remain intact. No classes will need to be reorganized.
• While Ms. Bonnie is our least senior teacher, her class remains in place because Ms. Bonnie and Ms.
• Palumbo volunteered to job share.
• Thanks to PTSA additional funding, we will have a 0.5 FTE Reading Specialist at QAE in 2018-19.
• We will not have a 0.5 Math Specialist at QAE in 2018-2019.

Ms. Bonnie, Ms. Palumbo, QAE staff and I will work closely with students and parents in the 2nd grade class to navigate this unexpected change. All students will continue to have great teachers and continue learning alongside their current classmates.

• Even if your child isn’t in Ms. Bonnie’s class, your child may still hear about this change or have a friend impacted by the change. While none of us wants a change to happen, modeling for our students that we will get through this together is important. We can help our students through this process by:
• Talking with students to identify feelings created by this change and how to deal with feelings. Expressing both sadness at the change and confidence that we will manage this in our supportive community helps students build their emotional and social skills.
• Providing reassurance that once these changes are made, there will not be additional SPS staffing changes in the coming weeks and months.
• Helping students to identify ways they can help both themselves and others. Checking in with friends and expressing support ensures that all students know that they have a role in impacting our community and our world.
• Ms. Bonnie, Ms. Palumbo and Ms. McCormick want parents to know that they understand this change has to be made, and they want to make it as calmly and smoothly as possible for students. Expressing your support to teachers as we make this change by writing a note or sending an email would be ideal, as they are very mindful of the impact adult conversations can have in front of students.
• Read the SPS post on Staffing Adjustments.
• Below are Reorganization FAQ which parents may find helpful.
• I welcome your questions and don’t hesitate to reach out to me! Please contact me by phone or email at jbroy@seattleschools.org and I will get back to you as quickly as possible.
• This article may provide some helpful information to parents as we help students navigate this unexpected change

I want to express my appreciation and support to every QAE family, our incredible QAE staff, our BLT and PTSA. Collaboratively working together has been essential during this process. We will get through this change over the next few days, and most importantly, we will get through this together as a supportive QAE community.

Yours,
Janine Roy, Principal

​
QAE 2018 Reorganization FAQ

When a school has to reduce a teaching position, how is this done?
When a teacher needs to be displaced in a school, we are contractually required to ask for volunteers and if none emerge, then the least senior classroom teacher is automatically displaced. At QAE, we had three volunteers which allows us to keep classes intact:

• Ms. Palumbo volunteered to change her position to 0.5 second grade so that her 0.5 Math Specialist position could be eliminated.
  
• Ms. Bonnie volunteered to reduce from full-time to half time in order to remain at QAE.
  
• Ms. McCormick, our 0.6 Reading Specialist, volunteered to reduce her assignment by 0.1 FTE. PTSA is generously funding an additional 0.4 FTE so that Ms. McCormick can remain as QAE’s Reading Specialist. Huge thanks to PTSA for your incredible support for students!

Are we at risk of losing any additional staff/resources?
No. Staffing adjustments are only made at the beginning of the year at elementary schools.

Could we have made cuts/savings in other places to save this position?
No. Schools are allocated separate budgets for staffing and supplies. Supply budgets cannot be moved to cover staffing needs, nor would they be sufficient to meet these costs.

Were enrollments down across all Seattle Public Schools?
Enrollment at the elementary level is down across the district. Schools are impacted differently based on their boundaries, housing trends, etc.

How does this compare to other elementary schools in our area?
Other elementary schools in the Queen Anne community had a difference between their projected enrollment and actual enrollment as well.

Did we take all the students off our waitlist?
Yes, all interested families were accepted at QAE this year.

SPS is working towards adopting a new science curriculum. In this process the science adoption committee is asking for your participation. Please encourage your friends, family and community members to share their thoughts. We need all voices to weigh in on their ideas regarding K-8 science.

Take the survey here:
​https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/SPSNeedsSurvey-Community

Principal Roy shared some updates about drop-off and pick-up at John Marshall:

Morning Drop-Off

Dropoff is available starting at 8:35am: please drive slowly into QAE Staff Parking off NE 68th street. Enter at west end and exit at east end. This is a goodbye and go exit, so drivers remain in cars and students exit out the car door closest to the building to ensure safety for all. A staff member will be there to greet students and keep the line flowing smoothly starting at 8:35am. Please drop off single file to ensure student safety and allow SPS staff to park.

To walk your child into the building, enter using the center doors at the front of John Marshall. Walking families, please stay out of the staff parking lot; this is for drop off only. Please walk with your child through the building to the playground; invite your child to show you hallway expectations so that they can practice what is expected in our building. Staff supervision on the playground starts at 8:35am, so please remain with your child until that time.

After School Pick-Up

To pick up your child from the cafeteria, park on a side street and enter through front doors (use center doors) and wait in cafeteria.

To pick up without coming into John Marshall, wait along NE 68th Street in the School Bus Zone. This zone is for parents and taxis and drivers must remain in their cars. Staff member will walk them to NE 68th Street. This is new! We are trying this thanks to parent feedback. We welcome additional feedback on this!

Bus Tips

We've heard about some of the adventures that our families have had with buses to John Marshall during the first week of school. With our temporary location in Ravenna, many families who didn't previously ride the bus are experiencing it for the first time.

Here are a few tips that we've heard from veteran bus-riding families and from Janine and SPS:

Check the SPS Delayed Bus Page
The district maintains a page with update information about late buses. See the page here...

Talk to other parents on the QAE Community Discussions Group
If you're on Facebook, join the QAE Community Discussions Group. It's a community forum where parents are sharing updates on buses.

Be patient
We've heard from parents that there are often delays during the first week of school that get better as the SPS transportation department finalizes routes and hires additional drivers.

Problems or questions?
Contact the SPS Transportation Department.

As we prepare for the year at John Marshall, QAE is working with the district to finalize route schedules for buses from the Queen Anne area to John Marshall, including the pick-up and drop-off at the central locations at John Hay and the Queen Anne Community Center.

SPS will communicate details about bus routes by August 27th. They will communicate directly to families. This includes both families who live on routes in the Transportation Zone as well as those who indicated they want to take advantage of the central pick-up/drop-off locations.

If you did not previously tell SPS that your family wants to use pick-up/drop-off at either John Hay Elementary or Queen Anne Community Center, it is your responsibility to email transdept@seattleschools.org to make sure your child is on the list at your preferred site.  Please do this ASAP.  If you choose this option, you are responsible for drop off/pick up at the appropriate location each day.

​There are some additional details on transportation on our Building Renovation page.

There's a discussion this week about education funding and how it impacts Seattle schools:

K-12 Education Funding & the Effects on Seattle Public Schools 
Join an in-depth panel discussion on the state funding ,SPS shortfalls and levy restrictions. Plus boundaries, high school science, capacity issues, Lincoln High School and other issues facing our schools and city.

When: Tuesday, Feb. 6th, 7-9pm
Where: Ballard High School Library, 1418 NW 65th St, Seattle

Forum Panelists:

• JoLynn Berge, Asst. Superintendent Business and Finance, SPS
• Eden Mack, School Board Director District 4, SPS
• Scott Pinkham, School Board Director District 1, SPS
• Mike O’Brien, Seattle City Councilmember District 6
• Heidi Bennett, Seattle Council PTSA & WA State PTA RCL

To request childcare email: Northeast@scptsa.org. All are welcome to attend.

Get more information and RSVP:
https://www.facebook.com/events/857444181101371/

Here's Janine's note on the potential strike is below. Our PTSA President started a thread about how our community can help each other on the QAE Community Discussion Facebook Group.

------

This morning, Seattle Public Schools (SPS) notified all bus-riding families that the union representing First Student school bus drivers has called for a second school bus strike starting Thursday, Feb. 1st. Unlike the one-day strike in November, this strike has no pre-determined end date. Schools will operate normally during a strike, regardless of length.  SPS will use district website to share information on a regular basis. (See the Bus Service Update story online for updates and FAQ on the homepage.) 

QAE staff and our PTSA community want to help impacted families any way we can. QAE’s Bus Strike Response Plan:
​

1. For our bus-riding families, thank you in advance for trying to make alternate transportation arrangements.  (Reminder:  if students are being picked up by a family member or friend who is not already in the SPS Source Information System as an alternate contact, please send a note with your child.) 
2. If you are not a bus-riding family but would like to volunteer to help, please:
   1. Reach out to your child’s friends to arrange car-pooling or play-dates for the days ahead;
   2. QAE families can look to 'QAE Community Discussions' on Facebook to volunteer or ask for assistance.
3. If bus-riding families are unable to make alternate transportation arrangements by Thursday morning, please email Jennifer Connolly - jaconnolly@seattleschools.org.  Please include your name, your child’s name, your address and your contact info.  If you are able to make arrangements during the day on Thursday, please update Jennifer.
4. Make sure your contact information is up to date so you can be reached quickly.

If you have any questions, email me at jbroy@seattleschools.org.


Thank you to our entire community for working together to help our bus-riding families!


Janine Roy
Principal
Queen Anne Elementary

Big news! Our revised bell times have been approved for next year as we move to John Marshall School in Ravenna! This is allow more time for students to get to the school.

The SPS Board of Directors voted to establish QAE's bell times for 2018-19 as follows:

Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
- 8:50am Welcome Bell
- 8:55am Classes Begin
- 3:25pm Dismissal

Wednesday
- 8:50am Welcome Bell
- 8:55am Classes Begin
- 2:10pm Early Dismissal

Planning Transportation for 2018-2019:
QAE PTSA will work with SPS Transportation Department to begin planning bus routes for 2018-2019. All information updates will be shared here on the PTSA site as we work on this planning process together. If you have any questions, email Janine at jbroy@seattleschools.org or call QAE at 206-252-2480.