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Reminder that our entire school starts the week with a Monday Morning Meeting in the cafeteria at the start of the school day. We share topics, recognize birthdays and more. Families are welcome to attend!
Then stick around for Caffeine with Janine starting at 9:10am -- it’s an open forum to ask questions of Principal Roy (and have some coffee). Principal Roy shared the following in her Friday email:
Monday Morning Meeting 11/5/18: – We recognize birthday’s for the week, and Ms. Belcher’s students are sharing their learning. Families are always welcome! Book It Performance 11/7/18: Thank you PTSA for providing another great Book It Theatre performance at QAE. This week’s performance is The Upside Down Boy/El Nino De Cabeza. Students will be participating in activities this week in preparation for this fantastic performance. Parents and younger siblings are welcome! Here is a description of the performance: “ When Juan and his family move to a big city, his whole world feels upside down. He doesn’t speak English, he doesn’t understand the rules to recess, and whenever he tries to speak, his tongue feels like heavy rocks. But with the help of music, poetry, and an encouraging teacher, Juan finds his voice and footing in this upside-down world that he soon considers his home.” Veterans Day Assembly 11/9/18 at 9:15 am: Our Veterans Assembly is altogether in the John Marshall Auditorium this year. It is great to be able to gather together as a whole-school community now that we have space! Parents and families are welcome to join us for this special annual assembly. During the assembly, we invite veterans to share their reflections with our K – 5th grade students.If you have a veteran in your family who would like to attend our assembly and/or possibly share their reflections, please email jbroy@seattleschools.org. If your child is a scout, we invite them to dress in uniform on Nov. 9th.Please email jbroy@seattleschools.orgas we would like to recognize their community involvement at the assembly. 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:
What does this mean for your child?
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.
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:
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. Reposting what Principal Roy shared -- lots of good info! Open the PDF to read or view the embedded version below (may not be visible on all browsers). 
The annual QAE Fund Drive is on! This is your chance to help our school and its students. If you haven't seen it yet, here's the letter Principal Roy is including in our orange folders:
--- Dear QAE family, The annual QAE Fund Drive has begun! I’m writing today to ask you to make a special gift to support QAE students. Because you know, like I do, that school funding does not cover everything we want for our children. Here’s what your gift to the Fund Drive will do . . . Your gift will help fund three of the key specialists that make QAE such an incredible place for your child:
Additionally, you’ll help fund the Social Emotional Learning and Project Based Learning curriculum. On the back page of this letter I’ve included a list of all of the things your gift helps fund. It’s a long list. I need to be clear. QAE does not receive funding for the three positions above. Unless you and the PTSA raise the money, these positions will not be filled. So each year, an incredible group of people band together to help QAE provide a fantastic learning and growing experience for our children. The PTSA organizes the fund drive. As Principal, I do everything I can to support them – and you. Because it’s your generosity that makes these incredible things possible for the students. It’s your generosity that provides for the people and programs that set our school – and your kids – apart. Please send a gift, by December 15th, using the enclosed reply card or by going to: https://qae.givingfuel.com/qae-ptsa-annual-fund-drive Very appreciatively, Janine Roy Principal, QAE Have some caffeine with Janine! Please join us for "Coffee After the Bell" - an (almost) monthly opportunity for QAE parents to check in with Ms. Roy in a casual, warm cafeteria gathering. What can you expect at PBL night? Wondering about the move? What's up with that big 'ole lake that develops in the playground every time it rains? Bring all your questions and she'll do her best to answer them. It's a great way to connect with our principal and start your morning!
The QAE PTSA will provide coffee for each of these chats! The first gathering will be on Thursday, November 30, from 8-8:30. Bring your questions and comments, and—if you’re bringing preschoolers along—something to entertain them with. If you want to mark your calendar, here are the details for the rest of the year: TIME: 8-8:30am PLACE: QAE Cafeteria DATES:
Bell Time Survey: QAE Bell Time Survey deadline is Thursday, Oct. 26 at 5 pm. The data will be compiled and presented to the Board of Directors later this year. We need your feedback on start times for next year! Veterans Day Assembly: Nov. 9th
If you have a veteran in your family who would like to attend both assemblies and possibly share their reflections, please email Janine so we can connect with you in advance. If your child is a scout, please email Janine at jbroy@seattleschools.org as we would like them to be involved in the assembly. Request from Ms. Nancy: Our amazing QAE Nutritionist, Ms. Nancy, has injured her foot and would like to minimize her walking. She is asking for volunteers to help with restocking the food and washing trays for the next couple of weeks. If you can help, please email Ms. Nancy. Lost and Found: Reminder that lost and found items will be donated end of the month. Please check out our vast collection ASAP! Next Week at QAE: 10/24/17 Families of Color Meeting – 6-8 pm When: Thursday, Oct. 12th, 6:30-8pm
It's that time of year! Curriculum Night is an opportunity for our teachers to share their vision, focus, and plans for the year. You'll also hear more about Project Based Learning, daily life in the classroom, and volunteer opportunities.
Update: CURRICULUM NIGHT GAMES & FORTS! This just in! There is now a child-focused event happening at Curriculum Night. A limited number of spaces are available for current QAE students to participate in Games & Forts, led by Gen Zoufal and Alex Hagen. If you are interested in registering your child, please follow this link: https://qaeptsa.wufoo.com/forms/curriculum-night-games-forts/ Suggested donation is $5 per child. Registration will open at 4:30pm on Wednesday, October 11th and close at 5pm on Thursday, October 12th. If you have any questions, please contact enrichment@qaeptsa.org Look forward to seeing you at Curriculum Night! Ms. Roy sent out the letter early today to all QAE families. See below for answers to some questions about this change.
------ Dear QAE families, Each year, SPS examines September enrollment and then makes district-wide staffing adjustments. Our enrollment has changed this year due to factors such as higher-than-expected family relocations. As a result, SPS Enrollment needs to displace one teacher at QAE. Contractually, we are required to displace our least senior teacher, and we are saddened to report that 4th grade teacher Ms. Dawson will be assigned to teach at a new school. Ms. Dawson wants parents to know that she understands and accepts this change has to be made, and her hope is to make it as calm and smooth as possible for students and for her move to a new school. Our Building Leadership Team (BLT), composed of staff, PTSA and parents, recommends that we reorganize classes at 4th grade, due to current class sizes and striving to impact as few students as possible. This means we will shift from three 4th grade classes to two. Staff have worked together to create the best placements for our students and I have been in communication with 4th grade families in Ms. Dawson’s class already. We know our incredible QAE staff will support all students during this transition. The PTSA was clear that it wants to help the affected classes and will vote on funding a 4th grade tutor at the next meeting. While no one wants this to happen, sometimes unexpected things occur. Modeling for our students that we will get through this together is important. All QAE families can help our students and our community by:
I welcome questions and don’t hesitate to reach out to me. I have also attached a second page of answers to some questions I anticipate you may have. Thank you to our wonderful QAE community. Collaboratively working with staff, BLT and PTSA 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. Many thanks, Janine jbroy@seattleschools.org ---- QAE 2017 Reorganization FAQ When a school loses a teacher, how is that teacher chosen? 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. The teacher being displaced is the least senior teacher at our school based on years teaching in SPS and in Washington state, as her experience is out of state. What happens to the teacher who is displaced from the school? She is assigned to a teaching position in another SPS school. If our enrollment is down, do we get to keep the Head Teacher role (Katie Cryan Leary)? Administrative allocations are assigned for the year and do not fluctuate due to enrollment changes. Our Head Teacher position was funded by converting our Assistant Principal allocation into a Head Teacher position for this year, so this position remains in place for the year. This role will be so important as we prepare for our move to our interim site next year. Are we at risk of losing our music teacher? Based on the number of classroom teachers at QAE, our specialist teacher allocation has not changed. Are we at risk of losing any additional staff/resources? At this time, I do not anticipate any impact to district services from SPS this year. 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 affected differently based on their boundaries, housing trends, etc. How does this compare to other elementary schools in our area? QAE is an option school so it enrolls differently than the neighboring attendance area schools that have automatic assignments. One unexpected factor this summer was that option school enrollments were affected by technical issues with the SPS online admission system not informing new families about option schools in their area. This technical issue, which inadvertently occurred over the summer, specifically impacted option schools enrollments. This has since been corrected, but it affected option schools. Is our enrollment different from last year? QAE’s enrollment this year is an unexpected anomaly. With the upcoming remodel of the school, the district and community clearly feel QAE will grow to capacity. Bottom line: this is not a trend, just a result of many different factors happening at once. Did we take all the students off our waitlist? Yes, all interested families were accepted at QAE this year. Note: we did find a 2 month window where the SPS online enrollment form issues so option schools were not listed in new student enrollment options. I welcome questions and don’t hesitate to reach out to me! I will connect with you as soon as possible. Janine 206-252-2480 Get your popcorn and ideas ready! Join educators and families from across the Seattle area for a special screening of "Most Likely to Succeed", hosted by romp & H3 (the school created by former QAE Principal David Elliott.)
"Most Likely To Succeed" is the best film ever done on the topic of school — both its past and its future. The film inspires its audiences with a sense of purpose and possibility, and is bringing school communities together in re-imagining what our students and teachers are capable of doing. After seeing this film, you’ll never look at “school” the same way again. Following the screening, please join in a dialogue with leaders, educators, and students from Big Picture Learning Schools, High Tech High, Impact Public School, and others immersed in Project Based Learning about the changes that can and needs to occur in our educational system. When: Monday, September 25th @7:00pm Where: romp 13500 BEL-RED ROAD, SUITE 7A BELLEVUE, WA Learn more and RSVP at: https://mostlikelytosucceedsept25.eventbrite.com Don't miss it!! Seen around QAE…
Important Info: Attendance Attendance is taken at the beginning of each day. If your child is going to be away, please email your child’s teacher and Office Assistant Jennifer Connolly at jaconnolly@seattleschools.org as Jennifer is responsible for attendance. Student Safety: Traffic Update Thank you, QAE families! Our traffic challenges in the first week have been reduced thanks to families ONLY using Bigelow Street for drop off/pick up and parking vehicles on side streets instead of Bigelow. Mark your calendars! QAE Individual Picture Day: Thursday, September 21st. Retakes, class photos and whole school photo will be in October date TBD shortly. Relocation Information Meeting: Wednesday, Sept. 27 (6:30 – 8 pm) In 2018-19, our school will relocate so that a much-needed new gym and additional classrooms can be built on-site. At this meeting, architects, SPS transportation staff and SPS relocation staff will provide information about QAE’s addition design, transportation, and information on the moving process to and from John Marshall. We will ensure parents are well-informed about this carefully-planned process well before the end of June 2018. Jog-A-Thon: Friday, Sept. 29th: An annual tradition at QAE is our fantastic Jog-a-Thon! This is a school-wide event focused on student goal setting for running laps around our school. Students set a running goal in class to help them learn the importance of setting and achieving a personal goal. This is a wonderful learning opportunity for students, and an incredible school-wide event at QAE. PTSA coordinates a fund-raiser with the Jog-a-Thon so see link above for more fund-raising info. Thank you to our dedicated PTSA for organizing this! WAVE 1: GRADES 4/5: RUN 11:45 - 12:25 WAVE 2: GRADES 2/3: RUN 12:35 - 1:15 WAVE 3: GRADE K/1: RUN 1:25 -1:55 ALL SCHOOL CELEBRATION 1:55 DISMISSAL 2:25 Curriculum Night: Thursday, Oct. 12 (6:30 – 8 pm): For new QAE families, Curriculum Night is an annual SPS evening information session for parents. QAE parents/guardians will begin in the cafeteria at 6:30 pm for staff introductions and an overview of our five pillars and QAE foundational elements, such as Project Based Learning (PBL), social emotional learning (SEL) and innovative technology. Then parents/guardians will move to specific classrooms where your child’s teacher will provide information on academic programs, social emotional learning and supporting your child at home. A 20-minute presentation will be offered at 7 pm and repeated at 7:30 pm to accommodate families with more than one child. Beginning at 7:30 pm, Janine Roy will be available in the cafeteria to answer any remaining questions. QAE Principal Janine Roy sent out the follow news on 8/31:
Welcome back! We hope you had a fantastic summer and are ready for the year ahead. We are looking forward to our QAE activities getting underway!
Meet the QAE Staff! See our QAE Staff page for the complete list! Classroom Moves: 5th grade classes will be located in the Treehouse next year, as will our Learning Lab. 4th grade classes will be located in the portables. 5th Grade Update This year, our 5th grade team will follow an innovative instructional model to meet the learning needs of our learners. Every student will learn with both teachers – students will have one teacher in the morning and one teacher in the afternoon. Ms. Shaw will teach both groups math, science and social studies. Ms. Malcom, and Ms. Goldman when she returns from maternity leave, will teach literacy. Our extensive research shows that teachers will be able to focus on these content-rich academic areas in order to deepen student understanding in all subjects. Teachers will coordinate classroom meetings, PBL, IslandWood and field trips together. It will be a fantastic opportunity for our rising fifth grade learners to learn from two teachers as they prepare to shift to middle school next year. Construction in Progress on Bigalow and Newton
Principal Roy sent the below message to the Queen Anne Elementary community today. Please read below. We hope to see you on Wednesday, March 29th at 6:30 p.m. at the QAE Cafeteria. If you can't attend or want to share comments in other ways, you can write Janine directly at jbroy@seattleschools.org or contact the QAE PTSA at communications@qaeptsa.org. Dear QAE Families/Guardians:
On March 13th, a Community Meeting was held at Catherine Blaine with families from Coe, Catherine Blaine, and Lawton to discuss boundary changes regarding Magnolia Elementary, which will open in the Fall of 2018. (Information can be found on the Magnolia Elementary Boundary Planning Page). This page will continue to be updated throughout the process. All questions and feedback can be sent to: growthboundaries@seattleschools.org.) Queen Anne Elementary and John Hay Elementary communities were not part of this Community Meeting as the potential Magnolia boundaries were not anticipated to impact our schools. I was invited to attend the meeting as a neighboring principal. At the meeting, some participants made suggestions about easing the overcrowding at our neighborhood schools that would affect Queen Anne Elementary. These suggestions were unanticipated, and they need to be discussed within our community and with our neighboring communities. Following the Community Meeting, I met with Director of Enrollment Planning, Ashley Davies, and Enrollment Planning Project Specialist, E.R. Alvarez to work together to look at how Magnolia Elementary’s opening in 2018 will impact schools in our neighborhood. I invited Ashley Davies and E.R. Alvarez to come to a Queen Anne Elementary Community Meeting to be held on Wednesday, March 29th @ 6:30 PM in the QAE cafeteria to answer community questions from QAE families, share boundary procedures and gather our parent community feedback on how we can help overcrowding in our neighboring schools. Many thanks to our QAE community for working together on this. As QAE PTSA President Heath Dixon says, "This is a perfect time for us to model what we're teaching our children about how to handle challenges. Let’s help to share the facts calmly within and outside of our community and help our neighbors solve this problem collaboratively. We need to contribute to the district's process of making decisions about boundaries in our neighborhoods. That starts by encouraging communication and understanding." I am gathering all of the information I can to compile questions, comments, or suggestions from you before the meeting so that the format for the meeting can be set according to our community’s needs. Please email me at jbroy@seattleschools.org to share your input. Janine Janine Roy Principal Queen Anne Elementary 411 Boston Street Seattle, WA 98109 206-252-2480 Appreciations from Last Week:
Next Week:
Raise for Maize Campaign for Dwankhozi: Queen Anne Elementary has a partner school named Dwankhozi Primary School, located in Eastern Zambia. The school is supported by a foundation called Dwankhozi Hope. One of the ways that Dwankhozi Hope supports the students at Dwankhozi Primary School is to hold a fundraising campaign called Raise for Maize. The funds raised provide food for the students at Dwankhozi Primary School during the community's "Hungry Season." In rural southern Africa, subsistence farmers experience a Hungry Season (January-March) when their stored food grown is depleted as they wait for the rainy season to end and the March harvest to be ready. That means their children are coming to school hungry, which makes learning very difficult for them. The school day has to be shortened during this period as the students have no energy to learn. About half of the students don't make it to school as their focus is on finding food. We have an opportunity to help! Women in the Dwankhozi Primary School community are willing to make the students a school lunch during this Hungry Season. They just need us to help buy some maize:
QAE Student Leadership visited classes this week to outline our Raise the Maize Campaign running from Dec. 5 – 9. We are asking students to do a service at home to fund raise. We are hoping students will bring the funds they raise in an envelope and write a message to explain what service they did to raise money for Dwankhozi students. Students will be invited to bring their donations in the sealed envelope on Friday, Dec. 9th and put it in a jar in the cafeteria during lunch hour. The focus will be on all of us working together to make a difference for others. It is the act of kindness and service that we are focusing on, rather than the size of the donation. Thank you for helping your child to plan how they will fundraise for this important annual global citizenship event at our school. Food Drive: Article by Lewis Nettleton, QAE Student Reporter: We are starting a food drive for Pike Place Market’s food bank. It starts December 5 – 9th. This is a list of food that you can bring:
Bring a donation and help our downtown Seattle neighborhood. For more information, go to PMFB.org Oct. 17th – 22nd: #CloseTheGaps Initiative
Eliminating opportunity gaps and ensuring educational excellence for each and every student is a key area of focus for Seattle Public Schools. While our district outperforms similar districts academically and is considered a high performing urban district, we still have unacceptable opportunity and achievement gaps. Our district is committed to doing better. As a result, the district announced a new campaign that demonstrates our collective commitment to eliminating opportunity gaps and accelerating learning for all students – specifically for our black students and other students of color. The campaign is called #CloseTheGaps. We are kicking it off the week of October 17-22. You can learn more about the district-wide initiative by visiting the webpage highlighting Seattle Public Schools’ work to eliminate opportunity gaps. Together, we are united in our commitment to each and every student. During this #CloseTheGaps Initiative Week, at Queen Anne Elementary we have our first PTSA-funded Book-It Theatre performance on Oct. 18th: “Last Stop on Market Street”, based on the 2016 Newbery Medal winning book by Matt de la Peña. This play focuses on seeing beauty in the world around us through the eyes of a child and his grandmother. Diversity is also a theme in the book as it explores the beauty in every neighborhood. Also during this week, Seattle Education Association (SEA) is promoting October 19th as a day of solidarity to bring focus to racial equity and affirming the lives of our students. QAE staff and QAE Families of Color have been working together to educate students about the importance of equity and recognizing and celebrating diversity. On this date, many QAE staff will be wearing Black Lives Matter t-shirts to show their commitment to students in a coordinated effort. Teachers and staff will be talking with students about the shirt they are wearing to bring focus to racial equity and address how racism impacts the lives of Black people in the US. SEA is leading this member driven effort and working to promote transformational conversations with staff, families and students on this issue. This is an important conversation to have with our students as we support students, as citizens of the world, to work together as a community towards racial equity and unity. These events will be part of QAE’s continued efforts to support students' social and emotional learning particularly in regards to cultural competency. Oct. 18th: “Last Stop on Market Street” Performance We have our first PTSA-funded Book-It Theatre performance on Oct. 17th: “Last Stop on Market Street”, based on the 2016 Newbery Medal winning book by Matt de la Peña. This play focuses on seeing beauty in the world around us through the eyes of a child and his grandmother. Diversity is also a theme in the book as it explores the beauty in every neighborhood. As we need to alter our performance area to accommodate the needs of the theatre company, we are unfortunately unable to have parents and preschoolers join us for this performance due to space restrictions. The play needs to be performed on the floor of the cafeteria with 5th graders seated on the stage and K – 4th grade students sitting horizontally across the length of the cafeteria to view the performance. We appreciate the support of the PTSA to provide this performance for our students, and we appreciate parent understanding and support of our space restrictions for this show. Lost and Found We delayed sending off the lost and found for one week, as we have 3 HUGE garbage bags of clothes that will be leaving QAE on Monday. If you have suddenly realized that your child’s precious coat, sweatshirt, or hat is missing, please dash to QAE on Monday before it is too late. All Lost and Found will be sent to a needy community agency each month, so we need to get this completed ASAP. If you are a parent who would like to help with this process, please contact Jennifer Connolly at jaconnolly@seattleschools.org. Parent Help Needed for Lunch Time Clubs We need your help to get some student-requested clubs underway. If you are available one day per week during the following times, we would greatly appreciate a parent to supervise a club for the following grade groups:
Students have clubs they want to create, but we need a caring parent who will be a supervising adult in the room. No expertise needed! Please contact Janine Roy at jbroy@seattleschools.org for more information. Thank you in advance for any help you can provide! |
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