The first General PTSA Meeting of the school year will be on Tuesday, October 9th from 6:30-8pm at the Queen Anne Community Center.

It's open to all parents and the community -- please come to hear about what's going on at our school. We'll talk about plans for the year, review what's getting funded, the adventures of busing, adjusting to John Marshall and more. There will be time for questions and anything else you want to discuss.

The PTSA is planning to make childcare available at the meeting. Reserve a childcare spot here:
https://qaeptsa.wufoo.com/forms/2018-fall-ptsa-meeting-games-club/

​Hope to see you there!

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.

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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!

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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

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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.

Thanks to everyone who filled out a survey about priorities for the PTSA—and if you haven’t, please do! It’s open until June 5. You've got great ideas—a CPR/First Aid night, the return of ParentNet, class parent socials, and more. Come join the PTSA board and make them happen!

When my oldest daughter started kindergarten at QAE, I knew I wanted to get involved with the school and give back. I remember talking to my husband about it, and he said, “There are a lot of parents who are already really involved, and with your limited time, there are probably better places to volunteer.” I limited my involvement that first year, but then the next year, a mom in our Girl Scout troop was running the auction and put out a call to our troop moms for help. I said sure, and once I saw how much there was to do—not just for the auction, but for enrichment, for community events, for days like Hour of Code, and for administrative tasks like reimbursing teachers when they spend money on our kids out of pocket—and how few people were signed up to do it, I volunteered for a board position.

While there are many people who volunteer in some capacity for the school (thank you thank you, a hundred times thank you!), and many who simply can’t, what I’ve seen over the past couple of years is that it’s the same families and people who step up again and again. This is a tricky model, as 1) those people get waaaaay burned out, and 2) when burnout happens, or when families graduate, the PTSA has to scramble to fill a bunch of vital roles at once. Which is all to say, please help us broaden the pool of PTSA volunteers. There is a role for everyone and every time limitation, and the more of us we have working together, the lighter the load will be on everyone and the easier the transitions from year to year.
Here are the PTSA roles we have open for next year—please consider letting us know of your interest:

Note that all below positions will receive a qaeptsa.org email address.  You will receive many updates through the month in regards to activities or requests for feedback so we can brainstorm ideas and situations.
 

• Assistant Treasurer – Picking up and completing deposits and owning other income generating aspects (matching gifts, donations, etc)
• Secretary – Record minutes for each of the Board and General Membership Meetings. Assistance with calendar coordination, wufoo forms, surveys, and other technical assistance.
• Fundraising Director – Help oversee and tie together the 3 major fundraising events each year.  Help guide and support the overall events.  Steady follow up through the year.
• Jog A Thon Lead(s) – Put together one of the most inspiring events of the year where our kids achieve their personal goals.  Heavy lift – July – September.  Note our previous organizers have put together a great road map for this.
• Fund Drive Lead – We have a one-time campaign of a direct give drive.  Happens in the Fall for 2-3 weeks (timing can fluctuate based on your schedule).  Work on messaging, gather messaging from different individuals and track and thank people for their donations. 
• Social Emotional Learning Director – Attends board meetings 1x per month. Interfaces with teachers, principal and school counselor about their needs and wants surrounding QAE’s valued culture of social emotional learning. Also helps support families in need at QAE.  
• Technology Director – Organizes Hour of Code. Helps when board members run into technology snafus. Advises on technology programming offered at QAE.
• Community & Events Coordinator – Do you love throwing parties and bringing people together?  We aim to have 3-5 events a year.  Ranging from Back to School, to Talent Show, to Spring Dance.  Events can be edited based on your own personal passion.  Peak times are around beginning and end of school year.
• Enrichment Coordinator – Help coordinate with the team that will be running the enrichment program.  Heavy lift times - around the start of the program for sign up and toward the end when you will help guide next seasons classes.  September and January.
• Volunteering & Membership Coordinator – help recruit and assign volunteers for PTSA run events and maintain the PTSA membership database.
• Legislative Representative - Keep informed about what’s going on district- and state-wide, and inform our parent community if action is required.

 
Feel free to write to me directly with your interest!
 
Thanks,
Jenna
president2@qaeptsa.org

We'd like your feedback! ​Please take a few moments to provide input on spending priorities and let us know how the PTSA is doing. Want to see more (or less) of certain type of events? Want to know what the PTSA is considering funding next year? Take the survey now and let us know! Your input will help us understand your perspective on the 2017-2018 school year, help make the 2018-2019 year at John Marshall even better, and help us finalize the 2018-2019 PTSA budget.

Take the PTS Priorities survey now...

We'll finalize the 2018-2019 PTSA budget with your feedback and present it at the June 6th 6:30-8pm PTSA All Membership meeting for a vote. Be sure to join us!

Please join us on Wednesday, June 6th from 6:30-8pm for the last general PTSA meeting of the year. We'll be reviewing the results of the priorities survey and voting on the 2018-19 budget. Help us prepare for next year at John Marshall, hear the latest on plans for transportation to John Marshall and much more. It's the best way to stay up-to-date and involved with what's going on at QAE!

When: Wednesday, June 6th, 2018, 6:30-8pm
Where: QAE Cafeteria

​See you there!

Queen Anne Elementary is being renovated during the 2018-19 school year! We'll return to the QAE campus in 2019-20. The QAE campus is going to be expanded to better accommodate our enrollment with a new classroom, add a full-sized gym, improve the outdoor play area and more.

During the renovation, QAE will be at the John Marshall building near Greenlake. The address is 520 NE Ravenna Blvd. It's a building that's used by SPS to temporarily house schools during major projects. For example, this year Loyal Heights Elementary is using the building.

We want to give families a chance to see the school. There are two opportunities coming up to take a look:

PTSA General Meeting at John Marshall
Wednesday, Jan. 24th, 6:30-8:30pm
The QAE PTSA will be hosting this general meeting at the John Marshall School in Ravenna, our temporary home during the 2018-19 school year. Come preview the school and attend the meeting! We won’t be able to provide childcare, but intend to keep the meeting short and sweet if you’d like to come but will have a kid in tow.

John Marshall School Visit
Saturday, Jan. 27th, 10-11am
Join us for a morning open house and tour of the John Marshall School in Ravenna, which will be our home during the 2018-19 school year. Open to all families, kids are welcome and encouraged to come check out the building!

See our QAE Building Renovation Project page for more details about the remodel.

Monday, November 6th, 8am and all day!

After you drop your Minions off at school, head over to the 5 Spot for a QAE "Breakfast After the Bell" parent & family social. The PTSA will have some fun surprises for families in attendance and 25% of all 5 Spot food sales that day will go to QAE! So, hey you're helping our school while enjoying tasty pancakes. Win, win! 

The event will continue all day, so if you can't make breakfast you can stop by for lunch or dinner. It's an easy and delicious way to help our school! Spread the word so friends and family can enjoy as well.

​Can't wait to see you there!

Please join us on Wednesday, October 18th from 6:30-8pm as we discuss some general PTSA business, plans for fundraising this year, our school's renovation and plans for next year, hear from Principal Roy and more! It's the best way to get connected with what's going on at Queen Anne Elementary and learn more about how you can get involved.

The PTSA has dozens of volunteer opportunities for parents of all skill sets and time availability.  As an all-volunteer organization, it is the effort of our community that translates to the support the PTSA can provide to QAE! Come join us.
 
If you have any questions prior to the meeting, write the president@qaeptsa.org.

Childcare is available for a suggested donation of $5! Reserve a spot here...

See you at the school on Wednesday!

Our PTSA is looking for parents who are interested in helping QAE shine! If you're interested in any of these positions, please contact the PTSA at president@qaeptsa.org

Fundraising Director - are you good with numbers?  Help assist, connect and participate in the 3 major fundraisers we do each year.  Do you have a background in fundraising that you can help reimagine what our QAE fundraisers should look like?  Time Commitment - Monthly PTSA Board meeting and will assist based on your strength during each of the 3 fundraising campaigns.

Fund Drive Coordinator - Each Fall we do a direct ask campaign of our parent community.  Are you good at coordinating the message?  Follow up on the messaging?  You don't have to knock or call but you need to be able to coordinate and hit send.  Time Commitment - Approx. 5 hours of thinking through the details beforehand.  And then 3-5 hours a week during the 2 week open campaign period.  Note that Fund Drive actual dates will be set with Coordinator.

Auction Village - The annual auction truly takes a VILLAGE.  We can slice and dice this in a number of different ways to make it work for you.  Please join us a one or a group of friends in helping support during the months or days leading up to the auction.

Auction Coordinator (Event) - Do you enjoy event planning?  Do you enjoy being part of a team of parents in helping put together our biggest fundraiser of the year?  We need your planning and checklist expertise.  If you enjoy a clipboard, check lists and coordination this is for you.  Time Commitment - Slow and Steady is the game with a lot of focus in February and March.  Note Auction is on Friday, March 16.

Auction Coordinator (Procurement) - Are you good at asking people for donations?  Are you good at following up with a team of procurement individuals that will be out emailing, calling or knocking on businesses for donations?  Are you an organized individual that can keep track of the 100's of donations we receive from our community businesses, families and students?  This will be for you.  Time Commitment - Slow and Steady is the game with a lot of focus in February and March.  Note Auction is on Friday, March 16.

​If you're interested in any of these positions, please contact the PTSA at president@qaeptsa.org

The PTSA is looking for some wonderful parents to help support our amazing QAE community. Would you like to get involved? We can guarantee it'll be a fun and rewarding experience!

Safety Coordinator -- Help Our Explorers Travel Safely!
As we have been discussing the expansion of QAE next year, the subject of what we can do to get everyone to and from school as safely as possible has come up.  The PTSA is looking for a volunteer interested in taking charge of safety plans and programs for QAE.  If planning, coordination, and safety is your passion, we'd love to hear from you!

Treasurer -- Do You Know QuickBooks?
The PTSA is looking to fill a very important role on the board, Treasurer. Ideally we're looking for someone who knows QuickBooks. We've streamlined the position in the last year to have fewer responsibilities and tasks, but it still remains a critical position for us to fill. If you know of someone (or many someones, or you are that someone!) that's right for the role we'd love to hear from you.

Fundraising Chair
Not a position to fear! Rather, someone to lead the fall fund drive and to check-in with Auction chair and Jog-A-Thon chairs.

Videographer
We’d love to do a project where we video key teachers/staff/students answering FAQs about QAE that would then be posted to the website.

If you're interested in any of these positions, please contact Ian Stewart and Jenna Free at president@qaeptsa.org.

To help us defray the cost of the pool rental, food and drinks, the PTSA is suggesting a donation of $5 per attendee. Please note -- this is completely optional, all families are welcome!
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