Wolverine Track 13

The Wolverine Track Volume 31, no. 13

April 20th, 2009 Wellington PTA 6.10.43

President’s Message... Last Trip to Camp Casey Ends Era & Begins Bumpy Road to Educational Budget Cuts

Inside this issue: PTA Dollars At Work

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Golden Acorn Award Form

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Open PTA 09-10 Positions

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Colonial Day Gratitude

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Banking Program Ends

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Wellington Walks

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Wine Tasting Fundraiser

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Dates to remember April 22: BOD mtg, 1pm 23: PTA Wine Night @ Fortunato’s 6:30pm-10pm

May 1 & 21: “Meet & Greet” with Marsha Moore

1: Popcorn Friday & Last day for Banking

12: PTA General Membership Meeting - 7pm in Library

15: Wellington Walks! 25 & 26: No School June 19: Last Day of School

As if it were a protective shield, I wore my school spirit wear t-shirt and it made me feel strong and a part of something important. Nauseous during the long bus ride on those bouncy, army green vinyl bus seats I felt excitement about being away from home. Nature trails, and discovering hands on how nature works, taught me that learning could happen anywhere. I saw my teachers be people, not just teachers, during the skits and non teaching time. And of course, there were the camp songs around the fire pit...my favorite part. I remember at camp being served some foods that I didn’t want to eat and wondering if anyone was going to insist that I eat it. I also remember the cookies and the feeling of ―lights out‖ in the bunkhouse. Dark and alone, but empowering and thrilling because it meant I was old enough to be away from my family. These are some of my memories of elementary school camp, and I’m sure for any of you who have experienced it as a kid, you have similar glimpses into the past. For me, I was inspired not only to return to that same camp as a senior high camp counselor, but also to participate in a counselor program at another summer camp for several years. It impacted me that much. Sadly, this year will very likely be the last year Northshore students will experience camp with their peers and teachers. The preliminary budgets are rolling out and along with it, are the cuts to Camp Casey. Apparently, for $53K in savings or $30 per child, the district is proposing that instead of singing camp songs and giving kids who may not otherwise have a chance to experience that learning can happen anywhere and the rites of passage of being away from home, they will study the effects a sewage treatment plant has on the environment. Huh. While I have many thoughts on this, mostly it is just sad to see the end of an era. I can see our district will not have time to review and consider alternative options for funding the many programs it is being forced to cut and our elected government appears to be unable to agree on a solution that benefits our kids’ future. Well, as with most doors that close, I am hopeful that there are others that will open. As I prepare to pack the bags of my 5th grader for his trip to camp, I wonder what I will pack for my 3rd grader when he is in 5th grade. What will the future hold for our schools, our kids, our country? The road will be bumpy for sure, so buckle up and enjoy the ride. —Rochelle Dammel

Next WT deadline is April 27, 2009 Newsletter Chair:

To review the proposed Northshore Budget cuts for next year, visit www.nsd.org

Kim Heinzerling [email protected]

Wellington Elementary Est. Fall 1978

From the Executive Committee ... ’08/’09 PTA Executive Committee Co-President: Rochelle Dammel 425-398-0858 [email protected] Co-President: Joan Ritter 360-668-6448 [email protected] VP Membership: Sandy Mollerup 425-806-4970 [email protected] VP Fundraising: Kelly Zuger-Biggs 425-908-7681 [email protected] Secretary: Theresa Beers 425-402-6529 [email protected] Treasurer: Arlene Bruce 425-398-0426 [email protected]

Jr. High and High School early start means tired kids! There is a growing body of research showing that adolescents do not get adequate sleep when secondary education starts as early as ours do in Northshore (7:55 am Junior High, 7:10 am High School). Some teens start their day even before the regular school start time due to before-school activities. Lack of sleep in adolescents leads to poor academic performance as well as increased risk of illness. If you are interested in this issue, please contact Debra Srebnik at [email protected] or 425-489-0601

A Reminder from our District... “These activities are not sponsored nor endorsed by the Northshore School District or any of its schools. The district assumes no responsibility for the conduct during or safety of the activities. Northshore School District shall be held harmless from any cause of action, claim, or petition filed in any court of administrative tribunal arising out of the distribution of these materials including attorney’s fees and judgments or awards.”

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Break Even is the Goal for Some PTA Enrichment Programs Many of the PTA activities that our kids enjoy are revenueneutral. In other words, the costs of the program are zero, incidental or may even bring in a small amount of money. PTA supports the program or activity by providing leadership, volunteer time, and a means to collect money and pay expenses. This arrangement maximizes the benefit to our children at little or no cost to the PTA. The activities are funded by the participating students and operate smoothly because of our many wonderful volunteers. Some of the programs that are revenue-neutral are: Art Club

Missoula Children’s Theatre

Chess Club

Science Adventures

Student Banking

Choir

I make this point for a reason. As we begin making decisions about PTA budgeting for next year (with a possibly reduced PTA budget) we take into account that revenue-neutral programs do not need to be sacrificed. These programs will continue to provide enrichment opportunities for our children with the continued support of PTA volunteers. If you would like to volunteer to help out, please contact any PTA executive member to find out where you are needed. Arlene Bruce, PTA Treasurer

Carpenter/Barry Stretch PTA Funds for Science Kit Purchase Kudos to our EBAY savvy 3rd grade teachers, Mrs. Carpenter and Mrs. Barry! Although the PTA approved the funds to buy a classroom Science Kit costing $500, these teachers went looking for a deal on Ebay. For $233 dollars + shipping they won a brand new, still in shrink wrap, Science Kit. A special thank you to Mrs. Carpenter’s daughter who monitored the bidding down to the last minute! We applaud you for getting the most out of our fundraising dollars!

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Golden Acorn Award The Awards Committee is now seeking nominations for the Golden Acorn Award. Each year the Wellington PTA gives Golden Acorn Awards to people who have given exemplary volunteer service to children and youth in our school community. The Golden Acorn Award is very special and is given for continued and dedicated service. We would love to have you participate in the selection of this year’s recipients through your recommendations. If you know someone who goes beyond the ordinary in volunteering their time to the children of our community, please take a moment to complete this form and return it to the school office marked PTA Golden Acorn Nominations All nominations must be received no later than Friday, April 24th, 2009. I recommend that: (name)____________________________________________________________________________________ (email)____________________________________________________________________________________ (address)__________________________________________________________________________________ (phone)____________________________________________________________________________________ be considered for the Wellington PTA Golden Acorn Award. PTA Service: _______________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ Service to School Community: __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ Community-Wide Service: __________________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________ ____________________________________________________________________________________________________

Signed:_______________________________________ Phone:_______________________________

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Open PTA Committee Positions 2009-10 Wellington Parents – We Need You! In order to ensure many volunteers have the opportunity to take part in the PTA, we have a two-year limit on holding any given committee lead. Below are the current open positions. Please review the list and give some serious thought about helping to keep these programs going strong! Many of these positions require two or more people, so grab a buddy, volunteer, and have some fun doing it. This is also a great way to meet other parents. If you are thinking about going back to work, add your volunteer time to your resume. If you are interested in any of these positions or have questions, please contact Joan Ritter at 425-750-3840, [email protected] or Rochelle Dammel at 425-398-0858, [email protected]. *Position works well for parents with small children still at home

++Positions can be performed by working parent(s)

Assemblies The Assemblies chair (can be 2 co-chairs) works with staff to plan, coordinate, and schedule school assemblies. The chair also reviews brochures PTA receives and compiles a notebook for potential assembly ideas. Responsibilities include set-up details on the day of assembly and formulate, distribute, and collect evaluations of assembly.*

Chess Club Co-Chair The Chess Club Chairs oversee and coordinate the chess club activities. Responsibilities include finding coach(es), securing a location, and arranging for parent volunteers and tournament attendance.

Classic Books Co-Chair The Classic Books Chairs oversee the district sponsored program. The Chairs are responsible for recruiting volunteers to lead discussion groups, coordinate volunteers’ attendance at districtsponsored training, and coordinate with staff for student sign-ups.*++

Emergency Preparedness Co-Chair The Emergency Preparedness Chairs coordinate the school’s emergency preparedness plan. The Chair inventories and acquires supplies as needed, coordinates emergency drills with school staff, and attends occasional council emergency preparedness meetings.*

Library The Library Committee Chair coordinates and trains parent volunteers to assist in the library during the school year. The Chair also helps the Librarians coordinate the annual book fair.

Kindergarten Bus Assistant Working with the Committee Chair, the Kindergarten Bus Assistant rides the kindergarten bus and/or provides volunteer escort to class during the first week of school.

Legislation The Legislation Chair (can be two co-chairs) communicates information to the Board about, levies, initiatives, State funding, etc. that affect the education of our children. Responsibilities include attending PTA convention, legislative convention, appropriate council meetings, and activities focused on school-related legislation.

Kick-Off Event The Chair (can be 2 co-chairs) plans, coordinates, and carries out the back-to-school event. Duties include coordinating and scheduling parent volunteers, securing time, location, and appropriate permits, arranging food for festivities, and coordinating collection of funds with Treasurer.

Newsletter (Wolverine Track) Assistant for Distribution The Newsletter Assistant receives the finished newsletter from the Committee Chair and makes copies at the school district service center for distribution at Wellington. Approx. time for copying and distribution – 2 hours for each newsletter. There are usually 2 newsletters per month.

Parent Support/Enrichment The Committee Chair will provide education and support to parents to contribute to students’ success. Responsibilities include identifying speakers/programs to benefit Wellington parents and students, arranging times and locations for speaker/programs, and coordinating advertising and volunteer staffing for program.* ++

Reflections Co-Chair The Committee Chairs coordinate all activities of the Reflections program. Responsibilities include attending district information meetings, disseminating information to the Wellington community, securing locations for workshops and gallery evenings, recruiting and coordinating volunteers for workshops, judging, and gallery evenings. The Chairs also coordinate and track entries.*

Social Concerns – 2-3 Positions needed! The 3-4 Committee Chairs coordinate various activities to assist those in need. Responsibilities include planning, advertising, and coordinating Gift Drive, Coat Drive, and Food Drive. The Chairs coordinates with the school Principal for location area of collected items and arranges for items to be delivered to designated charities.*

Science Coordinator The Committee Chair coordinates volunteers to assist any teacher wanting help in preparing their science curriculum. Duties also include inventorying science kits.

Staff Appreciation The Committee Chair (can be two co-chairs) coordinates activities to show staff appreciation. Responsibilities include coordinating and planning the back-to-school staff luncheon and activities related to Staff Appreciation Week.*

Walk-A-Thon Along with the VP of Fundraising, the Chair plans, coordinates, and carries out the school event. Duties include coordinating and scheduling parent volunteers, securing time, location, sponsors/ donations, gift baskets, arranging snack and water for students, and coordinating collection of funds with Treasurer.

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Attendees Experienced Peace of Mind at Last General Mtg Thanks to all the parents who attended the PTA general meeting on Tuesday March 24 th and stayed to hear Sabrina from the non-profit organization P.E.A.C.E. of mind (Parent Education And Child Empowerment). She presented powerful information about how parents can empower their children by protecting themselves from childhood sexual abuse and abduction. One area covered was the 10 family safety Rules. Family Safety Rules! 1. I AM SPECIAL & I have the right to be safe! 2. I know my NAME, ADDRESS, and PHONE NUMBER and my Parent's name too! 3. I never go ANYWHERE with or take anything from someone I don’t know. 4. I always CHECK FIRST to get permission before I go anywhere or get into a car, even if it is with someone I know! 5. My bathing suit areas are PRIVATE! 6. I don’t always have to be POLITE! 7. I can YELL ―NO‖ and tell a safe grown-up when something just doesn’t feel right. 8. I don’t keep SECRETS! 9. I know what to do if I ever get LOST. 10. I always pay ATTENTION TO MY OWN INNER VOICE, especially that ―uh-oh‖ Sabrina also mentioned #11 which is always to use the buddy system. If you would like more information regarding this organization or would like to attend a workshop please check out their website at pomwa.org.

Thanks to Colonial Day Volunteers and Staff The 5th graders at Wellington had a fantastic Colonial Day experience thanks to the many volunteers who helped with this event. Thank you to all the parents who assisted in carrying on this special 5th grade tradition. Your time, energy and creativity made this day possible. Beth Edwards, Lezlie Hanson, Shelly McMaster, Katherine Beaupre, Pamela Shank-Kaufman, Liz Sohn, Gigi Martinson, Joanne Cochran, Lisa Culhane,Pell, Nikki Day, Susan Huso, Heidi Dwelle, Jim Dunlap, Mich Earl, Hiram Reyla, Mike Dziuk, Joanne Barker, Jennifer Dardzinski, Jenny Hawkins, Laurie Thoma, Meggin Mann, Sarah Cutler Purvis, Kristi Kapioski, Mimi Sproule, Lori Hunt, Penny Jacobsen, Eric Martinson, Michael Martinson, Michelle Bedell, Rochelle Dammel, Melanie Spencer, Erica Smith, Sally DeBoer, Heidi DenHaan, Kelly Hawkins, Janet Heath, Linda King, Tammy Mucklestone, Sarah Petersen, Kim Hansen, Kris Perkins, Mychal-Lynne Pfiester, Danielle Glessner and custodial staff. Also, thank you to Lynn Fischer for organizing the Colonial Day volunteer/staff luncheon and to Suzi Freeman for sharing her knowledge, time and Colonial artifacts with our students. Thank you to the 5th grade teachers; Mr. Shelton, Mr. Farnus, Ms. Voth and Mr. Whittemore for their help and support with Colonial Day. Thank you to Mrs. Higginbotham for sharing her portable classroom with us and to Mrs. Sanderson for sharing the gym with us, so the students could participate in Colonial Day. If there is anyone who volunteered that is not on this list, we appreciate your help as well. Once again, thank you to ALL the parent volunteers for a memorable and educational experience for our 5th graders. It was a great day!

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Wellington Community Takes a Bite Out of Hunger Thank you, Wellington community for “Taking a Bite Out of Hunger”! You came through in a big way that will help so many local families in need. Thanks to our generous Wellington community, our local food banks have been restocked to help families in need. Together we donated enough food to fill 186 milk crates and received cash donations just over $5000. We had lots of friendly classroom competitions with classes challenging themselves or others to get the most dog bones in their class dishes. Altogether, our points totaled over 27,000. Great work, everyone! We couldn’t have done it without the wonderful volunteer support we received each day over the two-week drive. Special thanks go to: Carolyn Accimus, Michelle Bedell, Ann Bhat, Patricia Bong, Diana Boyd, Karen Bradbury, Niki Gummer, Cat Gustafson, Gayle Hickey, Michelle Hoogerwerf, Jason Kaufman, Chris Laing, Sandra Pell, Joan Ritter, Laurie Rohrich, Rae Shepherd and Kelly Vedaa. Thanks for all your hard work!

Pare’s Thorny Devil Reflects Excellence

Remember to Buy a Memory Paver Here is your chance to purchase a memory brick in the patio. You will help fund PTA programs and add to Wellington’s history. The kids, parents and staff will look back at the engraved pavers for years to come! The patio is a place for students and teachers to enjoy class projects, reading groups and many other activities including chess games.

PAVERS MAKE GREAT GIFTS:

Congratulations to Mallory Pare on her photography entry in the PTA Reflections Program. Her entry, The Spiky Thorny Devil, was given the Award of Excellence at the state level. Reflections is a PTA sponsored cultural arts competition. The theme for 2009 was "Wow!" There were over 17,000 entries submitted this year in WA with 1,327 going to the State level for judging. The Reflections Awards Ceremony will be held on May 3rd at 1:00 at the SeaTac Double Tree Hotel, all are invited. Way to go Mallory and all those who participated! We're proud of our students!

Teacher and staff appreciation Honorariums Birthdays Family and friends 6th grade graduation Remembrances for sports or service teams/groups Your purchase of a brick paver, engraved with your child’s name, a personal message, or a quote will signify your lasting involvement with the children of our community for years to come. For inscription ideas, come and visit the patio. Make sure you aren’t left out! Order forms and final pricing will be coming in the May Wolverine Track, or email [email protected] for the electronic form.

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CHASE BANK ENDS SCHOOL SAVING PROGRAM Chase Bank will be ending the school saving program on May 1st, 2009. There will be no more bank days at Wellington after that date. Your child can continue to make deposits at their branches. To help participating students continue good savings habits, Chase will be mailing a special offer to them soon. And to further support local school programs, Chase is contributing $600,000 to DonorsChoose.org, which support projects developed by teachers to help their students learn. To learn more about this organization, visit www.donorschoose.org. Thank you for your support of the School Savings program. Remember, the last day for school banking is on May 1st. The PTA will consider other banking/financial opportunities for our students. If you have any questions about the current program, please contact Helen Pederslie at 425-486-9791, or [email protected]. Ideas for future programs, contact Joan Ritter @ [email protected].

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GET READY…

Support YOUR School! WIN Individual & Class Prizes! Have Fun & Exercise! $40+ donation Goal per Student! VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!!! Please contact Danielle Glessner 425-485-6986 or [email protected]

PRIZES

AW ARDED D AI LY !

Benefiting the Wellington PTA Volume 31, no.13

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Thursday’s PTA/Fortunato’s Wine Night Not to be Missed Gather your girlfriends or surprise your spouse and take them to Fortunato’s, Woodinville’s newest wine shop in the heart of downtown. Fortunato’s owner, Rudy, has graciously offered to host Wellington PTA’s first ever wine tasting social fundraiser.

Thursday, April 23rd from 6:30-10pm For $8, taste six wines hand-selected by the owner, and earn money for Wellington ($7 comes back to PTA). The end of the school year will be here before you know it, so take the time to come relax with friends —you deserve it! Because they are a 4pace.com company, if you buy something at Fortunato’s with your registered 4pace.com credit/debit card, 20% will come back to you from your first purchase and 5% of every purchase you make will go to Wellington’s PTA.

Here’s how to get your ticket: Make your check out to Wellington PTA for $8 per ticket (one ticket includes six different tastes of selected wines). Drop off your envelope marked “PTA Event‖ in the office (with information slip below). Look for an email ―ticket‖ from Ronee Baldie as confirmation. Print it out and bring it with you to the event. Fortunato’s is located east of Carol Edwards Center, directly across 133rd street. Parking is available on the street and in the lot north of Fortunato’s. Check them out at www.fortunatos.net. Phone: (425)481-5444 Tickets can also be purchased at the door the night of the event if space allows. Coffee, snacks and sweets will be available for purchase during the event.

Yes! I would love to attend the wine night and make money for my school. Name:_______________________________________________ Email address: ______________________________________ Phone Number: _____________________________________ Number of Tickets to Purchase:_______________________

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