Arbor Heights PTSA

PTSA Meeting January 25, 2007

2007-01-22T21:26:00.000-08:00

Arbor Heights PTSA
General Meeting Agenda
January 25, 2007

Opening Comments / Minutes Approval - Joe Sharp (10 min)
Arbor Heights Principal Report – Dr. Coram (10 min)
Popcorn Party Attendance - Dr. Coram (5 min)
Volunteer/Fundraising – Anna George (5 min)
Treasurers Report / Project List – Curt Knox (15 min)
Schools First - Beth Dwyer (5 min)
New Business (5 min)
Closing

Please complete the on-line parent/guardian survey!

2007-01-19T17:29:00.000-08:00

Go here to vote: More info and link to the survey

Schools were closed on five days this school year due to inclement weather. The district's contract with the Seattle Education Association (SEA) calls for make-up days to be added at the end of the school year. This would mean that the last student day would be Wednesday, June 27.

However, the district and SEA are exploring other options, and would like to have input from parents and guardians. An on-line survey will be posted on this page no later than 5 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 18. Due to the need to make decisions quickly, the deadline to submit responses will be midnight on Monday, Jan. 22.

The State has announced the possibility of a waiver for days when school was closed during a Governor-declared state of emergency. (In Seattle's case, Dec. 15). We will explore this option. However, even with a waiver, the 1,000 instructional hour requirement must be met and we expect only minimal relief from this provision.

Seattle Public Schools is considering a number of other options. Please take a few moments to complete this survey and share your opinion of the best way to schedule the five make-up days. Results will be shared and discussed with SEA, and a decision announced by the district as soon as possible. Note that any modification of the existing 2006-2007 school calendar must be bargained with SEA.

We know that the number of make-up days we face this year is challenging for almost everyone - teachers, students, families, and employers. We appreciate your input to our planning.
All employees of Seattle Public Schools received an internal survey via e-mail approximately two weeks ago. We, therefore, ask that you only complete this survey if you are a parent or guardian of student(s) currently attending Seattle Public Schools.

Thank you.

Meeting Minutes September 21, 2006

2006-11-20T22:19:00.000-08:00

Arbor Heights PTSA
General Meeting Minutes
September 21, 2006

Opening:
President Joe Sharp called the regular meeting of the Arbor Heights PTSA to order at 7:07 p.m. on September 21, 2006 in the school cafeteria. This is the first PTSA meeting of the school year. He welcomed the Kindergarten parents. He also welcomed the “returning faces”. The turnout was great.

Joe announced that Arbor Heights is not on the Seattle school closure list; followed by a round of applause. Joe reminded everyone to be compassionate to the Roxhill staff and families. Several of the families will be at Arbor Heights next year.

Please consider volunteering for one of the PTSA activities or fundraisers. Also, please review the PTSA packet.

The minutes for the May meeting are approved as written. The minutes can be found on the PTSA blog (http://ahptsa.blogspot.com/).

Arbor Heights Principal Report:

Dr. Coram said the first day was very smooth and it was a great opening at school. She said that the 1st Monday of every month (at 9:15 am) there is an all school assembly. For the first assembly, she went over school regulations, etc. Parents are welcome to attend these assemblies.

The Dads and Donuts event is coming up on Tuesday, October 3rd 7:30 – 8:30 am. Dads are welcome to bring their kids. Please RSVP by Friday, September 29th for food count.

Although there are official parent - teacher conferences in November; if you ever a question regarding how your child is doing, feel free to call or email your child’s teacher at any time. Most problems get resolved at the teacher level.

The WASL scores weren’t great last year. The third, fourth and fifth grade teachers are looking at the scores to see what areas need to be strengthened. We have a part time math coach, working with all teachers. Dr. Coram gets a breakdown which can be reviewed and analyzed. Factors, such as class size will be considered along with correlations. So it is easy to see what areas can be improved. Carol is happy to share the curriculum. They might also be on the Seattle School District website. OSP website also has them. (Addison Wesley and TURK are used in combination.)

Parents will receive a letter with the individual child’s scores. They should be out by next week. If all three sections are passed (4th grade last year), there will be a special certificate from the governor.

The WASL will continue to be discussed in future PTSA meetings.

Treasurer Report / review and approve 2006-2007 PTSA budget:
Curt reviewed the budget, page by page, explaining to the new parents how the information is displayed. We always like to have $15,000 - $20,000 at the end of each school year, for the subsequent PTSA year.

When reviewing page 2 of the budget (Fundraising), Curt reminded us all that we need leaders to take ownership and drive fundraising.

When reviewing page 3 (Spending Money), Curt explained that the board approves things under $300. Anything over $300 needs a PTSA quorum to approve. The project voting next month will fall in this category.

The question was raised “Why not put the money in a CD?” Curt explained that it adds a level of inflexibility to the budget. Another question was raised “Why do we have so much money currently in the budget?” Curt explained that we budgeted for a few large projects last year, but things like the school district or the Dept of Transportation dept have covered those costs. That is why we have the budget that we have.

The budget has been approved.

Fundraising Chair Report and Upcoming Events:
We have a new bake sale volunteer. Spaghetti dinner has an immediate need for volunteers.

http://www.escrip.com/ is how you can log a percentage of the money you spend at Safeway (using your Safeway card) to the school. The Target “Take Charge of Education” money (http://sites.target.com/site/en/corporate/page.jsp?contentId=PRD03-001825) goes into the Arbor Heights selfhelp fund. Box Tops (http://www.boxtops4education.com) and ink cartridges are also collected. Thriftway also offers a 1% cash back for cash register receipts. It is amazing how the money adds up.

Dads and Donuts is on October 3rd. Darrel is coordinating this event. Fall Cleanup is on September 30th. Bring gardening tools and gloves and work on the landscape around the school. No Pancake breakfast, but perhaps coffee and donuts. Darrel will follow up with the owners of this project (Dave and Rob). Perhaps an additional planting can be done later in the fall.

Regarding other PTSA functions, 2007 School Carnival – Tracy Richards is going to own this. Lost and Found – owner found. Science Fair – we need an owner. Boxtops – Jennifer Beard and Cori will work. A competition could be organized to raise more. Math Conference at the UW Oct 7. Directory for this year. Kirstin Moe (Kirstinmoe@comcast.net) Layne talked about the Bank Day. It is nice to have a number of volunteers. 11:30 – 1 on Wednesdays.

Projects Discussion:
Joe described the project form. We are in a good spot financially. We can do some capital improvements. Regarding pothole fixing etc – phone calls / emails to Richard Staudt (Phone: (206) 252-0710 Email: restaudt@seattleschools.org). Also put information on the website.

School Closures:
We are not on the list. There will not be any additional portables added to the school at this point (and it takes 18 months to get portables added). We could take up to 100 additional students. We have to look at class sizes at all ages. We may have additional classes, depending on numbers. Max class sizes are 28 for younger grades and 32 for higher grades. Public meeting information will be made on the WIKI and the email list.

We should extend an invite to Roxhill Elementary to a PTSA meeting (after the Nov 1 decision) if needed.

New Business:
The sidewalk work will be reversed. The crosswalk on 35th will also be improved. The walking school bus will not happen at this point, due to the fact that we don’t have sidewalks.

The wall, for a punishment, is an issue. Chase games are not allowed, but running should be ok. Are there other punishments that would be more appropriate or not so visible?

Closing:
The regular meeting of the Arbor Heights PTSA wrapped up at 8:35 pm

Meeting Minutes October 19, 2006

2006-11-16T22:20:00.000-08:00

Arbor Heights PTSA
General Meeting Minutes
October 19, 2006

Opening:
President Joe Sharp called the regular meeting of the Arbor Heights PTSA to order at 7:07 p.m. on October 19, 2006 in the school cafeteria. We will be voting on the projects we want to fund for the year. We have a packed agenda, so it is important to keep the meeting moving. Thanks for the great turnout.

The minutes for the September meeting are approved as written. The minutes will soon be found on the PTSA blog (http://ahptsa.blogspot.com/).

Arbor Heights Principal Report:
We had a very successful Dads and Donuts (over 70 people). The Arbor Heights Open House was also great. Thanks to everyone who made these events successful.

Math assessment program. Most of the classes went through an assessment, focusing on number sense and problem solving. Dr Coram will provide more information on the assessment later. One parent asked “Will we see the scores for our students?” Dr. Coram replied that the information is used more to identify areas where teachers can improve what they are teaching. Once we have the assessment results, we can give additional information to parents. There is a math workshop at Roosevelt, which is providing information regarding the shift in how the Seattle Schools teach math. Dr. Coram will bring sample math problems to the future PTSA meetings so we can experience what the kids are getting.

DRA (Developmental Reading Assessment) The 2nd – 5th graders will take this test in the fall. The 1st graders will take this test in the spring.

Two fund raising food nights are scheduled. There will be a McTeachers night at McDonalds. The date for that event will be posted in the bulletin. Endolyn Joes night will be on election day. More information for that event will be posted in the bulletin.

Book character day is on October 31. There will be an assembly in the afternoon.

The month of March will be an Arbor Heights “Dream Dinners” month. Arbor Heights will receive a cut of all profits. (http://www.dreamdinners.com/). The West Seattle Dream Dinners can be found at 4701 41st Ave SW Ste 110 Seattle, WA 98116.

There will be a Veterans Day assembly at 1:45 on November 9th.

There is a West Seattle Academic parade and all the South cluster West Seattle schools are participating. Those who wish to participate can. There will be a flyer in the bulletin.

Mr. Wilkie’s class won the parent attendance popcorn party by a landslide.
Fundraising Chair Report and Upcoming Events:
The Gift Wrap fund raiser was a success; over $10,000 in sales. The Spaghetti dinner that went with the school’s open house netted $1,200 profit. The Cookie Dough sales start on October 26. Arbor Heights will have a fundraising day at Barnes and Noble. Arbor Heights Holiday Bazaar – is there any interest? The bazaar will have a mixture of kids crafts and adult crafts.

Projects Discussion / voting:
The projects are on the wall. Where do we want to focus our money, on beautifying the school or in investing in tutors etc? The School District should be covering the stage curtains and cafeteria curtains. Items that are no cost probably don’t need dots – the focus is on what we will spend our money on.

Scott, Dana’s husband, has agreed to take on the “bird dogging” job of working with the school district to get what the school district has committed to funding.

New Business:
School Budget – Beth Dwyer asked if we have had the opportunity to review the school budget. According to Dr. Coram, Roxanne (leadership team) and Curt (PTSA treasurer) get to opportunity to review the school budget. Beth asked “Why is the PTSA paying for things which were paid for by the school in the past? Why are we not funding things like aids in the school budget?” Dr. Coram said the school goes right down to the penny on their spending. It was agreed to make the budget information available to parents and to discuss at a future PTSA meeting.

Building Leadership team – Dr. Coram said this team is comprised of a couple parents, a couple staff etc. Information from this team is not getting to the PTSA. Perhaps we need to get a newer parent involved on the leadership team so that they can carry us forward for years. We need to have the PTSA liaison at those meetings.

School / Traffic Safety:

We have a deaf kid at the school. We should use his case to our advantage for traffic safety. We need to make the walk to Arbor Heights (especially at 35th and 104th) safer for our children.

Access safety – we have a lot of doors open during school hours. The main door is open. The handicap door is unlocked. The play court is open. Dr. Coram said the safety and security office (Lary Farrar) can do a walkthrough. She will invite some parents to join at the walkthrough.

Closing:
The regular meeting of the Arbor Heights PTSA wrapped up at 8:10 pm

PTSA Meeting November 16, 2006

2006-11-15T22:16:00.000-08:00

Arbor Heights PTSA
General Meeting Agenda
November 16, 2006

Opening Comments / Budget Items / Minutes Approval - Joe Sharp (5 min)
Arbor Heights Principal Report / Endolyne & McTeachers Fundraising – Dr. Coram (5 min)
Popcorn Party Attendance - Dr. Coram (5 min)
Schools First Levy Campaign (10 min)
Math Discussion – Dr. Coram (10 min)
PTSA Project Results - Joe Sharp (10 min)
Barnes and Noble Fundraiser (5 min)
Holiday Bazaar (5 min)
New Business (5 min)
Closing

* Everyone – We have a full agenda. Please help to keep the meeting moving.

PTSA Meeting October 19, 2006

2006-10-18T19:54:00.000-07:00

Arbor Heights PTSA
General Meeting Agenda
October 19, 2006

Opening Comments / Minutes Approval - Joe Sharp (5 min)
Arbor Heights Principal Report / Popcorn Party Attendance - Dr. Coram (5 min)
Fundraising Chair Report and Upcoming Events – Anna George (5 min)
PTSA Project Review and Voting - Joe Sharp (40 min)
New Business (5 min)
School / Traffic Safety – Dr. Coram (10 min)
Questions / Closing

Note: Everyone – We have a full agenda. Please help to keep the meeting moving.

Arbor Heights Fall Clean up - Saturday, September 30th

2006-09-26T21:33:00.000-07:00

The Arbor Heights fall clean up is happening this Saturday from 9:00am-1:00pm! Please bring your own gardening tools, brooms, etc. We will provide garbage bags and gardening gloves and miscellaneous tools. The focus of this event is to clean-up the grounds. Pickup garbage, weeds, sweep, and prune. We need all the help we can get, so please stop by and put some gloves on and dig in! Even if you can only help for an hour! Whatever you can give is always appreciated!

We will provide Coffee and Donuts!

Meeting Minutes May 18, 2006

2006-09-21T22:05:00.000-07:00

Arbor Heights PTSA
General Meeting Minutes
May 18, 2006

Opening:
President Joe Sharp called the regular meeting of the Arbor Heights PTSA to order at 7:02 p.m. on May 18, 2006 in the school cafeteria. This is the last PTSA meeting for the school year. We will vote on the PTSA board for next year’s PTSA. As a part of the elections, we will break up the Fundraising / Volunteer position to Volunteer Coordinator, Fundraising Chair, Communications Coordinator.

The minutes for the April meeting are approved as written. The minutes can be found on the PTSA blog.

Arbor Heights Principal Report-Dr. Coram:

The Powerful Writers program has been a great success. The teachers have all been trained and will carry forward this program next year. In addition, there is a program called WITS “writing in the schools”. This may be an opportunity to move forward with a dedicated writer for the school year.

The last coffee house is scheduled for May 23rd.

Treasurer Report / review and approve 2006-2007 PTSA budget:
Curt walked us through the PTSA annual budget for this past year. The total income generation for the year is higher than budgeted and we spent less than budgeted.

Curt walked us through the proposed budget for the next school year. There is no art fair next year (next year is the science fair), so no budget is listed. A few PTSA sponsored programs have been added to the budget for next year. The proposed budget was voted on and approved.

Fundraising Chair Report and Upcoming Events:
The School Carnival is June 10th from 3-6 pm.

The Saturday Plant Sale raised about $1,600.

Golden Acorn:
We handed out Golden Acorn nomination forms. The Golden Acorn award will be awarded at the volunteer appreciation luncheon. Don’t forget to submit your nominations.

PTSA Board Elections & Volunteer/Fundraising/Communication Chairs:
The current PTSA President (Joe Sharp), Vice President (Darrel Riley), Secretary (Tammy Wooley and Tracy Richards) and Treasurer (Curt Knox) agreed to continue for another year. Cori Roed was nominated for the Communications Chair position. Anna George was nominated for the Fundraising Chair position. Darrel Riley will continue to cover the Volunteer Chair position. The proposed PTSA Board was voted on and approved.

Feet First - "walking school-bus" program:
The Walking School Bus program promotes safe walking routes. Cori will send out a survey to find out how many families are interested in starting up this program for Arbor Heights.

Street Improvement Project:
Seattle Transportation department will add a sidewalk on 104th, starting at the school and going up the hill to the stop sign this calendar year. Next year a sidewalk will be added from the school to 35th.

New Business:
Teacher Appreciation week was a success.

Closing:
The regular meeting of the Arbor Heights PTSA wrapped up at 8:17 pm.

PTSA Meeting September 21, 2006

2006-09-18T22:07:00.000-07:00

Arbor Heights PTSA
General Meeting Agenda
September 21, 2006

Opening Comments / PTSA Packet / Minutes Approval – Joe Sharp (10min)
Arbor Heights Principal Report (including WASL score review) - Dr.Coram (5 min)
Count Classroom Parent Attendance –
Popcorn Party for classroom with most attendees (5 min)
PTSA Treasurer Report / Budget Approval – Curt Knox (10 min)
PTSA Fundraising Chair Report – Anna George (5 min)
Upcoming Events / Volunteer Chair Report – Darrel Riley (5 min)
Project Discussion – Joe Sharp (5 min)
School Closure Phase 2 – Dr. Coram (5 min)
New Business (10 min)
Closing

Note: Further School Closure Discussion can follow the PTSA meeting.

Arbor Heights Playground Dedication

2006-09-12T19:54:00.000-07:00

Mrs. Keegan says Hi
Originally uploaded by mahlness.

On September 12, 2006, the Arbor Heights playground was dedicated to Mrs. Jackie Keegan. In a very moving ceremony attended by the student body, family, friends, former students, and colleagues, a beautiful sign was unveiled. This sign will be prominently displayed on our playground. A series of pictures is available here.

Welcome Kindergarten Parents

2006-08-29T21:49:00.000-07:00

The attendance at the Arbor Heights Kindergarten Orientation this evening was amazing! Welcome to all the new (and returning) parents. We hope that the information you received tonight was helpful and you are excited about the school year. If you have any questions, don't hesitate to contact your PTSA representatives. We can help answer questions you may have.

To reiterate the website information, here are the useful links and what they mean:

The general Arbor Heights School Website is - http://www.arborheights.com. This website is maintained by teachers, students and parents alike.

The Arbor Heights PTSA Blog is - http://ahptsa.blogspot.com/. Here is where you will see announcements and PTSA meeting minutes.

The Arbor Heights PTSA WIKI is - http://arborheights.wikispaces.com/AHPTSA. This is where most of the PTSA information will be provided. Here you will find information on fundraisers, after school activities and other useful PTSA information.

The Arbor Heights PTSA Yahoo Group (email list) is - http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ahptsa/. This is how you join the AHPTSA email list and how you view prior email messages. Also the school calendar will reside here for the time being.

Please remember that this is the first year that we have had this kind of a internet presence. So it will be evolving over the year. If you have suggestions for improvement, don't hesitate to contact Tammy Wooley - PTSA co-secretary.

Arbor Heights School Supply List

2006-08-23T10:21:00.000-07:00

Here's the official list of what students are expected to bring for the 2006-07 school year. Parents should also check with classroom teachers to confirm (there may be individual classroom additions/deletions). Please note - not everything needs to come in on the first day :)

Arbor Heights Elementary School Supply List

Kindergarten: Backpack, 1 multi-pack glue sticks, 1 box back Sharpies, 1 box permanent markers, 1-4lb. Box of salt (for salt trays), 1 package washable markers, 1 box Crayola Write Start colored pencils (the BIG colored pencils, Office Depot and Michael’s carries them), 1 box of tissues, 1 box quart Ziplock bags, 1 box gallon Ziplock bags, 1 box 3 oz. Dixie Cups, 1 gallon Elmer’s Glue, 1 package sidewalk chalk, 1 large bottle of glitter, 1 large bottle of glitter glue, snacks to share (animal crackers, Ritz Crackers, Cheese It’s, graham crackers, Gold Fish, pretzels, Wheat Thins), 1 roll wax paper, colored tissue paper

First Grade: Backpack, 6 glue sticks, 1 dozen #2 pencils (sharpened), 2 pink pearl erasers, 4-70 page spiral notebooks (wide rule), water bottle, 1 box colored pencils, 1 box 24 count crayons, washable markers, 3 folders with pockets & brads, snacks to share (crackers, pretzels, goldfish….), 2 boxes of tissues, 2 reams of white copy paper, construction paper (mixed colors), 2 clear report covers with 3 brads

Second Grade: Backpack, 1 pencil box, 1 pair children’s scissors, 1 dozen #2 pencils (sharpened), 2 pink pearl erasers, 6 glue sticks, 2 bound composition notebooks, 2-70 page spiral notebooks (wide rule), water bottle, 1 box colored pencils, 1 box 24 count crayons, washable markers, 5 folders with pockets and brads, snacks to share (crackers, pretzels, goldfish….), 1 small bottle Elmer’s School Glue, 2 boxes of tissues, 2 reams of white copy paper

Third Grade: Backpack, 1-2” three ring binder, 2 packs ride ruled notebook paper, 1 dozen #2 pencils (sharpened), 2 wide rule spiral notebooks, 1 box of 48 count crayons, 1 box colored pencils (sharpened),1 package of washable markers, 1 pair or scissors, 3 glue sticks, 1 bottle Elmer’s School Glue, 1 pencil box, 1 water bottle (closeable top), 1 box of tissues, 1 ruler (inch/centimeter), 1 pink pearl eraser, 2 reams white copy paper, black and white speckled composition book

Fourth & Fifth Grades: Backpack, 2” three ring binder with dividers, water bottle, 4 glue sticks, scissors, pencil pouch (with 3 holes to fit in binder), 1 box colored pencil 24 count, 3 boxes tissues, simple calculator (+, -, x, --), 3-70 page spiral notebooks, 2 dozen #2 pencils (sharpened), 1 package notebook paper, 1 ruler (inch/centimeter), 2 reams white copy paper, black and white speckled composition book

Room 2: Backpack (large enough to fit 8 ½ x 11” folders), 6 glue sticks, 1 dozen #2 pencils (sharpened), 2 pink pearl erasers, 1 pair blunt end scissors, 1 box 24 count crayons, 1 package fat Crayola markers (different colors), 3 folders with pockets, snacks to share (microwave popcorn, graham crackers, Ritz Crackers), 2 boxes of tissues, 2 composition notebooks

Playground named after Jackie Keegan!

2006-08-16T21:07:00.000-07:00

News just in from the Seattle School Board meeting this evening:

They unanimously approved, 7-0, the naming of the Arbor Heights Elementary School playground after Jackie Keegan!

Stay tuned for details, a plaque is in the works, and a dedication ceremony will take place in the early fall at the school.

Back to School - Safeway 10% Back to Schools eScript Program

2006-07-26T22:15:00.000-07:00

Arbor Heights parents:

Hope you are having a great summer. Before you know it - it will be time to start preparing for a new school year. As you shop at Safeway for school supplies, etc., watch for the yellow school bus and use your Safeway club card. If you have already registered your Safeway club card with eScrip your 10% will automatically be given to the school. If not, you will get a coupon in September - bring it in to school before the deadline and our PTSA will benefit.

See you in September.

Talent Show Rescheduled - June 16th

2006-06-13T20:05:00.000-07:00

The Arbor Heights Talent Show for this year has been rescheduled, for Friday, June 16th, at 9:30 AM, in the cafeteria. There will be no evening performance, so everybody is invited to this one-and-only show! A note was sent home with students on June 13th.

Newsletter online, in print and podcast!

2006-06-11T09:38:00.000-07:00

The May edition of the Jr. Seahawk Newsletter is now online. It is available in print (pdf) and podcast (mp3). A nice way to enjoy the newsletter is to read along online or from a printed copy, while listening to the podcast.

The June edition will be a first for Arbor Heights - a podcast only version! It will be online in a couple of days, so keep an eye on this space for an announcement, or check in at www.arborheights.com

The reporters have done an exceptional job this year! (they get a party this Wed!)

Mark Ahlness
newsletter editor
teacher, grade 3

Talent Show Postponed

2006-06-08T22:15:00.000-07:00

The Arbor Heights Elementary Talent Show scheduled for Friday, June 9th, has been postponed. It will hopefully be rescheduled before the end of the school year. Stay tuned here, and watch for an announcement to be sent home in the next few days.

Meeting Minutes April 27, 2006

2006-05-18T10:07:00.000-07:00

Arbor Heights PTSA
General Meeting Minutes
April 27, 2006

Opening:
President Joe Sharp called the regular meeting of the Arbor Heights PTSA to order at 7:06 p.m. on April 27, 2006 in the school cafeteria. This is the second to last PTSA meeting for the school year. There is a lot that needs to be covered in May, such as elections, approval of the budget and more. Please make sure you attend this very important meeting.

Ms. Freeman has the applications for the Golden Acorn award in the office. Please take the time to nominate a deserving staff member or volunteer. The deadline for nominating candidates will be in next week’s bulletin.

The Art Auction was a great success. Thank you to everyone who worked so hard to make it a fun night.

The minutes for the March meeting are approved as written. The minutes can be found on the PTSA blog.

Arbor Heights Principal Report-Dr. Coram (5 min):
Dr. Coram was not in attendance; she was supporting the Global Reading Challenge team. Her typed contribution, which we received the next day, is attached to the minutes.

Popcorn count: Ms. Boitano’s class wins the popcorn party for the class.

PTSA Treasurer Report-Curt Knox (5 min):
The Art Auction was financially successful. We budgeted $2,500 and grossed $3,800.

We may fall short by about $1,300 on our fund raising primarily due to Popcorn sales expenses. The popcorn machine has needed repairs and other expenses. We will probably cover this by a lack of spending.

Teachers should use the $250.00 that is budgeted to them for school supplies and other expenditures. Turn in receipts to the PTSA.

We need to get more people to join the PTSA.

Young Authors T shirt money is not coming in. We need as much as we can through donations.

Upcoming Events/Fundraising-Cori Roed (5 min):
Plant sale ends May 5th. May 6th is the “day of” sale to buy plants at the school. Bags of compost are being donated by Cedar Grove. The 5th graders will help distribute to those purchasing. All monies from the sale of compost will go to the 5th grade camp.

There is a shortage of money for 5th Grade Camp. Money is not coming in from the parents. Questions were asked such as “Should the deadline for when the money needs to be in be enforced” and “Should there be an open end on scholarship money”. Should we vote for this to be a line item again? Curt brought up the fact that we need a clear idea of what money has been collected and who needs scholarships. Only then will the PTSA be able to provide additional funding. The 5th grade room parents should call parents to help remind them to get their money in.

The School Carnival is June 10th from 3-6 pm. A PTSA table will be set up to help sign up new member for next year.

Elected and Volunteer positions (5 min):
The PTSA President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer are all the elected positions. If you want to run, think about it now. Cori will be stepping down from the Fundraising Chair position, so we will need a new Fundraising Chair. The current board members are willing to run another year, but if others are interested, prepare to run.

Play Court Bird Abatement (5 min):
Fred Stephens says Bird Busters should be handling the bird issue. We need to keep on top of this.

Street Improvement Project (5 min):
We are still working on this. There is no new news as of yet.

Addition: Seattle Transportation’s Pedestrian Program works to improve pedestrian safety and to encourage more walking by proving the facilities need to walk comfortably. Contact their web site for more info: http://www.ci.seattle.wa.us/transportation/
2005majorconstructionlist.htm.

Barnes and Noble Fundraiser (5 min):
Here’s a new idea for a fundraiser. Barnes and Noble will give out certificates (day of the Carnival), which could be used at the bookstore, and a portion of the proceeds would go to Arbor Heights. The certificates could only be use for one day only (the Sunday after the Carnival). This was voted on and approved.

Question - Can a portion go to the purchaser as an incentive?
Answer – It is something to ask Barnes and Noble, but probably not.

New Business:
Teacher Appreciation week is coming up. We need to consider the Bilingual community when putting information in the bulletin about this. Many folks are not getting the information because of a language barrier.

Question - Should there be an assembly to thank the kid for all their effort in fundraising this year?
Answer - The idea of having the Reptile Man come to the assembly as well as putting on a show that same night was posed.

We need someone to head the Young Authors Tee shirt and showcase for next year.

Learning for Life-Michael Morrison (20-30 min):
This program teaches kids how to cooperate and work together. It addresses character development. Program leaders come to classrooms for 45 min and use a designed curriculum focusing on social skills. They play games; teach relaxation skills and communication skills. The cost is $5 per child. (5*180) for Arbor Heights.
We played 3 games that they use in classrooms designed to teach communication skills.
The Boy Scouts of America, United Way, Annual Breakfast, and donations from groups like the PTSA fund this program.

The PTSA will contribute towards this worthwhile program.

Closing:
Idea forms will be in the office and in the bulletin. If anyone would like to run for office, next month is the time to do it. Fundraising Chair is still needed. The regular meeting of the Arbor Heights PTSA wrapped up at 8:12 pm.

PTSA Meeting May 18

2006-05-16T16:11:00.000-07:00

Agenda for meeting

Opening Comments / Minutes Approval - Joe Sharp (5 min):
Arbor Heights Principal Report / Popcorn Party Attendance - Dr. Coram (5 min)
PTSA Treasurer Report / review and approve 2006-2007 PTSA budget - Curt Knox (15 min)
PTSA Fundraising Chair Report and Upcoming Events - Cori Roed (5 min)
Golden Acorn - Cori Roed / Joe Sharp (5 min)
PTSA Board Elections and Volunteer / Fundraising / Communication Chairs - Joe Sharp (20 min)
Feet First (http://www.feetfirst.info/) - "walking school-bus" program (http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/education/
2002960404_walking29m.html) - Cori Roed (5 min)
Street Improvement Project - Greg Izzo (5 min)
Barnes and Noble Fund raiser - Mary Kenny (5 min)
New Business (5 min)
Closing

Regarding School Closure and Consolidation

2006-05-16T16:02:00.000-07:00

On Wed, May 17 at 5:30, at the administration center on 3rd and Lander, the advisory committee will be releasing their first round of suggested closures. We encourage Arbor Heights parents to show, for the first hour, and hold up signs in support of Arbor Heights.

MAY MEETING SCHEDULE CHANGES
Regarding School Closure and Consolidation
The Community Advisory Committee (CAC) on School Facilities and Programs announced an updated schedule for the second round of Town Hall meetings to discuss school consolidation and closure.

"The discussion on school consolidation and closure is extremely important,"
said co-chairs Ken Alhadeff and Mona Bailey. "The community has been very helpful in providing input to the CAC. In order to thoughtfully consider the full range of community comments, the CAC has decided to deliberate for an additional week before presenting preliminary recommendations to the community."

The CAC heard a tremendous amount of feedback from the community during the Town Hall meetings held in April. More than 650 parents, teachers, and interested community members participated, contributed comments and shared their ideas.

The next five Town Hall meetings in May will provide additional opportunities for the community to give input on specific recommendations before the CAC makes its final recommendations to the Superintendent. Their recommendations will affect school closures and consolidations for the 2007-08 school year.

The previous meeting dates on May 11, May 13 (morning and afternoon), May 15 and May 17 have been cancelled.

The new May meeting dates are:
Saturday, May 20
3:30 p.m. to 5:30 p.m.
Madison Middle School
Commons area
3429 - 45th Ave. SW

Monday, May 22
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Aki Kurose Middle School
Cafeteria
3928 South Graham Street

Tuesday, May 23
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Meany Middle School
Cafeteria
301 - 21st Ave. East

Wednesday, May 24
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Hamilton International Middle School
Cafeteria
1610 North 41st Street

Thursday, May 25 for the bilingual community
6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m.
Aki Kurose Middle School
Cafeteria
3928 South Graham Street

The committee will submit its recommendations to Superintendent Raj Manhas on May 30. Based on the committee’s proposal, the Superintendent will develop his official preliminary closure recommendations. The School Board will take final action on the proposal at the end of July. More information can be found at www.seattleschools.org or call the hotline at 206-252-0600. If you cannot attend the Town Hall meetings, but would like to comment, please email cac@seattleschools.org or write Mail Stop 11-010, PO Box 34165, Seattle, WA 98124-1165.

Meeting Minutes March 23, 2006

2006-04-26T17:55:00.000-07:00

Arbor Heights PTSA
General Meeting Minutes
March 23, 2006

Opening:
The regular meeting of the Arbor Heights PTSA was called to order at 7:04 p.m. on March 23, 2006 in the school cafeteria by President Joe Sharp.

PTSA President Welcome – Joe Sharp:
Joe thanked Ben Ibale for being here to talk about Flight program.

There are two more general PTSA meetings before elections.

The minutes for the February meeting are approved as amended. The minutes are on the PTSA blog (http://ahptsa.blogspot.com/2006/04/meeting-minutes-february-16-2006.html).

Arbor Heights Principal Report - Dr. Coram (5 min):
WASL - It is WASL time. The tests will be administrated the week after spring break. If kids are absent, there will be “make up” days. If the child doesn’t complete the test or the makeup, they will count against the final count.

Learning for Life – anti bullying program. The PTA typically donates $500 towards this program.

March 30, there is a fund raising breakfast. Dr. Coram will attend.

Tullys Coffee House - April 18 will be the next Tully’s coffee house. There will be one more in May. Hopefully the kindergarteners will be able to participate at this time.

Raj Manhas at West Seattle Tullys - The school superintendent, Raj Manhas, will be talking at Tullys on April 21st. Instrumental music will play there.

On April 25 at 3:45 our staff will go to the Roxhill lunchroom to meet Karla regarding Chief Academic. Dr. Coram will check if parents can attend.

Bilinqual dinner - On May 4th, 6-7:30 there will be a bilingual dinner - Mr Gandalphi (bi-lingual).

Popcorn count – Mr Wilkie’s class wins the popcorn party for the class.

PTSA Treasurer Report – Curt Knox (5 min):
We hit all our numbers. We are getting additional cash donations and matching. We are doing fine. Target money is going directly to the Self Help fund.

We still collect receipts from Thriftway or Metropolitan Market (1%).

Bingo Night (under community outreach), just under $600 was raised and around $300 was spent. This was a successful event.

Upcoming Events / Fundraising / Art Auction – Cori Roed (5 min):
Barnes and Noble – book sales
Escript (1% back) - $130 came in. Reminder to register your Safeway club card either online (http://www.escrip.com/), by phone or on the form (Cori has the form).
Art auction (April 20th). They can use additional volunteers.
Plant sale – April 7th. Compost being donated (already bagged). The 5th graders can help distribute to purchasers.

Elected and Volunteer positions (5 min):
The PTSA President, Vice President, Secretary and Treasurer are all the elected positions. If you want to run, start thinking about it now. Cori will be stepping down from the Fundraising Chair position, so we will need a new Fundraising Chair. The current board members are willing to run another year, but if others are interested, prepare to run.

Play Court Bird Abatement (5 min):
The pigeons were trapped. The finches are still a problem and two new pigeons have moved in. Joe will contact Richard Staut at the school district to find out what else is being done.

Addition: Joe followed up and learned that the school district has hired “Bird Busters” to handle the bird problem.

Street Improvement Project (5 min):
The Seattle Transportation Department has a two phase proposal for installing a curb along SW 104th street, from the school up to the stop sign and from the school down to 35th. The PTSA will consider donating $2,000 towards the effort (will need to be voted on). The neighbors are in favor of this improvement. Signatures were collected at the meeting.

Addition: Seattle Transportation's Pedestrian Program works to improve pedestrian safety and to encourage more walking by providing the facilities needed to walk comfortably. http://www.ci.seattle.wa.us/transportation/
2005majorconstructionlist.htm

New Business (5 min):
High school tutors – Could something be set up for after school? Dr. Coram will check with high schools and Kristin Moe will find out how large the need is. Kristin will put a notice in the bulletin (call Kristin Moe if interested).

Who would like to pilot a “fee based” after school chess program?

New Math Series - Sometime in May, a meeting will be held at Arbor Heights to talk about the new math series being proposed. Child care will be available (paid by PTSA).

Spanish languages – We have someone interested to start teaching Spanish in the spring. More to come.

Flight Program – Ben Ibale (15 min)
New Horizons for Learning – Research from this project being used to create the Flight program. Schools with family involvement outshine schools with non-family involvement. An Involved community fosters a healthy school.

The flight program will apply to Sealth, Denny and all the associated elementary schools.

1. Parent engagement – Home visits; open ended conversations asking questions like aspirations for children. Teacher training Aug 21 & 22; Aug 23 – Sept 30 home visits; most will occur before school starts.

2. Curriculum – Academic freedom to develop programs. Working with other teachers to share best practices.

3. Professional Learning Communities – Respecting community in the building. Dialogs with teaching peers.

Rainier Beach has started this program already (Flight 1). It has been beneficial to both the parents and the teachers. There are different cultures. It helps to learn about kids by understanding their families.

The home visit will be with one School staff person, not necessarily the child’s teacher. Each staff person will have 8 – 10 home visits assigned. The home visit will hopefully develop a relationship between the family and the school. Also, hopefully the home visit will encourage increased involvement with the school community.

This isn’t a WASL driven program. It came from the teacher’s union and the school district. It provides some RIF protection.

Questions and Answers:
Q. Teachers need to spend ¼ of their summer doing this. Is this fair?

Q. Mandated at this school – does this school really need it?

Q. Why spend money on a program like this (that may not be needed) when the school district is looking at closing schools?

Q. Can’t we put the money into something more important like a full time librarian?

Q. We have a very strong community. Why do we need this?
A. Each school is different. Perhaps use an “opening event” in lieu of the home visits.

Q. What do teachers think of this program?
A. David Wilkie – likes many of the ideas, but not all. He doesn’t like how the teachers are being told they have to do this program. Teachers will want to do more, in order to touch base with their students.

Q. Why will teachers have to leave if they don’t want to participate?
A. When starting this program, the schools were selected based on a set of criteria. There was a meeting where the School board, the teacher’s union and teachers discussed the challenges the schools face. More money will be going to the schools (mostly from grants). The “CERT”s survey did not include any info on flight. A draft was sent out to all teachers and then passed at a ratification meeting (representatives attending from each school).

Q. Two of the three pieces make sense. So the mandate for teachers visiting parents is the primary issue with us.

Q. Is there someone in the district who we can call or email to get these questions answered?
A. There are two people – Pat Sander (psander@seattleschools.org) and Ben Ibale (bibale@washingtonea.org).

Q. How will parents be informed? Will the school district communicate with all parents via a mailing?

Q. We, the parents, would like to have an opportunity to talk. Can that happen?

Q. If the teachers make up a plan, what is the chance that it will be turned down? Can we focus on the new parents?

Q. Are the home visits required?

A. There is a March 28 meeting where they are talking about how this program will work.

There are two committees – the BLT (building leadership team) which has “a parent” and the Flight committee which is led by Ms Van Dyke.

Closing:
The regular meeting of the Arbor Heights PTSA wrapped up at 8:30 p.m.

PTSA Meeting April 27

2006-04-23T22:22:00.000-07:00

Agenda for meeting:
Opening Remarks – Joe (5 min)
Principal Report / Popcorn Party Attendance - Dr. Coram (5 min)
Finance – Curt (5 min)
Fundraising and Upcoming Events – Cori (5 min)
Project Idea List (vote on projects at May meeting); Reminder of PTSA Elections in May – Joe (5 min)
Play Court Bird Abatement – Joe (5 min)
Street Improvement Project – Cori (5 min) - Can we get the parent who is actually instrumental in making this happen to talk?
Barnes and Noble Fund raiser – Mary Kenny (5 min)
New Business - Joe (5 min)
Schools First – ??? (5 min)
Learning for Life - Michael Morrison (20 - 30 min)
Closing

Meeting Minutes February 16, 2006

2006-04-23T22:14:00.000-07:00

Arbor Heights PTSA
General Meeting Minutes
February 16, 2006

Opening/Minutes Approval:
President Joe Sharp called to order the general meeting of the Arbor Heights PTSA at 7:05 p.m., February 16, 2006 in the school cafeteria. Anna George moved to pass the January minutes and Benita Buchanan seconded the motion. The minutes were approved.

Arbor Heights Principal Report-Dr. Coram:
Today was the 100th day of school. The next coffee house reading at Tully’s will be on Feb 28th from 6:30-7:30. There will be two more in April and May.

The last day of Kindergarten tours did very well and parents were impressed with the writing curriculum. They were also very happy about the coffee house readings and Monday Morning meetings.

We will receive the budget allotment predicting next year’s enrollment on Friday. Many schools may have lower enrollment district wide due to the fact that more families are moving out of the district.

Macy’s downtown will host a luncheon to recognize students for their hard work and effort in school.

Flight schools: The Seattle District is working to bring together High schools, middle schools and elementary schools (Sealth, Denny, Arbor Heights, etc…) to build a community of teachers and parents. Staff members will do home visits to parents to help bridge the gap between family and schools. Some concern was expressed over the district mandating home visits. Arbor Heights is working to conform this to fit our own community. A union representative will come out soon to speak and answer questions.

Classroom attendance was taken and Ms. Long's classroom with get the popcorn party.

PTSA Treasurer Report: Joe Sharp (speaking for Curt Knox): Doing Fine!

PTSA Fundraising: Friday March 3rd is Arbor Heights Bingo at 6:30.

Art Auction is April 20th. April PTSA meeting will be April 27th. The question was brought up in regards to when the deadline is for donating art to the auction.

Plant sale is coming up in March through April.

Absence False Alarms: This has happened a few times and has been brought up in staff meetings. If a student comes late to the classroom, the student needs to go to the office to get a late pass. The teacher must be asked to make sure that the student is not there. If this happens again, make sure to talk to Dr. Coram.

Play Court and Street improvement: Dr. Coram has talked to Fred Stevens at the district regarding the play court. A company called Bird Busters will be putting bird screening up to keep the birds from nesting and landing.

Street improvement: This is not a line item on our budget. The board will propose a budget change to mandate $1500 for the use of placing barriers in the street. A vote to place this in the budget as a line item was taken and the vote passed unanimously.

New Business: Dr. Coram spoke about the problem of students going home with other students after school with out the permission or knowledge of the parents. A student went home with another person with out the permission of the other parent and this caused a panic. For a few hours, a mom did not know where her child was. Dr. Coram stressed how important good communication between parents and the school regarding this issue. An announcement will be placed in the bulletin.

No I/pods or game boys should be brought to school because of problems with kids being robbed.

Lost and found, could there be a better place for this? Can we use some of the clothes in lost and found for our emergency kit?

Emergency containers may need new water and food.

Grassy knoll will need mulch.

Closing: The general meeting of the Arbor Heights PTSA wrapped up at 8:30.
8:30 Meeting Adjourned-Joe Sharp.

Art Auction coming on April 20!

2006-04-10T17:34:00.000-07:00

The Sacred Mask
Originally uploaded by mahlness.

A sample of some of the incredible student artwork for sale:

"The Sacred Mask" - One of five group sculptures, made by the third graders in Room 12.

Student Newsletter Podcast!

2006-04-03T23:07:00.000-07:00

Hi Arbor Heights Parents,
The first podcast edition (March, 2006) of the Jr. Seahawk Newsletter is now online! The "oldest continuously published elementary school student newspaper on the Internet", this newsletter has been online at www.arborheights.com since 1994. Click on the icon below to listen. If you'd like to read along, visit the school web site to print/read it in pdf format. - Mr. Ahlness