Thornton Creek Digest

Welcome Back and Happy 2026 to You All!

Students and teachers have been sharing reflections on restful breaks filled with family, friends, and meaningful downtime. Those moments away seemed to recharge everyone and set a positive tone for our return. The excitement of reconnecting on Monday was clear, and we’ve enjoyed getting back into the groove of our Thornton Creek community.

One important update for the new year is Open Enrollment for Seattle Public Schools.

Students currently in grades K–4 at Thornton Creek will be automatically re-enrolled for next year—no action is needed. All families with children eligible for Kindergarten in the 2026–2027 school year, including current TC Preschool families, must register with Seattle Public Schools and select the School Choice option for Thornton Creek in order to attend. The Seattle Public Schools Open Enrollment link can be found in the calendar below.

And while you’re checking that link, be sure to keep going down the calendar—we have so many exciting events coming up in the weeks before Mid-Winter Break in February, including our 3rd–5th Grade Talent Show, the Global Reading Challenge, and our Annual Chess Tournament.

Please join me tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. for our Community Coffee—a chance to connect with fellow families and hear more about these exciting events from parents who have enjoyed them in years past. A huge thank-you to TCPG for providing coffee and donuts!

I am so glad to be back together.

With a Smile,
Brandee

January

• Open Enrollment Period - Jan 31 | Our District manages the enrollment process
• Thurs 8 | Coffee with Ms. Spencer | 8 a.m. | All Parents and Guardians welcome
• Fri 9 | Sign up Deadline for Talent Night Grades 3- 5 | Sign up online for Talent Night
• Sat 10 | Open Enrollment Fair | District Office | 10 a.m.- 2 p.m. | John Stanford Center
• Wed 14 | Honoring Dr. Martin Luther King Jr | Assembly 8:10 a.m.
• Wed 14 | Thornton Creek School Tour | 9:30-10:30 a.m. | Volunteers Needed for School Tours
• Thurs 15 | Eckstein Middle School Open House | 6-7:30 p.m.
• Sat 17 | Talent Night Rehearsal at Thornton Creek | 9 a.m.-2 p.m. | Volunteers Needed for Talent Night Rehearsal
• Thurs 22 | Thornton Creek School Tour | 6-6:45 p.m. | Volunteers Needed for School Tours
• Sat 24 | Talent Night Rehearsal at Thornton Creek | 9 a.m.-2 p.m. | Volunteers Needed for Talent Night Rehearsal
• Fri 30 | Ultimate Frisbee Interest Survey Due | More information Below
• Sat 31 | Talent Night Rehearsal at Thornton Creek | 9 a.m.-2 p.m. | Volunteers Needed for Talent Night Rehearsal

February

• Week of Feb 2 | Black Lives Matter at School Week
• Thurs 5 | Global Reading Competition
• Thurs 5 | Talent Night Dress Rehearsal at Thornton Creek | 5:30 p.m. | Volunteers Needed for Talent Night Dress Rehearsal
• Fri 6 | Talent Night at Thornton Creek | 6-8:30 p.m. | Volunteers Needed for Talent Night
• Sat 7 | TCPG Dragonfly Cup Chess Tournament | K-6 | 9 a.m. | Sign Up to Participate in the Dragonfly Cup Chess Tournament
• Week of Feb 9 | Spirit Week
• Fri 13 | Last day before break | Regular 2:25 p.m. Dismissal
• Week of Feb 16 | Mid Winter Break | No School
• Mon 23 | Back to School | 7:55 a.m. Start Time
• Tues 24 | Community Meeting at Thornton Creek | 7 p.m. (Adult only event)
• Fri 27 | Artifact Day and Connected In Cultures Potluck | 6:30 p.m. | Details to come

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Our lost and found from before December 15 is in front of the school building. Items will be donated on Friday, January 9.

All items lost from December 15 and into the new year will remain where they are.

We appreciate and welcome your donations of non-allergen tissues and snacks for students. Thank you so much and Happy New Year!

TCPG is sponsoring a Chess Tournament on Saturday, February 7 at 9 a.m. for Kindergarten through 6th graders. The ost is $35 dollars with proceeds going to the TCPG to support Thornton Creek. If you need assistance with the entry fee, scholarships are available.

Please sign up early before spots are gone!! This is a great beginner chess tournament for new students as well as casual players. Let's get a lot of students to sign up and win TC a chess trophy in our inaugural competition!!

Sign up for volunteering will come out soon!

Please contact Corissa Allyn, TCPG Hospitality Chair at hospitality@thorntoncreekparentgroup.org with any questions.

A committed group of adults is pulling together the details for TC 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade Ultimate Frisbee teams this Spring. We plan to hold practices once per week at the Thornton Creek field; games will be on Saturdays starting March 7 through May 9. Ultimate is a wonderful sport that has an incredible spirit of the game creating a welcoming and inclusive opportunity for all.

Please express your child’s interest in playing with this survey by January 30. We hope to accommodate all, but please recognize that if interest is high enough we’ll need additional coaching support and may run into field space issues. Elementary teams are composed of a mixed-gender team of five players on the field with minimum two girls playing at all times. If you are willing to help coach this season, please indicate that in the survey.

For everything you need to know about enrolling in Seattle Public Schools and choosing Thornton Creek as your "School Choice" please visit our District Website to learn more about School Choice.

To summarize:

• Students are assigned to their attendance area school (not Thornton Creek).
• Families must apply to Thornton Creek through the "Open Enrollment for School Choice Process." This includes families with students in our current PreSchool cohort.
• An application to a Choice School does not guarantee an assignment.
• To apply, submit a "School Choice form" via the Source between January 5 and January 31.
• Families new to SPS will be able to submit their School Choice request with their registration.

To view everything you need to know about applying to Thornton Creek please visit our District Website to learn how to apply to Thornton Creek.