November 10 Owl Post

STEM Multicultural Night is this week! If I asked my son what food represented our family's culture, I wouldn't be surprised if he answered Costco Food Court Pizza. That's not what I grew up eating. I was raised on stews and meatloaves (I'm a vegetarian now) which is connected to my Irish roots. If the week allows it, I am going to bring a bean casserole dish to STEM's Multicultural Night. It is one of my favorites and I am looking forward to sharing it with those of you able to attend this Thursday's Multicultural Night. The event will be from 6-7:30 p.m. and there is more information below. If you are able to bring a dish to share with the community, fill out the following form.

Thank you to the PTA for holding an event to raise money for STEM at Ounces this week. I dropped by for an hour which was long enough to have a drink and receive a beautiful tile made by a STEM student. This community sure does a wonderful job taking care of their people.

A reminder: This week will have a strange rhythm. There will be no school on Tuesday as we observe Veterans Day.

Have a great week!

Adrienne

The SPS Enrollment team is hosting community information sessions to help answer questions about

The enrollment process
The new School Choice lottery timeline
Understanding school choice options and eligibility

There will be five in-person and three virtual sessions to make it easy for every family to participate.

In-Person School Events (5:30–7 p.m.)

Thursday, Nov. 13 – Roxhill Elementary
Tuesday, Nov. 18 – South Shore PreK–8
Thursday, Nov. 20 – Licton Springs K–8
Tuesday, Dec. 2 – Leschi Elementary
Thursday, Dec. 4 – John Rogers Elementary

Virtual Outreach Events

Links will be provided soon.

Wednesday, Nov. 12, 6-7 p.m.
Tuesday, Dec. 9, 6 -7 p.m.
Thursday, Jan. 15, 2026, 7-8 p.m.

Districtwide Enrollment Events

Annual Enrollment Fair at JSCEE
Saturday, Jan. 10, 2026, 10 a.m.–2 p.m.
Learn about schools, programs, and services across the district.
Saturday Registration Fair
Saturday, Jan. 31, 2026 | 9 a.m.–3 p.m.
John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence
Get hands-on help with enrollment and school choice application.

Questions? Contact Faauu Manu, Director Enrollment & Planning Services, fmmanu@seattleschools.org

Seattle Public Schools delivered food boxes to our school at the end of the day on Friday. We will have them available for pickup this Monday. For those of you that would like to reserve a box, please fill out this form. All remaining boxes will be handed out First Come - First Served.

One box per family
Each box weighs about 19.5 lbs and has a mix of food items
Available for up to seven weeks, while supplies last
Pickup days and times will be announced each week.

Thank you

All students at STEM receive one free breakfast and lunch per day- vegetarian options daily!

The Cafeteria is open at 8:35 a.m. to serve breakfast daily
Students can check-in with any adult in the Cafeteria to navigate breakfast & lunch service

By filling out the The School Meals Application, it helps our school receive federal and state funding. It does more than just support our cafeteria. Please fill out!

🍎Free fruit at the West Seattle Farmers Market, 11/16! Collins Family Orchards is donating 200 lbs of fresh fruit for anyone who needs it at upcoming local Farmers Markets.

Please reach out to our school Social Worker, Dana Fink, for direct support and resources: dmfink@seattleschools.org

School Menus

Seattle Public Schools, in partnership with PEPS, is offering a free four-part virtual workshop series for parents and caregivers of students ages 10–19.

These engaging 90-minute sessions are designed to help families better understand and support their teens during adolescence. Topics include adolescent brain development, navigating social challenges, effective communication, and more.

Families can attend any or all the workshops based on their interests and availability. Live captioning is provided, and all sessions are held virtually via Zoom.

We encourage principals to share these flyers with families and promote this valuable opportunity within their school communities.

Contact: Lisa Davidson, Manager of Prevention & Intervention, lmdavidson@seattleschools.org

Yuen Lui Studio will photograph makeup and retake photos at Louisa Boren STEM K-8 on Friday, November 14

Missed picture day? Students who missed the October picture day should plan on getting a photo taken on November 14. Families can preorder photos here: 2025-26 Louisa Boren STEM K-8 Make-up/ Retake Pre-payments 11/14
Preordered photos and would like a retake? students can return their portrait package to the photographer on 11/14 in exchange for a complimentary retake and a replacement will be shipped to the school at no charge; please note that the retake photo replaces the picture day photo for both PowerSchool and the yearbook
View and order photos from picture day

Order School Photos — Yuen Lui School & Sports Photography
Keyword: Louisa Boren
Oline Code: Student's SPS School ID Number

November

11-10: WSFB Drive & Giving Tree Kick-off (details below!)

11-11: Veterans Day No School
11-13: The Source: Family Workshop 5:30-6 p.m. in the STEM Library
11-13: Cultural Night 6-7:30 p.m. in the STEM Cafeteria (See flyer for more info & sign up to bring a dish to share and serve at Cultural Night)

11-14: Picture Retakes at STEM (See above information)
11-20: November General PTA Meeting & Movie Night 6/6:30-8 p.m. (details below!)

Week of 11-25: No school- Parent Teacher Conferences

Link to SPS School Calendar

Middle School Families! A great way to have a window into your child's experience is by logging into The Source. Last week, I signed in and saw that my son had a C in Language Arts. I was able to look at his teacher's grade book and see that he hadn't turned in all of his assignments. Together, we are working to improve his grade. It is important that parents have access to this information. Currently, only 50 middle school families have signed onto this platform. At 5:30p.m. on November 13th (before Culture Night), I will be hosting a Source workshop. We will have laptops and I will be able to access your login information. I have a goal of making sure that all families access this tool by the end of the school year. More information about The Source below.

The Source is Seattle Public Schools’ online communication tool that allows parents, guardians and students access to schedules, attendance, assessment scores, and more. RIght now, less than half of our Middle School families have signed on to The Source this year.

Below are some links to some tutorials about The Source.

An evening to celebrate our community, together! Sign up to bring an optional dish to share and serve at Cultural Night. Hope to see you there Owls!

The week of November 24, there will be no school. Teachers will be meeting with families to discuss student progress on the 24 and 25th of November. Be on the lookout for an invite from your teacher. Our goal at STEM is to meet with every family. Parents are a child's first teacher and we couldn't do what we do without the support of you and our greater community. If you do not hear from the school about scheduling a time to meet by the 10 of November, reach out to the front office so we can make sure we have the correct contact information.

Attendance: One of the most important things your student can do to achieve academic success-being at school each day! Regular attendance and arriving on time are key for your student's academic success. Studies have proven that these two factors play a crucial role. Missing class not only affects your student but also disrupts the entire class. It's important for the teacher and the class to make progress, which is challenging when students are frequently absent or late. We appreciate your partnership in our mission to support your student's education and success.

For students with 3 or more unexcused absences, the school will be connecting with you to understand barriers, and come up with plans to support.

Visitors Check in with the Office

If you have to come into the building for some reason, you will need to check in with the front office. All visitors in the building should have an visitor sticker or lanyard. There is a new kiosk to help us keep track of all of the wonderful people that are passing through.

STEM loves volunteers! Opportunities range from recess help, classroom organizers, 1:1 tutoring sessions, field trips, Enrichment parent chaperones and more! Before volunteering can begin, paperwork needs to be filled out and a background check completed through SPS. This process can take up to 3 weeks. Interested? Please contact our Office Assistant, Leo, to get the ball rolling.

I shared the staff shout-outs that families/caregivers sent my way about our staff. They were wonderful! If you would like to recognize a teacher or a staff member, I will share your comments in the staff bulletin for all of our staff to see. It is a wonderful way to help staff feel celebrated for the work that they do. Recognize a teacher or staff member!

West Seattle Food Bank Drive

STEM is hosting a food drive for the West Seattle Food Bank, starting Today! Please see for details on donation items needed.

Drop off bin will be located just inside the front doors of STEM.

Giving Tree

Giving Tree is lead by school Social Worker, Dana Fink, with support from the STEM PTA. Donations will go directly towards providing STEM students and families items to meet their basic needs; needs that include comfort, dignity and a sense of belonging to an inclusive learning community that welcomes and cares for ALL of our students. With help, we will be able to provide needed food, warm clothing, hygiene products, cleaning supplies including dish soap and laundry detergent- items that don't cost a lot, but are necessary to our students' health and well-being. No donation is too small. Please to contribute to Giving Tree.

Additional Resources

Resources available now and please reach out to our school Social Worker, Dana Fink, for direct support: dmfink@seattleschools.org

Ounces was a hit!

Thank you to everyone who came down to Ounces Saturday for our STEM Day event- we had a great turnout and made some new friends from the neighborhood! Special thanks to Girls Rock Math for joining us, all the parents who helped run the event and to Ounces and Burbs Burgers for donating a % of sales back to our school! See everyone at the next STEM Day at Ounces!!

Enrichment Feedback!

Our Enrichment team is looking for feedback and suggestions for future programing. Share your thoughts, thank you!

Questions: enrichment@stemk8pta.org

📆 Save the Dates!

November General PTA Meeting- Thursday 11/20, 6:30-8 p.m.: All are welcome to discuss the year and participate in important discussions that help shape our school support! Meetings are in the STEM Library or via Zoom. Join the Zoom meeting. Hope to see you there! executiveboard@stemk8pta.org
November Movie Night- Thursday11/20 @ 6 p.m.: To benefit STEM's Giving Tree. Join us to watch the animated How to Train Your Dragon, suggested donation of $5-$10 for entry + snacks. We're hoping for LARGE community participation to support STEM families through these incredibly tough times right now. Volunteer and snack donation opportunities- thank you!
December Movie Night- Friday 12/12 @ 6 p.m.: To benefit the 5th grade camp field trip to Islandwood, showing KPop Demon Hunters!
Staff Appreciation- Wednesday 12/17: Help celebrate our amazing staff with yummy food and treats! Signup Genius to come. staffappreciation@stemk8pta.org

* View our calendar here for up-to-date PTA & school events *

Lost & Found!

STEM's Lost & Found is filling up. Please check out the racks just inside the front door of school when you are in the building- or if your family is missing anything!

Join the PTA here- for Free!

Join the PTA Leadership Team!

Current Full Board open positions: Co-Race, Equity & Inclusion, Co-LGBTQ+, Membership, Field Trip Coordinator (grades 5-8) and Garden Club Coordinator. We're looking to grow our Fundraising Committee! If you'd like to join us for one or a few fundraising efforts this year, or have ideas you'd like to share, let us know! Please reach out to executiveboard@stemk8pta.org for additional info on these roles or with interest.

Updated PTA & school activities, contacts for our Executive & Full Board, our PTA's Mission & Values, financial details, ways to support our PTA, updated Enrichment info, tours & Open Enrollment details and MORE!

🦉 stemk8pta.org | Facebook | Instagram | communications@stemk8pta.org

STEM partners with the YMCA to provide an on-site before and after school program. Additional YMCA before and after school information or contact our Site Director, Anna Hofmann, at ahofmann@seattleymca.org.

Principal: Adrienne Ollerenshaw amollerensha@seattleschools.org

Assistant Principal: Andrea Stowell anstowell@seattleschools.org

Administrative Secretary: Latisha Ellis ljellis@seattleschools.org

Office Assistant: Leo Shaugnhessy mrshaughness@seattleschools.org

School Social Worker: Dana Fink dmfink@seattleschools.org