Thornton Creek Digest

Happy Friday, Thornton Creek!

What a beautiful week we've had as we get closer to closing out October. Our 5th graders were lucky enough to enjoy it at Camp Seymour this week, and what an adventure they had. From ziplining and dissecting squid to creating skits and canoeing, they got the full camp experience. They even spotted bald eagles flying low and an orca breaching as they crossed the Narrows! Be sure to check out a few photos below from their time at camp.

Thank you to all the families who joined us Tuesday evening for our Kids and Technology Community Meeting! We had a wonderful turnout for our first meeting and are excited to see how these opportunities for learning, conversation, and connection continue to grow throughout the school year.

Next week brings one of our beloved Thornton Creek traditions, Harvest Festival! Hosted by our 4th and 5th graders, students in K–5 will change into their costumes in the afternoon and parade around campus before enjoying games and activities created by our older students.

Please take a moment to read the SPS costume guidance below. And don't forget, if you have costumes to share or are looking for one, TCPG has set up a costume trunk just outside the front office!

Wishing everyone a wonderful weekend.

Brandee

As some of us prepare for Halloween and other fall festivities, please be mindful of religious, cultural, and ethnic differences within our community. Please be mindful that ethnic and cultural clothing might have religious or spiritual significance and should not be used if it is not within your own culture.

Cultural appropriation perpetuates inaccurate stereotypes around people of color and reinforces who has power to choose what cultural components outside of their own can be consumed for their own entertainment.

When these inaccurate stereotypes are perpetuated, they create offensive, hostile, and uncomfortable conditions for our diverse communities. While appreciation of food, cultural experiences, and language are acceptable, appropriating clothing that is not representative of individual’s self-identity should not be done.

School Forms

School forms are available on our website.

While all forms and information are important, we want to call your attention to a few of them:

1. FERPA: Directory Information, District Photography and Video Opt Out | We need this form returned only if you choose Option B
2. Housing Questionnaire – McKinney-Vento Program | Supports families experiencing homelessness
3. Indian Education Program, Native Education | This form needs to be filed out if you have a Native Student, not previously enrolled

Oct

• Tues 27 | Author Leslie Barnard Booth School Visit | 8:30 AM | (see below in From The Library)
• Tues 27 | Superintendent Community Engagement Meeting (see below in From The Office)
• Fri 30 | Harvest Festival | 12 Noon | Sign Up to Help
• Fri 30 | TCPG Monster Mash Dance Party | 6:30 PM | Commons | Sign Up to Help

• Sun 1 | Daylight Savings Time | Turn your clock back 1 hour before bed on Saturday
• Thurs 5 | Make Up Picture Day
• Sat 7 | TCPG Landscaping Work Party | 9:00 AM - Noon | Sign Up to Help!
• Wed 11 | Veteran's Day | No School
• Fri 13 | TCPG Family Movie Night - Featuring: Minions & Monsters | 6:30 PM
• Tues 17 | Community Meeting | 6:30 - 7:30 PM | Commons | Childcare Provided
• Mon 23 - Wed 25 | Student Lead Conferences | No School for Students | Bring your student to their conference.
• Thurs 26 | Happy Thanksgiving | No School
• Fri 27 | Native American Heritage Day | No School

All Thornton Creek Newsletters

All Thornton Creek Parent Group Newsletters

Seattle Public Schools Calendar. Includes 2026-2027 calendar

Attendance and Office Procedures

Tissues and Snack Donations

If you are able to donate unscented tissues and individually packaged, allergen free, snacks are greatly appreciated for students who forget or don't have snacks we will be delighted to accept them in the office. Thank you!

Volunteering

If you are signing up to volunteer, please first be sure you have completed your volunteer paperwork. Here’s the link to volunteer and to check the status of your paperwork. Choose “Tier 1” volunteer and take your time going through the steps. When asked who has asked you to volunteer please enter the email of the teacher for whom you will most often volunteer. Teacher emails can be found right here on our website.

Volunteer paperwork can take two or more more weeks to process. If you run into any road blocks, there is a FAQ available on the link provided. If you're still stuck, feel free to email or call Sarah in the office at 206-252-5304. Sarah works to update our master volunteer list on Wednesdays. Thank you.

Paying for Student Meals

While all students qualify to receive free meals, charges may still occur for items purchased outside of the free meal benefit. Culinary Services offers convenient payment options for these purchases, including online payment, check, or cash.

Additional Items and Second Meals

Students will be charged à la carte prices when they:

• Take extra items such as milk, fruit, vegetables, or other side items
• Purchase a second breakfast or second lunch
• Select only a single item from a meal instead of taking a complete reimbursable meal

If a student takes only one component of a meal, that item is charged at the published à la carte price. For these reasons, we strongly recommend that students maintain funds in their meal account to cover any additional purchases. Families may add money to student meal accounts through MySchoolBucks or by payment at their school.

Superintendent Meeting | Tues 10/27 | 6:30-8:00 PM | Robert Eagle Staff Middle School

Dear SPS Families and Staff,

You are invited to join us for the next Superintendent Community Engagement Meeting on Tuesday, Oct. 27, from 6:30–8 p.m. at Robert Eagle Staff Middle School (1330 N 90th St., Seattle, WA 98103)

These meetings are an opportunity for students, families, staff, and community members to share feedback about the issues that matter most to our school communities.

Your experiences, perspectives, and ideas help inform important conversations across the district and guide our work to better serve every student. Topics for each meeting are selected based on feedback and issues of importance to the community.

Topics for this meeting include:

• Academic Rigor
• School Design (Neighborhood School, Option Schools, Dual Language, HC, etc.)
• School Safety and Security

To make participation as accessible as possible, language interpretation in Amharic, Chinese, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese, as well as ASL services, will be available. Light refreshments and activities for children will also be provided.

Learn more about the superintendent community engagement meetings on the SPS website.

If you have questions or would like to share feedback, please contact Seattle Public Schools using Let’s Talk.

We hope you will join us. Your voice matters, and together we can continue creating schools where every student feels supported, challenged, and prepared for success.

Sincerely,

Ben Shuldiner
Superintendent
Seattle Public Schools

We have an author coming to visit Thornton Creek this Tuesday, October 27. Leslie Barnard Booth will be presenting about her book I Am We, How Crows Come Together to Survive. Families can preorder books which will be dropped off to school on the day of the event so that Leslie can sign them.

Here is the link to pre-order a book. or you can use the qr code here. All orders must be placed by Sunday, October 25th.

If you need financial assistance purchasing Leslie Barnard Booth’s book: I Am We: How Crows Come Together to Survive Please email Rachael Moulton.

TC Community Pantry

We have a pantry in our building to help support the community. Pantry items include: household cleaning supplies, laundry soap, personal hygiene items, and food. The pantry is available to shop between 7:30 AM and 3:00 PM Monday through Friday. If you are unable to come to the school, email Rachael and she can pack items in your student's backpack.

We accept and appreciate donations for the pantry in the office. Please donate items that are unopened and not yet expired. You can also purchase items for the pantry from our TC Community Pantry Wish List.

Weekend Food Packs

University District Food Bank provides weekend food packs for students. Please let me know if you have dietary needs. Food packs are put into student’s backpacks every Friday. If you are interested in a food pack or have any other needs, please email Rachael.

We continue to recruit preschool-aged peer models for our classroom. We have two classes, an AM class (7:40-10:20) and a PM class (11:45-2:25). Class is 4 days per week (Mon, Tues, Thurs, Fri).

• Peer models must be: 3 years old, toilet trained (or mostly), demonstrate age-appropriate skills and behaviors
• Peer models will receive all instruction and assessments delivered in the classroom. They are not eligible for transportation through Seattle Public Schools.

Please contact Mara Oblak at mkoblak@seattleschools.org if you are interested in learning more about this opportunity.

We are always in need of more PE/recess equipment. Gently used sports equipment is appreciated. If you want to purchase something for the school, here are some of our preferred items.

Your Thornton Creek art teachers want your toilet paper/paper towel tubes! Please donate as many empty ones as you can. This will be an ongoing need for the whole school year. Thank you! Donations are collected on the small, silver cart in the office.