Green Lake Family Newsletter

Happy Friday!

The year is starting off well and we are settling into the routines and structures of the school day!

Open House on September 16 5:30-6:30 p.m.. It is a drop in event so come within the hour and similar to last year we will have a little scavenger hunt and then students can get a prize if they find all of the things!

We did a presentation of general rules and info for the Kindergarten families but all families, especially if you are new to Green Lake, might be interested in checking it out! I have attached it to this newsletter as a resource.

Vaccination Clinic

We will have a vaccination clinic for flu and Covid vaccines on the morning of September 19. If you wish to have yourself or child participate in the flu/Covid clinic please sign up.

First Day forms

Your students should have gotten a packet of forms and information on the first day or two but if you need them again or more information they are also on our website. It has all of the back to school forms and information regarding supplies:

Supplies

Green Lake Elementary asks parents for a voluntary donation that the office uses to purchase supplies in bulk for all students. We ask for a donation of $40 per student. Any excess funds are used to cover the fees for families who are unable to contribute. This is a voluntary donation, not a required fee. Every student will receive the same supplies regardless of payment.
How to pay? You can send cash or a check with your student (Please include student name with the payment) or you can make the payment using schoolpay. Schoolpay charges processing fees; it will be $1.75 on $40.

Reminder:

Please do not park in the bus zones! Also, we have no supervision on the playground or cafeteria until 8:40 a.m. Please try to get to school between 8:40-8:55 a.m..

Spanish Speaking Connection meetings!

8:40-9:15 a.m. Every Monday and Friday beginning September 15 we will host Spanish speaking connection meetings! Do you need resources in the community? Would you like to meet other families? Do you have questions about school? Would you be interested in learning a bit of English? Please join us for weekly meetings where you can get your questions answered and connect with Green Lake community! These meetings will be in our Library every Monday and Friday and Ms. Tatiana will be our Spanish speaking host!

Reuniones de conexión de habla hispana

The Department of Highly Capable services is hosting engagement sessions this fall. These gatherings are a chance for families, staff, students, and community members to come together, share ideas, and help shape the future of Highly Capable services in SPS.

Your voice matters, and your feedback will help us grow and improve. We hope you will join us at one of the sessions listed below:

Regional Meetings (6:30–7:30 p.m.):

• Tuesday, Sept. 16 – South Shore PK-8

• Tuesday, Sept. 30 – Chief Sealth High School

• Tuesday, Oct. 7 – Garfield High School

• Tuesday, Oct. 14 – Nathan Hale High School

• Tuesday, Oct. 21 – Robert Eagle Staff Middle School

Virtual Session (6:30-7:30 p.m.)

• Tuesday, Oct. 28

In-Person at John Stanford Center (11 a.m.-12 p.m.):

• Saturday, Nov. 8

Want to share your thoughts ahead of the meetings? Please provide feedback via ThoughtExchange.

Need interpretation services at the engagement sessions? Please fill out an interpreter request form:

• Amharic interpreter request form

• Chinese interpreter request form

• Somali interpreter request form

• Spanish interpreter request form

• Vietnamese interpreter request form

• American Sign Language interpreter request form

Questions? Email us at HiCap@seattleschools.org.

Have a great week!

Warmly,

Liz McFarland (she/her)

Principal

emmcfarland@seattleschools.org

• September 15 Spanish Speaking Connection meeting start! Every Monday and Friday 8:40-9:15 a.m.
• September 16 Open House/Back to School Night event 5:30-6:30 p.m.
• September 19 vaccination clinic 8:30-11:30 a.m. in the Library
• September 22-25 Islandwood trip for 5th grade
• October 3 Walk and Roll-a-thon!
• October 6 Coffee Chat with the Principals! 9-10 in the Library
• October 10 TRI day No students
• November 11 Veteran's Day no school
• November 24-26 conferences No school for students
• November 27-28 Thanksgiving Holiday No School
• December 20-January 4 winter break no school
• January 19 MLK day No School
• February 16-20 No School Mid Winter Break
• April 13-17 No School Spring Break
• May 25 Memorial Day No School
• Last day of School June 17- 1 hr. early release

PTA News!

Please join us in person for the first PTA general meeting of the year! Wed Sept. 17, 7-9 p.m. in the cafetorium

We will have food for all and a movie for the kids! Come meet your PTA board and learn about all the cool things we do. We’ll talk about the dragon hunt, enrichment classes, ways you can get involved, and so much more.

School Play registration opens Friday!

Register for School Play!

The Drama Dragons are back again, and we’re doing The Jungle Book as our school play this year. Spots in the main cast will be open to 4th & 5th graders, and if there’s still room, we’ll open it up to 3rd graders as well. We’ll also have a separate chorus group again this year if your child is interested in a small, non-speaking, group role - that will be open to 2nd & 3rd graders, and we’ll open it up to the younger grades if we have extra room. In an effort to keep the play more fun for the kids and manageable for the adults, we are limiting the main cast to only 30 students this year, and will not be able to add more children in after registration closes - so please mark these registration dates and times down on your calendar now.

If you need a scholarship, or help registering, please reach out to Ms. Schnieder mmschneider@seattleschools.org or our Enrichment Coordinator enrichment@greenlakedragons.org

Main Cast Registration Dates:

Register for Main Cast!

Friday, Sep 12 7 a.m. - Registration open for 5th graders only

Monday, Sep 15 7 a.m.

• Registration open for 4th & 5th graders
• Tuesday, Sep 16 7 a.m.
• Registration open for 3rd, 4th & 5th graders (if there’s still room)

Chorus Registration:

Register for Chorus!

Sunday, Sep 21 7 p.m. - Registration for the Play Chorus opens (along with registration for other after-school enrichment classes)

Mark your calendars: Walk and Rollathon is October 3

The Walk and Rollathon is one of our major student-driven fundraisers and we love it for its inclusive, community building vibe, and everyone gets a free T-shirt and treats. Students will walk or roll a course on the playground for an hour. The number of laps they complete will be tallied on the T-shirt they receive that day. The kids gather sponsorships and the PTA uses the money raised for essential items like library books, family support, and supplemental staff. A portion of the money also goes to the school to help defray the cost of school trips. Please look out for a pledge sheet and a handy FAQ sheet coming home with your kid next week.

We will need volunteers to help on the day. If you are able to help, you must be a registered volunteer with SPS. Volunteer registration lasts for 2 years, so if you went through the process to help at last year’s walk and rollathon or field day you are good to go. If not, details to apply, or to renew, are here:

It can take up to 2 weeks for a volunteer application to go through. Please apply or renew this weekend so that you are all ready for October 3. The walking schedule will be available soon. There will be a morning and an afternoon shift so we will need about 3 hours of your time. Thank you!