STEM

Above is a picture from the 5th grade field trip to University of Washington. Thank you to 5th grade teachers, parents, and staff for giving our students this experience.

Next year, our school is project to have close to 50 students that are multilingual learners. Multilingual learners (ML) are not a single, monolithic group. They come from diverse cultural and linguistic backgrounds and bring with them a multitude of skills, knowledge, and experiences. Seattle Public Schools has been shifting the way schools educate multilingual learners. The best way to provide the most comprehensive support for multilingual learners is for all teachers to collaborate to serve all learners. One way we work towards this goal is by providing high quality, research-based instructional models at elementary and secondary schools that support student language development and enable meaningful access to grade level curriculum and instruction for all students (most of the above language came from SPS Multi Lingual Services Website. Learn more about Multi Lingual Services).

This week at STEM, our school hosted a GLAD training (Guided Language Acquisition Design)where teachers throughout the district came to our school to learn about strategies used to support multilingual learners. District leadership and GLAD coaches led the trainings. 4th grade team Beth Mahrt, Lila Greene, and 1st grade team Nadene Paltep, and Heather Cheney are getting GLAD trained. When I was a teacher at STEM, I was lucky enough to get GLAD trained. That training changed how I taught. I am excited to continue to support these trainings as I think when we use strategies to support multilingual learners, all students benefit.

Safety is one of our school values. It is listed on our hoot-outs. Our elementary students will have a monthly assembly next week where we celebrate students that show safe behaviors. Middle School will continue to teach the anti-bullying unit from Second STEP. At STEM, we want to celebrate students that help to keep our community a physically and an emotionally safe space where students want to be.

It really does take a village to make sure our kids are getting what they need. If you hear something happening at school (positive or negative), please share it with us.

Thank you,

Adrienne

I’d like to invite you to join us for a community engagement meeting with new Superintendent Ben Shuldiner taking place at West Seattle Elementary School this coming Tuesday, March 31, from 6:30–7:30 p.m..

This evening is an opportunity for families, caregivers, staff, and community members to share perspectives, ask questions, and engage in small‑group conversation with the superintendent and district leadership. The Superintendent is hosting these meetings across the city to listen and learn directly from school communities. The details are below:

Community Engagement Meeting
Tuesday, March 31, 2026

6:30–7:30 p.m.
West Seattle ES

6760 34th Ave SW

Interpretation services will be available in Amharic, American Sign Language, Chinese, Somali, Spanish, and Vietnamese. Children are welcome, and activities will be available so families can participate fully.

We hope you’ll consider joining us for this important conversation. Your voice and perspective matter, and we look forward to seeing members of our community there.

Kinder-2 MAP Testing May 28-30.

3rd-5th Smarter Balanced Assessment May 21-7

3rd-5th Measure of Academic Progress (MAP Reading and Math) June 1-3

5th WCAS (Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science May 19-20

6th-8th Smarter Balanced Assessment Week of May 18, and on May 25

6th-8th Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) Math June 1 and 2

8th WCAS (Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science) May 15

Above is a list of dates for when our teachers will be administering school assessments. K8 will take part in the Measure of Academic Progress (MAP) test and 3-8 will complete the Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA). 5th and 8th complete the WCAS (Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science). Learn more about assessments. To view your child's results in previous assessments, you can find those at The Source. Reach out to Ms. O or your classroom teacher if you are having trouble accessing The Source or you have questions.

Yuen Lui Studio will photograph class group photos at Louisa Boren STEM K-8, Thursday, April 2, 2026

• Students who are present at the time of their group photo will be pictured in their class group photos; students who are absent at the time of their photo will be listed as not pictured.

• There is no need to order at this time. Anyone who placed a portrait order will receive one 8x10 class group print at no charge. We will share a link to order class group prints after the images are processed for anyone who would like to order class group images.

STEM will be holding their career day on Friday, April 10 beginning at 8:30 a.m.. We are looking for professionals in the following fields (this is what students have asked to learn more about).

Careers in: Healthcare & Medical, Science, Space & Environment, Engineering, Technology & IT, Arts, Design & Creative Careers, Sports & Entertainment, Food & Culinary Fields.

Representation matters, and our objective is to expose our diverse population of students to a variety of jobs being done by people they can identify with. If you are able and interested, we hope you will be willing to help inspire our PK through 8thgrade students by sharing your career journey, your interests, and hobbies as a child and how they influenced your career choice, a typical workday, education requirements, and more. We invite you to bring artifacts, tools, or takeaways. We want students to have the opportunity to hear from someone whose career choice interests them and to explore career fields they may not have considered before.

We ask that speakers commit to at least 90 minutes. The 90-minute period will allow you to speak to three classes of students, twenty minutes per class in grades 6-8 and fifteen minutes per class in grades PK-5. If you would like help preparing your presentation, just let us know. We will be happy to help you.

If you are interested in participating, or know someone who would be interested, email Adrienne Ollerenshaw amolllerensha@seattleschools.org or Jessica Shamburger jlshamburger@seattleschools.org

Thank you !

At SPS, we are committed to providing safe, welcoming, and inclusive learning environments for every student. Our immigrant students and families belong at SPS.

Seattle Public Schools has a constitutional and moral obligation to provide a free, high-quality public education to all students residing within our boundaries. State and federal law prohibit public school districts from discriminating on the basis of race, color, or national origin. State law further prohibits discrimination on the basis of citizenship or immigration status.

We are committed to upholding our students’ sense of security and their right to an equitable education. We will continue to work alongside families, educators, and community partners to advocate for policies and resources that protect our students.

Find guidance and resources for immigrant students and families and our district staff that serve them.

When a staff member does something that you would like to acknowledge, one way you can do that is by telling us about it. The things that staff and community have shared have brought joy to me and my staff. If you would like to share something that a staff member did, use this link: STEM Staff Shout Outs

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!

• May 1: STEM @ the M's, details below!
• May 4-8: 8th Grade Camp Trip to NatureBridge
• May 4-8: Staff Appreciation Week
• May 11-14: 5th Grade Camp Trip to Islandwood
• May 25: Memorial Day - No School
• May 29: GGLOW Kick-off to Pride Event

SPS School Calendar

STEM Calendar

The SPS 2026–27 school year calendar is now available, giving families time to plan for the year ahead. From the first day of school to breaks and holidays, all the key dates are in one place. Important note: School will start before Labor Day in the upcoming school year.

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 mrshaughness@seattleschools.org, to get the ball rolling.

When is your child too sick for school? (OSPI flyer)

Community Resources available now and please reach out to our school Social Worker, Dana Fink, for direct support: dmfink@seattleschools.org | 503-766-3648

• We're excited to bring back our big Spring fundraiser, Read-A-Thon, April 1-24! This is an opportunity for family and friends to support students individual and collective reading goals, while fundraising for the STEM PTA! We’ll work together to reach our all-school goal to read 110,000 minutes, we can do it!!
• Check out our 2026 Read-A-Thon FAQ page to learn more and to register Readers!
• Join us to Kick-off Read-A-Thon at the Southwest Library Branch this Wed, April 1 6-7 p.m.! Story time with special guest readers, cookies, milk, hot cocoa and all the details about R-A-T. PJs + stuffies invited too! Opportunities to help with our Kick-off event!
• We're looking for community help to gather minutes read prizes! Please reach out to rojine@stemk8pta.org to join these efforts.
• Please reach out to executiveboard@stemk8pta.org for questions or to join the R-A-T team.

Happy Reading Stem Owls!!

Additional info on STEM's Enrichment program, and to learn more about how to become a VIP (Very Important Parent) and receive a free tuition for volunteering in your student's class! See below for VIP's still needed. Spring Enrichment Registration Opens April 7 6Crickets April 7, 7 p.m.

*Please reach out to enrichment@stemk8pta.org with questions or to request financial assistance

Help ensure ALL of our 8th graders have the opportunity to participate in their annual overnight camp trip to NatureBridge, by eating some delicious food!

• Panda Express: Thursday, April 9 - All day! - Mention Louisa Boren STEM at time of purchase - 20% donated - Panda Express: 9033 25th Ave SW
• Mod Pizza: Tuesday, April 28 - All day! - Mention Louisa Boren STEM at time of purchase (digital code: MODGIVES20) - 20% donated - Mod Pizza: 2800 SW Barton St.

Friday, May 1st is Louisa Boren STEM PK8 night with the Seattle Mariners! Tickets are $10-20/ea, pay what works for your family and any additional proceeds will benefit the STEM PTA. Get your Boren STEM Seattle Marinter's tickets!

Please reach out to executiveboard@stemk8pta.org if the cost does not work for your family or with any questions.

• General PTA Meeting- Thursday 4/9, 6:30-8 p.m.: Engage in important discussions, receive PTA & school updates and help to plan out the remainder of the school year! Zoom link here.

• Movie Night- Friday 4/24 @ 6 p.m.: Showing the live action Matilda, to benefit Read-A-Thon! Join us to celebrate our school’s reading accomplishments on the last day of our big Spring fundraiser. $5-10 suggested donation for entry + snacks. *This is not a drop off event*
• Staff Appreciation Week- May 4-8: We'll be celebrating our wonderful STEM staff all week long! Signup Genius and more details to come!
• GGLOW Kick-off to Pride party- Friday, May 29! This Free community event is put on by the STEM GGLOW (Gender non-binary/Gender Queer, Gay, Lesbian or Whatever) Club and the PTA. If you're interested in helping with planning or volunteering day of please email paula@stemk8pta.org.

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

Current Full Board open positions: Co-Race, Equity & Inclusion Chair, Co-SPED Chair, 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!

Open Board positions for the `26-27 school year: Treasurer, Co-Treasurer, Secretary & Movie Nights Coordinator.

Please reach out to executiveboard@stemk8pta.org for additional info on these roles or with interest!

Check out our PTA website for 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, Open Enrollment details and MORE!

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

• Seattle Special Education PTSA presents Dr. Ross Greene on Collaborative Problem Solving- May 13, 6-8 p.m.: Dr. Ross Greene, renowned child psychologist and author, will be presenting on Collaborative Problem Solving. This session will focus on Seattle-specific implementation strategies designed to support children in schools and at home.

STEM partners with the YMCA to provide an on-site before and after school program. See here for Additional information about YMCA Before & Aftercare.

Principal: Adrienne Ollerenshaw amollerensha@seattleschools.org

Assistant Principal: Andrea Stowell anstowell@seattleschools.org

Administrative Secretary: Latisha Ellis ljellis@seattleschools.org

Office Assistant: Leo Shaughnessy mrshaughness@seattleschools.org

School Social Worker: Dana Fink dmfink@seattleschools.org