Thornton Creek Bulletin

Happy October, TC Community!

The cooler mornings have been such a welcome change, and the energy around campus continues to be joyful and full of learning.

Thank you all for a wonderful Curriculum Night — our classrooms were full, and it was fantastic to see so many families connecting and engaging together. I hope you enjoyed meeting your student’s teacher (or seeing a familiar face again) and learning more about what this year will bring — especially the exciting experiences ahead through each grade band’s expedition. These next few weeks of expedition rollouts are such an exciting time as students dive into their new learning journeys!

Also, If you didn’t have a chance to stop by the TCPG table on Tuesday, good news — spirit gear is now available online! You can find sweatshirts, t-shirts, and even mugs to show your TC pride. Orders are open through the month! Check out the link below.

We’re wishing our 5th graders an amazing adventure at camp as they head out Monday — we can’t wait to hear their stories when they return.

Enjoy the long weekend. We’ll see everyone back next week — and hopefully later this month at our Monster Mash Bash!

Warmly,

Brandee

October

Fri. 10 | No School for Students | In Service Day for Staff

Wed.15 | Room Parent Kick Off Meeting 6:30-7:30 p.m.

Fri. 24 | Monster Mash Bash: Kickoff to the TCPG Fall Fundraiser (details below)

Sun. 26 | Landscaping Party | Sign up for Landscaping Party

Tues. 28 | Picture Day Make Up

Fri. 31 | Harvest Festival | 12:25-2 p.m.

Check out new Thornton Creek gear—sweatshirts, t-shirts, and more. Orders close Monday, November 3rd. Don’t miss out—place your order for Thornton Creek gear. If you need help purchasing a sweatshirt, please contact our social worker, Channon Agor. chagor@seattleschools.org

Order Photos soon. Free shipping to school ends on Monday, October 20th.

If you don't have the QR code brought home by your student after picture day, you can access photos an alternate way:

Go to Class Act Portraits
Enter your student’s ID (found in the Source)
Enter your email to view photos.

If you can't find your student's ID call us at school: 206-252-5300

If you have specific questions about ordering photos contact Class Act Portraits.

From Your TC Art Teachers:

Thank you for donating your egg cartons and toilet/paper towel tubes! Please keep those donations coming all year long!

Kerri is still hoping for some volunteers on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays from 12-2 p.m. to assist with the younger artists in our school. She's also looking for help every morning from drop off to 8:20 a.m. to help with putting away materials and filing. Please email her at klmckeighen@seattleschools.org if you're interested.

Spirit Store is Open!
Check out new Thornton Creek gear—sweatshirts, t-shirts, and more. Orders close Monday, November 3rd. Don’t miss out—place your order for TC Spirit Gear. If you need help purchasing a sweatshirt, please contact the Thornton Creek School social worker, Channon Agor. chagor@seattleschools.org

Monster Mash Bash: Kickoff to the TCPG Fall Fundraiser – Friday, October 24
Join us for a spooktacular community event! We will have three food trucks, games, crafts, a haunted walk, music, dancing, costumes, and more! Don’t miss out on the fun!

Volunteers are still needed for set-up, clean-up, and to help run crafts & games stations. Sign up.

Want to paint a pumpkin? Reserve yours in advance.

Proceeds support educational programs at Thornton Creek!

Harvest Festival - Friday, October 31 | 12:25-2 p.m.

The Harvest Festival is a fun, longstanding TC tradition held during school hours. Each year, the 5th graders design and lead creative activities and game for their classmates, while the other grade levels get to enjoy and participate in the festivities. Sign up to support the Harvest Festival

Landscaping Work Parties

October 26 – Sign up for Landscaping Work Parties October 26
November 9 – Sign up for Landscaping Work Parties November 9

Get Involved
Whether you have a little time or a lot, there are so many ways to connect—volunteering, attending events, or simply showing up to support our school community.

Stay Connected: TCPG Website | Newsletter Sign-up | Facebook Page

Sincerely,

Kelsey Johnson

Chair, Thornton Creek Parent Group

chair@thorntoncreekparentgroup.org

Please complete this short survey for each of your TC children.

The survey asks permission for parent contact information to be included in our school directory, for your student to go on walking (less than 1 mile) field trips, and for us to share your email with our parent group. If you need help, email the office thorntoncreek@seattleschools.org. Thanks so much.

If you are interested in volunteering in classrooms this year, look for an email from your teacher and let them know of your interest. This will begin the volunteer on-boarding process.

If you are interested in helping with one of the specialists, we’ve listed their email and volunteer needs here:

Art | Piper | pccarling@seattleschools.org | after school Thursday & Friday for clean up and set up

Art | Kerri | klmckeighen@seattleschools.org | 10 a.m. - end of day

Library | Kristen | kmeason@seattleschools.org | fully staffed, not currently adding volunteers

Music | Michaela | makoerner@seattleschools.org | to be determined - email if interested

PE | Josh | jbcolwell@seattleschools.org | help with assembling "strider bikes"

Your art teachers, Kerri and Piper, would like your cardboard tubes and cardboard egg cartons for the sculpture studios. At this point, we don't need any other upcycling materials. You can send materials in with your child or drop them off at the downstairs art room, right next to the office. Thank you!

Make Your Vaccine Appointment

Find a date and location that is convenient for you and your family: These are regional clinics open to all in the SPS community. You do not have to be a student of staff of a particular school to make an appointment.
Make your appointment online. Register to Make your Vaccine Appointment
Come to your appointment.

Flu and COVID Vaccine Clinic

We’re looking forward to our first Community Meeting of the year coming up next week! This is a chance to hear about the work ahead, share your voice in shaping that work, and connect with fellow families and staff. Please note that this is an adult-only event (no childcare will be provided). For those unable to attend in person, a livestream option will be available to listen in.

Tuesdays, 7–8:30 p.m. | Live Stream Community Meeting

November 18
February 24
April 21
June 9

As we begin the school year, we kindly ask for your help in making mealtimes run smoothly. Please take a few moments to help your student practice and memorize their Student ID number. This number is used daily when students receive school meals, including milk.

Knowing their Student ID will help speed up the lunch line and ensure every student gets their meal quickly and efficiently.

You can find their 7-digit Student ID number on the Source.

To learn about changes to the School Meal program, please visit the culinary Services page of our District Website. Pay online for meals. You may also pay cash or check to Shannon in the office.

Weekend Food Packs

We have partnered with University District Food Bank to provide weekend food packs for students. The packs include kid-friendly, ready-to-eat, and microwavable items. Food packs can accommodate the following dietary needs: gluten free, dairy free, pescatarian, vegetarian, vegan, Kosher, Halal, and nut free (University District food bank does not screen products for nut free manufacturing facilities and is not a nut free facility). Food packs are put into student’s backpacks, every Friday.

TC Community Pantry
We have a community pantry located in TC which is available for the TC community. Pantry items include household cleaning supplies, laundry soap, and personal hygiene items. The pantry is available during office hours. If you have specific needs but are unable to come to the school, email Channon and she can pack them in your student's backpack.

If you are interested in a weekend food pack for your student or have any questions, email Channon at chagor@seattleschools.org or call/text at 206-379-2968.

There are still spaces available for After Care programming at Kids Co at Decatur. Students are picked up from Thornton Creek and brought to our neighbor school, Decatur, for programming. If you are interested, please contact Adam Foote the Kids Co. at Decatur Program Director. He can be reached at 206-747-2584. For additional information visit Kids Co

Hall of Fame After care is an enrichment program offered on days when SPS is in session, so there will be no HOFTC Tuesday 11/11. Please note that we have moved from a Quarter schedule to a Session schedule. HOFTC will run every Tuesday and Thursday, with no breaks, on days that school is in session, starting on Tuesday 9/30 and ending on Thursday, 11/20. Returning families can send enrollment requests through the Parent Dashboard by clicking Enrollment, and then Enroll for 2025-2026. New families will complete the New Family Enrollment Form. Registration closes on Friday, September 19 at 11:59 p.m. and schedule adjustments cannot be made after that time. Please note that class information will not be available in the Parent Dashboard until registration goes live.

School Start | End of Day

School begins at 7:55 a.m. At that time, our gates will be closed to help keep our campus safe and ensure our complex systems run smoothly. If you arrive after 7:55 a.m., please plan to pull around and drop off at the front entrance.

Attendance and Office Procedures

If your child will be absent or late, please email thorntoncreek.attendance@seattleschools.org or call 206-252-5304 with the reason for the absence.
Vacation days are recorded as “unexcused vacation” absences. These are not considered truancy, though you may still receive an automated call or email from the District. If so, you can simply disregard the message and enjoy your trip.
To pick up your child early for an appointment, please come to the office to sign them out. We’ll call your child to meet you once you arrive. Advance notice by emailing thorntoncreek@seattleschools.org or calling 206-252-5300 is always helpful. While we understand that appointments during school hours are sometimes necessary, minimizing classroom interruptions is greatly appreciated.

If you are able to donate unscented tissues to the school office we will distribute them to classes as needed. Also, individually packaged, allergen free, snacks are greatly appreciated for students who forget or don't have snacks. Thank you!

The Developmental Preschool at Thornton Creek Elementary is in the process of recruiting Preschool aged students without IEPs to serve as peer models for our classroom.

Here is a description of the peer model requirements:

student is toilet trained
student is 3-5 years old
student is able to attend one of our classes (7:40-10:20 a.m. or 11:45 a.m.-2:25 p.m.) M, T, Th, F
student demonstrates developmentally appropriate skills for their age

District website the explains the Developmental Preschool Program

Attending as a peer model is free and your child will receive all the same curriculum instruction and assessments of students in our program! If you are interested in learning more, have any questions, or would like to have your child enroll as a peer model, please email Jadyn Tipton at jatipton@seattleschools.org. We have capacity for 2 peer models per class (AM or PM), so 4 total.

From the Principal From the Principal

Calendar of Events Calendar of Events

New Information New Information

Viewing School Photos from Class Act Portraits Viewing School Photos from Class Act Portraits

From Your TC Art Teachers From Your TC Art Teachers

From The Parent Group From The Parent Group

Great Information Great Information

For Walking Field Trips / School Directory and more Please Complete this Survey For Walking Field Trips / School Directory and more Please Complete this Survey

Volunteering at Thornton Creek (and across the District) Volunteering at Thornton Creek (and across the District)

From the Art Rooms From the Art Rooms

Flu and COVID Vaccine Clinics Flu and COVID Vaccine Clinics

Community Meetings Community Meetings

Lunch Numbers and Payments Lunch Numbers and Payments

Announcement from the Social Worker Announcement from the Social Worker

After School Care Openings After School Care Openings

Important School Reminders Important School Reminders

Tissues and Snack Donations Tissues and Snack Donations

Peer Model Opportunities in Pre-K Peer Model Opportunities in Pre-K