Green Lake Family Newsletter

• Spanish Speaking Connection meetings every Monday and Friday 8:40-9:15 a.m.
• May 4-June 6 SBA testing for 3-5 graders (state mandated test window)

• May 13 Tooth savers dental visit

• May 14 Multicultural and Literacy night 5-7 p.m.

• May 15 Field Trip 3rd grade to Woodland Park Zoo 10 a.m.–1:15 p.m., Toothsavers dental visit

• May 25 Memorial Day No School

• May 28 Field Trip 5th grade to Seattle Art Museum 9:30 a.m.–1:15 p.m.

• June 3 Instrumental music concert at assembly at 9:10 a.m.

• June 11 Kindergarten promotion

• June 12 Field Trip All K-5 Field Day

• June 16 2 p.m. 5th grade promotion

• Last day of School June 17 - 1 hour early release,

Hi,

New event!

We are going to have a Celebrating Literacy and Multicultural Awareness night Thursday May 14 5-7 p.m.!

We will have some presentations about early literacy tips and tricks to support learning at home and to learn about how we teach reading here at Green Lake! We will also celebrate the wonderful diversity that we have at Green Lake through eating and sharing our cultures.

We will provide dinner from Title 1 funds, but if you would like to participate and bring a dish from your culture to share you are welcome to do so as well. We would love to have a plentiful buffet from all over the world.

We will have tables with literacy tips and tricks, arts/crafts for the kids to try out, and a presentation about literacy. This is NOT a drop off event so please plan to stay with your children!

May 14 5-7 p.m.!

Returning to Green Lake next year?

Please fill out this super quick survey if you are or are not returning to Green Lake next year!

Returning to Green Lake in fall 2026? – Fill out form

Staff appreciation week May 4-8!

Big thank you for to those who have expressed interest or offered to help!

Please drop off any gift cards to donate to our prizes for teacher/staff members to celebrate them to the office! They can be any type of cards (coffee, Amazon, restaurants, mall stores, etc) for any amounts that work up to $5-$25 each. Please bring them in by Wednesday May 6! They will be given out on Friday and I need to make sure I have enough for everyone to get a little something! :)

Also, if you can volunteer to help help cover recess supervision for a teacher sign up for a time! You just have to hang outside and make sure students are following the rules and being safe for 15 minutes (or longer if you can)!

SBA testing for 3-5 graders

The mandated state testing window is May-early June! The Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA) covers math and ELA for 3-5 grades and 5th has science as well. We will have testing dates for each individual class sent by teachers in their newsletters, but please try to make sure that your student is here on your testing dates and well rested! These tests are ways for kids to show what they know and we encourage them to do their best, but it should not be stressful. They can have as much time as they need and can take breaks if needed. We are having students take the tests in the library if they are not in a classroom with walls/door to help them be able to concentrate and limit distractions. Thanks for helping to remind students to just do their best!

Library books!

For the month of May library books must be returned on Tuesdays due to testing.

Have a great weekend!

Warmly,

Liz McFarland (she/her)

Principal

emmcfarland@seattleschools.org

Check out this resource for supports in the community: Family Works April Newsletter

Nothing new this week!

Bike & Scooter Swap Sunday!

Join us on the school playground for our first Green Lake Elementary Bike and Scooter Swap!

Have something old? Bring your used (but still usable) kid's bikes, scooters and helmets to be passed on to another family! We can do some basic maintenance like pumping tires.

Let us know if you're planning to bring something ahead of time if you can

Need something new? Come find a used bike, scooter or helmet for Free! We can help adjust straps and seats.

Want to help? Come volunteer for Bike & Scooter Swap Sunday! No bike maintenance experience necessary, but if you have any that would be awesome

This is a FREE swap - all equipment is given and received with no expectation of payment.

Those picking up new equipment are responsible for their own safety.

Time to Dragon Hunt!

Dragon hunt posters and information packets came home with your child this week. Please encourage your kid to color and display their dragon as soon as possible. This is for fun or fundraising so please participate in the way that works best for your family. The hunt will run until May 18th. Not sure where to hunt? A dragon hunt map will be coming soon to our PTA FaceBook page. Please return dragon tracking sheets and donations by May 18th making sure the child’s name is clearly written on the envelope. All children that return their tracking sheet will get a special five dragon dollar note and may win a prize. Which class will find the most dragons? Happy hunting!

STEM 4 Good after-school class - Free!

We have a FREE after-school class starting Monday May 18 for 3rd-5th graders interested in STEM! "Rumble Ready" introduces students to the science of earthquakes and the engineering strategies that help keep communities safe. Students explore the Cascadia Subduction Zone, learn how seismic waves impact structures, and discover how thoughtful design reduces risk.

Using Design Process Thinking, students build and test model structures on shake tables and redesign for resilience. Through hands-on challenges and collaborative problem-solving, they connect earthquake science to real-world STEM careers—walking away thinking: "I can design and build things that make a difference."

Register for STEM 4 Good after school class!