On Thursday, June 1, Flip Herndon, Associate Superintendent for Facilities and Operations at Seattle Public Schools will lead a STEM K-8 community meeting to discuss capacity and enrollment issues that impact our school. Why should I attend this meeting? Seattle Public …
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Music teacher Casey Cheever is inviting all families to the spring STEM band concert! The concert will be held on June 13th at 6:30 pm at the Auditorium of Chief Sealth High School (2600 SW Thistle St, Seattle, WA 98126). All of the …
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All are invited to our first ever GGLOW OWLS Dance Party celebrating our LGBTQIA families, staff and students, on Friday June 2nd from 6:30-8:30 pm at Louisa Boren STEM K-8. Papa Bois & Full Tilt’s food trucks will be parked …
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Each year the PTA needs to fill the empty seats on the Executive Committee and our Board and now is the time to step up for next year. It is an opportunity to run this small non-profit that helps to …
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Seattle Public Schools put a new 3 tiered start and end time bell schedule into effect for this, the 2016/17 school year. Despite their efforts to gather community input and assign schools into the tiers accordingly, some schools ended up with different bell times than what they had requested. The Louisa Boren STEM K-8 community was polled last year and was found to prefer earlier start times over the later, third tier we were assigned.
Seattle Public Schools will enact further changes for the 2017/18 school year as a result of many factors including transportation costs, community feedback and professional development time. Many schools will add an additional 20 minutes daily. Although our school added the twenty minutes into our day this year, we may still be impacted by some of the proposed changes.
Many options are currently on the table for a school board vote. One proposed idea would eliminate the third tier and move all of the district’s K-8’s into the second tier. Another proposal could shift our school day earlier or later resulting in an earlier or later dismissal.
Seattle Public Schools surveyed families in October about these proposed changes. They are very interested in hearing our feedback before the school board makes their final decision in mid November or early December.
The Louisa Boren STEM K-8 would like to advocate on behalf of our community and our preferences for bell times next year. Please make your voice heard by responding to our survey.
Permanent link to this article: http://stemk8pta.org/2016/11/02/new-bell-times-for-2017-let-us-know-what-you-think/
Even the smallest donations make a really big difference for students at our school. The PTA provides essential funding to our STEM K-8 community and it supports all the “extras.”
How can you help every student at STEM K-8?
- $5 buys 1 polo shirt for the uniform closet for a student in need.
- $10 pays for a scholarship for a student to attend a field trip.
- $20 buys art supplies for a classroom project.
- $25 buys 2 books for school library about women of color in technology.
- $50 buys 4 safety vests for safety team.
- $65 buys two Singapore Math textbooks.
- $80 pays for pumpkins used for games at the Harvest Festival and engineering supplies for the Pumpkin Chunkin.
- 10 payments of $10 dollars buys the jump ropes, hula hoops and balls that students play with at recess.
- $100 pays for a scholarship for a student to participate in Sing Out Seattle through our enrichment program.
- $150 buys 1 emergency backpack for a classroom.
- $200 pays for an owl expert to bring a real owl to school for a Project Based Learning classroom project.
- 100 donations of $50 pays for 50% of our Project Based Learning specialist who support our teachers projects and builds community connections.
Permanent link to this article: http://stemk8pta.org/2016/11/01/direct-give-campaign-extended-one-week/
In the first action of its kind in the country, hundreds of teachers, counselor, instructional assistants, office staff, and other educators, will wear “Black Lives Matter” shirts to school on Wednesday, October 19th. Organized by educators, this event lets our children and community members know that Black Lives Matter in Seattle Public Schools.
History: This action was sparked by incidents that happened recently at John Muir elementary school. In September, the school had planned an event titled, Black Men Uniting to Change the Narrative, during which 
more than 100 black men had planned to gather outside and greet John Muir students as they walked into the building. The goal of the event was to offer positive stereotypes about black men to the student body, a group which is almost 50% African American. Several local news outlets published stories about this planned event, which were then picked up by conservative news outlets. The building and district subsequently received threats, and the event was officially canceled by SPS, though a small group of teachers and community members held a smaller event.
Moving Forward: In support of SPS’s initiative to Close the Gap in equity, Seattle educators and community members have planned a counter event to ensure that these type of threats are not tolerated in our community. Hundreds of Seattle educators plan to wear Black Lives Matter shirts at school on Wednesday, October 19, and the day will culminate in an evening rally at Washington Hall (153 14th Avenue Seattle, Washington 98122) from 6:00-8:00 pm. STEM families and students are encouraged to wear their own Black Lives Matter shirts (or create one) and to join other families at the evening rally.
resources-for-october-19th
Permanent link to this article: http://stemk8pta.org/2016/10/15/black-lives-matter-day-of-action-wednesday-oct-19/
Give. Grow. Fly.
Welcome to the annual STEM K-8 Direct Give Campaign, our first fundraiser of the year. During October we aim raise $35,000 to support STEM learning.
Our kids are always pushing to go higher, to see more. That is why we choose STEM. We want them to climb higher and do more than they could anywhere else.
The STEM K-8 PTA serves as the roots of the STEM community and supports funding for every aspect of our unique school. State and local funding is terribly inadequate to support the vision of our school and provide the level of services, support, and materials we need for all of our students.
With the support of families and local businesses, STEM K-8 PTA has enriched the baseline curriculum by investing in technology, art, literacy, engineering, Project Based Learning, playground equipment, science fair projects, scholarships, emergency equipment, teacher training, field trips, and community events. It’s only with your financial support that STEM K-8 PTA can continue to create opportunities for every student.
Our goal is $35,000.
The Direct Give Campaign ensures that each dollar you donate goes directly to the school. Each donation is tax deductible, and many employers will match donations, increasing your gift to our school and community.
The PTA invites everyone in our community (including friends, neighbors and relatives) to give what they can today. Every dollar makes a difference.
Help us climb higher on the tree.
To Donate:
Thank you for supporting Louisa Boren STEM K-8.
Give. Grow. Fly.
Permanent link to this article: http://stemk8pta.org/2016/10/01/13113/
Are you puzzled about how to handle kids and electronic distractions? The movie SCREENAGERS probes into the vulnerable corners of family life and depicts messy struggles over social media, video games, and internet addiction. Through surprising insights from authors and brain scientists solutions emerge on how we can empower kids to best navigate the digital world.
The PTA will be showing Screenagers on Wednesday, October 5 at 6:30 pm in the lunch room, followed by discussion groups moderated by STEM school counselor Meredith Osborne. Children 10 and over are welcomed to attend with an adult family member. There will be childcare for children ages 5–9.
Permanent link to this article: http://stemk8pta.org/2016/09/22/screenagers-coming-to-stem-on-wednesday-oct-5/
Thanks to the enthusiastic response to the slate of fall enrichment classes, there are several that are at capacity and are no longer taking registrations. This includes Wednesday morning Carpentry, Robotic Arts, Spanish, Advanced Robotics VEX IQ, Drumming (K-5), and Trendy Crafts.
There are still many fantastic classes to choose from including Circus Arts, Life Skills, Bridge, Futsal, and many more. Registration for all classes closes on Tuesday, September 27.
Permanent link to this article: http://stemk8pta.org/2016/09/21/several-before-and-afterschool-classes-are-closed-to-registration/
The school is looking for volunteers on Tuesday (9/6) and during the first week of school. Duties include classroom and overall school help with clean-up and organizing. All of the moving and improving has taken a toll and our hallways and our classrooms could use some extra hands. In addition we could use some help in the first couple weeks of school to make sure kids get where they need to go and help everything go more smoothly. Please sign up on the dates/times that you can lend a hand.
Remember that to volunteer at school and in classrooms you need to fill out the Seattle Public Schools volunteer paperwork each year. Access it at the Seattle Public Schools website.
Permanent link to this article: http://stemk8pta.org/2016/09/04/volunteers-needed-tuesday-to-for-last-minute-prepclean-up/
In his 9/3/16 letter, Mr. Ostrom talks about STEM staff, the September schedule and more.
Permanent link to this article: http://stemk8pta.org/2016/09/04/latest-update-from-principal-ostrom/
Yesterday, Principal Ostrom has sent out a comprehensive letter to STEM families covering topics like school supplies, orientation, class assignments, onsite childcare and more. Read the full letter HERE.
Permanent link to this article: http://stemk8pta.org/2016/08/26/principal-ostrom-updates-stem-families/
Who: Louisa Boren STEM K-8
community and any community member willing to help!
When: August 27th 9am-1pm (drop in as you can!) but rain cancels event
Why: Safety!
What to bring: Wear old clothing! PTA / SPS will provide painting supplies, water, coffee and donuts. Kids more than welcome with parent supervision.
Need more info? contact Robin Graham: robingraham26@gmail.com or 206-841-2901
Permanent link to this article: http://stemk8pta.org/2016/08/14/help-needed-for-parking-lot-painting-party/
Are you a K-8 STEM supporter with good people and organizational skills? Why not put those to work and become the new PTA Volunteer Coordinator?
For the 2016-17 school year, the PTA Board and the general membership allocated some budget support for a Volunteer Coordinator stipend. Because there are many working parents involved in the PTA and at school, the PTA is seeking a “chief of staff” who can provide occasional on-site support, find and coordinate volunteers, and support PTA-related events with top-notch organizational planning and coordination.
RESPONSIBILITIES
- Be the lead coordinator and owner of the calendar of events and school activities. Ensure that events and projects have a lead (in many cases finding and assigning the lead) and help to provide whatever resources needed to put on a successful event.
- Manage a running sign-up genius for all volunteer needs and ensure it is regularly updated, specific, and posted to Owl Post each week.
- Be on hand at school to help with distribution of materials to classrooms, managing checks and payments that come to the PTA at school, and completing required paperwork.
- Support before and after school enrichment classes as needed
- Support community events, as needed, to ensure they run smoothly.
- Support other, on-site school activities as needed such as fundraising events, field days, or PBL nights.
- Manage the PTA room by purchasing supplies and helping with processes and organization.
The Volunteer Coordinator will also serve on the PTA board for one year – to be continued at the discretion of the PTA Board and the executive team.
STIPEND: Approx. $7,000 over the course of the school year and paid through the school.
TO APPLY: Contact PTA President Rebecca Garcia at president@stemk8pta.org.
Permanent link to this article: http://stemk8pta.org/2016/08/09/need-a-rewarding-job-pta-seeking-a-paid-volunteer-coordinator/
Come meet other incoming kindergarten families!
August 18 & 25
4:30pm – 5:30pm
Louisa Boren STEM K-8 playground.
Permanent link to this article: http://stemk8pta.org/2016/07/12/kindergarten-play-dates/
5th Annual Back to School Bash!
WHEN: Friday, September 9, 5:30pm – 8pm
WHERE: Lincoln Park SOUTH END Shelter 1 & picnic tables 1-13. Park on the street (watch out to not park in a restricted ferry line) or in the SOUTH END parking lot. Walk in to the “zip line” playground.
WHAT: Food, friends and fun!
To SARE: Please bring a potluck food to share, plates, and utensils for just your family. STEM PTA will be providing hotdogs, veggie dogs, buns & condiments, water & lemonade. Feel free to bring playthings to share (footballs, chalk, soccer balls, bubbles, jump ropes).
Volunteers would be much appreciated for BBQ duty and cleanup crew.
More info? Want to volunteer? Contact: robingraham26@gmail.com
Rain or shine – thunderstorms cancel.
Permanent link to this article: http://stemk8pta.org/2016/07/12/back-to-school-bash/
Celebrate the end of the 2015-16 school year with crazy dress options from June 20-24:
Monday: OUT OF THIS WORLD DAY. Dress as your favorite space/science fiction character: Androids, Bug Eyed Monsters, Dr. Who, Aliens, Wall-e, Star Wars, Star Trek, astronauts, Guardians of the Galaxy, etc. Who will you come as?
Tuesday: MISMATCH/TACKY DAY. Mix and match weird patterns, plaid, polka-dots, prints or stripes. Will it be a plaid shirt and paisley pants or a polka dress and patterned top? You decide!
Wednesday: CULTURE/OWL DAY. Celebrate your cultural heritage and wear clothing that has something to do with your family traditions. Another option is to wear owl gear, including spirit wear!
Thursday: CRAZY HAT/HAIR DAY. Wear a uniform but pair it with a silly hat or hairdo. Go crazy from the neck up! Today is the All School Field Trip to Lincoln Park!
Friday: FREE DRESS DAY. Wear whatever you want, uniform or not!
Permanent link to this article: http://stemk8pta.org/2016/06/17/fun-week-planned-for-june-20-24/
Calling all STEM volunteers!
To thank all volunteers for their support, STEM staff will be hosting a Volunteer Appreciation Celebration on Wednesday, June 22nd from 3:40pm – 4:15 pm in the STEM library. Enjoy light refreshments and celebrate a successful school year with fellow owl families! Playground supervision will be provided so that parents and caregivers can enjoy the party kid-free.
Permanent link to this article: http://stemk8pta.org/2016/06/13/volunteer-appreciation-planned-for-622/
Kick off the start of summer with a bang!
Parents and kids from Mr. Daniels class are offering an afterschool rocket science workshop on June 1 (an early release day) to owls in grades k–6. The workshop, which runs from 1:40–3:30 pm, will teach kids how to build and launch a rocket. What better way to celebrate the end of a successful school year?
Workshop cost is $25/ student and parents are responsible for picking up their attendees at school at 3:30 pm. Register your owl here!
Permanent link to this article: http://stemk8pta.org/2016/05/08/june-1-early-release-workshop-available/
When it comes to education, our teachers have SNAILED it!
Staff Appreciation Week: May 2-6
Please join us in supporting our teachers by signing up to help with breakfast Monday-Wednesday and lunch Thursday & Friday. If you can help Monday – Friday with setting up the staff lounge or straightening up, please e-mail Robin.
We’ve made plans for a Happy Hour at Circa Friday after-school for the teachers, love notes from students, and massages. We will be giving them coffee cards as gifts for the next time they feel “sluggish.
Thanks to Circa, Deja Parrent, Darcey Pickard, & Nepenthe Massage for your support of teacher appreciation week.
Questions? Can you help? Contact Robin at robingraham26@gmail.com
Permanent link to this article: http://stemk8pta.org/2016/04/25/teacher-appreciation-week-help-us-thank-a-teacher/
In Fall 2016, Seattle Public Schools will expand its partnership with the City’s voter-approved Seattle Preschool Program and STEM has been selected as a site for a Preschool Program classroom for the 2016-2017 school year!
The classroom will be taught by certificated Seattle Public Schools teachers. Families will be able to enroll their 3 and 4 year olds for a full 6-hour school day and this classroom will operate on the same school-day, school year schedule as the other grades in our building. Tuition is subsidized for families with incomes at or below 300 percent of the federal poverty guidelines.
To have your child entered into Round 2 selection, please download and submit an application form by May 27, 2016 to the City of Seattle. Applications submitted after May 27 will be included in future selection rounds. For questions, call: (206) 386-1050
Permanent link to this article: http://stemk8pta.org/2016/04/25/stem-to-host-on-site-preschool-in-2016-17/
JOB OPENING:
STEM K-8 PTA
ENRICHMENT PROGRAM COORDINATOR
Job Description. Enrichment Coordinator works with enrichment program instructors, STEM staff, the PTA Board, parents, and students to administer and continually enhance STEM K-8’s before and after school enrichment program. Duties would include, among others:
- Work with PTA survey data to independently select and develop new programs and classes.
- Interface with instructors, STEM staff and administration, PTA board and web team, and parents regarding administration of the program.
- General administration, including enrollment, roster maintenance, communication with teachers and instructors, collection of payments, qualification and payment of instructors, and room applications and assignment.
- Respond in a timely manner to parent and teacher communications.
- Provide periodic reports to PTA Board regarding status of program.
- Work to develop strategies for improving the enrichment program, including development of forms and procedures.
- Be present before and after school on a frequent basis in order to oversee the program and deal with issues as they arise.
Qualifications:
- Detail oriented with strong organizational skills;
- Think creatively about enrichment class offerings that can serve all kids;
- Have a focus on equity, fairness and a perspective on serving all students and our community;
- Reasonably capable of using Excel or other database management software; familiarity with Digital PTO a bonus;
- Be generally available by email and cell phone for coordination with vendors, parents and school team;
- Have a flexible enough schedule to be around before and after school frequently in order to meet with instructors, parents, and school staff;
- Have some financial acuity to work with treasurer to manage invoices, scholarships and keep the enrichment budget balanced.
Time Commitment. The expected time commitment is approximately 5-10 hours per week, on average (though there will be busier and less busy times), for one calendar year, beginning on August 1, 2016. The Enrichment coordinator is also on the PTA Board as an important member of the team and is required to attend meetings of the board every other month. Attendance at PTA meetings is desired.
Pay. Currently budgeted at $7,000 per year payable through the Seattle Public Schools payroll system.
To Apply. Please send an email indicating your interest to Rebecca Garcia president@stemk8pta.org Please email a letter explaining who you are and why you’re interested.
Additional info: This is a very important role for our community and students and is work intensive. Pay is more of a stipend to offset the huge volunteer commitment this person makes to our community. We hope that anyone that takes it on would do so as much as a labor of love as for the pay. About half the students at STEM participate in the enrichment program. Because it includes scholarships and an extremely wide variety of classes, many kids participate in the STEM enrichment program who otherwise wouldn’t participate in any extracurricular activities at all. The enrichment program coordinator works directly with many of STEM’s teachers, parents, other staff and administration. If it is your goal to get to know the STEM community, this is a great way to do so. In summary, it is a demanding, involved job, but since it impacts many STEM families, it is also very rewarding.
Permanent link to this article: http://stemk8pta.org/2016/04/24/job-opening-enrichment-program-coordinator/
Next school year, the YMCA will be providing Before and After School child care on site at STEM K-8. If you are interested in YMCA child care, please download and complete the YMCA Child Care Interest Form 2016-2017 School Year. Email completed form to Philip Giammarino by May 8. Y staff will then gauge how many families are interested and begin to register students based on space available. A waitlist will be created once all spaces are filled. Families will be notified by May 13 as to whether their child has been registered in the 2016-17 child care program or is on the waitlist.
Permanent link to this article: http://stemk8pta.org/2016/04/23/ymca-to-offer-onsite-childcare-in-2016-17/
Permanent link to this article: http://stemk8pta.org/2016/04/22/garden-grounds-work-parties/
Join STEM students and staff this Saturday for an exciting wetlands project just a block north of our school.
Duwamish Alive! is turning an ex-Seattle City Light property back to its original wetlands state. STEM staff Sunny Graves, Whitney Mebane, Craig Rankin and Sarah Waldron were all involved in organizing this grass roots event, and it will ultimately lead to a host of PBL opportunities for our students.
Duwamish Alive!
Join us for the groundbreaking of our
Delridge Wetlands and Stewardship Project
Saturday, April 16, 11:00am – 1:00pm, 23rd SW and SW Findlay
Join us at the Delridge Wetlands and Stewardship Project on April 16th to kick off our 2016 activities – with students from STEM K-8 and Arbor Heights – while we share our plans for creating a children’s vegetable garden, learning landscape and restoring this wetland which is part of the Longfellow Creek Watershed. We will have a short ceremony showcasing the project and breaking ground with shovels and jackhammers!
Join the fun:
· Help paint a mural
· Children’s scavenger hunt with prizes
· Jackhammer the floor in what will become a Children’s garden
· Learn about the wetland and salmon
· Food and Beverages served
Become a Wetland Steward by helping work on the dry land, we will soon be getting our feet wet, taking measurements of water depths, flow rates and discussing with you what the overall plan is to maximize the effectiveness of the wetland. Be sure to sign-up quick to ensure you can show your creative skills and love for our wetland!
Contact Willard at willard@dnda.org to sign-up and/or to learn more about the restoration work planned for the Wetland.
Thank you to our Project Partners for helping support this project for our community:
Delridge Neighborhoods Development Association (DNDA)
Nature Consortium
Seattle Tilth
Seattle Green Spaces Coalition
Seattle City Light
Duwamish Alive Coalition
Louisa Boren STEM K-8
National Park Service
Permanent link to this article: http://stemk8pta.org/2016/04/11/duwamish-alive/
Monday, March 21 will be the last day to register for any one of our excellent Spring enrichment classes, many of which begin the last week of March!
All classes but Robotic Engineers still have plenty of space for eager students, from drama to darkroom photography to drumming. Visit the Enrichment page to finish registering your owl(s) before Monday, March 21!
Permanent link to this article: http://stemk8pta.org/2016/03/19/registration-for-spring-enrichment-closes-soon/
A huge thank you to Dunn Lumber and The Johnsons at Windermere for sponsoring our 3rd Annual STEM auction! Their generous donations help us offset costs, allowing more funding to reach our kids and teachers. Thank you!
Permanent link to this article: http://stemk8pta.org/2016/03/06/a-big-hoot-out-to-our-auction-sponsors/
Will it be Chess, Trendy Crafts, Ukulele or something else? With so many excellent before and after schools programs to choose from, you’re sure to please even the most picky child!
This spring, there will be not one but two drama programs, robotics, a makey hour for the little ones, sports, sewing, and so much more. Visit our Enrichment Programs page to see a full line-up or heads right to the registration form to start the process!
If you’d like to volunteer for a class or need a scholarship, please contact Linnea Seidelmann at afterschool@stemk8pta.org.
Permanent link to this article: http://stemk8pta.org/2016/03/06/spring-2016-enrichment-registration-now-open/
