STEM K-8 PTA

Louisa Boren STEM PTA is an anti-racist organization. Our PTA is enaged in anti-racist work and will continue to listen, learn, and speak out against racism and violence. We seek to center the voices of the Black community and communities of color at STEM, and look to them for guidance and leadership in achieving our mission and staying true to our values.

In the coming 2020-21 school year, we will explore concrete actions to identify systemic racism and the ways it affects families of color. The PTA will review all policies and procedures, including stating this position on our enrollment form, prioritizing engaging with anti-racist vendors, and educating our students and families on racism. We will review resources, including statements by Superintendent Juneau, the district and school board, national and state PTAs, the Academy of African American Male Achievement, and other respected sources, to inform our decisions.

We strive to remove all forms of racism–structural, institutional, and individual–at STEM. This work will never finish, but will be ongoing.

This message below is provided first in English, then Spanish, then Somali. Scroll down to see translations. 

El siguiente mensaje se proporciona primero en inglés, luego en español y luego en somalí. Desplácese hacia abajo para ver las traducciones. 

Farriintaan hoose waxaa lagu bixiyaa Ingiriisiga, kadibna Isbaanish, kadibna afsoomaali. Hoos udhaji si aad u aragto tarjumaadaha. 

6-01-20 

Dear STEM Families: 

The last week provided horrifying reminders of the racism endemic to the United States and the hurt is creates for individuals, families, groups, and our country. The outpouring of pain, anger and protest is a collective call for us all to pay attention to the inequities our way of life is built upon and become explicitly antiracist. Heavy things are happening in the world right now, and I am thinking about you. The deaths of Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, and so many others must not be meaningless in the sustained struggle for justice. How we live our lives has repercussions on people near and far. We are interconnected whether we know it or not. 

As anger and dismay break through isolating social distance boundaries, STEM K-8 must continue to take steps towards addressing the vital, ongoing change that needs to come. As school moves towards June 19, I am asking staff to acknowledge the visceral events that have occurred in Seattle and across our nation, and provide students opportunities to address and respond to the personal and social justice issues they raise. Communities of color are strong and resilient, and the urgency of white families talking with their children and joining the struggle for justice is as clear as it ever has been. I am sharing two resources with this newsletter, relevant for both white families and families of color. The first addresses racial stress because the mental and physical health affects of racism are frighteningly real. The second is a letter from a black woman to white families about the importance of explicitly addressing racism. 

Racial Stress and Self Care 

A Letter to White Parents 

Another community update will come with important school information for this week and next. 

You are important and loved, 

Ben Ostrom STEM Principal 

Esta comunicación traducida con google translate. Por favor disculpe cualquier error. 

6-01-20 

Estimadas familias de STEM: 

La última semana proporcionó recordatorios horripilantes del racismo endémico de los Estados Unidos y el daño que se genera para las personas, las familias, los grupos y nuestro país. La efusión de dolor, ira y protesta es un llamado colectivo para que todos prestemos atención a las desigualdades sobre las que se basa nuestra forma de vida y nos volvamos explícitamente antirracistas. En este momento están sucediendo cosas pesadas en el mundo, y estoy pensando en ti. Las muertes de Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor y tantos otros 

no deben tener sentido en la lucha sostenida por la justicia. La forma en que vivimos nuestras vidas tiene repercusiones en las personas cercanas y lejanas. Estamos interconectados, lo sepamos o no. 

A medida que la ira y la consternación rompen el aislamiento de los límites de la distancia social, STEM K-8 debe continuar tomando medidas para abordar el cambio vital y continuo que debe venir. A medida que la escuela avanza hacia el 19 de junio, le pido al personal que reconozca los eventos viscerales que han ocurrido en Seattle y en toda nuestra nación, y brinde a los estudiantes oportunidades para abordar y responder a los problemas de justicia personal y social que plantean. Las comunidades de color son fuertes y resistentes, y la urgencia de que las familias blancas hablen con sus hijos y se unan a la lucha por la justicia es tan clara como siempre. Comparto dos recursos con este boletín, relevantes tanto para las familias blancas como para las familias de color. El primero aborda el estrés racial porque los efectos del racismo en la salud mental y física son terriblemente reales. La segunda es una carta de una mujer negra a familias blancas sobre la importancia de abordar explícitamente el racismo. 

Estrés racial y autocuidado 

Una carta a los padres blancos 

Otra actualización de la comunidad vendrá con información importante de la escuela para esta semana y la próxima. 

Eres importante y amado 

Ben Ostrom 

Director de STEM 

Wadahadalkan ayaa lagu tarjumay google tarjubaan. Fadlan raali haka ahaade wixii khaladaad ah. 

6-01-20 

6-01-20 

Qoysaska qaaliga ah ee STEM: 

Toddobaadkii la soo dhaafay waxay soo saareen xusuusin naxdin leh oo ku saabsan cunsuriyadda u nugul Mareykanka iyo dhaawaca wuxuu u abuuray shaqsiyaadka, qoysaska, kooxaha, iyo waddankeenna. Bixinta xanuunka, xanaaqa iyo mudaharaadka waa baaqa wadajirka ah ee loogu talagalay dhammaanteen inaan fiiro gaarno u yeelano sinnaan darrada qaabkeenna nolosheenna ku dhisan yahay oo aan u noqonno mid si cad uga soo horjeedda. Waxyaabaha culus ayaa adduunka ka dhacaya hadda, waana ka fekerayaa adiga. Dhimashada Ahmaud Arbery, George Floyd, Breonna Taylor, iyo kuwa kale oo badan waa inaanay micno u yeelan halganka joogtada ah ee cadaalada. Sida aan ugu nool nahay nolosheenna waxay ku leedahay dib-u-eegis lagu sameeyo dadka ku dhow iyo fog. Waan isku xirannahay haddii aan ognahay iyo in kale. 

Maaddaama caro iyo jahwareer ay ka gudbaan go’doominta xuduudaha masaafada bulshada, STEM K-8 waa inay sii wadaa qaadista tillaabooyin wax looga qabanayo isbedelka muhiimka ah, ee socda ee u baahan inuu yimaado. Markii iskuulku u wareego dhanka Juun 19, waxaan weydiisanayaa shaqaalaha inay qiraan dhacdooyinka muuqaalka ah ee ka dhacay Seattle iyo guud ahaan ummaddeena, oo ay siiyaan ardayda fursado ay wax kaga qabtaan oo ay kaga jawaabaan arrimaha shakhsiyadeed iyo caddaaladda bulshada ee ay kor u qaadaan. 

Bulshooyinka midabku waa xoog badan yihiin oo adkaysi badan, deg degna u ah qoysaska cadaanka ah ee lahadlaya carruurtooda kuna biiraya halganka cadaalada sida ay waligeed ahayd. Waxaan la wadaagayaa laba ilo macluumaad joornaalkan, kaasoo ku habboon labada qoys ee caddaanka ah iyo qoysaska midabka leh. Waxyaabaha ugu horeeya ayaa ka hadlaya walbahaarka midab-takoorka maxaa yeelay caafimaadka maskaxda iyo jirka wuxuu saameeyaa midab-takoorku waa cabsi daran. Midda labaad waa warqad ka timid haweeney madow oo loogu talagalay qoysaska caddaanka ah ee ku saabsan muhimadda si cad looga hadlo cunsuriyadda. 

Cadaadiska cakiran iyo is-daryeel 

Warqad ku socota waalidiinta cad 

Cusboonaysiinta kale ee bulshada ayaa la imaan doonta macluumaad muhiim ah oo ku saabsan dugsiga toddobaadkan iyo kan xiga. 

Waad muhiim tahay oo waad jeceshahay, 

Ben Ostrom 

Maamulaha STEM 

Calling all STEM adults!  Have you ever considered volunteering for a non-profit Board? Now is your opportunity! The Louisa Boren STEM PTA is seeking volunteers to fill two officer positions for the 2020-21 school year!  Our Executive Board needs a President and Vice President. Our PTA is active, organized, and committed to the well-being of our school community. Our work is grounded in equity; we support school activities to fill gaps in District funding, including annual library book purchases, project-based learning supplies, classroom resources and supplies, substitute teachers, and teacher development. Please consider offering your time to support our kids and teachers during this upcoming year! Contact Angela Wallis, nominations committee chair, at secretary@stemk8pta.org, or 206-999-2132 with questions, or to demonstrate your interest!  You can read more about them in this document

This year is our fourth annual GGLOW OWLS celebration, and of course we will be doing it a little differently this year. For those of you who are new to the STEM K-8 community, GGLOW OWLS stands for gender non-conforming/genderqueer, gay, lesbian or whatever and is our school’s way of kicking off Pride month and celebrating our LGBTQ+ students, staff and families. In past years we had rainbow owl tshirt sales to raise money for new LGBTQ+ book titles for our library and classrooms, plus an AWESOME dance party on our playground with food trucks and ice cream!

STEM K-8 librarian extraordinaire, Mrs. B had a terrific idea. This year instead of fundraising to purchase books we are asking for your financial donations so we can purchase LGBTQ+ ebooks and make them available to our students by the end of June!

Being away from school for so long is hard for all of our students but it can be especially isolating for our LGBTQ+ students who rely on their school community for support. We’ll run this fundraiser from 5/18-6/18. If you are able to make a contribution, please help us make our goal of $1,350. Let’s buy more LGBTQ+ ebook titles for the Louisa Boren STEM K-8 Library!

We couldn’t let GGLOW OWLS go by without a dance party! So on Friday May 29th from 5:30-7:30, tune into our FB event page for a special Family Dance Party Spotify list, videos and more! You’ll want to take lots of pics to share with us and don’t forget the ice cream

You can visit the donation page at  http://stemk8pta.org/get-involved/donate-to-our-gglow-program/

Help our community who needs it the most.

Tax-free donations to the PTA can be made specifically for covid-19 related needs that will be distributed by our school support team.

Contact your student’s teacher or the support team at: dnblechert@seattleschools.org for more information.

Even apart, we are together.

Please visit our covid-19 donation page if you would like to donate

Help out with preparing the STEM gardens for spring planting! You can join the work party from noon-3pm on Sunday, March 8 at the interior courtyard. Enter via the gate on Juneau Street. FYI there will be no building access for restrooms at this work party.

For more info contact Vaughn – vaughn@vaughnbell.net, also feel free to reach out if you are interested in being part of garden work planning for the future.

Louisa Boren STEM K-8 is applying for Seattle Small Spark’s Grant to help fund playground improvements for our school and community.  We have until Monday, February 24th to show that our school and community want to see this project succeed.  Ways you can pledge time are by volunteering in the following ways: attending meetings,  community meeting planning, volunteering at meetings by: helping with set-up, organizing, donating food, clean up. Other opportunities include volunteering space, being a community meeting discussion facilitator, making phone calls, creating flyers, online posts, buying, preparing, or providing snacks during meetings. You can pledge support by registering at Lousia Boren STEM K-8 playground project today.