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FROM OUR PRINCIPAL Aloha Alki Elementary Community,

Our school’s focus for this year is around building RELATIONSHIPS, COLLABORATING with others, and improving COMMUNICATION with each other and with our community. Here is an update on our work;

BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS

• RULER - our social-emotional curriculum has been implemented in all classrooms.

• Nearly 100% of all Alki staff have established a social-emotional component to their goals for the year. Alki staff attended a professional development by David Lewis, SPS Behavioral Health Services, on creating a culture of trauma informed instructional practices that focuses on the whole child approach to promoting student’s academic and social-emotional well-being.

• Our Raise the Paddle PTA Live Auction item this year will go towards purchasing the recess program ‘PLAYWORKS’. This program has proven results in hundreds of schools in the Northwest by leveraging the power of safe, fun, and healthy play every day. As said by our wonderful counselor, Ms. Greenstein, “Recess is the most unstructured part of our school day where most conflicts occur between students.” In addition to this program, we hope to purchase student tools such as sensory items, social-emotional books, and student incentives.

• We have also started the Alki HERO program which pairs 4th and 5th grade leaders with primary students (K-2) who need support and mentorship on the playground. This mentorship ranges from helping students find a friend to play with to helping friends positively solve conflict.

• In addition, Alki Conflict Managers will begin again in the winter where students help their grade level peers help solve conflict on the playground.

SCHOOL CONTACTS

ATTENDANCE LINE (206) 252-9054

PRINCIPAL Rena Deese

(206) 252-9050 rskido@seattleschools.org

ADMINISTRATIVE SECRETARY Lisa Noyes

(206) 252-9050 lnoyes@seattleschools.org

ELEMENTARY SCHOOL ASSISTANT Ann Stevens

(206) 252-9050 astevens@seattleschools.org

OFFICE HELP Dianne Szerlong (206) 252-9050

SCHOOL NURSE Mary K Sykes

(206) 292-9057 mksykes@seattleschools.org

CAFETERIA Dianne Lannoye (206) 292-9058

dllannoye@seattleschools.org

The Alki Way

Always be Responsible Let Kindness Be Your Guide

Keep Yourself and Others Safe Inspire Respect and Pride

Cont. on page 2

ALKI CURRENTS

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COLLABORATING WITH OTHERS

•As stated at our curriculum night, we have established supportive conditions for additional collaboration time between teachers.

• We are also taking feedback from students and families and using them regularly to adjust and improve our practices as a whole school.

IMPROVING COMMUNICATIONS

• Our staff has assembled a Website team to create more frequent updates and improve access to school information.

• We are implementing regular administrative updates via School Messenger (SPS email system).

• Starting this month we are setting direct time for teachers to spend communicating with families.

As I was reflecting on ways to improve our communication, I read a quote by Seahawks player, Doug Baldwin, who stated that, “We (the Seahawks) are going to listen. We need to know the perspective of other people. The greatest tragedy for any human being is going through their entire lives believing the only perspective that matters is their own.” Though a loyal Patriots fan, I too believe that I become a better person and a stronger leader by listening and understanding the perspective of others. Please don’t hesitate to contact me to share any of your thoughts and/or perspectives. It is my personal goal, to have each student and their family to leave Alki Elementary feeling that they have received the best educational experience possible.

Last month’s Principal Coffee Talk resulted in steps being taken to ensure consistent communication to families about the amazing things happening in our classrooms and around our school. The feedback and positive conversation we had was incredibly valuable and I hope that you join me for this month’s coffee talk, on

November 30th at 8am.

Thank you for all your continued support and dedication toward all students at Alki Elementary!

With love,

Rena Deese

Alki Elementary Principal rskido@seattleschools.org / 206.252.9055

LIKE US ON FACEBOOK www.facebook.com/alkipta

SIGN-UP FOR E-NEWS Email contact@alkipta.com to sign up

CHECK OUT ALKI PTA'S WEBSITE www.alkipta.com

ALKI ELEMENTARY'S WEBSITE http://alkies.seattleschools.org/

LETTER FROM PRINCIPAL CONT.

IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES Thursday, Nov. 3 (6:30 - 7:30 PM) PTA Meeting / BeSMART Presentation

Friday, Nov. 4 Reflection Entries Due

Saturday, Nov. 5 (5:30 - 10:30 PM) Auction Night More info on pg. 10

Friday, Nov. 11 NO SCHOOL Veterans Day

Wednesday, Nov. 16 (12:05 PM) 2 Hour Early Dismissal

Nov. 21 - 23 NO SCHOOL Parent Teacher Conferences

Nov. 24 - 25 NO SCHOOL Thanksgiving Holiday

Wednesday, Nov. 30 (2:00 - 9:00 PM) Dine Out for Alki: Shelby's Bistro

AROUND THE SCHOOL

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VACCINES / EXEMPTIONS

Due Monday, Oct. 31

To prevent an outbreak of communicable diseases, it is important for every student to have up-to-date immunizations or exemptions registered at the school. When vaccine compliance is above 95% in the school, the risk of an outbreak is significantly lowered. By Washington State Law, students without complete (or in-progress on a schedule) immunization /exemption are to be excluded until documentation is up-to-date.

Our compliance at Alki is currently 96%. Parents whose children are not compliant have been notified. If your child is excluded, they cannot return to school until proper documentation of vaccination/exemption is received. The State report goes in on November 1, so please get your updated vaccination/exemption records in to the school by October 31.

YEARBOOK COVER CONTEST Due Friday, Dec. 2

The 2016-17 yearbook cover contest in on! For your child to participate: 1. Pick up a piece of white card stock from the school

office 2. Put their full name, grade level, and teacher on the back 3. Have them draw what they think would be a great cover

for this year’s yearbook!

FUEL UP TO PLAY 60

Alki has once again been awarded a Fuel Up to Play 60 (FUTP 60) grant. We are encouraging every student to eat breakfast daily, try new games, and join the FUTP 60 activities at our school.

On Tuesdays and Thursdays we are introducing a Marathon Club. Students may walk or run laps, supervised by our Nursing Students. Prizes for participation and accomplishment of marathon distances will be given. The run/walk will be held during recess this year. All students are encouraged to participate.

Parents, if you would like to volunteer, please register at the main office, and talk with the School Nurse.

Questions? Contact: Nurse Mary Kaye Sykes (mksykes@seattleschools.org)

AROUND THE SCHOOL

HELP ALKI BECOME A SCHOOL OF EXCELLENCE

If you haven’t already, please visit http://tinyurl.com/AlkiSOESurvey to complete the survey that was communicated in our Oct. 25 and Nov. 1 E-news. The National PTA School of Excellence program is designed to support our school and PTA as we strengthen family-school partnerships that enrich students’ educational experiences and overall well-being.

One step in the process is to gather feedback from our school family on the frequency of family engagement strategies implemented by our school. We need your help in completing this survey at the beginning of the year and end of the year to be considered for the National PTA School of Excellence designation. http://tinyurl.com/AlkiSOESurvey

ONLY TWO MORE DAYS TO COMPLETE THE SURVEY. DEADLINE IS EXTENDED TO FRIDAY, NOV. 11!

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ALKI MUSICAL: AESOP'S FABLES Parent Meeting: Wed. Nov. 9 (6:30 PM)

Big News! This year’s school play has been chosen! Multi-Arts teacher Ms. Scranton will be directing our students in the collection of short stories, ‘Aesop’s Fables’. The students will be performing ten fables in all where each rehearsal “group” will do three, then all in the grand finale of the ”Tortoise and the Hare”.

This terrific enrichment opportunity will be offered to 3rd - 5th graders. There will be a mandatory parent meeting for all families involved in the musical on Wednesday, Nov. 9 at 6:30 PM. This will be a time for Director Scranton to present this year’s format… which is different than in years past. Sign-ups will also be held that night. The cost of this enrichment program is $75.00 per student (down $20.00 from last year) and should be made payable to the Alki Elementary PTA.

Because of the tight schedule, every rehearsal day is mandatory. Rehearsals will be Monday, Tuesday OR Thursday…(CHOOSE ONE day to attend!) and will be intensive beginning Nov 14th for 7 weeks, then the entire cast will come together Jan. 17th through the performance dates, for ALL 3 Rehearsal days to put the show “together”. Because of the tight schedule, every rehearsal day is mandatory.

We have also increased our performances from two to three. Please join us in February on the 2nd, 3rd, & 4th at West Seattle High School to cheer on our actors & actresses.

Please attend the parent meeting or feel free to ask questions of Director Scranton (msgeorge@seattleschools.org).

AROUND THE SCHOOL

Some very special thanks are in store for staff and parents who went above and beyond the call of duty to ensure the most positive transition possible for the 2nd grade students and their families faced with the “October Shuffle”. After SPS granted an additional full-time teacher to Alki on Sept. 30, Principal Deese and Alki staff took swift and thoughtful action. The students selected for the fourth 2nd grade class took up residence in their new classroom in P2 while awaiting to meet their new teacher (Ms. So). In the meantime Mrs. Rasmussen and Mrs. Roshalt seamlessly taught the new class until Ms. So was hired.

Although there is much work to be done to eliminate this practice of shuffling students after the start of school, Principal Deese and staff made the very most of a tough situation. From hours spent pouring over student selection to ensure a balanced class, students’ best interests and minimize impact to those who’d been impacted before, to Ms. Deese personally calling families to notify them of the move, to an all-school community day where all classes switched up and finally culminating in the new classmates being personally escorted by Ms. Deese and the Alki Seagull to P2 while music played and balloons welcomed them to their new home!

Kudos as well to the awesome parents and staff members who turned an empty portable into an amazing new classroom complete with the students’ names on the door! Thank you to ALL who made it happen: Bri’Anna Smith, Jennifer Ogle, Katie Christoff, Vanessa Longacre-Wilcox, Britney Straus, Lindsay Yost, Laurie Rasmussen, Jennifer Rosholt, Marjorie Nye, Alia Delacour, Stevie Kramer, Tracy Seefeld, Davina Dilley, Josh Ingalls, Amy Fields and of course, to the resilient and brave students and families of the newly formed 2nd grade classroom. Thank you.

WELCOME MS. SO Alki's New 2nd Grade Teacher

We are thrilled to welcome our newest Alki staff member, 2nd Grade Teacher, Marie So. Ms. So is an exceptional teacher who just recently moved to Seattle from teaching in the state of Texas (where she was awarded for being in the top 25% of teachers in her district!) Ms. So has two children currently enrolled at Alki... if you see her around be sure to say hello!

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LEGISLATIVETHE VITAL ROLE OF OUR SCHOOL COUNSELOR & ENSURING WE KEEP IT

F O C U S :

THE CRITICAL SERVICES PROVIDED BY A SCHOOL COUNSELOR

If you are a family who has never used one-on-one school counseling services, you might not be aware of all the work that a counselor does to support the emotional health of the entire school and how that impacts your child. The counselor serves every student in the school. This manifests on three different levels:

Entire school support – by being a potential resource to all staff and families, by supporting student needs and social skill development at recess, by training over 50 students each year to be Conflict Mediators on the playground, by consulting and supporting staff with the implementation of the social/emotional RULER program, and by working at the school level to support an environment where every child feels a sense of belonging. In the unfortunate event of a crisis that impacts the whole school, such as a death in the community, the counselor will be an important member of the crisis response team.

Classroom level support – the counselor teaches social skills lessons in classrooms often in response to needs identified by teachers, and also facilitates classroom meetings. She initiates friendship groups. The counselor works at the classroom level on behalf of a positive and respectful learning environment for all and works to overcome obstacles that challenge that environment.

Lastly, and sometimes most acutely, the counselor supports individuals at Alki. The counselor supports students in crisis, consults with and provides resource information to families, addresses concerns about friendship and bullying. By addressing the needs of individual children, the counselor can impact the whole classroom environment. The counselor serves as a safety net for children/families in crisis, who may be dealing with issues of death or loss, domestic violence, poverty, foster care, mental illness, and/or addiction - concerns that are sometimes hidden from public view, but that all impact our community.

WE ALMOST LOST OUR COUNSELOR THIS YEAR

In previous years, the district has oscillated between providing counselors to all elementary schools, and allocating part time counselors to a very limited number of schools based on criteria that shift dramatically from year to year, depending upon budget constraints. These changes in which schools qualify hinder consistency in relationships and programming and cause counselors to shift from school to school. Our current school counselor, Jennifer Greenstein, has been at Alki since 2014, but we almost lost her this school year because the Seattle Public School district once again changed their allocation formula and Alki didn't qualify based on the new criteria.

Facing the prospect of losing the counselor, the Alki Elementary administration, staff, and Alki PTA assessed that this was a critical position in the school that should not be lost. Therefore, for the school year of 2016, Alki PTA stepped in and has provided 100% of the funds for this position as a fiscal stop gap to keep our counselor in a half time role. To this end, in our budget this year we have allocated $54,545 for .5 FTE School Counselor against a total budget of $172,668 for the PTA.

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COMMUNITY FUNDING IS NOT THE SOLUTION. WHAT CAN WE DO TO FIX IT?

If our student population stays the same or similar for next year, it is unlikely that the position will be centrally funded without our advocacy. Alki PTA funding is not a sustainable funding solution for this important position in the school. As parents, tax payers, and key stakeholders for Seattle Public School District, we need to voice our concern over losing this position. There are three levels of administration to engage for our advocacy:

Seattle Public Schools (SPS): Each year SPS comes up with new criteria for schools for staff positions based upon the “Weighted Staffing Standard” (WSS) http://tinyurl.com/WSSModel17. The WSS creates an annual formula that when applied to each school generates a funding package for individual schools for the coming year. In years’ prior, counselors were allocated mainly according to population size of the school. I.e. between 400-450 students would qualify Alki for a .5 counselor. For the 2016-17 school year, the WSS shifted so that counselors were allocated based on poverty rates and existing school programs rather than enrollment numbers (The technical terms are a “Focus or Priority School,” “High Poverty” school or having a “Social /Emotional Behavior Program.”) The criteria for WSS changes every year. Within the last ten years, there were only two years when SPS provided central funding for .5 counselor positions to every elementary school in the district. This was one of the first staff positions cut after the recession. There is a committee each year that determines what will be the WSS for each school. Engaging with this committee may be the best targeted advocacy to regain this position at Alki and across the district.

Upcoming SPS budget meetings are:

Tuesday, Oct. 25 (6:00 - 8:00 PM) John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence 2445 3rd Avenue South (Auditorium)

Thursday, Nov. 3 (6:00 - 8:00 PM) South Shore School 4800 South Henderson Street (Cafeteria)

LEGISLATIVE

Other schools in the past have started a Change.org petition to maintain their counselor, collected letters of support, advocated for mitigation funds from SPS to be used for this position, and sent the letters to the Seattle School Board and relevant budget committees.

State Legislature in Olympia: Counselor positions are mandated by the State government for all high school and middle schools in the State of Washington. Due to this mandate, counselors must be maintained even in years of budget constraints in secondary schools. A similar mandate is needed in Olympia for Elementary Schools.

Federal government: In 2015, President Obama signed ‘The Every Student Succeeds Act’ (ESSA) (http://www.ed.gov/essa) into law to replace the underfunded No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. In the new law, there are provisions to improve school conditions including language “to provide school counseling to students" (http://tinyurl.com/LegSchoolCounselor) Olympia and Washington State government needs a more congruent policy with this federal law.

WE NEED YOUR HELP!

Overall, what we can do as the Alki PTA and community is get involved, get a voice on the current WSS committee, attend School Board meetings, and engage with our state and federal elected officials.

We need volunteers to attend meetings and work with us on all these avenues! Please contact Elise Carlson-Rainer (ecarlson333@yahoo.com) or Vanessa Longacre-Wilcox (vlongacre@hotmail.com) if you are able to help.

THE VITAL ROLE OF OUR SCHOOL COUNSELOR & ENSURING WE KEEP IT

F O C U S :

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BLT (BUILDING LEADERSHIP TEAM) Our talented staff attends multiple trainings throughout the course of the year. Last month on Oct. 26 the staff attended a lecture called ‘Trauma Informed Instruction’ by David Lewis. This training course provided staff with the context to better understand how adverse childhood experiences may be impacting Seattle Public Schools students/families. It also taught them on how to begin to understand how trauma informed practice leads to resiliency in students and promotes their sense of belonging and academic success.

We are lucky to have a staff full of people that care deeply about our students and continue to improve and educate themselves in order to serve our children better.

LEGISLATIVE CALENDAR Wednesday, Nov. 2 (4:15 – 8:00 PM) Regular School Board Meeting John Stanford Center Regular Board meetings are generally scheduled for the first and third Wednesdays of each month. The Board meetings start at 4:15 PM, with public testimony to begin no earlier than 5:30 PM.

Wednesday, Nov. 16 (4:15 – 8:00 PM) Regular School Board Meeting John Stanford Center Regular legislative sessions of the Board of Directors are held the first and third Wednesdays of each month unless otherwise noted. Meetings are held in the first floor Auditorium of the John Stanford Center located at 2445 - 3rd Avenue South.

Tuesday, Nov. 8 General Election This may go without saying but voting is an important way to make your voice heard. We encourage you to research candidates up and down the ticket, where they stand, and what they have accomplished (or not) on issues of education.

Monday, Jan. 16, 2017 Legislative Focus Day Olympia, WA Every year PTA members all over Washington State assemble in Olympia to discuss priorities and to meet with legislators to have our voices heard. This is an important opportunity to meet our representatives and remind them that we are here, we are engaged, and we vote! Check out information about last year’s event: http://www.wastatepta.org/meetings/focus_day/index.html

Please let us know if you would like to join and we will try to work out carpooling to Olympia.

PLEASE VOTE ON NOVEMBER 8TH! As a reminder, the PTA

does not endorse any specific candidates. Instead, we encourage our community to engage in the political process as – IT DIRECTLY IMPACTS YOUR CHILD’S EDUCATION. Far too much focus is placed on the national election, there are local races and positions to be decided in November that will have a measurable impact on Seattle Public Schools and Alki Elementary.

BLT & LEGISLATIVE

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PTA PRESIDENT LETTER Happy Fall, Alki Families!

It’s November and at Alki that means It’s AUCTION time! After months of preparation and hundreds of hours of work by a team of dedicated parents, this Saturday it all pays off! The funds raised this year will directly impact our students and set the stage for next year’s programs and events including: a part-time counselor, playground/office support, library materials, teacher discretionary funds, traditions like Dads and Donuts last month and many more opportunities for our students like the National Geography and Spelling Bees, Passport Club, Writers in the Schools and field trip scholarships. The success of our auction carries throughout the school and touches every Alki student, staff member and family. Huge thanks to the amazing volunteers that make it happen and to all our family, staff and business donors. See you in Havana!

Also happening now is the Alki School of Excellence Family Survey mentioned in this newsletter. Please take 5-7 minutes to complete the online survey found at http://tinyurl.com/AlkiSOESurvey and in the last two Enews. Your responses are completely anonymous and will help to generate a customized Roadmap to Excellence, which will provide specific recommendations for Alki PTA in improving our family-school partnership. We are very excited to take what we learn and find ways to apply it this year and we can only do that with your help! Deadline is extended to Friday, November 11th! We hope you can join us at tomorrow’s PTA meeting (6:30 - 7:30 PM) where we will have a free presentation from the grassroots organization, Moms Demand Action and their BeSMART Gun Safety event for parents. Sign your students up for free childcare and join the conversation! Following the presentation will be a brief PTA meeting focusing on pertinent orders of business where your ideas are welcome! Thanks to great attendance at our first two PTA meetings this year I think I can safely say that Alki PTA meetings are… FUN!? ;-) Looking forward to seeing you!

Best,

Amy Cooper PTA President

PTA EXECUTIVE OFFICERS

PRESIDENT Amy Cooper

President@AlkiPTA.com

CO-VP COMMUNICATIONS Angela Powell

Contact@AlkiPTA.com

CO-VP EVENTS Lindsay Yost

LindsayDYost@gmail.com

CO-VP FUNDRAISING Lisa Rockel

Fundraising@AlkiPTA.com

SECRETARY Danielle Jones

ddwjones@yahoo.com

TREASURER Patti Johnson

Treasurer@AlkiPTA.com

UPCOMING PTA MEETINGS Thursday, Nov. 3 6:30 - 7:30 PM BeSMART gun safety conversation

Sign Up For Childcare www.tinyurl.com/PTAMeetingChildcare

Wednesday, Dec. 7 6:30 - 7:30 PM

ALKI PTA

PTA MEETING AGENDA Thursday, Nov. 3 (6:30 - 7:30 PM)

Call To Order Moms Demand Action – BeSMART Presentation Approval or Correction of Minutes Reports • Legislative Report (in print and as

time allows) • VP’s and Treasurer Reports provided

(in print) Unfinished Business • Safety/Security of our Building • School of Excellence New Business • Counselor Advocacy • Financial Review Committee

selection for mid-year review • Community Service Project

Announcements/Thank Yous • Reflections Deadline: 11/4 • Auction – 11/5 (NEED VOLUNTEERS) • Musical – mandatory parent meeting 11/9 • Staff Holiday Luncheon 12/7 • Next General Meeting 12/7 (it’s a social!) Thank you • Lindsay Yost – Kinder social chair • Malik Davis and Lindsay Yost – Dads and

doughnuts. • Angela Powell – Auction Chair, • Auction Team and ALL Auction volunteers

(too many to name, but they’re all amazing!)

Adjourn

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BeSMART PRESENTATION AT NOV. PTA MEETING Thursday, Nov. 3 (6:30 - 7:30 PM)

Looking forward to seeing you at tomorrow's PTA meeting where we will have a special presentation from MDA – Moms Demand Action -

and their BeSMART gun safety conversation.

MDA is a national, nonpartisan, grassroots organization that began the day after the Sandy Hook school shooting. They envision a country where all children and families are safe from gun violence. Partnering with the National PTA, MDA has launched a ‘Be SMART Campaign’ to prevent child access to guns. The campaign focuses on the importance of conversation, responsible gun storage, and community awareness. There is no political or legislative discussion as part of the Be SMART Campaign.

MDA encourages parents and all adults to “Be SMART” and take these simple steps to help prevent shootings by children:

Secure all guns in your home and vehicles; Model responsible behavior around guns; Ask about the presence of unsecured guns in other homes; Recognize the signs of suicide and depression; Tell your peers to be SMART

Childcare will be provided as with all monthly PTA meetings. Please sign up in advance at http://tinyurl.com/PTAMeetingChildcare. For more information visit besmartforkids.org.

ALKI PTAREFLECTION ENTRIES DUE THIS FRIDAY, NOV. 4! Reflections entries are due THIS Friday and judging will soon be underway! We're so excited to see the creative work our students are getting ready to submit. Please don't hesitate to contact Lindsay Yost (lindsaydyost@gmail.com) if you have any questions on how to enter, Reflections rules, or even help with the final touches of getting everything ready. If you need to download an entry form or see the rules, check out our webpage: www.alkipta.com/reflections

Please turn in all artwork ON Friday, Nov. 4. Lindsay will be on the blacktop before and after school collecting submissions if weather permits, and inside the main hallway if it's raining. If you're unable to come before or after school on Nov. 4, email Lindsay to coordinate another time to drop-off.

OCTOBER EVENTS THANK YOU!

Kinder Social Thank you to the families that braved the weather to come out and enjoy the Kinder Social! It was wonderful to see everyone! We would like to extend a special thank-you to Katie Christoff, Ali Pankop and Lisa Rockel for their help with set up/clean up.

Dads & Doughnuts We loved seeing everyone so early in the morning sharing doughnuts and coffee last month! Thank you to the people that helped make this such a successful event. Malik Davis served as event chair. Volunteers that went above and beyond include Chris Nutter, Hung Nguyen, Erik Bell, Sean Meckley, Erik Rockel, Matt Ontiveros, Angela Powell, Christine Brady, Kristy Whitney, Kristen Larson, Kirsty Grainger (LeHouillier). A huge thank you also goes to our sponsors - Top Pot Doughnuts for providing all of the sweet treats and Tully's and Starbucks for providing coffee.

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P A C K Y O U R B A G S ! A U C T I O N T H I S S A T U R D A Y ! ! !

CHECK OUT THE ONLINE CATALOG!

Our auction will transport you to an island where time stands still in the 1950s. Together we will enjoy Cuban inspired appetizers, plated dinner, as well as beer/wine and island themed cocktails. Come dressed in your Cuban inspired wear (fedoras, cigars, colorful dresses, flowers, etc.) and be ready to have a fabulous night of fun all while raising money for our Alki PTA.

Bid on our Silent & Live Auction, Priceless Student Art, Dessert Dash, & Raise the Paddle for Alki Elementary

And that’s not all! Following our live auction we will dance the night away to the sounds of Havana’s renowned nightlife from 10:30 - 11:30 PM

Excited about the auction, but not ready to attend as a guest? Looking to support Alki (and maybe score some kid art) without

buying a ticket?

Please consider volunteering the night of the auction! We're looking for 10

volunteers to help with writing down drink orders, helping manage the silent auction tables, bagging auction items for guests to take home, and the most glamorous job of

all... a little data entry. These jobs are critical to a smooth auction!

A homemade meal is provided for your time. Auction volunteers are also eligible for a bid number which gives you auction

night access to buy in parties, silent auction items and even the highly coveted and

priceless kid art.

Please email Brooke Fitterer (brookefitterer@gmail.com) with any questions. Shifts would be from 5:30 -

10:30 PM on Nov. 5, but all help is welcome.

http://tinyurl.com/AlkiAuction2016-Catalog

DON'T KNOW WHAT TO WEAR? What better way to beat the cold and rainy month of November, than with a steamy Havana Nights party? If you are stuck on what you should wear we wanted to share some ideas to get the creativity flowing. For the ladies, you can come in summery cocktail dresses, long skirts with a floral top, head wraps, flowers in your hair… the brighter and more colorful the better! Gentlemen can don cool linen guayaberas (a loose men’s shirt a popular “Latin clothing” in the Caribbean), plantation or tropical print shirts with collars, and smart fedoras. See you on November 5th!

KID ART!

The kids and their parent volunteer artists have

been hard at work this month working on their

pieces for the live auction.

To get an up-close view of these PRICELESS pieces, be sure to check out the

stage at some point during the silent auction to get an up close look at all the creative details that

our student artists have put their heart into.

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DINE OUT FOR ALKI Wednesday, Nov. 30 (2:00 - 9:00 PM) 4752 California Ave SW, Seattle, WA 98116

Come join us on Wednesday, Nov. 30 between 2:00 – 9:00 PM at Shelby’s Bistro and Ice Creamery in the Junction (corner of California & Edmunds). Shelby’s is a full- service bistro serving lunch and dinner the whole family will fancy. 10% of the day’s proceeds will go back to Alki, so bring your family, invite your friends and don't miss this tasty way to support the Alki Elementary PTA!

After an early dinner at Shelby's there is also a chance for you to join the Town Hall meeting for funding K-12 Education at Seattle’s Town Hall. Can’t go till later? Stop in for dessert after the Town Hall meeting!

SOUNDERS GAME SUCCESS! A big “Thank You” to the 92 Alki attendees who attended the Sounders FC game Sunday and raised nearly $300 for the ALKI PTA.

It was a 2-1 victory for our Sounders allowing them to clinch their seventh consecutive berth in the MLS Cup playoffs.

ALKI PTA FUNDRAISING & VOLUNTEER

HOW TO VOLUNTEER AT ALKI We are so fortunate to have such wonderful families and neighbors who support and enrich our school. This is what makes Alki such a powerful place for our children! Students, staff, families and the community working together as a team increases student success. We’d love your help!

All volunteers with the Seattle Public Schools are required to submit a completed volunteer application form including a background check prior to working with students.

You can find additional information on volunteering and download a copy of the form here: http://tinyurl.com/SPSVolunteer2016

OPEN CHAIR POSITIONS Calling all of our amazing parents for open chair positions! Do you have the desire to help out around our school but not sure where to begin? Come join our PTA team and help fill the 2016-17 open chair positions! Some of these positions include:

• Staff Appreciation Week Chair

• Volunteer Coordinator

Start thinking about which of these positions piques your interest and feel free to sign up on SignUp Genius (TinyURL.com/AlkiVolunteers)

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VOLUNTEER & COMMUNITY

AUCTION With the Auction only 3 DAYS AWAY.. and it's the final push! Don't miss out on being a part of the action! We're still looking for:

OPEN JOBS BEFORE EVENT • Pick up Desserts (Locations Provided) - Friday, Nov. 4 /

Saturday, Nov. 5 • Decorations (Hall at Fauntleroy) - Saturday, Nov. 5 (9:30 AM

- 12:30 PM) • Auction Set-Up #1 (Hall at Fauntleroy) - Saturday, Nov. 5

(9:30 AM - 12:30 PM) • Auction Set-Up #2 (Hall at Fauntleroy) - Saturday, Nov. 5

(11:00 AM - 2:00 PM)

JOBS DURING EVENT (HALL AT FAUNTLEROY) - Saturday, Nov. 5 • Night-Of Staff (5:00 - 10:00 PM) • Bar Attendant during Live Auction (7:00 - 10:30 PM) • Data Entry (5:00 - 10:00 PM) • Greeters (5:15 - 6:00 PM) • Greeters (6:00 - 6:45 PM) • Clean Up Crew (11:00 PM - 1:00 AM)

SIGN UP HERE! http://tinyurl.com/AlkiAuctionHELP

BIKE RIDERS NEEDED AT ALKI!

May is Bike to School Month and our lead biker, Mr. Kegel, has wheeled on south. He left us information and know how but we need a leader to take the handlebars, fill his bike shoes and coordinate the Bike to School Month tradition of bike trains and bike calendars. This is the perfect fit for a grown up who enjoys biking. Please contact me if you are interested in helping keep this tradition of Bike to School month going. Thank you in advance for help.

Contact: Alyson Hallberg (Alyhallberg@gmail.com)

WSHS MINI CHEER CAMP Friday, Nov. 11 (10:00 AM - 1:00 PM)

K-5th grade kids will have a great time learning fun cheers and making crafts with the Westside cheerleaders. Campers will receive a tee shirt, pom poms, official team hair bow, picture of themselves with the cheerleader AND perform as an honorary West Seattle Cheerleader at an upcoming home basketball game!

The cost of this camp is $60. Registration paperwork and payment are due by October 27th to be guaranteed a t shirt the day of camp. Those who register after the 27th will receive items at the basketball game performance. Space is limited so register early to ensure your spot.

Contact Melinda Fredricks at wshsminicheercamp@wshs.com if you have any questions.

WS HELPLINE'S 7TH ANNUAL AUCTION Friday, Nov. 11

WS Helpline's 2016 "Neighbors Helping Neighbors" Dinner & Auction raises funds for the West Seattle Helpline's emergency assistance programs.

The West Seattle Helpline is a nonprofit social service agency offering emergency assistance for our West Seattle neighbors. Their mission is to empower our neighbors to regain their self-sufficiency after facing an emergency or unexpected hardship.

http://wshelpline.org/events/nhn2016/

FUEL UP TO PLAY 60 Alki would like to continue the Fuel Up to Play 60 Club on Thursday afternoons from 2:15 – 3:00 PM (after school, due to the schedule change.) In order to provide this free movement opportunity for our students, we need 1 adult school-registered volunteer for every 10 students. This club will meet weekly from Nov. 1 until the week before Spring Break. If you can offer your time to our students on any of these Thursdays, please see the School Nurse, Mary K Sykes, or email her at mksykes@seattleschools.org. This club cannot be held without adult supervision. Once the number of volunteers is compiled, students can begin to register for the Fuel Up to Play 60 after-school club.