March 2009 Archives

MARCH

Spring Break - NO SCHOOL
March 30 - April 3

APRIL

All-School Spring Dance
Friday, April 10
6:45 - 8:45 pm
Cafeteria

WASL Testing for 3 - 5 Grades
April 13 - May 1

Monday Mixer with Principal Espania
Monday, April 13
9:15 am, Library

PTA Board Meeting
Tuesday, April 14
7:00 pm, Library
RSVP to rjmlbucher@comcast.net
Childcare available

Scrip Orders Due
Thursday, April 16

Read Around the World Ends
Friday, April 25

Dear Wedgwood Families,

For the past couple of weeks we have been working on our budget and staffing for next year. We are in a time when the economy is not able to support what we have become accustomed to. As a country, state, district and school level we are being asked to modify and in some cases eliminate the luxuries that can no longer be afforded.

I asked the teachers to prioritize what they would like to see from our budget. Our top priority was to keep our reading specialist position. This teaching position allows for our primary students, especially in kindergarten and first grades, to have additional opportunities for small group instruction. It also allows for additional small group instruction to our students who need the most academic support K-5. The second priority was to fund an instructional assistant who also was able to provide additional support K-5 in math and reading. The only luxury that we were able to fully fund was the reading specialist.

The staff has asked the PTA for help. Traditionally, the PTA budget has not financially supported staff salaries or subsidies. The PTA is conducting a survey to find out if this is a direction the community wishes to take.

Our children’s continued success is at the center of our rationale for finding additional means of continuing to provide enhanced services to our Wedgwood students. These are difficult times ahead, but I am confident that whatever we encounter as a community, we will come together to ensure that our children continue to have opportunities to access the resources they need to prepare them to become global citizens. At the next Monday Mixer, April 13th, we will have an opportunity to discuss the tentative outcomes of the plan for the 2009-2010 school year budget.

Denise Espania

Opinion Poll - Log your input by midnight, Wednesday, March 25
The PTA Board would like to ask out Wedgwood Community specifically where it stands on the PTA financially supporting/subsidizing district staff salaries. Parents, teachers and staff on the email distribution list should have received a link to an opinion survey. If you are not on the PTA distribution list or did not receive this informative email and wish to voice you opinion, contact Jennifer Bucher at rjmlbucher@comcast.net and the information will be forwarded to you. If you do not have Internet access, please pick up a hard copy in the front office, mark your choice and place it in the PTA inbox by office closing on Wednesday, 3/25. Every school parent and staff member is asked to participate. Your input is valued.

Thinking about 2009-2010 already? The nominating committee is being formed to fill open PTA Board positions. If you are interested in a position or just want to find out more, please contact Rachael Weissman at reweissman@hotmail.com who can then pass your name onto the committee.

Open positions for the next year are:

• Corresponding Secretary


• VP Legislation


• VP Membership


• Co-President


• The Weekly Editor


• Wedgwood Instrumental Music Coordinator

JOIN IN!

Now that the Teacher’s Professional Development Day is over, KidsPlay is offering a Fitness Camp for Spring Break. It’s here in the gym and hopefully outside and even at our place of business, KidsPlay - Fitness & Activity Studio. It runs Monday, March 30th thru Friday, April 3rd from 9:00 am to 4:30 pm.

The camp will be a bit more structured than past camps with an emphasis on calisthenics for muscular strength, endurance, flexibility and balance to name a few of the components of physical fitness. We’ll also be taking time for art and hopefully yoga with Marni Yamada who’s taught yoga during past camps.

The cost is $60 for a single day, $110/2days, $150/3days, $180/4days and $200 for all 5 days. For more information and to register, please contact Kevin Oyama at kdoyama@comcast.net or 206-529-1132. Thanks and I hope to see your child there!

The second grade students in Room 20 won the SPS Nutrition Service Departments poster contest held earlier this month. The contest was part of the National School Breakfast week promoting this year’s theme of “Power Up with School Breakfast” Campaign. Students were challenged to work together to create artwork blending the “Power Up” theme and the importance of eating breakfast. Their artwork is displayed in the lunchroom, stop by and check it out!

Did you know it takes about 500 pairs of jeans to recycle enough denim to insulate one average size home? Donate your old jeans or any other type of denim clothing to a good cause! All the denim collected will be donated to Cotton, From Blue to Green. This denim drive recycles jeans into insulation that is used to help build houses. Your denim will help set a Guinness World Record for most recycled jeans. The denim drive is going on all this week and the jeans will be delivered on Saturday, the 28th. Look for the collection bin in the front lobby.

If you still need to do your taxes, our local H&R Block office has offered to donate $25 for each new H&R Block client. Simply grab a Referral Form from our front bulletin board by the office and bring it in with your taxes. The new Wedgwood H&R Block office is located at 7506 35th Avenue NE. Their phone number is 206-528-1040. Help support Wedgwood and our local community at the same time!

Below is the classroom schedule with the current and upcoming continent. If you want to learn about and even reserve recommended books for your child’s continent from the Seattle Public Library go to the RAW home page at: http://wedgwoodelementary.org/activities/readaroundtheworld.html. Thanks for your support.

classroom numbers 1, 9, 10, 19
Week 3, March 23 to 27 - Europe
Week 4, April 6 to 10 - Asia and Middle East

classroom numbers 2, 11, 18, 21
Week 3, March 23-27 - Asia and Middle East
Week 4, April 6-10 - Africa

classroom numbers 3, 5, 6
Week 3, March 23-27 - Africa
Week 4, April 6-10 - Australia, New Zealand, Oceania

classroom numbers 4, 8, 16
Week 3, March 23-27 - Australia, New Zealand, Oceania
Week 4, April 6-10 - North America

classroom numbers P1, 14, 20
Week 3, March 23-27 - North America
Week 4 - April 6-10 - South America

classroom numbers P3, 7, 22
Week 3, March 23-27 - South America
Week 4, April 6-10 - Europe

MARCH

Professional Development Day - NO SCHOOL
Friday, March 20

Spring Break - NO SCHOOL
March 30 - April 3

APRIL

All-School Spring Dance
Friday, April 10
6:45 - 8:45 pm
Cafeteria

WASL Testing for 3 - 5 Grades
April 13 - May 1

PTA Board Meeting
Tuesday, April 14
7:00 pm, Library
RSVP to rjmlbucher@comcast.net
Childcare available

Scrip Orders Due
Thursday, April 16

Hello Wedgwood Families,

A couple of weeks ago, with the help of our counselor, we sent home information about how to support our children so they can more independently work through conflicts that may occur in school. Due to a suspicious incident that occurred last week, we are providing information, and for some reminders, on conversations and systems families should have in place to keep our children safe when they are not under our direct supervision. As parents and educators we do our very best to keep our children safe. However we cannot always ensure that things will go as smoothly as planned or assume that we have planned for everything. We are not able to be with our children at every moment, and being responsible parents we know we should be providing the support and instruction to our children on how to become increasingly more independent. In response to the after school event, we contacted security, who followed up and provided the following documents. We hope that you will take some time to discuss these important safety measures as a family. We will be having similar conversations with students during school.

Denise Espania

Personal Safety for Children
Adapted from the Seattle Police Department
Crime Prevention Section website
www.cityofseattle.net/police/prevention

Family rules

Establishing a system of "family rules" about personal safety can be a good way to teach children to distinguish between safe and a non-safe situations. Many families already have rules about bedtime, TV watching, chores, etc. By adopting rules about personal safety, parents can teach good habits through reinforcement and repetition without generating excessive fear. The following are suggestions for personal safety rules that can be incorporated into a family routine.

Inside rules

• Kids should know their complete home address, telephone number including area code and parents' first and last names.
• If kids are old enough to answer the phone, they should know how to call 911. Practice with the receiver button taped down.
• Kids should be taught never to reveal any personal (their name, school, age, etc.) or family information over the phone unless a parent has given permission.
• If kids are home alone and answer a phone call for an absent parent, they should say "she can't come to the phone right now", and take a message or tell the caller to try later - don't make excuses, they sound phony.
• It's okay not to answer the phone, or to work out a code (ring twice, hang up call again) so parent can check on a child that is home alone.
• Kids are old enough to answer the door when they are old enough to check the identity of the person at the door WITHOUT opening it.
• Kids should help their parents make sure doors that should be locked are locked.

Outside rules

• Establish a system of accountability. Learn the full names of your kids' friends, their parents' names, addresses and phone numbers. Check to verify the accuracy if you get the informationfrom your kids. When your child is at a friend's home, who else is present? Parents? Older kids? Other neighbors? No one?
• Know your child's routes to and from school, play and errands. Insist they stick to the same route - no shortcuts! If you have to look for them, you will know where to begin.
• Kids should be taught never to go anywhere with anyone without parental permission. This includes getting permission a second time if plans change and calling to check before going from one friend's home to another location.
• Kids should never play in isolated areas of parks or playgrounds, and should avoid public restrooms, building sites and dark streets.
• Teach kids alternatives; if they are bothered or followed on the playground, walking to friends' home, school or store, where do they go? Walk these common routes with your child and look for choices. Can they go back into the school, in a store or business (kidsare reluctant to enter a strange store or business unless given permission,) into a fire station or approach someone doing yard work?
• Knocking on the door of a stranger is a last resort. If they have no other choice they should look for a house with a light on (at night) or toys in the yard if possible and ask the homeowner to "please call the police, someone is bothering me", but not to go inside the house.
• Kids' best defenses are their voices and their legs. Teach them to runaway from someone who is bothering them while yelling to attract as much attention as is possible.
• Have them practice yelling!
• Teach kids not to approach cars that stop to ask for help. Most legitimate adults would not ask a young child for directions anyway. If the car follows them or the driver gets out they should run away and yell.

"Bad Guy" rules

• Teach kids that "bad guys" can be anyone; society teaches kids bad guys are always ugly, mean and scary, and look like monsters. Bad guys are almost always portrayed as strangers and as men.
• Remember, a stranger is someone who is not known by the child. A friend of parents, a friend of the child's friend or a neighbor can be a stranger. And a stranger can be a good guy or a bad guy.
• Some bad guys act nice, friendly and are attractive. Some bad guys play tricks on kids. Typical bad guy tricks include bribes (money, toys, games, or promises of those things), lies (your mom told me to pick you up at school), requests for help (my puppy ran away, can you help me find him?), or threats (if you don't come with me I'll hurt your mom).
• Teach kids that a bad guy is someone who asks them to violate family rules, e.g. someone who says they don't need permission to accompany them.
• Develop a family "code word". If someone other than a parent is going to pick up a childunexpectedly, that person should repeat the "code word" first before the child agrees to leave. The code word should remain a secret and be changed should others learn of it. Schools have specific rules about “emergency pick-ups”. Please make sure you are aware of those rules and provide the school with the information needed prior to having anyone other than the legal guardian pick up your child.

Math Night last Thursday was great fun with students of all ages playing challenging games with their parents and friends! Thank you to all the “Certified Game Volunteers” who took time to go through the 1.5 hour training session. A special thanks goes out to Tatiana Toro who has been responsible for bringing Math Night to Wedgwood for the past 5 years. Her expertise and passion for making math fun have been a gift to Wedgwood students and families. Also, a shout out of “thanks” to Leanne Robertson for learning the ropes from Tatiana and helping out at every step along the way!

Thinking about 2009-2010 already? The nominating committee is being formed to fill open PTA Board positions. If you are interested in a position or just want to find out more, please contact Rachael Weissman at reweissman@hotmail.com who can then pass your name onto the committee.

Open positions for the next year are: Corresponding Secretary, VP Legislation, VP Membership, Co-President, The Weekly Editor, Wedgwood Instrumental Music Coordinator. JOIN IN!

Dig out those shorts and Hawaiian shirts for Wedgwood’s All-School Beach Boogie on Friday, April 10th. Join DJ extraordinaire, our own mix master, Clarence Spice, for a fun night of great music and dancing. Come try your hand at the Limbo, Macarena, Electric Slide, The Bump and the Twist! All ages welcome!

To usher in warmer weather, come dressed in your favorite summer attire: shorts, t-shirts, board shirts and Hawaiian prints. For safety purposes, no flip-flops please! A supervising adult must accompany all children; this is not a drop off event.

Don’t miss this “Boss” Bash and be prepared to get “Amped” dudes!!!

Wedgwood Elementary has registered for the Doodle for Google contest. This is a competition where students redesign the Google logo around a specific theme. This year the theme is “What’s Your Wish for the World”. The champion doodler will win a college scholarship and computers for his or her school and have his or her design viewed by millions on the Google homepage for one day. The winning design will also be exhibited in the Smithsonian’s Cooper-Hewitt national Design Museum in New York City.

Wedgwood will be selecting 6 entries to enter in the national competition. Entries must be submitted to the school by Monday, March 23rd, no exceptions!! Go to: http://www.google.com/doodle4google/info.htmlfor more info if your child would like to enter.

If you still need to do your taxes, our local H&R Block office has offered to donate $25 for each new H&R Block client. Simply grab a Referral Form from our front bulletin board by the office and bring it in with your taxes. The new Wedgwood H&R Block office is located at 7506 35th Avenue NE. Their phone # is 206-528-1040. Help support Wedgwood and our local community at the same time!

On Wednesday, March 11, the bill to make the Olympic Marmot the state endemic mammal passed the Senate and will now go to the House of Representatives for consideration. As you may remember, six of our 5th grade students testified in front of the Senate Natural Resources, Ocean & Recreation Committee on February 9 that started the process.

Thanks to the lobbying assistance from the current 4th grade class, all of who emailed the members of the Senate Rules Committee asking them to pull the bill onto the senate Floor for a vote, our bill was debated and passed. The Seattle Times wrote a great article on the subject on March 13. To read more, go to: http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2008851726_marmot13m.html.

KidsPlay is here again, this time for the Teacher’s Professional Development Day on Friday, March 20th and then again for Spring Break, March 30th-April 3rd. The hours are 9 am to 4:30 pm. Sign up now for any combination of days or for all 6. The cost is: single day/$60, 2days/$110, 3days/$150, 4days/$180, 5days/$200 or all 6 days for $204. The weather is slowly improving so we may be able to get outside now and really get moving.

Check your inbox for the email flyer and your child’s kidmail for the hard copy flyer for the registration form. For more information or to sign up, call Kevin Oyama at 529-1132 or email kdoyama@comcast.net.

Below is the classroom schedule and with the current and upcoming continent. The Seattle Public Library is a great place to find a book that pertains to your child’s continent. Thanks for your support.

classroom numbers 1, 9, 10, 19
Week 2, March 16 to 20 - South America
Week 3, March 23 to 27 - Europe

classroom numbers 2, 11, 18, 21
Week 2, March 16-20 - Europe
Week 3, March 23-27 - Asia and Middle East

classroom numbers 3, 5, 6
Week 2, March 16-20 - Asia & Middle East
Week 3, March 23-27 - Africa

classroom numbers 4, 8, 16
Week 2, March 16-20 - Africa
Week 3, March 23-27 - Australia, New Zealand, Oceania

classroom numbers P1, 14, 20
Week 2, March 16-20 - Australia, New Zealand, Oceania
Week 3, March 23-27 - North America

classroom numbers P3, 7, 22
Week 2, March 16-20 - North America
Week 3, March 23-27 - South America

MARCH

Scrip Orders Due
Thursday, March 12

Math Night
Thursday, March 12
6:30 - 8:30 pm

Professional Development Day - NO SCHOOL
Friday, March 20

Spring Break - NO SCHOOL
March 30 - April 3

APRIL

All-School
Spring Dance
Friday, April 10
7:00 - 9:00 pm
Cafeteria

WASL Testing for 3 - 5 Grades
April 13 - May 1

Hello Wedgwood Families,

We had our March Monday Mixer on the 2nd. As always, it was a great morning of sharing new and reviewing prior ideas. The following is an outline of what we discussed. If you are interested in any of these topics please contact Julie Stevens our volunteer coordinator.

Budget and Staffing: I explained that the building leadership team, made up of teacher and classified representatives, the principal, and a parent representative (Rachael Weissman), will be meeting to create a variety of budget options for the staff to vote on. I explained that due to the present economic situation, limited resources allow for an opportunity to be creative in how to continue providing a strong learning community.

“Going Green”: We reviewed our current efforts. An idea of doing "waste free" lunches once a month was suggested. The idea was that for those who bring lunch from home to use reusable containers as to reduce waste.

Fundraising: It was requested that a list of fundraisers for the year and the percentage of the proceeds that go directly to the school be provided to parents. A walk-a-thon, possibly during carnival, was also suggested as a fundraiser to help support the school during these financially challenging times.

Read Around the World (RAW): We discussed the challenge of having a limited number of books available in our library. It was suggested that parents could go to the public library and families were also encouraged to choose books from the list to donate as birthday books. We also need additional parent volunteers to help in the library during R.A.W.

Denise Espania

Math Night, Thursday March 12 from 6:30 - 8:30 pm

On Thursday, March 12, the Wedgwood cafeteria will be transformed into a game emporium!! Gamers of all ages are welcome!! Try your hand at fun games and you’ll be surprised to learn that they teach, demonstrate or reinforce math skills. If you don’t know how to play a game, just ask one of our own “Certified” Wedgwood Game Volunteers. All Game Volunteers will be wearing bright turquoise t-shirts. You can’t miss them!

Turn off that TV and come to Wedgwood’s All-School Family Game Night!! Play some games and have some fun with your kids!!!

Wedgwood School Spirit T-Shirts and Sweatshirts
Wedgwood School Dolphin pride sweatshirts ($22) and t-shirts ($13) will be on sale for a limited time during Math Night on Thursday, March 12. Look for the table near the entrance. All sizes are available. Perfect for spring weather! Cash and checks only, no credit cards accepted.

The Library is looking for help with the following items:

Earphones - 32 earphones with 16 splitters for our library computers. The earphone plugs are the same size that fit in an ipod or an airplane music jack. It would be best to get earphones that fit over the head with a headband rather than the earbud type that require cleaning. That being said, we will happily accept either.

Replacement Books - The library is always looking for gently used replacement copies of our popular paperback series books - Pokemon, Digimon, Star Wars, Captain Underpants, Rainbow Fairies, Bionicles.

Good Quality Wrapping Paper - The library wants to “brighten up” some of our older classics (Little Princess, Secret Garden, etc.) and needs some good quality, thicker wrapping paper. A plain gold or silver paper is ideal, but a festive (non holiday, birthday, etc.) print would work as well.

If you can help with any of these requests or have questions, please contact Wedgwood Librarian Ann Miller at ajmiller@seattleschools.org.

It’s that time of year - fewer rainy day recesses, beautiful spring sunshine (ok, not every day, but some days!). Learning is enhanced when children get exercise and fresh air during their recesses. Sometimes it can be hard for kids to figure out a safe game to play on their own particularly on our asphalt playground. We’re looking for parent volunteers to learn (re-learn) some older outdoor games and learn some new ones and commit to coming to lunch recess for 2 Fridays to help teach them to the kids.

This effort is in conjunction with what our PE teacher, Miss Jansen, is teaching as well. Games will not be mandatory, but provided as an option for kids who want to find a fun activity to do during recess. The will include competitive and non-competitive options. Come help our kids learn some new and old games that are safe, fun, help them learn teamwork and provide them a way to find friends and get some exercise during recess.

If you’re interested, there will be a brainstorming meeting on Monday, March 16 at 3:15pm in room 5. Questions or Suggestions? Please contact Laura Hitchcock at laurahitchcock@seanet.com.

Wedgwood sent three (4-player) teams to the WA Team Championships this past weekend. Michael Duan, Riley Sampson, Grayson Spangenberg and Issy Kurdi scored a very close second place in the K3 Beginner section. Not to be outdone, our big guns - Roland Feng, Andrew Osborn, Zhemin Shao and Gargya Sekar - took home the whole kit and caboodle and were heralded the WA K3 Team Champions for 2009. What a great reward for all of their hard work! Way to go!!

Below is the classroom schedule and with the current and upcoming continent. The Seattle Public Library is a great place to find a book that pertains to your child’s continent. Thanks for your support.

classroom numbers 1, 9, 10, 19
Week 1, March 9 to 13 - North America
Week 2, March 16 to 20 - South America

classroom numbers 2, 11, 18, 21
Week 1, March 9-13 - South America
Week 2, March 16-20 - Europe

classroom numbers 3, 5, 6
Week 1, March 9-13 - Europe
Week 2, March 16-20 - Asia & Middle East

classroom numbers 4, 8, 16
Week 1, March 9-13 - Asia & Middle East
Week 2, March 16-20 - Africa

classroom numbers P1, 14, 20
Week 1, March 9-13 - Africa
Week 2, March 16-20 - Australia, New Zealand, Oceania

classroom numbers P3, 7, 22
Week 1, March 9-13 - Australia, New Zealand, Oceania
Week 2, March 16-20 - North America

MARCH

Two Hour Early Dismissal
Wednesday, March 4
1:05 pm

Read Around the World (RAW) Begins
Monday, March 9

PTA Board Meeting
Tuesday, March 10
7:00 pm, Library
Please RSVP to Jennifer Bucher. Childcare is available.

Scrip Orders Due
Thursday, March 12

Math Night
Thursday, March 12
6:30 - 8:30 pm

Professional Development Day - NO SCHOOL
Friday, March 20

Spring Break - NO SCHOOL
March 30 - April 3

WASL Testing for 3 - 5 Grades
April 13 - May 1

Dear Families of the Future Global Leaders,

There are so many accomplishments that we have achieved toward our vision of supporting our children in becoming individuals who are not only able to compete in a global society, but will work to improve the world around us. After spending three days at Islandwood for 5th grade camp, with the guidance of Ms. Jansen and parent Vishaka Smith (Ravi's mom), our 5th graders lead our school to initiating our Wedgwood composting movement. Now instead of throwing all of our food scraps into the trash, our whole school is composting and reducing the amount of waste that is leaving Wedgwood.

In order to continue our efforts in "going green" we have asked families to help us complete Wedgwood's carbon footprint analysis. Based on this data we will continue our work around developing our knowledge and leadership skills on improving our world around us. If you have not received the email you can participate in supporting our efforts by completing the survey:http://www.surveymonkey.com/s.aspx?sm=EZTHxgC8o_2bDJfMwUqeL4MA_3d_3d

Another effort at going green is the one-page school tour brochure, as opposed to a traditional folder of multiple pages. We were able to achieve this one page document, which can be found at our NEW website, through the hard work of our parent volunteers. A special thank you to Meg Angell (Cooper's mom), Emily Maher (Ethan's mom) and Brad Mohr (Henry's dad). Although just newly up and running and not completed, it is a great way for us to communicated with the larger public as well is a more efficient communication tool for our immediate Wedgwood school community. Take a minute to check it out at wedgwoodelementary.org.

Denise Espania

For the safety and security of all our children as well as to ensure we have focused time for learning until the end of the school day, we ask that parents wait until the bell prior to entering the building.

Additionally, due to the number of children in the K wing, the doors by Room 1 are EXIT ONLY and strollers should remain out of the halls.

Thank you for your continued support and attention to ensuring that all our children and families remain safe and that pick up moves a s smoothly as possible.

Math Night, Thursday March 12, 6:30 - 8:30 pm

On Thursday, March 12, the Wedgwood cafeteria will be transformed into a game emporium!! Gamers of all ages are welcome!! Try your hand at fun games and you’ll be surprised to learn that they teach, demonstrate or reinforce math skills. Become a “certified” Wedgwood Gamer by attending a game training session. The next training session is this Thursday, March 5 from 3:30 - 5:00pm in the Wedgwood Library. An adult must accompany students attending the training session.

Tatiana Toro and Leanne Robertson, both Professors of Mathematics and parents of Wedgwood students, will lead the session. During the session, parents and kids will have a chance to learn to play some games, the strategies involved and most importantly have FUN together!! Come learn to play games that teach strategy, memory, sequencing and geometry.

Contact Tatiana Toro at toro@math.washington.edu or ttoro64@gmail.com if you and your child can attend this Thursday’s training session. Turn off that TV and be a part of Wedgwood’s All-School Family Game Night!!

Announcing Read Around the World (RAW) Read-a-thon March 9 - April 24

Wedgwood is happy to announce its first Read Around the World read-a-thon! It is a 6-week voluntary reading program where participating students go on a journey around the world. Students explore other cultures by reading books from a predetermined continent/region each week. At the end of each week, kids will jot down a few things they learned in their reading log - with the help of parents and/or classroom helpers - to earn a stamp in their passport. At the end of the first week, kids that read at least one book (or for younger kids, have it read to them) will earn a special RAW pencil and global eraser. Classroom volunteers will help rooms track their progress, and the whole school will be able to watch the progress on a big bulletin board in the main hallway.

Classroom Participation

Below you'll find a schedule for the next couple of weeks showing when your child's classroom will focus on a certain continent or region. We'll be updating this schedule weekly so you'll know where your kids are and where they're going. Even though the Wedgwood PTA and school library have purchased many new cultural books for the RAW read-a-thon, we're hoping many parents will get involved and help your child explore books at your neighborhood library so there are plenty to go around - especially for this first year. We hope the RAW will become an annual event, with Wedgwood's multicultural book collection growing each year.

Multicultural Night Celebration

The program culminates in a celebration on Multicultural Night (MCN) on May 1st, when we will celebrate the kids' journey and the diversity of our Wedgwood community. Each book a child reads will earn them a raffle ticket (up to 12) at MCN for a chance at prizes. This is an unprecedented effort of the PTA, staff, and parent volunteers working together to develop an in-depth educational experience for our students. If you haven't already, please consider volunteering to help your child's classroom travel the globe through books (please contact Brenda Waldrop at waldrop_watrous@msn.com or 365-8881).

Books Still Needed

Moreover, the Wedgwood library is still in need of books to promote cultural awareness during the read-a-thon and throughout the year. So, PLEASE DONATE BOOKS. Run out to Seattle's plethora of used bookstores or go online and find a book that strikes a chord with you or your child. You can check out the RAW book list online to see what the library has already and for recommendations by the American Library Association's Growing Up Around the World program. The goal of this national program is to make books that accurately depict contemporary life in other countries more widely available to American children. The success of the read-a-thon will be measured in a better understanding in our own children about the lives of those living in other countries today, and by increasing the resources our children have to pursue their cultural curiosity. Many thanks for your support. -- John Jansen

For the next 6 weeks Wedgwood students will be Reading Around the World and spending each week reading about countries from one of six continents. Below is the schedule of all classrooms and their current and upcoming continent. If you go to a Seattle Public Library, you can help your child find a book that pertains to their continent. Thanks for your support.

classroom numbers 1, 9, 10, 19

• Week 1, March 9 to 13 - North America
• Week 2, March 16 to 20 - South America

classroom numbers 2, 11, 18, 21

• Week 1, March 9-13 - South America
• Week 2, March 16-20 - Europe

classroom numbers 3, 5, 6

• Week 1, March 9-13 - Europe
• Week 2, March 16-20 - Asia & Middle East

• Week 1, March 9-13 - Asia & Middle East
• Week 2, March 16-20 - Africa

• Week 1, March 9-13 - Africa
• Week 2, March 16-20 - Australia, New Zealand, Oceania

• Week 1, March 9-13 - Australia, New Zealand, Oceania
• Week 2, March 16-20 - North America