February 2010 Archives

Some families have expressed concern about safeguards in how BMI is measured and used within a school setting. The Physical Education Department has provided in-depth professional development around these issues with all Physical Education teachers in the system. Students and their families could "opt-out" of participation in the BMI assessment by completing and returning an "opt-out" form.

However, in order to be receptive to parent and community input, we are now changing the the BMI measure "opt-out" permission to an "opt-in" permission. Starting February 1, students will only participate in the BMI measure if parents or guardians have signed and returned the "opt-in" permission form attached here.

The Physical Education Update letter is linked here, and Timeline for BMI measure change to Physical Education Curriculum is linked here.

Lori S. Dunn, K-12 Physical Education Program Manager
Phone: 252-0839; lsdunn@seattleschools.org

Dear Wedgwood Families,

We have some very talented children in our community! I will not be able to name them
all, but wanted to share with you some of the events that I had the honor of being
informed of and in a couple of cases attend.

• Last Saturday at Dunlap Elementary Allison Gu (3rd Grade) was awarded a silver level recognition for the artwork she did for 2010 Neighbor Appreciation Day. Her family and I were proud as we watched her receive this recognition from Mayor McGinn and Councilmember Mike O’Brien.


• Last week my son Apollo and I watched a Wedgwood Boys Basketball team Kale, James, Paul, Mason, Kurt, Leo) exhibit their amazing skills at a Ravenna Eckstein Community Center game. It was great to not only see their ball handling skills, but their team work and sportsmanship.


• Many of you may have also seen Ian Whiton’s (4th grade) picture and article in the January 9th Seattle Times for his accomplishments in the International Pokémon World Tournaments.

This is just a small sample of the accomplishments that our children are achieving out of
school. I think it is important that we are able to showcase all are children do, not only in
school, but out of school as well.

Please let us know of your children’s accomplishments. We would love to update our “Students in the Spotlight”. Please send to the office a picture and short sentence or two explaining their accomplishments.

Denise Espania

Wedgwood's 4th Annual Lunar New Year celebration is this Friday, February 12th.
Doors and activity stations will open at 6 pm and performances will begin
promptly at 6:30 pm. This event is FREE! (Please note that dinner will NOT be
served at this year's event.)

Maples in the Mist: Poems for Children from the Tang Dynasty (Hardcover) is
now out of print and no longer available in the United States. Due to a generous
donation by the author, the Wedgwood PTA now has limited quantities of this
amazing children's book! These will be on sale at Wedgwood's Lunar New Year
celebration on February 12.

The SCRIP Cards will be delivered on Thursday, February 11th, (one day early due to Mid-Winter Break). Look for them in KidMail or in the Office for pick-up per your designation.

SCRIP Fund Raising Report
To date we have raised $3,115.69 from our SCRIP sales. Remember, these funds came as rebates from the vendors, not from any Wedgwood Family’s bank account. We buy SCRIP gift cards for face value and redeem them for full face value. The vendor’s give us a percentage rebate for each card purchased. In this economy it’s great that we can fund our Wedgwood PTA budget without having to deplete our personal budgets.

If you have any questions about how SCRIP works, please ask!

Next SCRIP Order Forms Due - Thursday, March 11th

Questions: Antonyia Kranz - wescrip@gmail.com
Marcie Kellegrew - marciekellegrew@comcast.net

At Wedgwood our children have learned how to help themselves and others to ‘put drops in our buckets’. They can help a friend, give a compliment, smile at someone having a rough day, or wait patiently for our own turn.

As adults we also need to remember our own buckets, especially during pick up and drop off at school when we are trying to rush from one activity to the next. Please remember that everyone who is picking up and dropping off precious “cargo” has equal sense of urgency to get to their next activity. We not only want traffic to move smoothly, but also to be kind and courteous to other members in our community.

Thank you for helping to keep all our buckets full!

We’ve raised $250 already this year; simply through Box Tops! Thanks for continuing to clip Box Tops and depositing them in the “school house” on the table in the office - or via “KidMail.” We’ve got another $100 in Box Tops that will be submitted shortly. This is a year-round fundraiser for Wedgwood, so please keep clipping and turning them in. Each coupon counts - thanks for your support! --Linda Glas, brian.glas@comcast.net.

Come join us at our studio for fun, fitness, games, walks, and just hanging out during the break. We're holding our "Fun & Fitness" Day Camp February 15th through the 19th from 9 am to 5 pm.

Pack a lunch and a couple of snacks, dress for action (layers) indoors and outdoors, and gear up mentally for some challenging exercises. Last week Nurse Anita reported that the Centers for Disease Control and the US Department of Health and Human Services recommended children between 5 and 17 get ONE HOUR of exercise daily. Yup, one hour EVERY single DAY! We will help you achieve this goal over the break, no problem.

For further information or to register, e-mail Kevin Oyama at doyama@comcast.net or call 206-979-2868.

Remember how much fun you had last year at the silent auction?

Do you remember thinking…”Next year I’m going to donate [fill in blank]!”

Well, now is the time to start thinking about what you can donate so we can make
this year even better!

Last year, there were so many great items donated by our Wedgwood families and
local businesses. In the end, over 80 percent of the money we raised came from
donations made by our Wedgwood community. People donated their vacation
homes, their time, their artwork, and tangible items (gift cards, etc). In addition, the
incredible baskets donated by the classrooms were a huge success.

There are tons of possibilities! When thinking about donations, some organizations,
such as the Pacific Northwest Ballet, will only donate tickets if you are a season
ticket holder, so think of any possible connections you may have.

So, what are you going to donate this year?

For more information, to submit a donation, or to volunteer to be the room basket
coordinator, please contact Shelley Macias at shelleymacias@yahoo.com or 351-
4938.

Thanks in advance!

We still have space in our February community service event, coming up Tuesday,
February 23rd. Come help Food Lifeline repackage food donations from 6pm to
8pm.

Please RSVP to Kelly Otis at rileyroootis@aol.com if you're interested.

Volunteers must be at least 6 years old and accompanied by an adult.

Wedgwood fever is contagious! We ran out of some sizes so fast, we wanted to give you one more chance to get your Wedgwood Front-Pocket Hoodie! ALL SIZES are AVAILABLE for kids and adults. Pre-order now and we’ll deliver it to your child's classroom after mid-winter break. These classic sweatshirts are a 50/50 blend and oh so comfy. Order forms are attached here and in the front office. $20 kids, $25 adults.

Use this form to order your hoodie today!

Dear Wedgwood Families,

We had a wonderful Open House last week for incoming families on Wednesday
evening. Thank you to those of you who were able to come and visit the classrooms. An
extra special thank you to those who came out as directors and panel participants to
support our new families as they transition into our school community. It was wonderful
to see so many of you at the Open House.

Denise Espania

Did you know that children and adolescents need 60 minutes, yes one hour, of
physical activity every day? The CDC and US Department of Health and Human
Services have developed physical activity guidelines for Americans and that includes
those from 5 to 17 years of age. There is a wealth of information available for families
on the CDC website and I encourage you to explore what is available at:
http://www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/physicalactivity/guidelines.htm
--Anita Huntley

Valentine’s Day is upon us. Show your family and friends that you love them and that you love Wedgwood Elementary!!

Traditional Valentine Gifts of Chocolates, Flowers, and Fine Dining can all be paid for with SCRIP Cards. Non-Traditional Valentine Gifts of Coffee, Clothing and Movie Tickets can be paid for with SCRIP cards. Use your Imagination and everyone wins!!

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY!!
SCRIP Order Forms Due - Thursday, February 4th
SCRIP Cards Delivered - THURSDAY, February 11th
(The SCRIP cards will be ready on Thursday due to Mid-Winter Break)

Questions: Antonyia Kranz - wescrip@gmail.com
Marcie Kellegrew - marciekellegrew@comcast.nett

Playground/Rain Garden Meeting this Thursday at 6:30 PM. The Read Around the World (RAW) committee has been meeting to outline what this terrific interactive reading program will be. A joint effort of parents, Ms. Miller the librarian and the teachers; this multi-week reading program kicks off in March and will take our kids on a trip they will never forget. Students will read themselves around the world, jumping from continent to continent, getting their passports stamped as they go, and sharing what they've learned by participating in interactive activities. RAW will culminate in our annual Multicultural Night, where students will get a chance to highlight their efforts and win/earn prizes in a geography raffle.

We still need lots of help, including an Event Coordinator for Multicultural Night on April 30. We've got the details, we just need you! Join In! This is truly a fun group of parents to work with, and such a rewarding experience for our kids. Contact John Jansen at jansenjk@gmail.com to be added to the meeting info list, and please join us. This is truly a fun group of parents to work with, and such a rewarding experience for our kids.

The grant has been submitted, and it's time to finalize what we want this outdoor space to look like and plan the logistics. This is truly a community effort and your help is needed. Join us in the library this Thursday night at 6:30 PM — help us make a better play and green space for our children.

Did you know that traditionally, households are given a thorough cleaning before Lunar New Year, but on Lunar New Year day itself, brooms and dust pans are put away so that good luck cannot be swept away? Enjoy a chore-free day!

On Friday, February 12th, head on down to Wedgwood from 6 to 8 pm to learn about these and other Lunar New Year customs! Watch exciting cultural performances and try your hand at making unique arts and crafts. Come and walk through the beautiful Asian-Inspired Art Walk by our very own Wedgwood students.

Please take note that this year the celebration will NOT include dinner. In order to make the event accessible to everyone, entry to the event is FREE. Come and JOIN IN the fun!

Help to Make Lunar New Year a ROARING Success!!! Start the Year of the Tiger right by volunteering a little bit of your time at Wedgwood's all-school Lunar New Year Celebration! We could use some extra hands to help out with craft stations and with the Book Sale table, where the beautiful Maples in the Mist books will be exclusively on sale!

Contact Linda Powers at daplkp@comcast.net or call 206-525-8414 to help out!