Bulletin for Responsible Scholars, Friday, March 12, 2010
Welcome to Eckstein
We are creating a Community of Lifelong Learners!
| 3/13 | Eckstein Rummage Sale, 9:00-4:00 p.m. Eckstein Cafeteria. Benefits Eckstein Band |
| 3/14 | ** Daylight Savings Time Begins |
| 3/16 | Musical Rehearsals Begin, 2:45-5:00. |
| 3/16 | Mandatory Musical Parent Meeting, 5:00 |
| 3/19 | District-wide Professional development Day – No School |
| 3/19 | Jazz Combos perform at Hot Java Cool Jazz at the Paramount Theater |
| 3/20 | Solo & Ensemble – All Day (Individual participants will receive their assigned times soon.) |
| 3/25 | **Correction: Eckstein’s Intermediate Bands and Wind Ensemble perform at the Seattle School District Middle School Concert Band Festival at Hamilton Middle School (Hamilton is currently occupying Lincoln HS) |
| 3/29-4/2 | Spring Break – No School |
| 4/16 | End of 3rd Quarter |
** = New since last bulletin
NEWS FOR STUDENTS/PARENTS:
** As of the end of the day on Thursday March 11, 2010 the Eckstein JV Soccer Coaches (Mr. Brewer and Mr. Hunter) have not received a schedule for the season. Therefore, we will NOT be fielding a game this weekend! Stay tuned for a schedule as soon as we receive one. Thanks for your patience. Please call the Athletics Office (206.252.1800) with any and all comments that you may have. Thanks. Mr. Brewer.
Spring Sports Update:
Soccer practices are Monday and Thursdays. Both teams, JV and Varsity, will meet on Thursday. There are no cuts in our program. Typically 6th and 7th graders are on JV and 8th graders on Varsity.
Varsity volleyball practices are on Tuesdays and Thursdays. JV Volleyball is on Mondays.
Track practice will start on Tuesday, March 9. Students should meet in the cafeteria at 2:50 pm.
“13” The Musical Rehearsals Begin Tuesday March 16! Rehearsals are Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday from 2:45pm to 5:00pm. ALL those cast in the show should come to the first rehearsal. Stage crew will be not begin until after spring break. But if you haven’t let us know that you want to do stage crew, please stop in that first day to let us know! There will be a mandatory parent meeting on Tuesday, March 16 at 5:00pm that will last approximately 20 minutes. It will be a chance for you to meet the directors and to get all the details about the musical! We hope to see you there! Questions? Just email us at ecksteinmusical@hotmail.com
Green Team Update: The composting project has been going very well. We moved from a one cubic yard composting dumpster to a two yard dumpster in just a week. We are currently composting two cubic yards of compost a week and have reduced our garbage collection from daily to three days a week. Following are some trends that I am seeing and some potential solutions:
- Most of our current waste involves various forms of plastic (sandwich bags, plastic grocery bags which I’m trying to recycle as many as I can, and some other forms of plastic food containers). We are going to be selling reusable sandwich bags and lunch bags. These come from a local company called Reusies (info@reusies.com). The owner is offering them to us at a steep wholesale discount.
- Currently, we are unable to recycle any of the juice boxes (I’m getting some mixed signals on the Tree Top juice boxes and am investigating).
- On another note, we are having a work party to begin removing the ivy/blackberry bushes on the west side of the building. If you and/or members of your family would like to volunteer, please let me (Ron Timmons, 206-252-5010 or retimmons@seattleschools.org) know so that we can have enough gardening equipment available. The date is February 27, 2010, from 10:00am to 2:00pm. The building will be open for restroom use.
Calendar Change – May 18: Tuesday, May 18, 2010 will NOT be a two-hour early dismissal as originally planned. Therefore, school will be dismissed at 2:35p.m
For Parents:
**A Reminder to Parents from the Counseling Department: Periodically check out the Counseling Department webpage (linked to the school webpage) for updates in issues of relevance to parents and students at Eckstein. Our most current post is on the subject of EATING DISORDERS and local resources for help with this problem. Never hesitate to contact your grade level counselor with any questions or concerns your may have on all matters impacting your child. -The Eckstein Counseling Department
**Information About Requesting a PE Waiver for the 2010-2011 School Year Can Be Found Here: http://ecksteineagles.org/blog/category/pe-waiver/
Hot Java Cool Jazz at the Paramount Theater – Friday March 19th, 7:30 pm. The Eckstein Jazz Combos were invited back again this year to play at this great annual benefit concert sponsored by Starbucks in support of Seattle’s youth arts community. A number of top local high school bands are performing including jazz bands from Roosevelt, Edmonds-Woodway, Garfield, Mountlake Terrace and Newport. Email RHS parent Kate Pratt, pratt.kate@gmail.com to order tickets – $15.00 for adults and $8.00 for students and seniors; tickets may also be purchased at participating Starbucks (www.stgpresents.org, select Hot Java), which is sponsoring this event. This is a great chance for middle school families to be inspired by the music programs that many will be taking part in soon!
For safety reasons all doors on NE 75th Street, except for the one closest to 30th (Attendance/Main Office entrance, will be locked during school hours. Reminder: all visitors must check in to the Main Office, sign-in, state their business, and get a volunteer or visitors badge. Thank you. Administration
No Drop Offs or Pick-Ups in the Back of the School Before, During or After School! With District deliveries, special-ed student buses, and a student population of over 1100 we cannot allow parents to use the back of the school (where portables and fields are located) for drop offs or pick-ups. It is creating a safety hazard. If you need to make special arrangements, contact Security Sue at 252-5010.
Eckstein Rummage Sale – Support Eckstein Band: Saturday, March 13th in the Eckstein School Cafeteria, 9:00-4:00p.m. Ready to do a little spring cleaning? Want to help a good cause? Donate your used items to the Eckstein Band Rummage Sale! All proceeds will help pay trip and competition expenses for students who are unable to pay but want to participate in the many great festivals and events that the Eckstein bands take part in. If you have items to donate, simply drop them by the lunchroom on Friday March 12th between 2:30 and 6:30 pm. Then be sure to come back on Saturday, starting at 9 am, to shop all the great deals. Tell your friends and neighbors too, as this is certain to be a great event. If you are interested in volunteering on Friday to help sort and sticker items, or on Saturday to sell, please contact Andy Houston at janahouse@comcast.net.
The 2010-2011 school year budget allocation has been delivered. You can find it, along with a comparison with this years budget allocation on the PTSA website here:
http://ecksteineagles.org/ptsa/2010/02/28/budget-allocation-2010-2011/ Principal Whitworth, along with the Building Leadership Team, is working on a finished budget that the teachers will vote on. On March 8th at 7:00pm in the library the budget is the subject of the PTSA meeting.
New Volunteer Opportunities: The following new opportunities are available for parents and guardians to volunteer and make a difference at Eckstein . . .
Book Drive Coordinators – You can make a difference by helping to organize a book drive in support of Eckstein’s students, teachers and school library. Relationships are already being established outside of the school to tap into resources like the University Bookstore and the parent community, but we need someone to coordinate the logistics of a book drive. This role will include working with Eckstein teachers and librarians to determine books to be collected, setting dates for the drive, communicating details of the event with the school community and organizing parent volunteers to assist with the event. For more information or to volunteer please contact Assistant Principal Chris Cronas at cpcronas@seattleschools.org.
Language Arts Binder Assemblers - You can make a difference by helping to generate Student Reading Assessment Binders for Eckstein’s Language Arts teachers during the first week of March. Tasks include printing, organizing and binding the materials. Dates and times are flexible. To volunteer, please contact Eckstein Volunteer Coordinator LauraLeigh Young at llyoung@seattleschools.org.
After-School Program Helpers – You can make a difference by volunteering to help with one of these after-school programs at Eckstein:
Homework Help: Answer questions and help monitor students in the Homework Clubs that take place Monday through Thursday after school. Homework Club volunteers are supported by teachers and Community Learning Center (CLC) staff.
Game Room: Help Eckstein Counselor Larry Christenson with some fabulous Monday afternoon gaming opportunities including Wii, board games, trivia and more!
Basketball Club: Spend Wednesday afternoons with Eckstein’s Basketball Club as the students strengthen their basketball skills and increase their fitness levels.
Movie Club: Enjoy some fun movies and help supervise students during Eckstein’s Thursday afternoon Movie Club.
For more information or to volunteer for any of these after-school activities, please contact Marnie Wolfe at mwolfe@seattleymca.org.
Tentative 2010-2011 School Year Calendar – Draft:
Sept 8: First Day of School for Students
Nov 25-26: Thanksgiving Holiday
Dec 20-31: Winter Break
Feb 22-25, 2011: Mid-Winter Break
Apr 18-22, 2011: Spring Break
June 21, 2011: Last Day for Students
Zero Entertainment and One Chinook Coupon Book left! Support Eckstein P.E. – $20.00 payable to Eckstein Middle School. Questions? Contact teacher Marcia Nussbaum at mjnussbaum@seattleschools.org. Thank you for supporting our P.E. program at Eckstein.
Open Enrollment is from March 1-31, 2010 : For more information, please go to www.seattleschoos.org and select “Enrollment”. A new student assignment plan and new attendance area boundaries were approved by the School Board in 2009. The new plan will be implemented in phases beginning with the 2010-2011 school year. Students entering Kindergarten and Grades 6 and 9 in fall 2010 will be assigned to their attendance area schools and receive their assignment in late February. Families may then apply during Open Enrollment to attend another attendance area school or an option school. Note: Students currently enrolled may remain at their current school through the highest grade as long as the services the student needs are available at the school.
High School/Middle School Tours – Contact the Attendance Office: If your student is planning on attending a high school or middle school tour, please let the Attendance Office know prior to their absence so that they are excused. Please send a note ahead of time to the Attendance Office.
Sharon Prueitt , our wonderful school Nurse, is in need of a standard-sized refrigerator for our Nurse’s office. Any gently used frost-free refrigerator would be wonderful. If you are planning on purchasing a new refrigerator for your home & would like to donate your current one, please call Eckstein (206) 252-5010.
Eckstein Website: www.ecksteineagles.org Sign up for PTSA emails.
Orchestra News: http://ecksteineagles.org/orchestra/
Band News: http://www.ecksteineagles.org/sites/band/index.htm
Community events (Not endorsed or sponsored by Eckstein M.S.)
**Parenting the Digital Child: Teaching Responsibility in a Connected World: Wednesday, March 31st from 7-8:30pm (social time from 6:30-7pm). University Prep, 8000 25th Avenue Northeast, Seattle.
The digital world allows children to quickly access all sorts of information and be highly connected to both old friends and new friends. If you have questions and concerns about your children’s use of technology, this presentation is for you! Presenter: Kathy Slattengren, founder of Priceless Parenting, http://www.PricelessParenting.com. Questions contact Barbara Gauld at barbgauld@msn.com
Also, mark your calendar for the RHS Jazz Big Band Dance and Auction: Sat. April 10, Temple de Hirsch Sinai Ballroom, 5-11 pm. Besides being rip-roaring fun with a night of dinner, swing dancing and music, the Big Band Dance and Auction is the jazz program’s biggest fundraiser of the year, benefiting all the groups. Reservations and information: bbda@rooseveltjazz.org.
Greenway Summer Camps are signing up now. Come play, learn, and help maintain local creeks and trails. For more info www.mtsgreenway.org
Athletic Performance Enhancement Programs by Seattle Children’s Sports Medicine Program. July 12-16 and 19-23 and August 9-13, 2010. Morning or afternoon sessions for one week. Location TBD. Taught by certified athletic trainers designed to educate the student-athlete about proper technique, body control, and healthy habits. Question about rates contact Philip.heywood@seattlechildrens.org or (206) 987-5045.
8TH GRADE DANCE PARTY! If you are interested in helping plan a dance for the 8th grade students of Eckstein we would love your help and input. Parents of 8th grade students as well as parents with younger students are welcome. We have arranged to have the dance at Magnuson CC. Gym on June 5th, but all other planning needs to be decided. If you would like to help Please email Bretneynelson@msn.com or call 524-7995 (Please note that this is NOT a school sponsored event and therefore is not hosted nor chaperoned by Eckstein Staff.)
