Southeast Seattle Schools Fundraising Alliance Move-A-Thon is weeks away!

April 29th kicks things off at John Muir with Spirit Morning, May 3rd is the Annual Move & Groove, and on May 4th the whole community is invited to come out and support SESSFA at our Bake Sale! We are actively looking for all kinds of volunteers, and of course every donation brings our 17 participating Southeast Seattle Schools closer to our collective goal of $500,000 raised.

SEEKING: Reading Tutors for SPS Pilot Program

Seattle Public Schools is kicking off an afterschool pilot program at John Muir Elementary for students needing extra reading and writing support. Located in the beautiful Mount Baker neighborhood, Muir Elementary is a culturally diverse school where students are nurtured and learning is celebrated.

Location:

3301 S Horton St, Seattle, WA 98144, in Mt. Baker neighborhood – just 1.5 miles south of Rainier Ave/I-90.

8-min walk from the Mt. Baker station (Light Rail - 1 Line)4-min walk from Walden/Rainier Ave S bus stop (served by bus routes 7, 14, 106)

Volunteers will:

Receive a 90-minute onboarding and training. Be part of a special pilot volunteer team modeling a new program at SPS. Be supported by an on-site coordinator. Support students furthest from educational justice in achieving a milestone academic goal.

Volunteer commitment:

Choose at least one 45-minute volunteer shift per week. Volunteer shifts are 2:30-3:15 pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, and Thursdays and 1:15 pm-2 pm on Wednesdays. Volunteer for three or more months.

What we are looking for in Volunteer Tutors:

A positive attitude toward learning, diversity, and students. Open to feedback and coaching. Patience and empathy for students while holding high expectations. An ability to interact effectively with diverse student populations. Commitment to your student(s) and tutoring schedule.

Volunteer Role and Responsibilities

Work one-on-one or two-on-one with an elementary school student(s). Follow the Reading Partners' structured curriculum. Attend a 90-minute tutor orientation. Complete the SPS volunteer application process. Follow the Tutor Code of Conduct guidelines.

Celebrating Diversity

At Seattle Public Schools, we celebrate diversity, nurture cultural and ethnic pride in our students, and honor home languages. John Muir Elementary is a very diverse community!

Serves 70% of students of color furthest from education justice. 30% of students are English Language Learners who speak Spanish, Vietnamese, Amharic, and Oromo at home.

Sign up to volunteer at https://forms.office.com/r/NDPVTdkapp today!

From learning to read to reading to learn

Ensuring that students can read at grade level by the end of third grade is critical as they transition from learning to read to reading to learn. Students can quickly fall behind in other subjects if this milestone isn't met. John Muir was selected for this afterschool pilot in part because of its culturally diverse student population and concentration of students of color furthest from educational justice (Black/African American, Native American, Pacific Islander, Hispanic/Latinx, Southeast Asian, or Middle Eastern/North African).

With your support, we can create more equitable learning experiences for our scholars!

ACTION ALERT: advocate for more funding this legislative session.

The John Muir PTA is happy to share this important advocacy opportunity, led by All Together for Seattle Schools, with this community. We urge you to take action with us, to ensure all students receive the education, resources and care they deserve.

Schools across Washington State, including Seattle Public Schools, face growing structural budget deficits that threaten to cause huge cuts and even school closures. Seattle's projected deficit for next year is $105 million. Our state legislature can prevent this by taking action to fully fund public education during this legislative session. 

Here’s what you can do now:

  1. Contact your legislators - First, identify your legislators (link) and find their contact info. Read the one-pager attached to this email with messaging you can use or linked here, or use this form email that you can personalize.

  2. Spread the word to other parents, caregivers, educators, and community members. Share this link with your community and others and ask them to do the same, broadening the impact . Encourage them to sign up to receive our updates and follow All Together for Seattle Schools on Instagram 

  3. Share your input with your school board directors, urging them advocate to the legislature for more school funding

  4. Email the Seattle School Board or yours if you are in a different district

Whatever steps you take, please also consider volunteering with All Together for Seattle Schools. Here is a message from them:

We need your involvement! We are a grassroots network of public school parents, mostly in Seattle. A core group of volunteers has been mobilizing since late October, and we have a big lift ahead of us over the next few months and beyond. Our main priority is to educate and mobilize public school families so that they will be heard by district and state decision-makers.

Many of you signed up for this list to continue to receive information and updates. That’s great—keep it up! Some of you may be ready to jump in and volunteer to share the workload. If you want to help, please email AllTogetherforSPS@gmail.com. We need volunteers in the following areas:

  • Outreach and communication to SPS families and school communities

  • Tracking and reviewing state legislative bills

  • Tracking and reviewing SPS board meetings and budget sessions 

  • Providing public testimony (SPS and Washington have virtual and in-person testimony options) 

  • Writing Op-Eds and communicating with media

Reach out to All Together for Seattle Schools!  

Email: AllTogetherforSPS@gmail.com

Website: www.AllTogetherforSeattleSchools.org 

Follow us on Social Media: www.instagram.com/AllTogetherforSeattleSchools 

About All Together for Seattle Schools: We are a group of parents, educators, and community members who support K-12 public education. Amply funded public schools benefit all of us, because educating today’s students is an investment in our state’s collective future.

Safe Routes to School Updates

Walking and rolling to school can be a fun way to get exercise, improve learning, reduce traffic and accidents, and connect with community!  In last year’s SPS transportation tally, Muir had the 12th highest rate (44%) of students walking or biking to school among K-5 and K-8 schools–go Lions!  Let’s rank #1 this year! How you can make walking and rolling to Muir a success:

  • Sidewalk clean-up project Sat 10/21 at 9am. Bring gloves and tools to Letitia, just west of Rainier (map location) to recover a sidewalk used by Muir kids getting to/from school. 

  • Join a Muir Walking School Bus! Routes, southeast and southwest of Muir (both drop-off only), are here.  Kids who take the walking/rolling bus at least 3 times the week of 10/30 will receive prizes from the Seattle Department of Transportation!

  • Volunteer as a walking school bus leader (SPS-approved volunteer) to lead a walking school bus Tues-Thurs after school to Gardner House (directions here). Training, gears and $10/week will be provided to the leaders.

  • Donate used orange cones to mark where NOT to park.

  • Volunteer as a crossing guard on 34th Ave S. Mon-Fri at drop-off (7:35-8:00) and pickup (2:20-2:40). To learn more or express interest, please click here.

Have fun walking and biking to and from school! If you have questions, needs, or want to get involved, email johnmuirsaferoutes@gmail.com.

Support our Teachers' Wish Lists for Teacher Appreciation!

Volunteers Needed for Neighborhood Development Standards Committee

The Seattle Department of Neighborhoods is seeking community members for an advisory committee at John Muir Elementary School.

The Advisory Committee is made up of neighborhood volunteers who will gather public input and make recommendations to the City of Seattle regarding the following modifications: 1) Increased lot coverage; 2) Reduced setbacks; 3) Reduced short- term bicycle parking.

The committee will convene 1-3 public meetings during a 90-day period. Meetings will be held in the evening at or near the school and are open to the public.

TO APPLY:
Send a letter of interest by September 1 to Nelson Pesigan at: nelson.pesigan@seattle.gov or PO Box 94649, Seattle WA 98124-4649

MORE INFORMATION:
Nelson Pesigan, nelson.pesigan@seattle.gov, 206-684-0209. https://tinyurl.com/y8e37uvd

The City of Seattle is committed to promoting diversity in its boards and committees; women, young adults, senior citizens, persons with disabilities, sexual and gender minorities, persons of color, and immigrants are highly encouraged to apply.

Warm welcome to Mr. Thomas, our new Muir Principal!

We’re so happy that Mr. Thomas, our current Assistant Principal, will be staying with us as our new Principal! Check out his inspiring letter about his vision, plans and dedication! We look forward to partnering with Mr. Thomas over the years to come.

Dear John Muir Community,

I am thrilled to write this letter to you as your newly appointed principal. It is truly an honor and a longtime dream of mine to serve in this role at a school with such rich traditions, a strong sense of community, supportive and dedicated staff, and great students. This community has become my extended family this past year, and I am grateful for your support. I would also like to thank Alana for all her work and acknowledge the big shoes I must fill. I am eager and ready to rise to the challenge.

Although I have met many of you around school this year, I want to take this opportunity to share a bit about myself. I was born and raised in Little Rock, Arkansas. I received my bachelor’s and teaching certificate from Arizona Christian University. I then spent many years in the classroom before returning to graduate school. I went to Grand Canyon University and received my masters in educational administration as well as my principal licensure. After moving from Arizona to Washington, I became passionate about school leadership and was excited and grateful to have the opportunity to join the John Muir family.

When I'm not at school, I enjoy spending time with my future wife, Ariel, and our dog Zen. Together, we love to travel and try new restaurants. I also enjoy watching new TV shows, sports, reading, and staying current with the best practices in education.

I want to take a moment to share my vision for our school, which resonates deeply with who I am as an educator and as a person.

First and foremost, we will work together to create a community that radiates with positivity, kindness, and inclusivity. Every student should feel a profound sense of belonging, safety, and support at Muir from the first moment they walk into our building. And they should be able to draw upon that feeling when they leave our halls each and every day.

As we all know, it is crucial that we strengthen our school-wide systems and processes. Clear and open communication, collaboration, and shared decision-making will be at the heart of our work. Teams will begin this work right away and I truly value the voices of our families, so please reach out if you would like to collaborate on this over the summer.

We are lucky to have educators at Muir who are deeply committed to learning and growing in their professional practices. I am dedicated to providing our staff with the support, resources, and professional development opportunities needed to grow and strengthen their practices. Together we can cultivate a school built on equity, critical thinking, justice, and innovation.

Finally, I am a firm believer in the power of student voice. Our students are the heart and soul of our school, and their dreams, stories, cultures, and ideas should be valued, nurtured, and given a platform to shine. I am committed to finding ways for our young leaders to become active participants in their learning and to find opportunities for student leadership within our school and beyond.

By fostering strong relationships with our families and community members we will meet our shared vision for John Muir Elementary. I will continue to be the servant leader that you all have become accustomed to and will always lead with the students' interests at the forefront.

So... Lion up, let's roll! We have great work to do!

All the best,

Quinta Thomas

Join us for Multicultural Night on June 14th!

Join us for the most exciting event of the year, the Multicultural Night Festival and Potluck!  This year's event will be on Wednesday, June 14th on the John Muir playground from 4-7PM.  Our community represents a beautiful tapestry of cultures from around the world.  This is an opportunity for us to come together and experience the various cultural cuisines, music, fashion and so much more.

This event will be a community potluck and we welcome you to bring a dish from your culture to share. You can let us know what dish you're planning to make here.  We're also calling for volunteers to help make the event run smoothly.  If you're able, please sign up for a volunteer shift.

Walking School Bus, Starts May 3rd and runs all May!

What is a walking school bus? A group of students who walk to school with one or more adults. Walking school buses help students get to school on time, reduce pollution and congestion near school, and connect neighbors to each other. 

Where is the walking school bus? See the route below – join at a stop or along the way

How do I communicate with others about the bus? Notifications sent via What’s App. Join via this link: https://chat.whatsapp.com/LwCgj1hdClo6PaNHs1qtk0 

Who runs the walking school bus? The bus is powered by Muir parents and volunteers.  

When does the walking school bus run? Our bus will start May 3 and run daily Monday through Friday for the month of May. We hope to add after-school routes and continue through June depending on interest and volunteers. 

What can I do to prepare? Encourage classmates to join, be ready when group arrives and review safety tips (English, Amharic, Chinese, Somali, Spanish, Vietnamese).

Walking School Bus Route. Join us for the month of May starting May 3rd!

 
*Accessibility Note: route involves steep descent, including a staircase between stop 1 & 2. Rest of route is fairly flat.

Questions? Feedback? Interested in starting or suggesting a new route, or volunteering to support the route? Please email johnmuirsaferoutes@gmail.com.

May is Walk and Bike to School Month!

 Muir will be celebrating Walk and Bike to School Month throughout the month of May!

Walking and rolling to school can be a fun way to get exercise, improve learning, reduce traffic and accidents, and connect with your community!

How you can participate:

Email  johnmuirsaferoutes@gmail.com with questions!

UPDATED 4.4 - Information about 2023-2024 Aftercare Options

There are two large aftercare (care for your child in the afternoon when school is out) programs available for families attending John Muir:

1. ARC is the aftercare provider offered at John Muir and works in partnership with Seattle Parks and Recreation. 

  • The onsite aftercare is located in a classroom on the northeast corner of the building and the cafeteria. 

  • There is also a program located at the Rainier Community Center where transportation has not historically been provided (ie. requires parent transportation/carpooling). 

  • The program at John Muir is only for students at the school. The program at the community center is open to other schools and historically served a combination of students from Hawthorne and John Muir.

  • Aftercare hours are from 2:30 pm to 6:00 pm. 

  • Sign up is through Seattle Parks and Recreation on 5/16/23 at noon: Sign in | Seattle Parks and Recreation (activecommunities.com)

  • Information on financial assistance is here: Scholarships & Financial Aid - Parks | seattle.gov

  • Information on programing is here: ARC after school programs

2. Rainier Valley Boys and Girls club is located a mile away from the school at 4520 Martin Luther King Jr Way S, Seattle, WA 98118

  • Transportation is not currently guaranteed - this is being actively explored as of 4.4.23.

  • The aftercare program ends at 6:30pm. 

  • This program is open to all SE schools. 

  • Sign up for the Boys and girls is on Monday 4/17 at 7pm. Registration is through this link: https://positiveplace.org/my-clubhub. 

We Need Your Feedback!

The PTA has two open surveys right now and we are looking for feedback from current and incoming parents/caregivers. Both surveys are hosted in google forms and can be translated on the site.

 

The first survey is a space where you can share what’s most important for you for your student(s). Feedback from this will directly inform where PTA resources go for the remainder of this year and into the 2023-24 school year.

This survey is to gather feedback about needs/wishes for aftercare. That’s right, we want to help make options better for families, but we need to know what you need in order to do that.

Thank you for taking the time to share your feedback - it’s critical!