Welcome to the first edition of this year's Thornton Creek Newsletter brought to you by Site Council, an advisory body made up by teachers, administrators, and parents and guardians of TC students. It's been a wild few weeks (with many, many more to come), and we thank you for your patience as we get things up and running. From now on, you can count on this newsletter to deliver twice monthly updates on Site Council news, community events and volunteer needs straight to your inbox. Please help us spread the word by encouraging new TC families you know to subscribe to this newsletter, so they can stay in the loop, too!

New this year: In addition to this newsletter, the admin team in the office will be sending out a schoolwide newsletter once per month. If you find that your family has additional communications-related needs, please let us know. [email protected]

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Chelsea Lin and Jenny Pinto

Welcome to Thornton Creek! Each parent or guardian of an enrolled TC student is automatically a member of the TC Parent Group. Sometimes shortened to TCPG, we are a long-standing organization at Thornton Creek that brings together families to support the school and its students by participating in shared leadership with school staff, through Site Council. We also raise funds each year to support the school's programs and overall community. As a member, you are invited to participate in Site Council meetings, to volunteer with one of our committees in support of our school, and you are entitled to vote in the election of officers and on budget decisions. We will use this newsletter to communicate important information to you through the year. If you haven't already, you can subscribe here or at the top of this email.

Want to get involved in leadership right now? We are looking for a secretary to record meeting minutes. The time commitment is 3 to 4 hours per month. Contact [email protected] to learn more about this and other open board positions. 

We want to hear from you in this incredibly unusual autumn. If you haven't done so yet, please take a few moments to share your concerns and priorities with us by completing this survey. The results will help us understand the best way to support you this fall.

Close collaboration between school staff and families has been an important feature of Thornton Creek since its founding and a key element of the success of its creative approach. Since 1991, Thornton Creek staff have partnered with the TC Parent Group to form the Site Council, an advisory body that consists of teachers, administrators, and parents and guardians of TC students. One important job of Parent Group officers is to serve on Site Council and organize Site Council activities. Monthly meetings of the Site Council are forums for shared decision-making, event planning, and fun too! All are welcome, and decisions are made through a modified consensus approach. The next meeting of the Site Council will take place on Tuesday, October 13th, 6:30-8:30pm on Zoom (Meeting ID 968 0245 7918). Join us!

You can request that an item be added to the next Site Council agenda simply by emailing the chair ([email protected]). Agendas are finalized 7-9 days in advance of the meeting by a planning team that includes the principal, staff representatives, and TC Parent Group executive officers. Your voice at Site Council meetings is valued and important. We hope to see you there!

The TC Parent Group and the TC PTA are co-presenting a 3-part event series to support learning and community-building around anti-racism and social justice for the 2020-21 school year. These events will include lecture and discussion opportunities for the TC community around topics including how white privilege impacts a school community, how to expand a welcoming environment at TC, and what roles community members can take in supporting equity and promoting anti-racism. Please join us for the first event on Thursday, October 8th from 6:30-8:30pm via Zoom. RSVP here to receive the meeting link and information.

Event facilitators are Dr. Donald Felder, teacher, principal, and education specialist; Delbert Richardson, Ethnomuseumologist and second-generation storyteller; and Tilman Smith, educator, and racial justice consultant and coach. All TC families/caregivers and TC school staff are welcome! Please note this event is intended for adults. For further questions or to help with planning future events, contact Erin MacDougall, parent, [email protected].

Please refer to this link for more information regarding King County's current guidance in response to COVID-19.

If you have questions, we're here to help. Email us at [email protected]     

This newsletter is a community resource. Community members can submit school-related news items by emailing us at [email protected]. Do you have news or updates about school activities to share?

Below is the publication schedule for the upcoming school year. Content is published twice monthly on the 1st and 3rd Mondays of each month.

1st Draft Edits Due: 7pm Wednesday - no new content after this point*

Please also see the updated submission guidelines, here.

Having issues with SPS-issued technology? Make sure you look through the how-to guides here, visit a technology resource center at your convenience, or contact tech support at 206-252-0100 or [email protected].

Seattle Public Schools is committed to feeding families during remote learning by offering free meals Monday through Friday both by bus and at prescribed pickup sites. These meals are available to all students, parents and guardians. For more information, please see the Student Meals page on the SPS website.