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We Empower Compassionate, Creative and Independent Thinkers

Main Office: 252-1720 - Attendance: 252-1728
FOSB Website: www.FriendsOfSalmonBay.org 
Volunteer Coordinator: Jodi Russell 252-1730
December 13, 2019
In This Issue
Mark Your Calendar

December 


16 - EDI Committee Meeting/ Book Club
19 - Geography Bee
20 - Lantern Festival (9 am, 6:30 pm)
20 - 1 hour early dismissal 
23 - January 1 - Winter Break/ No School

January 

1-3 - Winter Break/ No School
6 - EDI Committee Meeting (9:15 am)
9 - FOSB Meeting
10 - WEP Begins









Seen in the Hallways
Floating Trains
Talia's 3rd grade class has been working for the past few weeks on building model "floating" Maglev trains. Students began the project with a group planning phase. Drawing from their understanding of magnetic poles, and push and pull forces, they drafted their initial designs for the trains. Students are currently in the middle of the build and test phase of the project. They are learning about the properties of various materials including magnets, Lego, cardboard, popsicle sticks and tape in order to bring their visions to life. Once each group works through the build/test/redesign cycle to achieve their working "floating" train models, they will share their learning and final product with the class.


Living Computer Museum Field Trip
Third grade students spent a day at the Living Computer Museum this week. They had an opportunity to explore the museum, play games and participate in a workshop. 

Counselor's Corner
'Tis also the season for stress
This time is year is viewed as a happy time filled with joy, but it's often filled with stress and anxiety.  The days are dark and the to-do lists are long.  Here are some things that you can do if you're feeling stressed or anxious:
 
To fill your tank:
  • Eat well
  • Get enough sleep
  • Exercise
  • Limit alcohol and caffeine
  • Take some time for yourself
Strategies to manage stress and anxiety:
  • Take deep breaths
  • Count to 10 slowly
  • Do your best- don't aim for perfection
  • Accept that you cannot control everything
  • Welcome humor
  • Replace negative thoughts with positive ones
  • Get involved in something bigger than yourself (volunteer)
  • Talk with someone
If you are feeling extremely overwhelmed and need immediate help, please contact:
National Youth Crisis Hotline : 1-800-448-4663
National Suicide Prevention Hotline: 1-800-273-TALK (8255)
Psychology Today's website has a great search tool to find a therapist- you can search by insurance, zip code, and type of therapy.
 
With gratitude,
Jenny Brooks, Elementary School Counselor, jwbrooks@seattleschools.org
Rob Bright, Middle School Counselor, rabright@seattleschools.org

Middle School Sports

Basketball Practice Schedule
Girls - Monday/Tuesday (3:30-5:15)
Boys - Wednesday (2:20-4:05) and 
           Thursday (3:30-5:15)
 
Assistant Girls Basketball Coach Needed
Parents, we have a decent number of girls' players this year and are hoping to field a JV team.  If any parents are interested in being a coach, but were hesitant to take on the 'head' coach position, this may be right for you!  Games are on Saturdays with practices on Monday/Tuesday (3:30-5:15).  Please contact Erin Telford with questions.

Questions? Email Erin Telford, Athletic Director.  

Lost & Found

Last call for Lost Items
A team of volunteers will sort, clean and donate items from the Lost and Found after school next Friday. Please stop by the clothing racks, located in the first floor band hallway, to claim any lost items before Friday, December 20th. 


Community Announcements

Winter Wonderland in Salmon Bay Park
Sunday, December 22 from 5-7 pm
West lawn, Salmon Bay Park
Join the Salmon Bay Park Stewards as we light the park with luminarias and enjoy music from the BHS Vocal Jazz choir and local Barbershop Quartet- Sound Harmony. Warm up with a nice cup of hot cocoa or cider. We hope to see you there!
Questions? Contact: SBPStewards@gmail.com

Seattle Cascades Cup Discount Tickets
Saturday December 14th, 6 pm. 
Memorial Stadium. 
Click here to purchase Seattle Cascades cup tickets.  Use this code when purchasing tickets:  SBSGUEST2019
Adult tickets are $10 regular price and $5 for youth. With the code you will get 50% off.

FREE Wurlitzer upright piano
Is there someone in your family interested in learning to play the piano? My kids have moved on to other interests, and I'd like our upright piano to go to a good home. It's in great condition. And I'm not asking anything for it. Send an email my way if you're interested or if you'd like to come see it (I can also send you a picture of it).  bethpotts32@gmail.com 

BHS Music Concerts
The Ballard High School music program presents  their free Winter Concert Series; BHS band performs on Dec. 17th, Choir on Dec. 18th and Orchestra on Dec. 19th.   All evening performances begin at 7:30 p.m. Free seating is general admission (doors open shortly after 7 p.m.), but assigned seating can be reserved for a donation to the music program here. Look at upcoming events and search for "Ballard Choir Winter Concert", etc.

Babysitter Training
Saturday, January 18, 2020, 12:30pm to 4:30pm, Phinney Center Blue Building
Learn about infant and child care, age appropriate toys, safety and injury prevention and how to handle emergencies.  Find out what parents expect and practice hands-on skills. Includes in-depth coverage of First Aid, Infant/Child CPR, and how to be safe at home alone while sitting.  Instructor Ken Norris, a 26-year veteran of the Seattle Fire Department, has taught CPR for 15 years.  Register early! Class space is limited.     Ages 11 and up. 
Cost: $45 PNA member, $55 Public
Register here  

Loyal Heights Teen Programs
Click here to see the Loyal Heights Community Center Teen Program calendar for December. 

Free seminar - Mental Health and Our Kids
Mon, January 27, 2020 at 7:00 pm
Phinney Neighborhood Center, Lower Building
Doors open at 6:30 for a social half hour.
Join PNW Parent Education for a critical conversation on mental health and our kids. Jason Reid, CEO, author, and parent, will share his story of heartbreak and hope. Learn practical and relevant information on how parents can help promote mental health in their children at an early age. Lastly, a local youth will share their personal experience and the tools that they use to help fight the stigma and symptoms associated with anxiety and depression.  Register in advance to secure your free seat here.

Holiday Gift Making Sessions
Children make nine beautifully brilliant and colorful fused glass key chains for holiday gifting. Super fun and a great way to have the kids make something special and practical for presents.  Class is from 4 - 5:30 pm. Pieces are available for pickup in 3 - 4 days.  December 16  and/or 17th. 
Price: $43 per child or $79 for two siblings. (Includes materials & kiln time).
Register online at marciawiley.com or by calling 206 619 8613.

Ballard Hoop Shoot Contest
 Dec. 21st, 12-2pm at the 
Boys and Girls Club 
1767 NW 64th Street, Ballard

Hoop Shoot is a free throw contest for children ages 8 to 13. The contest is free to all youth.

Sensory-Friendly Theater Performance
STG presents has scheduled a sensory-friendly performance of Disney's FROZEN!
Saturday, February 22, 2020 at 2:00 pm at 
The Paramount Theatre in Seattle. 
More information here
Slight adjustments to lighting and sound will be made for the performance. In the downstairs theatre lobby and on each floor there will be a break area staffed by specialists in the field, if anyone needs to leave his or her seats during the show.
Code: SENSORY

Ballard Little League 
Registration is now open for children ages 5 and up for the spring 2020 baseball and softball season. Please visit Ballardlittleleague.com for further information and to register. 
Registration closes January 31st.

BHS Gymnastics Camp
The Ballard High School gymnastics team welcomes your child to our 2020 kids camps! BHS gymnasts will teach campers on bars, beam, vault, and floor for hours of fun and instruction.   Tickets are $45 per date, per camper (additional campers from the same family are $40). No gymnastics experience is needed! 

Register here for Camp 1: 
Sat. January 11, 2020 (9AM to noon)

Register here for Camp 2: 
Sat. January 25, 2020 (9AM to noon)
 
Feel free to email Kimball Mullins (Kids Camp coordinator) with questions.

Cascades Academy Ultimate Frisbee Camp
Four days, Four locations!  Each player who signs up gets either a jersey, a pair of shorts, or a disc (one time only). 10 am - 2 pm 

Monday, December 30th:   Loyal Heights Playfield 
Tuesday, Dec. 31st:  :  Woodland Park, field #2 (turf)
Wednesday, Jan. 1st :  Miller Playfield (turf)
Thursday, January 2nd : Georgetown Playfield (turf)
Pricing:    
1 day: $65 per person
2 days: $115 per person
3 days: $165 per person
4 days: $215 per person

More information and registration here

Ballard Basketball School's Out Clinics
Ballard Basketball coaches, Sara Wetstone and Taylor Mulberg, run a fast-paced, fun program for intermediate to advanced players wanting to improve all aspects of their game.  From ball handling, shooting, passing, 1 v 1 to  5 v 5, players will get maximum reps in a positive, safe environment. 

Details:
At Ballard Boys and Girls Club
All camps 9am-3pm (Bring a lunch and snack)
$70/camper/day- Scholarships available. 
Limit 30 campers/day

6th-8th grade boys and girls dates:
Thursday, Dec. 26
Friday, Dec 27
Thursday, Jan. 2
Friday, Jan. 3

If you have any questions, please contact Sara Wetstone at ballardbasketballinfo@gmail.com or 206-354-5166.

From Administration

Happy Friday Salmon Bay Families,

We are half-way through December and there are so many things happening! 
  • Last week 9 staff members supporting K-2 reading development attended a training to develop key reading skills.  At staff meeting this coming week we are focusing on how we support and grow strong readers across our K-8 grades.  We recently invested about $1000 in instructional materials to support teachers in this work.  We are also working to expand our library's offerings for beginning readers and have just ordered over $1000 worth of books to grow those supports for kids who are cracking the code of reading.
  • Lanterns are being finished across the grades as we prepare for our annual Lantern Festival (next Friday sing with special guest Mary K).   Our book-a-day program is wrapping up in Kindergarten. This week we had field trips with 3rd graders at the Living Computer Museum and 1st graders seeing a ballet at Shorecrest Performance Center.  On Thursday 8th grade WEB leaders organized a check in with 6th graders and provided donuts and led discussions within small groups around the school. 
  • We are putting finishing touches on the elementary Winter Enrichment Program for this year to share with families and students next week so we can gather preferences for classes.   Teachers are planning to offer a wide range of experiences from Beginning Guitar to Edible Arts and Crafts from 3D Printing to Lego Robotics.  Final paperwork for MS WEP is coming in and excitement is building for classes to begin from welding to snowboarding.
Programming and professional development costs money. Field experiences and programs like WEP take volunteer time.  We are glad to be in partnership with Friends of Salmon Bay and our community to help us grow and sustain our school!  If you are in a position to volunteer your time and/or donate funds, we welcome that and need that to sustain current levels of offerings.    
 
With 5 days left in FOSB's Annual Giving Campaign, we have crossed the half-way point.  Raising over $38,000 towards our $70,000 goal with over 110 families contributing.  Thank you!  It's not too late to give, and w e encourage you to donate online here or return the card you received in the mail.
 
Together we can do amazing things.
 
Whatever the winter break holds for your family, we hope it is filled with love and connection.  
 
Neil Gerrans
Salmon Bay Principal


Direct Giving
Direct Giving Campaign
Thank you to everyone who has contributed to our Direct Giving Campaign!  Our thermometer has crossed $38,000 on our way to a $70,000 goal!

Our campaign officially ends next week. Please take a moment to contribute  online here or return the card you received in the mail. 

Our Tax ID is 91-1622350.
 
Thank you for your continued generosity!

Lantern Festival
Salmon Bay's Annual Lantern Festival

Mark your calendar now for our Annual Lantern Festival. 

December 20th, 9 am
Salmon Bay School Auditorium

Community Lantern Festival
6:30 pm
Salmon Bay Park


Morning Festival
Elementary student lanterns will be on display in the auditorium. Guest Teaching Artist, Mary K, will lead our singing. 

If you can volunteer to help set up lanterns on Thursday or light/ monitor lanterns on Friday, please sign-up here


Community Evening Festival
Please invite friends and neighbors to join! 
6:30 pm at Salmon Bay Park (not at school)
Bring a lantern or flashlight. 

Lantern Festival Cookies & Hot Chocolate
Salmon Bay Equity Diversity Inclusion Committee is a parent collective of Salmon Bay students who strive to collaboratively promote a lens of equity and diversity to create a holistically happy community. We will be hosting cookies and hot chocolate during the Lantern Festival this year!  We look forward to introducing ourselves to new friends and being in community with familiar faces! 

Holiday Giving 

Thank you to everyone who participated in one of our holiday giving opportunities. Your generosity makes a big difference in the community! 

Donation Drop Off
A friendly reminder that donations for the Salmon Bay Holiday Giving Program should be brought to school no later than 12/18. Note the item number (found on the sign-up) of your donated gift. 
Label your donation with that number makes organization a lot easier!   Contact Julie Lowe 

Winter Clothing Drive
Brian's 5th grade classroom is collecting winter clothing for the "Legion of Hope." You are invited to participate by dropping off donations in the box outside Brian's classroom or in the Volunteer Coordinator's office. Donations are distributed to homeless individuals in the Seattle area. 

There is an extra need for men's clothing in sizes L & XL.
Donate jackets, sweaters, gloves, scarves, hats, socks and individual toiletries (not packaged together).  

Music Notes

 
Congratulations to our Instrumental Musicians
We'd like to give a 'shout out' to Music Director, Mark Oesterle, and our middle school Junior, Senior and Jazz band members. We were impressed with your performances this week! Great job! 

Marimba Night
Mark your calendar for January 23rd. 
All 3-5th grade students and our middle school marimba classes will be performing for your listening pleasure.  


Extreme Reading Challenge
Dear Salmon Bay School Community,

We would love for all students and staff to participate in the Extreme Reading Challenge during Winter Break. We'd like each person to get photo of themself reading, especially in an unusual place or during an unusual activity. Reading in a tree? Great! Reading while going down a slide? Amazing! Reading while standing on your head and brushing your teeth in a snowstorm? Even better! Check out the examples below from Madison Middle School.
You can email photos to Librarian Ben and/or post them on the Salmon Bay School Community Facebook page.

In January, we'll share some of our favorite photos and give some awards, such as "Funniest Photo" and "Most Creative".

Happy Extreme Reading,
Ben


Elementary News

Girls on the Run 
We are excited to announce that Salmon Bay will be having a Girls on the Run (GOTR) team again this year! GOTR is an after-school program that uses the power of running to give girls the tools to celebrate their bodies, honor their voices, recognize their gifts and activate their power! 3rd-5th grade girls come together twice a week to learn new skills, celebrate girl empowerment, and train to run a non-competitive 5K at the end of the ten-week season. 

The girls will be coached by teachers Talia and Gabrielle, as well as Amy Paguirian, a Salmon Bay parent. Practices will be held twice a week, on Mondays and Thursdays, from 3:30-5:00 pm. The season starts on March 2nd and runs for ten weeks, with the 5K being held on Sunday, May 17th at Renton Memorial Stadium. Registration opens on January 10th, 2019 at 9am and will be a lottery period until January 24th at 5pm. After January 24th, registration will be first-come, first-served, to fill any remaining spots up to a maximum of 15 girls. 

Y ou can learn more and register here
Registration is $200 per girl; please see the website for what this includes. Scholarships are available. If you have any questions, feel free to email Talia
It's sure to be a great season!

Middle School News

Middle School Community Recognition
Both Olympic and Cascade teams took time during Homeroom this week to celebrate students who consistently contribute positivity to our school community. Their teachers wanted to recognize students who are kind, helpful, gracious, and set positive examples not only in our classrooms, but in our hallways and shared spaces as well. They bring so much light and joy to our community, so their teachers wanted to make sure they were recognized and appreciated! Thank you, students!
(We are sharing photos of two monthly award recipients from the Cascade team below.)

















WEP Paperwork (Waivers) Due Dec. 17th
All middle school students should have brought home a WEP packet with required waivers for their specific program. Paperwork is due on Tuesday, December 17th. Please help us out by promptly completing and returning your student's forms. 

WEP Ski Help - Morning and Evening
Each week, we send a team of volunteers up to the mountain to support students in the Ski & Snowboarding program. We also need volunteers to support this program in the morning (bus zone and parking lot) and evening (bus zone and office). can you help? Sign-up here.  

Winter/ Ski Gear Exchange
Has your student outgrown their winter gear from last season? If so, please consider donating it to our winter gear exchange. Winter jackets, gloves, and ski pants are very helpful.  We especially need middle school sizes, but are happy to accept a range from elementary to adult. 

If you have questions regarding WEP, please email Jodi Russell. 


FOSB News

FOSB is our school parent teacher organization. All parents and guardians are automatically members

Minutes from the last FOSB meeting can be found here

Equity, Diversity and Inclusion Committee
Salmon Bay EDI is a collective of Salmon Bay parents that strives to collaboratively promote a lens of equity and diversity to create a holistically happy community. Interested? Please join us for one of the upcoming EDI Committee meetings.  C ontact us at  fosbdiversity@gmail.com    to be added to our mailing list or for further information on our events. All are welcome!
  • Monday, December 16th, 7-9pm, in the lounge at Geo's (10515 Greenwood Ave. N). This will be a combined committee and EDI Book Club meeting. Discussion of How To Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi will start at 8pm. You are welcome to join for all or part of the meeting.
  • Monday, January 6th, 9:15-10:45am, at  Mabel Coffee(7001 24th Ave. NW)
We will be hosting cookies and hot chocolate during the Lantern Festival this year!   We look forward to introducing ourselves to new friends and being in community with familiar faces!

Debate Coach Needed
Coach the Salmon Bay Debate Club!!
Inspire young people to find their voices and to listen to the voices of others! DebateAble is a debate program for upper elementary students (grades 4and 5) that has operated in schools throughout Seattle since 2012. No debate experience is necessary to be a DebateAble Coach! We hire adults who want to empower our next generation by teaching skills like critical thinking, public speaking and collaborative teamwork in a fun and positive environment. DebateAble provides Coaches with complete lesson plans, materials, training and all of the ongoing support you'll need to be successful as a DebateAble Coach. 

SPECIFICS:
When: Thursdays after school, 3:30-4:30pm
Where: Salmon Bay Elementary classroom
Compensation: $65 per 60 minute meeting. Coaches are also paid $15/hr for training (one 60-90 minute session) and for attending two coach meetings during the school year (each of which last 60-90 minutes).
 
Help us to change the conversations by teaching young people to consider both sides of any topic and the value of civil discourse. For more information, contact DebateAble Director Elizabeth Kruse, at   elizabeth@debateablekids.com or 206.369.0787, and visit our website at www.debateablekids.com.

Support Salmon Bay

Purchase a Chinook Book
We need to sell 11 more Chinook Books!  
Each book costs $25 and comes with a 12 month mobile subscription.  

To purchase a book: 
Stop by the Volunteer Coordinator's office to pay via check (checks payable to FOSB).  You can also purchase a book online through SchoolPay by navigating to the FOSB page (nonprofit group page) where after school activity payments are also collected. Once paid, pick up your book or ask Jodi to send it home in your student's backpack. 

Bulletin Submissions
 
We welcome submissions to our weekly Bulletin.
Email submissions to Jodi by  noon on Thursdays.