International Walk to School Day, 2021

Walk to School Day is Wednesday, Oct. 6th! While we can't host an event at the school this year, join in the fun by gathering your neighbors and using the route map to find your walking path.
 
Each year, we have three routes that proceed to the school from the following starting points. Families should start walking by 7:30am to arrive on time.

• North route: Meet at Victory Heights Park and walk straight to school on 20th Ave NE.

• West route: Meet at the corner of 12th Ave NE and NE 95th Street.

• South route: Meet at the corner of NE 85th Street and 17th Ave NE.

We hope everyone enjoys their walk and maybe meets a few new friends along the way!

Stay safe out there!

Laura Riley & Karen Murphy
Co-chairs, Sacajawea PTA

Welcome to the 2021-2022 School Year

Hello Sacajaweans!

It is our pleasure to welcome our new and returning families to another year at Sacajawea Elementary. Though this year will look different than our Pre-COVID times, we are confident that the dedication of our faculty and the resilience of our families will create the conditions for our students to grow and for our community to thrive. For those who may be choosing the virtual option this year, we look forward to welcoming you back to Sac when you return!

 The Sacajawea Elementary School PTA is a small-yet-mighty organization that works to help support our school, educators, administration, and most importantly, our students. Throughout the year, we host community events, work to promote equity, and raise money to support our school. 

One of the great strengths of Sacajawea is the broad participation and involvement of our parent community. As kids return to school full-time, we, as your PTA, will work to support you and your families as much as possible this year with consistent communication and community-building events.

If you’re looking for an easy way to meet fellow parents and get involved, please attend our monthly PTA board meetings. They’re a welcoming, productive, and fun way to get involved. We meet monthly, and our first meeting is Thursday, September 16th, at 7:00 pm on Zoom.  Keep your eye on the PTA calendar for other events this fall as we work to adapt our schedule of events to the current world.

Please be in touch with us as the school year gets underway. We’re here to help, and you’ll find our contact details below. And, to ensure you receive all of our PTA updates throughout the year, please subscribe to our email list. You can also visit our website throughout the year for up-to-date info on school and PTA events. Lastly, join our Facebook group for more discussion on life at Sacajawea. 

 Thank you all for making this school such a special place! At Sacajawea, we truly do all SHINE.

Sincerely,

Laura Riley and Karen Murphy

PTA Co-chairs, 2021-2022

chair@sacpta.org

Our 2021-2022 Executive Board and Budget Approved by Membership Vote

At our June 10th Awards Ceremony and General Membership PTA Meeting, we voted to approve our budget proposal for 2021-2022. The budget is roughly $80K (3% smaller than last year) and is fully funded through a combination of donations from this school year and roll forward from our current budget. The two biggest buckets of expenditure are Staff & Support ($38K) and Arts & Culture ($26K).

View the budget.

Also at our June 10th meeting, we voted to approve our executive board for the 2021-2022 school year. The vote passed, and here are our executive board members.

• Laura Riley: Co-chair, 2nd year of a two-year term

• Karen Murphy: Co-chair, 1st year of a two-year term

• Nicole Mackenzie: Treasurer, 2nd year of a two-year term

• Karla Sclater: Secretary

Congratulations to Our 2020/21 PTA Award Winners!

Golden Acorn Award

Our Golden Acorn Awards recognizing exemplary and outstanding volunteerism and service to our PTA, school and community.

Golden Acorn Award: Lori Phipps & Emily Hull (Corbin’s Moms)

Lori and Emily are a dynamic duo that have been dedicated volunteers since Corbin started at Sac. four years ago!  Lori has been a member of the BLT, assistant Treasurer, our yearbook chair, the school photographer, and a member of the equity team.  Lori is a classroom volunteer as well and stepped in to take over the (time-consuming) newsletter this year. Both Lori and Emily are always willing to jump in and help when needed! Emily has been helping at events and volunteering behind the scenes for years. Whether it's signing up for food bank donations, classroom support, field trips, event help or editing the Directory; Emily can always be counted on and has even recruited her Mom to help out too!  During COVID, Emily has been a driving force for gathering and organizing donations and special treats for Packs for Kids. She and Lori have collected donations from their network of neighbors and friends to purchase food and diapers for Sacajawea families for over a year and have been a huge help to maintaining the program.  Thank you, Lori and Emily for the years of creating a welcoming and caring community at Sacajawea! You will be sorely missed next year, but you’ll always be a part of Sac

Golden Acorn Award: Nicole Mackenzie (Rhys’s Mom)

Nicole is a super volunteer and supporter of our school and neighborhood. Nicole has spent her free time over the past couple of years (since her son started at Sac) volunteering in the library, classroom and lunchroom.  This past year she seamlessly stepped into the Treasurer role keeping everything going perfectly and brought a level of expertise that previous Treasurers highly valued and appreciated!.  She has been a fundamental Packs for Kids volunteer for two years and has amped up this commitment during the last year and a half of COVID.  Nicole volunteers weekly to help keep Packs running smoothly and delivers food boxes to families in need.  She’s organized, efficient, crafty and a creative problem solver who is always willing to help the team!  Nicole, thank you for being such an important part of our PTA, school and community!

Outstanding Educator Award

Our Outstanding Educator Award recognizes a member of the staff who has made exceptional contributions at Sacajawea to enhance the educational outcomes of our students.

Outstanding Educator Award: Emilie Neal

Ms. Emilie Neal is one of our 1st grade teachers and has served on the Building Leadership team for the past 2 years, providing valuable insight that benefits the entire Sacajawea community.  Emilie has worked tirelessly this year to engage, educate and support her students despite the difficult circumstances. To encourage and help students during remote learning, she met with them one on one at lunch time as well as before and after school.  She often dropped off books, materials and treats to keep kids connected.  Her enthusiasm, positivity, passion for teaching and joy of reading and writing is contagious and inspires her students. And, so many nominations mentioned Ms. Neal being the reason for their child’s love of reading.

The volume of praise our first grade parents shared in the nominations was incredible, and many passages resonated deeply with me as a first grade parent–because they spoke to the core of Emilie’s character. I’d like to share a few with you now: Ms. Neal has a magical energy and incredible kindness; she’s honest and vulnerable with students and parents alike, she’s a wonderful role model demonstrating poise and compassion; she taught us as parents how to better make space for our children’s emotions. All of these qualities helped created a tremendous sense of community for first-grade families.

Emilie Neal makes everyone around her–students, colleagues, and families–feel seen, welcomed, respected, and loved.   Thank you so much, Ms. Neal, you are a bright light at Sacajawea!

Outstanding Educator Award: Rachel Friesen

Principal Friesen is our fearless leader and member of almost every staff committee at Sac – Safety, BLT, Equity, Library and more!  This last year has been like no other and Rachel has been an outstanding example of leadership.  The amount of time, effort, coordinating, re-coordinating, planning, organizing and communicating that she has had to do, mostly all on the fly and all while trying to keep herself, her family, the teachers and students safe is truly heroic!  Not only did she navigate us successfully through a pandemic, there were also numerous tragedies in our country that directly affected families of color in our school community.  Rachel quickly addressed these injustices and continues to express Sacajawea’s commitment to racial justice.  Rachel is a thoughtful, kind, caring and generous leader who has kept Sacajawea’s staff, students and families moving forward in a truly challenging year.  Thank you, Rachel for your endless dedication to Sacajawea and your partnership with our students, families and staff!

Roy Norman SHINE Award

The Roy Norman SHINE Award is given in honor of Ms. Norman’s late husband. Roy was an amazing man and the type of person who would jump in to help anyone, anywhere. He fully embodied the SHINE principles at Sacajawea of being Safe, Helpful, Inclusive, Neighborly and Engaged!

Roy Norman SHINE Award: Lourdes (Lulu) Roque Weda

Lulu is our Bilingual Instructional Assistant and has been an amazing addition to Sacajawea in her first year here!  She has developed strong relationships with our Spanish speaking families with phone calls, texts and weekly deliveries of materials (after her official workday ends).  She translates weekly classroom newsletters, emails, instructional plans, school flyers and even did some live simultaneous translation for our school and PTA meetings.  She is also a volunteer with Packs for Kids and delivers food boxes every week.  Lulu has been a driving force within the staff Racial Equity Team, leading staff meetings on Equity focused training days and using her voice to advocate for our families of color.  She goes above and beyond every single day. Sacajawea could not have served all of our families without her this year.  Personally, Lulu is warm, caring, kind, friendly and fun to be around - so if you haven’t had a chance to meet her yet, you should!  Thank you, Lulu, for your natural ability to SHINE!   

Roy Norman SHINE Award: Jim Bowman

Mr. Bowman is our night custodian. He has been behind the scenes for 35 years at Sacajawea and we appreciate everything he does! His workday usually started when the rest of us were going home and although we didn't always see him we knew he had been there because things were fixed, plants were watered, everything was cleaned and made right when we arrived the next day. Mr. Bowman was never too busy to help get a lost ball off the lower playground roof and was always here to help us setup and cleanup for all of our PTA evening events. Jim just took care of everything and he did it with flair! It was Jim who left interesting facts, notes and flowers in the staff room, always had a witty quip to our “all staff” emails, and decorated the planters with googly eyes. An avid gardener, an artist, a die hard Huskie fan, and devoted father and husband, Jim is a man of many talents, a friend to all and he will be greatly missed at Sacajawea! Thank you, Jim for sharing so many of your talents and years with us. You helped us all SHINE a little brighter. Enjoy your retirement!

May BLM Year of Purpose; Septima Clark; Black Radical Educator Day & Black Villages

Click Here for Spanish Version

Dear Sacajawea Community,

This month, Sacajawea’s Parent Racial Equity Team celebrates Septima Clark’s Birthday/Black Radical Educator Day (May 3). Septima Clark  was an educator and civil rights activist whose work in the 1950s and beyond were crucial in the drive for voting rights and civil rights for African Americans.

This month’s guiding principle focuses on Black Villages; “Supporting, promoting, and fostering growth and renewal for our villages” and highlight three “villages” within the United States; Wa Na Wara (Seattle), Ethel’s Club (New York City/online), and Black Scientists Matter (nationwide) with the intent to encourage our community’s continued engagement with Black Lives Matter at School Year of Purpose.  Our goal is to empower parents and students to do the necessary work to achieve racial equity and justice. 

Septima Poinsette Clark (1898 - 1987) 

“I believe unconditionally in the ability of people to respond when they are told the truth. We need to be taught to study rather than believe, to inquire rather than to affirm.”

Born to a laundry woman and former slave, Septima Poinsette Clark led an incredible life of drive and innovation in grassroots citizenship education, and was considered the “Mother of the Movement”.  She overcame multiple obstacles to becoming a teacher, including pursuing her education during summer breaks.  When she finally became a teacher, she faced opposition in the city of Charleston refusing to hire black educators.  Turning her frustration into action, Septima worked with NAACP (National Association for the Advancement of Colored People) to petition the city to change their policies.. 

A lifelong advocate for equality and education, she and Thurgood Marshall campaigned for equal pay for black teachers at Columbia. She worked with the YWCA in a class action lawsuit filed by the NAACP that resulted in pay equity for black and white teachers in South Carolina.  

Later, South Carolina state legister banned state employees from being associated with civil rights organizations (such as NAACP) in order to minimize their effectiveness. Septima refused to withdraw from the NAACP, and moved to Tennessee where she helped found citizenship schools designed to “aide literacy and foster a sense of political empowerment within the black community.”  Rosa Parks participated in one of Septimas workshops just months prior to leading the Montgomery Bus Boycott.

The citizenship training program equipped African Americans with basic literacy and math in order to pass the prerequisite test to register to vote. This in turn linked individuals and communities to the power of the vote.

When she retired at the age of seventy two, Septima had educated some ten thousand citizenship school teachers and her colleagues had educated one hundred thousand Blacks to read and write and demand their rights of citizenship.  Nearly two hundred schools were operating in the South in 1962, forever changing the political face of the region.

Septima observed best the success of her workin 1982; “From one end of the South to the other, if you look at the black elected officials and the political leaders, you find people who had their first involvement in the training program of the citizenship school.”  Her legacy continues to live on.

Black Villages

This BLM Year of Purpose principle is “committed to disrupting the Western-prescribed nuclear family structure requirement by supporting each other as extended families and “villages” that collectively care for one another. For younger learners, this principle shares the understanding message that there are lots of different kinds of families; those people might be related, or maybe they choose to be family together and to take care of each other, what makes a family is that it’s people take care of each other.”

Here are just a few examples of such villages and the impact they are making in their communities and beyond;

Wa Na Wari

“Sited in a fifth-generation, Black-owned home, Wa Na Wari is an immersive community art project that reclaims Black cultural space and makes a statement about the importance of Black land ownership in gentrified communities. Our mission is to create space for Black ownership, possibility, and belonging through art, historic preservation, and connection. Referred to as a "container for Black joy,” Wa Na Wari incubates and amplifies Black art and belonging while providing a safe space for organizing and movement building. By renting a house from a vulnerable Black homeowner, and giving that space back to the Black community, Wa Na Wari is an active model for how Black art and culture can combat gentrification and displacement.”

Ethel's Club - New York City/Online

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Ethel's Club is the first social and wellness platform designed to celebrate people of color in both physical and digital spaces. Our vision is to spark the next renaissance with people of color at the forefront.

At Ethel's Club, we see our members as unique individuals that deserve care, celebration, and healing. We believe that when we’re given the tools to thrive as individuals, we create new worlds when we come together as a community. We’re dedicated to providing those tools to encourage healing, inspiration, and communal care.”

Black Scientists Matter

“Black people comprise 13% of the United States population, but less than 5% of graduate students pursuing Ph.D’s in STEM and 8% of the STEM workforce (National Science Foundation, 2019)  The question is, why are there so few Black scientists? And what can we do to fix that?

This organization is an apparel brand that utilizes the power of social media to promote scientific literacy and STEM education to people of all backgrounds. Currently, the brand maintains multiple social media platforms with a growing follower base and has sold merchandise to 35 different states in the U.S. Black Scientists Matter has also been featured in numerous blogs, podcasts, and publications, and in 2018 was awarded a grant from Johns Hopkins University to further it’s mission of empowering the African American community through science! 

BSM  features an active Blog that allows science enthusiasts a platform to learn more about scientific concepts, discuss their unique academic journey’s, and provide resources to assist future scientists. As the brand continues to evolve to address diversity, equity, and inclusion in science, Black Scientists Matter Inc. will continue to grow and expand.”

We encourage you to learn more about Septima Clark, radical black educators (see below resources) and the Black villages discussed in this newsletter.  There are many examples of individuals and communities embracing the power of community and the impact both within Black communities and beyond. 

What ignites your passion and what steps can you take to initiate action?

Take a virtual tour of the Northwest African American Museum to learn about Seattle Black Villages over the years.  Support local nonprofits such as Black Heritage Society, GirlTrek, Langston Hughes Performing Arts Center and Jack and Jill Tacoma/Seattle.  Investigate if there are communities in your own neighborhood that you can support.

What can you do and how can you learn more?

If you have 2 minutes, watch Black Educators: A History of Shaping the Future six radical black educators are highlighted in these videos, all about 2 minutes long

If you have 3 minutes, read 12 Black Educators Who Changed History That We Should All Know About

If you have 4 minutes, read How Black Classical Musicians Are Creating Community

If you have 6 minutes, watch TED Talk Black Male Educators Matter Vincent Cobb

Check out these books focused on Black educators and Black families and villages:

• Full, Full, Full of Love by Trish Cook (Ages 2-5 years)

• Last Stop on Market Street by Matt de la Pena (Ages 3-5 yrs)

• Uncle Jed’s Barbershop by Margaret King Mitchell (Ages 4-7 yrs)

• The Secret River by Marjorie Kinnan Rawlings (Ages 4-8 yrs)

• One Family by George Shannon (Ages 4-8 yrs)

• Grandpa’s Face by Floyd Cooper (Ages 4-8 yrs)

• Ellington Was Not a Street by Ntozake Shange (Ages 5-11 yrs)

• The Teachers March!: How Selma's Teachers Changed History By Sandra Neil Wallace (Ages 7-10 yrs)

• Midnight Teacher: Lilly Ann Granderson and Her Secret School by Janet Halfmann (Ages 7-11 yrs)

• In Daddy’s Arms, I am Tall by Folami Abiade (Ages 8-11 yrs)

With gratitude,

Sacajawea’s Parent Racial Equity Team

Jennifer Sunami, Becky Beard, Dana Robinson Slote, Robin King, John Delfeld, Karla Sclater, Sophie-Shifra Gold, Lori Phipps, Jenna Buzzard, Ara Swanson