Welcome to the 2023-2024 School Year!

Versión en español

Hello Sacajaweans!

It is my pleasure to welcome new and returning families to another year at Sacajawea Elementary on behalf of the PTA. We are excited to be back to school and we look forward to connecting with you and your families. 

 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. We also send a weekly newsletter with school news, Principal note from Mr. Fisk, school calendar and more. 

 One of the great strengths of Sacajawea is the broad participation and involvement of our parent community. As kids return to school, 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. We are planning even more fun events this year, and can always use an extra hand- please let us know if you are able to get involved.  

 If you’re looking for an easy way to meet fellow parents and see all that we do, 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 Tuesday, September 12th, at 7:00 pm at school. This year, we will be meeting in person once a quarter, and on Zoom for the other months. 

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

Justin Pritchett, PTA Chair for 2023-2024

Versión en español

¡Hola Sacajaweans!

Es un placer dar la bienvenida a nuestras familias nuevas y que regresan a otro año en la escuela primaria Sacajawea. Estamos emocionados de volver a la escuela y esperamos conectarnos con ustedes y sus familias.

La PTA de Sacajawea es una organización pequeña pero poderosa que trabaja para ayudar y apoyar a nuestra escuela, facultad, administración y, lo más importante, a nuestros estudiantes. Durante todo el año, organizamos eventos comunitarios, trabajamos para promover la equidad y recaudamos fondos para apoyar a nuestra escuela. También enviamos un boletín semanal con noticias de la escuela, nota del director del Sr. Fisk, calendario escolar y más.

Una de las grandes fortalezas de Sacajawea es la participación de nuestra comunidad de padres. A medida que los niños regresen a la escuela nosotros, como su PTA, trabajaremos para apoyarlos a ustedes y a sus familias tanto como sea posible este año con una comunicación constante y eventos de construcción de la comunidad. Estamos planeando eventos aún más divertidos este año, y siempre podemos usar una mano extra. Háganos saber si puede participar. ¡Ahora es un buen momento, mientras sus hijos todavía están emocionados por su participación!

Si está buscando una manera fácil de conocer a otros padres e involucrarse, por favor asista a nuestras reuniones mensuales de la junta de la PTA. Son una forma acogedora, productiva y divertida de participar. Nos reunimos mensualmente y nuestra primera reunión es el martes 12 de septiembre a las 7:00 pm en la escuela. Este año, nos reuniremos en persona una vez por trimestre y por Zoom los demás meses.

Por favor, póngase en contacto con nosotros a medida que avanza el año escolar. Estamos aquí para ayudar y encontrará nuestros datos de contacto a continuación. Y, para asegurarse de recibir todas las actualizaciones de nuestra PTA durante todo el año, suscríbase a nuestra lista de correo electrónico: sacpta.org/subscribe. También puede visitar nuestro sitio web (sacpta.org) durante todo el año para obtener información actualizada sobre los eventos de la escuela y la PTA. Únase a nuestro grupo de Facebook (sacpta.org/facebook) para discusión sobre la vida en Sacajawea.

¡Gracias a todos por hacer de esta escuela un lugar tan especial! En Sacajawea, realmente hacemos todo SHINE.

Atentamente,

Justin Pritchett, Presidente de la PTA

The 2023-2024 School Year is Almost Here at Sacajawea!

Versión en español

Hello, Sacajaweans!

Another school year is almost upon us, and we hope you’re enjoying the last bits of your summer vacation.

As we roll into Kindergarten JumpStart and the start of the school year, we want to ensure you can stay connected with our school and PTA updates.

Here are a few things to do (or double-check) as we head toward September:

1. Register for our email list for periodic updates and event notices.

2. Join our Facebook group for more discussion on life at Sacajawea.

3. Interested in volunteering? Contact our volunteer coordinator, Charlene Shanahan, for details: cyshanahan@seattleschools.org.

4. Become a PTA member and opt into our school directory at Sacajawea.

We’re having a back-to-school pizza party event on Tuesday, September 5th.

We'll meet on the upper playground from 5:30pm - 7:00pm, and we'll have (free) pizza, drinks, and fun. Come have a bite, see old friends, and meet our newest community members, too.

Please RSVP to help us plan how much food to order.

Versión en español

¡Hola, Sacajaweans!

Otro año escolar está a punto de comenzar, y esperamos que estén disfrutando de los últimos momentos de sus vacaciones de verano.

A medida que nos acercamos al inicio de Kindergarten JumpStart y del año escolar, queremos asegurarnos de que puedan mantenerse conectados con las actualizaciones de nuestra escuela y de la PTA.

Aquí hay algunas cosas que hacer (o revisar) mientras nos dirigimos hacia septiembre:

• Regístrese en nuestra lista de correo electrónico para recibir actualizaciones periódicas y avisos de eventos.

• Únanse a nuestro grupo de Facebook para más discusión sobre la vida en Sacajawea.

• ¿Interesado en ser voluntario? Contacte a nuestra coordinadora de voluntarios, Charlene Shanahan, para obtener detalles: cyshanahan@seattleschools.org.

• Conviértase en miembro de la PTA y opte por ingresar a nuestro directorio escolar en Sacajawea.

Estén atentos para más detalles sobre un evento de regreso a clases el martes 5 de septiembre.

Congratulations to our Nominees and Award Winners!

Congratulations to our PTA Award Nominees and Winners. We have many amazing people at Sacajawea, we truly appreciate all of you!

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

• Robin King (Adri & Mieke’s Mom) –Robin has led the Parent Equity team this year, meeting the challenge with innovative, intentional thinking that matches her investment in forwarding racial equity. She spearheaded the Heritage Potluck which was a festive, fun heartwarming event!  

  Many people stated how much they appreciated this gathering. Robin’s spirit and commitment to equity are integral to her tremendous contributions to our school community. She’s a great collaborator and fun to work with.

  She has worked continuously to form connections between families to strengthen and build our school community, as well as find ways to keep everyone engaged and excited.

• Jessi Friedrichs (Jack’s Mom) – Jessi has pretty much single-handedly taken on all the fundraising events at Sac this year. She did an awesome job on the Move-a-thon and the Auction and Community dinner was fantastic because of her. She brought new ideas and activities to both events and no doubt spent countless hours planning, collecting, calling and organizing. Her cheerful attitude and friendly demeanor make it easy and fun to work with her! She's also taken on the huge role of Treasurer for our PTA. Total rock star!

• Karen Murphy (Leonie’s Mom) – So many of you recognized Karen’s hard work over some very challenging pandemic and post pandemic years.  As PTA Co-chair, her leadership has been essential to advancing the PTA’s mission of supporting the education, community, and health of the students and families of Sacajawea.  Karen is also Sac’s Family Support Coordinator and strong advocate for our students with the Packs for Kids Program, community partnerships and seeking out resources. She and her husband, Chad have been the driving force behind the Arts and Culture Committee for many years – helping to create the amazing student auction artwork every year and continental focus t-shirts.  Karen has been a Room Parent, set-up and cleans up at every event, chaperones field trips and helps in the classroom.  She is passionate about inclusivity and is always thinking about more equitable ways to improve our school and PTA.

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.

• Ryan Schmidt — Best Art Teacher Ever! Every kid at this school loves Mr. Ryan!  Here are just a few nice things said about him in the nominations:

  • He is kind and funny!  

  • He makes sure that all the kids have a place that they belong.

  • The art work for the auction was so cool.

  • I love the work he puts up in the halls and the towns and villages. It brightens our school!

  • Art has been such a wonderful outlet for my child this year. Mr Ryan is such an awesome teacher of art techniques and options that help kids learn while also being free to express themselves.  We're very lucky to have such a dedicated, kind and patient teacher. I wish any of my art teachers growing up were like him... maybe then I'd be able to draw! 😆

The Roy Norman SHINE Award is given in honor of Ms. Norman’s (our Admin Secretary of many years) late husband. Roy was an amazing man who fully embodied the SHINE principles at Sacajawea of being Safe, Helpful, Inclusive, Neighborly, and Engaged!

Congratulations to our three fantastic SHINE winners.

• Karla Sclater (Zack’s Mom) – 6 years at Sac - Karla has been such an important part of our PTA for the last several years. It's hard to imagine Sacajawea without her.  Karla was a critical part of our BLT - serving well beyond the two year term!  She is our PTA secretary, is a parent rep on many hiring committees, volunteers in the classroom, shows up for lunch and recess support and has always been willing to lend a hand when needed.  She was the driving force behind our Arts Festival before the pandemic and led the Arts and Science Fest this year.  Her commitment to the PTA equity team, safe roads to school, grants team, Packs for Kids and the new fund sharing alliance have made Sacajawea a better place and reflect her unwavering personal dedication to social justice and equity.

• Erica Cox – Fifth Grade Teacher – As a first year classroom teacher, Ms. Cox jumped into a huge class of fifth graders - with thirty-four individual personalities - and she did it with so much love, wisdom and grace. She has been an awesome role model for the students in her class, teaching them empathy, how to support one another and build confidence as well as holding them to high academic expectations. She has worked hard to be a mentor and guide and has taken very seriously her role in preparing her students for the challenges of middle school. Erica’s dedication to Sacajawea is impressive - she was the only Sacajawea staff chaperone at IslandWood this year; she shows up to all our PTA events and even went to Renton on an early weekend morning to support our Girls on the Run team; she is also an active member of our staff Racial Equity team. Her good humor and joy are a welcome addition to our community and we are grateful.  Erica, You rock! 

• Laura Riley (Kate’s Mom) – 9 years at Sac - Between Joey and Kate, The Rileys have been at Sacajawea for nine years and from day one, Laura has “shown up” with an unstoppable energy and enthusiasm! She has been a driving force in the PTA and has volunteered countless hours over the years. She has organized the Move-a-thon and Book Fair, streamlined PTA membership, coordinated the Directory, been a sought after Room Parent, served on the executive board as both PTA co-chair and Treasurer, chaperoned field trips, helped at lunch, volunteered in the classroom and pitched in at every event.  Laura is the go to person when you need an answer, she is welcoming to new families and old friends alike, she is a caring and passionate advocate for our kids and she exemplifies community.  

  One nomination says it perfectly…”Laura is a natural leader that the community and parents respect, appreciate, and will miss after this year.”

Upcoming Vote for 2023-2024 Executive Board and Budget

At our June PTA board meeting, we reviewed and voted to put forward our budget committee’s proposed budget to a membership vote in June. The budget is roughly $82K (equal to 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 ($44K) and Arts & Culture ($22K).

View the proposed budget.

Also, at our June board meeting, we reviewed the nominating committee’s slate of nominees for our executive board. Each position has one nominee, and our members will vote to approve these nominees at our June general membership meeting.

The slate of nominees is as follows:

• Co-chair: Justin Pritchett (2nd of 2-year term)

• Co-chair: Currently vacant

• Treasurer: Jessi Friedrichs (2nd of 2-year term)

• Secretary: Liz Meders

We’ll vote as a membership on these items during our June 21st, 2023 Ice Cream Social and Awards Ceremony. The event will be held at 5:00pm on the lower playground.

2023 Sacajawea PTA Award Nominations

Each spring, Sacajawea PTA seeks nominations for our Golden Acorn, Outstanding Educator and the Roy Norman S.H.I.N.E. Award.  These awards celebrate the people in our community who have gone above and beyond to make Sacajawea a wonderful place for our students and families.  Please submit your nomination by Friday, May 26th.  Awardees will be announced at the Ice Cream Social on June 21st.

Golden Acorn Awards
Every year three deserving volunteers receive a Golden Acorn Award.  The Golden Acorn is a Washington State PTA award given by local PTAs recognizing exemplary and outstanding volunteerism and service to the PTA. Golden Acorn nominees should be active volunteers in PTA, our school and/or our Sacajawea community.

Outstanding Educator
This award is given to an individual (teacher, instructional assistant, staff member, administrator -- anyone on staff at school!) who has made significant contributions to our school and community and has helped to enhance the educational, social-emotional outcomes and well-being of our students.

Roy Norman SHINE Award
We are proud to continue the tradition of presenting the Roy Norman SHINE Award. Roy Norman is the late husband of Doreen Norman, Sacajawea’s Admin Secretary for over 20 years who retired in 2022. Roy was a fixture at Sacajawea Events and exemplified the SHINE values that are at the heart of our Sacajawea community (Safe, Helpful, Inclusive, Neighborly, Engaged). Nominees for this award will also have demonstrated SHINE values in how they have supported our school and community.

Please Submit your nomination online by Friday, May 26th.

Thank you!

Sacajawea PTA Awards Committee
(Karen Murphy, Justin Pritchett & Charlene Shanahan)