SEAHAWK FOOTNOTES
Arbor Heights, October, 1996 - VOL 8, ISSUE 1
Published monthly by Arbor Heights PTSA 6.15.35.
Current members: 145
Arbor Heights Elementary School
3704 SW 104th • Seattle, WA • 98146 • 281-6230
Terry McDermott, President - 932-6314
Lori Boyer, Vice-President - 932-2245
Kristin Jensen-Storey, Secretary - 433-7707
Betsy Forbes, Treasurer - 938-8607
Tish Hesse, Fund-raising Coordinator - 932-1776
Holly Guenther, Student Activities - 935-2048
Lynn Moy, Public Relations - 935-9015
Laura Flannigan, Administrative Coord. - 431-8654
Jean Robinson, Academic Support - 439-9735
Gail Ballard, Newsletter Editor - 938-0712
Carl Leatherman, Principal
Dave Wilkie, Don Dorr, Carol Long - Staff Reps
OUT THE DORR!
Dear Students, Parents & Staff,
The years that I have spent at Arbor Heights will always hold a special place in my heart. I will need to be careful not to automatically drive to Arbor Heights, my car is programmed to come here. To all the students that have been in my class, on patrol, in drama, or have shared with me in other ways, I thank you. Your being a part of my life has helped make me what I am today. To all the parents that I have come to know through the years, thank you for allowing me to work with your children. They truly are our future and are to be treasured. To all the staff, you are the ones that keep the rubber on the road and heading in the right direction. I hope the new staff will be half as good as you are. I know as I leave my comfort zone and take on this new challenge that I will miss Arbor Heights greatly, but there are other
dunk tanks for me to sit in, none as special as here.
Something to think about:
"There are only two lasting bequests we can hope to give our children. One of these is roots: the other, wings." -Hodding Carter
Hugs & Kisses, Don Dorr
After 14 years at Arbor Heights, Don Dorr is taking a position as Vice Principal at Adams Elementary in Ballard. Mr. Dorr says, when Mr. Leatherman retires he knows where he’s coming! Don, you will be missed!
The BOOK REPORT
On October 31st, reading comes alive for the children of Arbor Heights. The children will transform, stepping out of the pages of their favorite book to become a character - real or fiction. The goal is to use some of the natural enthusiasm generated at Halloween, direct it to reading & have fun too! Many of our older children are reading biographies & dressing up as a real person from the past or present. Albert Einstein partied at Arbor Heights last year during Character Book Day.
Children with parent help should:
1) Choose a book to read together, fiction or nonfiction.
2) Identify a character in the story you would like to be.
3) Find, create, make, borrow a costume to bring to school to wear the latter part of the day. Your costume does not need to be elaborate.
4) Bring your identity tag with items to wear in a sack
with your name. Do not wear costumes on the bus.
5) You should be able to tell us about your character.
6) Enjoy the party, walk around to classrooms & have FUN!
STOP! LOOK! LISTEN!
Lori Boyer’s new Lending Library attracts a variety of students -many educational games to choose from. Stop by the lobby and take a look!
Arbor Heights had a Super September! 168 volunteers devoted 628 hours!
Remember to sign in as a visitor in the office, but also log your hours on the sheet in the lobby. We have a reputation in the district as having mega volunteers who put in GOBS of hours.
Please stop by and see me anytime in the honor lounge - located in the corner of the lobby. Get your thumbprint and data sheet done - state law for all who work with kids! Have a chat about the new Lending Library of educational games. See you soon!
- Lori Boyer, Parent & Community Involvement Coordinator
-Paid for in part by the Seattle’s Families & Education Levy
PORTRAITS
Have a specialportrait drawnof your child by thispublished artist.
by Jami Moffett937-2607 Order now in time for Christmas delivery.
Call for current prices & information
Lunch with Bonny
By now you all know that the lunch prices went up this year. I’ve heard many complaints. The School District hasn’t raised prices in five years, unlike the cost of gas, coffee, bread & many other food items that comes to mind. I’m sure you would have adjusted easier to a 5 cent increase per year instead of a .25 increase every five years. I’ve also been asked why parents & teachers pay $2.50 for their lunch. The Federal government subsides students lunches. They kick in the difference between what a student pays & the $2.50 adults pay.
If you’ve seen any of the programs on TV that have investigated school lunches you’ll have seen Seattle wasn’t one of them. We have cut our fat gram in lunches to the 30 grams the USDA requires. Any questions, please come see me!
MEET SAPINA
Hello, I’d like to introduce myself to all of you. I’m Sapina Pele, the Family Support Worker (FSW) at Arbor Heights. My office is next to the principals Carl Leatherman. The Family Support Worker Program was created by the city & Seattle school district with funding by Families & Education Levy to help children & families with social needs that were often identified at the schools.
A Family Support Worker housed in an elementary school, is someone who helps a child or family with any problem that stands in the way of a childs education. This could be lack of food, clothing, bilingual services, family member dealing with dependency issues, homelessness, counseling needs, medical, physical and/or sexual abuse, domestic violence, etc...the list is endless. Just one of these problems can cause a child not to focus on school. All the families & students issues I work with are strictly confidential. I can be contacted by phone at 281-6477. I look forward to a great year again. The holiday season is coming upon us quickly. As the Family Support Worker, I hope this year to focus on providing food to our families for the 2 weeks we will be out for Winter Break. Therefore, I am going to be asking everyone that can to contribute to a holiday basket. Gift certificates would be greatly appreciated from any of our local stores. Please feel free to call me if you have any questions - 281-6477
-Sapina Pele, FSW
GIFT WRAP RESULTS
Our total sales were close to $16,000.00! Remember Arbor Heights receives 50% of our total sales. I want to thank all of you for such a great effort. It couldn’t happen without the support and energies of the parents & students. We had a couple of OUTSTANDING student sales performances! Congratulations to Ryan Hesse, in Mr. Swan’s class. He had the highest total sales in the school with $770. James Hiner in Ms. Stroh’s’s PM class had the second highest total with $618. Please be sure to thank them and give them a pat on the back. Great job everyone! Congrats to Ashley Lisenby & Patrick Mitchell from Ms. Crichton’s 5th grade class. They went buggy counting bugs - 2080 in all!. They guessed 2100 and won themselves a roll of Sally Foster & 10 FREE bags of popcorn!
Tish Hesse, Fund-raising Coordinator
The 70’s GROOVE!
Remember the 70’s........On November 15th we‘ll all boogie on down to the cool sounds of the 70’s. (As my kids call it - "oldies music!") From 7 to 9:30 pm, the Arbor Heights cafeteria will be transformed into a real groovy kind of place - don’t miss it! A real live 70’s DJ will perform, cotton candy, pop & another bake sale will provide the "high" for the evening - remember no one in the 70’s worried about fat content! There will be a pet rock area - a chance to create a new friend for your old pet rock! The cost is only $5 per hip adult - anyone born after 1979 is FREE!! So dig out those bell bottoms or white John Travolta outfit
and show up!
The PREZ SEZ.....
It’s hard to believe we are already into October. Thanks to those of you who have returned the Volunteer Survey. If you haven’t filled one out yet its not too late, just slip it in my box, as I am still working on them.
If you missed our October meeting we are looking for suggestions on how to spend $5000. We are open to any and all suggestions. You can put your ideas either in the comment box or in my box in the office. We really need to put this money to good use for our children and their school. We will vote on all your suggestions at the November General Meeting, so please try to attend this meeting.
Our "Family Fun Night" is November 15th, the theme is "The 70‘s Groove." If you would like to help please contact Lori Boyer. We hope you and your family will come and have a good time. Thank you to all of you who have volunteered already this year. Especially to Bob Kiel & Bob Viloudaki, our school grounds look GREAT! Good job, guys! That’s about it for now, hope to see you at the November meeting!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN, Terry McDermott
BOOK & BAKE SALES BRING BUCKS
Thank you to everyone who helped to make our bookfair a success. Our profit was $872 in books. We will be using most of that to add books to our "Reading For Books." That’s our PTSA program where students earn new paperback books by reading.
- Dene Napolitan, Librarian
Wow! We had a great bake sale at the Open House. With the help of all our wonderful bakers & hungry buyers, we raised a total of $193.00. This money will be used by the PTSA for school activities & supplies for our kids. Many thanks to all who baked & special thanks to all for your help at the tables.
- Karin Haines, Bake Sale Queen & Maker of the "Mexican Fudge"
LEGISLATIVE NEWS
Each spring, local PTSA units & councils have the opportunity to submit issues which have statewide importance for children. Then, in October, by a process of caucus & debate, 5 priority issues are voted in during the associations Legislative Assembly. These 5 issues become the priority focus of the Washington State PTAs activities during the upcoming legislative session.
Following is the list of the 5 issues that Arbor Heights families chose from a total list of 16:
1) Access to Weapons by Youth
2) Defining & Funding Basic Education
3) Levy/Bond Election Reform
4) Supporting the Whole Child
5) Four Year Levies.
If you are interested in rating the five items you deem to be of greatest importance, please contact Kristen Jensen-Storey @ 433-7707 or Lynn Moy @ 935-9015. We look forward to hearing from you. Remember, these are issues proposed by PTSAs across the state, and cover elementary through high school. Thanks for sharing your opinion!
AH CALENDAR
OCTOBER
19 Function in the Junction (Parade)
31 Character Book Day
NOVEMBER
1 November Newsletter info due
6 Highly Capable Student Nomination due
7 PTSA Meeting
TBA Veterans Day Assembly
11 Veterans Day - NO SCHOOL
15 The 70’s Groove - @ AH cafeteria 7 pm
18-26 Parent/Teacher Conferences
28-29 Thanksgiving Vacation
Arbor Heights Fall Clean Up in progress. Thanks to all who showed up! A total of 105 hours were spent clearing the south bank. Thank you to Bob & Kelly Kiel for organizing this effort.
OPEN HOUSE...
Our Open House was a big success! There is no way to tell exactly how many people were here that night (we served 435 ice cream sundaes), but everyone seemed to be having a great time. The school year is off to an excellent start.
- Mr. Leatherman, Principal
ARBOR HEIGHTS BYTES
Connect up to the Arbor Heights World Wide Web site! Over 1,500 people a month from all over the world visit it at:
http://www.halcyon.com/arborhts/arborhts.html
Parents - Do you have an Internet email address? Would you like to have it listed on our "Parents on the Internet" page of our World Wide Web site? Contact Mr. Ahlness at school, or send a message to mahlness@cks.ssd.k12.wa.us - you could get email
from people all over the world!
Our fax machine is located in our computer lab.
The number is 281-6618. Thank you, Microsoft!
Room 12 (Mr. Ahlness- 3rd grade) has been making some Internet news! Newsweek Magazine ran a story on the "Room 12 Top Ten List" in the September 9th edition. As a result, Channel 11 News visited Room 12 & the computer lab on Sept. 27th. They did a very nice story about us on their news hour that same day! Mr. Ahlness was very proud of his students - some were even interviewed!
Our computer lab is open Tuesday & Thursdays from 4 pm to 7 pm. A big thank you goes to Microsoft for this one! There are alot of CD-Rom titles, word process & Internet (WWW) access. Microsoft has spent approximately $60,000 on Arbor Heights computer equipment for the 1995-96 year. Mr. Wilkie has been busy teaching all classes (and teachers!) the basics of Windows 95 and some word processing in the lab. Stop by Tuesday or Thursday & try it out! Mr. Ahlness & Mr. Wilkie also hope to be offering some classes on Tuesday & Thursdays. Watch Mr. Leatherman’s Parent Bulletins and the newsletter for the scoop on what will be offered when.
what’s cookin’??
With pumpkins showing up at grocery stores & backyard gardens, maybe what you need is a recipe for Cognac Pumpkin cheesecake, High School Pumpkin Bread or Seasoned Pumpkin seeds...And for Halloween maybe some Dirt and Worms or Monster Toast. Or maybe you were just intrigued by those miniature hamburger cookies you saw at the last bake sale. The recipes are all in "From Ants on a Log to Zoo Salad, Arbor Heights Cooks," our very own cookbook! It is available in the office for a mere $8.50. Think Christmas - for those hard to buy for or those people that show up with a gift when you least expect them!
THE PACK IS BACK!
Pack 799’s September Pack meeting was an overnight campout on Blake Island. The scouts enjoyed a salmon dinner and show at Tillicum Village featuring Indian storytellers & dancers. Then they returned to their camp to enjoy stories and a desert of s’mores around a campfire before retiring to their tents. The October Pack meeting (Oct. 30th) will feature a haunted House hosted by the Pack’s first year webelos working on their showmanship badges. Our 2nd year webelos took first place out of all Cubscouts Packs in the Aquila District’s First-Aid-O-Ree on October 8th!! They answered questions & generally showed their knowledge on first-aid and what to do in emergency situations.
WANTED
Jack & his friends are looking to buy used toddler equipment, especially kitchen sets and climbing toys. If your growing up kids are ready to part with them, Jack is ready
to buy. Call him or his mom, Roberta Post
@ 937-5613. THANKS!
PTSA MEETING NOV 7th @ 7
Come hear about AH’s New Science Curriculum (teachers were trained this summer & will be using packaged kits) & the Artist in Residence Program. Only $1 donation per child for babysitting. Friday, Nov. 1 is deadline for Nov. newsletter! Thanks!
Join the PTSA
Please join the Arbor Heights PTSA by returning a membership envelope (sent home in student packets the first day). Individual dues are only $6 and help support our PTSA as well as the city & state organizations. Last years membership of 138 was a big increase from the year before - we even won an award! Let’s try to do even better this year! Additional envelopes are available in the school office or from Julie Gramm (932-6103) Membership cards will be sent home from school with your child.
Kernels of Wisdom from The Popcorn Lady
We will be selling caramel and one other flavored popcorn the last Friday of each month. You can also look for orange (cheese) popcorn the day after Halloween. Please remember, popcorn eaters, throw those popcorn bags in the garbage, not on the playground.
Thanks! The New Popcorn Lady - Debbie Taylor
FUNCTION IN THE JUNCTION
On Sat., Oct. 19th, a number of Seattle schools will be participating in a short parade through the West Seattle Junction.
The purpose of the parade is to show support for all schools in West Seattle. All AH students have been invited to participate & wear their Character Day outfits, walking behind Mr. Leatherman & a banner that reads "At Arbor Heights we have read about....." The parade starts at 10:00 with children meeting Mr. Leatherman at 9:30 on the corner of California & Dakota in the First Lutheran Church parking lot. If your child is planning to be in the parade they should carry a sign saying who they are dressed as. Ms. Napolitan, our librarian can help your child make a sign during recess time if you need help. Enjoy a free concert after the parade @ 11:15 - listen to a multi-age choir & jazz band @ Seattle Lutheran High School Gym-corner of Geneese & 41st SW.
WAYS TO HELP...
As a working parent, it’s sometimes hard to find the time to get up to the school & help out.You can’t drive on field trips, school is long over by the time you get off work, there just isn’t enough time in the day to do it all. This year there are 4 ways to contribute to Arbor Heights without having to make time during the working day.
1) Drop your pop cans off in the brown can recycling bin near the entrance to the playground - open 24 hours a day!! Proceeds go to the PTSA & helps supports school programs.
2) Save Campbell’s soup labels. The school receives points for each label which can be redeemed for school supplies such as books, tapes, CD’s etc. Save the red front label off the soup can only. We don’t need the entire label. Other products from the Campbell product line qualify as well. Labels can be sent in with your child or put them in the BIG Campbell can in the lobby.
3) Save Big G cereal box tops! AH receives .15 for each box top. Simply cut off the box top from your Big G cereals & send them to school with your child. There is a collection box in the lobby.
4) AT&T Learning Points Program - If you have AT&T as your long distance carrier, simply call 1-800-354-8800 and give them our schools name & account number (014-807-75). Arbor Heights receives 500 bonus learning Points for every supporter who enrolls and our supporters will automatically start contributing Learning Points to AH based on their AT&T Residential Telephone Service usage. AH will earn valuable Learning Points all year long-even when school is not in session. It doesn’t matter if the person who calls in has kids at Arbor Heights or not - so spread the word! Get your co-workers, friends & relatives to call in for Arbor Heights! It’s free & you only have to make one simple phone call!! AT&T Learning Points can be redeemed for computer hardware and instructional software. Call Terry McDermott, PTSA President @ 932-6314 for any questions.
The MUSIC BOX
Greetings from Barbara Bailey - New Arbor Heights Vocal Music Specialist
Hello to Arbor Heights students & families! A Seattle native, I’ve taught at many schools in this district. I first came to Arbor Heights when I was 10 or 11 years old. I helped my mom put up bulletin boards here. She taught first grade here. I am happy to be here. I find lots of people who like to help.
I am a great fan of musical theatre and have performed singing & dancing in many shows. I studied tap dance in New York City long ago.
I have one 6th grade son & one 9th grade daughter. We all love school, music & sports. P.S. My limp is a result of M.S. (Multiple Sclerosis)
In music we are singing together alot. We are already begun working on our Winter Program. 4th & 5th graders are learning and singing songs which represent each of our armed forces: Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines & Coast Guard. The classes sound great!
Greetings from Charles Holmes - New AH Instrumental Music Specialist
Hello to Arbor Heights students & families! My hometown is Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee (Bachelors and Masters degrees). I also studied music theory at the Wisconsin Conservatory of Music. My main instrument is Percussion. I like to play in jazz and rock bands.
I have been a teacher for 19 years, having taught elementary, middle school and senior high. This is my fourth year with the Seattle School District. I like to study Spanish in my spare time. I have lived in Seattle for 17 years.
KID NEWS
In Room 9 we are doing whale reports. We did alot of research about the different kinds of whales. We took facts off workseets and from books. Also we drew pictures and made maps. After we were finished with that stuff we made cover sheets and put them together. Then we were done.
By Amanda, Rm 9-Ms. Salter, 3rd Grade
We are going to the pumpkin patch! We ate apples! We made graphs!
By Alex, Rm 1-Ms. Washington, 1st Grade
We are making hens for our class book about The Little Red Hen. We are learning about fish. Does anyone have a fish that has NOT been cleaned to donate to our class? We want to see the swim bladder inside of a fish.
By Jessica, Rm 18 - Ms. Shavey, 1st Grade
We read stories. We make paper chains. We ate apples. They were good.
By Fatemah, Rm 1-Ms. Washington, 1st Grade
We are working on the World Wide Web. We are printing out comics & baseball pictures of Ken Griffey Jr., Randy Johnson & others. News reporters came into our class & video taped us & the computer lab. We were on TV too. We made a poster of seeing the lunar eclipse & drew pictures of how we saw it. We made pictures in our imagination of a landscape.
By Hilary, Rm. 12 - Mr. Ahlness. 3rd Grade
We are doing a report in Room 25, Ms. Haas room, on reptiles. Tristan is doing his on scorpions and I am doing one on poisonous snakes. Derek Witt is doing a rattlesnake.
By Zach, Rm 25 - Ms. Haas, 5th Grade
Heather & Hannah’s aunt & Mom brought their Grandma’s cotton candy machine in and we got some. It was also Colin’s birthday. They were both very fun.
Here is a poem:
Fall is hot foods, fun and fog.
Fall is apples, gold and tan.
Fall is birthday time.
This poem is by Kaitlin.
By Kaitlin, Rm. 15 -Ms. Long, 2nd Grade
Hello! My name is Theresa. Our class is doing a really fun art project, shrunken heads. It’s really neat! What you do is peel an apple and hang it up on a clothesline. Then put beans or rice for eyes, ears, nose and mouth. Well, hello and good-bye! From Room 7.
By Theresa, Rm 7 - Ms. Sato, 4th Grade
We are studying pumpkins. We are going to the pumpkin farm. Everyone will get a pumpkin. We are learning about autumn. We have a lot of autumn leaves. We are learning to read.
By Doran, Rm 19 - Ms.Ballard, 1st Grade
Doug Swan - 4th Grade, Room 8
My name is Doug Swan. I’m one of the new kids on the block. I’ve been teaching in Seattle Public Schools for ten years, three at Van Asselt Elementary and seven years at Dunlap Elementary.
I feel very fortunate to have a 4th grade teaching position at Arbor Heights. This school was my first choice during the interview period last spring. The children, parents and staff have helped make this an easy transition. Thank you!
Sandra Haas - 5th Grade, Room 25
I began teaching fifth grade in Michigan in 1968. I moved to Seattle in 1972 when I completed my degrees at the University of Michigan. I’ve taught in many Seattle schools from the fourth through the eighth grades. I have two daughters. The older, Melora, attends a college in Michigan though she is working at the University of Aberdeen in Scotland this year. My younger, Chrissie, is a senior at Garfield who will do her assignments on contract in the winter while she trains and ski races full time. Besides teaching, I enjoy many other activities: I play recorders and viols, row with a city team of competitive adults, hike, read, and garden. I enjoy attending school, taking various classes to update my teaching and also purely for fun. I love animals, the most unusual pet of mine being Reggie (my python). The move to Arbor Heights has been fun for me. The school has so many exciting activities that happen because the staff, students and families work so well together. Thanks to all of you for making me feel so at home!
Emilia Macri-Drum - Kindergarten, Room 4
Same teacher, new name. Mrs. Broome retired her broom & instead took up the Drum!
Patricia Bailey - Chapter 1, Room 22
Ms. Bailey is our new half time chapter teacher and has recently returned to teach in Seattle after studying and teaching Waldorf Education. (Waldorf is an arts based education that works strongly to speed development of the right/left hemisphere of the brain) Her interests include drawing, painting, singing, playing instruments, drama, dance as well as riding her bike.
She is enjoying the children at Arbor Heights very much.
Pam Rogers (in 4th Grade @ AH)
-Yearbook Quote-
"I hope someday to come back here and work as a secretary to the principal."
I attended Arbor Heights Elementary in the late 60’s & early 70’s for Kindergarten through 6th grade. What was my fourth grade classroom is now the staff lounge. There were not computers when I was here and the library was just one room. We learned how to square dance in the playcourt (they didn’t have country line dancing back then either!!)
I have lived in the West Seattle area all of my life and was very happy when I was able to come back to Arbor Heights.
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