Many hands help McGilvra roll into holiday season
Once again, McGilvra Elementary School (1617 38th Ave. E.) has seen its strong and dedicated local school’s community make a steady, positive impact on young lives and families. Here’s a summary of the school’s events over the past month, as well as upcoming initiatives:
In November, the kids got rolling with roller-skating instruction in P.E., then enjoyed an all-school field trip to try out their new skating skills at Southgate Roller Rink. Thank you to all the teachers and chaperones who were there to help lace up skates, hold hands, catch little ones and cheer on our students with their newfound skills.
The McGilvra Garden is closing down for the winter because of the cold and wet weather, but it is currently raising funds for a composting system, outdoor classroom installation and restoration of its native garden for 2016.
Last month, the McGilvra Garden Club sold hostess bags that contained a selection of local goods, and for every bag sold, the Hawkins family donated two holiday meals to Seattle’s Union Gospel Mission. Thank you to everyone who donated to this good cause this holiday season and continuing to support the McGilvra Garden in its 20th year!
On Dec. 3, McGilvra will host a family night with the theme “Caring for our Community.” The event will feature an art walk that showcases the artwork of McGilvra students; a Family Giving Tree, which allows members of the community to take a mitten and donate requests to support families in need; candy grams, a fundraiser that encourages students to send candy canes to friends, faculty and staff; a book fair in the library; and a winter clothing drive.
The event is a way for students to share their school activities with their families, including collaborative art projects, and create a family “charter.” The book fair is open before and after school through Dec. 4 and helps raise funds for new books for the McGilvra library.
School tours are happening in January and February for the parents of incoming kindergarteners or potentially transferring students. This is a chance for families to meet principal Maria Breuder, talk with current McGilvra parents, tour the school and briefly observe a kindergarten class in action. For details on the tour schedule, visit the McGilvra website: mcgilvraes.seattleschools.org.
2016 is an auction year, and the McGilvra PTA is actively working on planning for this big event, planned for April 23 at the Showbox SoDo (1700 First Ave.). If you are interested in volunteering or donating an item for the auction or in-kind services or supplies, contact mcgilvraannualfund@gmail.com.
Schools First, a grassroots campaign organization that helps to pass Seattle Public Schools levies, will speak at the PTA general meeting on Dec. 9 about the importance of the upcoming levy to children attending Seattle Public Schools, as it contributes 25 percent of the school district’s funding. For more details, go to www.schoolsfirstseattle.org.
To stay updated on all the events happening at McGilvra, follow the PTA’s Facebook page: www.facebook.com/McGilvraElementaryPTA.
SIAN WU is a McGilvra Elementary School parent.