The 2016 school year has proven to be immensely rewarding for McGilvra Elementary School’s kids, staff and community thus far. Following is a brief summary of the school’s events over the past month, as well as upcoming events and initiatives:
On Oct. 7 McGilvra held their annual Run-a-thon, thanks to volunteer support and in-kind donations of school-connected businesses, including Girly Press, Denali Fitness and Hoffman Design Group. The PTA is happy to report that the school has met their fundraising goal again this year. It couldn’t have been done without the contributions at all levels from across the school and our extended community of family, neighbors and local businesses. A special thanks to title sponsor Bert’s Red Apple, as well as numerous business who contributed awards — including Madison Park Bakery, Wells Fargo, Starbucks and Red Tricycle.
On Oct. 28 McGilvra held their annual Harvest Festival. This fun, spooky event put on by the McGilvra PTA is a highlight of the Halloween season for the whole neighborhood. A draw for the whole family, the event features a dance floor and DJ, games, haunted garden, food and drink and, of course, costumes.
Continuing a McGilvra tradition, Dan Langley took family portraits.
The theme of this year’s Spooky Garden was “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow.” Fifth graders helped organize, decorate, and host our spooky activities this year.
The Garden Club celebrated Indigenous Peoples Day on Oct. 10 by talking about foods that are native to the Americas. Corn, beans, squash, and pumpkins are widely known to have originated in the American continents and other common Native American foods include potatoes, peppers, tomatillos, eggplant, pineapple, acorns, pecans, wild rice, cranberries, blueberries and persimmon.
We sampled roasted tomato marinara with students, which was made from fruit we grew in the garden, and talked about why tomatoes are good for you. The kids had fun raking leaves in the Native Garden, to prepare for upcoming Harvest Dance festivities.
The McGilvra PTA is kicking off the next fundraiser, the McGilvra FunDrive (formerly known as “Green Sheets”) in late October and will be running it for three weeks. We make the McGilvra FunDrive truly fun for the kids, with a reptile-themed goody bag, a photo with the Wildcat mascot for each contribution and a special assembly with the Reptile Man if we reach 100 percent of our goal. This fall fundraiser allows donors to make their contributions before the end of the fiscal year and helps make a true, meaningful difference to improve each kid’s school experience.
The fifth grade class will be hosting a tree and wreath sale to raise funds to support fifth grade graduation and camp activities. You can easily order online at https://www.farmraiser.com/organizations/mcgilvra-elementary. We will provide a donation receipt for the portion of your purchase above the wholesale cost. All sales are based on pre-orders and pre-payments must be received no later than 4 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 27. For any questions, please contact Hunter Robbins at hunterhikes@gmail.com.
These trees are grown in Washington and will arrive freshly cut for you to pick up at along with your wreaths (or have locally delivered*) Saturday, Dec. 3, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m. at McGilvra.
McGilvra took part in a Seattle Public Schools district-wide campaign committed to eliminating opportunity gaps and accelerating learning for all students — specifically for black students and other students of color. The campaign, #CloseTheGaps was supported by members of Seattle Education Association wearing Black Lives Matter t-shirts, stickers and other symbols of their commitment to students.
Principal Maria Breuder expounded on the issue in a special letter to families:
“As a McGilvra community, we are making the conscious decision to address persisting injustices and become more systemically aware,” she wrote. “We are working to understand the kinds of racism that shape our communities, schools, and classrooms, and where we stand in relation to those social forces.”
She provided this quote from Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.: “In the end, we will remember not the words of our enemies, but the silence of our friends.”
For more information about McGilvra events, be sure to check out the new PTA website, www.mcgilvrapta.org.