Educator Greg Tang schooled Seattle parents over the summer

McGilvra Elementary PTA

Welcome back Wildcats! On behalf of the McGilvra Elementary PTA, we hope that you all had a great, restful summer, and are ready to start off a fantastic school year. If you’re new to the McGilvra community, and have been following our news in the Madison Park Times, hopefully you know a bit about the community-oriented and committed group of families that make up the McGilvra family. 

“We’re sad to see summer come to an end, but we’re excited to get back together with the larger McGilvra community, and see how all our kids will continue to grow and thrive in this nurturing and stimulating learning environment,” said McGilvra PTA co-president Phoebe Sade Anderson.

One of the big new changes happening this year is the new bell time, which is a change affecting most Seattle public elementary schools. The new bell times for McGilvra are 7:55 a.m. and 2:05 p.m. The change is designed to improve academic outcomes and overall well-being for students. With this new change, rather than having a before school program, there will be one after-school program from 2:05 to 6:00 p.m.  In addition, KidsTime extracurricular activities will be available for signup starting Sept. 1. Talk to your kids about the new bell time, and start adjusting your schedule a few days early, to get kids in the swing of things. 

Even with summer beaches calling, McGilvra parents were hard at work learning math in August with Greg Tang, who visited Seattle and held a workshop just for Seattle Public School parents. Greg Tang is an award-winning, New York Times best-selling author who emphasizes the importance of developing excellent number sense in elementary school. Thank you to all the parents who came out—we hope that you enjoyed thinking of math in a new way. If you missed it, check out his website at GregTangMath.com. 

“Greg Tang math night is just another example of what makes McGilvra great. Looking out into the audience and seeing so many McGilvra parents, it was a moving reminder of how much parents care for their kids’ education and future. And we got to learn some new math too,” said McGilvra PTA co-president Heidi Ob’bayi. 

Thanks to the Building Excellence IV Capital Levy approved by Seattle voters, McGilvra Elementary is slated to receive a new lunchroom, kitchen and server building for 2018. The new building will free up space for updated classrooms in the existing building. If you’d like to find out more about the construction process, review plans and timelines, please attend an upcoming open PTA meeting. 

Please mark your calendars for Sept. 28 — Curriculum Night at McGilvra. This will be your chance to go into your kids’ classrooms and discuss with your new teacher the goals, expectations and curriculum for the upcoming school year. It’s a valuable opportunity to meet the new parents in your classroom, and review your child’s work thus far. 

And finally, please mark your calendars for Oct. 7 for McGilvra’s annual Runathon fundraiser. In this fun event, parents, neighbors, local businesses and of course teachers, kids and staff all come together to raise essential funds for McGilvra operations, curriculum and supplies. A big thank you to Bert’s Red Apple who has agreed to be the title sponsor of our event again this year. Parents, please look out for announcements and directions in the weeks leading up to the big run. If you are or know of a local business who would like to contribute to this year’s event, please contact fundraising@mcgilvrapta.org. 

To keep the McGilvra community better informed and engaged, the PTA has launched a new website over the summer, at www.mcgilvrapta.org. There you can find the latest dates for upcoming events, and easy links to get involved. A special thank you to Katia Farage and Cathy Davidson for their hard work in developing the site. To share comments, photos or suggestions, please email communications@mcgilvrapta.org. 

-Sian Wu

Madrona

Anyone who has visited Madrona’s “Central Business District” will have noticed the beautiful flower baskets provided by Madrona Blossoms and by the many merchants who independently plant pots and window boxes to brighten everyone’s days. Also we thank the anonymous Madrona neighbor who cleaned out the small circular garden on the southwest corner of 34th Avenue and Spring Street.

Thanks also to those responsible for requesting funds to repave Spring Street between 34th Avenue and the curve onto 32nd Avenue. Those who enter or exit Madrona via Union Street have doubtless seen the newly installed reader board at 32nd and Union to promote Madrona PreK-8 and Madrona Community Council events. Shared funding from the school PTSA and the Community Council made this new addition to the neighborhood possible.

You may have noticed the addition of street crossing flags at many junctions on 34th Avenue. These were provided by the Community Council to help people cross safely. Ideally, use of these flags will remind motorists that the Madrona streets are quite busy with pedestrian traffic.

United Way and NoKidHungry joined forces with local organizations and many city parks to provide free summer meals and snacks, as well as camp activities, for children and teens under 18. At neighborhood spaces such as Madrona Park, Garfield Community Center, Powell Burnett Park, and Peppi’s Park (as well as other spaces throughout the city), Seattle’s Child Nutrition Program served food weekdays from June 29-Aug. 26. The summer food program as billed as a summer food invasion, including a big United Way Summer Food Invasion Field Day. It was an 11:30-3 p.m, carnival-like affair for parents and children at Pratt Field on Aug. 16.

August spells festivals and outdoor events for Seattle, such as  Seafair, that bring lots of noise to the neighborhood from hydroplanes and airplanes both old and new. The annual Umoja Fest parade on Aug. 6 was a lively affair, starting at 23rd and Cherry with various twists and turns to end at Judkins Park for an afternoon of fun and games. On Aug. 16, Cherry St. from MLK to 23rd Ave. was host to BEGO — the Ethiopian Summer Street Festival — which devoted most of the day to Ethiopian music, dance, crafts, food and wares. To keep abreast of festivals and events throughout Seattle, keep an eye on www.events12.com/seattle/.

And be sure to send your events to the site for listings there.

The Madrona Community Council continues its search for volunteers for two important tasks. One is to tend to the circular garden on the SW corner of Spring and 34th Ave. Another is to manage advertisements for the Madrona News. For additional information or to volunteer for either position, contact madronanews@gmail.com.

-Barbara Parker