McGilvra ushers in 2017 with big-hearted commitments from community

As the McGilvra Elementary PTA bids farewell to 2016 and welcomes 2017, we’d like to share with you successes and learnings from the past year, and provide a preview of more happenings to come in the new year.

As principal Maria Breuder noted in her end of year letter, the McGilvra community continues to demonstrate its commitment to engage parents and families in an intentional way to help support all children, whether that’s through the Families of Color group, Parents of Students Receiving SPED Services/504-plans or Parents of Advanced Learners (in progress). We are grateful for your commitments to not just improve your own child’s experience at school, but also create valuable connections to support each other.

A huge thanks to our very generous McGilvra community for participating in the Mitten Project!! The Mitten Project gives our McGilvra families in need a little extra help during the holiday season by providing gift cards to complete their lists. We had ninety mittens waiting to be picked up from our display in the library, and we are overwhelmed with gratitude that all of them were picked up. We hope that these gift cards help make the holidays a little brighter.

And, thanks to the generosity of the McGilvra community during our Fall/Winter Food Drive, we were able to provide enough food for several of our families in need for the duration of the two-week winter break (including breakfast, lunch, dinner and snacks), and have enough extra food to be able to donate several bags to a local elementary school in need.

This year’s ‘FunDrive’ resulted in a 23% dollar increase from about the same number of donations as last year, which has proven that we are incredibly fortunate to have such a dedicated community of donors at our school. Thank you to everyone who turned in an envelope this year. Please contact Cathy Davidson or Elizabeth Fleming if you’re interested in helping to plan this year’s online spring auction. A request will be coming out for volunteers to procure and organize the items for online purchases and donations. Together we can work together (and have fun while doing it) to meet the PTA’s annual fundraising goal.

Don’t forget to register your kid for their favorite Kids’ Time after school enrichment activities for winter session! From Spanish and Mandarin to ceramics and chess, McGilvra brings in outstanding programs and instructors for kids to enjoy right at school. Registration can be done online through the SPARCS website or calling the Montlake Community Center. Registration begins on Jan. 3 and the classes will run from Jan. 17 at the earliest through April 7. Please note that we will no longer be accepting paper registrations at the school; scholarships are also available through Seattle Parks & Rec.

Please note that Kids’ Time enrichment is separate from the After School Care program offered at McGilvra, which runs from dismissal to 6 p.m. To register for After School Care instead of, or in addition to Kids’ Time, please contact the Montlake Community Center directly at 206-684-4736. Spaces are limited so early registration is encouraged.

The aforementioned interest group for parents of children receiving special education services, or “504 Parents” is hosting their next function on Jan. 12 at 7 p.m. We welcome all special education parents, 504 parents, parents who are exploring whether their child needs special education services, as well as family allies. More details to come!

The McGilvra Families of Color group is hosting an event on Wed. Jan. 18, 6-8 p.m. Please save the date for an evening of parent education on uncovering and addressing unconscious bias in childcare. The event will be held in the library; childcare will be available in the McGilvra lunchroom. All McGilvra families are invited to learn together with us.

On behalf of the entire McGilvra Elementary PTA, best wishes for a happy, healthy and productive 2017!