Seattle’s Child “The School Issue” September/October 2024
September/October 2024 // Issue 507
WHAT PARENTS ARE TALKING ABOUT 5
DAD NEXT DOOR 7
ROMP.......................................... 9
CHOMP 11
FEATURE: BIG CHANGES ARE COMING 17-28
AVOIDING FEAR-BASED PARENTING
EFFECTS OF INEQUITY I WALK WITH SPS THIS IS A BAND-AID CALL, WRITE, VOTE FAITH IN SPS NOW & IN THE FUTURE THE LAST SPS CLOSURES
LESSONS FROM MILITARY MOVES
NON-PRO AND COLLEGE SPORTS ARE COST-EFFECTIVE SPECTATOR FUN
TIPS ON PACKING CULTURALLY CONNECTED LUNCHES
Find support, connection, and resources for your family!
PEPS offers peer-support programs for expectant parents, parents of newborns, infants, or adolescents and teens, plus affinity groups. Families can connect on weekdays and weeknights in virtual and in-person groups.
Join a PEPS Group today! Flexible Pricing program fees and financial assistance are available for all groups.
www.peps.org
Cover photo by JOSHUA HUSTON
p.9
p.11
How do words work together to allow us to communicate?
Why does “Place the brown horse behind the pink pig” make sense but “Horse the brown pig place the pink behind” does not?
Grammar is our tool for clarity in communications. It is essential to writing well, and to understanding what we read.
At Evergreen Academy Montessori, grammar is child’s play—literally! A preschooler acts out verbs and builds scenes with The Farm. He learns to mark articles, adjectives, nouns, prepositions and conjunctions with colorful symbols, in response to prompts, such as “which word told you what type of cow?” Later in our Elementary program, he uses other materials to analyze more complex sentences, and has fun playing sentence diagramming relays.
Interesting questions, hands-on materials, and a playful spirit make grammar enjoyable to learn and understand at Evergreen Academy Montessori. Children master it and acquire yet another key tool to become capable communicators and clear thinkers ready to flourish not just in school, but in life.
With horses and pigs, grammar gets real—and children love it.
Learn more at evergreenacademy.com/contact
"Alexa,
enable Pedro's Fire Challenge."
Teach kids about fire safety with our interactive game on Amazon Alexa-enabled devices featuring Pedro the penguin.
»What Parents Are Talking About
A grandfather’s voice
Show
by
CHERYL MURFIN
As a foreign diplomat, my grandfather cared deeply about civic duty. Walking to the polls with him is one of my happiest memories, one that floats to the surface each time a voter’s pamphlet or
ballot arrives in the mail.
“Voting is not just a right,” he’d pontificate. “It’s a duty and the backbone of our democracy.” And then he’d launch into the story of how my great-grandfather, a Washington state senator, went out and talked to every voter in Sunnyside, Washington — on foot, for many miles, through knee-deep snow …
Walking the talk
During my teenage years, my grandfather would review the voter pamphlet with me, reading the candidate statements out loud (much to my grandmother’s chagrin).
We’d discuss my thoughts and he’d listen to my reasoning. The minute I turned 18 — on my birthday — my grandfather took me to register to vote. In celebration of my first vote, my grandmother baked a red, white, and blue cake with my name on it, as though I’d just been born into democracy.
My kids received a similar civics lesson. “Your vote,” they heard repeatedly from us, “is your voice.”
A lot of unheard voices
In the midst of the presidential campaign drama and the monumental redirect to Kamala Harris as the Democratic candidate, I began to look at voting data from the last presidential election. One statistic caught Education,
Seattle’sChild
“Seattle is my town. I know this city inside and out… or so I thought until I had kids.”
Seattle’s Child is your guide to getting to know your city all over again. Finding things to do, places to eat, and how to get around — it’s a whole new ballgame with kids in tow. We’re interested in how parents make homes in a space-challenged urban environment, how families create community, and what parents are really talking about. Seattle’s Child reflects real Washington families and their broad range of parenting experiences.
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«What Parents Are Talking About
my attention:
According to Tufts University’s nonpartisan research group CIRCLE, 50% of young people ages 18-29 voted in the 2020 presidential election.
Washington state’s young voters weren’t much better than the national accounting. While Washington ranked 12th in terms of highest voter turnout at 67%, according to state voter participation data only half of the 687,843 eligible voters ages 18 to 24 in our state cast a vote in that election.
In King County, youth turned out in higher numbers than the rest of the state, as did all the voters in all age categories. Nevertheless, nearly 31,000 eligible voters ages 18-24 and 200,000 of all adult eligible voters in King County stayed home on presidential election day in 2020.
The importance of voting
Especially as the highly contentious presidential election draws near, I can’t help but think about my grandfather and
his mantra.
“Every vote matters,” he would say. In other words, “YOU matter.”
It’s something our kids, especially teens on the cusp of adulthood, need to hear. It’s especially important when our personal rights are at stake.
Yes, many young people express apathy about politics. But make no mistake. They are worried.
Tell them what matters
My grandfather, who lived through two world wars, a depression, and seven decades of voting, would say that America is no place for voter apathy — in any age category. Our hope for the future, he would argue, is to tell our children, early and often, “Your vote is your voice.”
I hope you’ll follow his lead: involve your kids as you fill out your ballot. Go through the candidate statements with your teens, and remind them that, as of 2022, 17-year-olds in Washington can register and vote in primaries as long as they will turn 18 by the following general election. Take them to register and stick that ballot, when it comes, on their pillows with a note that reads “Please vote.”
Assure them, again: “YOU matter.”
Where we stand: Our values, our endorsements
Each of us has the right to vote for the elected officials who most closely align with our values. Here at Seattle’s Child, our values dictate that we stand behind candidates who will:
• Put children and families first
• Advocate for affordable health care for all
• Fight to protect the right of every woman to decide what is best for their body
• Commit to protecting the planet for future generations
• Push hard for responsible gun laws so that no family has to suffer the loss of a child or parent to gun violence
• Commit to ensuring every child has access to a high-quality education from preschool to high school graduation
• Work to see that wealthy individuals and large corporations pay their fair share of taxes
With these values in mind, we stand behind and endorse:
• President of the United States of America: Kamala Harris
• Washington State Governor: Bob Ferguson
• Be courageous in rooting out racism and sexism in our national and state systems
• Washington Superintendent of Public Schools: Reid Saarus
» Dad Next Door
A little encouragement from across the fence
by JEFF LEE, MD
Artificial Intelligence
I’m no Luddite. As I type this essay on my laptop, hooked up to a big LED monitor, my home sous vide machine is cooking ribs for tonight’s dinner. Later this morning, my cloud-based calendar will tell my smartphone to tell me that it’s time for a video call with a client in San Francisco. Technology makes my life easier and better, in ways that would have been unimaginable just a few years ago. And yet . . .
I was talking to a friend a while back about her son. He’s a remarkable kid: smart, funny, athletic, and surprisingly sweet. I know him mostly from family camping trips, where he’d spend hours wading into mountain lakes to catch snakes, and poking apart animal scat with sticks to find out what the local bears and bobcats might be eating.
Apparently, since starting middle school, he’s changed. Now, instead of ranging around the neighborhood with a pack of feral kids, he spends hours in his room, staring at TikTok videos, only emerging for meals and school. It’s as if the wide-open world he once occupied has shrunk down to a 2.5 x 5-inch screen.
There’s been a lot written about the dangers of social media for kids. Meta’s own internal research has shown that the Instagram platform causes serious harm to the body image, mental health, and well-being of adolescents — especially girls. These platforms supercharge social comparison. Teens have always looked in the mirror and found themselves lacking, but now the measuring stick for their inadequacy is the fantasy world of staged 60-second videos and curated Instagram pages. It’s a lot easier to feel like crap when everyone else’s life looks perfect.
I wonder, though, if we need to look beyond the content of these apps (as insidious as it may be) and start thinking about the dangers of the technology itself. This is where my disclaimers about not being a Luddite come in. As soon as I start questioning the wisdom of technological progress, I expect to hear a litany of historical precedents where shortsighted technophobes stood in opposition to the advancement of civilization.
“That’s what they said about the __________!” [insert “printing press,” “radio,” “television,” or “computer.”]
This is a bit of a straw-man argument. Sure, there are some amazing technologies
that once seemed scary and new, but ended up improving our lives. Often, though, progress comes at a cost, and technology needs to be reined in. Few would disagree that factories and automobiles have been a mixed bag, and you’d be hard-pressed to come up with an argument that nuclear weapons have made this a better world. Just because we can build something doesn’t mean that we should, or that we know how to control it.
The smartphone was originally developed as a pocket-sized computer. We searched for information on the internet. We emailed each other, or texted. We stored documents and images, and played computer games.
Very quickly, though, the portability of the smartphone began to separate it from our other devices. Because we could always have it with us, there was no limit to the amount of attention it could demand. Whole industries were spawned around the monetization of that attention, and software engineers earned fortunes figuring out how to seize it and not let go.
I don’t know what it would have been like if I’d had a smartphone when I was a shy teenager, but I can imagine. I remember how self-absorbed I was. I remember how hard it was to communicate with my parents. I remember how boring and pointless life felt sometimes, and how fraught and confusing it felt the rest of the time. I was too risk-averse for drugs and alcohol, but a magic little device that I could take everywhere, that distracted and stimulated me, that helped me escape the discomfort of my own skin? I would have been all over that. It would have been my drug of choice.
With technology, we can fashion a tool for almost any purpose, but once the tool is built, we shouldn’t be surprised when it fulfills that purpose. An Instapot is designed to cook chili. An AR-15 is designed to kill. A smartphone is designed to attract and hold our attention, to the exclusion of all else. Those are all technologies, but only one of them accompanies our children into their schools and bedrooms with our knowledge and tacit approval. Once it’s there, it does exactly what it was designed to do.
These days, our 13-year-old is lobbying hard for a smartphone of her own. We’re holding out as long as we can.
ABOUT OUR COLUMNIST
Jeff Lee refuses to trade in his secondhand iPhone 7 in Seattle, WA
»ToolBox
What every parent needs to have on hand
Dealing with online bullies and threats
Set kids up for a safer digital experience
by DR. SUSANNA BLOCK
Uggh. Online safety is a tricky and ever-changing topic. While we have been discussing it at home and school for some years, cyberbullies have been evolving tactics. Sometimes, even if you are following all the recommendations, a cyber threat or a message from an unknown person can get through.
Just as you need to re-childproof your house every time your toddler gets to a new developmental stage, online safety is also a moving target that requires updates and refreshers. It can be a vertical learning curve for parents to really understand the technology, privacy settings, and how to protect kids. Let’s talk about how to deal with online bullying and threatening or suspicious messages.
Online safety: tips for parents
Keep the lines of communication open with your child. First, encourage your child to tell you if they have received an anonymous or threatening message. If they receive a creepy message, they may feel embarrassed or concerned that they have done something wrong. It is important to talk about it before it happens so they know to tell you, know it’s not their fault, and have a game plan in place.
Teach your child to avoid responding to anonymous messages. This is easier said than done. Most anonymous messages seem inoffensive, and children may respond without realizing they are starting a conversation. It is important they learn that a scammer is skilled in keeping the conversation going and is trying to get personal information. Remind children never to respond to unknown messages and never to give out any personal information such as name, address, school or photo. Share your phone number, photos, and personal information only with trusted friends or family.
Online safety: threats and bullying
If you receive a cyber threat, do not delete it. If your child does receive a cyber threat, it can feel natural to want to delete it and make it go away. Unfortunately, that makes it difficult to retrieve the message on many platforms. Take a screenshot of a cyber threat and save it, and do not delete the original message. This gives police some-
where you can’t control those features.
How to report cyberbullying: If your child or you receive a cyber threat, report it to the police. If you feel that your immediate safety is at risk, call 911. If you are in a safe place, you can make a standard police report. The police will interview you and help direct the next steps. Once you or the police have gotten all the information needed, change passwords and phone numbers and delete apps or platforms where the threat occurred.
Privacy settings for online safety: This can be tricky because each platform has different settings and policies for privacy control. Many have settings that allow you to block messages from unknown senders, for example. Learn about the different sites and platforms to be sure you are using all of the privacy settings.
• Some platforms have an option for individual privacy settings that prevent messages from unknown senders as well as separate privacy settings if you are part of a group (i.e. a Minecraft group for shared games). It is important to turn on privacy settings for both.
• Pay attention to features like encryption, messaging, and anonymity that predators may exploit. Consider avoiding platforms
• Consider a service or online subscription to help track family members and to monitor emails for flagged keywords and send a parental alert.
General safety
We want our kids to feel independent while at the same time instilling safety practices.
• Encourage children to walk on busy, frequently used roads when they are going to and from school and activities.
• Have the child check in with family frequently and make sure a friend or family member knows where they are.
• Consider occasionally changing walking routes and times, and don’t use earbuds when walking alone.
While you can’t monitor their every move, you can set them up for a safer digital experience by adjusting technology, setting ground rules, and helping them understand risks and safer actions.
ABOUT OUR COLUMNIST
Dr. Susanna Block, MD, MPH, is a pediatrician with Kaiser Permanente in Seattle and lives with her family in Queen Anne.
SPONSORED BY
thing to work from when tracking down the perpetrator.
Right under your nose North Cascades National Park base camp
There’s no need to pack a tent or take your camping gear to the North Cascades National Park. Hike, learn, stay, eat, and play at the North Cascades Environmental Learning Center’s base camp. Families can rent a room in one of three lodges at the center. Unpack your bags, explore the park, dip your toes in the cool blue-green waters of Diablo Lake, or attend a workshop with center docents. The best part? No cooking! Three locally-sourced meals are part of the experience. Base camp runs JuneOctober. 3ncascades.org/signup/programs/base-camp —Jasmin Thankachen
»Romp
Things to do with kids
Head
A family day at the ballpark, stadium, or arena is a great way for kids to marvel at talented athletes and share the excitement of rooting for the home team. It can spark a lifelong love of sports.
However, taking your crew to the big leagues can be expensive. A family trip to watch the Seahawks, Kraken, Mariners, Sounders, or Storm will cost a pretty penny and
is prohibitive for many families. Go minors and students!
Fortunately, this region is a sporting hotbed with many fun, heart-pounding, and affordable viewing options.
Case in point: lower-league soccer is on the rise, inspired, no doubt, by the rocketing success of Ballard FC’s first two seasons in the semi-professional USL2
league. Recently, two new USL2 teams have been launched: West Seattle’s Junction FC and Midlakes United in Bellevue. Ballard FC has also announced the launch of a semi-professional women’s team.
Each FC team roster features talented collegiate players — many of whom were high school standouts here just a few years ago. Finding a favorite player or three is easy for fans young and old at USL2 games, especially with seating
Leaves on trees are changing from summer green to a sunset of colors. Fall is near! As pumpkins and apples make their debut, celebrate the harvest. Here are five great options for enjoying this brisk and bountiful season. Find the articles below at 3Seattleschild.com.
Apples aplenty at your local orchard. U-pick begins in September.
Read: “7 farms where your family can go apple picking.”
Giant wooden creatures now call Puget Sound home. Spend a fall day finding each one.
Read: “Go troll hunting! Five giant trolls come to Seattle area.”
Fall harvests, festivals, and Halloween punctuate the season.
Celebrate!
Read: “Fall Farm Fun: Pumpkin patches and corn mazes.”
5 things to do 3 2 1 4
Find and trade stamps in various places throughout our region as you learn to letterbox.
Read: “Try letterboxing for your next hiking adventure.”
5
Create a luminary, fall suncatcher, or pumpkin print as a family.
Read: “5 fun and easy fall craft projects for kids.”
—Jasmin Thankachen
by NILS DAHLGREN
The crowd cheers during a Ballard FC game in June.
«Romp
so close to the action on the field and easy player proximity and accessibility extending beyond game time.
Non-pro events tend to offer an environment that is accommodating of young fans, even those who get fidgety by halftime and need a place to run around. Ballard FC has been known to allow kids to interact with players on the field before or after games. As with many lower-level, minor league, and college sports teams, all three soccer clubs invite fans to collect autographs from players at the end of matches.
This interpersonal connection makes attending non-professional games — including Seattle’s minor league baseball team (the DubSea Fish Sticks), junior ice hockey team (the Everett Silvertips), or the region’s Western Ultimate League team (the Seattle Tempest) — a great way to help kids develop positive role models. Games are an opportunity to show young fans what it can mean to stick with a sport they love. Lower cost means families on limited budgets may be able to attend several matches in a season.
They also provide the chance for fans to experience the thrill of attending “away”
Where to go for non-pro!
Here’s a look at some of the minor league and college sporting events available in and around Seattle. Check out your local college’s athletic department for more options. Minor league baseball
• DubSea Fish Sticks tickets are $13.50, free for kids 3 and under. 3tickets. gofishsticks.com
• Everett AquaSox tickets start at $17.
3milb.com/everett/schedule
• Tacoma Rainiers tickets start at $18.
3milb.com/tacoma
Junior League hockey
• Everett Silvertips tickets start at $20.
3chl.ca/whl-silvertips
• Seattle Thunderbirds tickets start at $20. 3chl.ca/whl-thunderbirds
Ultimate
• Seattle Cascades tickets cost $16 for adults and $5 for kids ages 10-18; ages
games. It may be beyond reach to take your family to Houston to watch the Mariners, but taking your family of Bellevue Midlakes fans to West Seattle just might be doable. An affordable fan-making option
Tickets for the Fish Sticks, Silvertips, FC clubs, or Tempest games cost between $10 and $15, and Ballard FC offers free admis-
10 and under are free. 3watchufa. com/cascades/schedule
• Seattle Tempest costs $16 for adults; $5 for kids ages 10-18, kids 10 and under are free. 3seattletempest.com
College Sports
• Seattle Pacific University Athletics volleyball games cost $11 for adults, $8 for kids ages 3-18, 2 and under free.
• Seattle University Athletics softball games are free.
• University of Washington Athletics gymnastics meets cost $15, free for kids ages 2 and under.
• The school’s track-and-field competitions cost $10, kids 12 and under are free.
sion for children ages 5 and under. You can expect similar pricing and fan experience at other non-pro events. Tickets to Seattle Pacific University Falcons volleyball cost less than $10, while Seattle Cascades ultimate games cost $20.
Teams promote regular theme nights throughout the season, with special activities and incentives for attendees.
At h o m e in the cl a ss roo m
Students and parents find comfor t and confidence in Washington’s char ter public schools.
Educato r s me e t s tuden t s whe r e th e y ’ r e a t , developing suppor tive curriculums that set ever y scholar on a path to success in and out of the classroom.
All Washington char ter public schools are free, public , and open to all
Cheap Eats
These dogs don’t bite!
Behold the magic of the hot dog. During one long food phase, they seemed the only thing I could get into my kid. This is why Matt’s Hot Dogs was one of our mainstays. My son’s grown now, but Matt’s, familyowned for 40 years, remains well worth the visit, offering something for everyone (including vegetarians) at a still-reasonable price: Loaded Seattle Dog, fries, shake: $12.57. Counter eating or outdoor picnic tables. Located at 6615 E. Marginal Way S, watch the skies for Boeing Field activity. — Cheryl Murfin
»Chomp
Eating with kids
Birria is a centuriesold Mexican dish with a storied history that goes back to the state of Jalisco. But here in Seattle, it most often goes back to one name: Birrieria Pepe El Toro. The popular food truck recently opened a brick-and-mortar restaurant where your family can find — or discover for the first time — the traditional slow-cooked beef in lots of different forms, including tortas, mulitas, and, in a surprising twist, ramen! The latter is a sure kid-pleaser. Go online to find food truck stops. The new restaurant is at 5628 University Way NE, in Seattle’s University District. —Cheryl Murfin
by JIAYING GRYGIEL / photograph by JOSHUA HUSTON
Before Arely Rodriguez’s twins started kindergarten, they ate everything she cooked: pozole, caldo de res, food from her native Mexico. But once they started school, all they wanted were fries, nuggets, and sandwiches.
“It was really sad,” says Rodriguez, who lives in Seattle.
“Sometimes I was really mad. I cooked this one, so you have to eat it.”
The school lunchroom is where kids form opinions about food, whether it’s from the hot lunch menu or their classmates’ lunchboxes. Rodriguez’s daughter loves the Pocky that her Asian friends share, and her son
loves sushi.
Hsiao-Ching Chou, a Seattle food journalist and author of three cookbooks on Chinese home cooking, packed lunches for her kids, now 15 and 17, all through school. Her go-tos included pasta, fried rice with Chinese sausage, Japanese curry, and anything with rice and chicken. She’d even pack an extra lunch for her daughters’ friends because everyone
Arely Rodriguez and her kids with homemade tamales.
«Chomp
wanted a taste.
It used to be that anything short of peanut butter and jelly would get you lunch-shamed. Chou, who grew up in central Missouri, says Seattle is something of a bubble. That, and times have changed.
“The global flavors are more accepted and more widely available,” Chou says. “Everybody’s watching those competition shows, like ‘Top Chef,’ and they’re exposed to a wider range of food and flavors.”
Get the kids involved
If you’re trying to expand a kid’s palate, you have to make it fun. Maybe pick a different cuisine each week or month. Look at cookbooks or websites for recipes, then go shopping for ingredients together.
“Involve them with the process of learning about and creating the food, so they have some investment in the appreciation of the final results,” Chou says. “And hopefully, they’re more likely to eat it. Hopefully, they’re proud of what’s in the lunchbox. ‘Yeah, I helped my mom make that.’”
Schedule too hectic to dive into recipes? Pick low-key ways to sample different cuisines, whether it’s frozen dumplings from the grocery store or the puff puff (deep-fried
Save money by renewing tabs earlyand order new plates! Save money by renewing tabs early –and order new plates!
dough) stand at the farmer’s market.
Read books, watch shows about different foods
“What’s That?” is a picture book that tells the story of a boy who packs his favorite Taiwanese foods for his first day of school, only to feel self-conscious in a sea of deli meat and bread.
Los Angeles mom Karen Chan wrote “What’s That?” to show kids they should be proud of their food, not embarrassed by it. Another message in the book is that people eat all kinds of different foods. (Just walk down the frozen aisle at Trader Joe’s. . .)
Chan makes a point of reading books and watching shows about different foods and cultures with her kids, ages 5 and 2. Some of her family’s favorites: “Soul Food Sunday,” “Sunday Funday in Koreatown,” “How to Fold a Taco” and “Mira Royal Detective.”
Make lunch easy to access
Time is of the essence, so make lunch easy for kids to access on their own. Start by finding the right container; Chou likes squat thermal containers with a wide mouth.
When she sends dumplings to school, Chou tucks in a tiny squeeze bottle with just enough dipping sauce, to avoid accidents. Consider something that can be finger food, like cooled-down dumplings. And don’t pick foods that will turn mushy. “My kids love, love, love katsu, but that doesn’t hold super well for lunch,” Chou says.
Mix it up
When you purchase a Keep Kids Safe license plate, you help keep children of all ages healthy and safe.
Sometimes Chan packs lunches, other times she signs her kids up for school lunch. With the lunches she packs, she tries to mix it up. The lunchbox might contain sushi rolls or soba noodles or a sandwich.
“Kids are pretty fickle — one day they love something and the next day they don’t,” Chan says. “Every now and then I’ll get a complaint from my kid or a lunch will come back untouched, but I try not to let that dictate what I pack too much.”
Stick with it
For Rodriguez, it’s important for her kids to hold onto their Mexican heritage, and that means eating Mexican food. The kids complain, but Rodriguez encourages parents to not give up.
“Home food is much better than fast food. So I’m still doing it even if the guys don’t eat it. Or a lot of it,” Rodriguez says. “With time, they’re going to accept it and they’re going to eat it.”
To learn about Seattle Public School’s efforts to offer culturally diverse meals, check out “A Seattle Schools lunch revolution” at 3Seattleschild.com.
Hsiao-Ching Chou, a Seattle food journalist and cookbook author, and Meilee Riddle.
PHOTO COURTESY OF CLAIRE BARBOZA
School meet the
Take a closer look at
these schools!
Soundview School
soundview.org 6515 196th St. SW, Lynnwood 98036 (425) 778-8572
contact@soundview.org
Grades Preschool – 8
We know that every child deserves a school that is ethical, rigorous, and compassionate. That is what we provide and how we can help your child be ready for this world. Soundview is a small, independent, International Baccalaureate school in Lynnwood. We are ready to talk about your child’s education.
Annie Wright Schools
aw.org
827 N Tacoma Ave, Tacoma 98403 (253) 272-2216
admission@aw.org
Grades Preschool (age 3+) – 12
About our school
Possibilities are endless at Annie Wright Schools, where each student’s unique strengths, learning styles, and passions are known and celebrated. Annie Wright Lower and Middle Schools offer co-ed programs in Preschool through Grade 8, while separate Upper Schools for boys and girls offer day and 5- or 7-day boarding options in Grades 9 through 12.
Founded in 1884, Annie Wright Schools are nestled in the beautiful North End neighborhood of Tacoma, Washington. Annie Wright is proud to be an International Baccalaureate World School, delivering IB programs in every division. We offer rich, thoughtful and internationally-recognized programs that welcome students from around the country and world.
What kids love...
Vibrant, joyful, globally-minded community
Opportunities to travel and study abroad
Wide range of arts, athletics, and co-curricular activities
What kids love...
Having the freedom to use their imagination while building forts in our forest, exploring art and experiments in the sciences.
What parents love...
Every child is safe and secure. Teachers foster a warm and caring relationship with each student and their family.
What parents love...
Small class size where teachers know their students
Head start on college credits earned in International Baccalaureate courses
Serving Pre-school through 4th grade, Bellevue Children’s Academy® (BCA®) provides an educational framework that fosters the development of the whole child. We are attentive to students’ social, emotional, and physical welfare, guiding them to excel both academically and developmentally. Small class sizes and hands-on activities incorporated with inquiry-based instruction will nurture a passion for knowledge in our young students. BCA® students are empowered to become global citizens and leaders who demonstrate innovation, compassion, creativity, and dignity.
Project-based curriculum that keeps students engaged
Specialty classes like visual art, music, computers, P.E., Spanish, library, and drama
Small class sizes with lots of individualized attention
Epiphany School
epiphanyschool.org
3611 E Denny Way, Seattle 98122 206-720-7663
admission@epiphanyschool.org
Pre-K – 5
About our school
An independent, non-parochial school, Epiphany School is known for excellent academics, strong social-emotional learning and its warm, welcoming community. Our talented faculty weave the school’s core values of respect, responsibility and resourcefulness into every grade, helping every child grow in character, independence and leadership.
Our Mission: Epiphany School challenges and supports all students to become confident, curious and courageous learners through innovative teaching in a caring and inclusive environment.
OPEN HOUSE November 14, 6 p.m.
What kids love...
The BEST teachers and friends!
Beautiful, safe campus with lots of time to learn, play and run outside
A unique school culture and supportive learning community encourages students to stretch, take risks and embrace challenges.
Nurturing and student-centered classroom environments
Collaborative and rigorous learning that promotes a global perspective
Advanced robust curriculum fostering curiosity and developing the skills needed both inside and outside the classroom
What parents love...
Rich academic curriculum seamlessly integrated with social-emotional learning
High-quality before- and after-school care, clubs, and camps
Robust opportunities for parent involvement and volunteering
Seattle Waldorf School
seattlewaldorf.org
2728 NE 100th Street, Seattle 98125 (206) 524-5320
info@seattlewaldorf.org
Preschool - 8th grade
About our school
Seattle Waldorf School is changing the conversation about education. We believe in the power of connection to people and nature, not just technology. We believe in asking hard questions and finding innovative solutions. We believe inspired learning is about passion, not pressure.
The Waldorf curriculum develops the human capacities needed to navigate the demands of an ever-changing global environment. Through our innovative educational approach, SWS equips students with powers for critical thinking, synthesis, collaboration, and creativity — enabling them to develop into thoughtful, engaged, and articulate moral citizens.
What kids love...
Early Childhood: Outdoor play, exploration and getting dirty
Grade School: Close-knit classes, field trips and outdoor learning, sports and movement
5001 NE 50th St., Seattle, WA 98105 (206) 527-9388
enrollment@thevilla.org
PreK - 8th Grade
About our school
Villa is the only independent school in the city nurturing the holistic development of children: mind, body, and spirit. Dedicated to inquiry-driven, student-centered academic excellence, Villa tends to whole child growth and integrated health, informed by clear and compelling research on the powerful influence of nature, spirituality, and social-emotional intelligence on academic thriving. Our students become stewards of their lives, caretakers of their mental and social wellbeing, and custodians of the environment. Our community is intentionally diverse and inclusive, and our exceptional faculty work to personalize educational experiences and provide leadership opportunities that allow every student to grow and thrive.
What kids love...
Exploring and discovering the wonders of our campus forest, orchard, trails, gardens, and Lake Washington waterfront
No-cut competitive sports, exceptional coaches, a multipurpose athletic field, and multiple playgrounds
Art, music, PE, and world language built into a daily schedule
What parents love...
Parents who choose SWS place a high value on the development of their children’s intellectual capacities, as well as their physical, social and emotional well-being
Parents cherish the strong sense of community and family-like environment created in each class
Parents love that their children are seen as individuals
What parents love...
Small classes and highly educated and supportive faculty
Outstanding, inquiry-based academics that feature STEAM, project-based learning, and outdoor education
A connected community that facilitates self-reflection and wholechild growth
Commitment to diversity, equity, inclusion, justice, and belonging
Willows Preparatory School
willowsprep.com
12280 NE Woodinville-Redmond Rd., Redmond, WA 98052 (425) 649-0791 Option 4 admissions@willowsprep.com Grades 5 - 12
About our school
Willows Preparatory School® (WPS), serving grades 5-12, is certified for the International Baccalaureate® (IB) Middle Years Programme (MYP) and IB Diploma Programme (DP) which prepare students for success in college and in their professional careers. Our IB curriculum, small classes, instructional methodology, and extensive extracurricular program are designed to foster a love of life-long learning while ensuring continual academic growth, social development, and pursuit of individual interests. WPS students are empowered to become global citizens and leaders who demonstrate innovation, compassion, creativity, and dignity.
What kids love...
Project-based curriculum that keeps students engaged.
Specialty classes like visual art, performing arts, and design. Small class sizes with lots of individualized attention.
2024-2025 Open
What parents love...
Promotes a global perspective through a collaborative and rigorous learning environment using the IB framework.
Advanced robust curriculum that inspires students to thrive. Beyond pure memorization of facts into understanding and application.
Houses
Check school websites for more detailed information and registration.
Annie Wright Schools
Pre-K-Grade 12 827 N Tacoma Ave., Tacoma 98403 aw.org/annie-wright-schools-virtual-previews October 3, November 6 and December 3
Whether you are for or against closures, they will impact most kids
by JILLIAN O’CONNOR illustration by KATHRYN HOLLOWAY photograph by JOSHUA HUSTON
For many young students and families, local elementary schools are a safe and familiar place — a home away from home beginning at age 5 or younger.
From that perspective, it makes sense that when Seattle Public Schools (SPS) announced last May that as many as 20 elementary schools would be closed to help balance an estimated $94 million budget shortfall for the 2025-26 school year, many parents voiced outrage and concern.
Some parents expressed concerns that closing schools won’t substantially reduce the district’s budget hole while causing major upheaval for kids, families, and school staff.
“It’s not addressing the root cause, which is likely going to require some tax reform at the state level,” says Rebecca Fischer, a Wedgwood Elementary parent.
The district has estimated that each building closure saves about $1.5 million-$30 million for 20 schools. While SPS is well aware that school closures don’t solve its serious funding issues, the district’s position is that closures are a necessary part of the solution. Most students will be impacted
As a recent article in The Seattle Times points out, closures in Seattle will not only impact kids whose buildings are shuttered. Along with closing schools, SPS officials say the district will broadly redraw
attendance boundaries. The upshot? Kids whose current buildings stay open may still have to move to other schools in 2025-26.
Seattle is not alone in its financial problems. Many districts in Washington and across the U.S. are facing budget reductions now and into the future.
Bellevue School District closed two schools at the start of 2023-24. According to its online budget priorities document, that district faces a $10 million deficit this year and “potentially $15 million in 2025-2026 as well as another potential $15 million in 2026-2027.”
Taking time to consider public input
After holding several public meetings in May and June to hear community comment on the closures, SPS announced that it would hold off on announcing the list of schools that will close in order to have more time to consider input from families and the broader community.
Superintendent Brent Jones will share the district’s deficit reduction plan, including any closures, with the Seattle School Board sometime this fall. SPS aims to share a finalized plan with the public before winter break 2024.
“I have learned not to be too concerned about all the little details until we actually hear things from SPS about closures.”
Seattle parent Dionne Malatesta
A system of “wellresourced” schools
The School Board and Superintendent Jones say that the closures will ultimately result in larger but more equitable and “well-resourced schools” throughout the district. Jones has said more than
50 SPS elementary schools have fewer than 400 students. The goal of consolidation would be schools with between 400 and 450 students, with ample access to a nurse, librarian, art and music programs, and a Pre-K curriculum accessible in each building. According to information disseminated by SPS, a well-resourced school:
• Includes access to high-quality educators and modern classroom resources, textbooks, and technology,
• Offers a curriculum that is inclusive and representative of diverse cultures, backgrounds, and abilities,
• Prioritizes safety through proactive security measures, and
• Fosters a supportive environment where students feel valued and supported socially and emotionally.
Strong community reaction
Some parents and parent advocacy groups, including All Together for Seattle Schools, say closing schools breaks up community, connection, and consistency for kids and families. They want to see the numbers. They called on Superintendent Jones to “Show your work!”
In a letter to Jones and the SPS Board, All Together leaders wrote: “School consolidations will likely not solve the SPS budget gap or give remaining schools additional resources.”
Other parents are speaking out in support of the closures, saying they consider them necessary, although difficult, measures that have to be taken as a partial solution to the district’s budget deficit.
Lots of parents worry that closures will negatively impact BIPOC communities and the district’s commitment to inclusion for kids with disabilities.
Janis White, mom to three SPS graduates and the past president of the Seattle Special Education PTSA, is concerned that closures will mean more self-contained classrooms for kids with disabilities. White wants
assurance that remaining schools will be “in line with what the evidence now shows, over decades: that all students — not just the students with disabilities, but the nondisabled peers in the inclusive classroom — do better” with inclusion.
Parent Dionne Malatesta has also served in the Seattle Special Education PTSA and is the creator and moderator of the Facebook group Fu ture of Seattle Public Schools. Of the upcoming school closure probability, Malatesta says: “I have learned not to be too concerned about all the little details until we actually hear things from SPS about closures. I don’t think they’re being very transparent, [but] that’s par for the course.”
And parent Becky Brownlee, who has a son enrolled in SPS, says she feels “passionate” about public schools, but SPS is “just not resourced appropriately.”
“I think they just need to make the announcements so that we can start preparing students, staff, and families for the changes,” Brownlee says of the closure plan.
In August, SPS promised that when developing the plan for well-re sourced schools it is committed to “ensuring every student thrives in educational environments that reflect our community’s diversity and needs.” Big questions yet to be answered
As the new school year starts, parents have many questions. Will they have access to child care with a school move? They are concerned about busing. They want to know: Will SPS use an equity tool in its deci sion-making to ensure decisions are even-handed and equitable for kids throughout the city, for children of all races, economic levels, and religions, and for LGBTQ kids?
Change is always challenging and the impact of school closures is pro found at both the family and commu nity levels. Elsewhere in this section, we share some of the hopes, fears, and concerns of parents and other community members regarding the district’s deficit reduction — including school closures — plan.
You’ll also find suggestions for avoiding a fear-based approach when parenting your kids through big changes.
Find updates on the SPS Well-Re sourced Schools plan at schools.org/resources/wellresourced-schools/
ABOUT THE WRITER
Jillian O’Connor writes the education newsletter The Seattle Spiral (jilloconnor.substack.com)
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Becky Brownlee, whose son is enrolled in SPS, stands with him and her daughter.
Avoiding fear-based parenting
The way to help kids grow and make big transitions
by SARAH BERGMAN LEWIS
As fall approaches and discussions of school closures resume in Seattle, a familiar friend in parenting may get louder. Fear.
Fear is a parenting companion. We know it will be along for the ride, but how do we move it out of the driver’s seat?
A common experience
We have all been there — the feel of a fever on our child’s forehead in the night elicits our own hot, visceral response. Our tween comes home with a story of being teased, and we imme diately bristle into flight or fight. Our small school meets the cri teria for closure.
Understandably, school closures evoke fear and anxiety among parents, students, and communities. They raise questions and concerns about potentially negative social, emotional, ac ademic, and basic needs challenges for kids.
fully have it leaves us clenching our jaws, unable to sleep, and “white knuckling” through parenthood, especially when significant changes loom on the horizon. As much as we try, as much as we want to, we cannot always protect our children from discomfort or harm.
Does that deliver the same gut punch to you as it does to me?
The trap
Fear-based parenting can feel like one false move — selecting the wrong activities, saying the wrong words, moving to another school — and your family is doomed. But consider these two things:
But beneath that fear is this fact: we ultimately have little control over many things. That tension between wanting control and sensing we never
First, steps can and should be taken to reduce risks in childhood, but ultimately, even the most vigilant parenting or the “best” school cannot ensure a child’s well-being. Second, and equally important, fear-based parenting can lead to adverse outcomes. When fear takes center stage in parenting, it drowns out positive feelings that add color and connection to our lives.
At the same time, fear-based parenting seeks to prevent or fix a kid’s discomfort. Every time we rescue our children from hard situations, we send the message that we think they can’t handle them. Allowing our kids the space to work through their struggles also allows them to find their own solutions — for example, kids can and will figure out how to survive moving to a new school, leaving old friends, and having to make new ones. Kids need to be allowed to practice
“Every time we rescue our children from hard situations, we send the message that we think they can’t handle them. Kids need to be allowed to practice the life skill of problem-solving.”
Sarah Bergman Lewis
Effects of inequity
The potential impact of closures on marginalized communities
by SEATTLE’S CHILD STAFF
Families and educators have peppered the debate about upcoming Seattle school closures with questions about equity and inclusion.
We turned to Sharonne Navas, co-founder and executive director of the Seattle-based Equity in Education Coalition, for her thoughts on the topic. The statewide civil rights coalition is focused on ensuring race and ZIP code are not the definers of student success.
The coalition’s concerns about Seattle Public Schools (SPS) school closures and equity center around several key issues, says Navas, including:
“Disproportionate impact on marginalized communities: School closures often disproportionately affect low-income families and communities of color. These communities may rely more heavily on local schools for various supports beyond education, such as meals, healthcare, and social services.
Access to education: Closing schools in certain neighborhoods can make it harder for students to access education. Families may face increased transportation challenges, leading to longer commutes, higher costs, and decreased participation in school
activities.
Quality of education: When schools close, students are often relocated to other schools, which can lead to overcrowding. Overcrowded classrooms can strain resources and negatively impact the quality of education.
Long-term consequences: The long-term effects of school closures on students’ academic performance and socio-emotional development are significant concerns. Disruptions caused by closures can have lasting impacts on students’ educational trajectories.”
Here’s what else Navas had to say in a recent email interview.
Seattle’s Child (SC): Tell us about your equity concerns.
Sharonne Navas (SN): The major concern is that we are going to go back to a busing system of education where we place our Black, Brown, and Indigenous students in “well-resourced” school buildings, which we know through data, are high-income white schools.
Then we are going to assume that our kids are going to do well because of their proximity to whiteness in those schools. And we are going to ignore the devastating effect of closing a community anchor institution because of the decision of adults at the Stanford Building in Georgetown.
There is plenty of data that shows that children of color, when moved into a white school, have trauma and question their own identity because we fail to support them throughout the transition.
The EEC questions why low-income schools are not highly resourced instead of moving our children like they are expendable. We should be putting more money into low-income schools and making decisions of budgeting based on what students need, not what ZIP code or level of property tax is paid into the system.
SC: How can SPS ensure that all students are better served amid closures?
SN: To ensure that less-advantaged students and their families are better served when their school closes and they are moved to a well-resourced school, Seattle Public Schools (SPS) can take several steps. (To see the coalition’s list of needed SPS actions check out the fuller version of this article, “Equity in education,” online at 3Seattleschild.com.)
Our concern is that the “well-resourced” schools are not going to be well-equipped to support and build the assets of our kids. We know that 90% of the teacher corps is white and 81%
I
walk with SPS
Seattle mom wants to be ‘part of the solution’ by LAURA MORGAN
Iam going to share an opinion that is unpopular with many of my peers: I am tentatively in support of the proposed Seattle Public Schools plan to close about 20 elementary schools. I speak as a K-12 SPS alumnus (go Bulldogs!) and as a parent of two current SPS elementary school students.
Like many, my initial reaction to the proposed closures was sadness and alarm. If our family’s school closes in 2025, we will feel deep grief. But as I have listened to conversations, including community presentations by SPS leadership, I have come to believe that this is ultimately the best way to move forward right now.
I have not heard timely or realistic alternative proposals that address the urgent challenges SPS — and districts across the country — are facing. Many point a finger at a single issue, e.g. inadequate state funding, flight of SPS families to private schools, and so on. However, there are a multitude of contributing factors that are difficult to disentangle, such as the way public education is funded in Washington, the lack of affordable housing and jobs with living wages, and the falling birthrate nationwide (when I started kindergarten, the national birth rate was greater than 3 for every uterine-bodied individual. Now it is 1.6.)
These are issues faced by cities across the country and will require long-term, complex policy solutions. We should keep pushing for these long-term solutions while also acknowledging that immediate action is needed to ensure SPS is fiscally healthy and sustainable now and in the years ahead.
There are 50,000 fewer SPS students than when I was in school. Many SPS elementary schools are operating at 60% capacity or less, causing resources in critical areas such as special educa tion, mental health, and school nursing to be spread extremely thin.
I do not believe any families or teachers wish to see schools continue to contract, to go down to one class per grade or to have
forced combined grade classes based on falling enrollment.
And the projections are clear: Our student population will continue to decline. Keeping the status quo in our schools is not an option.
I want to be part of a tangible solution, and based on what the district has presented, I believe fewer schools will lead to better-resourced schools with more support for students. We could continue to cling to a system that’s no longer a fit for our city or embrace this as a powerful opportunity to build schools worthy of the next generation.
I am committed to public education for my own children, not only because I believe it to be the secret sauce of maintaining a healthy democracy, but also because I know it is the best education available to my children.
“The projections are clear: Our student population will continue to decline. Keeping the status quo in our schools is not an option.”
Laura Morgan
SPS was pivotal in making me the person I am today. So I will walk with SPS through this process. If our school closes in 2025, I will mourn, I will support my children through that challenging transition, and I will hope that this bump in the road for my children will be better for the SPS community as a whole.
ABOUT THE WRITER
Laura Morgan is a Seattle native, family medicine practitioner, and mother of two SPS students.
This is a Band-Aid
Child could lose beloved neighborhood school next year
by JILLIAN O’CONNOR / photograph by
When Rebecca Fischer and her husband bought a house in Seattle, it was always with an eye on the schools.
“We went with Wedgwood, and I’m very happy with our decision,” said Fischer. “The idea that we’re making big life decisions, like real estate decisions, based on what we knew to be the school situation at the time, that’s always a gamble.”
Fischer’s daughter attends Wedgwood Elementary and is heading into second grade this fall. Her son has two more years of preschool before he enters the public school system.
However, Fischer has seen the district’s basic criteria publicly shared about how it will decide which 20 SPS elementary schools will be closed. Wedgwood meets some of the conditions that could mark the school for a shutdown: It’s an older building with a small student body.
But Fischer says there’s uncertainty, too: Wedgwood does pass the 300-student population mark, the number under which schools are at highest risk of clo sure (among other criteria).
“What I’ve loved about Wedg wood is the small size and the sense of community that comes along with that,” says Fischer. She notes that when she looked at other local schools, such as Thornton Creek, she noticed how vast the buildings seemed.
“I worried about my kid getting lost in the bigger school,” she said. “That choice is basically no longer mine to make.”
While the Wedgwood PTA has sent out feelers to families to see if they can get involved in efforts to save the school, Fischer feels she doesn’t have the “capacity” to join that effort.
“As two full-time working parents with young kids, it’s really hard to be engaged civically,” she said. She’s been unable to attend meetings but has reviewed
AVOIDING FEAR-BASED PARENTING CONTINUED
the life skill of problem-solving. What can we do?
Letting go of our illusion of control is key to better-adjusted kids and fulfilling parenting. Here are a few places to start:
• Practice expanding your own window of tolerance of uncertainty and negative emotions. “What if” questions lead to speculating and often catastrophizing. “What if the new school is awful?” Divert that “what if” energy toward building your own skills to manage uncertainty.
• Get familiar with your fear. Trace your own fears forward and back. They likely stemmed from the worthy place of wanting to protect yourself or your child. Following a fear through (what would happen if … and then what…) can be oddly settling.
• Know your weak spots. Recognizing our patterns (or triggers) allows us to better notice when we’re in tricky parenting territory and to proceed thoughtfully.
children attend public school through high school. Fischer and her husband are both “products of public schools and not supportive of the charter school movement,” she said.
Fischer noted that even if
• Recognize when worry has moved into anxiety. Crisis mode can easily become the default mode even when imminent danger is passed. You worry your child isn’t coping with a school change when most signs indicate a successful transition. Offer yourself grace and lower the standards for everyone. Consider a brisk walk, a shower, or, if you can, a massage.
• Check in with your body. When fear turns up, our brains go into overdrive, and we often lose touch with what our bodies need. Hungry, fatigued, or restless? Prioritize tending to those needs.
• Trust your kids. They are more durable than you think. Practice trusting your child’s ability to navigate change — even in a new learning environment.
One last thought. As a mom and a doctor, it helps me to remember that, given time, most things do work out.
ABOUT THE WRITER
Dr. Sarah Bergman Lewis is a Seattle-based parent and pediatrician and a mindfulness facilitator.
they were interested in leaving SPS for a private school, the district still needs to provide more information for parents to act on. Further, like many
EFFECTS OF INEQUITY CONTINUED
female.
Increasing the number of students at a well-resourced school, by closing another school, will cost SPS money. That money could easily go into the under-resourced school to elevate that school’s level of programming and leave our children in their neighborhoods, with their community and their families.
SC: What must SPS do to ensure programs for the most vulnerable students stay in place — including meal and cultural heritage programs?
SN: The school district must ensure transparency and engagement by creating a process
parents, she is not convinced the closures will do much to address Seattle Public Schools’ longer-term financial issues.
“It’s not addressing the root cause, which is likely going to require some tax reform at the state level,” says Fischer. “This is a BANDAID.”
for deciding which schools are to close.
SPS must ensure that affected communities have a voice in these decisions as crucial for equity.
There is too much history of SPS only listening to the white higher-income voices that can meet decision-making officials at 11 a.m. on a Tuesday because they don’t have to work, whereas our families have jobs, in some instances, several jobs, that don’t allow them to go to a meeting that is convenient for the staff but not convenient for families and parents.
Also, SPS needs to ensure transparency by holding community meetings in community centers with childcare, food, and language support so that it isn’t only affluent English-speaking parents who get heard.
Rebecca Fischer and her daughter, Zosia Grenetz, outside their home near Wedgwood Elementary.
Call, write, vote
How to fight for fully-funded public schools
by ELEANOR BRIDGE JAYARAM
Washington’s school funding system has long been scrutinized for its ability to fully fund education and meet the diverse needs of students. However, recent budget shortfalls have left many school districts, including Seattle Public Schools (SPS), in especially untenable financial situations and facing difficult decisions about their paths forward.
Recently, the League of Education published a report that looks more closely at the school funding crisis in Washington, “Underfunded and Unsustainable: An In-Depth Look at the School Funding Crisis in Washington and Its Impact on School Communities.” The report details how inflation, increased staffing costs, and the diverse and growing needs of students have significantly strained district budgets across the state. Between the 2019-20 and 2022-23 school years, spending on staffing increased by 19.7% across the state, while expenditures on essentials like supplies, food, and insurance have seen increases of 30 to 50%.
Moreover, the needs of the students have significantly grown in the past few years, especially as it relates to mental and behavioral health. Schools are struggling to keep up and afford what their communities need from them, while the state significantly underfunds staff positions like psychologists, social workers, counselors, and more.
In districts like SPS, these circumstances are leading to incredibly difficult decisions. Despite these significant challenges, there are proactive steps parents and guardians can take to advocate for fully funded schools:
1. Stay informed and educate others: Understanding the complexities of school funding is the first step. Read resources, talk to other advocates, and stay connected to
organizations, like League of Education Voters Foundation, working on addressing the funding crisis. Sharing accurate information with other parents and community members can help build a unified voice demanding change. Learn more at educationvoters.org
2. Engage with local school boards: Attend school board meetings and speak during public comment periods. Express concerns about budget cuts, school closures, and their impacts on students and communities. Encourage the board to advocate for state funding structures centered on the needs of students.
3. Contact state legislators and attend legislative hearings: Reach out to your state representatives and senators to demand increased and equitable funding for public schools. Write letters, make phone calls, and schedule meetings to highlight the urgency of the issue. During the legislative session, you can testify at legislative hearings, in person or online, sharing personal stories and data to make a compelling case.
4. Join or form advocacy groups: Collaborate with other parents and community members to amplify advocacy efforts. Joining existing groups like The Seattle Council PTSA or forming new coalitions can provide resources, support, and a stronger collective voice.
5. Elevate equitable funding in election discussions: Make equitable school funding a key issue in the upcoming election cycle. Focus on races for the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), the Governor, and state legislative seats. Support and vote for candidates who prioritize fully funding public schools and advocate for equitable distribution of resources.
ABOUT THE WRITER
Eleanor Bridge Jayaram is a senior policy analyst and the youth advocacy lead at the Seattle-based, statewide advocacy organization League of Education Voters.
Harvold Berry Farm
harvoldberryfarm.com
Strawberry Farm 7701 Carnation-Duvall Rd NE, Carnation, WA 98014
Raspberry and Veggie Field 5207 CarnationDuvall Rd NE, Carnation, WA 98014
Discover the joy of farm-fresh bounty at Harvold Berry Farm, a third-generation U-pick farm. Welcome fall with the IG-worthy sunflower maze and U-pick sunflowers available through October. Take home fresh produce, including U-pick green beans, squashes (including pumpkins), cucumbers, and pickedfor-you sweetcorn. With a commitment to sustainable farming, we nurture the land for future generations. Join us for a fruitful adventure and taste of local goodness. Check our website for current harvest information.
Hibulb Cultural Center
HibulbCulturalCenter.org
360-716-2600
6410 23rd Ave NE, Tulalip, WA 98271
The Hibulb Cultural Center & Natural History Preserve is an interactive learning center, sharing the culture of the Tulalip Tribes. We feature a main and temporary exhibit, interactive long house, two classrooms, a research library, and gift shop.
Guided tours, interactive demonstrations, group rates, and private rentals are available. We also host monthly kid’s crafts, kid’s book and author events, and storytelling events. We have something for everyone, and fun for all ages!
Faith in SPS now & in the future
‘There’s always going to be an ebb and flow’ by JILLIAN O’CONNOR
Shawna Murphy is a proud SPS grad (Ingraham ‘86) with great hope for the system’s present and future. But she’s also aware that there’s always room for improvement. She has two daughters, one of whom graduated from SPS in 2022; the other is starting high school this month.
Murphy, who lives in South Park, distinctly recalls a time in her childhood when funding was dire due to the failure of a Seattle school levy.
“A lot of how I feel about [SPS] is based on my experience growing up in Seattle schools,” Murphy said. “I always like to tell people I was in school the year the levy didn’t pass.”
Murphy was in first or second grade at Olympic Hills Elementary that year. And lack of funding meant “we just stayed in our rooms with our teachers all day,” said Murphy.
In those lean times, said Murphy, “You
didn’t have a library. There was no librarian. We didn’t have PE. There were zero electives, and they had to shorten the school day to be able to afford the staffing, so we were getting out at 1:10 every day.”
In the 1970s and 1980s, it was fairly routine for students to switch schools due to changing school zones and busing to address racial desegregation throughout the district. Murphy attended a variety of schools:
“I never went to a school for more than two years growing up until I was in high school,” she says with a laugh, unfazed by the experience. She notes that she stayed with many of the same kids as she moved schools.
Murphy feels very strongly about staying with and supporting Seattle Public Schools.
“As a community, we have to make a commitment to [staying with] public education, and that’s what’s missing right now,” says Murphy. “That’s frustrating for me.”
Murphy points out that many families
because the cost of living is so high.
“We have friends who have rented in Seattle over the years, and every year, they have to move again because the house they’re renting is going to get sold,” Murphy said.”We’ve had that happen with teachers at the schools that our kids have gone to, too.”
She worries that so many closures will result in long-term ill will between families and SPS:
“There’s always going to be an ebb and flow: buildings opening, buildings closing, [But] I think it’s a poor choice to try to close 20 schools in one year,” she said. “That’s something that I would say should be done over a five-year process.”
PHOTO COURTESY OF SHAWNA MURPHY
by JILLIAN O’CONNOR
When Seattle parent Lynn Miller was deciding on a school for her older child almost 20 years ago, she chose Viewlands Elementary in North Seattle, a small local public school with 200 students, over the much larger Broadview-Thomson Elementary.
Miller, a librarian, still feels stressed when she thinks back to when she attended countless meetings and rallies alongside many other parents in the fight to keep Viewlands open.
The school was a real success story in the area of autism inclusion. Its teachers and administrators all had training in inclusion practices. Still, the fight to keep Viewlands open was lost. In 2007, it became one of 11 Seattle Public Schools buildings closed due to low district enrollment.
Four years later, five of those schools, including Viewlands, were returned to service due to an unanticipated surge in population. By that time, the Viewlands staff and administrators who Miller says focused “on making the student population a more caring place,” had moved on. The close-reopen flip-flop left families frustrated.
“Viewlands was fulfilling my wish for my kids’ education,” she added. “And it was very multicultural.”
She adds that events like Viewland’s “Monday Morning Meeting” helped unify students, staff, and parents.
Miller was troubled by how the district decided which schools to close in 2007. Even today, Miller believes she and the Viewlands community made an excellent case for keeping an outstanding school open. She remembers the disillusionment in the school community that followed.
“If I could prevent other students from our experience,” she says, “it would almost be worth having had that experience.”
Lessons from military moves
Mom was a pro at helping us adjust by CHERYL MURFIN
If anyone knows how to help kids through the transition of changing schools, it’s military parents. My mom certainly did.
Between Kindergarten and high school graduation, I attended nine schools from Washington to Europe and back again, with many ports in between. I and my three siblings weren’t alone. The average “military brat” changes schools between six and nine times.
While my dad’s job dictated where we went, my mom was the one who helped us face the challenge of each new school. Not that it was ever easy — leaving friends, teachers, or a building you love can be heartbreaking for kids and parents alike.
But, as my mom believed, it can also be an adventure. By focusing our attention there, she redirected our thoughts away from fear and worry toward positivity and possibility.
From her view change was just possibility wrapped up in a little nervousness. I used that same approach with my own children when each, for different reasons, had to move from beloved buildings.
Here’s what my mom and many other military parents taught me about changing schools:
Talk to your kids early. The list of Seattle schools to be closed and where students will go is still up in the air. But start talking to your kids now about the possibility of a school change. They need time to adjust to the idea, talk about it, and move from worry to excitement.
Help them embrace it as an adventure and do so yourself. Mom always talked up how exciting a new school can be, the possibility of new friends, the idea that new teachers bring new ideas, and that each building holds surprises. Do the same.
Spend time together developing ways to stay connected to old friends. My mother always collected phone numbers and addresses (no emails or texts way back then) of my friends and teachers so I could write (letters!). And we did. Consider periodic playdates with friends from the previous school. But wait a month or so to allow your kids to connect with their new peers.
Get to know the school your kids are going to. Contact the school’s PTA members. Ask the office to connect you with
other parents. Learn about the school’s unique features and programs and share then with your kids.
Check out the new playground. My mom knew that a kid’s social life centers on the playground. She took us to get the lay of the land on the new school’s playground on a Saturday and to peek through school windows, moving Big Change to Exciting Mystery.
Take a school tour. After the Saturday play and peek, Mom would take us on a school tour. Mystery solved. We’d visit teachers, the lunch room, the gym. Being familiar with the building before starting school allayed my fears of getting lost.
Help them feel safe bussing. I was bussed to almost every school I attended. As a young student, I got scared of each new
security.
Breakfast and dinner questions. Mom always asked us a question at breakfast: “What’s the surprise going to be?”At dinner: “What was the surprise today?” These questions allowed us to share school “newness” as a family, which made the experience feel less daunting.
Send them encouragement along the way. My mother put notes in my lunchbox almost every day through six elementary schools.
One I’ve held onto for 50 years: Remember, I’m always here if you need me, but I know you’re doing great! XXOO Mom
PHOTO COURTESY OF CHERYL MURFIN
Cheryl Murfin, author, third row red shirt, at Tinker Elementary School on Tinker Air Force Base in Oklahoma City, OK.
»Enrich
Your guide to after-school activities and beyond
All That Dance
Ages 18 months-18
3012 NE Blakeley St., Seattle 98105
206-524-8944
info@all-that-dance.com allthatdanceseattle.com
With dance classes, camps, and more, All That Dance has been Seattle’s home for dance for 30 years. Explore ballet, tap, jazz, lyrical, pop styles (formerly hip hop), modern, and more in our welcoming community.
Bischofberger Violins
All ages 1314 E. John St., Seattle 98102 206-324-3119
contact@bviolinsltd.com bviolinsltd.com
We offer a large selection of rental violins, violas and cellos. All of our rentals are set up and maintained in-house. If you’re buying an instrument or bow we offer a 10-day trial period. Try a couple of instruments and get opinions from teachers, friends and relatives. We also offer
At »seattleschild.com/ directories/ enrichmentschoolyear you can search for after-school and weekend enrichment activities by organization, activity, age of child, and location. New programs added all year!
repair, restoration and appraisal services.
Creative Dance Center
Ages 2 months and older
12577 Densmore Ave. N, Seattle 98133 206-363-7281
info@creativedance.org creativedance.org
The Creative Dance Center nurtures creativity and learning through joyful dance experiences. Year-round classes include Nurturing Baby, Caregiver/Child, Creative Dance, Modern, Ballet, Hip Hop, and Adaptive BrainDance. There are classes for the whole family--early childhood, elementary ages, middle school, high school, and adult. The Creative Dance Center is where dance and brain development play together.
Department of Children, Youth & Families |
Strengthening Families WA
Ages Prenatal to 5 1500 Jefferson St. SE, Olympia 98501 360-688-3592 strengtheningfamilies@ DCYF.wa.gov dcyf.wa.gov/services/childdevelopment-supports/sfwa
Strengthening Families Washington is a program within the Department of Children, Youth & Families, whose main focus is helping families become stronger together through a variety of tactics, including home visiting, community outreach and partnerships, and funding opportunities with local organizations. In addition, we assist with several public-awareness campaigns, including Speak Up When You’re Down, Have A Plan: Shaken Baby Syndrome, and Safe Sleep.
Rain City Fencing Center
Ages 8-adult
1776 136th Place NE, Bellevue 98005 425-747-6300
info@raincityfencing.com raincityfencing.com
How do you score touches on your opponent without getting hit yourself? It takes fast thinking, dynamic footwork and a good strategy. The Olympic sport of fencing is safe, exciting and fun! We have classes and summer camps for ages 8-adult. All fencing equipment is provided. Think. Fast. Fencing!
SJCC J Kids + J Teens
Grades PreK-12
3801 East Mercer Way, Mercer Island 98040 206-232-7115
info@sjcc.org sjcc.org/J-Kids
From sports leagues to af-
ter-school care to enrichment classes, Stroum Jewish Community Center J Kids + Teens programs have fun and engaging activities all year long. Whether they’re building robots or playing soccer, splashing in our pool or exploring their Jewish roots, kids and teens will learn, create and make great friends in a warm and welcoming environment.
Music Together is an internationally recognized, research-based music development program for children birth-5 and the grownups who love them. Also offering Rhythm Kids for children ages 5-8 and Babies classes for newborn-8 months. Class sessions run in fall, winter, spring and summer, with locations in Queen Anne, Magnolia, West Seattle, Green Lake, and Capitol Hill.
Monthly and weekly school year nature programs create a strong connection to the outdoor world, as facilitated by highly experienced nature mentors. Opportunities are available in five convenient locations (Seattle, Kenmore, Issaquah, Carnation and Duvall) and are offered for kids ages 4-18. With more than 35 years of experience mentoring in nature, Wilderness Awareness School is an internationally recognized leader in outdoor education. Our mission is to help children and adults cultivate healthy relationships with nature, community, and self.
It’s so much more than a gift!
Washington State Heirloom Birth Certificate
A portion of the proceeds from each birth certificate benefits the Children’s Trust Fund of Washington, administered by the Washington State Department of Children, Youth & Families (DCYF) Strengthening Families Program.
• This official birth certificate is personally signed by the Governor and State Registrar.
• Frameable keepsake.
To find out more information on Children’s Trust, child abuse prevention and the DCYF Strengthening Families Program visit:
• Certificate is 8 1/2 x 11 and includes the name, date and place of birth, as well as the name and birthplace of the parent(s).
• For each $45 purchase of an Heirloom Birth Certificate, $20 is tax deductible.
To buy a certificate, visit the Department of Health or order online at: www.doh.wa.gov/LicensesPermitsandCertificates/ BirthDeathMarriageandDivorce/OrderCertificates/ HeirloomBirthCertificates’
With 40 years of experience, Wilderness Awareness School is a recognized leader in outdoor education.
Our world-renowned Coyote Mentoring methods are implemented along with teachings of survival skills, wildlife tracking, edible and medicinal plants, hazards and wilderness basics, ecology, and bird language.
WEEKLY MONTHLY-and-
SCHOOL YEAR PROGRAMS
Locations in Seattle, Kenmore, Issaquah, Carnation, and Duvall | Ages 4-18
