Hello Viewlands Families!

There is no school on Monday, January 20^th, in honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. This week as we head into MLK weekend, students were discussing, sharing, and grappling with concepts related to freedom, social justice, and activism. Each classroom approached this in different ways specific to their grade level and the bests way to integrate these concepts in their literacy and social studies core content. There are many ways families can honor and continue to learn through activities around Seattle this weekend to honor the life and legacy of Martin Luther King, Jr.

• Seattle MLK Coalition are hosting We Rise Against project 2025 with different events, including opportunity fair, community discussions, workshops, a rally, and a march: https://www.seattlemlkcoalition.org/mlk-day
• Seattle Parks and Recreation will commemorate the life and legacy of Martin Luther King Jr with a community event at MLK Jr Memorial Park (2200 MLK Jr Way) and Rainier Community Center on Saturday March 18^th which is free to the community: https://parkways.seattle.gov/2025/01/14/2025-mlk-day-march-and-celebration/

A few highlights from my visits in classrooms and with students this week: discussing a couple Global Reading Challenge books with a small group of 4^th and 5^th graders; watching and listening to the 4^th and 5^th graders in Ms. Schilke’s class grapple with how to engage in a team successfully while completing a STEM project; celebrating with a couple students that met an attendance goal with lunch and a game together; and building and puzzling with a few kindergarteners during Orca Explore time.

Your children are bright, inquisitive, and creative thinkers. We will continue to seek ways to make every student feel known, valued, and empowered through the year.

In Partnership,

Carrie Wheeler | Viewlands Principal

Salmon in Schools

Our 5^th graders were excited to welcome our salmon eggs as part of the Salmon in Schools project last Friday. Viewlands loves being part of the Salmon in Schools project. Our 4^th and 5^th graders are the main stewards of the salmon and Mr. Arango, one of the 4^th and 5^th grade teachers, is the lead for this project. All students will have the opportunity to learn about this while we are caretakers of the eggs.

The tank is in our 4^th and 5^th grade learning cluster. The salmon eggs arrived last Friday. We will be supporting the salmon as eggs and the alevin stage. As they transition from alevin to the fry stage, we prepare to return the salmon to Carkeek. The small salmon fry spend a few weeks in the Imprint Pond before being released in Piper’s Creek. Typically, the salmon are returned to Carkeek between the end of March and beginning of April. We anticipate we will begin to see signs of hatching anytime in the next couple weeks.

The 4^th and 5^th graders will be taking care of the tank and will be inviting our K-3^rd grade classrooms down to visit and learn about the salmon over the next couple months.

Viewlands Math Night and Community Resource Fair – Wednesday, January 29^th 5:30-7PM

Together with VEPTSA support, we will have a school event, a family math night open to all Viewlands students and families hosted by Zeno and funded by VEPTSA and a Community Resource Fair hosted by our ML team. The community resource fair will include the Seattle Public Library, Seattle Metro, and other resources. There will also be an information session specifically for our Spanish-speaking families.

Zeno Family Math Night is open to all families! Thank you VEPTSA for co-hosting and supporting Family Math Night!

Viewlands will be hosting the resource fair, an event focusing on community partnerships, at the same time. This will include Family Works, Seattle Public Library, King County Metro, and the Seattle Housing Authority. These organizations will have booths to provide information and assist with applications. We will also have a workshop in Spanish led by the Latino Civic Alliance.

Please note that this is a change in the year long calendar provided at Bring Your Family to School Night in September. We are hosting the family math night and resource fair with VEPTSA in January, instead of the movie night. There will be NO movie night on January 31^st.

Middle School Open Houses for 5^th Grade Families

This information is for families of 5^th grade students. Robert Eagle Staff and Whitman Middle Schools are the two neighborhood middle schools for students that live in the Viewlands attendance zone. If your family lives outside the Viewlands attendance zone, your child is zoned for a different middle school. To determine which middle school is your neighborhood reference school for your child based on your address, please use the Address Look-Up Tool on the district website.

Save the Dates for Neighborhood Middle School Open Houses:

Whitman Middle School Open House Information

Date/Time: Thursday January 30th, 5:30-7:00PM

Schedule:

• 5:30-6:00 Special Education presentation in the auditorium
• 5:30-6:00 Parents can browse the information tables outside the auditorium
• 6:00 Principal & PTSA presentation in the auditorium then student lead tours of the school

Robert Eagle Staff Middle School open House Information:

Date/Time: Tuesday, January 21st, 6-7PM 

Address Lookup Tool: https://www.seattleschools.org/enroll/about-our-schools/

If you need help using the address lookup tool to determine which school is your child’s assigned neighborhood school, please reach out to our Viewlands office team.

Viewlands Open House for Prospective Viewlands Families Next School Year

We will have an open house for prospective NEW families and incoming Kindergarten families. This event is for families that have children that will be joining Viewlands next school year in the fall of 2025.  

Date: Tuesday February 4^th at 5PM

Duration: 1 hour

What will be shared:

• An 10-15minute introduction to Viewlands by Carrie Wheeler, the Viewlands Principal for all prospective families in the library
• After the introduction, incoming prospective kindergarten families will engage in a 10-15 minute introduction to kindergarten at Viewlands with the K team
• A school tour led by a couple Viewlands staff for incoming prospective students 1^st through 5^th grade will occur after the introduction to Viewlands
• A school tour led by the K team and a couple other Viewlands staff for prospective kindergarten families after the Kindergarten at Viewlands Introduction
• On the tour, families will see the spaces students will use, including the lunchroom, the art room, the gym, the library, the playground, and classroom areas.

VEPTSA

Updates and Messages from our VEPTSA Partners:

Winter Enrichment Registration – Save the date! Registration is open January 13-24

Winter Enrichment after school classes run February 4 through April 3 (8 weeks) on Tuesdays and Thursdays again. The winter session will include some of our past classes like chess club and slime club, and new options including hip hop dance, clay and 3D art, and lego engineering to name a few. There’s something for everyone! Save the date for registration which will be open January 13-24. 

Zeno Family Math Night – Save the date! Wednesday, January 29, 5:30pm-7pm

Viewlands Elementary is partnering with Zeno for Family Math Night on January 29, 5:30pm-7pm. Zeno is a local non-profit that supports schools and families with math programs, including onsite school events like Family Math Night. Family Works and Seattle Public Library will have stations with information about services they offer the community. Stay tuned for more details about the event. Volunteer support might be needed.

Important Upcoming School Calendar Dates

• Monday January 20^th – No School, MLK Holiday
• Wednesday January 29^th 5:30-7PM Viewlands Zeno Family Math Night & Community Resource Fair
• Tuesday February 4^th at 5PM – Viewlands Open House for Prospective New Students and Incoming Kindergarten Families for Next School Year
• Monday February 17^th through Friday February 21^st – NO SCHOOL, President’s Day Holiday and Mid-Winter Break