Hello Viewlands Current and Incoming Families!

We have already arrived to August. I have been reflecting on last year by analyzing student learning and attendance data; reviewing input from our feedback loops centering community engagement with families and partners; reviewing our progress toward school and community goals; and learning about our new SPS adopted English Language Arts (ELA) curriculum, Emerge, alongside teachers.

I am proud of our work together this past school year and acknowledge we have more work to do to be a thriving school community where every student excels academically and socially and every family feels like an important educational partner with the school staff. Perfection is not the goal, growth is the goal. We grew this past school year, as individual student learners, as families, as a staff, and together as a community. As we prepare to launch this upcoming school year, I am excited to continue to grow our beautiful school community.

Viewlands is a diverse community linguistically, culturally, and socioeconomically. We are also diverse in our learning profiles, lived experiences, traditions, faiths, and values. This is our strength. Together we can learn from one another as we embrace the perspectives and lived experiences of others. It is not always easy to embrace perspectives, lived experiences, faiths, traditions, values, and learning profiles that are different from our own, but truly vital to thriving as a community. Thank you for being on this journey together, students, families, staff, and community partners.

Please read through this newsletter for information about frequency of school communications, start of school supplies, VEPTSA, and activities and events over the summer for incoming kindergarten and new to Viewlands 1st through 5th grade families! This the final installment of summer updates. Please make sure to read the updated information about start of school supplies (with link added to this newest update) and the VEPTSA hosted playground social for new to Viewlands 1st-5th grade families (current families interested in supporting VEPTSA volunteers in welcoming our new families are encouraged to join!)

Wishing everyone a wonderful end of summer with more joyful memories made!

In partnership,

Carrie Wheeler | Viewlands Principal

Together with VEPTSA we are making the start of school supply process easy for families! Since all supplies are communal, it is best to have common supplies that are the same. We ask all families, that can, pay the $50 per student, which will cover the start of school supplies and a yearbook. If your family can, we encourage an additional donation to support a student/family that is currently not able to pay that amount for supplies. We will purchase all start of school supplies for the start of school with these funds.

The Link to Pay VEPTSA for Start of School Supplies is through Give Backs (linked below):

https://www.givebacks.com/causes/9a218396-e3df-402c-8472-1a7d5447f12c/shop/items/d4a598015749

We ask that families provide each student a backpack and water bottle. If your child needs a backpack or water bottle, please reach out to our office team and we will get them one from our orca cares closet! We encourage each child to also provide corded headphones to use at school with their device. This is optional but encouraged.

Office Team Contact:

(206) 252-4400

lkmccormick@seattleschools.org

Ms. Lin will be returning to Viewlands to get ready for our upcoming school year later this week. If your child needs a backpack and water bottle for school, she can help you get one from the school through our Orca Cares closet. Please reach out directly to Lin. If you want to pick them up before the first day of school, she can schedule a time with you. Please schedule in advance! Ms. Lin will be working throughout the building (not just in the main office) so it will be important she has it scheduled, so she is available for you at that time.

Weekly Principal Newsletters are sent every Friday during the school year. These Friday updates will resume in late August. They are sent through e-mail. The updates are on a Smore newsletter like this summer update, which allows for translation to home languages.

Start of School Information will be sent to families through e-mail mid-August. This will be sent through e-mail in a Smore newsletter format, which allows for translation.

You can access other information about the school, as well as Seattle Public Schools on the websites.

Our PTSA partners, VEPTSA, are incredibly important. The partnership with VEPTSA helps our school community thrive. VEPTSA provides ongoing communications through Konstella, as well as their website. Please take a moment to look at their website and please join Konstella. Once the new school year starts they will assign your student to their classroom. You do not need to wait to join! Konstella is the platform they use to share information about events, recruit volunteers, and share classroom specific events and needs.

The Viewlands Office is closed from June 30th through August 11th.

Viewlands Office Team:

The amazing Viewlands Office team, Mr. Lin and Ms. Leandra, will be enjoying a wonderful summer vacation. Ms. Lin returns to work on Wednesday, August 12th to prepare for the next school year. Ms. Leandra returns Monday, August 31st.

The office will reopen Thursday, August 13th by appointment only. Given the work to get ready, Ms. Lin will be all around the school and in the office so please reach out and schedule a time in advance. Please reach out to her if you need to come to the school. She can be reached via e-mail starting Wednesday August 12th at lkmccormick@seattleschools.org

Principal Wheeler:

I have been engaging in district leadership work together with other principals and central office leaders in preparation to launch the next school year and align our work with the district strategic plan. I will respond to any inquiries through e-mail as quickly as possible with understanding that my time is divided in August. Thank you for your understanding and patience during summer break.

Enrollment Questions or Needs:

All enrollment needs are managed by the central office enrollment team. Please reach out directly to enrollment with questions or support needed. We do not do enrollment at the school, this all has to be done with the district enrollment team.

https://www.seattleschools.org/enroll/

(206) 252-0760

admissions@seattleschools.org

Transportation Questions or Needs:

All transportation assignments, routes, and stops are managed by the central office transportation team. Students that live father away than a mile from the school in elementary currently are eligible for school bus transportation. Students in special education may have specialized transportation that is part of their IEP. The district transportation team typically send out transportation assignments to families in late August. If you haven’t received your child’s assignment by August 28th or if you have questions please contact the transportation department directly. SPS contracts with two transportation providers for our bussing, First Student and Zum. In previous years, First Student was the contract bus provider at Viewlands. Next year, Zum will operating our SPS busses at Viewlands.

One change is that Viewlands will no longer have First Student operating the busses at Viewlands. Zum has been one of two contractors supporting transportation at Seattle Public Schools. Next school year, Zum will be operating approximately 80% of the bus routes, including all of Viewlands bus routes. There are some exciting changes with Zum including a parent portal where you can track the bus. More information will be provided about this when routes are established and information is received in a few weeks.

https://www.seattleschools.org/departments/transportation/

(206) 252-0900

Please remember if your child will be attending North Seattle Boys and Girls Club after school for child care, the family has to make this request directly to transportation for a bus assignment. If you do not make this request your child will not be assigned to that bus route /stop. The transportation team determines if there is capacity for this stop. You need to communicate in advance to transportation with your request for this stop.

The parent/guardians will also have an opportunity to see the school and meet the Kinder team during family connection meetings that happen Wednesday September 2nd, Thursday, September 3rd, and Friday September 4th. The Kindergarten team will be reaching out to families for scheduling those at the end of August.

Viewlands staff will host a mini Kinder Camp. This is not required but encouraged! It is two mornings in late August.

The goals of our Kinder Camp are for your child to see and explore the spaces at school that will be part of their kindergarten experience, to meet the Kindergarten teachers and team, and to have a little fun. Attending one or both mornings of Kinder Camp can help your child feel ready and more comfortable on their first day of Kindergarten on Tuesday, September 8th.

• Monday, August 24th and Tuesday August 25th 9:00AM to 11:30AM at Viewlands
• There is no transportation provided for Kinder Camp. It is optional to attend but highly encouraged.
• To attend, families need to complete a registration form. Please complete the registration form if you plan for your child to attend one or both days of the Kinder Camp.

Registration for Kinder Camp:

• This is for incoming kindergarten students enrolled at Viewlands for the 2026-2027 school year. It is optional but participation is encouraged. There is no transportation provided, so family transport is required. Our K team and some other staff will be there to support. We will have 3 -Kindergarten teachers, Teacher Nelson, Ms. E, and Ms. Gamboa.
• All students enrolled at Viewlands for kindergarten can attend Kinder Camp. Families need to complete the registration. Any child with a life-threatening allergy or health condition will need a completed health care plan to attend kinder camp. If this is not completed prior to kinder camp, the child can’t attend.
• Please complete this registration form as soon as possible (the form is linked below): Reserva de Campamento Viewlands Kindergarten Camp Reservation: Summer 2026 – Fill out form

Drop Off and Pick-Up at Kinder Camp:

• Drop off occurs between 8:50 and 9:10AM at the main entrance at Viewlands.

• Pick-up occurs outside the main entrance between 11:25 and 11:35AM
• The Viewlands parking lot is available during Kinder Camp. It is not available during the school year (reserved for staff) but can be used during the summer events. Additional street parking is available on the west side of 3rd Ave directly in front of the school or on 107th St on the west side of 3rd Ave.
• Please come to the front main entrance off 3rd. Walk to the front entrance and staff will greet you.
• Families will sign-in and then staff will direct you to the library. The K team will greet students in the library. This is where families will say goodbye to their children. We know that is hard on some students and many families, but this is an important part of the transition. When school starts families that bring their children to school say goodbye outside the main entrance. While coming to the library may be different, it helps prepare both children and families to say goodbye before they transition to the kindergarten learning area. We will have staff supporting them!
• For pick-up, please return to the main entrance and check-in with the staff. You’ll be given a sticker with your child’s name. You will wait for them to walk out with the team. Anyone picking your child up will need to be listed on the registration form.

What to Bring:

• If your child has a preferred snack, please bring this in a labeled bag. We will also have snacks available.
• Labeled water bottle.
• Wear comfortable clothes to play inside and outside. Please make sure any coats or other items are labeled with your child’s name.
• If it is a sunny day, we encourage families to put sunscreen on their child before they arrive. Sunscreen is not applied at school.
• NO Backpacks or other supplies please.

The Viewlands Kindergarten Team and Office Team will host a family meet and mingle social on the playground with popsicles for the children. All families are welcome. Please note, we will be on the playground, the school will not be open to families. This means there are no bathrooms accessible.

Date: Tuesday, August 25th 4-5PM

Location: Viewlands Playground

Other Info:

• Parking lot and neighborhood parking available.
• This is not a drop off event, families attend with the children.
• You can arrive and leave anytime in the hour. Popsicles will be at the beginning, 4-4:30.
• We will be outside on the playground not inside the school.
• You can access the playground through the stairs or ramp off the parking lot area.
• The school entrances will be closed.

Viewlands partner, VEPTSA, sponsors two popsicles in the park community building events for families to build connections among one another and learn more about our amazing partners, VEPTSA. These are held on the Viewlands Playground. They are a fun and easy way to meet other families, learn more about the school, and build community.

• Tuesday August 18th, 8:30-10:30AM
• Tuesday September 1st, 4:30-6:30PM

If you have questions about the VEPTSA sponsored Popsicles in the Park, please reach out to VEPTSA at veptsa@viewlandsptsa.org

New to Viewlands Families with students entering 1st through 5th grade are invited to join us for a walking tour of Viewlands.

When: Monday, August 24th 11:00-11:30AM

please arrive between 10:55 and 11, late arrivals will miss part of the tour.

Where: Viewlands, meet outside the main entrance (off of 3rd)

VEPTSA is sponsoring a welcome meet and greet on the playground for new to Viewlands 1st-5th grade families. All families with new to Viewlands 1st through 5th grade families are encouraged to attend. VEPTSA representatives and some current Viewlands families will be there to connect with you, and answer questions.

August 13th 4:30-6:30PM

Viewlands Playground (please note the school will not be open so no bathrooms are available)

These are the 4 after school childcare options that are most frequently used by Viewlands families. These are not the only options, families also use in-home childcare, home daycares, etc. If your family is seeking after school child care, it is important you work on this over the summer. Many places will fill up, especially our on site child care Creative Kids.

The below are the 4 that are most frequently used over the past 3 years by Viewlands families. We do have an onsite childcare provider, Creative Kids. We love our partnership with Creative Kids. They have an SPP preschool program, before school care and after school care for elementary age children. If you are interested in child-care, I highly encourage you to reach out as soon as possible, as their after school program is often full.

Creative Kids Learning Center @ Viewlands

This is a community partner that provides childcare on site at Viewlands. They are onsite with us at Viewlands. The director, Grace, is wonderful. The onsite at Viewlands supervisor, D’Onna Smith, is also fabulous. They both can answer any questions you may have. They provide after school care for school age children 5-12 years old before school from 7 AM to start of school and after school until 6pm.

• Website: https://www.creativekidsseattle.com/programs
• Contact Info: creativekidsseattle@gmai.com or (206) 706-5437

Boys and Girls Club North Seattle

This is a community organization. We typically Viewlands students that attend this location for after school care. This is a community-based program.

• They provide after school care for grades K-12 until 6pm.
• The past 3 years Seattle Public Schools has provided a bus option for after school to the B&G Club. However, the district transportation team make this decision every year based on capacity of buses, availability and need so the transportation is NOT guaranteed. If you need transportation via bus after school to the B&G Club, the family NEEDS to make this request to transportation BEFORE school starts.
• Website: https://positiveplace.org/clubs/north-seattle/
• Contact Information: (206) 436-1850
• Location: 8635 Fremont Ave North

Small Faces

This is a community-based program.

• Website: https://smallfaces.org/
• Contact Information: (206) 782-2611
• They provide a van that picks up students from Viewlands after school to bring them to Small Faces. I anticipate this would continue, but this would need to be confirmed with the Small Faces team and would likely depend on the number of students attending this location from Viewlands.

Washington Karate

This is a community-based program.

• Website: https://washingtonkarate.com/index.php

• They provide a van that picks up students from Viewlands after school to bring them to WA Karate. I anticipate this would continue, but this would need to be confirmed with the WA Karate team.

• Wednesday, September 2nd – 1st Day of School for 1st-5th grade students
• Wednesday, September 2nd through Friday, September 4th – Kindergarten Family Connection meetings (K team will share scheduling with families at the end of August)
• Tuesday, September 8th – 1st Day of School for Pre-K and Kindergarten students
• Wednesday, September 30th -Bring Your Family to School Night 5:30-7PM
• Tuesday, October 6th – Move-a-Thon at school (Approved volunteers will be needed)
• Wednesday, October 7th – Fall Walk, Bike, & Roll to Schools Day
• Thursday, October 8th – Multilingual Family Night 5:30-7PM
• Thursday, October 22nd – School Picture Day
• Friday, October 30th – All School Zoo Fieldtrip (MANY approved volunteers needed)