TOPS Drama presents the 2011 Elementary - TOPS K

Transcription

May 2011  Volume 14, Issue 8
News
The monthly newsletter of TOPS, a Seattle Public K-8 alternative school
Kindness is a language which the deaf
can hear and the blind can see.
~ Mark Twain
Many of our teachers have been attending literacy
trainings, including Reader's Workshop and Reading
We had a very successful auction once again this
year. Thanks to Pam Copeland and her crew for
Continued on page 2
TOPS Drama presents the 2011 Elementary Musical
of Both Worlds! showcases the talent and creativity
of our elementary community. You won’t want to
miss it!
Show Time: May 20-21, 7:00 p.m.
Todd Jamieson Theater (TOPS Gym)
Book by Flip Kobler and Cindy Marcus
Music by Dennis Poore
Lyrics by Flip Kobler
T
he best — and worst! Both worlds meet when
fantasy meets the harsh reality of school in this
toe-tapping, pop musical comedy adventure. Fairy
tale characters cross over and mix it up with real
kids, leading everyone to learn valuable life lessons
about what it means to be truly alive, the pursuit of
dreams, and finding the hero inside. Directed by
TOPS Music and Choir Director, Sari Breznau, Best
Want to help make the show even more of a success?
Of course you do. Join the fun and volunteer for
rehearsal support, ticket sales, concessions, costumes
& make-up, set construction, and more. We know we
can find just the right job for you!
Save the date for a creative evening with the play & the
all-school Art Walk.
Please email your friendly parent volunteers today
to get involved:
Producer Laurie Stusser-McNeil:
ljstusser@comcast.net
Stage Manager Cynthia Steiner:
cynthiahsg@comcast.net
Produced by special arrangement with Pioneer
Drama Service, Inc, Englewood Colorado.
May TOPSNews Deadline
Friday, May 13  Submissions to topsnewsletter@gmail.com
Z em
hope you had a restful and rejuvenating spring
break. We’ve had so much activity this past
month. The school has been a-buzz with all sorts of
wonderful things. Leslie Nilan’s third graders did a
great job with their Shakespeare play, Twelfth Night.
Kindergarteners enjoyed their ABC celebration. First
and second grade held their annual poetry festival.
Our middle school students registered for high
school.
on
I
Assessments. A team of teachers
attended a day-long classroom
lab at Olympic Hills Elementary
School to learn how to plan and
implement Reader's Workshop strategies for improved student learning.
As a staff, we’ve spent six Wednesdays
collaborating and clarifying best practices, such
as strong teaching points for lessons and effective
student engagement.
yD
Dear TOPS Families,
ke
Message from the Principal
Ph
oto
b
TOPS at Seward
2500 Franklin Avenue East
Seattle, WA 98102
Phone: (206) 252-3510
Fax: (206) 252-3511
Principal: Jo Lute-Ervin
Assistant Principal:
Jeanne Kuban
Site Council Chair:
Janis White
Newsletter Online
The TOPS newsletters are
available online in PDF
format before the printed
copy arrives in your mailbox!
From the TOPS home page,
http://www.topsk8.org, click on
Latest Newsletter in the Quick
Links section.
TOPS Spring Auction
by Pam Copeland, Auction Chair
T
he TOPS Annual Spring Auction, held
April 9, was a huge success in our new venue.
Final numbers are still being calculated, but it
appears that we’ve reached our goal of raising
$130,000, including more than $31,000 for this
year’s Fund-an-Item, which is a full-range library
for every classroom.
We need your submissions: calendar additions,
classroom news and news
from the larger community, faculty notes, committee reports, opinions,
profiles, compliments,
congratulations, children’s
art, photos, and anything
else significant to the TOPS
community.
If you were unable to attend and would like
to make a donation to the Fund-an-Item or to
the event, please contact Tim Forslund at tmjf@
prodigy.net or Pam Copeland at jimpamandsophia@
comcast.net, especially if your employer can match
funds (such as Boeing, Microsoft)!
A huge THANK YOU to all the parents who
volunteered on Team Auction, helping the day
of the event, and with class projects and baskets.
Without the countless hours these volunteers put
in, there would have been no event. Underwriting,
sponsorships, and the online auction defrayed
much of the costs, so the benefits and great
programs can continue at school.
Another huge THANK YOU to all the TOPS
parents, staff, teachers, and community members
who donated items for the auction, (including
baking some of the fabulous desserts for The
Dessert Dash). Let us add a shout-out to the 8th
Graders who helped pull it all off: we’ll miss you!
Photo by Michael Drew
Welcome to the eighth
newsletter of the 2010-11
school year. Ann
Simonson, Dori Cahn, and
Doriane Nieburgs edit,
and Paul Loovis handles
photos, design, and layout.
Amy Bannister takes care
of the bulk mailing. Don
Zemke provides many of
our photos. G & H Printing
prints the newsletter.
Nearly 300 TOPS family members, teachers, staff,
and friends came together for a night full of fun,
great food and drinks, and lively bidding on
silent and live auction items. New this year, The
Wine Wall raised $1,000, with the “Sleek & Geek”
Numbers Boards responsible for putting jewels
and electronics into the happy hands of participants. Listening to the music of “The Onlies”,
TOPS’ own middle school musicians, emphasized
the benefits of our efforts.
who attended and donated funds – as we’ve been
saying all along: it’s for the kids! You help make
TOPS one of the best schools in Seattle. Period.
And lastly, a very huge THANK YOU to everyone
Submit your contributions
by email to topsnewsletter
@gmail.com or to the
newsletter box in the
main office. Please send
photos to javabrain@msn.
com. The deadline for the
June issue is May 13. We
need help for next year!
One of our editors has an
eighth grader so we could
use some editing help
next year. See the ad in
this newsletter for more
information. Newcomers
welcome. Please contact
Ann, Dori, or Doriane at
topsnewsletter@gmail.com.
Principal continued from page 1
working so hard to create an
enjoyable and profitable event.
Our students are the recipients of everyone’s generosity.
This is one of the things that
makes TOPS so special.
Heading into the home
stretch, we still have much
more to accomplish. Thank
you for your continued interest and cooperation. Happy
Spring to all!
Respectfully,
Jo Lute-Ervin, Principal
Photo by Don Zemke
2
Auction continued from page 2
Photos by Michael
3
Drew
No Bake Announces 2010-2011 Results
T
Xiaq Ling & Dongyi Huang
Krista Hudson & Chris Young
Jonathan & Svetlana Ima
Maureen McCleery & Vital
H.J. Imbert
Bruce & Xiao-Yu Jackson
Jason & Heather Jarvis
Jessica & Howard Jensen
Amy & Wyeth Jessee
Betty Johnson
Megan & Kevin Johnson
Kristin & Alex Johnston
Rachael Hannah & Alan Kahn
Levin Karovsky & Victoria Malloy
Vera-Kavanaugh Family
Karen Keeley
Gerrit Kischner & Nancy Bacon
Richard Kolpa & Julie Wroble
Alex Korahais & Kathleen Pape
Gwendolyn Korahais
Merran & John Kubalak
Ginger Segel & Bob Kubiniec
Renee & Wes Kutch
Liesl & Troy Langley
Molly & William Lapatra
Michele Layton
Keith Ledford & Christi Muoneke /
Zephyr Law Group
Xing E. Lei
Li Mei Li
Xiao Sheng Li
Rachel Ligtenberg & Leanne
Corcoran
Michael & Kelly Lippman
Eric Liu & Jena Cane
Wei Chao Liu
Lokelani Lockwood
Jim & Sally Lord
Roseanne Lorenzana
Arnold Lui
Jo Lute-Ervin
Delores Lynch
De Han Ma & Xue Na Zhu
Jie Ying Ma & Guo Sheng Chen
Scott MacColl & Jennifer
Wise MacColl
Leslie & Joe Margarones
Maggie & Jim McDonald
Laura Stusser-McNeil & Kevin
McNeil
Merrill Dickinson Family
Geoff Miller & Jennifer Gamache
Valerie Muller
Chun M Ng
Nam Phuong & John Nguyen
Loan Nguyen
Doriane Nieburgs & Michael
Drew
Nine Design - Lana Abrams
Michael & Moira O’Brien
Davis Oldham & Julie Alexander
Yvonne & Barry Onouye
Kara O’Toole & KT Hendrie
he TOPS No Bake this year raised $68,600 from just under 50%
of our parents. This represented more than a 10% increase over
last year’s results. I want to thank every donor who participated
in making this year a fundraising success for our students and
their teachers. It will enable us to do that much more to enrich the
learning experience for them and affirm the unique educational
experience TOPS offers our students.
Your generosity is very much appreciated.
Richard Silverstein
No Bake Chair
No Bake Donors (as of April 11, 2011)
Michael & Linda Adams
Samia Salon & Rabha Al-Harazi
Heather Mathews & Matt Allen
Beth Andersen & Rad Roberts
Sheila & Kevin Anderson
Brad & Wilma Angell
Anonymous
Tasha & Shane Atchison
Barry & Carrie Barnes
Anne Barrett-Fragale & Ralph
Fragale
Thomas Beierle & Edith Burpee
Elissa Benson & Mark Brannon
Gershom & Katherine Berg
Heidi & Craig Berrysmith
Jenny Breed & Amy Bannister
Sarah Busic
Dori Cahn & Jay Stansell
Karen Stuhldreher & Johnny
Calcagno
Eric & Laura Camplin
James Carrott & Margo Robb
Susan & Boyd Carter
Bonnie & Frank Cech
Renee & William Ceriale
Michael Chapko & Marcia Weaver
Doug Chapman & Karol King
Douglas & Lois Chapman
Gail & John Chase
ABC Towing Inc.
Li Ci Huang & Jian Heng Chen
Howard Choder & Robin
Freedman
Austyn Clark
Ken & Tiffany Clark
Marianne Clarke
Jim & Kiery Clawson
Warren Clemans & Kathy Schmid
Sheri Cohen
Brennan & Kari Connor
Sharon Cook
Isabelle Copeland
James & Pamela Copeland
Sophia Copeland
Ella Cotter
Susan Cotter
Conor Courtney
Mike Courtney & Chris O’Leary
Leah Schoonover & Cameron
Curtis
Jeff & Katy Davis
Wen Zhen Guan & Yong Deng
Wayne Duncan & Pam Van
Dalfsen
Ted Dunham & Jordan Lazovik
Catherine Duva
Allison & Ted Dworkin
Sigrun Denny & Lester Eastlick
Amy & Christian Eberhardt
Lorelei Eickelberg
Charles Eliot
Arthur & Charlene Emlen
Eric & Annette English
John & Mona Fandel
Bill & Heidi Flora
Charlene & Tim Forslund
Cynthia Steiner & Adam Ganz
Maureen & Joe Germani
Sheila & Colin Gilligan
Kevin Godbout
Ty Graham & Missy Chow
Sharon Lynch Grey & Aaron Grey
Paul & Karen Gruen
Janet & Enzo Guarda
Justine Guarda & Fernando
Vazquez
Pam Hale
Angela Hamilton
Lis Soldano & Kent Hamilton
Star Hamilton
Lynn & Mark Harmann
Paul Hasegawa & Pam Stokes
Shelly Haverkamp
June Hayakawa-Fung & Larry
Fung
Carroll Haymon
George Heynen & Michelle
Buetow
Mark & Kimberly Hobbs
Chi & Tina Hong
Lee & Ted Howard
John Hoyt & Lisa Fitzhugh
4
Nancy Cohen & Stephen Page
Amy Paige & Tim Callahan
Sarah & Gershon Parent
Maresa & Phillip Patterson
Bill Patz & Erin Fairley
Essex & Cynthia Porter
Mark & Julie Rathbun
Kevin & Lisa Reynolds
Bruce & Janet Robb
Roxanne Dover-Robinson &
David Robinson
Barbara & Brian Rockey
Louise Bush & Kermit F. Rosen
Mark Rossow & Eun-Gyong Lee
Camille Sata & Jon Nishida
Hanita Schwartz & Kaveh
Goudarzian
Christopher Drajem & Patrick
Sexton
Cliff & Sandy Shettler
Richard Silverstein & Janis White
Peter & Ann Simonson
Harold & Carolyn Simonson
Lin Li & Bo Song
Suzanne Sowinska & Ruth Levine
William & Leslie Spurr
Edward & Barb St. Onge
Derek Stanley & Doug Hunt
Catherine Staunton & Jai
Lingappa
Peter Stevens
Helen Stusser
Marc Sumner & Carola
Loschmann
Romany Surla
Miriam & Dan Swedlow
Jana Swett & Paul Loovis
Lisa Emlen & Robert Takahashi
Glen Tamura & Ken Comstock
Laura & Emory Thomas
Barb Lui & Kip Tokuda
Hannah Tully
Doni Kwak & Dan Uhm
Marlies van Bergeijk
Silvia Elena Zarate Vidal
Minh Dai Vo & Trang Nguyen
Karen Walker
Sara Waterman & Curtis
DeGasperi
Susan Welch
Melinda Deane & Dan Wheetman
Casey & Ron White
Terri Capp & John Wiley
Ken Willner & Molly Reardon
Catherine Wilson
Dennis & Kit Wong
Michael & Tracy Wrey
Munehisa & Akiko Yabuki
Ying Quing Yang
Angela Ying & John Ruhland
Yongjian Yu & Ciyong Li
Can Zheng Zhao & Man Ai
Huang
May is Music Month
by Johnny Calcagno
The TOPS Elementary Play is traditionally a musical, and for
the second year in a row will be led by our amazing TOPS vocal
instructor Sari Breznau. Sari starts singing with our Kindergarten
kids, and continues working with them weekly for three
years. She then leads many of them in our
Hummingbird Choir for a couple of years.
Sari knows our kids very well, and it’s nearly
guaranteed that our young singers are going
to sound great. This year’s production, a
classic Broadway style musical “Best of Both
Worlds,” will be held May 20 and May 21 at
7:00 p.m.
M
ay is Music Month at TOPS, with opportunities to hear our
talented musicians perform throughout the month. This
year may be the busiest ever.
Starting the month long music series is our
annual TOPS Talent Show on May 6 at 7:00
p.m. This is always one of the most fun
nights of the year in the TOPS community,
with musical, acrobatic, and spoken word
performances from kids in all grades. It’s
often a showcase for kids who may not be
part of the TOPS formal ensembles, but who
may have a special or hidden talent.
The culminating event in our May Music
Series is the Spring Concert on May 24
at 1:30 and 7:00 p.m. Some of our TOPS
ensembles played in the Winter Concert in
December, but all of them will participate in
the Spring Concert. Ensembles include the
Hummingbird and Inspire Choirs, and our
string based Orchestra and Chamber Group.
We’ll also hear for the first time ever from our
newest instrumentalists, our 4th grade Band
and Orchestra. Finally, some of our most
advanced players will play in the TOPS Jazz
Band. They sounded great in their debut at
the Winter Concert, with a different sound
never heard before at TOPS.
The next day, May 7, features an afternoon
concert at the University Village Barnes
and Noble bookstore, with instrumental
and vocal performances from most TOPS ensembles. The event is a kickoff to a weeklong
fundraiser for our music programs in which
a percentage of B&N sales by TOPS supporters will benefit the school. Look for details
about the May 7 event and fundraiser on the
TOPS website and in the weekly Go-Home
closer to the date.
On May 11, for the first time, there will be an
Clip Art Etc.
off campus recital for TOPS guitar students.
Apparently the month of May is not just a
TOPS guitar teacher Ryan Hoffman and his Pearl Django
time of flowers, winding down the school year, and sadly fleeting
bandmate Michael Gray will be giving a recital of their guitar and
sunshine. At TOPS, it’s also about music.
violin students, including several students who take lessons as
part of the TOPS music program.
2010 - 2011 TOPS Calendar
Send your events and dates to our webmaster at webmaster@topsk8.org. Please check Go-Homes and the web site for updates.
May
2-6 (M-F)��Teacher Appreciation
Week
6-20 ��MSP Testing, dates
vary for grades
6 (F)��TOPS Talent Show, 7
p.m.
9-13 (M-F)��Spirit Week
11-13 (W-F)��8th grade Camp
11 (W)��Site Council meeting,
5-7 p.m.
13 (F)��Middle school dance,
6:30 – 8:30 p.m.
18 (W)��Professional
development block
time; 2-hour early
dismissal
9-10 (Th-F)��3rd and 4th grades,
Camp Arnold
20 (F)��ArtFest
20 (F)��Elementary school
play, 7:00 p.m.
13-15 (M-W)��6th grade Camp
21 (S)��Elementary school
play, 7:00 p.m.
15 (W)��3rd grade State
Museum
24 (T)��Spring Concert, 1:30
and 7 p.m.
16 (Th)��2nd grade to Golden
Gardens
25 (W)��D/HH to SCT
16 (Th)��Kindergarten Puppet
Show
30 (M)��Memorial Day;
no school
17 (F)��8th grade Passage
31 (T)��Grades 2-8 and S.E.
to SCT
20 (M)��Middle school to Wild
Waves
20 (M)��Field Day, elementary
school
June
8 (W)��Site Council meeting,
5-7 p.m.
5
20 (M)��5th grade Moving Up
ceremony
21 (T)��Last student day,
1-hour early dismissal
Photo by Don Zemke
What A Wonderful Evening It Was:
The 12th Annual Taste Of TOPS 2011
The Book Fair was a great place to see the
latest in children’s literature, while catching
up with TOPS friends and families. Sales
from the Book Fair raised about $1000 for
Book Bucks (distributed by teachers) and the
school book collection.
Taste of TOPS is coordinated each year by
the Coalition for Social Justice, so part of
the evening is intended to raise funds to
benefit an organization that is related to the
celebrated culture. This year we raised over
$200 by selling raffle tickets to benefit the
Abused Deaf Women’s Advocacy Services
(ADWAS). Representatives from ADWAS
were on hand to provide information and
giveaways for people to take. They made a
great presentation later in the evening and
were really appreciative of our gift. Winners
of the raffle took home coffee and gifts from
VOXX and Starbucks, a gift certificate for lunch at Julia’s Fourteen
Carrot Café, and a $100 Secret Garden Bookshop Gift Certificate.
by Karen Stuhldreher
T
he halls were filled with laughter, chatter, and signing; the
library was over-flowing with people browsing books; the
lunchroom tables brimmed with delicious meals. Everywhere we
turned, a new opportunity arose to learn something about this
year’s celebrated culture, Deaf and Hard of Hearing (D/HH).
Good food, a great time, much learning, and important
fundraising were all part of this year’s Taste of TOPS.
Many thanks for volunteering for Taste of TOPS go to: Lisa
Emlan, Bonnie Chec, Nancy Spraigins, Paige McGhee,
Johnny Calcagno, Karen Stuhldreher, Susan Welch, and
Nina’s 5th grade composters.
Teachers, the D/HH staff, and a dedicated group of parents created a Taste of TOPS program that was fun, surprising, touching,
and at times funny. We had rooms for American Sign Language
(ASL) Lotto and basic signing lessons; the halls were bedecked
with informative posters and lessons on D/HH history; Sarah’s
class made a life sized Chick-a-chick-a-Boom-Boom tree with
hand signs; Julie’s class made fantabulous, colorful signage for
all of the stations; there was a scavenger hunt in the cafeteria and
a table in the front hall with materials to make a sign with your
name in sign language.
Continued next page
Most entertaining of all, the Evening Show on the Jameson stage
stole the night. The evening opened with about 50 boys and girls
– kindergarten through 5th grade - performing in voice and ASL
an original song written by D/HH teacher Liz Hayden. Liz had
taught the song and students had practiced it for weeks in their
classrooms. Their performance, accompanied by Michael Adams
on guitar, was joyful.
Few who know Seth Ziegler from his work at TOPS know that
he is also a talented stage performer. His interpretation of The
Man Who Walked Between the Towers (picture book by Mordicai
Gerstein) was funny, provocative, and very inspiring. Seth also
visited each classroom and middle school in the weeks leading up
to Taste of TOPS to share with the kids some realities of growing
up deaf. Kids were invited to ask questions: it was certainly a rare
opportunity to dialogue first hand with a fascinating guy.
6
Photos by Don Zemke
Taste of TOPS continued from page 6
What did you think about
the Taste of TOPS?
by Nina’s 5th graders
“Seth’s performance was really cool
because we could understand what he
was saying even though we don’t know
sign language. He was really funny and
very entertaining. It was amazing how
he used his whole body and not just his
hands to communicate.”
“It was interesting that even though
we all know about the D/HH program,
most of the students didn’t understand
that much about the culture. The
activities really helped us learn more
about the whole deaf culture.”
Taste of TOPS
“We were really excited to help out the kindergarteners with the
songs. That was a lot of fun!”
by Bella Rowland-Reid, Grade 6
T
here were a lot of interesting things I learned about deaf
culture at the Taste of TOPS. In the lunchroom, there were
many autobiographies of deaf and hard of hearing people. I read
most and learned about how people who weren’t born deaf, but
lost his or her hearing later in life, had trouble adjusting from
hearing to sign language.
“I thought it was cool that ASL is structured to make pictures
rather than sentences like regular English.”
Taste of TOPS
by Juliette Clem, Grade 6
I wasn’t able to see much of the assembly, but what I did see was
nice. I saw Maggie’s sisters, Pearl and Ada, participate with the
entire elementary school signing /singing “I want to be your
friend” which I thought would have been very hard to have been
able to learn so many words in sign language.
W
hen I attended the Taste of TOPS I really enjoyed learning
about deaf culture. I think that everyone who attended
learned at least one thing about it. Probably the most interesting
thing I learned was how even though deaf people can’t hear, it’s
not like they aren’t people. They can laugh, and have fun just as
much as we can. I think this was a REALLY good idea for a theme
of Taste of TOPS and I will definitely be going next year. I think
that everyone who went got something out of this experience.
I also saw part of Seth Ziegler’s interpreted presentation. In
watching that, I learned more about deaf culture. I used to just
think deaf people were, well, just deaf. But I never knew that they
had their own culture. I learned about how each person has his or
her own particular style of signing. Some do it really fast, while
others can be slower at
it. And also different
countries have their
own special way of
signing, just like they
do in speaking. Like
how in ASL, usually
only one hand is used,
but in British Sign
Language, both hands
are used. There were
many more facts I
learned, but I’m getting
a really bad hand
cramp, so I guess this
is the end.
7
Photos by Don Zemke
CSJ Corner: Coalition for Social Justice
T
his is where you will want to look each month to find out
what the Coalition for Social Justice has planned for the
coming months!
The TOPS Mission Statement
We are committed to educating our students by using an
anti-bias, multicultural approach in a safe and stimulating
environment. We help all students to learn, to understand
and honor diversity, to respect and care for themselves
and others, to be responsible, and to achieve a high level
of academic excellence. By eliminating the achievement
gap, we include students historically underserved by the
public school system and help all students to meet or exceed
standards.
Coalition for Social Justice is a group of parents, staff, and
administrators who work together in support of the stated mission
and vision of TOPS. The purpose of the events that CSJ sponsors
is to promote dialogue and educate ourselves and the school community about issues of academic equity, cultural diversity, and
social justice as they affect our school and the broader community.
Watch the Go-Home for the date of May’s meeting where
we will begin discussion of next year’s activities. If you
haven’t been to a CSJ meeting all year, this may be your last
chance! All are welcome!!
The TOPS Vision Statement
We are creating a school that empowers students to be
active participants, leaders, learners, and contributors to
social justice.
IN HONOR OF OUR
Teachers
Teacher Appreciation Week is May 2-6
No matter how lovely the building, a school is a community of people
rather than a place. As parents we know that teaching is often a difficult,
but rewarding job, and we truly appreciate all of the time, energy, and
loving care they dedicate to our children.
We appreciate every single teacher!
Remember to give our TOPS teachers
an extra thank you this week!
10
Planting the Seeds Celebration March 24
by Elizabeth Dickinson and Cory Maclay,
Planting the Seeds parent volunteer coordinators
A
big THANK YOU to the over 75 parents, teachers, and youth
from different grades who spent their Thursday night in
the TOPS library nibbling on food, mingling with friends, and
enjoying the video Don Zemke and his group made of the 2011
Planting the Seeds experience. March was a busy month, so if you
did not get a chance to come out to the event, enjoy these pictures
and please mark your calendars for next year.

After the video, Ms. Lori Eick, staff leader of the three year-old
program, shared how TOPS came to incorporate this wonderful
service learning immersion project around homelessness and the
urban poor. Not too surprising, when the idea was first proposed,
many staff and parents had concerns and plenty of questions. And
yet, there was trust too, from the very beginning.
logistics: driving people and things around the city – Nov,
Jan and Feb
If you will be an 8th grade family, look for ways to participate
alongside the youth in the agency visits.
If you will be a 7th grade family, get ready to bake the sweet
treats for agency visits.
If you will be a 6th grade family, please consider coordinating
and/or participating in a drive for toiletry items.
If you will be a 5th grade family, please consider coordinating
the housewares drive.
Parents of all ages can offer respite for teachers/staff during
the two overnight stays at local churches or agencies.
Everyone at TOPS can participate in the toiletry and houseware
drives, and the post event celebration in March.
Thank you, thank you, thank you to all who made this project
possible, meaningful, and FUN in 2011, and for all of you who will
do the same in 2012!
Now that the third and largest group of 8th graders has come
back and shared how their perceptions and lives have been
transformed, it’s become clear: Planting the Seeds is a vital piece
of the TOPS social justice curriculum. It’s one of the many ways
our school community is unique within the district.
There are so many ways YOUR FAMILY can participate in
Planting the Seeds 2012.
You will be offered chances to sign up during Curriculum Night
in the fall. Some of the work starts right away in October and
November, but much of the food related work won’t get started
until January.
If you enjoy working with a team on a piece of a larger
project, when you come to Curriculum Night in the fall, look
for sign up opportunities around:
confirming the visits and activities with over 30 agencies Oct and Nov
planning, shopping, and making student and staff meals
– Jan and Feb
planning, shopping, and making food at agency visits –
Jan and Feb
11
Photos by Wayne Duncan
Penny Harvest
by Melissa Leonard, Penny Harvest Coach
up to meet and discuss the challenges in our community. They
have been thoughtful participants with big hearts and strategic
thinkers, as they moved through a tough process of narrowing the
issues and choosing agencies to address those issues.
T
he TOPS Penny Harvest Roundtable is now completed for
the 2010/2011 school year and I’m pleased to announce TOPS
will be extending two $500 grants this year. After a lengthy
series and much discussion and investigation, the
TOPS Penny Harvest Roundtable will be awarding
grants to the Seattle Parks Foundation and Mary’s
Place. It was the Roundtable’s evaluation that our
community needed more parks and open spaces
and money to take care of those places for maintenance and improvements. They also wanted
to help contribute to helping provide shelter and
care for homeless women and children in our
area. The Seattle Parks Foundation was awarded
this grant last year and Mary’s Place has been an
agency that the TOPS Planting the Seeds program has
worked with over the last couple of years. I am so impressed with
the Roundtable participants and how many lunch hours they gave
The TOPS Penny Harvest Roundtable participants will
be recognized and our grants given at an end of year
assembly. But should you see these children before
that time, please acknowledge their volunteerism
and community service. We had a record number
of Penny Harvest Roundtable members: Glory
Busic, Jonah Silverstein, Omari Salisbury, Ammon
Winstead, Isaiah Rockey, Eva Guarda Vazquez, Ethan
Kutch, Aria Kischner, Khoa Tran, Joe Wolf, Isabella
Ceriale, Ellie Malone, Evan Owens, Jasper Brannon,
Stephen Shettler, Jae Abrams, Claire Spragins, Lucy Kolpa,
Nicole Godbout, Gabriella Kimmerly, Maggie Malone, Parker
Cech, Atticus Pennylegion-Hurley, and Owen Leonard.
TOPS News
needs YOU!
W
e will lose one of our editors next year so we could use some
more editing help. Please consider lending a hand; it’s a little
editing and proof reading once a month. You could even write
some articles if you’re interested too. This is a very rewarding job
and a great way to contribute to the TOPS community. Contact
Ann or Doriane, topsnewsletter@gmail.com .
Kid’s Co Summer
by Aaron Norikane, Program Director,
Kids Co. at TOPS K-8
W
e are also losing our layout artist and are still seeking a
special volunteer (or volunteers) to be our next layout artist.
This is a great opportunity to serve the community
while developing valuable desktop publishing skills. We can provide you with
training, as well as all the files, fonts,
and images you'll need. Any prior
experience with Adobe InDesign
and Photoshop would be helpful.
M
yths, Science, Inventions, and Iron Chef
III are just a few of the wonderful themes
we have going on this summer at Kids Co.!
Please visit us on our website at www.kidscompany.org for more details. We’d love to see you
and your child this summer!
You can call or email Aaron at Kids Co. at (206)
709-8487 or email at www.kidscompany.org/
locations/capitol-hill
Time commitment is approximately 8-10 hours/month, generally the 3rd week of the month.
With more than one volunteer, it's
possible to share the workload or alternate
months during the school year.
Our mission is to provide and advocate for high
quality childcare that nurtures and enriches all
children, supporting their success in school and
in life.
Please email Paul at javabrain@msn.com if you are interested in
learning more!
12
Tracy Seefeld’s 2nd Graders are
Amazing Fruit and Vegetable Eaters
by Catherine Staunton
T
he last two weeks
of January, I
had the pleasure of
providing Tracy’s 2nd
graders with snacks. I
was leaning towards
“going healthy” and
decided to fully take
the plunge and serve
exclusively raw fruits
and vegetables: no
ranch dressing to dip
in, no sugar sprinkled
on top, no juice boxes
or even popcorn.
I nervously arrived that first day
with cups of apple and pear slices.
The kids were lukewarm, but ate
lots! The first day of only vegetables
(cherry tomatoes and carrots) also
saw skepticism, but once again, large
quantities of snacks disappeared.
After the initial days, I consistently
received a warm welcome as kids
rushed to see what produce I had in
tow. We alternated: fruits on one day,
vegetables the next.
Over the two-week period, only three
cups (of 176 cup size servings) came
back untouched. Other cups were at
least partially emptied, and many kids
asked for seconds and even thirds.
All in all, the kids averaged one
cup (which equals two servings) of
fruits or vegetables per snack. That’s
amazing!
After the two weeks were up, I
went back to talk with these second
graders about their “healthy snacks.”
They enthusiastically discussed
the importance of eating fruits and
vegetables, drew and then graphed
their favorite produce, and gave tips
on “how to get kids to eat their fruits
and vegetables.”
Thanks Tracy! Thanks 2nd graders! I so
enjoyed having snack with you all!
13
Photos by Catherine Staunton
TOPS Disaster Response for Japan
by Aria Kischner and Souma Yabuki, Grade 3
O
n March 11 at 2:46 p.m., a 9.0 magnitude
earthquake hit Japan and thirty minutes later,
a tsunami hit. Nearly 40 cities were destroyed, 12,431
people were dead, 15,153 people are still missing, and
164,315 people are homeless and need lots of help.
We watched the news on TV and wanted to help
people in Japan.
We decided to organize a fundraising campaign. We
went to nine classes to talk about what happened.
We organized groups of two to four kids to talk to a
class. We came prepared with facts and pictures. In
one picture, the water from the tsunami came up two
stories high. We appreciated people listening to our
talks.
It was interesting seeing how much money people would give.
Some kids even gave some of their allowance. We also learned
that we shouldn’t start collecting money until we have planned
out in advance what we want to do with our committee. We
need to get committee members to help spread the word and
share the work.
We gave all the money to Peace Winds America to help Peace
Winds Japan. The money we collected will help many people
and kids in Japan. We chose Peace Winds after reading all of
the descriptions of other organizations. Peace Winds was the
best for us because the office is on Eastlake so we could walk
down and give them the money in person. Peace Winds is
already on the ground in Japan and works with Mercy Corps.
Thank you everyone who helped us raise
money for Japan. Many people gave more
than just money. They gave time, energy,
and interest. Many parents wrote checks
for us. The Nishida/Sata family gave $1,000
by opening Cam’s dental office for Spring
Break. Together we raised over $1,400 as of
April 5, 2011.
Our committee members were Ammon
Winstead, Aria Kischner, Evelyn Callahan,
Kenji Nishida, Leiney Gamache, Natalie
Clemans, Nova Curtis, Sophia Copeland,
Souma Yabuki, and Sydney Reynolds in 3rd
grade; Mack Nishida in 4th grade; and Will
Clemans in 1st grade.
Photos by Nancy Bacon
14
TOPS Volleyball 2011
by Kamry Adams, Grade 8
E
quality is a big word this season for the Lady Falcons. With an array
of sixth, seventh, and eighth graders, we are all learning to play as a
team. Everyone gets a good amount of playing and we all take a part in
the success of our team. Coming off of a close loss in our first game gets
our team more pumped up for every Saturday. When we make mistakes
that we shouldn’t have, Coach T and Coach Amy push us even harder,
and to be honest we need all the reinforcement that we can get. Being one of the eighth graders on the team is an amazing feeling by itself, but knowing that we are relied on for help and support is that much
better. It is also good to know that we play a big role in the way our team
works. Having the opportunity to become a captain is another plus.
Having responsibility is a challenge, but a fun challenge nonetheless. Not having JV and Varsity seemed dreadful at the beginning of the
season, but having teams that have a selection of each grade is a great
way to mix and mingle with new players and get to know EVERYONE
better. We help each other out and feed off of each other’s energy, which
makes practices and games a lot more fun and less stressful. We want big wins just like any other team, and even though our wish
to stay undefeated wasn’t fulfilled, there is a championship that is still
within our reach. For the rest of the season we are going to play like we
know we can, be aggressive, and never give up. We have a pretty strong
unit, and with that, we can pull through. We all hope to see some love and support from fellow TOPS students
and teachers at our games on Saturdays...but if not, we have each other.
GOOOOOO FALCONS!!!
P.E. at TOPS Is My Life
by Maddy Imbert, Grade 8
Every day in P.E. we stretch, do our warm-up, and have
multiple activities that our awesome and highly educated
physical education teachers Eric and Don set up for us. P.E.
is a place where our grade and the grades below can be a
family, have fun, and get amazing exercise.
Even though P.E. is tons of fun, it also informs you about
health and the components of fitness to prepare us for
future education that we will embark on later on in life.
This makes this class very valuable to me, and all my fellow
TOPS classmates. It’s a great place to go to at the end of the
day and get rid of all the excess energy you need to burn off
and just let go. Don and Eric give us the chance to socialize
as well as learn a lot about fitness and how to keep your
body healthy.
When it’s time to go to P.E., I know I’m going to have fun,
get wonderful exercise, and have a chance to talk to my
friends. I love this class and wouldn’t have it any other way!
Photos by Don Zemke
15
Nonprofit Organization
U.S. Postage
PA I D
Seattle, WA
Permit No. 3904
CG-599
Seattle School District No. 1
PO Box 34165
Seattle, WA 98124-1165
TOPS Drama presents the 2011 Elementary Musical
Friday & Saturday, May 20-21, 7:00 p.m.
Todd Jamieson Theater (TOPS Gym)
Book by Flip Kobler and Cindy Marcus
Music by Dennis Poore
Lyrics by Flip Kobler
Directed by Sari Breznau, TOPS Music and Choir Director
Come early on Friday to enjoy art created by
TOPS students at the ArtFest on Friday, May 20
Thanks to G & H Printing, 2370 Eastlake E. 329-9888
The Seattle School District is an Equal Employment Opportunity, Affirmative Action employer and employs individuals without regard to race, creed, color, national origin, age, sex, marital status, handicap/disability or
sexual orientation. The Seattle School District provides Equal Education Opportunity without regard to race, creed color, nation origin, sex, mental states, handicap/disability or sexual orientation. The District complies
with all applicable State and Federal laws and regulations, including but not limited to Titles VI, VII, and IX of the Civil Rights Act, Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act, the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA), RCW
49.60, Law Against Discrimination, and RCW 28A.640 “Sex Equality,” and covers, but is not limited to, all District programs, courses activities (including) extracurricular activities, service, access to facilities, etc. The Title
IX officer and 504 coordinator with overall responsibility for monitoring and ensuring compliance is: Rick Takeuchi, Manager, Affirmative Action Office, W/MBE, 815 4th Ave. N., Seattle 98109. Phone (206)298-7175.
Individuals who believe they have been discriminated against in any of the District’s employment or educational activities can file an internal discrimination complaint with the District’s Affirmative Action Office.