Dear Families,

May is a very busy month at MES! All classes are engaging in PBL (project-based learning), end-of-year testing is happening and the energy is high! Refer to your student’s classroom teacher to learn more about their project and when specific testing dates are.

I want to take a moment to recognize our incredible staff! Next week is teacher appreciation week and PTA has planned something each day to celebrate our dedicated staff. I feel fortunate to work with the dedicated and dynamic staff at MES and learn from them every day. Please take time next week to show your appreciation!

I’d also like to encourage you to join me on May 7, to have coffee, connect, and ask your burning questions. We will meet at 8:00 am in the MES conference room. Lastly, please join the PTA general meeting on May 16th. PTA members will be voting on the budget for next year and electing board members for the 24-25 school year. Your voice is important!

Have a wonderful weekend!

In partnership,

Kelly

Important Dates

May 1 – 31 – MES PTA & Student Leadership First Annual Shoe Drive
May 6 – 10 – Teacher Appreciation Week
May 7 8am – Coffee with Principal Kelly
May 16 6:00pm to 7:30pm – MES PTA Annual General Meeting (Virtual)

Repeat- Spring Testing Information

Now that we are getting closer to the end of the year, I want to make you aware of standardized and end-of-year testing required in K-5. Your child’s teacher will communicate their specific schedule closer to the dates. First, I want to acknowledge that testing is a part of our current academic school experience. These tests measure one kind of intelligence on one day. They don’t give you the full depth and breadth of your child’s smarts! Your kids are smart in so many ways the test doesn’t show. The results do become important for creating a baseline in your child’s reading, writing and math education, and over the years growth can be tracked. It’s very important to us that students try their best, take the tests seriously, AND we don’t’ want to create anxiety around getting a certain score or placement. Doing their best is always enough.

SBA (Grades 3-5)

Smarter Balanced Assessment: https://smarterbalanced.org/get-to-know-the-test-parent-edition/

Students take the SBA test at Seattle Public Schools at the end of every school year beginning in third grade. This is a test that measures achievement in third-fifth grade standards. Students take math, reading and writing tests.

Scores are reported in two ways: scaled scores and achievement levels. See more information on scoring SBA here: https://validity.smarterbalanced.org/scoring/

MAP (K-5)

Measuring Academic Progress: https://www.nwea.org/family-toolkit/

The MAP test is one that students take every year in Seattle Schools at the beginning and end of the year. This is an adaptive test, which means if students get a question wrong, it will ask an easier question next and if they get it correct, they will try a more challenging question. The test attempts to find their just right scores and tests between grades K-5.

iReady End of Year Diagnostic (K-5) https://i-readycentral.com/familycenter/

This year our PTA funded a reading comprehension curriculum with classroom instruction called Magnetic Reading and a computer platform for personalized instruction called iReady. All students took a beginning-of-the-year (except K) placement diagnostic on their laptops in September (or when they started at MES). We did a mid-year diagnostic in January and the results were sent home. At the end of the year, students will take one more diagnostic to measure their growth this year. We take the diagnostic for about 30 minutes per day over a 3-4 day time period. This is the one test students will be most familiar with.

Updates from the MES PTA

Magnolia Elementary PTA Annual Giving Campaign

Thank You for Supporting MES!
A huge thank you and congratulations to everyone in our MES community! Our annual MES PTA funding campaign was a success, and it’s all thanks to you. Your amazing support helped raise $45,000 for Magnolia Elementary School PTA.

We achieved 69% of our goal and achieved a 50% participation rate. Thank you to all of our generous parents and teachers who donated to the MES PTA!

The success of this campaign has set up the MES PTA extremely well to support the most important priorities that you or our members have outlined in the MES PTA Funding Priorities Survey.
Stay tuned for the publication of our 2024-2025 proposed MES PTA budget next week ahead of our Annual General Meeting on May 16, 2024.

Even though the campaign has wrapped up, you can still donate until the school year ends. Every bit helps us make MES an even better place for our kids.

Your donations are making a real difference, funding important programs and resources that will improve our children’s learning.

A heartfelt thank you from the MES PTA Board – we couldn’t do it without you!

P.S. Want to keep helping? It’s not too late! Click Here to Donate and keep the momentum going!

MES PTA & Student Leadership First Annual Shoe Drive

We are excited to announce our First Annual MES Shoe Drive, an initiative brought to you by the MES PTA in collaboration with our Student Leadership Team!

From May 1st to May 31st, we invite you to participate in this opportunity to give shoes a second life and support those in need.

Do you have gently used shoes that are just gathering dust? Now’s the perfect time to clean out those closets and contribute to a worthy cause. Bring your sneakers, sandals, boots, and loafers – if they’re in good condition, we want them!

Here’s how you can help:

• Collect any gently used shoes from your home.
• Encourage friends and neighbors to do the same.
• Drop off your shoes in the designated yellow bins located in the middle of the first or second floors at MES.

Let’s come together as a community and show how MES steps up to make a difference! Remember, every pair counts, and together we can help feet in need. Let’s kick off this drive with enthusiasm and generosity!

Teacher Appreciation Week

Teacher Appreciation Week is about to Take Flight at MES!

Get ready to embark on a journey of gratitude and celebration as we gear up for Teacher Appreciation Week at Magnolia Elementary School (MES), from May 6th to 10th!

This year, we’re adding a sprinkle of globetrotting fun with a Travel-Themed adventure, preparing daily surprises to show our heartfelt appreciation for our amazing teachers who guide our children’s learning odysseys every day!

Calling all bakers and kitchen maestros – we invite you to showcase your delectable creations and help us honor our teachers with treats that transport their taste buds to exotic locales and familiar favorites alike.

To lend your culinary talents or to learn more about how you can support this event, please email Nikita or give her a ring at (206) 591-5590.

Stay tuned for additional details from your Parent Room.

Haven’t been receiving updates from your room parent? No passport needed to join this journey! Simply email our Room Parent liaison to get connected and receive all the essential information.

Let’s give our teachers a ‘world-class’ week of appreciation they’ll never forget!

Coffee with Principal Kelly

Join us on Tuesday, May 7 at 8am, for a monthly informal gathering with Principal Kelly and MES Parent-Teacher Association (PTA) Board members (and coffee, of course)!

It’s a fantastic opportunity for parents to come together, ask questions, provide valuable feedback and ideas, and engage in open conversation with our school principal.

Your voice matters and we look forward to building a stronger school community together!

MES PTA Annual General Meeting

Get involved in your school community and mark your calendar for the MES PTA Annual General Meeting on May 16th from 6pm to 7:30pm!

We invite all Magnolia Elementary families, teachers, and staff to our virtual meeting. If you would like to have the ability to vote Become an MES PTA Member Now. No family will be turned away due to lack of funds, so if you would like to request support please email our membership team.

During this evening you will have the opportunity to:
1. Hear about the many successes we have had at MES this year and see how your dollars were put to work through academic programs, school support, events, teacher grants and much more.
2. Review, vote, and ask questions about our 2024-2025 MES PTA Budget.
3. Have a voice and vote on who leads the MES PTA board as officers are elected.
4. Open Q&A for families and teachers to ask any questions they may have.

There is still time for you to express your interest in the 2024-2025 MES PTA Board for the roles of President, Vice-President, Treasurer or Secretary. Not ready for a leadership spot? No problem! We have many important behind-the-scenes roles too.

If you are interested in running for or joining the 2024-2025 MES PTA Board check out our website.

Join us on May 16th to learn how you can help strengthen our school community. It takes a village and we want you to be part of the team!