The 2020-21 school year is certain to be an interesting time, when collaboration between parents/guardians, teachers, and school administration will continue to be incredibly important!  Our PTA sees the start of the new school year as an opportunity to make some changes in our own structure to be more representative of our whole school community.  We also recognize the need to plan for limited funding, but increased needs.

Please join our meeting on June 9 at 6:30 pm to participate in a discussion about an important change to our structure (see below), our 2020-21 officers, and 2020-21 budget.  A Zoom link will be shared in an upcoming school-wide email.

Background on proposed changes to our structure:

• We are looking into transitioning from a formal Parent Teacher Association (PTA) to a type of Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) known as a site council.  Instead of registering members and collecting dues, our site council would automatically include every parent, guardian, teacher/staff member and administrator at our school.  And it would be free.  This is one important step towards our goal of equity and inclusivity, and we hope you’ll be inspired to participate.
• With a site council model, our non-profit 501c3 would continue under a new name, “Friends of Thurgood Marshall Elementary.”  It would continue to do many of the things families have told us they value most: coordinating bulk purchase of school supplies, coordinating our after-school enrichment program and scholarships, holding community-building events, providing classroom grants for every teacher, and more.
• We are working to draft updated bylaws and the document to formally change our 501c3 name.  If you would like to learn more or help out, please let us know!  The proposed documents will be posted to tmlink.org by the end of May.
• We have many different opportunities for getting involved and volunteering, many of which take less than 1 hour per week and can be done via email or phone.  Please email pta@tmlink.org if you’d like to learn more, and please also join us for the June 9 meeting.

Information from Washington Middle School regarding music auditions for students entering 6th grade in fall 2020.

Welcome to the music program at Washington Middle School! We’re all very excited to welcome our incoming 6^th grade class and we look forward to working with you for the next 3 years! Below, you’ll find information for auditions in the WMS music program. You are not required to audition if you are planning to enroll in Debut Choir, Beginning Band, or Beginning Orchestra since these classes are for “first-timers” or kids that want a fresh start on their instrument. If you will be enrolling in one of those 3 classes, you don’t have to read any further and we look forward to seeing you next year! If you would like to audition for a more challenging ensemble, please follow this link for details and links to the audition music for each instrument.

Questions? You can email Mr. Sundt (Band) at mjsundt@seattleschools.org or Mr. Kolk (Orchestra) at brkolk@seattleschools.org

Dear Thurgood Marshall Families,

As you may know, two of our staff members recently lost a relative, Cora Jean Howard, to COVID-19.  Shari Howard-Powell lost her beloved mother and Deron Bryant lost his beloved grandmother.  To honor the matriarch of their family, Cora Jean Howard, a retired educator from Emerson Elementary, the family has created “The Howard Family Memorial Fund” through The Alliance for Education.  Please consider donating to this fund to honor the memory of Cora Jean Howard.

You can donate directly via The Alliance for Education by clicking on this link.  When donating please scroll down and select “The Howard Family Memorial Fund.”

The Seattle Times published an article on Cora Jean Howard’s life, and if you would like to leave a memory or condolence for the family please visit the Dignity Memorial page.

Sincerely,

Donna Dugan on behalf of the Thurgood Marshall Social Committee

Registrations for Spring Enrichment are postponed until further notice due to the recently announced school closures.  We will update everyone as we get more information.