2022-2023 Welcome Packet


September 28, 2022

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Haddii aad u baahan tahay inaad ku akhrido Xidhmada Soo dhawaynta oo luqad kale ah, isticmaal liiska luqadda ee sare.

On behalf of the PTSA, welcome to the 2022-2023 school year!

We hope your year is off to a great start. This packet contains a lot of information that we hope is helpful for your family. It might be too much to take in all at once, but we encourage you to keep it for your reference.

Please take a moment and:

  • Sign up for the PTSA Digest here 
  • Join or renew your PTSA membership here 
  • Contribute to the Annual Fund campaign here       

 

At Orca, We All Belong. The Orca K-8 PTSA works together with the Orca K-8 community to educate the whole child with a focus on social justice and environmental science. We strive to create an environment where students understand not only the connections between academic subjects, but also the connections between people.

We do this important work by funding core enrichment programs, like the Orca Garden, Speak With Purpose, Race Forum, and the Inclusion Committee. We work to ensure equity by supplying every teacher, the art room, gym, library, and health rooms with a stipend for supplies. We host community events to help bring us all together. We help connect caregivers with opportunities to volunteer.

But we can’t do any of this without you. In community we find strength. By coming together, we are able to achieve more than we can alone.

There are many ways you can help, large and small. They all add up to make a huge difference, and allow us to support our teachers, administration, students, and caregivers. Learn more on the “How to Volunteer at Orca” page in this packet, or reach out directly to our volunteer coordinator Karen West at volunteer@orca-k8-ptsa.com

Help us reach our $20,000 Annual Fund Goal!

The last two years have been difficult for the PTSA, just as I’m sure they have been for your family. When everything shut down, we were weeks away from our biggest fundraiser of the year. It never happened and we have been operating with less money and increased needs ever since. 

We have been forced to cut several traditional programs due to pandemic regulations, as well as lack of funding. These include field trips, the Environmental Science Night, and the much beloved Orca Plus, our afterschool enrichment program. Orca Plus provided a wide variety of afterschool enrichment programs for every grade level onsite at Orca. The PTSA paid a coordinator to run the program and also paid the enrollment fees for any student that could not afford to attend. 

We want to bring these programs back to Orca, but we can’t do it without your support.

$20,000 sounds like a lot of money. And it is. We can meet this goal if every family gives an amount that is meaningful for them. Whether you can afford $5 or $500, your gift is appreciated and will be put to good use: 

  • Orca’s Garden Program, Garden Instructor & weekly instruction for K-8 = $45,500
  • Program support (art and library, health room and classroom supplies) = $14,500
  • PTSA committees and events (race forum, teacher appreciation, translation of materials, and community events) = $6,000
  • Speak with Purpose public speaking program = $16,000
  • We want to bring back Orca Plus! This is an expense that is not in our current budget = $10,000

Contribute to the Annual Fund campaign here

Thank you for choosing Orca K-8. We look forward to making this a wonderful year TOGETHER!

The PTSA Board,

Jessica Jones - President, Ron Milan - Vice President, Karin Johansson - Treasurer, Thomas Pool - Secretary,  Karen West - Volunteer Coordinator,  Randy Steinhaus - SESSFA rep, Monique Harris Jones - 6-8 Grade Band rep, Nirvani Bissessar - 3-5 Grade Band rep, Brianna Beck - K-2 Grade Band rep, Ruby Pardo - Garden Liaison, Elizabeth Munger and Ash Bellamy - Teacher reps

 

2022-2023 Orca K-8 Event Calendar

  • Regular School schedule: Orca K-8 start time is 8:55am and end time is 3:25pm, except Wednesday early release. 
    • Wednesday Early Release Schedule: 8:55am – 2:10 pm 
  • PTSA General Meetings (include PTSA updates, and announcements and Q&A with Dr. Luster): October, December, February, April, June - 7pm via zoom
    • Sign up for the Orca Digest or check the PTSA website and FB page for the latest updates and the link to join meetings
  • PTSA Board Meetings: Generally the 2nd Tuesday of each month at 7pm via zoom 
    • Open to all - email president@orca-k8-ptsa.org for a link to attend
  • To stay connected and get the latest updates:

 

FALL:
October 11: PTSA Board meeting
October 13: Curriculum Night
October 14: No School (In Service Day)
October 17: Picture Day with Yuen Lui
October 18: PTSA General meeting and Q&A with Dr. Luster
October 18 and 19: Orca Garden Harvest Festival (10/18 for K-5, 10/19 for 6-8)
School Social: TBD
Orca Read-A-Thon: November 7-18
November 8: PTSA Board meeting
Garden Work Party: TBD
November 21-25: No School - conferences, Thanksgiving Break
November 29: PTSA Board meeting
December 5: Yuen Lui picture make-up day
December 6: PTSA General Meeting and Q&A with Dr. Luster
December 8: Math Night
December 10: Holiday Bazaar
December 16: 1-hour early dismissal  
December 19 – 30: No School - Winter break  
 
Winter:
January 2: No School - New Year’s Day Observed
January 10: PTSA Board meeting
January 16: No School - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
MLK March: TBD
School Clean-up: TBD
Race Forum Workshop: TBD
Environmental Science Night: TBD
February 7: PTSA Board Meeting
February 13: NAAPID: National African American Parent Involvement Day
February 15: PTSA General Meeting and Q&A with Dr. Luster
February 20-24: No School - Mid Winter Break
Orca K-8 School Tours: TBD
Orca K-8 Open House: TBD
March 7: PTSA Board meeting
March 6-17: SESSFA Move-A-Thon

Spring:
Salmon Release Day: TBD
Many Cultures, One World (MCOW): TBD
Orca Garden Photos: TBD
April 4: PTSA Board meeting
April 10-14: No School - Spring Break
April 20: PTSA General Meeting and Q&A with Dr. Luster
Spring Fundraiser: TBD
Spring Garden Work Party: TBD
May 1-5: Teacher Appreciation Week
May 9: PTSA Board meeting
May 13: Orca Garden Plant Sale
May 29: No School - Memorial Day
June 6: PTSA Board meeting
June 13: PTSA General Meeting and Q&A with Dr. Luster
June 19: No School - Juneteenth
End of Year Celebration: TBD
8th Grade Moving Up Celebration TBD
June 26: Last Day of School


How to volunteer at Orca

EVERYONE’S HELP IS WELCOME. WE ALL BELONG.

We need lots of volunteers, consistently, who are eager and ready to help. Volunteers keep Orca vibrant and strong while sending a message to the teachers, administration and students that our families are involved and are deeply committed to our school.

Please tell us how you want to help. Fill out the PTSA Volunteer Form 

Please complete the online form or reach out directly to our Volunteer Coordinator Karen West at volunteer@orca-k8-ptsa.org
You can reach out to your teachers directly to help in the classroom.

Thank you for supporting our community through the Orca K-8 PTSA!

Some Volunteer role highlights:

  • Join the PTSA Board - we have three vacant positions: Fundraising and Membership Chair, Legislative and Advocacy Chair, and Diversity and Equity Chair
  • Become a Classroom Coordinator - pass on important PTSA information to your classroom and support your teacher by coordinating snacks and gifts for your teacher from the class. Reach out to your teacher or volunteer@orca-k8-ptsa.org to sign up!

 

You must complete the SPS volunteer application to volunteer with students!

  • The applications take approximately 2 weeks to process, so complete yours now!
  • The SPS volunteer application process is now all online, and the background check is good for two years.

The Orca K-8 PTSA works together with the Orca K-8 community to educate the whole child with a focus on social justice and environmental science. We strive to create an environment where students understand not only the connections between academic subjects, but also the connections between people.

Donate HERE