“More Alike Than Different” I’m not sure how many of you know but my daughter, Claire, is in the Special Education - Life Skills Program here at Mt. Pilchuck Elementary. This is her sixth and final year as a Mt. Pilchuck Panther. The first four years were spent in Mrs. Wyant’s class. Then, for fourth grade she was in Mrs. Ipock’s class. In her final year at Mt. Pilchuck, she currently has Miss Nielson for fifth grade. Just writing that this is her final year as a Mt. Pilchuck Panther brings tears to my eyes. They say your child’s elementary years will pass in a flash, and believe me, they do. When Hillary Clinton quoted an old African proverb that states, “It takes a village

to raise a child”, she was so accurate. In Claire’s case it takes a very large, patient and loving village. Her ‘village’ is everyone from her family who helps get her dressed and fed each morning, to her bus drivers (Liz and Debbie) who pick her up/drop her off with a smile, to her Para educators Ms. Donna and Ms. Halverson who greet her at the bus doors, to Mrs. Freemon, Ms. Robin, Nurse Angela and Mrs. Larson who extend that warm welcome each morning as she enters into the school, to Mr. Thomas, Dr. Valenzuela, Mrs. Kurtenbach, Ms. Sue, Mr. John, Mrs. Burke, Mrs. Kent, Mrs. Mauer (and many others) who encourage her as she rounds the corner and heads toward her Life Skills class. Here, her patient and kind teacher, Miss Nielson and many friends greet her. At lunch and recess she is supported and inspired by so many like Brandy, and her ‘food whisperer’ Para educator - Mrs. LaBranche, and many kind friends. I am also grateful to Mrs. Kendall, Mrs. Wyant and Mrs. Ipock for inviting Claire over to their classes for sci-ence, art and other fun activities. Of course, there are many others who support and encourage Claire but these were just some of the many who enter into her life each day to make Mt. Pilchuck a flagship school (and village) that welcomes Claire with her unique disabilities. Yes, Claire has disabilities - but she is a fighter. Claire was a child who was never expected to walk/talk/or even sit up. Yet, have you seen her zoom across the monkey bars at recess lately? Claire has a physical disability that is no different than a student who only has one leg. But, in Claire’s case, you cannot see her disability - as she is missing a large portion of her brain. Yes, Claire was born without a corpus callosum, and an underdeveloped cortex. If you think you sometimes struggle to learn something new, think about how hard Claire must work to master new skills. She is a true champion in the truest of definitions. Do I sound like a proud mom, or what? Well, I am! Claire would also like you to know that she, and others like her with disabilities, is MORE ALIKE THAN DIFFERENT from you and me. Just like most of you reading this, she wants family, friendship, kindness, acceptance, yummy food, a cozy bed, and the list goes on. You see, when it comes to wanting the same things as you and me, Claire is NO DIFFERENT. At home, Claire likes to play with her American Girl dolls, and Molly is her favorite. She also likes to swing on the monkey bars, and zoom across the zip line in our backyard. Claire loves the Howling Tornado at the Great Wolf Lodge, pizza, orange juice, Starbucks hot cocoa (no whip & not too hot), tubing behind her family ski boat, jumping off diving boards, swimming, playing the SIMS with her big sister and watching West Coast Customs (or any car show) with her dad. She also enjoys attending theatre with her mom, playing on a soccer team, riding her bike, playing on her iPad, hanging our with her sisters/friends, and singing along to Taylor Swift with her younger sister. So, consider encouraging your child to find something in common with Claire or another child at Mt. Pilchuck who has a disability. Because by discovering what makes us the same, we will begin to re-alize we are all more alike than different.

Warmest Regards, Rebecca DeFrang, PTA President

President Rebecca DeFrang

rdefrang@comcast.net #425-418-4532

Co-Vice Presidents Kelly DuByne

kdubyne@comcast.net #425-238-3678

Liz Janssen Keith_liz@comcast.net

#425-231-1409

Secretary Marianne Colvin Marianne_Colvin

@LkStevens.wednet.edu #425-335-1525

Co-Treasurers Rebecca Broadbent

#425-315-3081

Janet Raynor Janet_raynor@yahoo.com

#425-374-3301

Mt. Pilchuck PTA 2012/2013 Executive Board Of Directors

Music Notes by Mrs. Kurtenbach Willy Wonka Jr. was a big hit on March 15

th and 16

th. Mrs. Gordon and I were so proud of our

Drama Students’ hard work and synergizing abilities. We had so much fun at our performances and the kids were amazing. We could not be prouder. A special thank you to you parents who came to our rescue when we were short handed back stage and in the assembly of the sets including: Kristin Fetters-Walp, Rebecca DeFrang, Liz Janssen, Bridget McLeod, Jenny Brooks, Vicki Mehaffey, Jill Knutson, Maria and Fran-cisco Rizo, Zach and Robyne Misner, Sarah Danielson and Mr. Danielson, Mr. & Mrs. Hines, James Spainhower, Mr. Kurtenbach and Tyler Miles. Hopefully we have not missed anyone! Coming up on May 21

st are two concerts at the PAC.

We will have the 4th

Grade Leaders of Washington History starting at 6:30pm and 5

th Grade Concert,

Leaders of American History at 7:30pm. This leaves us time before each concert to do mic checks for some soloists and allows the PAC to be emptied between acts.

Have a great Spring Break! Mrs. Kurtenbach and Mrs. Gordon

Read-A-Thon Results Our February Read-A-Thon, sponsored by Usborne Books, challenged students to read 30 min-utes a day or more for 2 weeks. In doing so, they also had the option to earn books for them-selves, their classrooms and the library with pledges. Here are the stats:

73 students participated with all but 7 reaching 300 minutes in 2 weeks for a total of 42,088 minutes

21 students took on the higher reading challenge of 500 minutes for K - 1st and 1,000 minutes or more for grades 2nd - 5th (These students were awarded reading medals)

50 students earned a total of $1,624 in Usborne Books. 20 teachers earned a total of $650 in books for their classrooms and the library earned $1,035 in books.

We are pleased to honor the following

students in their reading efforts:

Teacher Grade Student Medalists Minutes Riechel K-pm Emmalee Broadbent 543 Riechel K-pm Luke Fetters-Walp 830 Hammond K Aubrey Colinas 575 Critchfield 1st Ethan Rodriguez 590 Critchfield 1st Kaysen Acsalle 513 Critchfield 1st Jared Hardie 537 Peterson 1st Andrew Winston 513 Valadez 1st Bobby Spisak 642 Valadez 1st Laura Sumners 515 Valadez 1st Katelyn Eichert 630 Rock 2nd Jakob Broadbent 1,546 Colvin 3rd Emma Lund 1,050 Holland 3rd Levi Powers 1,000 Holland 3rd Derek de la Cruz 2,000 Zachman 3rd Emily Collier 1,720 McWatters 4th Darin Hardie 1,458 McWatters 4th Makenna Hoag 1,055 McWatters 4th Sirianna McLeod 1,023 Miles 4th Hannah Moore 1,005 Kendall 4th Juliann Gross 1,800 Swords 5th Abby Brooks 1,000

Students who earned Reading Medals for the Usborne Reach for the Stars Read-a-thon.

K-1 had to read 500 minutes

2-5 grades had to read 1000 minutes

Yearbook ordering has almost come to an end. As one last re-minder, we will not be ordering extra books this year. If your student has not ordered a yearbook by Friday, March 29

th, he/

she won’t get one. Order forms have already gone home (twice) so if you would still like a yearbook, you must come into school before March 29

th and

leave your payment at the front office with a note indicating your child’s name, teacher and how many books you’d like. Price $18 per book. Late orders/payments will not be accepted. Thank you! Your Yearbook Committee

The Panther Giv-ing Garden is get-ting ready for its 2nd year of sustainable, organic gardening. We use the garden as an outdoor sci-ence experience for all at Mt. Pilchuck and grow food for our students, staff and the free lunch

program for kids in the summer. In mid March our Gardening Club (Sharpen the Paw Group) will begin some spring plant-ing. We will begin with cool weather vegetables:

Broccoli

Lettuce

Spinach

Carrots

Radishes

Beets

Peas

Swiss Chard

If you are interested in helping out, come and work with us in the garden on Fridays from

1:00pm ~ 2:00pm!

As the season approaches to summer we will have more work parties. If you cannot help, we welcome donations via gift card from Lowe's or Home Depot for tools, veggie starts, and water-ing supplies.

Thanks! The Panther Gardening Club

For more information please contact Linda Mauer at lmauer@lkstevens,wednet.edu

Conference Week Dinner

Our wonderful teachers have set aside an extra LONG day to help accom-modate parents who need later times in the evening. As our way of thanking them we provide the staff with dinner on that extra long night! If you are at all interested in wanting to help with the dinner, please contact me and I will give

you the details!

Thank you so much, Liz Janssen - Conference Dinner PTA Chairperson

#425 231-1409 or keith_liz@comcast.net

Sharpen the Paw Workshops Writing synergy by Leaders in Mrs. Holland’s 3

rd Grade Class

Dear Parents ~ Have you ever heard your kids come home from school and talk about something called Sharpen the Paw? Whoa!! Sharpen the Paw is really special because it allows your kids to have fun and learn in a different class at school. There are a variety of workshop choices. It lets us expand our brain energy in our life. Every teacher and some community members have a Sharpen the Paw class. Every 5 weeks, we change workshops and share what we’ve learned! We hope you enjoy learn-ing a little more about Sharpen the Paw Workshops.

Why it’s called “Sharpen the Paw” We are the Pilchuck Panthers. We call our workshops “Sharpen the Paw” because panthers have paws! The teachers thought it was cute to call it Sharpen the Paw! The idea is based on habit #7, “sharpen the saw”. It means you need to keep your life balanced, exer-cise, eat right and have fun and work hard. All of our workshops help us do these things.

What we learn When kids walk away from their Sharpen the Paw workshop, they always learn something. We learn things like painting, gardening, science in a bottle, macramé and chemistry, and much more. In gardening, kids learn to garden and about vegetables. We have to syn-ergize because we work together to plant and take care of the garden. At painting we learn to paint something new …that’s beginning with the end in mind! There is one thing good about coming to school on Fridays…Sharpen the paw!

Why do we do it We Sharpen the Paw to keep us balanced. For example, we can’t do too much work and not have fun once in a while. Also, the teach-ers can inspire us to do new, fun things. It’s nice because the children get the experiences to do and learn things that their parents can’t afford to pay for outside of school. They also might learn something they are really good at! We do Sharpen the Paw not just to have fun, but to be a leader!

Choice There are lots of choices in Sharpen the Paw. We get to choose the classes that we want to take. We pick five choices, and we get one of those each time. There are choices like painting, bicycle blender, Frisbee golf, and green energy. There are more things too like gar-dening, crafts, zumba, tae kwon do, ambassadors of communication, Harry Potter, math, science and more! All of the teachers teach one cool class each session.

Why Do Kids like Sharpen the Paw? The kids love Sharpen the Paw workshops. They are really exciting and entertaining. We have lots of choices and we get to work with friends…even friends in different classes and in different grades. It makes our school super unique! Sharpen the Paw builds brain power. We get to do chemistry, technology and create paper airplanes or origami. It helps us work on leadership by leading our school. We get to pick fun choices and synergize. Our teachers work hard so that we can have fun!

How does it work? Sharpen the Paw is a very thrilling process, but it’s super hard to decide which class we want to take. We have to pick 5 classes that we might want to take. There are usually about 35 choices, so it’s hard to choose! When it’s time for Sharpen the Paw, there is a bell that rings on Fridays at 12:55. We go to our Sharpen the Paw class and Sharpen the Paw. Teachers teach us what we came for, then we go back to our homeroom class at 2:00. We go to classes for 4 weeks and then on the 5th week, there is a leadership assembly. Well, that’s how it works. Hope you enjoy listening to your kids’ information about Sharpen the Paw.

What is the assembly all about? At the end of each Sharpen the Paw session, we have a leadership assembly. First in an assembly, people from different workshops perform amazing things that we haven’t seen before. Next, we watch a cool video slide show that shows all of the workshops. We have the assemblies so that other people can see what everybody learns about in their classes. It is also time for us to improve our leader-ship skills by being able to speak out loud on the stage and to be respectful while watching. We even get to learn to talk in a micro-phone and give eye contact. If we perform at the assembly, it is chance to synergize. We all work together to share what we learned. At the assemblies, we have a chance to see amazing work!

Why do the teachers like it? Teachers like Sharpen the Paw because kids synergize. The teachers get to meet new students in other classes and other grades as well as see old friends. They like it because kids get to do things at school that they can’t do at home. Teachers love it because the kids work hard in Sharpen the Paw Workshops. Teachers get to teach a special thing that they enjoy too! The teachers like it when kids have fun and make friends that are not their age or their grade. They also like to see the whole school doing the same thing together! That is synergy!

How do we use the 7 habits in Sharpen the Paw Workshops? In our classes, we are in charge of our work. We also need to be responsible while we walk to our workshops. We have to be proactive. We begin with the end in mind in newspaper by planning what we are going to do. We also begin with the end in mind when we plan for the assembly if our group is performing. We use first things first in German by working and then getting a treat! We have to follow all of the steps in order in paper airplanes or origami. We use think win-win in card making by having fun making a card that brings joy to someone else. We seek first to understand and then be understood by listening to our teachers and sharing our own ideas too! We syn-ergize in cool chemistry by working together to put in the ingredients to make an experiment. We also synergize when we perform in the assembly. Together is better! We sharpen the saw in Zumba, soccer, Frisbee Golf and games by getting exercise and playing! As you can see, Sharpen the Saw workshops are amazing! We love it!

I Have A Dream By Kayleigh Eckhardt

(3rd Grade - Mrs. Holland’s Class)

I say to you today, my dream is for animals to be in peace and being taken care of correctly.

I have a dream that safety is surrounding every good creature - animals, people, and all. No shooting is ever allowed in my dreams.

I have a dream that all animals will be healthy.

Each and every animal deserves to have enough food and water.

I have a dream today. I have a dream that there will be a caring family for each sheltered animal.

I wish all the animals in the world will be happy with a family.

I have a dream today. I have a dream for all the creatures in the world to be happy and have peace.

That is my dream - for everyone.

I LOVE POEM by Karima Lijassi

(5th Grade - Ms. Poremba’s Class)

I love many things,

A whole lot of things,

Like…

Little tiny turtles with shells of soft green

Dancing past the fish with the shiny gold stripes

I love juicy red ripe strawberries with the small green hats.

But I love you!

I love a lot of things,

A whole lot of things,

Like…

In the cold frosty winter sitting by the fire

Reading a book full of surprises

I love Thanksgiving with the great big turkey and the scent filling my nose with joy

But I love you!

I love many things,

A whole lot of things,

Like…

Playing soccer in the rain

Running Across the soggy green grass

I love sitting on a boat letting the wind brush against my face

Most of all I love you!

4 Things You Need to Know about

SPIRIT WEAR

1. Deadline for ordering is Wednesday, March 27th

2. Prices start at just $10 for a child's t-shirt

3. Samples will be available to view in the library

during Parent/Teacher Conference Week

4. Order forms came home in Wednesday folders

and are available online at mtpilchuckpta.org

Themed Basket Auction

Did you know there is going to be a fabulous themed basket auction in conjunction with

our annual Art Walk on Tuesday, May 14th?!

Be on the lookout for a flyer in your child's Wednesday folder about how you can help do-nate items to this vital school wide PTA fund-raiser. We also hope that you will mark your

calendar for 6pm and come bid on some fabu-lous themed baskets. Entry is free and you do

not need to be present to win. There will be some screaming Panther deals which are just in

time to give as gift for Father's Day, summer birthday parties, graduation, anniversary, and

the list goes on.

If you would like more information please contact Rebecca DeFrang at 425-418-4532 or

rdefrang@comcast.net

Visit our PTA Website www.MtPilchuckPTA.org

Follow us on Facebook at Mt Pilchuck PTA

Email us at Mt.PilchuckPTA@gmail.com

Monthly Meetings - 2nd Thursdays 4pm/7pm Alternating Times

G eneral Meetings are held the 2nd Thursday of every month, alternating between 7pm-8pm and 4pm-5pm. Meetings are held in the library with fabulous FREE childcare provided in the gym.

Annual Art Walk - Tuesday, May 14th

6pm-8pm It’s going to be a “Garden Party!” We’re celebrating our beautiful Giving Garden established in

2012! The hallways will be blooming and brimming with flowers. Our Leader in Me student greeters will be giving garden tours, there will be a Giving Garden ribbon-cutting, Artists in Ac-tion, art projects in the gym, kids singing in the garden, hall art projects by students, art items

for sale and auction, a bake sale, photos in our flower booth, and so much more. We hope you’ll join us!

Spring Break Monday April 1st - Friday April 5th

Parent Teacher Conference Week Dinner Thursday, March 28th If you can help bring our teachers dinner, please contact Liz Janssen - Conference Dinner

PTA Chairperson at #425 231-1409 or keith_liz@comcast.net

Yearbook Order Deadline Friday, March 29th

Be on the lookout for a flyer in your child's Wednesday folder about how you can help donate items to

the Spring Basket Auction being held at the Art Walk