June 4th, 2008

Dear Chase Lake Families,

Yesterday was Hawaiian Day here at Chase Lake, and with all the rain we kind of looked like an island surrounded by all the puddles! Thank you to all the parents who came for the barbeque and kept a good attitude about the event. The weather didn’t stop any students from donning their grass skirts and leis. Indoor recess was more festive as a result.

We are officially in countdown mode with ten days left of school. We have one assembly today one more concert on the 12th, and then the End of the Year assembly on the 17th.  All library books should be turned in by June 6th, along with any textbooks that may have been used for homework. Please ask your student about fieldtrip permission slips, because it can be disappointing if a child has to stay at school because they forgot that paper. There are several trips on the calendar in the next week. The last day of school is now June 18th with the added snow day.

Last Thursday afternoon was the Volunteer Tea. This is a lovely event planned by Mrs. Alseth, and a few other staff to honor our amazing volunteers at Chase Lake. We had a few student musicians provide background music, and then a group of students presented information about all the things that are made possible because we have faithful volunteers. Finally, the most exciting moments are when we announce the Golden Acorn Awards. These are awards given through the PTSA to volunteers who give in extraordinary ways in both time and effort. This year we had three recipients; Stacie Hearst our current PTSA president and Laurie Piper, a past president. The committee also awarded Patti Vicari the Golden Acorn for being an extraordinary educator. Congratulations and thank you to all three amazing women!

This past Saturday, I had the privilege of joining a teacher and a few of her students in a 5K walk to raise money for clean water in developing countries. The walk wasn’t too taxing, but the journey to get to there is a story worth sharing. About two months ago, five students wrote me a letter. They read a story in their National Geographic about children who live in extreme poverty in Ethiopia. They felt worried for these children and asked me if they could raise money to send them. I suggested that we could concentrate on helping with one of the problems hurting these children, the lack of available clean water. We found an organization that works on this problem, and a class project was underway.
           
So, with the help of their brave teacher, these 3rd graders spent their recess time selling popsicles for 25 cents each (frozen water for clean water), and eventually raised $201.33. This money was presented to Water1st International on Saturday morning, and seven of us walked 5K for the Chase Lake Team. At one stop along the route, the mother who was walking with us, deftly wrapped the long scarf she wore and placed it on her head with one of the water containers to show her daughter how she carried water from a stream when she was a girl. I don’t have the right words to describe the meaning of this moment, but there is something profound in an immigrant parent sharing her story, now her daughter’s story, while we walked along Lake Washington to mend a small part of this world problem. Congratulations to Mrs. Jensen’s class, for their compassion project. You are good role models, and we are proud of the way you represented our school to help others in need. Great things happen from one short letter.

Sincerely yours,

Karen Nilson
Principal