Eckstein Weekly News

March

• Mar. 4: Track Coach Field at School During Lunches
• Mar. 4: EIM Side-by-Side (7 pm)
• Mar. 6: Track Coach Field at School During Lunches
• Mar: 6: Concert Band Festival (7:30 pm)
• Mar. 10: Women's History Month Assembly (AM Assembly Schedule)
• Mar. 11: PTSA General Meeting (7 pm on Zoom)
• Mar. 13: Orchestra Concert (7 pm)
• Mar. 17-21: Spirit Week
• Mar. 18: Girls Volleyball Tryouts (4 pm)
• Mar. 19: Girls Volleyball Tryouts (4 pm)
• Mar. 20: Boys Soccer Tryouts (4 pm)
• Mar. 20: Girls Volleyball Tryouts (4 pm)
• Mar. 20: Jazz Band Festival (7:30 pm)
• Mar. 21: Winter Sports Pep Parade (HR)
• Mar. 21: 6th/7th Grade Eagle Night (7-8:30 pm)
• Mar. 25: Boys Soccer Tryouts (4 pm)
• Mar. 27: Student Led Conferences (NO SCHOOL FOR EMS STUDENTS ONLY)
• Mar. 29: Band Solo & Ensemble & Orchestra Day

April

• Apr. 8: Spring Choir Concert (7 pm)
• Apr. 10: Band, Choir & Orchestra Top Ensembles (7:30 pm)
• Apr. 14-18: Spring Break
• Apr. 21: PTSA Board Meeting (7 pm)
• Apr. 25: ASB Elections Open
• Apr. 26: Band Rummage Sale (9-3 pm)

Tickets are available now on SchoolPay for $3. They will be $5 at the door. All students who attend Eagle Nights must have a completed Dance Contract in FinalForms to attend.

Your student can check the list of all the students who have already turned in a contract that is located on the wall by the main office. Learn how to use FinalForms: https://ecksteinms.seattleschools.org/news/final-forms/

Eighth grade’s Semi Formal dance is May 16.

We've had a number of students who are ordering their lunch and having it delivered by Door Dash or Uber Eats. We will turn away deliveries to students from food delivery services.

Spring sports are on the horizon. Seattle Public Schools and Eckstein offer three sport options: co-ed track, girls volleyball and boys soccer. Track is a no-cut sport whereas soccer and volleyball are cut sports. As with the fall and winter sports there will now be three teams, a Varsity, JV, and JVC for both soccer and volleyball.

Submit Athletic Forms on Final Forms

Please use FinalForms for all athletic paperwork. WE WILL NOT COLLECT PAPER DOCUMENTS. Most important is having an updated athletic physical. Physicals last two years but if you turned it in last year, please notify athletic coordinator Derek Grandbois as soon as possible. All paperwork needs to be submitted by 4pm on March 14th for the first day of spring sports March 17th.
Learn how to upload forms to FinalForms: https://ecksteinms.seattleschools.org/student-life/finalforms/

Register or log into FinalForms here: https://ecksteinms.seattleschools.org/student-life/athletics/

Coaches Needed

We need two coaches for boys’ soccer a JV, JVC coach.

We need one more coach for girls’ volleyball.

If you are able to coach or know someone in the community/family that is interested, please have them reach out to me at djgrandbois@seattleschools.org

TRACK

Coach Frank is returning as our Head coach.

Practices will be twice a week on Monday and Wednesday after school. Practices will run for approximately 90 minutes. Coaches will have more specific times. Track meets occur on Saturdays.
All abilities are welcome! Track is a no-cut sport. And you CAN participate in track even if you’re doing a non-SPS sport such as baseball. So tell your student to come talk to Coach Field on Tuesday, March 4 or Thursday, March 7 to learn more about how to participate. We always need volunteers. Learn how to volunteer here: https://www.seattleschools.org/departments/volunteer/

BOYS SOCCER

Mr. Kenyon is coaching the varsity team.

Practices will be twice a week on Tuesday and Thursday after school. Practices will run for approximately 90 minutes from 4:00 till 5:30. Tryouts/practices will begin on March 20th. The first two practices will be tryouts. More will be held if needed. Practices will continue after tryouts are concluded. Students will learn their teams through an email from their coaches.

GIRLS VOLLEYBALL

We have a new coach this year Avree Lester. She coaches at Roosevelt with Coach Jana.

Practices for Varsity and JV will be on Monday and Wednesday from 4-6. Tryouts will begin on March 18, 19 & 20 from 4-6:30. JVC is awaiting a coach before deciding on practice times. Students will learn their teams through an email from their coaches.

Hello athletes and families! My name is Avree Lester and I am super excited to be running Eckstein’s volleyball program this season! I coached with Janna at Roosevelt this past fall (and also had Janna as a coach when I was in high school!!) and am looking forward to a wonderful middle school season this spring.

We are searching for a couple of volunteers to join the PTSA's budget committee this year. The commitment will be 2-3 hours to participate in 1-2 meetings in April to review and adjust the PTSA's proposed budget for the 2025-26 school year. Meetings will be virtual. The volunteer must be a PTSA member as of the meeting time, and no prior experience is required. The PTSA's budget is relatively small as it does not include the Eckstein Annual Campaign. Budget planning is a great way to learn about the work of Eckstein's PTSA. Please contact Matthew Eng, current PTSA treasurer, at treasurer@ecksteineaglesptsa.org for more information. Thanks for your consideration.

On 2/25/25, we received updated guidance from SPS about the new fine arts mandate in 2025-2026. Prior to this guidance, all 6th, 7th, and 8th graders were to be enrolled in one semester of a fine arts course by 2025-26.

The revised guidance is that only rising 6th and 7th graders must take at least one semester of a fine arts course in the 2025-2026 year. This means that rising 8th graders are still able to take one (1) semester of a visual or performing art course in 2025-2026 but they are not mandated to do so. This is a roll-up approach to mitigate disruption of 8th grade students’ course taking goals that preceded the state requirement.

Action: Please have your rising 8th grader re-submit their elective requests for 2025-2026. This Form will be posted on the Library Schoology Page and Mr. Manzo’s Program Support Schoology Page. Please review the email that Ms. Tai, our registrar, is sending separately on 2/28/25.

This year we are hosting many middle school basketball and volleyball games in our gym. Our students would like to sell concessions during these games. The proceeds from the sales will go to our ASB. ASB supports the entire student body and funds such things as new uniforms for our sports teams, Eagle Nights, and special guests for our assemblies.

In order to have our students run a concessions stand we need at least one adult to oversee the stand. You would not be selling anything, just watching the students.

Games are on Saturdays and run for 1.5 hours beginning at 8 am and ending at 3:30 pm. We would like one adult per game.

Volunteers will need to be cleared through the SPS Volunteer Application.
https://www.seattleschools.org/departments/volunteer/

Please sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0F45AFA829A6FBC61-54982325-help

We have two dances scheduled this spring. We can’t do them without parent chaperones to help! Please consider signing up.

6th & 7th grade dance 3/21: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0B48A8A623A13-55100527-eckstein

8th grade semi-formal dance 5/16: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/20F0B48A8A623A13-55100566-8thgrade

Hello Eckstein Families! Homeroom teachers will soon be reaching out to you to schedule a Student Led Conference on March 27, 2025.This is a NON-SCHOOL day for Eckstein students ONLY, so that we can hold these conferences. Your student will have the opportunity to share with you in a formal setting, their goals, accomplishments, and areas of growth. Please look for a message from homeroom teachers and sign up for a time on that day for you and your student to come to school for the conference. Remember, these are STUDENT Led, and teachers are only hosts this day. We look forward to seeing you March 27!

Period 1: 8:55 AM – 10:40 AM
Period 2: 10:45 AM - 11:35 AM
Period 4: 11:40 AM – 1:00 PM
1st LUNCH: 11:35 AM - 12:05 PM (Class 12:10 PM – 1:00 PM)
2nd LUNCH: 12:30 PM – 1:00 PM (Class 11:40 AM – 12:30 PM)
Period 3: 1:05 PM - 1:55 PM
Period 5: 2:00 PM - 2:50 PM
Period 6: 2:55 PM - 3:45 PM

Reporting to class on time for instruction is essential for our student's academic success.

• We will review the weekly total of unexcused lates during the week of March 3, 2025.
• Students who accumulate 4 or more total unexcused lates during the week will be assigned Instructional Lunch one day the following week.
• The goal is for students to make up instructional minutes missed because of their tardiness.
• Instructional Lunch will be held in a classroom during lunches and supervised by an administrator or teacher.
• Students will receive a pass before lunch to remind them that they have instructional lunch. Lunch will be provided to students who get a school lunch: those who bring a lunch from home will eat while in Instructional Lunch as well.
• Students will be asked to work on school work and review their academic progress on the Source.

Parent/guardians will receive an email communicating that their student has earned an Instructional Lunch because they accumulated 4 or more unexcused lates during the previous week.

Our hope is that Instructional Lunch will help encourage students to report to all of their classes on time and be ready to learn.

You can use the Source to check your students’ attendance record. You can see all absences and lates that your student has accrued since the first day of school. We encourage you to check in with your student and review their attendance record together.

Parents – talk with your student about the importance of good attendance every day!

Showing up matters for R.E.A.L because it is an opportunity to:

• Build Routines
• Increase Engagement
• Provide Access to resources
• Support Learning

Routines: Establishing a routine of daily attendance helps reduce stress at home, and supports a habit of attendance that will help your teenager get and keep a job.

Engagement: Being in school helps students to get to know each other and school staff and builds relationships that can motivate participation in learning.

Access to Resources: Schools provide access to valuable resources such as meals, health, mental health supports and fun enrichment activities such as sports, clubs, music, and other afterschool and summer programs.

Learning: Students who attend school regularly do better academically in middle school and are more likely to graduate from high school.

You can use the Source to check your students’ attendance record. You can see all absences and lates that your student has accrued since the first day of school. We encourage you to check in with your student and review their attendance record together.

The Source is Seattle Public Schools’ online communication tool that allows parents, guardians and studentsaccess to schedules, attendance and assessment scores. Secondary student grades are also on the Source.

Already Registered With The Source? You do not need to register again.
Please logon to the Source

Have You Forgotten Your Source Username or Password?
Please visit the Source page and select “Forget your password?” or the “Forget your username?” links.

Need to Add Students to Your Source Account?
Please log onto your Source account, click Add Students and follow the steps.

Not Registered With The Source? Here’s how to get started:

1. Please go to the Source and select the Sign up button.
2. Read the instructions and click the Add Student Information button.
3. Enter: Your student’s 7 digit Seattle Schools student ID#, date of birth and school.
4. If you have more than one student, click Add Another Student.
5. Click Finished Adding Students after you have entered all of your students enrolled in SPS.
6. Wait a few minutes and look for an email message from sourcesupport@seattleschools.org
   NOTE: If you don’t see the message in your inbox, check your SPAM or Trash folder.
7. Open the email and make note of the Access ID and Access Password for each student.
   NOTE: Do not include any spaces when entering the Access ID or Access Password.
8. Access Password is entered in UPPER CASE LETTERS.
9. Click the Create Parent Account link in the email.
10. Enter the following: Your first and last name, your valid email address, and a password (please do notuse an apostrophe ‘ in your password). Enter each student’s name, Access ID, Access Password (in UPPER CASE LETTERS) and use the drop-down to select your relationship to each student.
11. Scroll down and click Enter when you are done.
12. Log onto the Source!

We will have another session of Debate Club with Climb the Mountain starting on Tuesday, April 1, 2025. It will meet from about 3:55 pm - 5:30 pm on April 1, 8, 22, 29, May 6 and 13. May 20 is an optional prep meeting for the tournament.

The fee is $300. Scholarships are available. Please email the Eckstein social worker, Ms. Davenport at esdavenport@seattleschools.org.

--Students engage in the MS Public Forum Debate using quotation based debate going indepth on the national debate topic.

--Students will learn how to debate with step by step instruction and engage in practice debates with extensive feedback.

--Students typically need to spend 30 to 60 minutes to prepare for each class day (except no preparation needed for the first day).

--Students can also sign up for the Seattle U tournament as a culminating experience (additional $75 approx fee). Tournament date options for middle school debate include Fri May 23 (online), Sat May 24 (at Seattle U), or Sun May 25 (at Seattle U).

Learn more and register here: https://fs12.formsite.com/hansonjb/school-climb-program/index

We go through socks like no other! We could use more socks, sweatpants, shampoo/conditioner and all the usual Community Cupboard supplies: Amazon Wishlist We will also take donations of clean/ lightly used contemporary teens clothes such as sweatshirts/shirts and pants. Drop off to bins outside the main office.

Teen Summer Resource Fair

Where: Cedar Crossing 6620 Roosevelt Way NE, Seattle, WA

When: Wednesday March 5th 3-6pm

Learn about possible internships, summer jobs, camp activities, and resources available for teen or young adults. Meet with local Seattle organizations and sign up for support/services.

Questions? Contact Nicole: 206-647-1794

Erica Davenport

Social Worker, MSW

Eckstein Middle School

Work phone (206) 252-5098

Save the Dates

• Student-Led Conferences - March 27, 2025 - NO SCHOOL FOR ECKSTEIN STUDENTS ONLY
  Learn more: https://ecksteinms.seattleschools.org/news/student-led-conferences-march-21-2024/
• Eighth Grade Promotion Celebration - June 17, 2025; 5-6:30 pm
  Eighth Grade Cruise - June 18, 2025.