Eckstein Weekly News

March

• Mar. 10: Women's History Month Assembly (AM Assembly Schedule)
• Mar. 13: Orchestra Concert (7 pm)
• Mar. 18: PTSA General Meeting (7 pm on Zoom)
• Mar. 19: Track Begins
• Mar. 20: Boys Soccer Tryouts (4 pm)
• MR. 20: Eckstein Engineers Information Session (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 (3:45 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)

We have carefully tracked students' unexcused lates to all periods during the week of March 3, 2025. Students who received four or more lates during this week will receive Instructional Lunch one day during the week of March 10, 2025.

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

• 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.

You can check if your student has unexcused lates on the Source. See instructions on how to use the Source below.

These are the codes you will see:
L & UL - unexcused late
A & UA - unexcused absence
EL - excused late
EA, ME, FE, AA, IA - Excused Absence

The Source is Seattle Public Schools’ online communication tool that allows parents, guardians and students access 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!

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

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.

We need to postpone tryouts due to a conflict with basketball. We will let you know when the tryouts are as soon as we know.

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.

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.
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.

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 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

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

If dropping off or picking up students on the north side of 75th Street, please direct your student to the crosswalk light on 31st Avenue. It is not safe for them to cross 75th Street at 30th Avenue or 32nd Avenue.

South side of NE 75th Street.
Do not drop-off or pick-up students in the Bus Zone. There is limited space on 75th Street just east of the crosswalk on 30th Avenue, before the bus loading zone. Students must be ready to exit the car when you stop. If not ready, drive around the block. No parking or waiting in the drop-off/pick-up zones 8:30 – 9:15 am & 3:30 – 4:15 pm.

Cars are Not Allowed to Stop in the Bike Lane on 75th Street

30th Avenue
You can drop-off or pick-up your student on 30th Avenue by the southern most parking lot.

Dropping off and picking up students in the back of the school is ONLY for students that have difficulty walking this includes students in wheelchairs or on crutches

Our bus zone is small for the number of buses that use it, and the buses need to drop students off quickly and safely without the interference of other vehicles. It is illegal for a private vehicle to use a bus zone during the designated times.

Remember, when parking on the side streets, do not block our neighbors' driveways and stay 30 feet from the stop signs.

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!

Do you know that 7 trillion plastic bags are used every year worldwide? Thanks to efforts by our sixth graders and our amazing science teachers, we can help ensure plastic bags and other film don't end up in the environment by joining the Eckstein Plastic Film Drive. Eckstein is keeping Plastic Film from landfills with Ridwell this spring! As part of this limited-time drive, you can bring these types of Plastic Film to school now - May 6th and Ridwell will make sure they stay out of landfills and are turned into new decking materials instead! Start collecting these items at home now. Collections will take place in the main office and in the bins marked in the science hallway.

You can also help Eckstein recycle our school’s Plastic Film for the entire ‘25/’26 school year! Be sure to use: https://get.ridwell.com/eck to join Ridwell with an at-home membership by May 23rd, 2025. If we sign up 10 or more new members by this date, we will be awarded monthly Plastic Film pickups for our school next year! We did this last year, lets do it again! If you've been thinking about subscribing to Ridwell, this is a great opportunity to double your environmental impact! Also, we could use a few extra volunteers to help with this drive in the coming weeks. If you are interested in helping out, please contact jclevine@seattleschools.org.

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.

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.

Spring is almost here! Are you and your child wondering if they should join the Eckstein Engineers After School Activity or try out for the FLL Robotics Competition Team? Please join Ms. Amato for an important info session after school on Thursday March 20th from 3:45 to 4:15. It’s important that both parents and students attend. We will discuss what it means to try out for the competition team vs joining the afterschool club. What commitment level is needed to be on the competition team vs the Eckstein Engineers after school club and what parent involvement level is needed.

Ms. Amato is also looking for two parent coaches for the competition team next year! Last year’s team made it to the Semi-Finals! If your 7th grader is on the team this year and wants to stay on the team next year, they should let Ms. Amato know ASAP! Can’t wait to see you there! Go Thunderbirds!

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, shampoo/conditioner and all the usual Community Cupboard supplies: Amazon Wishlist We will also take donations of clean/ lightly used contemporary teens sweatshirts and t-shirts and pants. Drop off in bin outside the main office.

If you have a working washer or dryer to donate, a local community center could use it to wash our students clothes. Please email me at: esdavenport@seattleschools.org

For summer program scholarships, you can apply through the Assistance League for up to $500 : https://www.assistanceleague.org/seattle/enrichment-scholarships/#

Reach out if you need help applying.

Erica Davenport

Social Worker, MSW

Eckstein Middle School

Work phone (206) 252-5098

esdavenport@seattleschools.org

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.