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Originally delivered on 9/16/2026 3:43 pm

SUBJECT: PTA Newsletter - Sep 16, 2026

GLES PTA Newsletter

Wednesday, September 9th, 2026

Check the Backpack!
Green Lake Costume Swap

Have an old (but still usable) Halloween costume? 

Need a new (to you) costume for this year? 

We're doing a costume swap!


To donate a costume:

Donate your clean, gently used costumes for collection NOW through Friday, October 2. 

Students can give to their teacher, or you can drop off in the Front Office. 

Please have all pieces bundled together and labeled with approximate size/age.


To find something new:

We will have all the donated costumes arranged by size/age outside the Front Office from Monday, October 5th through the 30th

Swing by anytime to browse donations and hopefully find a costume for your little dragon! 

Fun way to make community and help the environment! 


Questions?  Email Jen→ community@greenlakedragons.org

Scholarships for After School Enrichment

Need a scholarship for a Fall After-School Class? Email our counselor, Ms. Schneider before the end of THIS Friday (Sep 18)! Her email address is mmschneider@seattleschools.org

See all our Fall class offerings here. Class signups will open on September 27th at 7pm. 

Voluntering!
GLES Logo
Volunteer for Walk-and-Roll-a-Thon:

Volunteer at our kid-powered fundraiser and incredibly fun community event on Friday, Oct 2nd!  Morning (grades K-2) and afternoon (grades 3-5) shifts are available to cheer kids on, get a sore hand after a ridiculous number of high fives, hand out treats, and support the school while having fun outside! 

Sign up here to volunteer: https://volunteersignup.org/RMMEJ 

Reminder that volunteers must be approved for Tier 1 volunteering with SPS (good for 2 years): https://good.samaritan.com/custom/521/organization_details/1757 


Questions about volunteering or if you’re still approved to volunteer? Email Bev Denny in the front office: brdenny@seattleschools.org

Room Parents Needed

We are still in need of room parents to support the Beede (5th) and Niemi (2nd) classrooms! Room parents help facilitate classroom communication and teacher support and it can all be done in ~15 minutes per week on your own time! Contact roomparents@greenlakedragons.org if you are interested! 

Know Any High Schoolers?

Do you know a highschooler who needs volunteer hours? We would love to have some high school volunteers to help with childcare at our PTA General Meetings. The first one is coming up on September 29 from 6 - 8pm. They get free food too!

If you know a highschooler who might be interested they can email ptapresident@greenlakedragons.org or if cold-emailing is a bit too intimidating they can fill out this form and we’ll reach out to them :)

About Volunteering

Interested in volunteering sometime this year? Start your volunteer registration NOW! 

Application for New Volunteers 

Renewal for Returning Volunteers 


Questions?

Yah, uh… why now? That all-caps seems a little harsh. Because it takes about 2 weeks to be approved, and our first big volunteer ask (the Walk-&-Roll-a-Thon) is coming up on October 2nd, and for fifth Grade families the 5th Grade Campout is Oct 6th and we need chaperones!


I’m confused by this process… what “Tier” do I need to be? For almost all volunteering at the school you will just need to be a “Tier 1” volunteer. BUT!!! If you would like to chaperone the 5th grade campout this year (Oct 6th - 8th) you’ll need to be a “Tier 2” volunteer.


I volunteered last year… is my registration still good? If you’ve done a new registration/background check within the last 2 years you’re good to go, and if you’re not sure you can do any of these things:


Sorry but… these questions are ridiculous and I’m still confused. It’s all good! We got you! You can email our school’s volunteer liaison - Bev Denny in the front office brdenny@seattleschools.org or the pta president ptapresident@greenlakedragons.org with questions about volunteering and the registration process at any time.

A cute cartoon dragon with a mobility device
Save these Dates!
Open House / Curriculum Night

When: Thursday, Sep 24th, 5:00 - 7:00pm

Where: The school 

What: Your student gets to show you around their school and introduce you to all their teachers! There’s a scavenger hunt, and you can also come say hi to the PTA and learn about what we’re up to this year.

PTA Meeting

Join us Tuesday, September 29th from 6:00 - 8:00pm in the GLES Cafetorium. We’ll have food and childcare!

6:00 - 7:00 : Eat dinner and socialize with other families.

7:00 - 8:00 : The meeting part! Our principal will give us some updates, we’ll talk about upcoming events and things at the school, give a rundown of what to expect for this school year (great for new families!), and do some business-y things like voting in our final budget for the year and voting on a few amendments to our PTA By-Laws. We’ll also answer questions and hear any concerns you may have!


All are welcome! You do not need to be a member of the PTA to come!

NOTE: This is not a drop-off event! All children must be accompanied by an adult.


Anyone requiring special accommodations to attend or participate in our PTA meetings should contact the PTA President: ptapresident@greenlakedragons.org

Walk-&-Roll-a-Thon

Friday October 2nd

Our first fundraiser of the year, and also a super fun community event! All the kids get a T-Shirt and then will walk/run/wheel around a course on the playground. Each lap will earn them a tally-mark on the back of their shirt.

There will be many ways to volunteer day-of. More details on that soon!

Collect pledges from friends or family members (100% of the proceeds go to the PTA to support the school), and the class that collectively raises the most money gets the coveted "Big Shoe" trophy.

The class that collectively walks the most laps gets to choose a teacher to get a pie in the face - Hah!

Green Lake Elementary PTA - Events - Walk & Roll

School Auction

March 20, 2027 is the date for this year’s School Auction! More information about it later (obviously) but mark your calendars!

More about The GLES Auction here

Tales from the Lost and Found

The kids are doing a great job looking for their lost jackets and sweaters in the Lost and Found rack by the cafeteria, but here are a few that have been hanging out.

If you recognize one of these, please reply to this email and let us know who your kiddo is and we’ll return it to them!

Just an FYI: Every few months, we gather up the lost and found items that have been hanging out in our collection for at LEAST 2 months and donate them.

Community Events and Announcements

Not sponsored by GLES or the PTA

Luminata Lantern Walk

Saturday, September 19th, 5:30pm

Join neighbors and friends for Luminata, a beloved community lantern walk around Green Lake. Families can purchase lanterns starting at 5:30 p.m. and join the illuminated procession at 7:30 p.m., followed by a display of lighted art. Hosted by the Fremont Art Council. Luminata — Fremont Arts Council 

The Great Wallingford Bratwurst Festival

 September 18th - 19th

The Great Wallingford Bratwurst Festival - September 18th - 19th

Bring the family to the Great Wallingford Bratwurst Festival! This neighborhood event features kids' games, bouncy houses, live music, and plenty of food. The festival runs Friday from 4-10 p.m. and Saturday from 10 a.m.-10 p.m. The Great Wallingford Bratwurst Festival

Connect with your Community
The School Directory

Want to set up a playdate with a friend your kid met in class? Send out some birthday invitations? Or perhaps you bonded with a fellow parent while waiting for the same (very late) school bus but didn't get their number!

Make or update your account on the PTA Website and then find each other in the School Directory!

(Note: you only show up in the directory if you opt-in. So, if you want people to be able to find you too go make or update your account!)

Join the GLES Discord!

Join our school's Discord Server! Meet other families in your child's grade-level and connect with others in our school community!

https://discord.gg/epHtenECDp

See you there!

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