After School Enrichment at Thoreau Elementary

Thoreau PTA organizes enrichment classes for our students. We invite vendors to come in and offer classes from a variety of areas, like art, athletics, chess, drama, coding, science, languages, yoga, and more!

 

How does it work?

Students at Thoreau Elementary can sign up for a variety of after school enrichment classes. We typically offer three sessions, in the fall, in the winter, and in spring. Sessions run between 8-10 weeks and classes offered vary from session to session. Classes run once a week, are 60 or 90 minutes long, and their sizes range from about 8 to 16 students. A PTA membership is not required to register for these classes. However, your support is encouraged and greatly appreciated as these programs would not exist without the PTA.

 

How do I sign my student up?

Registration is 100% online and on a first come first served basis. Your registration is not complete until payment is received. Please visit our Forms & Payments Page to register your student for enrichment.

Information on the specific classes of a session gets sent out about one or two weeks ahead of start of registration through email, as a hard copy in your student’s kid-mail, on Facebook, in Froggy News, and on our website. Registration will happen through our PT Board website and payment runs through PayPal, just like when you sign up for membership. If you prefer to pay by check, we can accommodate that too! Please reach out at ThoreauPTAenrichment@gmail.com.

 

When is the next enrichment session?

Thoreau PTA usually runs three sessions per year, one in the fall (starting in October), one in the winter (starting in January), and one in the spring (starting in April). If you have any questions, please reach out at ThoreauPTAenrichment@gmail.com.

 

How can I help?

We need a parent volunteer present at all enrichment classes. It’s a lot of fun to work with the kids - plus: Our parent volunteers receive a 100% refund of their student’s class tuition! The parent volunteer needs to have a PTA membership (link) and be an approved volunteer for the district. Not an approved volunteer yet? It’s easy - visit the district website. There will be a parent volunteer signup option during the registration process for you and if you have any questions in the meantime, please reach out!

 

Scholarships!

If financial hardship prevents your child from participating in an enrichment class, please consider our scholarship program. For more information please contact Jesse Botello, our school counselor, at jbotello@lwsd.org.

 

Safety!

To ensure the safety of your children, the teachers and volunteers, it's important that the following rules are followed:

Code of Conduct: Students must be respectful of the class instructor and classroom during after-school classes. Any misbehavior will be reported to the student's parents as a first warning. At third warning, the student will be dismissed from the class without a refund. Students and parents must agree to the Enrichment Code of Conduct terms before registering for each class.

Class Maximums: Maximum enrollment numbers are listed on the website and are strictly enforced. No exceptions.

Pick up Time: Parents must pick-up and sign out students promptly at the end of each class at the designated time and place.

 

Questions?

If you have any questions, suggestions, or would like to offer enrichment classes at Thoreau Elementary, please send us an email to ThoreauPTAenrichment@gmail.com. We hope to see your child soon!

 

 

WALK or ROLL TO SCHOOL WEEK

Kids and parents are encouraged to walk or roll to school during this week. Join children and adults around the world to celebrate the benefits of walking and bicycling. Emergency vehicles will be at the school, in the morning, on the last day as part of the Walk to School week celebration.

 

BOOK EXCHANGE / RODEO

 

 

BINGO NIGHT

 

STAFF APPRECIATION WEEK

Parents and Students honor the teachers and staff at Thoreau in early May, by giving them a themed gift or special luncheon each day. Volunteers are needed to organize, hand out these gifts or serve food. Please keep your eyes open for more information as the event draws closer. A teacher wish list can be found on this page under the "Donating" selection on the left!

MOVIE NIGHTS

Join us for a movie night hosted by the PTA, it is fun for the whole family! Bring blankets and pillows to cozy up on the gym floor for the movie. Low-backed chairs are welcome in the back. Refreshments will be for sale. Movie nights usually take place a few times a year, dates are TBD. 

BIKE TO SCHOOL WEEK

May is Bike to School Month. Thoreau celebrates with a Bike to School Week each May.

Bike Safety Tips

  • Evaluate your readiness for the ride
  • Always wear a helmet, it’s the law
  • Do a quick bike check – ABC – air, brakes, chain
  • Remember to ride on the right side of the path, just like on a road
  • Leave enough space between riders

SUSTAINABILITY

noun: sus·tain·a·bil·i·ty
 The ability to be maintained at a certain rate or level.
Avoidance of the depletion of natural resources in order to maintain an ecological balance."the pursuit of global environmental sustainability"

The purpose of this page is to Consolidate sustainability efforts at Henry Thoreau Elementary School and provide a guide to current practices working towards Awareness, Improvement and Resolution as a community for the well being of our children, teachers, staff and all.

Here are some of the on-going programs and events focused on creating systems to improve sustainability at the school, reducing exposure to toxins, and educating students, parents, teachers and staff about the importance of reducing our environmental impact in order to improve health and create a more livable planet.

1. Herbicide Program

Who: thoreauptaherbicidefree@gmail.com

What:  The Thoreau campus is kept weed-free via a natural treatment plan.  This means the playing areas of our campus are kept free of potentially dangerous herbicide chemicals

LWSD should not be spraying our grounds at all, as long as we keep the campus looking good! See “Annual Pesticide Free IPM Agreement” with LWSD (in shared docs under “Sustainability”).

2. Earth Week

WHO : Volunteers & PTA
WHAT :  Work closely with the PTSA Board and the the Thoreau Program for how to promote sustainability during Earth Week!
WHEN: Week of April 22nd - Earth Day/week

3. Washington Green School - Henry Thoreau Elementary School

"Students and communities across Washington State are working to create greener, healthier school environments. Together we are building a better world — now and for future generations. Washington Green Schools provides a system of support for school communities to set and achieve sustainability goals (https://www.wagreenschools.org)"

Let's put our beautiful school in the map of GREEN Schools: https://www.wagreenschools.org/my-account/ & 

The Green Schools National Network - https://greenschoolsnationalnetwork.org/about/

 

THOREAU IS A HERBICIDE-FREE SCHOOL

  • What does that mean?  The Thoreau campus is kept weed-free via a natural treatment plan.  This means the playing areas of our campus are kept free of potentially dangerous herbicide chemicals.
  • How does the program work?  Volunteers weed, spread mulch and plant on the grounds.  Families can either adopt a patch of the grounds and maintain it through-out the year, or help out at designated work party days.
  • When are work parties scheduled? Dates and times for parties will be posted on this page, in Frog News and via Thoreau PTA Facebook Posts.
  • What could volunteers bring?  We have some gloves, tools, and buckets to borrow, but if you have any favorite tools please bring them.  Snacks and water are also provided.  The following are always welcome to move mulch around.
    • Wheelbarrows
    • Flat shovels
  • Can the kids help?  Yes!  Bring the kids to help weed or pick up litter on school grounds.
  • Is their childcare provided? Childcare will not be provided for these events.
  • Is there access to restrooms? Access to restrooms during work parties are not guaranteed. Occasionally the restrooms located in Big Finn Hill park are open and available for volunteer use.
  • What if I can't make the work parties?  If you can't attend but would still like to help, please consider adopting a small plot to maintain on your own time.
  • Are work parties canceled if it is raining?  Work parties will be held rain or shine!

Upcoming Events

Please join us on one or all of the following dates to help take care of our Thoreau grounds:

  • 12/7/24, 11 am - 12 pm
  • 2/22/25, 11am - 12 pm
  • 3/30/25, 2 - 3 pm
  • 4/27/25, 2 - 3 pm
  • 5/31/25, 2 - 3 pm

Contact

  • Questions? Comments?  Contact our Herbicide-Free Chair
  • Interested in chairing this committee?  We need an outdoor-loving, mulch-hauling or delegating, volunteer-organizing, social-media-savvy person to plan two or three events a year.  Contact the current Herbicide-Free Chair or PTA President for more information.

Watch D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students) is a school-based father involvement program that works to support education and safety. Who are Watch D.O.G.S.? Fathers, step-fathers, grandfathers, and other male role models who volunteer to serve at least one day annually in a variety of school activities. We are proud to have a strong organization of fathers who volunteer each year. Email us if you are interested! 

Pantry packs is an amazing program helping children in our area. This PTA supported project gathers and provides weekend packs of food for students identified as being “food insecure.” Thoreau PTA volunteers collect and distribute the packs weekly. 

You can learn more about the Pantry Packs program here.