There is so much happening at Roxhill! This week is spirit week, the monthly FORE meeting, and Family Fun night on Thursday!
Read on to meet Mr. Ahmann, learn about food sovereignty and the Roxhill Garden, our recent author visit, and lots of ways to support the Roxhill community.
Volunteers are still needed for Family Fun Night and other opportunities you'll find below.
In this issue:
Teacher Feature of the Month: Mitchell Ahmann
Mitchell Ahmann and supported by Francisco Perez and Jennifer Garvin Bonnici
I’m originally from Madison, WI, and after studying accounting at the University of Oregon (Go Ducks!), I realized that living in Excel spreadsheets wasn’t where my passion lay. While traveling, I discovered my love for teaching and working with kids, which led me to pursue my master’s in teaching at UW Seattle. I’ve been at Roxhill for almost six years now and am so grateful for the supportive community here. Our team’s commitment to inclusion is inspiring, and we’re excited to continue building more opportunities for all students.
My classroom is one of two distinct special education classrooms at Roxhill, typically serving 3rd-5th grade students. We focus on academics that are aligned to each student’s level—some students are working on grade-level material, while others are building foundational skills like shape recognition, letters, sounds, and numbers. We also work on essential life skills such as communication, social interactions, and developing and maintaining friendships. This includes a heavy emphasis on communication skills, practicing social-emotional skills, and learning how to be successful in school and in our community.
We’re committed to increasing meaningful inclusive opportunities for all our students. For example, we have 5th graders who support our physical education and art classes, and some students join in small group learning within general education classes. We are collaborating with the General Education teachers to create some accessible units that can be accessed by all students. Last year, I worked with our 2nd grade teacher team on creating a more inclusive version of their non-fiction writing unit. We ended with a big reading share in the cafeteria, the students wrote some amazing informative texts. Students also participate in morning meetings and social-emotional learning sessions, helping them connect with their peers and practice skills in a supportive environment.
One exciting new initiative is our student-led coffee and tea cart. This project provides students with opportunities to interact socially, practice communication, and bring positive energy to the building. We’re looking forward to seeing how it develops!
Neighborcare Health
Hello Roxhill families! My name is Nick, I am the Health Center Coordinator with the Roxhill Neighborcare Health Center. We provide a range of services, including vaccines (need a flu shot?), well child checks, prescription refills, health screenings, ADHD evaluations, and acute medical care for injuries and illness. We also provide behavioral and mental health services and comprehensive dental care. All services we provide are free for Seattle Public School students.
Is your student up to date on their school-required immunizations?
The exclusion date for school-required immunizations is approaching. If your student is missing a school-required immunization, contact your student's primary care provider or schedule an appointment at the Roxhill Health Center. Our nurse practitioner is in the clinic on Wednesdays and Thursdays during and after the school day. We can provide any school-required immunizations at no cost to you.
Register online by following the link below or complete the registration paperwork at your initial appointment. We have paper registration packets available at the Health Center, so feel free to stop by or request that a packet be sent home with your student.
To schedule an appointment, call the Health Center at 206-452-2660, email sbhcroxhill@neighborcare.org, or text us at 206-490-0802. Thank you, and take care!
Winter Wings Community Event on Feb 15
Here to invite you all to Delridge Neighborhood Development Association (DNDA) and Seattle Parks and Recreation Environmental Education team's upcoming event called 'Winter Wings' on Saturday, 02/15 at Camp Long from 10am-12pm.
This is a FREE family friendly outdoor event - more details and a sign up link for interest below! A picture is attached for promotion and to share along!
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Delridge Neighborhood Development Association (DNDA) and Seattle Parks and Recreation Environmental Education team's invite you to attend 'Winter Wings' on Saturday, 02/15 at Camp Long.
Join us for a FREE family-friendly event where we will learn about Winged Beings such as birds and bats, and find some of them! We will have connection, cocoa, and crafts.
Our event is happening Saturday February 15th, at Camp Long - Meeting at the Environmental Learning Center.
Help Ms. Christa Organize Emergency Backpacks
Help Ms. Christa with organizing emergency backpacks in classrooms. Volunteers will be given an inventory sheet and supplies. They will need to remove any expired supplies and replace them with new ones. Time is flexible. Sign Up here and contact Christa to arrange time. cjhowsmon@seattleschools.org
Yearbook Club and Business Ads
Friends of Roxhill volunteers are working with 5th graders and Ms.Binkow to create this year's yearbook. The cover will be an art project done in art class with Ms.Binkow. Photography for the yearbook will occur during 5th grade lunch.
You can help support the yearbook in many ways: if you're a business owner, you can buy an ad or donate a point and shoot camera to the front office. Please include chargers/memory cards/manuals if you have them. Like taking pictures? We would love to include any photos from school events like Family Fun Night or Skate Night to friendsofroxhill@gmail.com.
Stay tuned for additional information.
Please direct all yearbook related questions to us at friendsofroxhill@gmail.com.
Save the Date for the FORE Action & Raffle!
Plant a Seed, Watch Us Grow
Save the date for the Friends of Roxhill Auction & Raffle on May 3rd, 2025 at 3:00PM taking place at Roxhill Elementary. Stay tuned for the many great items and experiences we'll be auctioning & raffling off to raise money for our school!
Interested in joining the auction planning committee, sponsoring our auction, or donating an item, experience, or gift card? Please email Auction.FORE@gmail.com or visit the Auction page.
News from Nurse Ann: Food Sovereignty
Food sovereignty affirms the right of local communities to build food systems that center the cultural foods and sustainable harvest practices of the people who live there.
Throughout Seattle, communities are reclaiming land, tending, and healing it together to build sustainable, free, healthy local food systems. Food sovereignty builds community health through increasing access to free, healthy foods, growing connections between people and their places, and the opportunity to learn and share traditional cultural practices. The push for food sovereignty is growing in Seattle! Have you visited any of the farms below?
Do you know of others? Please share with us!
Do you know we have a school garden, too?
Our master gardener, Adolfo, is a Roxhill alumnae parent. Small groups of students spend time with him and our Garden parent educator and committee chair, Liz Hagen, tending, planting, and harvesting from the garden while sharing stories and learning from one another. We’d love to have you join, too! Please reach out to Liz at friendsofroxhill@gmail.com if you are interested. Thank you!
Call for Board Members
Are you interested in supporting Roxhill students, teachers, and families? Consider joining the Friends of Roxhill Board! We have several openings for the 2025-26 school year, including President, Vice President, Secretary, and at-large members.
Board members commit to attend monthly FORE meetings, lead community event planning, volunteer at events and help recruit additional volunteers.
The time commitment for at-large board members is approximately 4-6 hours/month. Specific roles such as President and Vice President may require additional hours.
Please email friendsofroxhill@gmail.com with questions or to apply!
Carpool Connections
We receive frequent requests for transportation help and try to coordinate carpools and walking buses by introducing families to each other.
Please fill out the following form if:
You need help getting your child to or from school.
You would like to volunteer to drive or walk another student to or from school.
If you are willing to drive or walk students in the neighborhood without transport, please fill out the form as well.
Library News
We have had two author visits in the past couple of weeks. The author/husband & illustrator/wife team of Matthew Swanson & Robbi Behr, who collaborated on Ben Yokoyama and the Cookie of Doom (one of the Global Reading Challenge titles), did a virtual visit from their barn home in Maryland with the 4th and 5th graders on Thursday, Jan. 30.
Pat Tanumihardja, author of Ramen for Everyone (one of the Washington Children’s Choice Picture Book Award), visited on Thursday, Feb. 6 and met with the Kindergartners, 1st graders, 2nd graders, and 3rd graders. The visit, which was supposed to be in-person, was virtual due to it being a snow day.
Global Reading Challenge
Six teams from our 4th and 5th grade classrooms participated in the Global Reading Challenge on Friday, Feb. 7. The winning team was Crunch & Munch (4th graders Naomi, Brayden, Grant, Gabriel, Nolan, and Meribel); they will participate in one of the ten semi-final rounds on Monday, March 3, at the Central Library against the winning teams from Highland Park, Kimball, Leschi, Licton Springs, Lowell, and Olympic View. The winner of that semi-final will join nine other semi-finalist teams at the city-wide final in late March.
January-February Library Song
Here is the library song for January/February. Mr. Robert and the 5th graders (those who wanted to participate and were not absent) sing “Read in the Library” to the tune of “Ease on Down the Road” from “The Wiz.”
Book Fair: March 6-7
Lastly, we will be having a Book Fair in the library all day on Thursday, March 6, and Friday, March 7. For the past ten years, we have partnered with Scholastic Books for the Book Fair, but this year, we will partner with local bookstore Paper Boat Booksellers for our Book Fair. Look for a flyer with more info about Book Fair at the end of February.
Volunteer Opportunities
All volunteer opportunities that take place on school grounds or field trips will require you to fill out a volunteer application through SPS. Apply here or check your status as a returning volunteer. Direct all questions about your SPS application to Office Assistant
We are currently looking for volunteers to help with:
Childcare during FORE Meetings (2nd Mondays of the month)
Family Fun Night (February 13)
Reading Buddies
Lunchroom Helpers
Yearbook
Want to get more involved with Friends of Roxhill? Fill out our volunteer interest survey to learn more about what we do and how you can help.
Important Dates
February 10-14 - Spirit week!
February 10 - Friends of Roxhill PTO Community Meeting, 7:30pm
(New Date!) February 13 - School Tour @ 9AM
February 13 - Family Fun Night
February 17-21 - Mid-winter break, including Presidents Day (no school)
February 28 - Coffee Hour - 4 & 5th grade
March 6-7 - School Book Fair
March 8 - Family Park Meet Up
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