So far we have raised $9080... almost half way to our goal of $20K!
Thank you everyone for your continued support! We really want our TMS students to earn a school wide party so we have extended our November fundraiser til November 27th.
 
Follow the link to donate to our November PASS THE HAT Fundraiser: https://tinyurl.com/458xd2ab
 
We also accept cash or checks made payable to TILLICUM MS PTA. You can turn in this donation form with your payment to the Tillicum PTA lockbox in the front office.
 
As a reminder… Tillicum Middle School PTA qualifies for corporate gift matching! Notify your employer of your donation to Tillicum PTA's November PASS THE HAT fundraiser and please also send a notification to the PTA at president@tillicumpta.org. If you need help getting the PTA set up with your company's matching gift program, feel free to email us with any questions.

• Reduced support for 8 grade graduation party
• Significantly reduced after school programs - cooking club, math club, tutoring, Tiger points and prizes, 6th grade camp, etc..  
• Reduced teacher appreciation
• Less resources for music, arts, and drama programs at school
• Less resources for library - less books, poorer equipment
• Less support for WEB program
• Less fun programs such as ice cream social

By now you have likely heard about some of the BSD elementary schools potentially being closed next year. Two of the 7 being considered for closure is Tillicum's next door neighbor, Phantom Lake Elementary and another feeder school, Eastgate Elementary. Check out "Planning for the Future" for information that the district is using as its reasons for closing elementary schools.

Please consider showing your support for our BSD elementary schools. If we don't address this now, this issue will soon happen at the middle school level as well.

What are some of the things the community is saying?

"For Phantom Lake Elementary, this decision is based on numbers that do not include preschool as part of enrollment, even though they are an integral part of the PLE community. Phantom Lake's enrollment has grown consistently over the last 5 years and the school does not deserve to be closed."
 
“I didn’t see a lot of depth of analysis in their demographics study. But big decisions that dramatically impact the community are being made using it.”

“House prices are not the only driver and maybe not even the strongest driver of enrollment given that enrollment has gone both up and down uncorrelated with the direction of house prices. It’s more complicated than what the study says.”

“COVID caused a dislocation in the statistics. They seem to be simply extending the trend without understanding what drives the trend.”
 
“15 percent of Bellevue residents are 5-18 years old. That’s 22k people. The current enrollment is 18k. That’s 4000 kids that are not attending BSD. Why are they not?”
 
“Our neighborhood has had an influx of new families buying newly built homes. To my knowledge, all of the new families are sending their kids to private schools. Our son is now attending a private school and when we he left BSD no one asked why or where he was going.  They do not track this information so they don't have any true data about why kids are leaving.”
 
“This is the same famed demographer that was predicting increases from the apartments in Spring and especially Overlake in 2020.  I remember him saying we needed another Elementary closer to Overlake to deal with the surplus instead of the bakery site at the Spring District, which I imagine the demographer encouraged BSD to purchase...  I also know several families that started and continued private school during the pandemic because they were more reliably open.”

"If immigration recovers, it might dramatically change things? I remember not too long ago they had to hire a new teacher on an emergency basis at Eastgate to create a new class for 5th grade. "
 
“Maybe they should run schools more like a business and not look at shrinking at the first sight of revenue decline but look at why it’s declining and the addressable market. Is it because BSD is becoming less competitive?”
 

YOUR VOICE IS NEEDED! Here are some actionable items that you can do to help:
 

 Phantom Lake Elementary 
 

1. Email the school board at board@bsd405.org and let them know how important PLE is to you and your child. You can also email each school board member and BSD Executive team members. (Emails listed at the bottom of this message). You can also contact the City of Bellevue, city council members, etc. 

As you craft your emails, here are some questions to consider:

- Why does your family love PLE?

- What negative impacts would closing PLE have on your family?

- What are the benefits of having PLE in your neighborhood?

- With preschool being an integral part of our community, how does them not being counted in our enrollment make you feel?

2. Join other PLE parents in a rally on 1/17 at 7:15am as PLE staff meet with district executives. Refreshments will be available. Wear your thunder spirit wear and support our school and staff!

3. Join the parent-staff strategy meeting on 1/17 in the evening to brainstorm ideas of how the district could avoid school closures and suggestions of ways to save PLE and why PLE matters to our students, staff and community.

4. Attend the Community Feedback forum here at PLE on 1/23 at 4:30 in the library.

5. Sign the petition, “Save Phantom Lake Elementary”: https://chng.it/gmgF5BP4mT

6. Sign the petition, “Slow the Process to Close BSD Schools!” https://www.change.org/p/slow-the-process-to-close-bsd-schools

It's time for us to speak up and SAVE PLE! Thank you for your support and partnership! We encourage you to stand up and let your voice be heard. Tell our Bellevue School Board and BSD Executive Team what Phantom Lake means to you and your family. Any questions email the PLE PTA at phantomlakepta@gmail.com.
 

THANK YOU TO ALL OF OUR DONORS SO FAR: