SUPPORT OUR TEACHERS AND OUR STUDENTS.­­­­ GIVE BIG FOR OUR “GREAT RETURN”.

Our community needs to raise $45,000 in order to provide the “Creative Approach” components that make Pathfinder so special. Learn more about how your donations help through the Fund-a-Need campaign and if you can, please give big!

Fund-a-Need: General PTSA Fund

Click here to donate: https://www.pathfinderk8ptsa.org/product/give-to-the-ptsa-general-fund/

See what makes Pathfinder K-8 so special

Fund-a-Need: Garden Teacher (Goal: $17,000)

Click here to donate: https://www.pathfinderk8ptsa.org/product/garden-teacher/

Trissa Hodapp shares how the Pathfinder PTSA supports the students.

Fund-a-Need: Camping and Field Trips (Goal: $10,000)

Click here to donate: https://www.pathfinderk8ptsa.org/product/camping-and-field-trips/

Scott Rose talks about how the PTSA helps make Pathfinder great.

Fund-a-Need: Diverse Books (Goal: $4,000)

Click here to donate: https://www.pathfinderk8ptsa.org/product/diverse-books-for-our-library/

Genya Scharks talks about how the PTSA helps with her classroom.

Fund-a-Need: Physical Education (Goal: $2,000)

Click here to donate: https://www.pathfinderk8ptsa.org/product/physical-education/

Leanna Heritage, Pathfinder K-8’s Physical Education teacher, shares how your donations help with the physical education program.

Fund-a-Need: Music Education (Goal: $2,000)

Click here to donate: https://www.pathfinderk8ptsa.org/product/music-education/


Fund-a-Need: A Xylophone for the Band! (Goal: $2,700)

Click here to donate: https://www.pathfinderk8ptsa.org/product/get-the-band-a-xylophone/


Fund-a-Need: Art Education (Goal: $2,000)

Click here to donate: https://www.pathfinderk8ptsa.org/product/art-education/


Fund-a-Need: 1/2 Day of a School Counselor (Goal: $17,000)

Click here to donate: https://www.pathfinderk8ptsa.org/product/1-2-day-of-a-school-counselor/

Why Give?

It’s easy to not know much about our school, to think we’ve lost what we were or wonder what we are today as a school and community after two years of the pandemic and a change in administration after two decades of being Pathfinder. There has been so much fear, struggle and uncertainty. Yet our school is still here, with new leadership that chose our school, a school known for it’s unique Vision and Mission and it’s engaged, dedicated and brave community of families. Change is challenging and demands that we get back to being brave, building trust and opening our hearts back up to our school and each other! WE CAN STEP IN AND DO THIS TOGETHER!

Pathfinder K-8 was founded by a group of coop preschool parents in 1992 to create an alternative learning environment within Seattle Public Schools, which has become a small learning community that is a Choice School. It has been defined by its’ strong student-teacher relationships, K-5 grade looping (students stay with the same teacher for two years) and a small middle school focused on developing character, personal responsibility, and global and environmental stewardship.

Today Pathfinder K-8 is a “Creative Approach School with an SEL Focus (Social Emotional Learning) which strives to support the development of the whole child. Students’ academic learning, problem solving skills and social emotional development are developed through regular class meetings, social skills training and outdoor expeditionary learning, garden curriculum and camping trips. SEL embodies the holistic approach to education that Pathfinder has chosen, emphasizing not just academic needs but also students’ development as individuals, classmates, community members and citizens. Additionally with Reparative Justice as our lense, our school has committed itself to racial and economic equity as we rebuild after the pandemic.

The cornerstone of our school has been expeditionary learning which helps students become long term intellectual investigators by bringing them out into the world and bringing the world into the classroom. The learning expedition is marked by equal attention to goals and performance and academic content mastery as well as character and community development. Often these investigations provide students with an opportunity to serve the wider community.

To be Pathfinder K-8 we have found ways to supplement the basic school budget with fundraising to add these additional learning opportunities and experiences to fulfill our mission and vision as a school. Without these additional funds, our small school, that has a K-5, a Middle School as well as three Distinct SPED classrooms and Access programs for both our K-5 and Middle Schoolers with IEPs, cannot provide the “Creative Approach” components that make us “Pathfinder”. Without these additional funds there are NO:  expeditionary field trips, community events, outdoor classroom experiential learning in our school garden, no camping trips for each grade band and no supplies budget for our specialists (Music, PE and ART). Without additional Funds there also isn’t adequate Office staffing for a school with so much to manage (funds provide additional half a day office staff). Additionally, this year, we were asked to provide an additional half day counselor bringing up the counselor services from 2.5 days a week to 3 days per week at a cost of $17,000 to further support our students after two years in a pandemic.

To raise the remainder of these funds for the budget this year the PTSA will have a DIRECT GIVE BIG Campaign starting Monday May 9th to raise the additional $45,000 we need to fulfill our yearly fundraising goal. The PTSA will also be hosting “The Great Return” Spring Social and Fundraiser on our school Playfield on Saturday, May 21st from 3pm-8pm. See Flyer and it’s scan code below to find out more and stay tuned for more messages this week from our teachers!

Click here to donate:

https://www.pathfinderk8ptsa.org/product-category/donations-and-memberships/fund-a-need/

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