New Playground Equipment!

Today we sent out the request for proposals to vendors of new playground equipment!

Over the next month we will be receiving their proposals.  I am told these typically take the form of a binder with multiple proposed options from each vendor.  Once we have all the proposals, we will be reviewing these with the staff and SPS.

Some time in March we hope to have narrowed the choices to a short list of options to share with the community for your feedback!

Thank you!!!!

Thank you all for making the Playground benefit auction such a huge success! I am so happy to let you all know that we now have raised enough cash and worked enough volunteer hours to be able to qualify for the full matching grant from Seattle's Department of Neighborhoods. Does this mean we are done? No, not really. As with all large projects there will be ongoing changes and challenges, but it means we will definitely be seeing some big and much needed changes to the playground. We are working to make every dollar count and get the most out of this renovation.

We have been meeting regularly with Site Workshop, the firm we have hired to design the new play area. We will be sending out finalized plans when we have them.

Some time in the Winter, we will also be surveying staff and families when the time come to choose new play equipment!!!

There will be opportunities for volunteer work parties in the spring and summer, so be ready to lend a hand to help us keep costs down.

Site Survey next week

A big holiday thanks to Julie Brandt and Parametrix. They will be doing a site survey for the playground improvement project at a greatly reduced cost!! FYI, they will be on the playground Monday and Tuesday the 21st and 22nd. If you are planning to be around that week give them a big thanks.

Last Chance for Friday's Auction Tickets!

Online Catalog Now Available for Auction Items!Get your Auction Tickets Online by Thursday at noon for Friday's event; tickets will not be available at the door.  This Adult Event is 7:00-10:30pm and includes buffet dinner, adult beverages, auctions and social time.  Dress is sporty casual - favorite team jersey or sporty chic.  Event is at Wallingford Boys & Girls Club and friends and neighbors are encouraged to come.

This event benefits next summer's playground renovations. Don't miss out on a chance to bid on one-of-a-kind auction items (silent & live) AND to come away with some great deals.  Check out our pre-bid auction catalog!

You are welcome to "prebid" by emailing jsisplayground@gmail.com with the item and your bid amount right away. Bids can be submitted upon until Thursday night. 

Latest Concept drawings for the playground

Due to concerns raised by several families and SPS ,The Torii Gate will not be an option for the playground.

We will be exploring other ways to introduce artistic elements into the playground that beautify and reflect the language immersion nature of our school.





We have been working with Site Workshop, a local landscape architect to revise the set of plans that were created several years ago through a series of workshops and surveys of JSIS families.   They will be providing some drawings which we will send out as soon as we have them.

In the mean time, Dennis Poon, one of our many generous parents has created some fantastic conceptual drawings to show what our playground could look like based on the current ideas!!

Full disclaimer, these are not the final plans.  The final set of plans may change due to a variety of factors.

If the budget allows, we will be exploring ways to add some artistic elements that reflect the international/language immersion nature of our school.

One idea would be to add a Japanese style entry gate to the playground.

Another idea to incorporate a Latin America based element comes from Jalisco Mexico.  It is the home of our sister school and the home of a local art form using mosaics created with tiny beads.  The idea would be to create a mosaic or mural in the same style on one or more of the play border walls.  Here are some examples:

Here are the drawings created by Denis Poon for us.  They show several important improvements.  The play area is moved slightly to the south to open up the narrow corridor between the basket ball court and the play border.  The large unnecessary ramp and railing will be replaced with a curved open set of stairs to better utilize the space, improve access, and improve safety.  The sloping mud ramps along the east side would be replaced with planters, benches and a boulder garden with stone steps.

Buy a shower curtain to support the playground

Buy a Shower Curtain to support the JSIS Playground Evolution!

Buy a shower curtain (or 2)!

My friend owns the company TILCO (tilco.com) which sells foreign language shower curtains (Japanese and Spanish, and other languages). She has agreed to give the JSIS playground improvement fund 50% of the sales price of each foreign language shower curtain, while also giving you all a 10% discount on the price (which means JSIS will make $10.80 per foreign language shower curtain sold). Here's how it works: go to the TILCO website, select your shower curtain(s), and enter the discount code "JSIS" when you are checking out. The 10% discount will be applied to your order, and use of the code will let TILCO know to share the proceeds of the order with JSIS. Note: TILCO also sells non-foreign language shower curtains (e.g., English grammar), but JSIS will only get 10% of the proceeds of those sales (which means JSIS will get $2.16 per non-foreign language shower curtain after applying the10% discount). Any questions? sorella30@yahoo.com

Dump Run Fundraiser!

Have you accumulated a pile of stuff you need to get rid of? Have you been putting off going to the dump? Well, now you can get rid of your trash and support the playground improvement project at the same time!

Saturday, October 17 and Sunday, October 18, volunteers will pick up your trash and transport it to the Shoreline Transfer Station.

Not sure how much trash you have? Here is our handy pricing guide:

• $25 - Mini-load – What you have would fit in a wheelbarrow.

• $45 – Medium load – what you have would fit in a car/SUV

• $60 – Big load – what you have would fit in a pick-up truck.

Leave your trash at the curb by 8:30am, Saturday, October 17. Most pick-ups will occur Saturday, with some falling to Sunday depending on the number of stops and amount of trash.

Please, no appliances or hazardous materials (fluorescent bulbs, automotive products, paint, etc.) or recyclable items. These materials will be not be taken.

Want in on this great deal? Contact Janel or Julie to purchase a ticket or to volunteer to help out (kids welcome!).  Tickets on sale through Wednesday, October 14; pay by cash, check, or Paypal (via the link in the left sidebar).

All proceeds will benefit the JSIS PTSA Playground Fund, working to bring our school & community a better playground. Thank you for your support!

Many thanks to Black & Pickett for donating the truck!