WELCOME
Black Lives Matter
The Cedar Way Elementary Parent Teacher Organization (CWE PTO) supports the highest goals of the school, bridging the gap between the school and parents, unifying the community to further the development of our children, and contributing to the public greater good.
At this time, and in support of that mission, the CWE PTO Board finds it is necessary to vocalize our support of the belief that the conditions that cause children and youth to be at risk must be recognized, reduced, and eliminated. The CWE PTO stands in solidarity with our BIPOC community members and with all those who are protesting to inspire change. We encourage our members to raise their voices in support of equity, inclusion and the end of systemic racism.
Here’s what the PTO board is doing and we encourage other CWE families to also find ways to combat racism and create a better future for Black youth:
1. Supporting and attending Black-led events. Seattle-King County NAACP, Community Passageways, and Black Lives Matter Seattle-King County are all Black-led organizations holding events and members of our board will be in attendance.
2. Educating ourselves.
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Reading So You Want to Talk About Race, by Ijeoma Oluo, How To Be An Antiracist by Ibram X. Kendi, and other books that explore anti-racism and the history of race in America.
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Listening to Black-led podcasts such as Code Switch and Still Processing that address the issue of race in America.
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Watching the documentaries 13th, directed by Ava DuVernay and Race-- The Power of An Illusion.
3. Talking with our kids about race and justice. Even the youngest kids understand what is fair and not fair and can start building skills to think critically about racial inequity. We are exploring the Black Lives Matter 2020 Curriculum Resource Guide, which has resources for every grade level.
We are learning from the organization Embrace Race, which has articles and webinars about raising kids who are thoughtful and informed about race. We are reading our children books by Black authors that can facilitate conversations with children about racism, including:
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Black is a Rainbow Color by Angela Joy
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Let’s Talk About Race by Julius Lester
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Each Kindness by Jacqueline Woodson
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Stamped: Racism, Antiracism, and You by Jason Reynolds and Ibram X. Kendi
4. Supporting Black-led organizations doing long-term work for justice. These organizations include:
As always, we welcome feedback from our community! If you have any comments, concerns, or ideas, or are interested in joining the board, please contact us at .
MLT 5K Cancelled
It is with a heavy heart that the Cedar Way PTO Board voted to cancel this year's Mountlake Terrace 5K Fun Run & Walk. For those of you who had committed to sponsoring or volunteering with the race this year, we appreciate your help and hope to have your support again next year!
This race is a success largely because of the generous sponsors, most of which are small businesses in our community. We encourage you to support them during this difficult time!
Start thinking about 2021- we hope to come back next year stronger than ever!
