School may be out for summer, but that doesn’t mean you can’t help raise money for Queen Anne’s John Hay Elementary. It’s John Hay Day at Menchie’s Frozen Yogurt today, Wednesday, June 22, so swing by for summery treat any time today with either this Menchies Flyer, or tell the cashier you’re with the school, and 20 percent of your purchase will go right back to Hay.

Menchie’s is located at 2101 Queen Anne Ave. N. and is open from 11 a.m. to 1o p.m.

Students from John Hay Elementary will be hosting a rummage sale from 9 a.m. to noon this Saturday, May 21 at the school to raise money for disaster relief in Japan. A variety of items, including clothing, toys, books, and small appliances, will be available at the sale. Two classes of John Hay 2nd graders will also be selling baked goods and coffee at the event, the proceeds of which will also go toward the relief effort.

Can’t make it to the sale but want to lend a hand? Volunteers are needed to help sort items and set up for the sale on Friday, May 20 from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Those interested in volunteering their time should contact Johnhayjapanrelief@gmail.com.

All proceeds from the rummage and bake sale will be going directly to the Iwate Bank in Japan, which will use the funds for relief efforts in the areas affected by the recent earthquake and tsunami.

Queen Anne’s John Hay Elementary is going to be the first school in the district to get a brand new ‘green’ heat pump in its facility, which will be fully operational by the fall 2011 school term. As construction on the new heating and ventilation system is beginning this coming Monday, May 2, John Hay would like to inform the community of some of the safety and security concerns, particularly in regards to the playground, throughout the construction period. From John Hay:

1. Beginning May 2^nd, the grassy field will be fenced off as the entire area will be under construction.  Construction crews will be drilling small, 6 inch diameter wells throughout the playfield.  As a result, the grass will be removed and the play area will be unavailable until the spring of 2012 when new grass has been established.
2. The Climber will be available for use during most weeks of the construction project and will be most easily accessible from the main stairway.  During the weeks when drilling and equipment move within closer proximity to the Climber, the Climber will be closed and fenced off.
3. Construction materials will be secured inside the fenced construction area.  However, deliveries will be made beginning at 4:00 in the afternoon.   Delivery trucks will access the site through the main playground gate.  Cones and flags will indicate the afternoons when a delivery is scheduled.  On those days, the playground must be cleared by 4:00 pm.
4. During the months of May and June, construction will begin at 3:00 pm and run until 9:00 pm per city ordinance guidelines.  The immediate neighborhood will be notified of the project through flyers and the district is considering scheduling a neighborhood community meeting during the later weeks of April to provide information.  I will notify parents of this community meeting through the Daily Bulletin.  All interested parties are invited to attend.

If you have any questions or concerns about the project, or simply would like to learn more, contact klhanson1@seattleschools.org.

John Hay Elementary‘s annual auction is coming up, and this year the silent portion of the fundraising event will be held virtually online.

The live auction will be held at The Showbox on April 30. The silent auction will go live on the web on April 15, through April 26 when bidding will close.

John Hay will be posting items online as they get them. So far there are 163 items up for grabs in the silent auction portion. Though bidding doesn’t begin for another month, you can check out the auction items on the John Hay auction website. Items include everything from gift certificates to local businesses and services, to tickets to the Seattle Seahawks and Seattle Sounders, a one-night stay in Bavarian Leavenworth, a week in Whistler, signed sports memorabilia, local arts and entertainment passes and much more.

Those interested in donating an item to the John Hay online silent auction can sign up online here. Want to receive email updates on auction news? Sign up to receive updates in your inbox here.

Last week we reported on Zaw’s month-long fundraiser for neighborhood schools called Zaw School Days, coinciding with the shop’s one-year anniversary on the hill. On every Tuesday and Wednesday through the end of the month the bake-at-home pizza place will be donating $5 to the neighborhood school or PTA funding effort of your choice for every order of $20 and up.

Just one week into the fundraiser Zaw released its donation totals so far, and Coe Elementary and Queen Anne Elementary are two schools leading the way, earning 35 percent of the donations each. From Zaw:

Our first week was a great success, the families and friends of Coe and Queen Anne Elementary came out in force, but there are still three weeks left for McClure, John Hay and St. Anne’s to give them a run for their donation dollars!

In addition to donation checks for each school, we’re spicing things up thanks to a suggestion from a Zaw School Days customer this past week! Whichever school receives the largest number of $5 donations, Zaw will gift an extremely special auction item to the winning school – an all-inclusive Ultimate Pizza Party birthday package for up to eight kids (a up to $150 value)!

John Hay Elementary has received a Washington Achievement Award from the State Board of Education for Overall Excellence in 2010 (it won an award in this category last year, and in 2008, too).

These awards are handed out every year in recognition of the top-performing schools across the state, selected based on statewide assessment data collected over three prior consecutive years and analyzed using a school Accountability Index (.pdf). (Read up on the methodology here).

You can read more about the achievement award in the state’s award letter to John Hay here (.doc).

John Hay Elementary is hosting a family and community Bingo Night this Friday, February 11 from 6 to 9 p.m. in the John Hay cafeteria/gym.

There are many great prizes from local merchants such as Zaw Pizza, Video Isle, Chocolopolis, Stuhlberg’s, Old Town Brewery, Regal Cinemas and more! In addition, if playing Bingo makes you hungry, there will be snow cones, cotton candy, popcorn, hotdogs available. The 5th graders will be hosting a bake sale. A couple of carnival games for the kiddies and a photos booth round out the evening of fun!

Tickets are $1 each and will be available for purchase at the door, or 30 for $25. All in the community are welcome.

John Hay students are showcasing their art at the Something Old, Something New thrift store in Pioneer Square (located at 3rd and Washington), and the downtown police precinct at 810 Virginia Street.

“Go see how the police precinct at 810 Virginia St. downtown has been transformed from a gloomy lobby to one alive with student art!” the school wrote on its blog.

Art from the schools 3rd-5th grade classes are showing in both locations, so rush on over and take a peak. Share pics by emailing us at tips@queenanneview.com.

When Seattle Public Schools released a new ranking of all schools in the district this morning, two of the top 12 ended up being right here in the neighborhood.  John Hay Elementary and Coe Elementary both received the highest ranking of 5. That ranking means a high number of students pass state tests and that their test scores are improving. The rankings also reflect how students, staff, and family members feel about the school’s atmosphere. You can take a closer look at the rankings here.

Want to chat with the new principal of John Hay Elementary, Karen Hanson? Swing by her open meet-up, “Coffee with Kari,” at the Queen Anne Cafe from 8 to 9 a.m. today, Monday, August 16.

The school invites anyone “who’d like to come and talk casually about our school, your kids, their learning, the past, the present and the future of Hay, or maybe even for a quick meet and greet just to say hello” to swing by.

If you can’t make it today, Kari will be hosting another coffee chat next Monday, August 23, same time and place.

Don’t forget, if you’re planning on dining at the 5 Spot for dinner tonight, Tuesday, March 23 or tomorrow, Wednesday, March 24, your money will be helping one of two competing Queen Anne elementary schools – John Hay and Coe – as they head it off to see which school can raise the most!

The 5 Spot will be donating 25 percent of all of its food and beverage sales from 4 p.m. to closing to Coe tonight and to Hay tomorrow, so there’s no doubt students, parents and teachers will be packing into the cafe to make their orders and get an edge up on the competition.

All funds both nights will be donated directly to each respective school. Coe plans to use the money to purchase age and reading level appropriate books for their classrooms, while John Hay is going to put its donated funds toward hiring math and reading tutors.

Don’t forget, Coe night is tonight (Tuesday), and John Hay night is tomorrow (Wednesday). Go Coe and Hay!

This is just a reminder that the Help for Haiti Rummage Sale, a joint venture between neighborhood schools Coe Elementary, John Hay and McClure Middle School, is this Sunday, February 7 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. in the Coe gym (located at located at 2424 7th Ave W).

Donations of gently used goods to be sold at the rummage sale can be made from 3:30 to 5 p.m. on Friday, February 5 at Coe and Hay, and on Saturday, February 6 from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Coe. All proceeds will benefit the American Red Cross.

There will also be a bake sale at the rummage sale, headed by the folks at John Hay. Baked goods can be dropped off at Coe Elementary on Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. and Sunday from 9 a.m. to 11 p.m. Parents and kids interested in volunteering their time at the bake sale should contact Kim Clements at 206-963-9589 or kclements@jasdesignbuild.com, or simply show up between 10 .m. and 3 p.m. on Sunday. More information here.

To get involved, contact the following representatives:

John Hay: Susan Sweeney at susweeney@seattleschools.org and Lynn Baker at lybaker@seattleschools.org:

Coe: Becky Lederman at lederman4@msn.com, Lisa Cole at davidandlisacole@mac.com, and Stacy Lawson at slawson7@gmail.com.

McClure: Margarita Vanegas at mvvanegas@seattleschools.org.

General  Information: Lindsay Foody at honeyfoody@yahoo.com, and Mimi Gan at mimigan@msn.com or (206) 390-2312.

Kids from Coe recently ran a bake sale for Haiti, raising $1,645 in one afternoon!