No Child Left Behind-Blue Ribbon Schools Program
Maple Elementary School has been selected as one of nine of the 250 No Child Left Behind (NCLB) 2006 Blue Ribbon Schools highlighted on the NCLB national Web Site.

According to the NCLB Blue Ribbon web site, "Like members of a family, Blue Ribbon Schools share certain features. There is always a sense of order. Dedication to "time on task" is fierce. Student work covers walls, and parents feel welcome. Every student is known by name. Schedules accommodate time for teachers to confer, plan, and learn themselves, and principals are hands-on learners and leaders. Assessment data target students’ needs and drive new plans. Everyone, at every level, is expected to meet the highest possible standards." The site also states that "Leadership may be the single most powerful characteristic of Blue Ribbon Schools. Each of the nine schools profiled this year bear their stamp of committed, often visionary leaders who have created pathways for their successors as they transformed their schools."

For more details click on the following link: Overview: Maple Elementary

Maple Elementary Principal Pat Hunter, center, receives a $25,000 award check from Bob Watt, left, vice president, State and Local Government Relations and Global Corporate Citizenship, The Boeing Company; and retired Boeing Chief Administrative Officer John D. Warner, right.

Seattle Public Schools receives Academic Improvement Award
State Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson awarded Seattle Public Schools an Academic Improvement Award in recognition of staff and students making outstanding, continuous improvement in academic achievement for the 2005-06 school year. The award recognizes schools and districts which have reduced by 10 percent the number of students who did not meet the reading, mathematics, or writing goals from one school year to the next. Based on the 2005-2006 WASL results, the district was recognized for this achievement in:

• 4th-grade writing
• 7th-grade writing
• 10th-grade reading, writing and mathematics
  

Bands, orchestras bring home awards in music festival
Seattle Public Schools band and concert students won numerous first-place and outstanding awards at the Music in the Parks Festival in Coeur D'Alene, Idaho.

Denny Middle School - Marcus Pimpleton, band director; Jorge Morales, orchestra director

• First Place - Division 1A Concert Band - Excellent Rating
• First Place - Division 1A Parade Band - Excellent Rating
• First Place - Division 1A Jazz Ensemble - Excellent Rating
• Second Place - Division 1A String Orchestra - Good Rating
• Best Overall Junior High/Middle School Jazz Ensemble
• Outstanding Junior High/Middle School Jazz Soloist, Elizabeth Hiner

Eckstein Middle School - Moc Escobedo, director

• First Place - Division 2A Concert Band - Superior Rating
• Best Overall Junior High/Middle School Concert Band
• Espirit De Corps Award, for overall participation and sportsmanship

Mercer Middle School - Aaron Hennings, director

• First Place - Division 1A String Orchestra - Excellent Rating
• Fourth Place - Division 1A Concert Band - Good Rating

Madison Middle School - Clark Bathum, director

• First Place - Division 2A Jazz Ensemble - Good Rating
• First Place - Division 2A String Orchestra - Good Rating
• Second Place - Division 2A Concert Band - Good Rating
  

Seattle Public Schools Web site selected as one of the nation's
top ten public school Web sites by WantToTeach.com.
Web sites were judged on the following criteria:

• Functionality - useful information and ease of access.
• Design - a sharp design designating a sense of pride in one's school and/or district.
• Imagination - a sense of imagination present in the site.
• Timeliness - the site is maintained and current.

"The Web sites that we ultimately recognize each year represent what we feel are the best public school websites that the Internet has to offer." ~WantToTeach.com, Nationwide Teaching Positions