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May 5,
2006
District
News
New
water quality actions at Seattle Public
Schools--Superintendent Raj Manhas announced on May 1 that
all school drinking water will be turned off and bottled water
provided for students and staff. He is taking this aggressive
action due to the presence of arsenic in five water fixtures which
exceed the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) standard of 10
parts per billion (ppb). Currently, the district has examined over
300 locations in 57 schools, and five show arsenic levels from 11
to 18 ppb when using the EPA-specified sampling
protocol.
Bottled water
has been delivered to every school in the district. In addition,
bottled water will also be supplied to all school kitchens and
cafeterias for use in food preparation. For more information and
resources about drinking water in our schools, click
here.
Community Advisory
Committee on School Facilities and Programs **May Meeting Schedule
Changes**--The Community Advisory Committee (CAC)
on School Facilities and Programs announced an updated schedule for
the second round of Town Hall Meetings to discuss school
consolidation and closure. In order to consider the full range of
community comments, the CAC has decided to deliberate for an
additional week before presenting preliminary recommendations to
the community. The previously scheduled May meeting dates have been
cancelled and the new meeting dates are posted here.
For more information about the committee and meeting dates, go
online to the CAC
website.
Around the
Community
500
students to take part in science and math competitions during
Seattle MESA Day--More than 500 students from 25 Seattle
elementary, middle and high schools will take part in a series of
science and math competitions held during Seattle MESA Day on May
13. MESA (Mathematics Engineering Science Achievement) brings
together girls and students of color from kindergarten through
grade 12 and helps them achieve their full potential in math,
engineering and science. Chief Academic Officer Carla Santorno will
open the sixth annual MESA Day competition which also features 80
volunteers from IBM, Microsoft, Washington State Department of
Transportation, and the University of Washington who will serve as
judges and role models.
For more
information about MESA Day or to volunteer, download this
PDF file.
Throughout
the year, MESA supports students, teachers and parents with
innovative, hands-on programs and opportunities in mathematics,
engineering and science. Currently, MESA has partnerships with 25
Seattle Public Schools, including nine elementary schools, seven
middle schools and nine high schools. For more information about
MESA, go to their website.
Ballard High School
Club to E-Cycle Used Computers--Ballard High School
Computers for the World (C4W) Club, together with Ballard Rotary
Club and InterConnection of Fremont will have an E-Cycle event for
used electronic equipment. Students and volunteers will be
collecting used computers, monitors, and televisions for recycling
or re-use.
Computers,
computer monitors, computer peripherals and televisions will be
accepted. Because these items have heavy metals, it is illegal to
dispose them in regular garbage service. Standard recycling fees
ranging from $5 for computers and ink jet printers, $10 for
computer monitors, and 50 cents a pound for televisions and laser
printers will be charged. Proceeds and computers from the event
will benefit the BHS C4W Club and the nonprofit InterConnection in their
efforts to provide computers to underserved populations locally and
to recipients in less developed countries.
Computer and
monitor donations may be tax deductible. For more information
or to volunteer to help, call John Keithly at (206) 252-1043 or
download this
PDF file.
Ballard
E-Cycle event
May
20
10:00 a.m. to
4:00 p.m., rain or shine
Ballard High
School, north parking lot, 1418 NW 65th Street
Celebrations
Seattle high school
students receive Washington Award for Vocational
Excellence--Buu Huynh, Roosevelt, Katrina Nelson,
Garfield, Tianyin Zhu, Ingraham, and Chloe Dillon, Nathan Hale,
were awarded with the 2006 Washington Award for Vocational
Excellence (WAVE). The WAVE program was created in 1984 by the
Washington State Legislature to recognize and reward students who
excel in career and technical education. Recipients of this annual
award receive scholarships to pay undergraduate educational
expenses for two years at a Washington State institution of higher
education.
Seattle high school and
middle school students win top honors at Seattle Urban Debate
League City Championships--Hundreds of Seattle students
came to compete for individual and school team honors at the
Seattle Urban Debate League City Championships on April 29. At the
end of the day, the team from West Seattle High School won first
place for best school overall and Garfield received second. In the
middle school category, Washington Middle School received first
place and Meany received second.
Of special
note, Garfield sophomores, Delane Parker and Ethiopia Berta won
team honors in the varsity division. Both students, who normally
compete in the junior varsity division, advanced to the final
varsity round against the top-ranked team from West Seattle. The
Garfield students came out on top with their effective and eloquent
arguments to pass the federal End Racial Profiling Act. For more
results from the championship, download this
PDF file.
Four
Seattle Public Schools honored with 2006 Earth Hero Award from King
County--At a May 4 ceremony, King County Executive Ron
Sims honored students, teachers, school staff and volunteers for
their collective contributions to protecting and preserving King
County’s natural environment.
"I am truly
inspired by the passion, innovation and dedication of our local
heroes to make environmental preservation a legacy in King County,"
said Sims. "Each of our honorees is an incredible example after
which we should model our own actions. Each Earth Hero at Schools
exemplifies the spirit of service by working tirelessly on behalf
of our environment," Sims continued. "We are fortunate to have
these environmental stewards in our midst."
The following
Seattle educators and schools received the 2006 Earth Hero
Award:
Kevin Barth,
West Seattle High School: Mr. Barth was instrumental in
establishing the Environmental Science Academy at West Seattle High
in the fall of 2002. The academy is an ongoing, learning community
that focuses on environmental awareness by exploring western
habitats and reconstructing native areas in the Seattle area. Mr.
Barth as lead teacher is responsible for coordination of the
curriculum, off-campus explorations, fundraising, and project
organization.
Susan Moon,
Lowell Elementary School: Ms. Moon conveys her passion for the
environment to her students through planned lessons and projects as
well as through everyday conversations. Through her example and her
leadership, her students have raised and donated funds to the
Cascades Conservation Partnership, campaigned for decreased use of
plastic wrapping in the lunchroom, and reduced waste at home and at
school.
Greenhouse
and Garden Project, Montlake Elementary School: This project
teaches students to grow organic food and cultivate native plants
for habitat restoration. Planting, growing, and harvesting
integrate with every aspect of the Montlake K-5 curriculum.
Students share their resources with the community by donating some
of their harvest to a local food bank. They will use their
knowledge of native plants in a stewardship project in Interlaken
Park where they will restore a ravine.
Native Plant
Garden, Orca Elementary School: The latest addition to this
school's long established garden is the Native Plant Garden which
contains 26 native species and provides a place where students can
observe their growth and development year round. Students'
understanding of ecosystems, riparian zones, interdependence,
native and exotic plants, and horticultural principles have been
deeply enhanced by their involvement in creating and caring for the
garden.
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Lafayette Elementary
student wins 2006 Washington State Arbor Day poster
contest--Lafayette Elementary student Melissa Carter won
the 2006 Washington State Arbor Day poster contest. She was honored
during a garden ceremony on April 28 with Doug Sutherland,
Washington State Commissioner of Public Lands.
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Coming Up
Seattle Public Schools
presents The Family-School Connection conference on May
6--Dr. Karen Mapp will be the
featured speaker at “The Family-School Connection: A
Partnership for Student Success” conference on Saturday, May
6 for parents, guardians, family members and educators. Dr. Mapp, a
Harvard education professor, is a nationally recognized family
involvement researcher and author and is president of the Institute
for Responsive Education. Breakout sessions will be held for
educators and families – all focused on ways to better
involve families in their child’s educational experience in
Seattle Schools. Five clock hours are provided for certificated
staff. The conference is free and open to the public.
Deadline for registration is April 30. For more information call
Heidi Henderson-Lewis at (206) 252-0996 or Andrea Steele at (206)
252-0989.
The
Family-School Connection Conference
Saturday, May 6
9:00 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
Stanford Center auditorium, 2445 Third Ave. South,
Seattle
School Board Members
Schedule District-Based Community Meetings--Several School Board members
schedule meetings in their communities. Parents, guardians,
students, staff and community members are encouraged to attend.
This is an opportunity to share thoughts and concerns, and to raise
questions.
Meetings
scheduled for May include:
* Tuesday, May
9, 6:30 p.m. - 8:30 p.m., District III, Director Brita Butler-Wall,
at Eckstein Middle School library, 3003 Northeast 75th Street.
District III includes a portion of the schools located in Northeast
and Central Seattle.
* Friday, May
12, 6:00 p.m. – 9:00 p.m., District I, Director Sally
Soriano, at Meadowbrook Community Center, 10517 35th Avenue
Northeast. District I includes schools located in North, Northeast
and Northwest Seattle.
* Friday, May
19, 6:00 p.m. – 8:00 p.m., District V, Director Mary Bass, at
Garfield Community Center, 2323 East Cherry Street. District V
includes schools located in Central Seattle.
In addition,
School Board President Brita Butler-Wall invites constituents to
drop-in on Mondays, 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. at Honey Bear Bakery at
Third Place Books Ravenna, at NE 65th and 20th Avenue
NE.
School and District Events
Calendar
If you would
like to know about current special school events, fundraisers or
other district events, go online to the District
Events Calendar where you can see what’s going on monthly
at Seattle Public Schools or search for specific events by date,
school and event type.
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In the
News
For a
sampling of this week’s local newspaper stories on Seattle
Public Schools, please click here.
NBA
player Martell Webster hoists Ahmad Davis, a third-grader at The
New School at South Shore, after Webster spoke to students about
anger and conflict management. For the complete Seattle
Times article, click
here. Photo: Rod Mar/The Seattle Times
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