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Sept. 28,
2007
Photograph © Susie
Fitzhugh
District News
Seattle Public Schools receives
$600,000 grant for Community Learning Centers
Seattle
Public Schools has received about a $600,000 grant from The 21st
Century Community Learning Center (21st CCLC) program. The grant
funds will be used to continue building strong relationships with
community partners that serve students and families.
These funds will be specifically
allocated for out-of-school time programs, as well as professional
development for staff in this field. Most importantly, it will aid
Seattle Public Schools in providing vital academic support to
approximately 1,300 students, assisting some of the neediest
students in the District. Students will receive academic and
enrichment activities that will assist in reading and math, as well
as strengthen family engagement, including hosting family events
that are open to the entire school community. The grant will also
provide language-specific workshops for families to assist their
children in adjusting to new school environments.
School-Family Partnership Advisory Committee seeks
new members
Seattle Public Schools is seeking new members to serve on the
School-Family Partnership Advisory Committee. The deadline to
turn in nomination forms is Friday, Oct. 12, 2007. The committee
will implement the School-Family Partnership Policy, and advise the
Superintendent on ways to most effectively involve families in
teaching and learning. Family engagement in education is critical
to student success. If you are interested or know of someone
interested in serving on the School-Family Partnership Advisory
Committee, please complete and submit a nomination form by Oct. 12.
Click
here to download a nomination form or here
for a description of the committee. For more information, see the
full
news release.
Climate Action Now
T-shirt design contest launches
As
part of current efforts to raise awareness about climate change
solutions, Seattle Public Schools has launched its Climate
Action Now T-shirt design contest. The contest, co-sponsored
by the City of Seattle, offers an opportunity for students to
convey their ideas about climate change solutions. All Seattle
School District K-12 students are eligible to participate. The
winning design will be featured on Seattle Climate Action
Now T-shirts. Additionally, 12 honorable mention designs will
be featured in a 2008 Seattle Climate Action Now calendar.
Entries must be received no later than 5 p.m., Friday, Nov. 9.
Early bird submissions (those received before Oct. 26) will be
eligible for display at the
Mayor's National Climate Protection Summit. For more
information about the contest, visit
http://www.seattleschools.org/area/conservation/seattlecan_tshirt.html.
For more information about the Seattle CAN campaign, visit www.SeattleCAN.org. For
questions, contact Nicole Riss at (206) 252-0599 or nariss@seattleschools.org
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Photograph © Susie Fitzhugh |
City-wide reading campaign for Read A Million Words,
Seattle! kicks off Oct. 16
To
support Seattle Public Schools' Academic Vision and its commitment
to literacy, the community is invited to join the Read A
Million Words, Seattle! campaign, which challenges students to
read one million words each year. A city-wide launch is scheduled
for Oct. 16, in which the School District will work with a variety
of city literacy programs, community-based organizations, parents,
guardians and family members to make the program successful.
Research indicates that an important
way to increase student achievement is to encourage reading. The
more children read, the easier reading becomes. All types of
reading is encouraged, including newspapers, magazines, books, Web
sites, and digital text. For questions, suggestions, or additional
information, contact Cathy McLeod, Supervisor of Library Media
Services, at csmcleod@seattleschools.org
or (206) 252-0500.
Public meetings
scheduled to explain new method of allocating funds to
schools
Seattle Public Schools is
proposing a change in the method of how funds are allocated to
schools – from the "Weighted Student Formula" to "Weighted
Staffing Standards." The change will streamline the budget process
both centrally and at the schools. Work is under way to develop the
details of the model, which will be presented in more detail at the
meetings listed below. The School Board is scheduled to vote on the
new budget process at its Oct. 17 board meeting. Three
informational community meetings will be held before the vote to
explain the new method. Times and locations are listed below.
Interpreters will be available at the Oct. 4 meeting for the
following languages: Cambodian, Chinese, Somali, Spanish, and
Vietnamese. For more information, visit http://www.seattleschools.org/area/news/0708/WSS_FAQ.pdf
When: 6:30-8 p.m., Monday, Oct. 1,
2007.
Where: Hamilton International Middle School,
1610 N. 41st St.
When: 6:30-8 p.m., Tuesday, Oct. 2,
2007.
Where: First AME Church, 1522 14th
Ave.
When: 6:30-8 p.m., Thursday, Oct. 4,
2007.
Where: Madison Middle School, 3429 45th Ave.
S.W.
Student
Celebrations
Garfield High student named Semifinalist in
National Achievement Scholarship
Victor R. Lindstrom, a student
at Garfield High School at Lincoln, was named one of 1,600 black
seniors nationwide designated as a Semifinalist in the 2008
National Achievement Scholarship Program. The scholarship program
is a privately financed academic competition that recognizes and
provides scholarships to promising black students throughout the
nation. Two types of scholarships will be offered: a scholarship
worth $2,500 awarded on a regional representation basis, and
corporate-sponsored scholarships financed by corporations,
foundations, and professional organizations. Names of scholarship
winners will be announced in early April.
Mercer student attends world
leadership forum in Washington, D.C.
Jenna
Gero, an eighth-grade student at Mercer Middle School and a former
student at the African American Academy, joined a select group of
students in the People to People
World Leadership Forum in Washington, D.C., Sept. 17-23. She earned
high school credit while studying leadership and exploring
some of the United States' most prominent monuments and
institutions.
From
Capitol Hill to the Smithsonian Institute and from colonial
Williamsburg to the National Museum of American History, Gero
examined the characteristics of American leadership during times of
national challenge and prosperity. She also participated in
small-group discussions and exercises to experience first hand how
successful leaders develop strategies, make decisions, build
consensus, and foster change.
Gero
was nominated and accepted for the honor based on outstanding
scholastic merit, civic involvement and leadership potential. The
program is coordinated by People to People Student Ambassador
Programs to fulfill the vision Dwight D. Eisenhower had for
fostering world citizenship.
The
Center School student named Semifinalist in National Merit
Scholarship
National Merit Scholarship
announced that Kelsey H. Green, a senior at The Center School, was
named a Semifinalist in the 2008 National Merit
Scholarship Program. As a Semifinalist, Green was one of 16,000
students nationwide who were among the top scorers on the 2006
Preliminary SAT and may become a Finalist eligible for
scholarships. Finalists will be announced in four
nationwide news releases in spring 2008, beginning in April and
ending in July.
Staff
Celebrations
Artwork
and story of Seattle Public Schools employee featured in
book
Cecilia
Alvarez, a Seattle Public Schools employee, is one of 15
artists whose story and artwork is featured in On My
Block: Stories and Paintings by Fifteen Artists, available
at Children’s Book Press. The book was released in August and
is available at bookstores. Alvarez’s contribution, “My
Abuelita’s Garden,” is the book’s opening
illustration and story. She paints a colorful and poignant picture
of growing up on the border of Mexico and California.
Garfield High teacher receives
national mathematics award
Secondary Bilingual Orientation
Center receives grant for computers, software
Students will use
technology to create a school orientation
video
Students at the Secondary
Bilingual Orientation Center will be learning how to create a video
after the school won a $30,000 grant to purchase four new iMacs and
15 copies of Adobe’s Creative Suite 3. The grant came from Adobe
Youth Voices, a philanthropic initiative to empower youth in
underserved communities.
Teacher Lori Leberer, with tutor and
support technician Charles Meding, will work with students in a
multimedia class to produce an orientation video introducing the
school and its programs. Both teachers received training in digital
story-telling at Adobe Corporation in Fremont. Students will gain
confidence in using a digital camera and camcorder, downloading
images, creating slideshows, and learning basic interview
techniques. The final goal is for students to become competent in
creating a video. The teachers are planning an October open house
to show several slideshows and possibly a “limited”
video. Students plan to present the video at a family night in
February.
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E.A.R.T.H Project at Cooper Elementary teaches
students about environment
Cooper Elementary has been
awarded a $53,000 state grant, which will be used in part for the
school’s
E.A.R.T.H Project, an integration of environmental studies,
technology, and art – with a focus on teaching the students
to have respect for themselves, others and the environment. During
the upcoming school year, the students will be planning and
planting an on-site habitat, including the propagation of plants.
An area south of the school parking lot will be one location where
students will be able to do hands-on lessons about the Northwest
environment. Forestry and stewardship projects in the greenbelt
will support experiential science curricula for all grades,
including wildlife studies. The teachers have already begun
training for this new program and will learn how to integrate this
strand throughout their curriculum, including the National Science Foundation kits
they currently use.
Around the
Community
Flu
prevention program to be broadcast on SPS-TV - Channel
26
"Why Don’t We Do It In
Our Sleeves” – a humorous and informative video
designed to encourage people to prevent the spread of disease by
properly covering their coughs and sneezes – will air on
SPS-TV beginning Monday, Oct. 8.
With colds and flu season
approaching, the program encourages viewers to adopt proper
coughing and sneezing techniques. The practices outlined in this
entertaining five-minute video follow the infection control
guidelines put forth by the Centers for Disease Control and
Prevention.
This program is broadcast on Seattle
Public Schools Television (SPS-TV) on Cable Channel 26 in the
greater Seattle area on Comcast Cable system and Cable Channel 75
on Millennium Cable.
Why Don’t We Do
It In Our Sleeve
Air Dates: Oct. 8, 2007, to Feb.
29, 2008:
■ Daily: 7-7:05 a.m. (English);
7:05-7:10 a.m. (Spanish)
■ Wednesdays: 12:30.-12:35 p.m.
(English); 12:35-12:40 p.m. (Spanish)
■ Thursdays and Saturdays:
8-8:05 p.m. (English); 8:05-8:10 p.m. (Spanish)
Coming Up
PTA
Leadership training scheduled for Sept. 29
Meet
other PTA leaders for networking, skill-building and inspiration at
the PTA leadership training to be held Sept. 29. Learn all you need
to manage your PTA and have a productive, rewarding year. PTA
officers, board members, and any other interested parents, staff,
students and community members are invited to attend. Visit http://www.wastatepta.org/regions/region06/re06.htm
and download the Region 6 Newsletter to get the registration
form.
PTA Leadership
Training
8:15 a.m. to 1 p.m., Saturday,
Sept. 29
Ridgecrest Elementary School
16516 10th Ave. N.E.,
Shoreline
Curriculum audit drop-in meetings scheduled for Oct. 1-
4
Seattle Public Schools is conducting
an external curriculum audit to examine their instructional
systems. As part of the audit process, there will be drop in/open
times for parents, guardians, and/or teachers who wish to speak to
an auditor regarding curriculum. The meetings will take place Oct.
1-4 at the Family and Community Information Center on the first
floor of the John Stanford Center lobby. For more information, call
the curriculum department at (206) 252-0050.
Curriculum audit
meetings
All meetings are 4-6
p.m.,
■ Monday, Oct.
1
■ Tuesday, Oct. 2
■ Wednesday, Oct. 3
■ Thursday, Oct. 4
John Stanford Center
2445 Third Ave. S.
Sen.
Murray to speak Oct. 11 at Adult Literacy Leadership Seminar and
Luncheon
Join Sen. Patty Murray, senior
Washington senator and member of the Education and Appropriations
Committees, at an Oct. 11 seminar to discuss topics that include
adolescent literacy and high school reform efforts at the federal
and state level and reauthorization of No Child Left Behind. Space
is limited. Please RSVP via e-mail to
ilene.rosenthal@achieve3000.com or call (202) 338-1223.
Adult Literacy Leadership
and Luncheon
8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m., Thursday,
Oct. 11
Puget Sound ESD Conference
Center
800 Oakesdale Ave. S.W.,
Renton
Seattle
School Board Candidates Forum set for Oct. 11
Get
educated on
school board candidates running for four seats in the Nov. 6
general election. The candidates on the ballot are Sally Soriano
and Peter Maier (Director District No. 1); Sherry Carr and Darlene
Flynn (Director District No. 2); David Blomstrom and Harium
Martin-Morris (Director District No. 3); and Steve Sundquist and
Maria G. Ramirez (Director District No. 6)
School Board Candidates
Forum
6:30-8:30 p.m.Thursday, Oct.
11
John Stanford Center
2445 Third Ave. S.
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.
We Need Your
Ideas
The
Communications Office is always looking for stories on interesting
classroom projects, inspirational people, or events in our schools
to share with the greater Seattle community. We often highlight
stories submitted by school staff for potential media coverage as
well as district and community publications. For examples of
stories we have published in the past, please visit this link.
We would like to hear from you. If you have a unique story to share
please send your ideas directly to goodnews@seattleschools.org.
The deadline for submissions is Oct. 8 for the Oct. 11
issue of School Beat.
In the News
For a
sampling of this week’s local newspaper stories on Seattle
Public Schools, please click here.
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