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November 9,
2007
Photography
© Susie Fitzhugh
District News
Four
new members elected to Seattle School Board
EHJR 4204, simple majority for school levies, considered too close
to call
The latest results
of the November 6 election show that four new individuals will
serve on the Seattle School District's Board of Directors.
Elected were:
● Peter Maier (District
1);
● Sherry Carr (District
2);
● Harium Martin-Morris
(District 3); and
● Steve Sundquist (District
6).
The formal swearing-in ceremony for
these individuals is scheduled for Wednesday, November 28, 6-7 p.m.
in the auditorium at the John Stanford Center. All are welcome. The
first meeting of the newly elected Board is Wednesday, December 5.
Carr, Maier, Martin-Morris and Sundquist will join Directors
Michael DeBell (District 4); Mary Bass (District 5); and Cheryl
Chow (District 7). Wednesday, November 14 will be the
last meeting at which the current Board will preside. About 7:30
p.m., the Board will take a short break for refreshments and to
allow outgoing Board members Dr. Brita Butler-Wall, Darlene Flynn,
Sally Soriano and Irene Stewart to be honored for their dedicated
service to the students of Seattle.
EHJR 4204, an amendment to the Washington state Constitution
providing for a simple majority of voters to authorize a school
levy, is considered too close to call at the time of this School
Beat issue. There are still hundreds of thousands of votes to
count. As of November 9, more than 48.8 percent of voters were
approving the proposal, and 51. 2 percent were rejecting
it.
Update on Program Reviews - Special Education
Programs
Seattle Public Schools
continues to review what is working and what needs to be improved
across our system. As part of that process, the District
commissioned a series of external reviews of programs and services,
including advanced learning, bilingual, and special education. The
review of services for students with disabilities is complete. The
goal of the review, conducted by an expert national group, The Urban Special
Education Leadership Collaborative Education Development
Center, was to recommend ways to increase academic achievement,
graduation rates, and other outcomes for students who receive
special education services. The report will be analyzed, and
recommendations considered as the Superintendent develops a
strategic plan for Seattle Public Schools. An overview, as well as
the full report, is available as follows:
Special Education Review Report Overview and Highlights
Special Education Review Report - Full document
Student preregistration continues for 2008-09 school
year
Applications
being accepted for Sibling Early Assignments
Preregistration
for kindergarten and other new students entering Seattle Public
Schools in September 2008 – as well as applications for
Sibling Early Assignments – will continue to be accepted
through November. Other information about Open Enrollment, school
fairs and Enrollment Centers is also included in this link.
For more information on preregistration or Sibling Early
Assignments, go the the Enrollment
Services Web site or call Enrollment Services at (206)
252-0760.
Don
Kennedy joins Seattle Public Schools as Chief Financial and
Operations Officer
Effective November 1, Don
Kennedy is the new Chief Financial and Operations Officer for
Seattle Public Schools. In this newly configured position, Kennedy
assumes the responsibilities of former Chief Operating Officer Mark
Green and former Chief Financial Officer Art Jarvis. He will lead
several of the District’s business functions, including
Capital Projects, Enrollment, Facility Services, Finance,
Information Technology, Planning, Procurement, and School Support
Services.
Kennedy has more than 17 years of
leadership experience in governmental and corporate finance, and in
operations management. Most recently, he was the Chief Financial
and Administrative Officer for the Charleston County School
District in South Carolina. Click on this link
for the full news release.
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Parent-teacher conferences
scheduled this month
Parent-teacher conferences
for students in elementary and K-8 schools will be held November
13-20. Conference schedules and dismissal times vary by school, so
please check with your school for specific dates and
times.
Deadline extended for membership to School-Family
Partnership Advisory Committee
Applicants have until November 16 to turn in
applications
Seattle Public Schools is
seeking new members to serve on the
School-Family Partnership Advisory Committee. The deadline to
turn in nomination forms has been extended to Friday, November 16.
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
November 16. Click
here to download a nomination form or here
for a description of the committee. For more information, see the
full
news release.
Around the schools
Acclaimed book author visits Meany Middle School to speak
about reading
Walter Dean Myers, the
acclaimed author of young adult books, visited students at Meany
Middle School last month to talk about the importance of reading.
Myers was in Seattle to speak at the University of Washington's
Spencer C. Shaw Lecture Series, “Books & Boys –
Making it Work,” which explored the relationship between boys
and books, and how the community can work together to foster boys'
love of reading. Myers has contributed to many educational and
literary publications and has visited schools across the nation to
speak to children, teachers, librarians, and parents.
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Acclaimed
author Walter Dean Myers talks to a student at Meany Middle School
during his visit last month. In the background is a photo of Myers
at age 12. |
International delegation
studies art program at T.T. Minor Elementary
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Alvina Gladus,
an actress and trainer from Pakistan, watches a T.T. Minor student
apply paint for her print project.
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An international delegation
visited T.T. Minor Elementary School on October 29 for a first-hand
look at the school’s art program. The Promoting Tolerance
Through Art delegation from the World Affairs Council watched
students demonstrate their work on the printmaking process, which
relates to their interdisciplinary unit on China. The delegation is
composed of arts commissioners, artists, actors, and filmmakers
who visited the United States to learn about state and local
government support of the arts, arts programs in schools, and
promotion of arts and cultural heritage. Delegation members
met with art students and Shellwyn Badger, the arts specialist
at Minor, to discuss her role as an arts specialist at
the school and how the arts benefit the student
body.
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Whittier Elementary principal holds breath, gets wet at
Fall Carnival
Some days, it’s all a
principal can do to keep her head above water. But for Cothron L.
McMillian, principal at Whittier Elementary School, it was all in a
day’s work at the school’s Fall Carnival held October
26. McMillian allowed herself to be the main target for the
fund-raiser as students and staff threw balls that frequently sent
her plunging down a cold water tank. Besides the dunk tank, the
Whittier PTA raised money through the sale of tickets for food and
other games. For more on this story, go to the Ballard News Tribune
Web site at
http://www.ballardnewstribune.com/articles/2007/10/29/features/features/feature03.txt.
Conservation
Specialist Anne Ducey, with Seattle City Light, left photo,
explains to Summit K-12 students how fluorescent bulbs can save
energy. The pumpkin carvings, right photo, take on a different look
with the new bulbs.
Summit K-12 students give pumpkin carvings the
green light
Marty Christianson’s
sixth-grade class at Summit K-12 gave Halloween a new twist this
year – more accurately a green twist. As part of a lesson on
energy efficiency, Christianson’s students carved pumpkins
outfitted with the new mini, compact fluorescent
“twisty” bulbs. The jack-o’-lanterns were lit up
when Seattle City Light Conservation Specialist Anne Ducey spoke to
the class on October 30. She told the class that the city’s
new Twist & Save program makes this an especially good time to
start using compact fluorescents. In partnership with Seattle City
Light, dozens of stores in Seattle and King County are selling
Energy Star CF bulbs at very low prices. For more on buying, using
and disposing of compact fluorescent bulbs, go to http://www.seattle.gov/twistandsave.
Ballard High awarded $50,000
Wireless Technology Lab
Ballard High School has won
one of five grand prizes given away by Discovery Education, a
company that provides digital-based learning resources, and CDW-G,
a technology business advisor, in honor of its Win a
Wireless Lab sweepstakes. Now in its fifth year, the
sweepstakes aims to help K-12 schools across the nation easily and
effectively integrate technology resources into the classroom
curriculum. Ballard received 20 Hewlett Packard notebook computers,
D-Link wireless access points, a Bretford wireless cart, Computrace
security software, a Mitsubishi projector, a Lexmark printer, an
APC power supply and a multimedia CD-ROM collection. Click
here for the full news release.
Coming
Up
Schools closed for Veterans Day and Thanksgiving
holiday
Seattle Public Schools will
close Monday, November 12 in honor of Veterans Day. Schools will
also close Thursday and Friday, November 22-23 for the Thanksgiving
holiday.
Public invited to discuss key educational issues
at November 15 legislative roundtable
The public is invited to sit
down at a table with their district legislators to discuss key
education issues. The Seattle Council PTSA is sponsoring an event
scheduled for November 15 which will include a mix of panel
discussions and small groups, organized by legislative districts.
Registration starts at 6:30 p.m. with the program beginning at 7
p.m. There will be refreshments and a light dinner. For more
information, contact the Council’s office at (206) 364-7430
or e-mail info@seattlecouncilptsa.org
Seattle Council PTSA
Legislative Roundtable
Thursday, November
15
6:30-8:30 p.m.
Hamilton International Middle
School
1610 N. 41st St.
Update on new Student Assignment Plan topic of Seattle
Council PTSA meeting
The Seattle Council
PTSA invites the community to its general membership meeting
Monday, November 26. Tracy Libros, Enrollment and Planning Manager,
Seattle Public Schools, will share the District’s plans for
the next phase of the new Student Assignment Plan. Also, guest
speaker Ortencia Santana, membership chair of the Beacon Hill PTA,
will share some of Beacon Hill’s approaches to increasing
family involvement in multicultural communities. Santana has been
recognized on a statewide level for her accomplishments in family
involvement. Child care and language interpreters will be provided
at the meeting. For more information, contact the Council’s
office at (206) 364-7430 or e-mail info@seattlecouncilptsa.org
Seattle Council PTSA
General Meeting
Monday, November 26
6:30 - 7 p.m. – informal
networking
7 - 9 p.m. – general
meeting
John Stanford Center
2445 Third Ave. S.
Special Education Program Fair scheduled for
December 1
A free Special
Education Program Fair, designed for families with school-aged
children, is scheduled for December 1. The fair will showcase the
gamut of Special Education programs and services in the Seattle
School District. Topics will include: program placement, policies,
school assignment, riser process, Individualized Education Plans,
Individualized Transition Plans, the Washington Assessment of
Student Learning, the Washington Alternative Assessment System, and
graduation requirements.
Numerous vendors representing
related services will also be at the fair to share information. The
event is free and no advanced registration is required. Child care
will not be provided. Interpreter services are available but must
be requested by November 15. For more information, contact the
Seattle Public School's Special Education department at (206)
252-0058.
Special Education Program
Fair
Saturday, December
1,
9 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.
Meany Middle School
301 21st Ave. E.
School and District Events
Calendar
If you would
like to know about current special school events, fund-raisers 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 Nov. 26 for the Nov. 29
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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