February 29 , 2008

Photography ? Susie Fitzhugh

District News

Strategic Plan Updates
     Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson, Ph.D., is leading a strategic planning process to help us improve our effectiveness and ensure that every child can succeed. The input of the many SPS stakeholders — both internal and external — has been crucial in the early stages of plan development and there will be many more opportunities for engagement this spring. On February 25, School Board members reviewed the latest strategic planning findings:
     • Instructional Staff Survey. A total of 1,385 teachers and other instructional staff members (28 percent of the total) completed an online survey. They provided more than 6,000 answers to the survey’s open-ended questions, which are being carefully analyzed now. Instructional staff in our District are confident of their ability to personalize teaching and learning, but do see room for improvement. They seek more and better professional development, better facilities, more opportunities to communicate with the Central Office, more consistent curriculum and better means to support students who need extra help. Detailed findings of the survey will be made available soon. A summary narrative and PowerPoint presentation are available on the Strategic Plan Web site.
     • High Impact Initiatives. Consultants have developed proposals for 30 high-impact initiatives in the areas of learning and teaching, attracting and supporting staff, improving Central Office operations and engaging stakeholders. That information was shared in a Board Workshop on February 25. The consultants will present a feasibility analysis and show resource requirements for these initiatives at the School Board’s workshop on March 7.  The report will be posted on the Web site when it is complete.
     • Staff and Community Engagement.  As reports and presentations are complete, they will be posted on the Strategic Plan Web site. You can view reports prepared to date, as well as materials prepared by board workshops, on the Strategic Plan Web site under “Background Information” and “Findings.” Once reports from the diagnostic phase are complete, a broad community engagement effort will begin. Dates will be publicized in this e-newsletter and through many other means. There will be multiple opportunities, and methods, for involvement of staff, families and community members in the planning process.
     The School Board will further discuss strategic plan findings and possible priorities as one of the topics at a retreat on March 7. The retreat is scheduled from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. The location will be posted on the School Board Calendar. Comments on the strategic planning process are always welcome at strategicplan@seattleschools.org.

Curriculum Audit completed
     Seattle Public Schools is committed to the success of every student, so we asked for a series of external reviews to see what is working and what needs to be improved. Review reports are available on the Strategic Plan Web site.
     A Curriculum Management Review was commissioned by Chief Academic Officer Carla Santorno in spring 2007. We asked that our system be measured against national best-practice standards. This type of audit notes “exceptions” and makes recommendations on steps needed to reach standard. An overview and the full report are available on our Web site.
     Key themes that emerge are similar to those reflected in other reviews, such as the need for the District to be more systemic and coordinated in plans and actions; to focus on a limited number of priorities; and to phase our work. For curriculum, this means that the District needs clear board policies; a detailed plan for design, delivery and evaluation; and a comprehensive assessment system to measure effectiveness.
     The review states what needs to change as a system. It is not a list of changes that schools or teachers need to react to immediately, and it is not intended as an evaluation of teaching quality.
     Creating a systemic Curriculum Management Plan does not mean that the District will have a one-size-fits all approach to teaching our students.  It does mean that we will have a common set of expectations across grade levels in all of our schools about the content that children will learn in that grade by the end of the year.  We acknowledge and support the creative strategies that teachers use to differentiate and individualize instruction for students.
     The work of developing a systemic curriculum management plan will involve the School Board, central office staff, school leaders, and teachers. It will be very collaborative.

Seattle School Board update: February 27 meeting highlights
     The Seattle School Board voted 5-2 to approve "Option 2" and authorize the transfer of an additional $10 million of BEX III funds to the Denny/Sealth construction project. The project calls for the replacement of Denny Middle School, major renovations at Chief Sealth High School, and construction of shared facilities for both schools with safety upgrades throughout. The transfer provides additional improvements which will include upgrades to technology, seismic, fire and life safety; funding for academic needs at classrooms; improved heating, ventilation and lighting; and improvements to the interior and exterior architectural elements, furnishings and finishes.
     The Board also passed a series of routine motions and resolutions related to the BEX III capital bond and BTA II capital levy.
     In other items: The Board approved the School Calendar for the 2008-09 school year and the contract with the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers. For more information on the Board's February 27 meeting, go the School Board Web site. The next School Board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 12 at 6 p.m. at the John Stanford Center.

Community meeting scheduled to discuss historic renovations at Hamilton
     Seattle Public Schools will hold a community meeting on March 3 to present a planned $79 million historic renovation to Hamilton Middle School. Renovation is expected to begin in July this year and be completed in 2010. During the two years of work, Hamilton will be housed at the former Lincoln High School building. Architectural drawings and proposed costs will be on display and architects and Seattle School District personnel will be available to discuss the project plans.

     Community meeting on Hamilton renovation
     Monday, March 3
     7-9 p.m.
     Hamilton Middle School Auditorium
     1610 N. 41st St.

Seattle Cable Channel 21 features Seattle School District
     Seattle Cable Channel 21 features the Seattle School District in this week's edition of City Inside/Out with C.R. Douglas. The program takes a look at what's happening with Seattle Public Schools, including discussions with Dr. Maria Goodloe-Johnson, Superintendent, about the changes she is hoping to implement in order to meet the diverse needs of Seattle's students. Mr. Douglas also interviewed each school board member about their priorities, and talked with students at Ingraham High about what they expect from a public education in Seattle.

Student Celebrations

Garfield, Roosevelt, Eckstein recognized at prestigious jazz festival
Schools honored for excellence in vocal and instrumental performances
     Music directors and students and from Garfield and Roosevelt high schools, and Eckstein Middle School received recognition for band, ensemble, vocal and instrumental performances on February 22-23 at the Lionel Hampton International Jazz Festival in Idaho. The musicians and vocalists performed for adjudicators who provided feedback and critical evaluation of the performances. Participants selected to receive Adjudicators' Choice and Adjudicators' Special Commendations are listed below:


Photos by Ben Henwood
Eckstein Middle School was the Adjudicators' Choice for Junior Division Band.

Around the Schools

Lawton Elementary students perform classic opera from Richard Wagner
     Several fifth-grade students from Lawton Elementary School joined teaching artists from the Seattle Opera this month for performances of Theft of Gold: The Ring Begins – an adaptation of Richard Wagner’s classic opera, Das Rheingold. The performances were the culmination of workshops encompassing all aspects of opera, including acting, singing, theatrical movement, and orchestra.  The workshops were made possible by the Seattle Opera’s “Our Opera Goes to School” outreach program, which places professional singers, teaching artists and musicians from the opera company in local-area schools. The entire residency is sponsored by the Seattle Rotary. Wagner’s Das Rheingold is one of four epic music dramas – collectively known as The Ring of Nibelung – written by the German composer.

Sanislo Elementary kicks off 'West Seattle Reads' program
     Maryann Horsley, a librarian at Sanislo Elementary School, will help kick off the “West Seattle Reads” program on March 19 in which all elementary school students will learn about kites, receive a free fiction book relating to kites and sign up for an April 27 kite-making class. Horsley, who received a grant for the project, has partnered with Seattle Public Library and the nonprofit Drachen Foundation to provide additional curriculum. The free books are "The Emperor and the Kite," for kindergarteners through third-graders and “The Kite Fighters” for older students. At the kick-off event, the Drachen Foundation will display kites from Japan, Cambodia, Guatemala, Korea, China and the Philippines. A few weeks later, the Delridge and Southwest Seattle Public Library branches will host book discussions. Children can pick up the books at those branches. For more information, contact Horsley at mehorsley@seattleschools.org.

     West Seattle Reads kick-off
     Wednesday, March 19
     6:30-7:30 p.m.
     Sanislo Elementary (presentation, book hand-out, kite making sign-up)
     812 S.W. Myrtle St.

Upcoming Events

Nostalgic for your school days? District to auction surplus items March 1
     A general public auction of Seattle School District surplus furniture and equipment is scheduled for Saturday, March 1. Registration begins at 8 a.m. and bidding begins at 9 a.m.  This surplus has been weeded out from the higher quality surplus and is no longer available for use in the District.  So if you feel the need to bring a bit of school nostalgia home with you, here's your opportunity. For more information, visit the District's auction site at http://www.seattleschools.org/area/surplus/index.xml or call Mroczek Brothers Auctioneers at (425) 235-6345. Forms of payments accepted are cash and credit cards.

     Seattle School District Public Auction
     Saturday, March 1
     Registration: 8 a.m.
     Auction begins: 9 a.m.
     The Boren Building
     5950 Delridge Way S.W.

Workshops starting March 4 help parents stay connected with teens
     "Staying Connected With Your Teen," a research-based workshop series, will be held in the West Seattle community for parents of students at West Seattle High School and Chief Sealth High School. The five-week, two-hours-per-week sessions bring parents together to learn how to lower the risks of teen violence, teen pregnancy, drug and alcohol abuse and dropouts; while increasing the ways parents and guardians can positively interact with their young adult. Those interested in registering for the workshops can contact Rena? Gaines, community coordinator for the Strategic Prevention Framework ? State Incentive Grant, at (206) 252-9179 or rtgaines@seattleschools.org

     Staying Connected with Your Teen Workshops
     Tuesdays, March 4, 11, 18, 25 and April 1
     6 p.m. (Dinner will be provided and class begins at 6:30 p.m.)
     West Seattle Christian Church
     4400 42nd Ave. S.W.

March 7 fund-raising concert to benefit orphans in Lesotho, Africa
     Jazz bands from Garfield and Roosevelt high schools are joining the Mount Terrace High School jazz band for a fund-raising concert March 7 at Benaroya Hall. Proceeds from the concert will help purchase a tractor for a village orphanage in the country of Lesotho in Africa. The tractor will assist the village in subsistence farming, plus any extra produce which will be sold for clothing and other basic needs. Tickets are $12 and are available through Brown Paper Tickets at (1-800) 838-3006 http://www.brownpapertickets.com or at the Seattle Symphony Box Office at Benaroya Hall, Monday through Friday, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m,

     A Tractor for Lesotho,
     A Jazz Concert to Benefit Orphans in Lesotho
     Friday, March 7
     7 p.m.
     Benaroya Hall, Nordstrom Recital Hall
     200 University St.

     Night with the Sonics fund-raiser
     Friday, April 4
     7:30 p.m.
     KeyArena
     305 Harrison St.

Town Hall meeting on prevention of underage drinking set for April 8
     Madison Middle School's Strategic Prevention Framework - State Incentive Grant Project has scheduled a Town Hall meeting for April 8 to discuss ways to reduce and prevent underage drinking. The town hall meeting is part of Madison's "Stop Youth Drinking, Start Thinking Coalition" and will be held in conjunction with a series of similar Town Hall meetings scheduled to take place across the country during March and April. For more information, contact Rena? Gaines at (206) 252-9179 or (206) 396-2945 or e-mail at rtgaines@seattleschools.org

     West Seattle Town Hall meeting
     Tuesday, April 8
     6 p.m.
     South Seattle Community College (Brockey Center)
     6000 16th Ave. S.W.

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 type.

We Need Your Ideas

     The Public Affairs 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 March 10 for the March 13 issue of School Beat.

In the News

     For a sampling of this week's local newspaper stories on Seattle Public Schools, please click here.

SCHOOL BEAT is an electronic newsletter covering District and school-based news and is published twice a month for the staff and community of Seattle Public Schools. To unsubscribe to this e-newsletter, please click here and type in "unsubscribe" in the subject heading.