March 6, 2009


Photography ? Susie Fitzhugh

District News

Design, transition teams submit progress reports for implementation of Capacity Management Plan; reports posted on Web site
     Seattle Public Schools is working to ensure a smooth and respectful transition – as well as a great academic start – for fall 2009 for students, families and staff at all buildings and programs affected by the Capacity Management Plan.
     Eleven program design and four transition teams are working to plan needed academic changes; student and family support; staff support and training; enrichment offerings; school culture; and facilities and transportation needs. The teams are supported by central office managers in areas such as bilingual, special education and advanced learning services; libraries; archives; facilities and communications.
     The teams have submitted progress reports, which are posted on our Web site, and Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson presented a progress summary to the School Board on March 4. Resource requests made by the teams are being compiled and reviewed. Decisions will be reported back to team leaders no later than March 20.

Districtwide changes to school start-times being considered
     A presentation was made to the School Board on March 4 regarding potential changes to school start times that would be effective September 2009. Pending Board approval, K-8 schools, middle schools and high schools would all start at 8 a.m.; and elementary schools would start at 9:15 a.m. Other changes are also recommended that would shorten ride times for many students.
     For additional information, please view the Frequently Asked Questions document on our Web site. A School Board vote on transportation standards is planned for March 18. Further study of start times and customer satisfaction with transportation services will be undertaken by a Transportation Services Task Force.
     Last year, Seattle Public Schools requested an external review of transportation services in order to receive feedback on what is working well and what needs to be improved. Among other findings, the reviewers noted that school districts across the nation coordinate start times to maximize effectiveness of transportation services and to provide consistent service to students and families. They recommended that Seattle Public Schools consider this change.

School Board Update - March 4, 2009
     The School Board heard several presentations at the March 4 School Board meeting. Superintendent Maria L. Goodloe-Johnson updated the Board with a  Report on Programmatic Design Teams, Chief Academic Officer Carla Santorno provided the annual Career and Technical Education Report,  and Chief Financial and Operations Officer Donald Kennedy provided updates on the  Federal Stimulus Package education components, a Transportation Service Standards report with updated information about bell times, and a Dietary Program from Nutrition Services.
     The next School Board meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, March 18 at 6 p.m. in the John Stanford Center.

Foundation donates $500,000 for orchestra programs in schools
     The Wallace Foundation, nationally recognized for its involvement in educational and cultural programs, announced that the Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestra (SYSO) will receive a four-year $500,000 Excellence Award to support its SYSO in the Schools program. Developed in partnership with Seattle Public Schools, the program will expand Seattle's elementary and middle school instrumental music programs and provide information on the benefits of participatory instrumental music education programs. The project is expected to serve between 6,000 and 10,000 students.

New Jane Addams K-8 school opens in fall 2009
      A new K-8 school will open in fall 2009 in the Jane Addams building in northeast Seattle to meet demand from the many families in that neighborhood. The K-8 program will open as an environmental science school, with a focus on science and mathematics. It will also include advanced learning opportunities, music and world languages. The new K-8 school will give priority admission to elementary and middle school children living in the Northeast cluster. The next open house is scheduled for Tuesday, March 17. For more information, click on the brochure, or go to the link in the Enrollment Services Web site.

Student Celebrations

Franklin High wins district championship in mock trial competition
     The Franklin High School mock trial team won the district championship in the YMCA High School Mock Trial Competition this week, winning in the final round against Seattle Prep. Franklin students Sandy Nguyen and Marie Angeles were honored as outstanding attorneys. The competition was held at the King County Courthouse. Franklin and Seattle Prep will represent King County in the state competition March 27-29 in the Thurston County Courthouse.

Seattle Public Schools students advance to state DECA competition
     Several Seattle Public Schools students are competing March 5-7 in the statewide DECA competition in Bellevue for a chance to advance to international competition. DECA is a nationwide student organization that attracts individuals to careers in marketing, management and merchandising. DECA's competitive events allow students to demonstrate their business skills learned in class. On January 15, more than 130 Seattle students from four high schools (Ballard, Garfield, Roosevelt, and West Seattle) participated in the DECA Area 4 competition — challenging about 1,100 students from around the region. Click on the link for a list of students who placed in the categories with many moving on to the state competition this week.


Staff Celebrations

Math coach gives presentation on conics at math/tech conference
     Art Mabbott, the School District's Secondary Math Coach, was a presenter at the 2009 International T^3 Conference in Seattle February 27 to March 1.  T^3 is "Teacher Teaching with Technology." Mabbot’s presentation married the hands-on paper folding of parabolas, ellipses, and hyperbolas – the three conics – with the dynamic power of the geometric program Cabri Jr on the new nSpire handheld calculator. The teacher participants first created shapes by folding paper models, then recreated what they made on their calculators – first with what was called an envelope of the curve, then the curve itself.  Mabbott stressed the mathematics portion of the activities and challenged the students to explain their reasoning. The participants will be able to take these new activities and lessons back to their Advanced Algebra and/or Pre-Calculus students.

Around the Schools

Photo/Robert Teodosio Two Concord Elementary students get ready for their singing and dancing performance March 3 at the celebration of Concord Elementary and and Denny Middle School's international designation. The colorful masks are worn by children at the Santiago de Cuba Carnival, an internationally renowned and popular street celebration held in July in the city of Santiago de Cuba.

Concord, Denny celebrate international designation      Concord Elementary and Denny Middle School celebrated their new designation as international schools on March 3, becoming the third international elementary school and second international middle school, respectively, in Seattle Public Schools.      The international education program integrates global perspectives into daily learning, with an emphasis on multicultural literature, world economics, global health and arts, music, dance and drama from around the world.      The two schools join John Stanford, Hamilton, and Beacon Hill as international schools. Read more.

Graham Hill, Bagley and Summit students, part of Pacific Northwest Ballet's 'Discover Dance' program, rehearse for their ballet performance scheduled for March 21 at McCaw Hall.

The semifinal rounds for the 14th Annual Global Reading Challenge will be held March 16-19. This year, 40 fourth- and fifth-graders from Seattle Public Schools formed more than 320 teams (about 2,000 participants). The program encourages children to read from a set of books, then participate in a "Quiz Bowl" challenge. Each of the 40 school challenges will result in a winning team advancing to the semifinal rounds. Two teams from each of these rounds will advance to the Global Reading Challenge City Final on Tuesday, March 24 at 7 p.m. All semifinal and city final events take place at the downtown Central Library Microsoft Auditorium and are open to the public. The winning team from the city final will advance to a Video Conference Challenge with two teams from British Columbia. That event will take place at 10 a.m., April 8 at the John Stanford Center. The Global Reading Challenge is a program of the Seattle Public Library. For photos, view the Global Reading Challenge wiki page.

Lowell students study Shakespeare, life in Elizabethan England Fifth-graders at Lowell Elementary have been learning about English poet and playwright William Shakespeare and life in Elizabethan England. Students recently worked with the Seattle Shakespeare Theatre to perform scenes from 'The Tempest,' one of Shakespeare's best known plays.

Eighth-graders at TOPS K-8 left the known and moved into the unknown on February 10 – engaging in an an immersion service learning project called "Planting the Seeds."      Students and their teacher leaders spent three days and two nights at city agencies serving the homeless and the urban poor. Students walked and took buses to the agencies, and at the end of the day, went to churches or office buildings to spend the night.       This experience lasted until February 12 when they returned to school. The project brought students into contact with the homeless community and agencies that serve them.      The experience provided students with the opportunity to understand Seattle's diversity and an opportunity to show respect and care toward themselves and others.

Eighth graders at TOPS K-8 learn about community service through the 'Planting the Seeds' project. The students spent three days working at agencies that serve the homeless and poor.

Eckstein Jazz Band and Choir perform at winter lunch concert The Eckstein Middle School Senior Jazz Band and the Vocal Jazz Choir were featured at a winter lunch concert on March 5 at the John Stanford Center. The concert was sponsored by the Department of Technology in association with the Transportation and Facilities departments.