March 20, 2009


Photography © Susie Fitzhugh

District News

School Board approves new bus arrival, departure times for fall 2009
     At its meeting on March 18, the School Board voted to change bus arrival and departure times across the District beginning in September 2009. These changes may impact your family. Currently, school bus arrival times vary across the District, which makes it challenging to provide consistent high quality transportation to students, and adds substantially to transportation costs. Combined with other adjustments to the transportation service standards, these changes will:
• Reduce ride times for many students;
• Provide more consistency and reliability in schedules and lead to more consistency in drivers on each route;
• Transport the same number of students with 49 fewer buses, saving fuel and reducing the District’s carbon footprint; and
• Maximize operational efficiency and reduce transportation costs by $2.2 million.
     TIER #1 - Middle schools, high schools and the following K-8 schools (Alternative School No. 1, Catharine Blaine, Broadview-Thomson, Jane Addams, Madrona, Orca, Pathfinder, and South Shore): Buses will arrive in order to accommodate school start times between 8:10 a.m. – 8:20 a.m., as determined by the school. Buses available at schools by 2:45 p.m.
     TIER #2 - Elementary schools, Salmon Bay K-8 and TOPS K-8: Buses will arrive in order to accommodate school start times between 9:25 a.m. – 9:35 a.m., as determined by the school. For elementary schools: buses available at schools by 3:40 p.m.
     Bus arrival times will accommodate school breakfast prior to classes. Schools will have the flexibility to adjust their specific start and dismissal times within the transportation schedule. Read more.

Open Enrollment for Seattle Public Schools continues until March 31
Outreach locations, express drive through service available for convenience
     Open Enrollment for the 2009-10 school year will continue until March 31. Click on the links for information regarding outreach locations, school tours, enrollment guides, applications and forms, enrollment checklist, and enrollment centers. For additional information, please see the Enrollment Services Web site or contact Enrollment Services at 252-0760. Read news release.

Recommendation for new Student Assignment Plan presented
Community engagement meetings scheduled for March 21, 24, 26
      Initial recommendations for a proposed new Student Assignment Plan were presented at a March 18 School Board workshop. If approved, the plan would begin to be implemented in fall 2010. The recommendations were based on a student assignment plan conceptual framework approved by the Board in summer 2007, feedback from community members, and ongoing District analysis. Read news release.
     Staff, families and community members are invited to attend quarterly community meetings on March 21, 24 and 26 to discuss the proposed Student Assignment Plan. The meeting will also include updates on the District's Strategic Plan Excellence for All, high school math materials adoption and other key topics. Interpreters will be available. Presentations, handouts, feedback and other information from previous community meetings are available in the Engagement section of the Strategic Plan Web page at http://www.seattleschools.org/area/strategicplan/engagement.html. Click here for a list of the dates, times and locations.

Mia Williams appointed principal of Aki Kurose Middle School
     Mia Williams, interim principal of Aki Kurose Middle School, has been appointed principal of the school. Superintendent Maria L. Goodloe-Johnson, Ph.D., and Chief Academic Officer Carla Santorno confirmed Williams' appointment for the 2009-10 school year. Williams served as assistant principal at Denny Middle School for four years and assistant principal for three years at Salmon Bay K-8 School. She previously taught within Seattle Public Schools for seven years. Williams has extensive experience with the Readers and Writers Workshop and literacy coaching, and has been trained at the Teachers College of Columbia University in New York. She earned a master's degree in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies, as well as a Principal Certification from the University of Washington’s rigorous Danforth Educational Leadership Program. Williams received the Distinguished Assistant Principal of the Year Award for 2002-03. Read news release.


Seattle Public Schools receives $9 million in grants for Strategic Plan
     Seattle Public Schools received $9 million in grants from local and national foundations to support implementation of the District’s five-year Strategic Plan, Excellence for All. The plan is designed to raise achievement of all students by providing students and teachers with the resources they need to succeed. The grant funds support:
     • expanded college-ready coursework for students;
     • real-time student data to drive decision-making; and
     • stronger professional development opportunities for teachers, school leaders, and District officials.
     The grants come from the Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation ($7.2 million), The Eli and Edythe Broad Foundation ($1.2 million), The Boeing Company ($308,00) and The Stuart Foundation ($254,000).
     The Alliance for Education worked with the District to secure the grants and will play a lead role in managing the funds; tracking, evaluating and communicating results; and engaging the community. Read more.


School Board Update - March 18, 2009
     The list of recipient schools for the 2007-08 School Resource Conservation Awards was presented to the School Board. Together, winning schools saved 1,463,100 kilowatt hours of electricity, enough to power about 120 homes; 45,850 therms of natural gas, enough to heat about 57 homes; and 2,136,288 gallons of water.
     Updates to the Board included information on program placement, transportation service standards, external review of emotional and behavioral disabilities programs and services, and the Council of Great City Schools reviews of Nutrition Services and Procurement departments.
     The Board approved the following items: interlocal agreement with Highline School District to create Aviation High School, memorandum of understanding with the Alliance for Education and 2009-10 transportation service standards..
   Items introduced to the Board for approval included the following: 2009-10 school calendar, Children’s Hospital flow-through contract, Local 174 collective bargaining agreement, a memorandum of understanding with Plumbers and Pipefitters Local 32, purchase of portables for Nathan Hale, lease for the Ingraham parking lot, sale of the University Heights property, tunnel easements at Lowell and Montlake elementary schools for Sound Transit, and the first wave of BTA summer projects listed below:
     • Rainier Beach waterline upgrades
     • Alki roof and interior renovations
     • Mercer waterline upgrades
     • Gatewood and Sanislo roof and upgrades
     • Thornton Creek/Decatur and Green Lake renovations and playgrounds
     • Montlake and Broadview-Thomson upgrades

United Way honors District for exceptional increase in donations
     Seattle Public Schools won the Most Significant Increase Award for exceptional campaign growth at the March 4 United Way of King County’s Spirit of Caring Celebration. Seattle Public Schools – along with Deloitte and The Polyclinic – each brought home the award. At the awards celebration, Seattle Public Schools was commended for its strong campaign leadership and great communication strategies. Superintendent Maria L. Goodloe-Johnson and site coordinators were congratulated for efforts which included bringing United Way of King County speakers to events at more than 20 schools and departments. The United Way campaign coordinator for Seattle Public Schools was Accounting Manager Ronic Lirio. In all, Seattle Public Schools doubled its pledges – raising more than $73,000, which is $30,000 more than last year. Funds raised go to causes such as preparing kids to succeed in kindergarten, providing food and shelter for the needy, and helping families to increase their incomes and create savings. Read more in United Way of King County news release.

Student Celebrations

Interagency student helps community through youth grant

Kelvin Solis at Interagency Academy's Youth Education Program (YEP)

Kelvin Solis, a student at Interagency Academy's Youth Education Program (YEP), received a $1,000 youth entrepreneurship grant through the international organization Youth Ventures to help the community raise funds for charities. Kelvin’s project focuses on empowering community members in Seattle's Central District who otherwise would not be able to donate to charities. His activities include organizing and hosting events, such as community barbeques, basketball tournaments and video game tournaments at the Rotary Boys and Girls Club Central District. These activities will begin in late July. The funds raised by these activities will go to a charity chosen by the attendees. Youth Ventures' goal is to inspire and invest in young people to design and launch their own lasting social ventures.

The Ingraham High School Grays basketball team finished its season with a 3-0 sweep of its Senior Division 2 opponents at the Washington State Special Olympics Winter Games in Wenatchee held March 6-8. Their efforts earned them not only gold medals, but a Senior Division 2 State Championship.      Earlier, on February 8, the Grays compiled a 2-0 record at the King County Regional Tournament in Issaquah, winning their division and advancing to the State Winter Game finals. This was the fifth year of competition for the team which is coached by Dennis Calvin and composed of student athletes from the Community Based Training Department at Ingraham..

Members of this year’s Special Olympics basketball championship team are: Ingraham's Gary Agan, Jordan Hablewitz, Patrick Hill, Shamus Judge, Orion Langberg, Nathan Nelson, Liam Galloway, and Thomas Zachuse, team captain.

Wind and light showers provided the backdrop as the Denny Middle School Marching Band helped lead the March 14 St. Patrick's Day parade along 4th Avenue from Jefferson Street to Pine Street.

Wedgwood Elementary School students Gabe Biggs, Erin Cunningham, Claire Demorest, Nick Jansen, Garret Lawrence, and Caroline Malone, above, researched and wrote a bill declaring the Olympic marmot the state mammal as part of their studies in Washington state government.

The Olympic marmot, an endangered squirrel-like mammal found in the slopes of the Olympic Mountains, is a step closer to being declared the state's mammal, thanks to the efforts of several students at Wedgwood Elementary School.      Last year, fourth-grade students in Kelly Clark’s classroom researched and wrote bills to be presented to the Legislature as part of their studies in Washington state government. One of the class teams contacted Sen. Ken Jacobsen, D-Seattle, to propose a bill declaring the Olympic marmot the endemic mammal to Washington.      In response, Jacobsen introduced Senate Bill 5071 and invited the class of 4th-graders (this year’s 5th-graders) to testify in favor of the bill. Last week, that measure was approved by the state Senate and now moves onto the state House of Representatives. Read news release from Sen. Jacobsen's office.

Students at Salmon Bay School work on their water-wise garden located on the west side of the school (19th Avene, north of 65th Street). The 3rd-, 4th-, and 5th-graders designed, created and planted about 450 shrubs and small plants, featuring 38 species of Pacific Northwest native plants.

Current and former KNHC talents pitch funding for Hale radio station      Harmony Gonty, a 2008 graduate of Nathan Hale High School and former music director at the school's radio station, KNHC-FM 89.5, takes part in a video encouraging viewers to contribute to Hale's $1.3 million capital campaign for the purchase of state-of-the-art equipment and other improvements. Behind the camera is local video and film producer Myron Partman. The video will later air on Seattle Public Schools TV (Comcast Channel 26) and will be posted on the KNHC Web site. Read story written by Lisa Rivera, a fellow/intern at KNHC.

Students in several Seattle elementary schools were encouraged to ‘Power Up’ by participating in activities promoting National School Breakfast Week, March 2-6. This year’s 'Power Up with School Breakfast' campaign featured a team of superheroes who introduced students to the importance of eating breakfast every day. Using a series of interactive activities, students met the school breakfast heroes and learned about the importance of eating healthy, eating a variety of foods and being active. Students were also challenged to work as a class to create artwork blending the ‘Power Up’ theme with messages about the importance of eating breakfast.

Artwork by Ms. Bunnette's class at Beacon Hill International School

The Alliance for Education will be hosting its 7th Annual Community Breakfast on May 20 where Superintendent Maria L. Goodloe-Johnson, Ph.D., will speak on the state of Seattle Public Schools and on the progress of the District's Strategic Plan, Excellence for All. At the breakfast, the 2009 winner of the Thomas B. Foster Award for Excellence will also be honored. The award recognizes an outstanding Seattle Public Schools K-8, middle, or high school principal excemplifying excellence. Click on the links for the invitation and to RSVP.      Alliance for Education      Community Breakfast      Wednesday, May 20      Doors open 7 a.m.,      Program 7:30-8:45 a.m.      Seattle Westin      1900 5th Ave.

Teens to discuss Great Debate: Harry Potter vs. Twilight      Which fantasy book series is better: Harry Potter or Twilight? That's the great debate Seattle teen readers will clash on at a special event at the Seattle Public Library, Central Library, on March 21. The event is hosted by Seattle Public Library and the after-school reading program Team Read. Read news release and news article featuring comments from a Franklin student and a Garfield student.      The Great Debate: Harry Potter vs. Twilight      Saturday, March 21      4 p.m.      Seattle Public Library      Central Library, Microsoft Auditorium      1000 4th Ave.

Jazz musicians from Garfield, Roosevelt to perform at Paramount Theatre March 27      Seattle area high school jazz musicians, including award-winning students from Garfield and Roosevelt high schools, will perform on March 27 at the historic Paramount Theatre. The Hot Java Cool Jazz concert will showcase the city's finest bands, quartets, quintets, and other combos. Joining the two Seattle schools will be musicians from Shorewood, Mountlake Terrace and Newport high schools. Funds raised in the benefit concert will go to local high school jazz programs.      Hot Java Cool Jazz      Friday, March 27      7:30 p.m.      The Paramount Theatre      911 Pine St.      Tickets: $15 adults and $8 students/seniors