Seattle Public Schools | School Beat May 7, 2009

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May 8, 2009

school beat photo 5-7-09
Photography © Susie Fitzhugh

Excellence for All: Honoring our teachers and instructional staff
     Our Strategic Plan, Excellence for All, sets bold but attainable goals for student achievement, and sets out a series of strategies focused on excellence in academics; strong instruction in every classroom; strong leadership across the district; and ensuring that we have an infrastructure that works well and supports our students and staff.
     Excellence of instruction in every classroom is the most important factor in student achievement. As a profession, teachers have among the most profound influence on people. Virtually everyone who works with children in our schools chooses this profession because they want to make a difference in the lives of children and in the world. The first week in May of each year is set aside for Teacher Appreciation Week. Seattle Public Schools' joins families, students and community members across our city in saying "Thank You" to everyone who works directly with students – for your dedication to children, for the high expectations you hold for each student, and for making a difference.
     At the May 6 School Board meeting, Superintendent Maria L. Goodloe-Johnson, Ph.D., thanked everyone at Seattle Public Schools who works directly with students, and shared a presentation that highlights just a few of the teachers throughout the district who exemplify excellence in teaching.

District News

Seattle Public Schools nurses honored on School Nurses Day

Maureen Riget, far left, works with one of the students at Greenlake Elementary School. Jill Lewis, left, was praised for being a leader and role model for school nurses. Both women were chosen as the best in their field.

Rigert, Lewis receive excellence awards from School Nurse Organization of Washington
Maureen Rigert, the school nurse at Greenlake Elementary, has won the School Nurse of the Year award from School Nurse Organization of Washington (SNOW). Also, Jill Lewis, supervisor of the District's School Health Services, won the Nurse Administrator of the Year award from SNOW. Both women represent the best practices of their professions, and won these awards from among hundreds of contenders from across the state. Read more.

New proposed school start/end times on May 20 Board agenda
The Seattle School Board at its May 20 meeting will discuss a motion for proposed earlier school start times. School Board directors voted to approve new transportation service standards for the District at their March meeting to take effect September 2009. Following the vote, the District received additional feedback about these changes from families, principals, and staff. Based on that feedback, a revised schedule has been proposed that will move up start times for all schools by 10-15 minutes. The District is working to finalize proposed times and detailed information for each school. Board members are scheduled to vote on the motion June 3. Read more.

Public invited to May 20 Alliance for Education Community Breakfast
If you haven’t yet signed up to attend the Alliance for Education Community Breakfast, there’s still time. Here are five great reasons to attend:

To help the Alliance for Education support programs that work for students in Seattle Public Schools
To hear Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson give an important talk about the state of our schools
To honor Ballard High School Principal Phil Brockman, Ballard Class of '76 and this year's winner of the Thomas B. Foster Award for Excellence
To attend the first ever program fair at the breakfast, featuring great Seattle Public Schools initiatives like International Education and Writers Workshop
To show your pride for public education with hundreds of people as passionate about education as you are.
RSVP today to save your spot at http://alliance4ed.org/news/2009breakfast.htm. The breakfast is open to the public.

     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.

Superintendent Maria L. Goodloe-Johnson, Ph.D., left, speaks at the 2008 Alliance Community Breakfast on the state of Seattle Public Schools

Photo by Robert Newell/
Team Photogenic

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Families, students, staff advised to monitor for flu symptoms
All schools open and operating under normal schedules
     Public Health - Seattle & King County revised its guidelines related to school closures because of the H1N1 (swine) flu virus. Public Health officials advised Seattle Public Schools that because the flu virus appears to be mild, they will no longer recommend that schools close when there are just a few "probable" or "confirmed" cases of H1N1 at a school. Based on this advice, the three schools that were closed last week – Madrona K-8, Aki Kurose Middle School and Stevens Elementary – were reopened. All schools are now operating on a normal schedule. Public Health has asked families, students and staff to focus on prevention and to monitor for flu symptoms. Read more, including flu prevention tips.

Public invited to community meeting May 9 at John Stanford Center
      Staff, families and community members are invited to attend a quarterly community meeting on May 9 for discussions and updates on the School District's Strategic Plan Excellence for All, development of the new Student Assignment Plan, changes being implemented to advanced learning programs next year, information about upcoming levies, K-12 assessment strategies, as well as 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. Previous community meetings were held on May 5 and 7.

     Quarterly Community Meeting
     Saturday, May 9, 2009
     10 a.m. to noon
     John Stanford Center, Auditorium
     2445 3rd Ave. S.

New principals appointed for Bryant, Whittier elementary schools
     Two new principals have been appointed for Bryant and Whittier elementary schools for the 2009-10 school year.
• Kim Fox was appointed principal for Bryant Elementary School. She previously served as the interim principal of Bryant for the 2008-09 school year.
• Linda Robinson was appointed principal for Whittier Elementary School. She previously served as principal at Bryant Elementary for six years; and as assistant principal and head teacher at Kimball Elementary for six years. Read more.

Bilingual Department to host three May meetings on audit progress
     Seattle Public School's Bilingual Education department will host three community meetings in May to share the progress in addressing the bilingual audit received in August 2008 and to support families by sharing reading strategies with their children. At each meeting, families will receive folktale stories in several different languages to take home with them. The three meetings will be held at the locations listed below. For more information, contact Veronica Maria Gallardo, Bilingual Education Program Manager, at vmgallardo@seattleschools.org

Monday, May 11
6-8 p.m.
Summit K-12
11051 34th Ave. N.E.

Tuesday, May 12
6-8 p.m
Aki Kurose Middle School
3928 S. Graham St.

Saturday, May 16
10 a.m. to noon
John Stanford Center
2445 Third Ave. S.

School Board Update - May 6, 2009
     The School Board held a work session on the 2009-10 budget development. To see the presentation, click here.
     The Board and Superintendent Maria L. Goodloe-Johnson recognized School Health Services Supervisor Jill Lewis for her award of Washington State School Nursing Supervisor of the Year, and Green Lake Elementary nurse Maureen Rigert for her award of Washington State School Nurse of the Year. Dr. Goodloe-Johnson also thanked SPS teachers for the work they do in recognition of Teacher Appreciation Week.
     The Board approved the recommendation for High School Math Adoption, accepted a grant from the Broad Foundation for a grant supporting the implementation of the District’s Strategic Plan. They approved a resolution authorizing the Superintendent to implement a reduction in force as needed to balance the 2009-10 budget. The Board also approved revisions to the contracts and educational specifications of the Hamilton International Middle School project and awarded a contract on the remodel of Ingraham High School.
     Two items were introduced: a revision to Procedure E02.01 that would allow open competition by vendors for contracts; and the acceptance of grant funds for the summer feeding program.
     The next School Board meeting is scheduled for 6 p.m., May 20 at the John Stanford Center.

Traffic Education Summer School set for June 29 to July 29
     Seattle Public Schools' Summer Traffic Education program will run from June 29 to July 29. Tuition is $559. Based on sufficient enrollment, classes will be held at Ballard, Cleveland, Franklin, Lawton, Nova, John Rogers, Roosevelt, Sealth (at Boren) and West Seattle schools and the Wilson-Pacific Building on North 90th Street. Mail-in registration packets are available in the counseling offices at the high schools, some alternative locations, and the Traffic Education office. Call the Traffic Education office at 252-4735 or visit the Traffic Education Web site for more information at www.seattleschools.org/area/trafficed/index.dxml

Public invited to family, community engagement symposium
May 16 conference to focus on strategies to support academic achievement
     Seattle Public Schools will hold its annual Family and Community Engagement & Response
to Intervention (RTI) symposium on Saturday, May 16 at the John Stanford Center auditorium. Families and community members are invited to attend. Seattle Public Schools families and community partners will learn about District strategies to support student academic achievement. Read more.

     Family and Community Engagement Symposium
     Saturday, May 16
     8:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m.
     John Stanford Center, auditorium
     2445 Third Ave. S.

District celebrates Arts Education Month with activities
May Visual and Performing Arts eNews now online
     May is Arts Education Month in Washington state. Click on the link for activities at Seattle Public Schools. In this month's Arts eNews, learn how you can participate in Arts Education Month. One good way is to read the Arts eNews and select a community arts event or program in which your child, students, school or family can engage. Also, make sure to scroll to the bottom of this month's eNews to find out about new arts education funding opportunities. Click on the link to view the Arts eNews: http://www.seattleschools.org/area/arts/arts_eNews/current.xml

Student Celebrations

Three Ballard films to be recognized at Connecticut film festival
'Left Side' wins Best Documentary at National Film Festival for Talented Youth
     Three productions by Ballard High School video students have been named Official Selections of the Westport Youth Film Festival. These include:

Don't Spill	Levi Friedman, Jacob Kutrakun & Ryan Zemke	Public Service Announcement
Left Side	Esther Magasis, Andy Tran & Ryan Zemke	Documentary
The Umbrella	Parker Davis, Kaelan Gilman & Henry Shenk.	Drama

Left Side, a documentary about a professional skier and mountain biker who managed to stay competitive after the accident that cost him his left leg, won the prize for Best Documentary at the National Film Festival for Talented Youth, held April 24-26 in Seattle. All of these honored productions will be screened in the Ballard High School auditorium on Friday, May 29 at 7 p.m. There is a $5 suggested donation. For Video Production Program updates, visit bhsvideo.blogspot.com

Franklin High basketball team recognized for winning state championship
Metropolitan King County Councilmember Larry Gossett recognized members of the Franklin High School Boys Basketball team at a March 23 King County Council meeting. The Franklin Quakers captured the 2009 3A Boys title on March 14. Led by McDonald’s High School All-American Peyton Siva, the Quakers finished the season at 28-1, defeating Columbia River 51-34 for the state crown. Siva was also named the Washington State Basketball Player of the Year. From left are: Gossett; Franklin Athletic Director Joann Fukuma; players Sterling Carter, Peyton Siva and Jestoni Orcejola; coach Jason Kerr; and principal Jennifer Wiley.

Garfield student's artwork to be exhibited in Congressional tunnel

Garfield's Visual Arts Department announced that the winner of the Congressional Art Competition is "Giraffe Supper," created by Anna Dailey, Class of 2010. Her work will travel to Washington D.C. where it will be exhibited in the tunnel where all members will see it as they pass back and forth between the chambers of Congress and their offices. Anna and her parents were invited and given plane tickets to be present at the ribbon-cutting ceremony in June. There will be art pieces representing all of the 485 Congressional districts in the U.S. Garfield students also winning awards were Nina Pascucci and Kate Guenther.

Garfield student finishes third in nation in DECA marketing contest
Students from three high school attend workshops, leadership training
Carol Brown, a student at Garfield High School, finished third in the country at the Marketing Management event at DECA's International Career Development Conference. Students from the DECA clubs of Garfield, Roosevelt, and West Seattle high schools attended the international conference in Anaheim, Calif. from April 29 to May 2. The students attended workshops, leadership training programs, and academies, as well as competed in different business marketing events. The students had already earned spots at the conference by winning on the local and state level earlier this year. More than 13,000 students attended - coming from 39 states, Guam, Puerto RIco. Mexico, Canada and Germany. Also competing were Sumeet Chadha and Tyson Kimball of West Seattle, who competed in the Advertising Campaign event. Margaret Montgomery of Roosevelt competed in the Food Marketing event and took home a medal.

Chess opponents, now teammates at T.T. Minor, Lowell elementary schools
The T.T. Minor Elementary School chess team gather with future teammates from Lowell Elementary at the State Chess Championship in Spokane, T.T. Minor will be closed next year and some students will be assigned to Lowell. Both Lowell and T.T. Minor have strong chess teams and have played against each other in tournaments. Next year they'll play together. Lowell Elementary took third place overall among the fourth- through sixth-grade teams at the State Chess Tournament in Spokane. Morgan H. took fourth place for fifth grade, and Welsey Y. took eighth place for fifth grade. The chess club at Lowell has 80 students and took a strong group to the championships this year.

Ballard Academy of Finance students win investment competitions
Ballard High's Academy of Finance juniors Nicole Fullerton, Ross Upton, and Yangchen Ashi placed third out of 449 teams in the Washington Stock Market Game. The game gives students the chance to invest a hypothetical $100,000 in an online portfolio, using economic and financial concepts. Also, Jesse Chugani, one of the students who participated in a national writing competition called InvestWrite, was chosen as the winner for the state of Washington. Students wrote essays about an investing topic and were entered into a state and national competition. All four students will be recognized at an upcoming luncheon hosted by Merrill Lynch and the Washington Council for Economic Education.

McClure student reads her poetry at Benaroya Hall
McClure Middle School sixth-grader Fautimah El-Mehrik read her poetry at Benaroya Hall on May 7, at a sold-out performance by award-winning poet/author Naomi Shihab Nye. Fautimah won the slot as the student-reader for the event through the Writers in the Schools program. She read her poem just before Nye took the stage. Nye's visit is part of the Seattle Arts & Lectures series. Fautimah, whose poetry ranges from personal pieces to extended metaphors, has penned poems this year under the guidance of poet and writer-in-residence Merna Ann Hecht. Poems by several McClure sixth-graders were also on display in Benaroya Hall's lobby at the event.

Franklin's team xbot a division finalist in national robotics championships
Franklin High School's 'team xbot' is the 2009 Microsoft/Seattle Region champion and also earned the General Motors Industrial Design Award in the robotics competition held in March. The team went on to the April 15-19 robotics championships in Atlanta and came home as a division finalist - one of the top 24 robotics team in the world.

Staff Celebrations

Chief Sealth students take second place at programming contest
Chief Sealth students Max Forbes and Lydia Duncan took second place in the novice division at the Puget Sound Computer Teachers Association programming contest held April 25. They competed against 25 teams representing 10 schools in the area. The novice team of students Megan Korling, Yousef Hassan and Paul Duncan also competed.

High school math coach presents at national conference
Art Mabbott, Seattle Public Schools' high school math coach, presented a 90-minute Gallery Workshop titled: The Geometer’s Sketchpad®: A Tool for All Kids at the April meeting in Washington, D.C. of the National Council of Teachers of Mathematics. Participants were encouraged to bring their laptop to his presentation to discover how to use The Geometer’s Sketchpad to help all kids gain a deeper understanding of elementary algebra and Euclidean geometry. Participants also learned to use the power of the software to explore and discover properties from elementary algebra and pre-calculus. Mabbott will be offering similar professional development training to all of the high school and middle school math teachers in Seattle Public Schools later this year.

Around the Schools

Photos © 2009 Stefanie Felix
SBOC students in biology class, left photo, prepare to look at a brine shrimp with a microscope. At right photo, students discuss American history with their teacher. The microscopes and textbooks were donated to SBOC from the Rotary Club of Lake Union Neighborhood.

Lake Union Neighborhood Rotary donates school supplies to SBOC
Students at the Secondary Bilingual Orientation Center (SBOC) are making use of new history textbooks, bilingual dictionaries, microscopes, digital cameras and a display case. The new supplies were purchased from a $7,560 donation to SBOC from the Rotary Club of Lake Union Neighborhood, Rotary District 5030 and Rotary Club Seattle 4. The Rotary Club of Lake Union Neighborhood selected SBOC as a focus of their community service because of the desire to support the unique work of the school in serving immigrant students. SBOC Principal Martin O'Callaghan, students and faculty have spoken at Rotary meetings and Rotarians have attended school events. Rotary is an international organization whose objective is to foster service and help build goodwill and peace. The Rotary Club of Lake Union Neighborhood is a new club, chartered in June 2007, with 28 members.

Proceeds from Hale project donated to help people in Africa

Proceeds from the Harlem Renaissance Project, a culmination project for Nathan Hale High School's Junior Humanities classes, will be donated to assist people in Africa. The project reflects the classes' study of the beginnings of the modern Civil Rights movement. The student artwork presented during this project reflects the political and artistic vision of this time. Self-Identity, reconnections with cultural roots and the connections between seemingly disconnected people are among the themes explored in these works. Sudent artworks were sold in an auction and the money donated to Africa. View Project

Pathfinder Performing Team entertain West Seattle Senior Center residents
The Pathfinder K-8 Performing Team visited the West Seattle Senior Center in the Junction last week to entertain the residents with their skills on stilts, hula hoops, jump ropes and juggling. The students, led by P.E. teacher Lou Cutler, have plans to visit more retirement homes in West Seattle this month and are scheduled to perform at Merrill Gardens, Bridge Park Retirement and The Kenney.

Ballard High Concert Choir invited to perform at Lincoln Center
The Ballard High School Concert Choir, under the direction of Courtney Rowley, has been invited to perform at the Lincoln Center in New York City in May 2010. The group will perform Frostiana, a collection of pieces by composer Randall Thompson from poems from Robert Frost. The guest conductor, Dr. Giselle Wyers, is an Assistant Professor of Choral Studies and Voice at the University of Washington. She invited the Ballard students after hearing them perform at the university last year. This may be the first time that a Seattle Public Schools concert choir has received such an invitation. The choir is currently composed of 40 students and will be doing some fund-raising for the trip. For further information, Rowley can be reached at chrowley@seattleschools.org.

Madison sixth-graders
create China museum
A team of 150 students on Madison Middle School ’s sixth-grade Apollo Team created an ancient China museum as a school project. Students were given two weeks to conduct research on the ancient civilization of China. Then, from their research findings, they created handcrafted artifacts. Exhibit cards described the artifacts, its significance and the dynasty. Students put the artifacts together for their peers and community members to view. Some students received a “Best in the Museum Award.”

A visitor to Madison's China museum checks out one of the artifacts.

Roxhill wins environmental award for recycling, composting efforts
Roxhill Elementary School has been selected as a winner of the Terry Husseman Sustainable School Seed Award, sponsored by the Department of Ecology. Roxhill won the award due to the outstanding recycling and composting program implemented at the school this year. Roxhill implemented a lunchtime program to compost all food waste and enhanced existing recycling efforts. A school representative will be presented with the award and a $490 stipend in a ceremony in Olympia on May 21.

Upcoming Events

Alliance for Education Community Breakfast scheduled for May 20

     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, Ballard High School Principal Phil Brockman, 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 exemplifying 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.

SBOC to hold career fair on May 14
     A career fair will be held on May 14 at SBOC (Secondary Bilingual Orientation Center) where participants will be able to get information on higher education opportunities, careers, training programs, apprenticeships, resume writing and interview tips. Interpreters will be provided and many presenters will be bilingual and bicultural. Representatives from universities and various companies will be there to answer questions. The career fair is open to the public but is especially targeting SBOC students and families, high school ELL students and families, and the area's bilingual and bicultural population. For more information, contact Linda Jordon Todd at 252-0068 or ljtodd@seattleschools.org

     SBOC Career Fair
     Thursday, May 14
     5:30-8:30 p.m.
     SBOC
     411 Boston St. on Queen Anne

Meany Middle School to hold Jag Fest May 14
     Meany Middle School will be holding its final Jaguar 'Jag Fest' on May 14 which will feature a display of arts-integrated and other forms of student learning, as well as student performances in music, dance, drama, circus arts, and more. For more information, contact Shellwyn Badger, arts coach, at 252-2539 or shbadger@seattleschools.org.

Meany Jag Fest
Thursday, May 14
5-8 p.m.
Meany Middle School
301 21st Ave. E.

CATS performance scheduled for May 15, 17, 18
     In association with Rainier Beach High School Drama Department and Seattle Public Schools, Broadway Bound Children’s Theatre will present a new and uniquely conceived production of CATS. This performance will be an ingenious interpretation of Andrew Lloyd Webber’s score and an unparalleled set orchestration to highlight T.S. Eliot’s poetry. The show will include students from Rainier Beach High School, the Center School, Cleveland High School, Aki Kurose Middle School, Washington Middle School, as well as other area schools. For more information, visit www.broadwaybound.org.
     Special Ticket Offers for SPS:
     • Tickets for all Rainier Beach High teachers, staff and faculty will be available for purchase at the door on a “Pay What You Can” plan.
     • Tickets for the entire Rainier Beach community will be available for purchase at the door on a “Pay What You Can” plan.
     • All SPS teachers and staff can attend for FREE. Simply show your SPS employee I.D. at the door.

     Broadway Bound CATS
     Friday, May 15 and Monday, May 18 at 7 p.m.
     Sunday, May 17 at 5 p.m.
     Rainier Beach High School, Paul Robeson Performing Arts Center
     8815 Seward Park Ave. S.
     Tickets: $10 advanced purchase or at http://www.brownpapertickets.com/event/64428

Roosevelt Drama and Music to present CATS May 21-21; May 28-31
      The Roosevelt High School Drama and Music programs will be presenting exciting performances of the razzle-dazzle Broadway musical CATS this month. See 62 Jellicle Cats singing and dancing on the Roosevelt stage.

     Roosevelt CATS
     May 21-22 and 28-30 at 7:30 p.m; May 31 at 2:30 p.m.
     Roosevelt High School Theatre
     1410 N.E. 66th St.
     Tickets: www.rooseveltdrama.org or Roosevelt box office at (206) 252-4967.

Healthy Schools Summit to be held May 28-29
     Registration is now open for the third annual Healthy Schools Summit 2009. The keynote speaker will be Dr. Gene Carter who served as the executive director and CEO of the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development since 1992. The summit will be especially useful for healthy school advocates, school staff, district administrators, PTA/PTSA members and students. The public is also invited. Read more.

     Healthy Schools Summit 2009
     Thursday and Friday, May 28-29
     7:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m.
     SeaTac Airport Marriott
     3201 176th St.

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 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. Deadline for submissions is May 18 for the May 21 issue.

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. Community members can subscribe or unsubscribe to this e-newsletter by clicking here.