|
September 19, 2008
Photography
© Susie Fitzhugh
District News
SchoolMessenger system to improve communications with
families
Computerized
notification system expands emergency and outreach
options
Parents and
guardians of Seattle Public Schools students will receive emergency
and routine information more quickly this school year, due to the
implementation of SchoolMessenger, a new computer-based
notification system. SPS has subscribed to the new notification
system that provides a simple and reliable way to send
announcements, emergency information, and reminders to families.
For more information on SchoolMessenger, go to their Web site at http://www.schoolmessenger.com
or
read the full news release.
School
Board Update - September 17 meeting
highlights
The
Seattle School Board approved the
State match for Nathan Hale HS project constructability report.
Superintendent Maria L. Goodloe-Johnson updated the Board on the
September 15 and 16 community capacity meetings. Chief Academic
Officer Carla Santorno updated the Board with a
presentation on elementary math and provided and Silas Potter
provided an update on the Historically Underutilized Businesses
Program.
Items introduced and scheduled for a
vote at the October 1 board meeting include the
Allen Elementary School Property Sale,
Crown Hill Elementary School Property Sale,
Webster Elementary School Playground Property Sale,
Amendment of the District Goals Page of the Strategic Plan,
Nathan Hale construction contract,
Board and Superintendent Evaluation Instruments and
Board Committees policy.
The next legislative meeting of the
School Board is on Wednesday, October 1 at 6 pm. Information about
the meeting is available on the School
Board Web site.
Community provides feedback on North Seattle Capacity
Planning
Materials posted on Web site; School Board
work session set for October 1
Capacity
Management is the discipline of providing the correct number of
classroom seats to accommodate students. Overall, Seattle Public
Schools has excess capacity, but in some areas of the city there is
a projected shortage of seats for the 2009-10 school year. This is
particularly true for elementary schools in the Northeast and Queen
Anne/Magnolia clusters.
More than 500 individuals attended
meetings on September 15 and 16 and provided ideas and feedback on
how to meet the short-term and long-term capacity challenges.
Materials from the meetings are available on the
Capacity Planning Web site, where input from the meetings will
be posted by September 26.
The next step is a School Board work
session scheduled for October 1, from 4 to 5:30 p.m. at the John
Stanford Center. Key themes expressed by attendees at the meetings
included:
• strong support for schools;
• the desire to work closely with the District to ensure
appropriate space is available for every child; and
• the desire to consider short-term solutions in the context
of longer-term planning.
Some of the many options discussed and
suggested by meeting attendees included:
• modifications to existing buildings;
• addition of portables on a short-term basis;
• program moves;
• renting space at community centers or other
facilities;
• reopening a school building; and
• creating an all-kindergarten school.
Work is also under way to plan for
longer-term capacity needs, taking into consideration potential
revisions to the student assignment plan and implementation of
recommendations provided in peer reviews conducted during 2007 and
2008.
Public invited to provide input for 2010 capital levy
proposal
Meetings scheduled for October 6, 8, 9, and
10
Seattle Public Schools
invites staff, families and community members to provide input as
the School District plans for the next capital levy, tentatively
scheduled for a vote in February 2010. First steps in the planning
process include gathering staff and community input and examining
the current condition of buildings. This
flyer lists meeting dates, times and locations. A 2010 capital
levy planning Web site will be established in the future.
Information about projects included in previous levies is available
on the levy
Web site. Details of projects included in the Building
Excellence III bond, including updates on progress, is available on
the BEXIII Web
site.
Seattle Public School students
are fortunate to have voter support for capital levies and bonds.
Since 1995, the District has placed two levy or bond measures
before voters on a three-year cycle. These include an
operating levy (which provides approximately 25 percent of the
District’s operating budget) and a capital measure. The
capital measures alternate between large capital projects (Building
Excellence) that pay for major or complete school renovations, and
Building, Technology, Academics (BTA) measures that pay for a wide
range of smaller projects.
Meetings to be held next month
to develop engagement protocol
During
October, Seattle Public Schools will be taking the next step to
develop ongoing communication and engagement strategies by
gathering feedback on a draft engagement protocol. This protocol,
once approved, will operate as the District’s guarantee for
how SPS will inform and involve stakeholders in major projects and
decisions. To read more about this effort and the draft engagement
protocol, click
here.
Superintendent joins Northwest
Evaluation Association Board
Dr. Maria L. Goodloe-Johnson, Seattle Public Schools
Superintendent, has joined the board of directors of Northwest Evaluation Association.
Dr. Goodloe-Johnson will lend her experience and guidance to help
NWEA fulfill its mission of “partnering to help all kids
learn” by using assessment data to help make education more
child-centric. NWEA is a national nonprofit educational services
organization that provides research-based educational growth
measures, professional training, and consulting services to improve
teaching and learning.
Read full news release.
Seattle
Public Schools 2008-09 wall calendars mailed to
families
The
2008-09 wall calendars for Seattle Public Schools have been mailed
to Seattle School District families. The calendars are also at
schools for staff members and for families who need extra copies.
Calendar photographs were taken by Susie Fitzhugh. Note: The
Labor Day holiday on the September 2009 calendar month is on
Monday, September 7. The calendar listed the holiday on another
date.
Kathleen Allen new Community
Arts Liaison for School District
 Kathleen Allen is the newest addition to
Seattle Public Schools’ Visual and Performing Arts
Department. As the Community Arts Liaison, Allen is the primary
contact for cultural partners interested in working within Seattle
Public Schools. Her other duties are to solicit and manage grant
funding, provide support to teachers and administrators, develop
opportunities to showcase students' arts learning District-wide,
and increase communication with arts education stakeholders.
Allen has an undergraduate degree in
Art History from Vassar College and a Master of Education degree
from Harvard University. She has 15 years of experience developing
educational programs and resources for cultural organizations.
Allen has worked with organizations such as Arts Impact, Powerful
Arts Coalition, Experience Music Project, Seattle Architecture
Foundation, and the Washington State Arts Commission.
Previously, she was Manager of School and Teacher Programs at the
Seattle Art Museum.
Anyone interested in talking
with Allen about strengthening external arts partnerships may
contact her at kpallen@seattleschools.org
or (206) 252-0782.
Community invited to learn about School District's
Bilingual Report
Veronica Maria Gallardo, the School
District's Bilingual Program Manager, will share the findings from
the Seattle Public Schools Bilingual Review with the community on
September 25. An informative presentation will be followed by small
group discussions to provide additional information and to seek
feedback. Click on the links for the Bilingual Program's
External Evaluation Report and the
Overview and Highlights Report. Additional meetings will be
scheduled during October. For more information, click on the
invitation link or call the Bilingual Family Center at (206)
252-7750.
Community meeting on
Bilingual Report
Thursday, September 25
6-8 p.m.
Aki Kurose Middle School
cafeteria
3928 S. Graham St.
Student Celebrations
 |
Photography by
Rex Tanner
Eric Hipolito, a DanceChance graduate, dances on June 14 at the
annual Pacific Northwest Ballet School performance.
DanceChance graduate invited to
join Pacific Northwest Ballet
Eric
Hipolito started program in 1998 at Maple Elementary
School
Eric Hipolito will become the
first graduate of the DanceChance
program at the Pacific Northwest
Ballet to be invited to join as an apprentice this fall.
Hipolito was chosen for DanceChance, PNB's unique scholarship
program while in the third grade in 1998 at Maple Elementary
School.
He participated in the 2008 Flemming
Halby Exchange program with the Royal Danish Ballet School this
summer. He also participated in Master Classes with Jacques
d'Amboise, a world renowned dancer and teacher of the New York City
Ballet. His experience with Mr. d'Amboise in New York will be part
of a series for HBO. Eric attended summer courses at Houston Ballet
and School of American Ballet in past years as well. Eric performed
in the 27th Annual Pacific Northwest Ballet School performance on
June 14. Click
here to read about DanceChance's partnership with Seattle
Public Schools.
Semifinalists named in 2009
National Merit Scholarship Program
Officials
of the National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced the names
of 32 students from Seattle Public Schools who are Semifinalists in
the 54th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. The Seattle
students are among16,000 students nationwide who earned top scores
on the 2007 Preliminary SAT. These academically talented high
school seniors have an opportunity to continue in the competition
for about 8,200 National Merit Scholarships, worth more than $35
million, that will be offered next spring. To be considered for a
Merit Scholarship award, Semifinalists must fulfill several
requirements to advance to the Finalist level of the competition.
About 90 percent of the Semifinalists are expected to attain
Finalist standing, and approximately half of the Finalists will win
a National Merit Scholarship, earning the Merit Scholar title.
Click
here to read the full news release.
| BALLARD |
Lorraine C. Keeler |
INGRAHAM
|
| Joel K.
Dunkelberg |
Andrew
S. Kennard
|
Andrew A.
Lawson |
| Claire E.
Lust |
Samson J.
Koelle |
Julian
Picard |
| Elliot
Ransom |
Holly
M. Kvalheim
|
|
| |
Amandine
M. Lee
|
ROOSEVELT
|
| GARFIELD
|
Genevieve M.
Lenoir |
Elliott R.
Amkraut |
| Karen C.
Beaty |
Joe J.
Long
|
Grace
J. Hartinger
|
| Lucas A.
Chapel |
Carl P.
Majeau |
Erik
K. Kariya
|
| Rebecca
Cohen |
Anna
K. Miller
|
Matthew
A. Nichols
|
| Christina A.
Cook |
Walter P.
Ray |
Daniel P.
Roberts |
| Emily E.
Fletcher |
Noah
L. Wentzel
|
. |
| Dana E.
Golden |
Jane M.
Zanzig |
SEALTH
|
|
Cory
M. Hargus
|
|
Maxwell B.
Forbes |
| Thomas P.
Huston |
NATHAN
HALE |
|
| |
Isabel J.
Harbaugh |
|
Staff
Celebrations
Catherine Brown
Cleveland High School |
Kathy Myers
Madison Middle School |
Joe Olegario
Mercer Middle School |
Three teachers honored for 2008 Swain Excellence in
Teaching
Cleveland High, Madison and Mercer middle school teachers
recognized
The Alliance for Education announced
the names of three recipients of the 2008
Swain Excellence in Teaching Award. The award recognizes the
outstanding efforts of secondary school teachers in Seattle Public
Schools, particularly those serving large numbers of students
eligible for free or reduced-price lunch. Those recognized
are:
• Catherine Brown, a 10th-grade language arts teacher at
Cleveland High School;
• Kathy Myers, a 6th-grade math teacher at Madison Middle
School; and
• Joe Olegario, a 6th-grade science teacher at Mercer Middle
School.
The award – named after Philip B. Swain, a former Seattle
School Board member and a public education advocate – honors
teachers who have a powerful impact on students and who play
exceptional roles as teacher-leaders among their peers. Each
teacher received a $1,000 award.
Science coach, manager, staff contribute chapter in published
book
Kathryn Show, Elementary Science
Coach, and Elaine Woo, Science Program Manager, wrote a chapter
that has been published in the book,
Assessing Science Learning: Perspectives From Research and
Practice. The title of the chapter is Washington
State's Science Assessment System: One District's Approach to
Preparing Teachers and Students. The chapter was a joint
project with the National Science Foundation and the National
Science Teachers Association. The National Science Foundation asked
some of the science staff to present to three national audiences
and write the chapter to tell how the District’s science
program used its National Science Foundation grant funding to
prepare teachers and students for Washington state’s science
assessment.
B.F. Day
Elementary principal honored for role in promoting
peace
Susan McCloskey,
Principal of B.F. Day Elementary School, was honored at a Torch-Bearer
Award and Reception in June. The Torch-Bearer Award is
presented by the World
Harmony Run to people who have inspired their communities
through their own lives and deeds.
McCloskey was recognized for her role
in promoting peace through school assemblies every month at B.F.
Day and for advocating peace and harmony daily to staff and
students. |
| Susan
McCloskey holds her Torch-Bearer Award at a June reception.
|
|
Around the Schools
Beacon
Hill International School celebrates international
designation
| Dr. Maria
Goodloe-Johnson, Superintendent, top photo, speaks on September 9
to attendees who came out to celebrate the designation of Beacon
Hill Elementary as an international school. Bottom photos: The lion
dance team from Franklin High School entertains the crowd and the
mariachi band, Monarcas, joins students in their
procession across the field. |
|
Curriculum
includes Spanish and Mandarin immersion programs, global
perspectives
Beacon
Hill International School on September 9 celebrated becoming the
third international school in the Seattle School District, joining
John Stanford International School and Hamilton International
Middle School. The celebration featured an opening procession and
special performances by students and community groups.
Beacon Hill offers language
immersion programs for incoming kindergarten students. The
international education program integrates the global perspectives
into curriculum, stressing multicultural literature, world
economics, global health, as well as arts, music, dance and drama
from around the world.
Read more in news release.
|
 |
 |
Registration for Penny Harvest
program begins next month
Penny
Harvest, a
program of Solid
Ground and Common
Cents, is now registering schools for the Penny Harvest program
in the 2008-09 school year. The kickoff date is October 27. Schools
are asked to register by October 1.
Penny Harvest teaches students the
value of volunteering, community involvement and philanthropy. The
program works in several
phases. In the fall, students collect pennies and other coins.
In the winter, a roundtable of student leaders research community
needs around their area and decide what organizations should
receive the funds. Lastly, in the spring, students work on
neighborhood service projects and hold a schoolwide ceremony to
present the check award.
There are currently 28 Seattle
schools signed up to participate this year. In 2007-08, students
collected $64,333.43, made 90 community grants and completed 20
neighborhood service projects. The program is free to schools and
includes educational tools for every student, a program guide and
year-round support from Penny Harvest staff.
Last school year, Solid Ground
nominated Maple Elementary School students and Counselor Theresa
Escobar for the Young Philanthropists Award. Maple students raised
significant funds despite the fact that almost 60 percent of
students were enrolled in the free- or reduced-price lunch program.
To read more on their nomination, click
here.
To register for the next Penny
Harvest, visit www.PennyHarvest.org/SignUp
or contact Penny Harvest Program Coordinator Maryellen Ferro at
(206) 957-4779, Ext. 118 or maryellenf@solid-ground.org.
Around the Community
Photographs, student writings,
capture interactions, discoveries
'Dive Down into the
Loud' exhibit at Seattle City Hall through October
10
|
Photography by Libby
Lewis
One of 15 photographs, above, is featured in the 'Dive Down into
the Loud' exhibition at Seattle City Hall.
|
|
A
Seattle
City Hall exhibition, presented through October 10, will
feature writings by Seattle Public Schools students, as well as
images by professional photographers capturing the students'
interactions and discoveries. The “Dive
Down into the Loud” exhibition features 15 pieces of
student poetry and prose. The students participated in Seattle Arts &
Lectures’ 2007-08 Writers in the Schools (WITS)
program.
The 15 photographs were taken by
Seattle photographers Libby Lewis and Susie Fitzhugh, who captured
the students at work in the WITS program.
A free reading and book-signing of
“Dive Down into the Loud” – featuring writings by
the youth authors – will be held 7-8:30 p.m., Wednesday,
September 24, in the Bertha Knight Landes Room at City Hall. For
more information about the City Hall gallery program, call (206)
684-7171. The exhibition is presented by the Mayor’s Office
of Arts & Cultural Affairs.
Dive Down into the Loud
exhibition
September 17 to October 10
7 a.m. to 6 p.m., Monday to
Friday
Seattle City Hall
Lobby Gallery (first floor)
Anne Focke Gallery (L2 level)
600 Fourth Ave. |
PTA and
the Law and Fall Leadership Conference set for Sept.
20
Seattle
Council PTSA will hold a PTA and
the Law and Fall Leadership Conference on September 20 in
Bothell. The event will include Region 6 elections, a keynote
speech by Washington state PTA Executive Director Bill Williams,
and the opportunity to select from about a dozen afternoon
workshops. For questions about the event, contact Washington state
PTA Region Director Sudene Snyder at (425) 481-1682 or e-mail at ptareg6@wastatepta.org.
Region
6 PTA and the Law and Fall Leadership Conference
Saturday, September 20
8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Northshore School District
Administrative Center
330 Monte Villa Parkway, Bothell
98021
Upcoming
Events
North
Beach Elementary to celebrate 50th anniversary on Sept. 20
North
Beach Elementary will be celebrating its 50th anniversary on
September 20 with activities to include school tours, student
performances, tours of the newly remodeled school, outdoor
activities, music, food and much more. The school is still looking
for historic photographs of North Beach Elementary and its
students. If you have photos you would like to share, please e-mail
to jrdnorthbeach@gmail.com.
North
Beach Elementary 50th anniversary
Saturday, September
20
11 a.m. to 4 p.m.
9018 24th Ave. N.W.
Public invited to celebrate 'Return of the Bulldogs'
September 26, 27
Garfield High School students,
staff, alumni and the community continue to celebrate the "Return
of the Bulldogs" to the beautifully renovated school. On September
26 and 27 the school will host a series of festivities including
the dedication
of the Quincy Jones Performing Arts Center in which music
legend Quincy Jones will be the honored guest. There will also be
an auction, a series of mini-reunions, art, music, food and many
other activities. For additional information, please visit the "Celebrate
Garfield" Web site.
Garfield presents
'Return of the Bulldogs'
Garfield High School
400 23rd Ave.
Quincy Jones Performance
Center Dedication
Friday, September 26
4:30 p.m.
Garfield Performance Center
Gym
All Community
Celebration
Saturday, September 27
10 a.m. to 5 p.m.
Commons, Library, Gym, Quincy Jones
Performance Center
Meany to
host Northwest Conference on Teaching for Social Justice
Meany
Middle School will he hosting the first annual Northwest Conference on Teaching for
Social Justice on October 4. The conference titled, "Rethinking
our Classrooms, Organizing for Better Schools," will feature
keynote speaker Linda
Christensen, Director of Oregon Writing
Project, and editor of Rethinking
Schools magazine. Workshops will include topics regarding
ethics, cultural experiences and differences, anti-oppression
curriculum, and civil rights in the Pacific Northwest. For more
information, click on the links in this story or e-mail info@nwtsj.org
Northwest
Conference on Teaching for Social Justice
"Rethinking our Classrooms
Organizing for Better
Schools"
Saturday, October 4
9 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Meany Middle School
301 21st Ave. E.
Students invited to enter
contest for National Safe Schools Week
Middle
and high school students are invited to participate in a
Creative Expression Contest sponsored by National Safe Schools
Week October 19-25. The contest is designed to convey students'
thoughts about the issue of school violence in America and to offer
solutions. Submissions can be in the form of an essay, song, rap,
poem, drawing, painting, or computer-based design. Deadline is
October 27 to send in entries. All contestants will receive a
prize. Chosen contestants will receive a new iPod touch, and their
school will also receive a School Safety Package worth $2,500. For
more information, click here or e-mail at speakup@paxusa.org
Oct. 30
forum set for State of Arts Education in Seattle Public
Schools
The community is invited to the
fifth annual public forum on the
State of Arts Education in Seattle Public Schools on October
30. Seattle Mayor Greg Nickels will welcome participants to an
evening devoted to strengthening arts in our city schools. Learn
about the first year of the city of Seattle’s Arts Education
Initiative with the School District and about the next steps for
putting the arts back in education. RotaryMusic4Life will
collect instrument donations at the forum to enable Seattle
elementary school students to study music this year. To sign up, call (206)
684-7372 by Monday, October 27.
State
of Arts Education in Seattle Public Schools
Thursday,
October 30
7-8:30 p.m.
Seattle Asian Art Museum
1400 East Prospect St., Volunteer
Park
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 September 29 for the October 3
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 unsubscribe
to this e-newsletter by clicking here and typing
in "unsubscribe" in the subject heading.
|
