Seattle Public Schools | School Beat Dec. 4, 2008

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December 4, 2008

school beat photo 12-4-08
Photography © Susie Fitzhugh

District News

Capacity Management - Building Closure
     On December 3, Superintendent Maria L. Goodloe-Johnson, Ph.D., presented updated analysis and information related to capacity management to the School Board. Her presentation, which includes additional options for potential final recommendations, also provided data on capacity and enrollment by cluster, and transportation costs for all-city draw schools. A summary of additional options for potential final recommendations is posted on the District Web site, along with information about the November 25 preliminary recommendation. A series of school-based meetings, arranged by principals, was also announced.

Community invited to consultative workshops, public hearings
     As part of the engagement process for building closure, the community is invited to two consultative workshops on Dec. 4 and 6 to discuss preliminary recommendations. The purpose of the community workshops is to consult with the public, present information, and listen to concerns and ideas. Interpreters will be at the workshops for the following languages: Amharic, Cambodian, Chinese, Oromo, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog, Tirigna and Vietnamese. Click here for meeting times and locations.
     Community members may also attend public hearings scheduled for December 15, 16 and 18 at the buildings proposed for closure. Click here for meeting times and locations.
     The School Board will hold an additional work session on Tuesday, December 9 at 4 p.m. in the Stanford Center auditorium. Information is posted on the School Board calendar.


School Board Update - December 3 meeting
     Chief Financial and Operations Officer Don Kennedy gave a short budget update, and the BEX Oversight Committee gave its annual report to the Board. Items approved included naming the Ballard High School Greenhouse Mrs. B’s Greenhouse; agreements with the City of Seattle for the current Families and Education Levy programs and the new High School Academic Achievement Program; the Business Partnership for Early Learning Grant; policy F44.00, Unauthorized Persons on School Property; and final acceptance of the BTA summer projects at Ingraham, Rainier Beach, Dearborn Park, West Seattle, and View Ridge elementary schools.

Michael DeBell elected new Board president for upcoming year
     The Seattle School Board elected Michael DeBell as the new Board President at its December 3 meeting. Steve Sundquist was elected Vice President and Sherry Carr was elected Member-at-Large. DeBell represents District IV and is a parent, community leader, and businessman. He served as PTA president at West Woodland Elementary, Whitman Middle School and Ballard High School. The new officers will assume their duties at the next Board meeting.

E-newsletter provides Professional Development information
     The Learning and Teaching Department has launched its Professional Development e-newsletter, The PD Informer. The newsletter will provide information about PD opportunities and activities. The PD Informer will also be a communication vehicle between schools and the District office, and distributed electronically the first school day of each month. You will also be able to access The PD Informer through the Professional Development Web site at http://www.seattleschools.org/area/profdev/informer/pd_info.html.

Jan. 10 School Fair canceled; open enrollment rescheduled for March
     The Citywide Kindergarten and Middle School Fair scheduled for Saturday, January 10, 2009, has been canceled due to the timeline of the school closure process. Information on school tours and open houses will be posted on the Enrollment Services Web site this week.
     Open enrollment for the 2009-10 school year has been rescheduled to be held between Monday, March 2 and Tuesday, March 31. Enrollment Services will extend its hours until 8 p.m. on the last two evenings – March 30 and 31. Families can also submit applications by mail or fax. Assignment letters will go out by the end of May. For more information, please see the Enrollment Services Web site or contact Enrollment Services at 252-0760.

Student Celebrations

Alki Elementary School logged in 130,152 miles to win this year's Governor's Health Bowl School Challenge.

Alki Elementary wins 2008 Governor’s Health Bowl School Challenge
Alki Elementary students were the big winners in the Governor’s Health Bowl School Challenge this year – finishing first among 48 elementary schools across the state. Alki logged 130,152 miles and came in first among all the participating elementary schools in the state. Its outstanding efforts and achievements won Alki recognition at a ceremony with Governor Christine Gregoire at the Governor’s Mansion in January. The Governor’s Health Bowl is a statewide physical activity, nutrition and health challenge hosted by the Washington Health Foundation’s Healthiest State Campaign in which more than 400 Washington schools competed by logging miles for their school team. Scoreboards at www.HealthiestState.org allow schools to watch how their miles stack up against other schools.

Staff Celebrations

Safety & Security Manager writes article on sexual misconduct
An article on educator sexual misconduct, written by Pegi McEvoy, Manager of Safety and Security, with Seattle Public Schools, has been published in a newsletter with the U.S. Department of Education. McEvoy's article, Educator Sexual Misconduct: What School Staff Need to Know and Do, was included in the Helpful Hints series prepared by the Office of Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Readiness and Emergency Management for Schools Technical Assistance Center. Read the article.

Around the Schools

Dearborn Park double-dutch team heads for New York competition

     The SCATS (Seattle Cirque and Acrobatics Team) from Dearborn Park Elementary will compete in an international Double Dutch League contest on December 7 in New York City. The team has been practicing its jump-roping skills for months at the school's gymnasium and will be competing against teams from the United States, Japan and the Netherlands.
     Andrea Gardner, Northwest Double Dutch Director, said the team's dynamic routines, which include gymnastics and props, is unlike anything she has seen kids accomplish in the past competitions. "I have been to this event for the past four years and feel that these kids will definitely give the audience the show they are looking for,” she said.
     Last year, the SCATS team performed at 14 local events and attended a double dutch camp in Florida. Physical Education teacher Ed Adams leads the team of students who range in age from 11-15. For additional information on the SCATS Double Dutch Team and its upcoming journey/competition, contact Adams at (206) 252-6974 or e-mail at edadams@seattleschools.org.

Orca teacher empowers students with original film production
Orca Middle School teacher Donte’ Felder has found a unique way to empower students through film. Seattle students are using a hands-on approach to create an original movie through the program, Empowering Youth Through Film, funded by the Neighborhood Matching Fund. The movie project, titled Black Belt Bradley, will debut in the spring of 2009. Students were taught skills in script-writing, movie-making, directing, and acting. This project was sponsored by Casey Family and Northwest School of Karate.

Seattle authors discuss 'The True Patriot' with Ingraham students

Seattle authors Eric Liu and Nick Hanauer visited Ingraham High School on November 20 for the school's Veterans Day Patriot Assembly and discussed their book, The True Patriot. About 1,100 students attended the assembly, sponsored by the Seattle Public Library, which donated copies of the book to the school. The authors read from the book and engaged students on the topics of "country before self," "responsibility for the common good," "mutual obligation" and other topics. Many of the 11th-graders had just finished their Classroom Based Assesments in Social Studies on the theme of constitutional issues.

HOMELESSNESS

ENERGY

HUNGER

JOBS

POVERTY

Aki Kurose students share digital stories with students in India
     Eighth-grade world geography students at Aki Kurose Middle School created digital stories last month on the issues of energy, poverty, jobs, homelessness and hunger ? and engaged in online conversations with students from India about how their culture deals with these issues.
     Working in small teams for eight weeks, the students learned how to use research techniques, photography, writing and the Internet to create digital stories about these five topics, and how they impact not just their own community but the larger world, as well. Teacher Stefanie Richardson invited Bridges to Understanding, a local non-profit organization, to help provide hands-on guidance and mentoring to the students. The students' digital stories are posted on the Bridges Web site where they can be viewed and discussed by students around the world. (Must have RealPlayer program)
      On November 26, the students at Aki Kurose held a film fest in the auditorium for their schoolmates to see their digital stories on the large screen. For more information on Bridges to Understanding, and to view the digital stories created by the Aki Kurose students and others from around the world, visit http://www.bridgesweb.org/projects/gallery.html.

Laurelhurst Elementary students, above photos, paint wooden fishes which will be displayed in a mural along a chain-linked fence at the school. Stream of Dreams, an eco-education group, helped organize the project.

Laurelhurst students advocate protection of water resources
Fish mural to remind public of the importance of local watershed and streams
Students, staff members, and volunteers have finished painting hundreds of colorful and unique wooden fishes this week which will be displayed in a beautiful mural along a chain-linked fence at Laurelhurst Elementary School. When the final installation is completed on December 5, the fish will appear to be swimming in a beautiful pattern – and will be a constant reminder of the importance of our local watershed and the streams that flow into it. The project was organized by Stream of Dreams Watershed Education and Community Art Program. Stream of Dreams, an eco-education group, hopes the mural will help the community learn to conserve and protect water resources and protect the environment. Program educators helped each fish-painter learn about their local watershed and how to keep it healthy. To learn more about the project at Laurelhurst, contact Pam Goddard at family@dukeelectric.net.

Upcoming Events

MLK Express Yourself Contest deadline December 8
     Seattle Public School students from Grades 3-12 are invited to enter the 2009 Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Express Yourself Contest – celebrating the life and legacy of Dr. King and his impact on the civil rights movement. Awards and prizes will be given to the top three entries in each grade level. Deadline for entries is December 8, 2008, and winners will be notified on January 5, 2009. Click on the links for the entry form and rules and the flier. The contest is sponsored by City Year Seattle/King County. For more information, contact Janay McClarin at (206) 306-5729.

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 December 15 for the December 18 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.