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December 14, 2009
Photography
© Susie Fitzhugh
Excellence for All:
Students prepared for college, careers and life
School
of Science, Technology, Engineering
and Mathematics (STEM) at Cleveland
Seattle Public Schools is committed to providing an excellent
education so all students graduate from high school ready for
college, careers and life. To help meet this goal, a new Science,
Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) school will open in
fall 2010 at Cleveland High School. Cleveland has been designated
an option school – which means that students from all across
the District can enroll in this challenging and innovative program.
Students who graduate from STEM will have access to college and
career opportunities in areas such as biotechnology, software
design and aeronautical engineering. STEM will offer an extended
day, four years of math and science for all students, and
project-based learning. Open enrollment for fall 2010 for all
schools is March 1-31, 2010. Students who will be in Grades 9 and
10 are welcome to apply for STEM during that time. An open house is
planned for Saturday, January 23, 2010, from 10 a.m. to noon at
Cleveland, 5511 15th Ave. S. Interpretation services will be
available. More details about plans for STEM are available in this
presentation given at a community meeting in December or by
visiting the STEM Web
site.
District News
Early
enrollment registration deadline extended for
2010-11
Students new to Seattle Public
Schools can register until January 15,
2010
While
early registration does not have an impact on where a student is
assigned to school, it is encouraged that families who will have a
new student entering Seattle Public Schools next school year
participate in the early registration process. This is offered as a
convenience to families, enabling them to get the registration
paperwork completed ahead of time. Students new to Seattle Public
Schools can register until January 15, 2010. In addition, families
who have students registering early will receive their school
assignment notification prior to the Open Enrollment period which
is March 1 – 31, 2010. Students enrolling during the Open
Enrollment period will receive their school assignment
notifications in late spring. Families are welcome to enroll their
students by mail, by fax and in person. For more information on
early registration, please go to http://www.seattleschools.org/area/eso/earlyreg.html.
Read more.
 |
Schools recognized for being
named 'Great School'
Several Seattle Public Schools principals accepted certificates
and school banners at a December 9 School Board meeting for schools
that won the Phi Delta Kappa 2009 “Great School” award.
The schools were among the 5 percent highest improving schools in
reading and mathematics over the last five school years. Principals
at the Board meeting, were from left: Sherrie Encarnacion of The
New School @ South Shore, Andhra Lutz of Mercer Middle School, Ray
Merca of AS #1 (Pinehurst), Kimberly Kinzer of Daniel Bagley
Elementary, Heather Swanson of Catharine Blaine K-8, John Miner of
Thornton Creek @ Decatur, Ben Ostrom of Orca @ Whitworth, Terri
Skjei of View Ridge Elementary, and Kelly Aramaki of John Stanford
International. Not in the photo is Hentersen Carlisle of Madison
Middle School. |
Proposed framework for
redevelopment of Memorial Stadium outlines innovative, flexible
sports and community venue
Seattle
Public Schools and Seattle Center have completed a proposed
Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) on redevelopment of the Memorial
Stadium site into a green, integrated, multi-functional space that
provides for year-round community and school activities. The
proposed MOA now moves to the Seattle City Council and the Seattle
School Board for consideration and approval.
Read more.
School
Board Update - December 9 meeting
Items for a vote
on the Board's January 6 meeting, include:
2010
Levies: Board approves placement of levies on February
ballot
The Seattle School Board voted to
place a $442.7 million replacement
operations levy and a $270 million replacement
capital levy on the Tuesday, February 9, 2010, special election
ballot. Both levies provide critical funding support for upgrades
to buildings, technology and academic facilities. The operations
levy would replace the three-year levy approved in 2007; it
represents nearly one quarter of the District’s day-to-day
operating budget, and supports educational services not fully
funded by the state. The six-year, $270 million capital levy
– Buildings, Technology and Academics III (BTA III) –
replaces the Buildings, Technology and Academics II levy (BTA II)
approved in 2004. The District has created a
Report to the Community brochure that explains how taxpayer
dollars have been spent on past and current levies.
Staff Celebration
| Nina Tomita-Kato |
Alex Beaty |
Elsye Litvack |
Three
educators recognized for teaching excellence
The
SynapticMash
Innovation Foundation awarded three elementary school teachers
the 2009 Teacher Recognition Awards last week for their excellence
and passion for teaching and contributions to student learning.
This year’s recipients are:
• Nina Tomita-Kato, a kindergarten teacher at Beacon Hill
Elementary School;
• Alex Beaty, a physical education teacher at John Muir
Elementary School; and
• Elyse Litvack, a science teacher at Maple Elementary
School.
Each teacher received an acrylic
award recognizing and celebrating their contributions and a $500
check for their personal or professional use.
Around the
Schools
Madrona
K-8 Student Council holds coat drive as first
project
| The 2009-10 Madrona K-8 Student
Council held its first meeting in November and decided to hold a
coat drive. Donations can be dropped off at the school
office. |
|
The 2009-10
Madrona K-8 Student Council, as one of its first projects, has
decided to hold “The First Annual Madrona K-8 Coat
Drive” – a timely endeavor now that the cold weather
has arrived. The council is collecting coats and donating them to
students and families in need. Coats will be collected throughout
December and January and delivered at the beginning of February.
Donations can be dropped off at the school office.
|
Garfield, Roosevelt included in
'America's Best High Schools'
Garfield
High School and Roosevelt High School were included in
U.S. News & World Report's rankings of America's Best
High Schools. Garfield and Roosevelt were recognized as Silver
Medal schools. The Silver Medal is given to schools that register a
college readiness index of at least 20 but are not ranked in the
top 100 nationally. U.S. News analyzed more than 21,000
public high schools in 48 states and the District of
Columbia.
In a separate article last June, Newsweek
magazine named Ingraham and Garfield high schools to the
magazine's top 1,500 public U.S. high schools in academics.
Ingraham High made the magazine's 2009 listing for the first time,
placing 940th, while Garfield made the list for the fifth straight
year, placing 497th.
 |
| Second-grade students from
Arbor Heights Elementary School performed at the Discover Dance
performance on November 14 at McCaw Hall. Kayti Bouljon, photo
above, Manager of the Pacific Northwest Ballet Community Education
Programs, led Arbor Heights’ students in a two-month study of
dance that connected ballet with a rainforest unit. |
Arbor
Heights, Highland Park, Broadview-Thomson students
perform at Pacific Northwest Ballet's Discover Dance
program
More
than 200 Seattle Public Schools students performed on stage at the
Marion Oliver McCaw Hall November 14 as part of the
Discover Dance program led by Pacific Northwest Ballet (PNB).
The performance was the culmination of an artist-in-residence
partnership with three schools – Arbor Heights Elementary,
Broadview Thomson K-8 and Highland Park Elementary. Each of the
second-grade classrooms from these schools worked with their
teachers and PNB teaching artists to create and perform original
works that connected dance to concepts from their science, social
studies or reading curriculum. Also featured in the performance
were sixth- and seventh-grade music students from Broadview
Thomson, REACH
Student Dance Group and PNB Company dancers. A second Discover
Dance Community Performance will take place at McCaw Hall on April
24, 2010.
Composers to perform with Washington Middle School
students
Nationally
renowned Seattle composers Jovino Santos Neto and Wayne Horvitz
will premiere two full ensemble original compositions with the
Washington Middle School music department this month and next year.
Current Grammy nominee Jovino Santos Neto is arranging his original
composition, "Ascension," to be performed at 7 p.m., December 16
with the Washington Middle School Senior Orchestra and Senior
Concert Band. On tap for spring 2010 is the second collaboration
between the youth musicians and another local composer with
national standing. Wayne Horvitz has been commissioned by Friends
of Washington Music to compose a piece that will be performed at
the spring concert. Both concerts take place at the Quincy Jones
Performing Arts Center at Garfield High School.
Read more.
Aki
Kurose students learn service training at Graham
Hill
 |
Every
Wednesday, the Associated Student Body (student government class)
of Aki Kurose Middle School Academy tutors the kindergarten
students at Ms.Yamada's class in Graham Hill Elementary.
Through these tutoring lessons, Aki
Kurose students, have a chance to discover service learning.
The kindergarten students, meanwhile,
have one-on-one time with middle schoolers practicing their reading
and literacy skills.
An Aki Kurose Middle School student, left, tutors a
Graham Hill student. |
Laurelhurst Elementary kicks
off nutrition, gardening events
Laurelhurst
Elementary School held a Nutrition Mix It Up Day on November 10
– kicking off the Environmental Science Project, a year of
nutrition and gardening activities that teach children about the
science of food, gardening, nutrition, healthy lifestyle and
environmental sustainability. Nineteen presenters came to the
school to talk on topics such as, "Building a Healthy Immune System
from Food," "Your Brain and You," and "Growing Your Own Groceries."
In conjunction with this event, Laurelhurst also hosted the
Chef in the Classroom Project, which gives children a chance to
taste several fresh foods while learning about buying from our food
sheds and local farmers markets.
Other upcoming related events at
Laurelhurst are:
• a science fair, with a food and nutrition focus,
• a spring planting in which the kids plant seeds in a pot,
take them home and nurture them for food; and
• a Community Farmers Market, in which the children will be
able to "buy" fresh produce with their own fake money, as well as
play food-related board games. A second farmers market will give
parents and community members the opportunity to buy fresh produce
from local farmers.
Whitman
Middle School hosts annual international potluck
The
Whitman Middle School PTSA hosted its third annual All School
International Potluck on November 19 in the school’s
cafeteria. More than 350 families and staff attended the free event
– sharing a dish that represented their cultural heritage,
and wearing attire from their ethnic background. The Irish Dancing
group, “Ceili Nom Padraig,” performed. (One of the
group members is a sixth-grader at Whitman.) The eighth-grade band,
directed by band teacher, Mr. Joel Orsen, played several pieces,
including one written for the dedication of the school in
1959.
Around the
Community
Workshops scheduled to learn
about Neighborhoods Matching Fund
Since
1989, the City of Seattle's Department of Neighborhoods Matching
Fund has granted awards for many projects at Seattle Public
Schools, including playground improvements, reader board signs,
beautification landscaping and environmental programs.The
Department of Neighborhoods is hosting several workshops in
November, December and January to discuss recent changes in grant
guidelines and application schedules, as well as to assist groups
to turn their project ideas into reality. If you’re
considering applying for Matching Funds, it’s highly
recommended you attend one of the workshops. Groups can apply for
as little as $250 and up to $100,000. Click
here for the workshop details and schedules.
Upcoming Events
McClure
Middle School to hold murder-mystery dinner
fund-raiser
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Experience
a true "who done it" with McClure Middle School's Three Doors
to Death or…The Choice is Yours by Keith Jackson. In a
true audience interactive murder mystery with dinner, the audience
will decide the outcome of the evening.
Three Doors to Death
or … The Choice is
Yours
Tuesday, December 15
5:30 p.m.
McClure lunchroom
Tickets: $10 adult,
$5 student/senior. |
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 January 5 for the January 7
issue.
In the News
For a sampling of this
week's local newspaper stories on Seattle Public Schools, please
click here.
This e-mail was
sent by goodnews@seattleschools.org.
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