News

This year’s window for parent referrals for K-8 students currently enrolled at Seattle Public Schools is May 15, 2018 through September 24, 2018 to determine eligibility for school year 2019-20. Applications for students in grades 9-12 will be available in January.

Click the Student Portal blue icon at the top of all Seattle Public Schools websites for quick links to The Source, Schoology and other online tools to support students.

On the morning of June 1, staff, students, families and community members gathered to raise the LGBTQ and Transgender Pride flags at the John Stanford Center. The crowd gathered in the midst of morning commute traffic and construction noise to celebrate and kickoff the month of Pride. The flags will be flown throughout the month as a symbol of our commitment to building inclusive environments for staff and students.

Upcoming dates and locations for Seattle Public Schools high schools graduation ceremonies 2018.

The Seattle Skills Center, in partnership with R3 Community Services, hosted a “Try-A-Trade” event on June 5, to help students gain a hands-on experience with construction trade opportunities.

On June 8, 2018, Franklin students welcomed community members, sister schools, alumni, city officials and staff to join a youth-led demonstration centered on the seriousness of gun violence and need for greater safety in the south end in honor of classmate Ryan Dela Cruz.

Seattle Public Schools is hosting community meetings in September to share information about our upcoming Operations Levy and our Building Excellence V (BEX V) Capital Levy, both to be submitted to Seattle voters in February 2019.

Help us improve district communications with a quick online survey. Your anonymous responses will help us identify the most effective communications tools and strategies to ensure our entire community receives the news and information it needs from schools and the district.

Transitions are exciting times. With each move, comes a level of hope for the future, the anxiety of what’s to come and a chance to reflect on what has been accomplished thus far. Serving the students, staff and families of Seattle Public Schools for the past four years has been one of my greatest professional opportunities and a profound joy.

Available to next year’s 8th through 12th graders, Naviance will help students identify their strengths, interests and goals, and link them to potential college and career pathways; providing a deeper knowledge about options for the future.

When Cleveland High School's football team suit’s up next year, they will be doing so with new equipment thanks in part to a $20,000 donation from the Seattle Seahawks.

U.S. News and World Report has recognized several Seattle Public Schools high schools as top high schools in Washington state in their annual report.

The Seattle Public Schools School Board and Facilities and Operations Department are establishing a Facilities Master Plan task force. You are invited to apply. Applications are due by Thurs., June 7.

The Visual and Performing Arts Program offered a professional development session on May 2 in partnership with the Family Partnerships and the Center for Arab and Islamic Resources (CAIR).

Student chefs at Franklin High, Rainier Beach Skill Center, Roosevelt High, Ingraham High and West Seattle High School have been hard at work in the kitchen for the past month, learning new techniques and employing their creativity to whip up delicious dishes for professional review.

Now in its 19th year, Chief Sealth’s mariachi is one of the only programs of its kind in the nation. The program encourages cross-cultural understanding through music, celebrates the culture and heritage of Latino students and provides a way for parents to actively participate in their children’s education.

On April 27, South Lake High School hosted a Multicultural Night for families and community. The projects featured at the event celebrated the many heritages of the school. South Lake is a small option school that ensures a personalized high school environment where student’s stories are celebrated.

Thanks to Leschi Elementary librarian, Kevin McNew for applying to several local grants to help update texts in the school library, Leschi has been the recipient of two grants this month.

At the May 9, 2018, School Board meeting, the School Board Directors adopted guiding principles for the Building Excellence V (BEX V) Capital Levy. These principles provide direction as staff continues work to develop a list of recommendations on what should be included in BEX V, which is a replacement for the BEX IV Capital Levy expiring in 2019.

Summer vacation is just around the corner, but the work to improve systems at the district level continues. We are committed to gathering input from families and communities during several opportunities for involvement in the coming months.

Deputy Superintendent Stephen Nielsen was recently recognized by the Washington Association of School Business Officials (WASBO) with the John Jenft Outstanding Service to K-12 Education Award.

Jump Start takes place each morning Mon-Fri., Aug. 20-24.

Important Dates for Kindergarten Families

• Aug. 20 - 24 Jump Start
• Sept. 5 - 7 Each family meets with their kindergarten teacher
• Sept. 10 First day of school for kindergarten students (grades 1 through 12 will start school on Sept. 5)

National Endowment for the Arts "Art Works" grant of $100,000 awarded Seattle Public Schools will support implementation of The Creative Advantage, a citywide initiative to establish equitable access to arts education.

All guardians with a K-12 student should receive an email link to the Family Survey on Tues., April 17. If your family does not have an email on file, you will receive a mailed survey.

The Vietnamese Friendship Association and Confucius Institute of the State of Washington were recognized on May 9 as premier partners by the Seattle School Board for their work in schools and positive impact in the lives of Seattle Public Schools students.

The district is piloting ethnic studies curriculum in six schools aimed at engaging students in perspectives of historically marginalized groups.

The community is invited to attend the Seattle Public Schools Scholarship Fund Awards Ceremony on May 10 at 7 p.m. in the John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence Auditorium.

At the awards event, graduating seniors from each high school will be recognized for their personal tenacity, contribution to their community, and academic accomplishments.

Please join us in thanking a teacher who has had an impact on your life, and sharing appreciation for the educators of our district.

Roosevelt and Ballard High Schools’ jazz bands have been chosen out of 109 high school bands across the nation as two of 15 finalists at the 2018 Essentially Ellington High School Jazz Band Competition and Festival.

Seattle Public Schools is accepting School Choice applications until May 31. In addition, families who already participated in school choice during Open Enrollment may submit a new choice form until May 31 to change the waitlist that their student is currently on or be added to a waitlist.

Orca K8 and Dearborn Park International schools were visited on May 3 by Jewell Parker Rhodes, author of the book, “Ghost Boys.”

Help Seattle Public Schools rethink and re-examine our practices to ensure each and every student receives the high-quality instruction necessary to grow and achieve.

Seattle Public Schools Board of Directors honored AAMAC at the board’s April 25 meeting for AAMAC’s partnership with the district, specifically for their focus on eliminating opportunity gaps.

Join us for the Naramore Art Show at Seattle Art Museum to celebrate the success of many of our highest achieving art students.

The show runs through May 27 and the awards ceremony and teen night out will be May 4, 6 until 7 p.m.

On the evening of April 3, Phillipa Dugaw, North Beach PTA president and Brooke Walker, North Beach auction chair, presented a $10,000 check to Northgate Elementary. Principal Dedy Fauntleroy, Family Support Worker, Guillermo Carval, and Librarian Kate Eads were present at the PTA meeting to receive the donation on behalf of Northgate.

At the April 25 regular school board meeting, the board voted unanimously to approve the contract with Denise Juneau to become the next superintendent, her start date is July 1, 2018.

This summer, Seattle will host the 2018 Special Olympics USA Games, which will highlight the abilities of athletes with intellectual disabilities in a variety of sports as well as inclusive games of Unified Sports, which include athletes with and without intellectual disabilities training and competing together.

Thanks to a partnership with Seattle Housing Authority and Seattle Public Schools, more than 100 SHA students from Aki Kurose and Asa Mercer International middle schools either had perfect or improved attendance during the month of March.

Members of Cleveland STEM and Ballard High School Journalism Programs attended the National High School Journalism Convention April 12-14 in San Francisco, California. Sponsored by National Scholastic Press Association (NSPA), the semi-annual convention was the gathering place for over 5000 high school journalists from across the country.

Nationally, April is Sexual Assault Awareness Month. During the month of April, conversations are taking place across the country to raise awareness about child abuse and sexual assault prevention. We encourage families to talk with kids about these important topics as well.

On April 18, elementary and middle school physical education specialists used their professional development time for an exciting training opportunity at Safeco Field with members of the Seattle Mariners and USA Baseball through the Fun At Bat program.

After having a school-wide read-aloud of Katherine Applegate’s book “Wishtree,” a story about how a community responds with love after an act of aggression toward a new neighbor, the Thurgood Marshall community came together to promote peace and hope through written messages displayed around the school.

With Loyal Heights Elementary nearing completion for opening in September 2018, nearly all of the 17 major construction projects included in the Building Excellence IV (BEX IV) Capital Levy have been opened and welcomed students and staff.

Starting with the class of 2021, students will need to earn 24 credits to graduate, an increase from 21. Most high schools in our district currently offer 24 credits over the course of four years. Traditionally, SPS has offered students more courses than required by the state to provide flexibility for students to explore new electives or to recover missing credits. We are currently working with a variety of stakeholders to increase credit-earning opportunities for our students.

Seattle Public Schools is currently testing an interim assessment tool for mathematics and English language arts (ELA) for students in grades 3- 11 and is seeking board approval for interim assessments districtwide.

Student learning and success are at the core of the work we commit to every day. Our mission is to ensure that each student is prepared for college, career and life. We are a high-performing urban district leading the way in this effort. Seattle Public Schools was recently recognized as No. 3 out of 200 urban districts for student gains between 3rd and 8th grade, and our graduation rates continue to increase – most notably for our students of color.

Use our Assignment Lookup Tool to check your student’s school assignment for next year.

Your student’s school assignment may have changed due to new schools opening in Fall 2017 and new school boundaries approved by the School Board. In addition, some program locations have changed through updates to the Student Assignment Plan. Information on the school boundary changes is available on the Growth Boundaries webpage.

Did you know that as many as 25,000 individuals volunteer in schools across our district annually? Parents, community volunteers and partners serving Seattle Public Schools students play an important role in our efforts to ensure educational excellence and eliminate opportunity gaps.

Planning is underway for two school funding levies to be submitted to Seattle voters in February 2019 and Seattle Public Schools requests input and feedback on possible projects.

Seattle Public Schools recognized the Seattle Council PTSA during the Wed., April 4, school board meeting for the council's service and partnership to support and engage school communities, students and families. In addition, the Seattle Council PTSA and the Somali Mothers took the opportunity to recognize Superintendent Nyland for his years of service.

Women’s History Month celebrates the amazing women who have left their mark throughout history. As this year’s observation concludes, we are highlighting three Seattle Public Schools trailblazing female educators who strived for equity through education.

On March 8 and 14, more than 5,700 high school students from across the Pacific Northwest gathered at the Paramount Theatre in Seattle. Students from Cleveland STEM High School, Interagency Academy, Franklin High School, Seattle World School and Rainier Beach High School spent several weeks studying the curriculum created about the “Hamilton” era, culminating in a day at the theatre.

Upon entering the door of Amanda Rengli’s fourth- grade art class at McDonald International Elementary School, you’d wonder for just a moment if you somehow found your way into New York’s Museum of Modern Art.

At the March 21 Seattle Public Schools School Board meeting, Seattle Parks and Recreation was recognized as a Premiere Partner for the My Brother’s Keeper program.

Spring break for Seattle Public Schools is April 9 through 13. See all the calendar dates.

Seattle Public Schools offers several summer learning opportunities.

From the Summer Staircase program for elementary students struggling to keep up, to credit recovery classes and career exploration programs for high school students, we're here to help students avoid summer learning loss with academic enrichment programs.

The 8th annual Seattle Public School College Bound Scholarship Conference took place on Saturday, March 4, 2018, on the University of Washington Seattle campus. More than 600 College Bound students and parents were in attendance.

After a year-long adoption process, the Department of Curriculum, Assessment and Instruction has identified enVisionmath2.0 from Pearson as the new middle school math textbook.

On March 14, many Seattle students honored the lives lost in the recent Parkland, Florida school shooting and demonstrated support for student safety. At Whittier Elementary, the school staff and families came together to plan a school-day observance that showed support for their school community and enabled students to add their voice to the national conversation with an age-appropriate activities.

The Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) has releasing the new Washington state and federal accountability information for every school in the state as required in the Every Students Succeeds Act (ESSA) plan. ESSA replaced No Child Left Behind in 2015.

Thanks to a program through the Pacific Northwest Ballet called Discover Dance students from Daniel Bagley Elementary, Graham Hill Elementary and Licton Springs K-8 got a glimpse into the life of a ballet dancer.

Seattle Public Schools recognizes that decades of deeply embedded bias requires more than policy to undo institutionalized and structural racism. Institutionalizing racial equity in all schools requires transforming our practices and beliefs. Racial Equity Teams are one strategy that we are using to do this critical work.

With help from the Power Up technology grant, technology funding from the district and a private family foundation, Sacajawea will be one of the first Seattle public elementary schools to provide one-to-one computing for every 3rd, 4th and 5th grade student.

In support of the courage and activism of students, we encourage citywide participation in the student-led March for Our Lives Seattle rally and walk at 10 a.m. on Sat., March 24. The School Board invites students, staff and families to join the district in showing our unified support for safe schools and the Seattle students who are organizing this non-school day march.

Seattle Public Schools is seeking parents, community members, and students to join district staff in the Student Assignment Plan Task Force to help review the the Student Assignment Plan and most recent Student Assignment Transition Plan and develop recommendations for an equity focused enrollment and student assignment process. Apply today! The application deadline is March 19, 2018.

Seattle Public Schools prioritizes student safety. It is our goal to prevent emergencies from happening, therefore all lethal or potentially lethal statements, whether verbal or written (including electronic) are to be taken seriously and investigated.

Every March, Seattle Public Schools administers the SAT, the college admission test, to juniors during school hours. The test date for this school year is Wed., March 7, 2018.

February is Career and Technical Education month, an opportunity to highlight the achievements of programs in our district and across the country that help students prepare for the college, career and life.

Between now and April 1, 2018, schools will be developing their 2018-19 school budgets. Although district funds remain tight there is new state money for more K-3 teachers. This means schools have to find additional classrooms.

February is Black History Month, a month dedicated to remembering important people and events in African American communities around the world.

Students at McGilvra Elementary have a front row view of the construction of their new lunchroom and cafeteria. Earlier this month, Integrus Architects visited with second-graders to share what goes into planning and construction of projects such as this one, funded by the Building Excellence IV (BEX IV) Capital Levy.

Part-time and full-time positions are available. School nurses enjoy a family friendly schedule with 180-day school calendar work year. Seattle school nurses serve 54,000 students representing every ethnic, racial and socioeconomic background and 120 languages.

This February, the Seattle community came together at New Holly Gathering Hall in Southeast Seattle to celebrate the launch of a very special children’s book. The colorful board book, titled “Baro Af-Soomaali,” is unique in several aspects.

The Concord classroom hums with excitement as they see their classroom guests arrive—the Chief Sealth Global Leadership students. For the next 45 minutes, the teens take the helm to conduct lessons on topics such as climate change, immigration and other contemporary global issues.

As a district, our goal is to prevent these types of emergencies whenever possible and be prepared to respond effectively if an emergency should happen. Each school, in conjunction with district and city emergency responders, develop a safety plan responsive to its layout and design.

During the 2017-18 school year, the Family Partnerships department is undertaking exciting changes to ensure our district is serving students and families well.

Seattle Public Schools’ Athletic Department is pleased to announce its second year of the SPS Athletic Hall of Fame honoring outstanding high school student-athletes, coaches, administrators and athletic community members.

Occasionally, weather conditions make schedule or transportation changes necessary.

With this new service you can opt-in to receive text messages on a cellular phone number that is on record with your student’s school.

At their regular meeting on Wed., Jan. 31, the Seattle School Board approved high school boundaries for implementation in the 2019-20 school year. There are no high school boundary changes for the 2018-19 school year.

Seattle Public Schools is seeking members for the Family Engagement Task Force, which will convene from February until May 2018. The application deadline is Feb. 19, 2018.

Welcoming schools and classrooms are places where students’ language, culture, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender and unique abilities are viewed as assets. February offers opportunities to reinforce our commitment to providing this foundation to student success including Black History Month and National African American Parent Involvement Day.

Through the event, in its third consecutive year, the district helped families register new students as well as answer questions about the registration process; school choice; option, alternative and service schools; highly capable and special education services.

How to avoid illness and help stop the spread of germs! Nationally, physicians are reporting a higher than normal number of influenza cases. What can you do to avoid illness and help stop the spread of germs?

Seattle Public Schools high school students will see increased credit and assessment requirements with the change in state law requiring 24 credits to graduate.

Our EOG work is a focused effort to provide access and opportunities to our students who have historically been underserved. For the fourth consecutive year, the Seattle School Board has made this a priority and targeted specific funding to implement concrete initiatives and strategies.

Schools around Seattle Public Schools celebrated the life and work of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.

Enrollment for the 2018-19 school year began Mon., Jan. 8.

Enrollment in Seattle Public Schools has grown by 8,000 students in the past 10 years, creating a need to add more classroom space and related facilities. The district uses funds from voter-approved capital levies (taxes on local homeowners) to pay for new schools and to modernize and expand existing schools. Read a progress update about several ongoing projects at Seattle Public Schools.

On Jan. 3, 2018, the Seattle School Board adopted a resolution to oppose changes to municipal code that would allow charter schools to seek departures from building development and zoning standards in the City of Seattle.

Please visit us at our Teacher Hiring Fair at the historic Garfield High School in Seattle’s Central district on Saturday, February 10, 9 a.m. until 1 p.m.

Every student in Seattle deserves to know they have a safe learning environment where they are known, valued and belong. January and February provide many opportunities to reinforce and create welcoming learning environments that support identity safety of every student.

On January 18 from 6:30-8:30 p.m., the School Board will host a community Town Hall at Nova High School, 2410 E. Cherry St. Seattle 98122.

Parents and guardians, have you completed your family's student data verification form yet?The 2017-18 school year form is online through the Fri., Jan. 5.

Read an update about high school boundaries, including timeline and link to current scenarios being considered.

This fall, six educators from across Seattle were recognized for excellence in teaching. The honorees are nominated by their school principal, colleagues, students or student’s families; and selected based on their extraordinary efforts inspire and engage students.

The Seattle School Board voted not to adopt the 2018-19 Student Assignment Transition Plan. Here is update about next year's student assignment plan and next steps for high school boundaries and related highly capable pathways for 2019-20.

During the December 6 meeting, the Seattle School Board welcomed returning and new members to the Board and elected the 2017-18 board officers.

Thank you to the many families who attended regional open house meetings to talk about the boundary change process. We are continuing to seek feedback as we make additional adjustments to the boundaries before bringing a proposal to the School Board for approval.

In this season of thankfulness, we would like to thank our outstanding educators, staff, partners and families for your commitment to Seattle Public Schools and to all of our students.

Seattle Public Schools has made great progress working together with our students, families, staff, and community. Here is a quick snapshot of areas where we are growing, learning, and developing stronger relationships that will ensure we provide the best educational experience for all our students.

The new agreement outlines how district and city will plan together to review school capacity issues, plan strategically for future school locations and address the 70-year-old Memorial Stadium.

Authentic family engagement is critical to student success. Together, parents and classroom teachers are partners in ensuring student’s academic and social-emotional strengths and needs are supported.

Last month we surveyed families of students currently in grades 5-12 about improving access to Advanced Learning opportunities in high school.In response to three open-ended questions, the top 20 ideas from each school community were analyzed and grouped thematically by an outside evaluator. Read the feedback from families.

Throughout November, we celebrate American Indian Heritage Month as an opportunity to celebrate the rich and diverse cultures, traditions, histories, and acknowledge the important contributions of America's first peoples.

In response to students' needs, Seattle Public Schools is introducing new state health education standards for self identity in several elementary schools this fall.

We continue to believe the Legislature’s work is not done, and it is our hope the Court continues to hold the legislators accountable to correct the new inequities.

A message from Superintendent Nyland — With the 2017-18 school year well underway, I have been reflecting on the importance of learning-focused conversations.

Five open house meetings are scheduled for families, students and staff about changes to the Student Assignment Plan (SAP) and high school boundaries.

Recently the English Language Learners (ELL) department introduced an upcoming policy to affirm rights to translation and interpretation. Though this action is mandated by state and federal law, our district has many supports in place, and seeks to put a policy in place to continue the great work already happening across our schools and central office.

Superintendent Nyland has signed a resolution recognizing the contributions of native peoples and proclaiming Oct. 9, 2017 to be Indigenous People's Day.

Seattle Public Schools invites all seniors to attend one of the many college application and financial aid events happening throughout October and November.

The tragic mass shooting in Las Vegas on Sunday has left our nation in a state of grief and shock. We know our students are likely feeling the effects, too. We have collected resources that may be helpful as you talk with students about this event.

In support of improved partnerships and alignment on Thursday, Sept. 28, more than 80 people from a variety of community-based organizations that partner with Seattle Public Schools (SPS) came together for the Fall Partner Kick-Off at the New Holly Gathering Hall in Seattle.

The Source, Schoology and other student tools can be found with the link called "Student Portal" on Seattle Public Schools district and school websites.

These bodies of work are interconnected and require community engagement. Over the course of the next couple months, district staff will be asking stakeholders for ideas, analyzing impacts and making final recommendations to the School Board.

Several times a year, we project enrollment figures for the coming school year. These figures are important because they help us anticipate state funding and allow us to plan the number of staff for each school building. This is a process all districts statewide follow each fall to match the number of teachers with the actual enrollment levels of schools.

To stabilize staffing and classrooms as soon as possible, we use the headcount from the fifth day of school as the official enrollment. This year's count was 53,259 students. Overall, we have more students at SPS this year, but fewer enrolled than we projected in June 2017. This means we are starting the year significantly under our projected enrollment.

Seattle Public Schools has partnered with King County and American Traffic Solutions to deter drivers from illegally passing buses that are loading and unloading students.

Exterior cameras have been added to 120 of the 379 First Student buses that transport our students each day. The cameras capture video of vehicles that appear to be illegally passing the bus when its stop paddle is fully extended.

Seattle Public Schools is committed to educating children regardless of religion, race, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity, country of origin or immigration status. We will do whatever it takes to make sure every student thrives and want to reassure you, that we will do everything within our power to make sure all of our children are safe, honored and respected while in our care.