Seattle Schools Week of Nov. 19-23

A short week due to the Thanksgiving holiday.   No school for elementary and K-8 students for Parent-Teacher conferences (really? three whole days). 

Enrollment Services close at noon on Wednesday and one-hour early dismissal on Wednesday for all students.  

Community meeting with Director Patu on Saturday the 24th from 10 am to noon at Caffe Vita, 5028 Wilson Avenue S.

I missed this but the district received in October- via the UW Office of Minority Affairs and Diversity - a new Upward Bound Math-Science grant from the DOE. 

The five-year, $1.25 million grant is designed to help low-income and first-generation students succeed in high school and pursue post-secondary degrees, especially in science, technology, engineering and math (STEM) fields.

UBMS will serve 65 students at Seattle’s Chief Sealth, Cleveland and Franklin high schools and is a sister program to OMA&D’s existing Upward Bound program that assists nearly 80 students at the same schools. Over two-thirds of the students at these schools qualify for free or reduced lunch, almost a quarter higher than the rest of the city and state.

UBMS will include a six-week Summer Academy on the UW campus that simulates college and provides an integrated curriculum. A college-level STEM lecture course will be taught by UW faculty and supported by quiz sections and hands-on lab activities. Students will gain research experience working with scientists and researchers, and learn to analyze and communicate their findings. The curriculum will be enhanced by collaboration with UW departments and other partners including the Microsoft IT Academy.

During the school year, students will have weekly one-to-one contact with UBMS staff. Each student will undertake comprehensive needs assessment and career interest inventories that form the basis of Individual Student Learning Plans. Students also have continuous access to online resources and the ability to track their progress and communicate with UW UBMS staff via a secure learning environment.

Tutoring and academic support services are provided, including assistance in meeting graduation requirements, test preparation workshops and course selection for college admission into STEM majors. Seniors receive help in choosing and applying to colleges, financial literacy, and applying for financial aid and scholarships. Students also attend career exploration workshops, field trips and cultural activities.

I'm a little surprised Rainier Beach wasn't included in this group of schools especially when Cleveland already has a STEM program for its students.

Comments

Anonymous said…
RE: "A short week due to the Thanksgiving holiday.   No school for elementary and K-8 students for Parent-Teacher conferences (really? three whole days). "

Yes, really. At an average of 28 students getting at least 30 minutes conference time, it does add up. Better 3 whole days than 8 minimum days. Schools took parent input into consideration when adopting this conference model.

Once again, schools get the big, "REALLY?"... when they accommodate parent wishes.

Molly
Anonymous said…
I second Molly.

We're doing conferences at our middle school. The three days does not include prep time for teachers to prepare to meet with each family. I know of at least one middle school that is having conferences in addition to regular classes. I hope someone provides their staff coffee and kindness - they are going to be exhausted.

Really.
Anonymous said…
Do most middle schools have conferences? My kid is at HIMS and they do this ridiculous cattle call. Parents are supposed to go into the gym and sign up to see the teacher. We are then supposed to sit around and wait until the teacher can see us. What if all the times fill up before you get there? Too bad. What if you want to meet with two of your kid's teachers but they both only have the same time open. Too bad.

I can't imagine that this is the best system they can come up with. It is so ridiculous that I understand that many parents don't even go. Working parents are supposed to go at 8 or 9 and sit around until time opens up? How are they supposed to know when they are able to get back to work?

HIMS parent
I didn't say REALLY?, I asked really? and I meant how is that working out. I'm glad to hear it's what parents want.
Anonymous said…
I can only speak for where I teach. We have two days for scheduled conferences that include most of the student's teachers. The third day is first come, first serve one-on-one meetings where all of the teachers for a grade level are located in the same large space.

@Melissa, I read it the same way Molly did. Maybe because I'm exhausted. Glad to hear it's not what was intended.

Really.
Anonymous said…
I think the whole point of the parent teacher conference at HIMS, doing it an arena style, is that many parents wouldn't even consider to go to the conference. Especially this year, when it is between 7 45am and 1 15pm on Wednesday, before Thanksgiving.
Last year at least it was on Tuesday afternoon / evening and Wednesday morning also (if I remember correctly), so parents could decide which time period worked the best for their family. This year - no choice. Only Wednesday morning. Good luck everyone who attempts to meet the teachers. If you are one lucky parent of the 974 student's, you maybe able to meet your student's 5-6 teachers in 5.5 hours!
Another HIMS parent
mirmac1 said…
Madison has an award-winning student-led process called NAV 101. We meet with teachers and admin and review materials our students have prepared. This, along with a great Career Day, really helps students reflect on why they're in school and where they go from here.
mom of 3 said…
As the parent of a high schooler (no longer doing conferences!), I think the 3 full days is GREAT, anc much better than getting out two hours early every day from the Veteran's day holiday until Thanksgiving. That was far too much disruption of the routine for my child, who then was cranky and out of sorts from Veteran's Day until Winter Vacation (since we all know there's a lot of disruption during the weeks before the holiday as well!)

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