Update 2: So I have seen a message from President Liza Rankin on why she, Director Evan Briggs, and Director Michelle Sarju backed out of this meeting. In a nutshell: - She says there was no organization to the meeting which is just not true. They had a moderator lined up and naturally the board members could have set parameters for what to discuss, length of meeting, etc. All that was fleshed out. - She also claimed that if the meeting was PTA sponsored, they needed to have liability insurance to use the school space. Hello? PTAs use school space all the time and know they have to have this insurance. - She seems to be worried about the Open Public Meetings law. Look, if she has a meeting in a school building on a non-personnel topic, it should be an open meeting. It appears that Rankin is trying, over and over, to narrow the window of access that parents have to Board members. She even says in her message - "...with decisions made in public." Hmmm - She also says that th
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Monday 8/17 4:30- 6:00pm
Curriculum & Instruction Policy meeting's agenda just posted:
"Grading Policy" is back on the agenda (even though the 4/29 Board Work Session decided to postpone implementation for yet another year) with "High School Credits for Middle School students" & a change in the RCW update listed.
I find this is interesting that HS/MS credits is back on the table. During the 4/29 Work Session (see also the 4/29 PowerPoint "High School Reform: Recommendations on Grading") there was a lot of discussion by Board Members about "equity"- they were concerned that registration for middle school was finished for next year, but not all MS's could offer HS credit if there weren't teachers with the right credentials...M. DeBell said that there should be a "clear disclosure" at each MS before registration-whether HS credit could be offered for each specific class offered.
The work group's decision at the end was to postpone the entire D46.01 as a whole package, not to be implemented until Sept. 2010.
Unfortunately, the negative impact on the students already in Middle School ready to take world languages & HS level math without earning HS credit was not discussed.
Also on the agenda: Alignment, Textbook Adoption & Materials, and Math Intervention.
Thanks!
My son is going to Daniel Bagley Montessori. We are excited to go there both because it is a Montessori AND because it has multi-grade classrooms. Well this year because they had to add a Kindergarten, there will be one K class that is NOT multi-age. Will my son get put into it because he is young (July birthday)? Should I somehow request he be put into the multi-age classroom? If I ask about it will I get branded as the annoying parent and my son get treated differently by school staff?
Before and after school 'classes' organized by the PTA that are on-site are not yet finalized. I hear they will not be known until mid-September. How am I supposed to plan my child's schedule and make sure we have the appropriate level of before and after school care if this key piece of info is missing? I am sure other parents manage just fine and I will too but it seems unnecessarily complex to me right now.
I called the transportation line to arrange bus service for my son from his before and after school care site and was told - 'I will make sure to request that for you.' I have no idea if I need to follow up? Will I get a letter? Seems like a mysterious process to me.
What fun!
My child also goes to Bagley. The staff there will make every effort to make things work and help you, so feel free to express your concern about wanting a multi-age class. I'm not especially in the know, but it's possible that the new class won't be K only. The office will be open as of August 17, so you could call with questions and I'm sure the office staff would help.
As for child care, if you want or need more than the PTA classes, there is on-site care that is well-regarded. Call Shaun Parrish at The Boys' and Girls' Club, (206) 853-529, for more information about program and rates. The Bagley web site has information, too:
http://www.danielbagley.com/programs_before.htm. And the web site might also answer other questions.
Good luck and welcome to Bagley! It has a strong, involved school community, so I hope you and your child will thrive there.
My second concern, as I shared in the secret shopper thread, is working out the before and after school child care issue. A number of people are already looking at solutions to that one so I hopeful it will be resolved in time.
I believe that Seattle's teachers would also reject standardized instruction and would engage in a labor action to prevent it.
The current collective bargaining agreement for certificated non-supervisory employees (teachers) grants them academic freedom - the right to teach as their professional judgment leads them.