JSIS's Principal Leaving
Kelly Aramaki, the award-winning principal at John Stanford International School, is leaving at the end of the school year to move to Beacon Hill International School. From a letter to parents:
It’s with this utmost admiration and confidence I have in this school community that I have decided that the timing was right for me to leave the school at the end of this year in order to help our district continue to grow and strengthen international education.
About one month ago, Dr. Susie Murphy, the principal who led the transformation of Beacon Hill Elementary School into Beacon Hill International School (BHIS), announced to her school community that she was retiring. BHIS is now in its third year as an international school with Mandarin and Spanish immersion programs up to 2nd grade. Dr. Murphy and the dedicated staff at BHIS started something very exciting for a student population very different than ours; 65% of the students qualify for free and reduced lunch and 40% of the students speak English as a second language. After making her announcement, Dr. Murphy came and talked with me about her school’s hope for a principal to succeed her who has knowledge of and passion for international and immersion education, who has the experience to grow the immersion program into the 3rd – 5th grades and who has a heart for serving the families of Beacon Hill. Knowing what a good place JSIS is in right now, I told her that I would be honored to be that person.
He goes on to say how much he thinks of the staff and community at JSIS and how much he will miss them.
Update: It was also announced that Ruth Metzger, interim principal at West Seattle High School, has been appointed the permanent principal there.
It’s with this utmost admiration and confidence I have in this school community that I have decided that the timing was right for me to leave the school at the end of this year in order to help our district continue to grow and strengthen international education.
About one month ago, Dr. Susie Murphy, the principal who led the transformation of Beacon Hill Elementary School into Beacon Hill International School (BHIS), announced to her school community that she was retiring. BHIS is now in its third year as an international school with Mandarin and Spanish immersion programs up to 2nd grade. Dr. Murphy and the dedicated staff at BHIS started something very exciting for a student population very different than ours; 65% of the students qualify for free and reduced lunch and 40% of the students speak English as a second language. After making her announcement, Dr. Murphy came and talked with me about her school’s hope for a principal to succeed her who has knowledge of and passion for international and immersion education, who has the experience to grow the immersion program into the 3rd – 5th grades and who has a heart for serving the families of Beacon Hill. Knowing what a good place JSIS is in right now, I told her that I would be honored to be that person.
He goes on to say how much he thinks of the staff and community at JSIS and how much he will miss them.
Update: It was also announced that Ruth Metzger, interim principal at West Seattle High School, has been appointed the permanent principal there.
Comments
I have heard many positive comments from parents and community about Ms. Metzger. This could easily be a really good high school with a good leader. I hope Ms. Metzger is it!
You are making me cry (or at least want to sell my house and move).
And from Co-Principal Gayle Everley's March 5 letter on the Bryant Elementary website: "I want you to know that I will be on leave for the rest of the school year and I will not be returning to Bryant or Seattle Schools. You are in Kim's highly capable hands and I am certain that Phil Brockman will enlist support for Kim as she continues leadership."
[Reposted, because earlier post just disappeared!]
Good luck (seriously) WSHS, I hope she is more competent in her new role.
Rainier Beach will have a new Principal next year. The district is in the process of gathering applicants and putting together a hiring committee. It is hoped to have this wrapped up in a couple of months (if not sooner).
posted about Gayle Everley at Bryant, post disappeared, reposted later, disappeared again -- can you tweak your spam filter so it doesn't delete real posts?
A parent
Seriously, we are creating fake jobs for displaced principals?
Before Ruth Medsker was an education director she was the principal at Mercer - to mixed reviews.
The woman truly was regarded as completely ineffective and unfriendly by the schools under her dictatorship er stewardship as an Ed Director.
What is it with this district. Still trying not to judge, but oh my!!
This is our first year at Wedgwood and our 4th SPS principal. He is by far the most caring and competent leader we've encountered. Congratulations to Mr. Cronas and the Wedgwood community.
Wedgwood family
Ruth Medsker is still untrustworthy and rude not to mention completely incompetant. How do you think she lost the Ed. Director job? Susan Enfield made her reapply for her own job and she didn't get it! They had to stick her somewhere so West Seattle gets dumped on again.
And Charlie Mas is RIGHT ON, whenever the district doesn't have the guts to get rid of bad people (like Ruth) they just shuffle them around. So now they are paying two principal salaries for interagency.
Poor SPS, will they ever figure it out?