News Around the District (Ding Dong, the VAX is Gone)

Franklin High School Kicks Off Centennial Year on Friday, Sept. 30th

Franklin High School turns 100 years old in 2012, and one of Seattle’s oldest high schools will kick off a year-long centennial celebration in the gym Friday afternoon. The event will include a ribbon-cutting ceremony for the school’s newly-renovated gym and a proclamation by King County Councilmember (and Franklin alumnus) Larry Gossett, who has declared Sept. 30 Franklin High Day in King County. The proclamation will also recognize the school’s significant improvements in student test scores and college acceptance rates.

Principal Jennifer Wiley predicts that other big-name Franklin athlete alums, along with Seattle School District leaders who are also Franklin graduates, will be in attendance.

Officials of the National Achievement Scholarship Corporation named three students from SPS as Semifinalists in the 48th annual National Achievement Scholarship Program.

These academically promising students have an opportunity to continue in the competition for about 800 National Achievement Scholarships, worth more than $2.4 million, that will be offered next spring. About 80 percent of the Semifinalists are expected to attain Finalist standing, and more than half of the Finalists will win an Achievement Scholarship Award.

Listed below are the Semifinalists from Seattle Public Schools:

Olachi O. Oleru – Garfield High School

Alexandra N. Ricks – Franklin High School

William Spurr – Roosevelt High School

  

Early Enrollment for 2012-2013 Starts Next Week

Incoming kindergarten students and others new to SPS next year can start enrolling on Monday, Oct 3 through Oct. 25th.  Enrollment can be done at several Seattle Public libraries and neighborhood community centers.  Parents can also enroll their kindergarten students during Seattle Public Schools’ Family and Community Symposium on Saturday, Oct. 15 at Garfield High School, where interpreters will be provided.

From Roxhill Elementary:

 

The ASCAP Songwriter Residency @ America SCORES is coming to Seattle and they’re bringing hip-hop artist Psalm One.  She’ll be co-writing and recording an original song with the SCORES teams from Roxhill Elementary!  

The ASCAP Songwriter Residency is a unique program in which songwriters give back to the community by hosting workshops at our schools.  On October 3rd and 4th, Psalm One will co-write an original song with the students at Roxhill, and on Wednesday, October 5threcord it at Robert Lang Studios- Seattle’s Oldest World Class Recording Studio!  they

Cleveland High School Fundraiser for Global Health Project in Guatelmala

This event is Sunday, October 2nd at the Baltic Room, 1207 Pine Street and will raise money for students to travel to Guatemala, where they will participate in clinical care, health education and construction of a foot bridge in the town of Monterrico.

Admission to the Oct. 2 fundraiser, which runs from 4-7 p.m., is $20. Purchase or reserve tickets in advance by calling (206) 252-7804 or mail check to “Cleveland Guatemala,” 5511 15th Ave. S., Seattle, WA 98108.

For more information, contact Ruth Bell at (206) 418-9541 or email ruth@cascadiaconsulting.com.

Community volunteers sought for Integrated Facilities and Capacity Management Advisory Committee

The Seattle School District is seeking unpaid volunteers to serve on the newly formed Integrated Facilities and Capacity Management Advisory Committee, for terms of up to two years.

The committee’s primary purpose is to advise Seattle School District staff as it conducts short- intermediate- and long-term facilities planning based on current data, projections and objective standards. The committee’s work will include a periodic evaluation of -- and input to -- the District’s ongoing facility planning activities and implementation of the various facility plans.  Areas of engagement may include demographics, capital improvements and special instructional program accommodations.

The committee will meet once every two months with the possibility of additional meetings on special issues after the start-up period. District staff will facilitate the meetings.

The committee will have co-chairpersons consisting of one volunteer member and one staff member. A typical meeting will include a staff presentation on the status of one or more planning issues, followed by an opportunity for committee comment. Staff will review committee input and include it in the planning process.

SPS parents, community members, non-District public agency planning staff and private sector individuals with applicable planning expertise are encouraged to apply. Interested individuals should submit background information and reasons for their interest via email to: emgraefinghoff@seattleschools.org  no later than Wednesday, Oct. 12. Selection and notification of advisory committee members will occur no later than Oct.14. The first meeting is scheduled for Oct. 18 from 3-5 p.m. in Room 2700 of the John Stanford Center, 2445-3rd Ave.

September 15th the VAX was decommissioned and hauled away.  It went to a company in Minnesota where it will be recycled.