Friday Open Thread
Last day of school - cool and cloudy. That's our Seattle. But for kids, summer vacation is any day they let you out of school for the year.
Had a great time dancing last night for 826 (tutoring organization). Dancing with young people keeps you young. I did get a prize (coffee and bacon) for "Tiniest Dancer."
We likely won't have quite as many stories over the summer with the end of the school year. But we will keep rolling with our new superintendent coming in, fighting I-1240, finally getting to some national stories that have been on the backburner and whatever else comes up.
Have a great summer and read to your kids (or find them some good summer reading)!
Had a great time dancing last night for 826 (tutoring organization). Dancing with young people keeps you young. I did get a prize (coffee and bacon) for "Tiniest Dancer."
We likely won't have quite as many stories over the summer with the end of the school year. But we will keep rolling with our new superintendent coming in, fighting I-1240, finally getting to some national stories that have been on the backburner and whatever else comes up.
Have a great summer and read to your kids (or find them some good summer reading)!
Comments
nauseous
~Just pondering
I had to drive my daughter to school because she wouldn't ride the bus.
http://www.cnn.com/2012/06/21/us/new-york-bullied-bus-monitor/index.html
-Alexander
- staring into the abyss
Decline to Sign I-1240
Curious about projections
Interesting item. I heard Lawton principal Dr Gerrans on KUOW talking about recess and moving lunch to after recess. Nice to see some new ideas getting tried out. Had just read about this lunch after recess idea in the news( or was it here?). Well, I checked Lawton's website for details and low and behold they are instituting a new differentiated instruction model next year. the details were not entirely clear, but it sounds like a move to group students for more than just math. A half time district employee will be helping coordinate. I know that staff there has been under pressure to make cluster grouping work and it looks like the district and the principal and the staff are going to make an effort. It kinda cheered me up on this rainy day.
TraceyS
Yes - we do indeed have monitors on some buses - not all - usually involves route with a particular student that has an issue that needs more watchful eyes than the driver can provide - physical/behaviorial - not 100% sure what the criteria is, but they are out there.
Tracey, your query is why we need to revamp/look at Spectrum. It changes all the time and parents don't know what their children are getting.
http://emmanuelparello.teachforus.org/2012/06/14/institute-reality-vs-positive-messaging/
This is so interesting because here's a guy who wants to be honest but encouraging and helpful and they not only delete his posts but kick him off the site.
That should tell you something.
Are changes expected to Hamilton's math placement? If you are concerned about your incoming 6th grader, I can tell you Hamilton was pretty flexible this year. They placed kids entirely by test score, not by other program placement (Spectrum, APP) and they also listened to parent/teacher input.
I am wondering what happens to the non-APP kids who are taking APP-level math if the APP program moves away from Hamilton after next year. Selfishly I am hopeful this will get delayed by a year so at least MY kid will not be affected -- but what will happen? Will there be an 8th grade Geometry class for 10 kids? Will incoming 6th graders who test high still get advanced math?
The hearing was held today, and the Judge will make a final decision on 7/5 @ 2.30.
I felt pretty good about the judge's grasp of our position and the reasons for our suit. I think it would be fair to say that the judge was far more aggressive in challenging the District's attorney's arguments than he was in challenging our attorney's. That may or may not be significant, so at this point I will just say that we were effective in in making our arguments, and that I"m fairly optimistic.
We can go into nuts and bolts of the suit and what this means for Creative Approach Schools after the final judgment if anyone is interested in knowing about them.
I think that it would be a great idea to film the lies that the initiative signature takers are getting.
I have started to compile the bold face lies and they are amazing.
It would be great to have a video on You Tube that shows the people telling the lies and then in written language what the truth is.
Please contact me if you have a video camera or know someone who does who would do this with me.
I would love to go up to these folks straight faced and ask them questions and get their response and later edit it with the truth.
dora.taylor@gmail.com.
Sorry, but Hamilton is not being flexible at all. They're finally letting some kids into Algebra1, but the methods are terribly flawed and they're rigid as a rock. Yes, they're using MAP scores, but they are looking at a single test (not 3, as was originally announced), and they are NOT using ANY parent or teacher input (as was originally announced) to allow opt-in. The only thing a parent can do is opt out.
Teacher input is not being used at all. Yes, that means the adults with the best information about the kids (in most cases) are shut out of the process. This is not only stupid, but goes against the original plan, which was supposed to include teacher input. Ask your teacher.
Lisa also said: I am wondering what happens to the non-APP kids who are taking APP-level math if the APP program moves away from Hamilton after next year. Selfishly I am hopeful this will get delayed by a year so at least MY kid will not be affected -- but what will happen? Will there be an 8th grade Geometry class for 10 kids? Will incoming 6th graders who test high still get advanced math?
Your questions are good. APP or not, nothing is promised at all for any kids who accept Algebra 1 placement in 6th beyond that one class. They would very likely get Geometry as 7th graders, but beyond that?
The worst part of this is a MAP score of 250 has nothing to do with the actual material covered in 6HH (pre-Alg) or 6HHH (Alg1 for 6th graders). Kids who opt into this class will have missed a number of concepts that are introduced in 6HH. It doesn't mean that kids cannot be successful, but it does mean that either their parents or next year's teachers will have to fill in these gaps, because the 7HH kids will have already covered the material.
If you are a parent considering this placement, be sure to ask your school if (and how) they are going to address the lack of topical coverage for these kids! At any building, not just Hamilton.
Thank you for the update on the Creative Schools MOU Suit. It is encouraging that the Judge seemed interested. Thank you and others for effectively presenting our arguments.
It is great that you are encouraged. It was a very depressing school board meeting with the Board voting unanimously to support advertising in the schools; and, with the exception of Director Patu, voting to adopt the Student's Right's and Responsibilities without a section included on Prevention.
Having a pathway for qualified 6th graders to take Algebra I is good news, but using MAP as the only qualifier is a problem, and not having a guarantee of Algebra II in 8th grade is equally troubling.
How many of those students qualifying to take Algebra I in 6th grade are getting math outside of school (math club, tutoring, supplementation at home, parent tutoring at school, etc.)
curious
Thanks,
Katie
We are very carful about where we spend our money.
The owners of Top Foods (Hagen Family) encourage every crackpot "Tim Eyman" type initiative gatherers at their stores. EVERY year.
6 years ago, I got into it with a signature gatherer to repael the estate tax ("Education Legacy" funding) who was telling little old Shoreline ladies that their families "could lose your home" unless they signed. Long story, the manager called the cops who shooed me away.
So....this week I made 120+ flyers (this sites on one side and LWV (Women Voters) on the other) and this morning swung by Top Foods. Sure enough, there they were.
Anywho, I had a great hour or so. Few were signing. They took my picture and made phone calls and I slipped away planning to appear agin later.
Then I dropped @ 40 flyers on the periodical table at the public (for now) library.
Now I'm going to work on a line of thought about inventing "Charter library's" where only certain books would be allowed and the staff couldn't have a union.
Does anyone think those would be better?
Juices flowing now!
Central Market and Fred Myer never allow those activities.
Glad we shop there.
No way, Top Foods.
The judge is John Erlick; the case number is 12-2-08834-9 SEA; the jurisdiction is Washington State Superior Court for King County. Hearing was in the King County Courthouse on 3rd Ave.
I'm going to try to get hold of the audio of the plaintiff and defendant attorneys' arguments and the questioning by the judge. I was very impressed by Erlick, and, win or lose, I will be very interested to hear his reasoning when he makes his judgment.
I don't know the story on that. Maybe they didn't know about it. Maybe they didn't want to come.
They missed it. It was AMAZING. Each graduate was introduced by their teacher/adviser and they each had the opportunity to speak for themselves. They were funny, touching, and inspirational. Several credited the school for saving their lives or at least granting them much more promising futures.
I may go to next year's just to hear about the kids from their teachers and in their own words.
To the District people who probably should have been there and skipped it: you blew it.
Spells it out just the way we are experiencing it in WA State.
Jefferson is rolling over as I post.
n...
Words have many meanings
animal
Side-liner
I hope the old president gets her job back, and that the Rector who put this whole mess in motion resigns, or is asked to leave. One more attempt by those with power and privilege to "take over" by stealth institutions that they feel they have bought and now own.