Tuesday Open Thread

 From the Central District News, a trailer was released for a film, One Square Mile, that was shot throughout Seattle including Garfield High School.   Many recognizable sights and yay! Garfield.

 I learned that there is a subtropical storm brewing over the Central Atlantic about 600 miles off Bermuda. 

Melissa is showing signs of developing a tighter core of convection (thunderstorms) close to its center, signaling that it may be trying to become a fully tropical storm. However, an approaching cold front over the western Atlantic should catch up to Melissa by Thursday, heralding its inevitable transition to a post-tropical low.

Melissa is no direct threat to land, but its large wind field is generating large swells that will affect Bermuda, Hispaniola, Puerto Rico, parts of the Bahamas and the northern Lesser Antilles over the next few days.

So really, a lot of hot air.  Hmmm.

What's on your mind?

Comments

Anonymous said…
Curious, but not wanting to stir up hornet's nest: is Mann building unoccupied and if so, was police needed?

curious
Wondering said…
With Common Core on the horizon, has Seattle Public Schools made any attempts to protect student data and privacy?


Blanford is on record and supports sharing of student data.
Lynn said…
Still occupied last I heard.
ArchStanton said…
So really, a lot of hot air. Hmmm.

Way to get out in front of the story. ;)
Curious, it is still occupied (that is the word from neighbors).

Wondering, I have yet to write up that situation especially in light of some (to me) disturbing comments made at a recent Operations Ctm. meeting on the subject. I would say the answer is that the protections are weak.

Anonymous said…
To recap my understanding of the full district enrollment situation as it now stands:

No grandfathering of siblings.

(I believe I heard this from enrollment) District will attempt to put siblings together 'somewhere' if that is family's top worry, but that placement may not be the current or next year's school.

Students, even if in the last year of a school building (this year's 4th, 7th grades) will move to assigned building next year.

If any of this is wrong, please correct me. If it is all correct, a lot of families will have unwelcome surprises during spring enrollment.

DistrictWatcher

mirmac1 said…
No Wondering,

And DoTS has misrepresented to the board that "we have NOT released any data yet!" As is clear here that is not true!
District Watcher, I believe that is right but again, it would all need to be charted to be sure.

Your last line is my biggest worry for the entire plan. A lot of surprises for parents.
Great find, Mirmac1. I, too, have sat through meetings where we were told this was not true. Please send this to the Board or better yet, give it to them personally.
Anonymous said…
To tag onto DistrictWatcher...I doubt many have thought this far ahead, but staffing next fall looks to be very problematic for the first 2-3 months at many schools.

It will be harder than normal for schools to predict final headcounts. Some will end up way over the historical. Some will end up under. State 'snapshot' date for per-pupil funding does not happen until early October.

Therefore there will be a greater-than-normal rush of hiring up through the holidays, and possibly more loss of staff than normal at some schools.

The end result: A vast number of substitute teachers, staff changing schools, and rejiggered classrooms throughout Seattle all fall.

EdVoter
Anonymous said…
Dee Dee Rainbow, art teacher at Meany Middle School during the 1960's-90's, passed away last week. She was a wonderful teacher and made a great impact on many of her students.

http://seattletimes.com/html/localnews/2022275603_rainbowobitxml.html

-Diane
mirmac1 said…
Here are various day cares, clubs, health clinics and mentor associations that have also obtained access to student records on the Source. It is hard to tell whether they provided all the necessary paperwork. I suspect not. It is clear that not all signatures were obtained, and that CBOs have been encouraged to ask for access to records. Otherwise why the sudden interest. It appears the Y at Hamilton has even greater access to disability status, discipline records etc. Finally, who on the district's side is watching to ensure the benefit of releasing this information outweighs the risk. And who is auditing to ensure the CBOs aren't handing out passwords and failing to destroy records, and that last year's orgs can't still access student accounts.
mirmac1 said…
EdVoter, that is a HUGE issue for special education students and classrooms. For one thing, many students with disabilities suffer from anxiety and need routine - a round robin of substitutes is terrible. Besides to what degree will a sub bother to get to know a student's special needs.

Furthermore, most certificated special educators accept contracts with other districts while SPS dilly dallies. What a travesty.
Catherine said…
1:24PM Tuesday: KIRO 7 Eyewitness News
Seattle police have arrested 3 men for criminal trespassing at the Horace Mann building in Seattle's Central District. We have a crew on the way and will have a full report for you at 5 p.m. on KIRO 7.
Anonymous said…
KIRO has their chopper overhead - quite a few police on scene it appears

watcher
Anonymous said…
Here's SPD's blotter on arrests

Police arrest 3 at Horace Mann School

watcher
ArchStanton said…
This comment has been removed by the author.
ArchStanton said…
trying again 'cuz html got mucked up
From KIRO 7 @ 1:22pm
Seattle police have arrested three men on trespassing charges at the vacated Horace Mann Elementary School in the Central District.

Though the historic school has been vacated, a controversial community group who had been using the school refused to leave.


At the request of the Seattle Public Schools, Seattle police entered the building Tuesday and arrested three men.

Police said school district officials requested help from police after several groups began using the vacant school without authorization from the district, delaying planned renovations of Horace Mann and costing the school district tens of thousands of dollars in construction penalties.

School district officials began negotiations with the group in an attempt to come to a peaceful resolution, while also working with Seattle police and the City Attorney’s office.

Police said while the school district was able to negotiate with the majority of the group’s members, a small contingent remained inside the Horace Mann building and refused to leave. Police said members of the smaller group claimed to be in possession of explosives, and warned that anyone who approached the building could come under fire from a rooftop sniper.

After working with school district officials and monitoring the situation at Horace Mann for weeks, Seattle police learned that only a few members of the group would be inside the building Tuesday.

As this smaller group presented a lower risk for an arrest team, police requested that nearby Garfield High School shelter in place, and stationed additional uniformed officers on the school’s campus shortly after 12:30 p.m.

An SPD tactical team then entered the Horace Mann building, where officers arrested three people on criminal trespassing charges without incident.

As of 1:15 p.m., police were still searching the building for other trespassers.

Police will continue to work with the school district to secure the school site.


/interesting they did it in the daytime and had Garfield shelter in place
Arch, I would have tried a weekend during the day but I think (1) night is much more problematic and (2) weekends might have found more people in the building.
ArchStanton said…
Sure. I didn't have any issue with it. If they really believed there was going to be a shootout, I expect it would have happened differently. I figured the account of a person on the roof with an itchy trigger finger was due to someone on the outside trying to stir up trouble. I didn't think there was an armed militia in there, but they had to allow that there might be one nut with a gun.
Anonymous said…
I saw this in the Meter Music School e-newsletter:

Washington Middle School Fundraiser
WMS is selling boxes of oranges to benefit their fantastic music program. Deadline is November 21. Contact us or see details in our hallway about getting your order in.

Meter Music School

Ann D.
Anonymous said…
Message from the Superintendent:
"Misa Garmoe has been appointed Director of School Operations for pre-K through 12th grade."
http://www.seattleschools.org/modules/cms/pages.phtml?pageid=305869&sessionid=d3f15366a91afdfc65e09be23d2a015e

HIMS mom
mirmac1 said…
okay, how does an HR functionary know anything about "School Operations"?! She has been part and parcel of the whole HR mess including TFA, staff witchhunts, and resistance to "transformation". Another Banda appointment that I seriously question!
Anonymous said…
I cannot believe Garmoe has been promoted. Geesh, what next? Don't they want to reform a broken system? Then why do they keep promoting the people who have performed as cogs in the wheels all this time? Has anyone seen a single reform effort from this person? Any time I have had to interact with her or around her, she has been fully checked out and apathetic.

Discouraged about Banda's promotion track record
Anonymous said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

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