Friday Open Thread
Demographic Research Information Session
Enrollment Planning is pleased to host our second Demographic Research Information Session on Friday, January 29, from 12-1 pm, at the John Stanford Center in room 2700.
From KOMO via AP:
Enrollment Planning is pleased to host our second Demographic Research Information Session on Friday, January 29, from 12-1 pm, at the John Stanford Center in room 2700.
From KOMO via AP:
Study: Seattle ranks No. 1 in affordable, walkable neighborhoods with good schoolsFrom the Pacific Standard, maybe a different way to talk to kids (at home) about sex?
What If We Admitted to Children That Sex Is Primarily About Pleasure? One mother makes up for the gaps in sex education.
From City Arts, How organizations like Seattle Youth Symphony Orchestras are moving the needle on music education in Seattle schools, and what that means for our city’s future.
From Business Insider's Science Alert, The 17 equations that changed the course of history. Tell the kids at dinner tonight that there will be a pop quiz.
I know I have put this up before but if you missed it, here's SPS' Parent's Guide to Problem Solving within the district. There are phone numbers but sadly few e-mail addresses. Please note the new head of Legal is Noel Treat and his e-mail is nrtreat@seattleschools.org.
Friday funny via the Washington Post's Answer Sheet,
My kid uses a landline, not a cell phone. Here’s why.
Comments
Most unexpected quote on the topic: Shedrick Johnson, president of the Black Student Union says, “People made it seem like we should have catered to the minority. That’s not fair because others are the majority.”
Purple, White or Purple and White
Gowns to Come
Dr. Steve Becker will offer parents and family members practical information about what transition services are, the legal requirements, and what questions to ask in transition meetings. Also, he’ll describe 10 specific things that parents can do to help in the transition process. Steve brings to participants over 30 years of experience as a transition teacher and special education consultant. He is the author of the new book Practical Parenting of Adults with HFA and Social Challenges.
LifeSPAN is a community organization dedicated:
To support families in developing a safe, secure and quality future for their relatives with disabilities. Through planning, families envision futures where people with disabilities:
•Share their vision for the future (Dreams)
•Have financial security through will & estate plan (Wealth)
•Live in a place of their own choice (Home)
•Participate in a caring and hospitable community (Fellowship)
•Have their wishes supported by family and friends (Choice)
•Are protected from abuse and exploitation (Security)
•Are encouraged to participate (Contribution)
SPS SpEd staff will give provide updates on various issues.
In defense of Shedrick - what my child understood is that ASB made a decision based on the top-down, administration-forced down their throat "One Garfield" initiative, which has generally not been well received by the students. Garfield contains many, many different types of kids, so shouldn't they be celebrating that diversity instead of trying to cover it up by painting them all the same color?
In addition, according to my student, the non-binary kids were perfectly ok with the "choice" option in the beginning.
I believe that the ASB felt they had the moral high ground and no one else really had the ability to understand the situation.
From my standpoint, the process felt very condescending to the students who felt excluded and also completely negated the Black voice at Garfield, which has tradition on their side. Some of these families have generations of pictures with relatives in a white gown. A little ironic to be marching down to City Hall with the Black Student Union one month to protest their voices not being heard, and then completely ignoring their voices the next month.
Also ridiculous to call out that the girls felt white is more flattering and that is why they were fighting for it -- I never heard that in any of the conversations.
Very worried that the graduation is now going to be purple gowns=white kids, white gowns=black kids. Seriously?
-BULLDOG PARENT
Apparently, the test will take from 8am-1pm and then students will be released from school.
On the one hand, I think it is great that it is being offered for free so all students can fairly access the test, but can't help thinking is it worth missing a whole day of school?
And shouldn't there be equal access to the ACT?
And what about students who don't plan to take the SAT or took it already, do they get a day off from school?
Or is this a required test and you have to opt out?
The primary point is that the non-binary kids were fine with the choice option from the beginning.
What is wrong with giving everyone a choice?
Who has the right to take the choice away from everyone and say you will wear purple because we say you will wear purple?
Feels a little dictatorial to me and obviously also to many of the students.
-BULLDOG PARENT
Superintendent Larry Nyland is looking to recruit new members for the district's African American Male Scholars Advisory Committee to the Superintendent (AAMSAC) for the 2015-16 and 2016-17 school years.
The AAMSAC was formed to advise the superintendent on how the district can better and more effectively serve African American students achieve academic success and develop socio-emotionally.
The committee meets two times a month and includes parents, guardians, community members, teachers, staff, and City of Seattle representatives.
The nomination deadline for recruits is Friday, February 19 , 2016. Contact Director of School Family Partnerships and Equity and Race Relations, Bernardo Ruiz, to nominate a candidate.
#inclusionmatters
This infographic indicates that only 33% is affordable and suitable for families in Seattle.
http://www.governing.com/gov-data/other/family-housing-affordability-in-cities-report.html
Additionally, it assumes they can pay 30% of income for housing, and be willing to lve in less desirable areas.
Is it common to have girls on one side and boys on the other at graduation? That seems like it's the root of a lot of the problems.
Thank you!
-North-end Mom
ICK.
How is that even allowed?
The Seattle Public Schools and the Experimental Education Unit had an extremely productive meeting about funding for the EEU kindergarten on Thursday, January 28th. With the help of the Washington Governor’s Office of the Education Ombuds and OSPI we have reached a tentative agreement about a new structure for funding the EEU kindergarten program for the 2016-17 school year and beyond. SPS will be exploring, based upon the agreement currently in development, next steps for an appropriate enrollment process for enrolling students for the EEU kindergarten. We will continue to communicate updates in the days ahead.
--alum mom
totally agree.
ICK.
-BULLDOG PARENT
Given Mr Willis' questionable, nay, unethical decisions in the past, I can't see that it is doing those students any favors, but perhaps he is able to assist them anyway.
But, if they are revamping childcare space to be used by elementary students, where are the preschools going to be?
I'm not sure why this is all this complicated. I will also say that while I believe in student voices, adults need to make these decisions.
I see one job posting on-line for a preschool teacher, apparently for the SPP preschool at (new) Van Asselt Elem. I wonder what happened to the new teacher who started there in September? Hmm. How's that going......?
Confused
Seattle residents are paying more taxes due to increased property rates, and the state will be looking towards Seattle to pay for education.
There is at least one senior that wonders if they can stay in Seattle.
Re: locations of preschool classrooms
From the 1/22 Friday Memo (Seattle Preschool Program 2015-16 attachment to the Friday Memo):
Possible Phase II sites
Note: These sites are being vetted with facilities
Arbor Heights – green (school leadership engaged in early learning work)
Thornton Creek – green (school leadership engaged in early learning work)
Boren K-7 – green (should have available capacity due to Arbor Heights moving to new
location)
Roxhill – yellow (may not have capacity)
Schmitz Park - yellow (may have capacity challenges)
South Shore – yellow (tuition, 4 day per week schedule, preschool enrollment matriculation)
-North-end Mom
Schmitz Park is scheduled to move to Genesee Hill for Fall 2016 (same time the new Arbor Hts and Thornton Creek buildings open).
I kind of doubt there will be room for a preschool in the Genesee Hill building???
Did they ever say what will become of the Schmitz Park building or the Decatur building?
The capacity management BAR stated that they were planning to carve additional classrooms (4?) out of new BEX buildings that were due to open next fall (specific building names were not given).
-North-end Mom
2019-20
Arbor Heights 345
Thornton Creek 593
Schmitz Park 700
All are being built to 660 seats.
-North-end Mom
- apparent
There is plenty reason to believe that districts and special ed. students will be put at-risk.
It is also interesting to note that charter SCHOOLS have now become PROGRAMS.
-SWWS
The whole website is largely useless whereas before there was a lot of information. Is this true for the school websites or just Hale's website?
HP
hale parent
Mom of 4
-parent
On the Source, the teacher's names have email addresses, so you can get them for your kid's teachers. But if you want to contact the Registrar, or the nurse, or next year's teachers, etc., you need to call the office.
HF
Gave up
Gave Up, I agree from the parent's point of view. It's not just that it's a separate login, but most teachers never put anything on it, and the ones that did just had a two or three word description of some of the assignments. It's not enough for me to tell if my child did what she was supposed to do - so I'm trusting that my child got the assignment when she was in class, so why do I need schoology? Some of the teachers set up their own websites on their own domains, and I admire that effort. I wish schoology or the source could just redirect to the teacher's site when they do their own.