Friday Open Thread
The Board will be spending all day considering who to make an offer to for the superintendent position (this was the reason the survey deadline was 9 pm last night). I have a call in to ask when the Board will be making an announcement - they are scheduled to discuss a contract offer at the Board meeting next Wednesday, April 4th. I don't know if that means an announcement on Monday or Tuesday. I have a call in to ask.
Parents here's an an alert - there's a vaping device that looks like a USB drive. From KIRO news:
Director Betty Patu at Raconteur, 5041 Wilson Ave S from 9:30-11-00
Director Eden Mack at Magnolia Public Library, 2801 34th Ave W from 1:00-3:00 pm
What's on your mind?
Parents here's an an alert - there's a vaping device that looks like a USB drive. From KIRO news:
Director Community Meetings
The Washington Poison Center is warning parents and teens about the new vaping device Juul, which could be easily mistaken for a USB drive.
It is small and easy to hide, but it's what is inside that has health officials so concerned.
The Juul device is marketed as a way to get adults off of cigarettes and so it offers a stronger nicotine content.
Students at Ballard High School say "Juuling" is popular. Olivia Budick says she doesn't have one but many of her friends do.
Wylie Soltes says he had a Juul. "You can pull it out, you can have it anywhere. To smoke a cigarette you have to hit the bus stop. You want a Juul you hit the bathroom, it's easy." His Juul was taken away at school.
Director Betty Patu at Raconteur, 5041 Wilson Ave S from 9:30-11-00
Director Eden Mack at Magnolia Public Library, 2801 34th Ave W from 1:00-3:00 pm
What's on your mind?
Comments
-Curious Parent
Ballard High became the first team in the Pacific NW to EVER win the World Championship last year in 2017, competing with over 400 teams and countries from around the world including China, Israel, Turkey, Canada and many others. It is a major accomplishment and was featured in multiple news outlets last year. https://www.geekwire.com/2017/seattle-high-school-robotics-team-brings-home-world-championship-beating-400-groups/
They are team 2928 and are fundraising to cover fees. For anyone interested, please consider donating at: https://www.ballardrobotics.org/donate.html
https://www.ballardrobotics.org/about.html
BHS parent
And Times reporter Mike Rosenberg's tweet this am:
Local TV news chain Sinclair literally hired someone from the Russian propaganda outlet RT to produce a story on "the Deep State." It ran on Seattle TVs during the KOMO 6 o'clock news. (Sinclair owns KOMO).
Again, Sinclair owns local TV stations in 40% of U.S. cities
asdf
nothing new
http://www.mlive.com/news/ann-arbor/index.ssf/2018/03/ann_arbor_schools_superintende_13.html
"Please, take her. Besides that....LOL! Hope there is no racial achievement gap in Seattle. Swift has totally failed in addressing that long standing failure within A2...she was too busy picking the low hanging fruit."
"Seattle deserves her!"
"Maybe if she leaves, we’ll get high school grad ceremonies BACK in A2."
not encouraging
http://www.annarbor.com/news/education/superintendent-candidate-jeanice-kerr-swift-presents-90-day-plan-to-board-in-final-interview/
Off to read more...
inquisitive parent
I can't speak for Spectrum or Garfield. IBx is still a viable and thriving program at Ingraham. All that has happened is that it is no long the default choice. Experience has taught us that not all students are ready to begin the IB diploma program as a sophomore. It takes a certain level of time management skills, intellectual and emotional maturity that not all sophomores have. The extra year makes a huge difference in not only how they perform in IB classes, but also how they view the whole IB experience. We can way more about student success than anything else and our counselors and IB coordinator can tell story after story of students melting down in their office because the demands of the program was too much for them as 10th graders. We want to do away with that.
For example, within living memory there was a time when (really, I am not making this up) the progressive left were the main critics of the deep state. They also ridiculed red scare hysteria and promoted detente with the Russians. Now forgotten are things like the Church Committee, Salvador Allende, J. Edgar Hoover (no, not the inventor of the vacuum cleaner), Dr. Strangelove. Back in those days, it was law-and-order, cold warrior right wingers who defended the FBI and CIA as defenders of our freedom, and were certain a Russian under ever rock was plotting to end our way of life.
Now strangely it's all flipped. Progressive leftists now praise the alphabet agencies as a bulwark against a sinister, omnipresent network of Russian agents trying to end our way of life, while right wingers advocate detente with Russia and complain about the deep state.
The flip-flop is much more interesting than what any of these people actually say. An ounce of actual history is worth a ton of blah blah.
I am planning to crowd-fund a new movie -- "Dr. Strangelike, or How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Like Fake News." Who's in?
Stoke Stoke Stoke Stoke
Call you senator tomorrow and ask them what they have done for YOU lately. Not much I bet.
KAG
-Croux
Thanks!
With AP, they can actually begin taking a couple of AP classes in 10th, combined with honors courses without committing to an entire IB program that demands much more organizational skills. AP also allows for more focus on activities and clubs (band, newspaper, robotics etc) outside the classroom than IB in which students can develop other skills. In addition, in contrast to IBX in which kids finish in 11th, they have access to four years of advanced coursework via AP classes.
Another perspective
My daughter is a senior at Ingraham and did the IB program in 10th/11th grade (i.e. IBX). Again, her classes were a mix of kids (I'm emphasizing this because there's this weird perception that somehow IBX kids are completely separate from the IB kids). For my daughter (and her friends), doing the IB program in 10th/11th grade was a great option. It also gave her a little breathing room her senior year when she was applying to colleges. I can't imagine doing the second year of IB and working on all the college applications at the same time (although lots of kids do this). For her senior year, my daughter has been taking a mix of classes at Ingraham as well as some advanced math and physics classes through Running Start which has worked out really well. I would note that a number of her friends who also finished IB junior year are taking a full slate of classes at Ingraham. My daughter just wanted the chance to spread her wings a bit.
Ingraham mom
Ingraham mom
One minor drawback to IB is that colleges tend to give a little more credit for AP classes than IB classes. They don't tend to give credit for the 1-year IB SL classes, while many give credit for 1-year AP classes, both assuming good scores.
I wish people could just be honest about this.
PP
I'm not saying more can't be done to minimize disruptions and divisions, but don't place all the blame on IB.
HF
Many HC kids at those schools DO find it easier to participate in AP classes in which you can take as many or few as you like without being in a program with requirements. IBX can be great, but it is not a default option for all HCC. Far from it.
Only 22% of the HC population is at Ingraham & we know many kids who switched schools later realizing it was not a good fit. It is true, kids were sent there originally for capacity reasons and it was not popular at the time, for those old timers who remember how hard it was to get them to change pathway from Garfield.
More than 3/4 of HCC are at neighborhood schools or Garfield. Taking IB early in 10th is not appropriate for many HC kids who have not yet developed the organizational skills. This is why so many are not doing IBX or IB early.
RHS mom
As we are also considering universities abroad, there are clear admissions requirements outlined for both: typically one needs either the full IB Diploma OR three AP courses, with exam score thresholds for each posted in advance.
(Personally, with our kids having attended French/Int'l schools their entire lives until this year, I don't see any advantage in doing the IB early.)
FNH
Over the last few years, students have chosen Roosevelt and Ballard in higher numbers (over Garfield and Ingraham). While IB offers a different approach and some students are ready for the challenge, it can be rigid, and the diploma requirements make it difficult for students wanting to remain in band/orchestra or some other non-IB elective for 4 years. I'd guess most HCC students choosing IHS in the last year or two are from the Ingraham, Hale, or soon to be Lincoln draw area.
another parent
I concur with another parent's summary. It also explains why out of the 28% of HCC students at Ingraham (districtwide HC at Ingraham is 22%) only 1/3 HCC at Ingraham (9%) a very small number, are now pursuing IBX.
Contrast that 9% number with the majority of HCC who are taking AP classes.
As the original plan was to alleviate overcrowding and most HC are taking regular IB or at AP schools, when Ingraham adds seats in 2019 (and if Lincoln gets going as an HCC pathway school) I suspect the HC population may no longer receive any priority enrollment.
I suspect all of north end students would have real choice option for Ingraham's IB program.
North End
HF
In recent years, they lured some of the HC students away from Garfield by trying to create an optional pathway (but capped numbers so the overall enrollment is only 22% of HC) due to overcrowding issues with the promise of IBX an accelerated version of IB.
Now a majority of HC students (2/3) who do choose Ingraham are choosing regular IB, which is strongly favored by the administration who has data that the IBX model is not a great fit for many HC kids who have not matured in organizational skills/executive functioning. The smaller HC population takes classes alongside the majority general population pursuing IB at Ingraham.
There are other issues as well that are leading to a decline in IBX and IB being more popular. Parents and the school have also learned IBX is not preferred over IB for college admittance. Colleges want to see two difficult years of coursework junior & senior year.
Many HC students in recent years have been choosing strong neighborhood schools that offer as many AP courses as Garfield, especially those who want flexibility for band/orchestra and a wider range of electives etc.
JK
JK