Saturday Open Thread

Wonder if the large earthquakes in California will prompt the Washington State Legislature to help schools shore up their buildings and be ready?


Thoughtful story from the Seattle Times about the Pike Place Market daycare's exchange between preschoolers and senior citizens.
The idea is that different generations can learn from each other and provide one another with companionship. Older adults often love the structure and sense of community, but can also help children practice focusing, being patient and accepting people who don’t look like them or speak the same language, said Kathleen Richardson, the executive director of Pike Place’s daycare.

“I see it as almost like a movement,” said Matthew Kaplan, a Pennsylvania State University professor who has studied intergenerational programs for more than 20 years. “There’s growing recognition that for the health of individuals … we really need to have strong intergenerational connections.”
Great article about getting a "digital detox" for your kids.  From the New York Times:
Gloria DeGaetano was a private coach working in Seattle to wean families off screens when she noticed the demand was higher than she could handle on her own. She launched the Parent Coaching Institute, a network of 500 coaches and a training program.

Nearby, Emily Cherkin was teaching middle school in Seattle when she noticed families around her panicked over screens and coming to her for advice. She took surveys of middle school students and teachers in the area. 

“I realized I really have a market here,” she said. “There’s a need.”

In this 21st-century version, a group of parents band together and make public promises to withhold smartphones from their children until eighth grade. From Austin, there is the Wait Until 8th pledge.  

“She just said things like, ‘Are you telling your kids, ‘No screens at the table — but your phone is on your lap?’” Ms. Wasserstrom said. 
I'll have an expanded thread on the candidates for Director Betty Patu's seat on the Board - there are some very good people in there.  It will be interesting to see what weight the Board will give to certain aspects of each person's background.   Will leadership skills count more than knowing that region and being active there?  Will knowledge of the district be higher on the list (as I think it should) than a background in education?

I'll close by saying that it is helpful to learn about candidates via what is (and is not) out there on the internet.  I will be asking if I can see any other documentation that was submitted (and hopefully not have to wait for public disclosure as that could take months).

Comments

Joe Wolf said…
The BEX V project at Lincoln should be the final work to bring all actively used "vintage"school buildings up to seismic code.

Both KUOW and the Seattle Times have reported in the past about school health and safety issues, without calling out that SPS specifically was/is addressing them. I don't know if that was sloppy or dishonest journalism.
Anonymous said…
@Joe Wolf ? You were employed by SPS? and you're claiming that Salmon bay's building is 100% up to seismic building codes?

Try again
Try Again, there are seismic codes for all ages of buildings. Salmon Bay has not been renovated; if it was, it would have to be up to code for new buildings. They brought it up to code for the building that it is.

Is that right? I don't think so but it's legal.
MS Mom said…
Great article in the Times today:
https://www.seattletimes.com/education-lab/for-some-washington-students-with-special-needs-diagnosis-comes-too-late/

Great that Hamlin Robinson is here in Seattle, but their 2019-20 Tuition is:
Lower School (grades 1 - 5): $23,450
Middle School (grades 6 - 8): $25,650

Only 22% of their students were receiving any financial aid last year.

The UW charges $3200-$3900 to diagnose.
https://depts.washington.edu/bdelab/resources/

Do we really believe that only rich children have dyslexia? What happens to middle class and lower income children in Seattle with dyslexia? Do the schools even notice? I know students who didn't get their SLD diagnosed until high school or college. Why did they have to struggle for so long? Why?

Am I imagining it, or is the Times doing a better job with their education reporting?
old salt said…
More than one dept at UW does Psych Ed evaluations. The one in the Ed dept is free, but you have to apply & be accepted. The applications are in fall & the testing is in winter qtr. so even if you are accepted it takes most of a school year to get the results.
As I have frequently said, one issue it seems for many readers is skimming and not reading for content. You certainly don't have to read every post but if you read the ones directly about this blog, you will see I said that it WOULD continue covering the Board races but not the district.

None of this post is anything I'm saying about the district but rather, larger issues. As I said I would.
Anonymous said…
Wait, you are saying that as an admitted school board election meddler/fixer you are not going to report on the district? You are just reporting on the people running for the board? Do you not see the irony in what your are doing.

Ya Right
Anonymous said…
Ya Right and Delete Me,

Start your own blog. Melissa can report or not report on whatever she damn well pleases. I really don't understand this continued sniping at Melissa. No where else in this town do parents have a place to go that listens to them. No where. I for one, wish Melissa would keep reporting on the district but I get that her interests have changed over time. And quit with money, job issue. It is a non issue for everyone else.

HP
Ya Right, elections are not "how the district runs/is doing." You can disagree.

I don't "meddle/fix elections." I offer insights based on research and knowledge. I explained my filing - I did not know of anyone running and I didn't want to leave open. As well, when there was just one person, I didn't want anyone to just walk into office. When I saw the third person, I dropped out as there were now two people running. I didn't know the third person would drop out. I had no control over the entire process as I didn't know who was running.

You've made your point. Several times so just stop.
Anonymous said…
Evidently getting this blog off the Seattle schools beat would make it easier for some district employee to ignore parents. Sadly for my sped kid that is probably true. We would have never made it this far into my kid's education in SPS without the information on this blog helping us advocate for services. (Thanks Melissa)

You are not fooling anyone yaright deleteme. Sorry if this makes your job too hard having to be accountable to parents & the community. Public schools = public accountability.

Also, yaright deleteme, cut out the ageism.

-sped parent
Anonymous said…
@Ya Right, you seem strangely bothered that Melissa registered to run so that the person in her district did. It run unopposed, but then withdrew when there was a third candidate. Why? The old “If nobody else will do it I’m willing” sentiment is natural, and perfectly reasonable. That the third person decided to back out (reportedly).because they did not want to run against Melissa is not Melissa’s fault. Nobody is obligated to run or not run, or stay in the race for any particular length of time.

It is also certainly not “meddling” to make whatever decision(s) re: running. By you logic, those who ARE running are meddling, just as those who aren’t running are meddling. Those who announced early—and thus may have influenced other potential candidates—also meddled, as did those who held off until the last minute to not show their hand. Incumbents who decided not to run again meddled by ensuring spots for newcomers, and incumbents who did decided to run again meddled by using incumbent status take a likely lead. I meddled, too, because I thought about running but didn’t, denying voters the opportunity to hear about how awesome I am. You are probably in the same boat—unless, of course, you were the one who dropped out at the thought of going up against Melissa, and that’s why you’re so hung up on this? If that’s the case, you still meddled. Politics is inherently about meddling, AKA influencing elections. Whether one runs, doesn’t run, drops out, endorses, puts up signs, donates, votes, doesn’t vote, etc—it all had the potential to influence election results. (We’re not talking about foreign governments, bots, and such here—those are a whole other type of meddling.)

Meddlesome
MS Mom, I missed your comment. The cynical side of says this: a former Seattle Times ed reporter named Brian Rosenthal, left the Times and went to the Houston Chronicle. There he wrote a multi-part blockbuster on....how the state of Texas was underfunded Sped. It caused the Legislature to force changes. (He since moved onto the New York Times where he wrote a series on taxi drivers who are killing themselves over debt and Uber/Lyft. My predication is someday Brian is going to win a Pulitzer Prize.)


I don't know but I hope that if the Times does expose this, that the Legislature and the district truly act.

Just to note, aging is not fun. It's weird and humbling. But I do know I am a lot smarter now than ever before in my life. That's called experience.
Anonymous said…
Westbrook is no supported of SPED.

Trust me
So hard to let go said…
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Trust Me, you know nothing. I'm amazed at people who "think" they know something. One son was Sped and I'm not a supporter?

Move on.
Joe Wolf said…
In response to "try again": Yes, Salmon Bay and every SPS building used for PK-12 has undergone seismic retrofit. For old masonry buildings the main work is "tying" the exterior walls and roof together, and reinforcing select interior walls to provide a path of travel to the outside.

To Melissa: What's up with the bitter, uninformed troll(s) who are hijacking these comment threads? Pretty tiresome.
Anonymous said…
Joe, it's Tracy Castro-Gill for the most part. I don't know if she was around when you were. She's a stalker and online harasser, in addition to working at the district on race and equity. I wish someone could hold her more accountable for her online actions.

Admin
Anonymous said…
Really Trustme?

Trust you to tell me when my kid’s diagnosis was sold in bankruptcy proceedings with connect edu? Or when the sped placement procedures changed? Whoever you are, I did not hear from you about those things. Or trust you to make sure that I never get that kind of information, by disrupting this platform for parents, staff & community members to share information about SPS.


No, I don’t trust you, trustme.

I saw the seismic retrofitting at my kid's school. Nice job. Hope we're there, instead of home during the 'big one'.

-sped parent

Joe, it's just some people who have nothing better to do (which is a sad commentary on their lives). You can go read the post on Tracy Castro-Gill; it explains a lot.

Moving on.
Anonymous said…
Joe, my brother in law is a structural engineer from Chile. He specializes in seismic damage assessments. He and I did a tour of Salmon Bay school last fall. He pointed out all the failure points and even found existing damage from a 1960s earth quake. He was shocked that parents would send children into the building. We chose to attend Hamilton. He said in Chile the Salmon Bay building would be demolished.

Kat
UNEA Update said…
"UNEA UPDATES; No progress with SPS and our plea for an appeal to the June 5th TERMINATION of our Partnership Agreement. Washington State House of Representative Sharon Tomiko Santos did receive an email from Juneau's secretary for a meeting on July 31st. 2 Parents and myself have filed legal paperwork citing SPS failed DUE PROCESS in terminating our partnership agreement. This is a long shot but a legal record of our disparaged treatment by SPS. UNEA has a board meeting this Tuesday at 6:30pm (Ville Verde) and a Strategic Planning Meeting on Sunday July 21st 12noon (location to be determined). Clear Sky/NWA remains HOMELESS and our efforts to find program space has been unsuccessful."

The board must withhold their vote on the budget until UNEA is permitted back into SPS- free of charge.
Anonymous said…
@ MW, Are you claiming that you had a child attending SPS who had an IEP?


Trust me
Trust me, I do not owe any explanations. I support Sped families and always have.

Your constant queries about me are getting old. Either offer something to the discussion or just don't comment.
Alsept Teresa said…
@Teust me. You really must be a very sad pathetic person without a real life.

Thanks Melissa for the post.

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