This and That

An HVAC/power problem is forcing an early closure of Adams Elementary School.  Via Twitter:

Families should plan to pick up their student(s) as soon as possible. All afterschool activities for tonight are canceled.

Seattle City Light is working to restore power. They expect that the issue will be resolved this evening.

The district is looking for input on SPS School Year Calendar and Guidance for Religious Accommodations.

Complete the School Year Calendar Feedback form

Seattle Public Schools and our union partners including the educators’ union, Seattle Education Association (SEA), have worked together to develop the calendar and guidance. The dates are agreed upon and then voted on by the Seattle School Board. 

The feedback collected will be used to inform future school year calendar dates. This community engagement will help inform future negotiations for calendar dates.

The feedback form asks which school year dates students, families, staff, and SPS community are most interested in changing. The form also asks for community suggestions for religious accommodation guidance. Please provide your input before Friday, Jan. 13, 2023. 

View the draft 2023-24 School Year Dates.

Read the draft 2023-24 Guidance Regarding Religion and Religious Accommodations. 

Seattle Skills Center to share $1.3M maritime grant

In partnership with Urban League of Metropolitan Seattle, Seattle Skills Center and Sound Experience have been co-awarded a $1.3 million grant to partner with maritime industry employers. The grant will provide training and services to students and place youth in internships that lead to full-time employment in entry-level maritime goals.  

Maritime industry partners project a major workforce shortage over the coming years for maritime deck and engine crewmembers.  

“You can see the need for a new generation of maritime workers everywhere — from the ferry system to the crowded docks of our waterfront,” said Port of Seattle Commissioner Hamdi Mohamed. “We need young people to see it too and get involved.”  

The Skills Center is working to connect students to maritime opportunities. Many of these jobs require less than two years of post-secondary education, and training can begin while students are still in high school.   

To learn more about this exciting program or to sign up, email skillscenterinfo@seattleschools.org.  

The School Board has scheduled not one but two Work Sessions next week to monitor their "progress training" and "evaluation training."  I'll assume this is around SOFG (Student Outcome Focused Governance) but that wasn't stated on the agenda. 

Comments

Anonymous said…
I was impressed that they are reaching out to families for input re calendar and religious accommodations.

Even if input is not incorporated, reaching out is a good first step.

BLUE SKY
1/3/23, 2:51 PM
Anonymous said…
Blue Sky

When all the affluent families leave the district, has the Board achieved “equity?”

What a strange award.

SPHERE
1/4/23, 8:51 PM
Anonymous said…
The CUBE Award sounds impressive, but what is really going on is it's an "engineered" award from the NSBA to give cover to members of the Council of Great City Schools and pro-SOFG boards, and a lot of people involved in SOFG, CGCS and the NSBA are located in Kansas for some reason.

Seattle local media has no depth in this area, so they just parrot the press releases without understanding that it's all a coordinated PR push to support the spread of SOFG. Kind of a yawn-and-move-on award.

If you read up on it all, the award rings especially hollow since, given our mediocrity, the competition must have been truly underwhelming for us to win in the criteria areas.

-SOFG
1/5/23, 10:47 AM
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