It's the Opening Week of the 2024-2025 School Year in Seattle Schools

Update

Today's Seattle Times has a story on what safety measures will be in place for the opening of school. I find it all squishy and unclear and, of course, how long can they maintain all these extra positions?

"Parents and students will notice extra signs warning that schools are firearm-free zones..." Oh yeah, that'll make a big difference. Why not welcome back signs that also say "we have your back and we care about you." 

"Similarly, there were also lots of questions about an ID requirement and clear backpacks. Who would authenticate the IDs? What happens if they got lost? What role would teachers play?

The district did not have answers for those questions and decided not to pursue the ID requirement systemwide."

Many other districts do this - it's not rocket science. Plus, does systemwide mean all high schools or all schools? They could have it just in high schools.

 

Also, checking the district website, I see two new Board "Special Meetings." One is on the 11th at 4:30 pm and the other on the 14th at 10 am. No agenda yet available. I find it curious that they keep doing these mysterious meetings updates. They have an obligation to post 24 hours before but why weeks before with no explanation. Plus, a meeting at 10 am? Hmmm

 

end of update

Let us know your thoughts/issues/worries for this school year specific to your child. Have you been kept up-to-date about what is happening at your child's school by that school's administration? What unanswered questions do you have? 

 

There are some good things to start the year.

Amazon has started a program - Amazon Future Engineer Teacher Ambassador Program - and two SPS teachers have been chosen as part of this year's group. They are Jennifer Sawade, an art, tech and career teacher at Boren K-8 and Sarah Gerhardt at Arbor Heights Elementary where she has been a K, 2nd and 4th grade teacher. 

Currently, there are five ambassadors in our region, two from SPS, two from Bellevue SD and one from Bellingham SD. 

The fellowship is meant to inspire their students and colleagues to build computer science skills and increase access to STEM education  

During this two-year paid fellowship, they will play a vital role in bringing computer science education and career exploration to students across the Seattle area. 

One of their first major projects will be to conduct a local listening tour, engaging with students, parents, educators, and community leaders to understand the barriers and challenges they face in STEM and computer science education. This understanding will help shape the future of computer science curricula. They will also pilot innovative instructional strategies for teaching computer science in the classroom and receive professional development training opportunities.  

 

Also, there was notice in the Shout Outs about SPS paraeducators who have completed a certificate program for their work  - 150 of them did it. That's great news. 

There is also mention of the new Seattle School Board members who are:

Seniors Colin Bragg and Safiya Ilyas and junior Sabi Yoon will join the Seattle School Board as student board members for the 2024-25 school year. This will be a first term for all three student leaders.  

They are from Lincoln High, Franklin High, and 

Their areas of interest:

Colin -  “I care most about easily accessible information, the ins and outs of the district, problems affecting students in the IEP program, and CTE programs and post high school plans that are not traditional.” 

Safiya - "Among the many multidimensional issues our district is facing, gun violence has been the most alarming for me and surely many others. Another issue that has been prevalent post-quarantine is the lack of motivation when it comes to schoolwork. I was in 9th grade when schools opened again, and it was an adjustment to say the least. It worries me because a lot of students, not just high schoolers, don’t see a light at the end of the tunnel and are at a loss for goals/ambitions. Implementing career workshops and accommodating mental health could potentially help students regain ambition and motivation to work hard in school."

Sabi 

• Safety and security of all students within our school district. 
• Improving the quality and nutritional value of school lunches. 
• Securing adequate funding for vital school programs. 
• Fostering a more inclusive environment that accurately represents and respects the cultural backgrounds of our diverse student body. 

 

I was reading the Seattle Medium and came across this story about a 9th Grade Success Initiative which is in WA state via OSPI as well as being in other states. The Medium story was about five charter schools in WA state that are joining the program which seeks to support 9th graders to get on a solid footing in their first high school year.  

The schools will join 57 public high schools participating in the program, jointly operated by the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Schools and the Center for High School Success.

From OSPI:

What’s the Ninth Grade Success Program?

• Grant program supports 40 school teams with funds for staff time to participate in team meetings every two weeks
• Stand for Children coaching on asset-based protocols for data-informed decision making to offer timely supports
• Quarterly collaborative meetings for school teams to share best practices & set goals
• Site visits to demonstration site schools

What’s the impact so far?

Excerpts from our evaluation team:
• Relative to a comparison group of neighboring high schools not involved in the Ninth
Grade Success Program, researchers found that the Ninth Grade Success Program increased on-track rates by between 4 and 7 percentage points.
• Effects are equally large for students who are classified as low-income, multi-language learners, and students with disabilities. Program impacts are also consistent across racial & ethnic groups, particularly Hispanic & Latinx students.
• Based on these findings, a high school with average ninth grade on track rates of 76% that implements Ninth Grade Success Program would be expected to increase their on- track rate by at least four percentage points, up to 80%, within a three-year period.
• Compared to other educational interventions, these impacts are large and educationally meaningful.

The Seattle Medium article also states this:

The initiative is also looking to build on their relationship with Seattle Public Schools as West Seattle High will join the program in the 2024-25 school year.

I'm not sure this program yet has a relationship with SPS; I can't find anything about it on the SPS website. Anybody else heard of it at an SPS high school?

Also I would be wary of any initiative that is supported by Stand for Children. It's not a good group.