tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post5486299339146865847..comments2024-03-28T02:21:17.452-07:00Comments on Seattle Schools Community Forum: Odds and EndsMelissa Westbrookhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17179994245880629080noreply@blogger.comBlogger77125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-29417415211645584702010-01-15T22:40:46.090-08:002010-01-15T22:40:46.090-08:00Dr. Enfield visits Olympic View Elementary PTA on ...<i>Dr. Enfield visits Olympic View Elementary PTA on Thursday, the 14th at 6:30 p.m. if you've been wanting to hear her speak or ask a question. </i><br /><br />Can someone report on this meeting? Was there an agenda?Maureenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18444916440000921599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-45061388111956935142010-01-15T17:01:26.364-08:002010-01-15T17:01:26.364-08:00How much attention will STEM get from Susan Derse ...How much attention will STEM get from Susan Derse now that she is the interim principal of Interagency Academy?Charlie Mashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17173903762962067277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-14261203030559767102010-01-15T16:35:31.264-08:002010-01-15T16:35:31.264-08:00agibean wrote:
"Charlie,
Why do you not lik...agibean wrote:<br /><br />"<i>Charlie,<br /><br />Why do you not like the idea of home visits? Honestly, if there are students performing below average at RB (or anyplace else), chances are some insight to their home life might help improve things? I would think home visits might be very helpful!</i>"<br /><br />First, I have nothing against home visits. It's just that home visits were part of the Flight School grant and should not have been paid for from Southeast Initiative money. The home visits, whatever their virtue, does not advance the purpose of the Southeast Initiative and therefore should not be funded by it.Charlie Mashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17173903762962067277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-33037973117270312442010-01-15T07:52:57.662-08:002010-01-15T07:52:57.662-08:00Colleges often routinely have new class offerings ...Colleges often routinely have new class offerings up every semester to add variety to curriculum to attract new students.High school like RBHS can also do so, if teachers were given time away from the drudge of policing problem children and/or babysitting kids who need more help than one teacher with a class of 30-40 students can provide. Counselors could, but two cannot fulfill that need. They are too busy straightening out and/or planning schedules.mkdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15065905657041433082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-37279412750157416552010-01-14T19:08:11.516-08:002010-01-14T19:08:11.516-08:00I should add that anyone in the Madrona neighborho...I should add that anyone in the Madrona neighborhood interested in being involved, particularly folks with preschoolers, should contact me at maggiehooks@hotmail.comMaggie Hookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01871351103329017398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-10736761961593990692010-01-14T19:00:54.316-08:002010-01-14T19:00:54.316-08:00Re: Madrona principal selection -- I'm the mom...Re: Madrona principal selection -- I'm the mom of a pre-kindergartener and have been organizing in the neighborhood for a few months. Our group has been in contact with Susan Enfield over that time. She previously offered us a community meeting but has put it off (I'm assuming because of this). I've now asked for neighborhood families to also have an opportunity to speak with Ruth Medsker during the principal selection process and I feel pretty confident we will be included. For the record, I should say I wasn't advocating for KA to move on, but this will be a positive turn of events for some families who viewed her as a deal breaker.Maggie Hookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01871351103329017398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-362085759373479412010-01-14T17:54:45.391-08:002010-01-14T17:54:45.391-08:00Starting a Montessori school from scratch is no ea...Starting a Montessori school from scratch is no easy task either. There is not an overabundance of teachers certified to teach Montessori AND to teach in Washington state above the pre-school level. There's not even many schools that offer the Montessori training/certification for elementary level. Then there's the cost of Montessori materials to consider.We always had a difficult time finding teachers at Graham Hill. Once we got one, we did all we could to keep them.SolvayGirlhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12709893209963350066noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-78370396267067351672010-01-14T16:39:25.889-08:002010-01-14T16:39:25.889-08:00Wow. That is big for Madrona. Replacing Ms. Andr...Wow. That is big for Madrona. Replacing Ms. Andrews is the most effective thing I can think of to get neighborhood families interested in this school. Interagency is a good match for her strengths with at-risk kids.<br /><br />I think that leaves Gazert as the only underperforming school in Central/Washington with no recent intervention. Gazert, with the elementary BOC, would be an ideal location for a language immersion program.TechyMomhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04650916001250022778noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-86063488306110332542010-01-14T16:26:29.724-08:002010-01-14T16:26:29.724-08:00I wonder if it would be possible for Madrona neigh...I wonder if it would be possible for Madrona neighborhood people with preschoolers to be involved in defining what they want in a principal--after all, they are the future of the school community.Maureenhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18444916440000921599noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-87260384588874483612010-01-14T14:51:49.544-08:002010-01-14T14:51:49.544-08:00That letter from Dr. Goodloe-Johnson is the friend...That letter from Dr. Goodloe-Johnson is the friendliest I've ever heard her. And, according to the letter, parents will be able to be part of the principal selection process. Good idea.Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12588239576000641336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-21704536495111147622010-01-14T14:20:11.047-08:002010-01-14T14:20:11.047-08:00Wow. That's big news for Madrona.
It sounds a...Wow. That's big news for Madrona.<br /><br />It sounds as though the District may have listened to the discontent over last year's principal hiring that did not have community input. This is from the pdf of the Madrona announcement:<br /><br />We will ensure<br />time for a smooth transition of leadership from Ms. Andrews to your new principal.<br />As a first step, Ruth Medsker, your instructional director, will arrange to meet with you<br />to gather information about the qualities and characteristics that you desire in a leader<br />for your school. We will let you know about the timeline and other steps in the process<br />as soon as that is determined.Central Momhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05411595538958030193noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-68831405807768974602010-01-14T14:06:00.105-08:002010-01-14T14:06:00.105-08:00gavroche said "Especially when it's an ut...gavroche said "Especially when it's an utterly reasonable request like an international school."<br /><br />this is an honest question here, but is it really utterly reasonable to expect an international school to open in just 6-8 months and be fully functional and successful in the long term? Are there enough teachers available who are native speakers of another language or at least fully fluent? Is there a critical mass of QA/magnolia neighborhood children who are bilingual and can serve as peer support in the classroom? There's a very concerning post on Harium's blog about making JSIS a neighborhood school and having it essentially lose some of these bilingual children in the future because they live outside the new boundaries. <br /><br />I really don't know the answer, but it seems to me that starting an international school would require much much more effort than starting a Montessori or traditional program. Sure, maybe the neighborhood asked for it, but that doesn't make it feasible.Lorihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/07777580098975083499noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-85220031259591232692010-01-14T13:17:20.072-08:002010-01-14T13:17:20.072-08:00After consulting with many people and getting some...After consulting with many people and getting some very good advice, especially from Chris S., as well as from Dora T., Sue P., and others, I have decided to go through with preparing a Voters' Pledge for the BTA III Levy. The pledge will be disseminated online, if not also via personal solicitations door-to-door and in public venues. The pledge encourages the District to create a BTA III oversight Committee "with teeth." <br /><br />By signing the pledge, the voter is saying two things 1. I will vote in favor of the BTA III levy proposal if the Board will agree to the provisions of this petition. 2. I feel that the levy has more chance of passing if the District will agree to the provisions of this petition.<br /><br />The provisions describe the charge, membership, and powers of the Committee, and ask the Board to declare itself legally bound to abide by the provisions of the petition. <br /><br />I am very interested in feedback (positive or negative) on the final draft of the petition. If someone can give me a very good reason to NOT go through with this, I sure want to hear it! The provisions are set up so that Dora Taylor's concerns are addressed nicely.Joan NEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02810050976533673804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-83605403407217029252010-01-14T12:47:40.615-08:002010-01-14T12:47:40.615-08:00a new addition to the list of principal changes --...a new addition to the list of principal changes -- Kaaren Andrews is moving from Madrona to Interagency Academy: http://madronapantherpartners.org/Downloads/2010013_Principal_Change_Madrona.doc.pdfMaggie Hookshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/01871351103329017398noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-49082992376362495972010-01-14T12:07:16.429-08:002010-01-14T12:07:16.429-08:00Sprucing the high school up and adding more admin ...Sprucing the high school up and adding more admin to make RBHS more palatable to prospective neighborhood students will not change public perception.mkdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15065905657041433082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-32177659926119988092010-01-14T11:59:18.675-08:002010-01-14T11:59:18.675-08:00Glad I was missed . . .
AGBEAM, I missed you too....Glad I was missed . . . <br />AGBEAM, I missed you too.<br />Staying in Seattle was the better choice for my boys. Moreover, the pressure from family and friends down there as well as up here made us reconsider what seemed like a rash and unwise decision the closer January came. We, my kids and I, decided it is better to finish the school year. Come summer, we are moving out-of-state to a place where life is a bit cheaper, going back to small town life. One other perk about North Carolina, they have some of the most cutting edge research being conducted regarding MS and JVA. We can also get a place and bring home our big "puppy" farmed out when we moved. <br /><br />As for RBHS, it is evident that RBHS has improved this year. In fact, if you discounted the "rowdy" element, I believe test scores would rapidly improve as well. It is hard to learn when half of the room is talking, taunting or texting. as well as those misbehaving simply for the sake of bothering the class. Most teachers have abandoned text books altogether and copy lessons from a variety of sources. My kids often meet with teachers on their own time to ask questions or for extra work. Mr. Dyson, the music director, managed to talk my kids into learning flute. I thought they would hate it. instead, they sounded pretty good in the little winter show, poorly attended. Mr. Dyson managed to corral and teach kids to play together on different instruments in a matter of three months. <br /><br />For my boys, Mr. Dyson has also taught them to read music. Though they were very talented, one plays piano, fiddle and guitar and the other plays Irish and rock guitar and piano, they have always played by ear. They now read music, which has expanded their personal practice and public performances. And they will play in the band next semester.<br /><br />RBHS is far from perfect. Some classes are being taught by teachers who are not fluent a subject, or even aware how long regular schoolwork takes, not to mention teachers who assign papers (3-5 pages to be completed overnight. It is no wonder that students choose not to do the assignment, especially when they have never been taught to write a paragraph or the basic five paragraph essay.<br /><br />Finally, RBHS turned out to be the best choice for two home schooled kids to learn in a group where the dynamic was often unpredictable. This year they have learned how to make friends, how to deal with bullies, accountability to someone other than a parent and how to work with a team to find the best answer. Much of what they are doing this year is busywork, covering subjects they already know. Still not a bad thing, this year has been more about learning how to go to school.mkdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15065905657041433082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-19455283671866998932010-01-14T11:23:04.579-08:002010-01-14T11:23:04.579-08:00Gavroche, they "borrowed" the money from...Gavroche, they "borrowed" the money from BEX and will repay it from BTA III. Look, they haven't lost a levy in decades so they obviously feel very secure in movement of money. <br /><br />(To their credit the South Shore project came in under budget and I suspect that's where the money is coming from. So it's not coming from a project. Also, there is a roof failure at Bailey-Gatzert that will cost $1M to replace and that money is coming from there as well. Our district paid Meng for a facilities report but required them to only look at blueprints and a from-the-ground visual of the roof. So, naturally, they missed this huge problem at Bailey-Gatzert which is now at the critical stage.)<br /><br />Please understand: levy and bond money, once voted for, can be spent on any project they choose whether it was on the list presented to the public or not. Now, it's in their best interests to do what is on the list but they have diverged in the past either when they needed one project's money or if they changed their minds.<br /><br />As to whether the district wants these reopened schools to work, well, they do but they believe (and I see this more and more) that people believe they have no real choice anymore and will just show up. (I saw this at a recent parent meeting where one mom was convinced you "had" to go to your attendance high school.) <br /><br />Also, STEM is Dr. G-J's main focus for the new SAP. The dollars and a lot of energy are going there. (This is not to say that people in the district like Pat Sander aren't working very hard but she's one person working on, what? 3 schools?) So as Dr. G-J told the Board, "there are priorities". The reopening schools and their programs will have to wait a year or two for real district attention. The principals are left with the Ed Directors to try to put together a good basic school. This is my perception.Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12588239576000641336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-42712559326487279492010-01-14T11:16:37.824-08:002010-01-14T11:16:37.824-08:00I know that I told all we were leaving mid-year, l...I know that I told all we were leaving mid-year, legal issues with my ex have delayed us until July or August. We have also chosen to forgo California because has become, like Seattle, too expensive. We're moving to either Hillsborough, NC or Chapel Hill, NC. My kids will be enrolled at Cedar Ridge or East Chapel Hill, both excellent schools, comparable to Garfield. <br /><br />Another reason, my older son was recently diagnosed with Juvenile Rheumatoid Arthritis. Though he will finish the year at RBHS, the school is just too far for him to journey to.mkdhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15065905657041433082noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-35282393850831641722010-01-14T11:02:07.162-08:002010-01-14T11:02:07.162-08:00Speaking of broken promises, word on QA hill is th...Speaking of broken promises, word on QA hill is that the District has already broken two to the QA/Magnolia school community.<br /><br />The Supt. said Old Hay would be an international school. In a survey of parents in the cluster, 70 percent of respondents said they would prefer an international school (the rest preferred Montessori). Apparently the Supt/District has now reversed itself and is now saying it'll be Montessori.<br /><br />This echoes what Melissa has been saying about STEM at Cleveland: If the District wants buy-in from the community to make these neighborhood schools work, why doesn't the District listen to what the communities want? <br /><br />Especially when it's an utterly reasonable request like an international school.<br /><br />Also, Principal David Elliott was promised an assistant principal at Coe immediately to help him out, since MGJ is asking him to work on reopening Old Hay AND running Coe at the same time and right now. <br /><br />Apparently MGJ has reneged on that promise too.<br /><br />Here's what I don't understand about all this: Does the District want these new schools to succeed or not?<br /><br />If it does, it needs to give people like Mr. Elliott -- who is a huge asset to the District -- all the support and help he needs to make this new school strong and desirable, or no one will choose it (especially when it won't even be located in the cluster for its first year), and it'll be a bust.suep.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17281578510716234624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-64178764344992950542010-01-14T10:44:53.312-08:002010-01-14T10:44:53.312-08:00Charlie,
Why do you not like the idea of home vis...Charlie,<br /><br />Why do you not like the idea of home visits? Honestly, if there are students performing below average at RB (or anyplace else), chances are some insight to their home life might help improve things? I would think home visits might be very helpful!<br /><br />FWIW, when we were at the New School, they did home visits. The home visit from the teacher that first year was very valuable, as it gave my daughter and the teacher a chance to get to know each other a bit, and for the teacher to get a sense beyond the records, of what our daughter could do academically.<br /><br />I'm think if you have a teacher go to the home of say, a failing highschooler, or a immigrant high schooler, or a kid with his 3rd or 4th foster family-you're going to learn things you simply can't from a kid's school transcripts and records. <br /><br />Whether or not the SE Initiative is working or not, I think this portion of it is a good idea.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-15396629587146903722010-01-14T10:44:17.161-08:002010-01-14T10:44:17.161-08:001/14/10 12:55 AM
Blogger Melissa Westbrook said......<i><br /> 1/14/10 12:55 AM<br />Blogger Melissa Westbrook said...<br /><br /> Boy, I'll have to write just one thread about this (just a headline). The district is already borrowing funds from BEX to start (it was on the agenda at the last Board meeting). It is unclear to me for all 5 schools how much has been moved but it has.</i> <br /><br />Thanks for the info, Melissa. But what does that mean? Is the District borrowing against money it doesn't yet have (the BTA levy we haven't yet voted on)?<br /><br />Or has it moved existing BTA funds from one project to this new project of reopening 5 schools?<br /><br />If the former, isn't that fiscally risky?<br /><br />If the latter, isn't that yet another example of the District reneging on promises and ignoring its maintenance backlog?suep.https://www.blogger.com/profile/17281578510716234624noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-18438217576032145132010-01-14T10:33:41.080-08:002010-01-14T10:33:41.080-08:00Charlie always brings up this point of why the dis...Charlie always brings up this point of why the district never asks communities with struggling schools what they want or how they view the situation. I pointed this out yesterday when I sat down with a couple of editorial board members of the Times. <br /><br />We were talking about STEM and I said look, I think STEM sounds great but is it what that community said would draw them back? No one asked. STEM is being developed as an OPTION draw for students throughout the city. I guess the idea is that students/parents who want a comprehensive high school will choose either RBHS or Franklin or any other school that has room (I suspect Ingraham will be full from the new SAP. Just a guess but I think so.). <br /><br />It's a simple two-part question. Why don't you attend your local high school? What would draw you in?Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12588239576000641336noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-90178822925600220262010-01-14T10:26:10.848-08:002010-01-14T10:26:10.848-08:00Theo, thank you for the report on the efforts to p...Theo, thank you for the report on the efforts to provide advanced classes at Rainier Beach High School. It is always good to hear.<br /><br />Theo also wrote: "<i>Your comment insinuates that the departments had a large bucket of cash that we wasted but that is not the case.</i>"<br /><br />Ah, and that is EXACTLY the point. Rather than spending the money on academics and the departments, the Southeast Initiative money was spent on a lot of other things. Most of it was spent on a stipend for the teachers.<br /><br />Southeast Education Initiative money went into home visits and professional development, not into providing the academic opportunities that southeast Seattle families want.<br /><br />No one - no one at the District or at the schools - ever asked the community what would have to change for them to choose Aki Kurose, Rainier Beach or Cleveland. Instead, the District arrogantly assumed that they knew what the community wanted. They were wrong.<br /><br />I don't doubt anyone's sincerity, but the Southeast Education Initiative has utterly failed to achieve its purpose. No matter what you think you have at Rainier Beach, the objective fact is that less than 13% of the freshmen assigned to Rainier Beach High School this year named it as their first choice, and that percentage is DOWN from previous years.Charlie Mashttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17173903762962067277noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-65953892573573952772010-01-14T10:13:11.790-08:002010-01-14T10:13:11.790-08:00Texas is opting out of RTT, as is Florida. Why?
T...Texas is opting out of RTT, as is Florida. Why?<br /><br />TEXAS TELLS FEDERAL GOVERNMENT “ENOUGH IS ENOUGH” — BY DONNA GARNER — 1.13.10<br />http://www.chron. com/disp/ story.mpl/ metropolitan/ 6813774.html<br /><br />The Miami Herald (1/13) Florida’s Broward County school board won’t join Race to the Top bid http://www.miamiherald.com/news/5min/story/1421972.html<br /><br />Houston Chronicle Perry won’t let Texas compete for federal school money By ERICKA MELLON Copyright 2010 Jan. 13, 2010, 2:32PM<br /><br />Based on its size, Texas could have qualified for about $350 million to $700 million — or $75 to $150 per student. <br /><br />“Everybody can use money,” said state Rep. Rob Eissler, a Republican from The Woodlands who chairs of the House Public Education Committee. “But if you look at a one-time infusion of $80 per child and then having to change your laws permanently – I think we’re better off doing what we’re doing.” <br /><br />[...]Bridges said the grant encouraged “draconian” measures to fix struggling schools, such as closing them. She also disagreed with its call to link student test scores to high-stakes personnel decisions — a move the Houston school board plans to make this week.<br />ericka.mellon@ chron.comJoan NEhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/02810050976533673804noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-28765366.post-74520739238572231692010-01-14T08:07:51.236-08:002010-01-14T08:07:51.236-08:00Boy, I'll have to write just one thread about ...Boy, I'll have to write just one thread about this (just a headline). The district is already borrowing funds from BEX to start (it was on the agenda at the last Board meeting). It is unclear to me for all 5 schools how much has been moved but it has. <br /><br />In terms of the immediate, if the BTA levy failed, the 5 schools would be the priority. (Nearly every other building project is something that has been deferred so I can't see that there is much immediate cause for alarm.) What the district could do is NOT do the addition at Ingraham under the BEX III money and move that money to get those buildings done. (It is very much in the air whether the Ingraham addition will get done as the district is still awaiting a court ruling from a challenge from neighbors over the grove of trees issue. If they lose, they have said they might shelve the project anyway. I am not advocating this for Ingraham; I'm saying they are already thinking it.) <br /><br />As I have said, they can bring the levy back anytime this calendar year. (Interesting, I said this at a recent parent meeting and most parents were very surprised but it's true.) <br /><br />Again, I'll do a separate thread soon, I promise.Melissa Westbrookhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/12588239576000641336noreply@blogger.com