Seattle Schools Community Forum

Remember Kids,Not Cuts?  I think they may be back in business soon because I'm hearing of schools fighting staff cuts already.  Here's the latest.

A couple of things that may extend beyond one school - if you know this is happening at your school, could you please let us know. Update: on the SAT testing story, at the end of the thread is a letter from Roosevelt principal, Brian Vance. Key passage: In the following weeks we received no indication that there would be a consequence for our timing error and even after speaking with College Board and Educational Testing Services after the exam, we received no information that would lead us to believe they would invalidate the test scores. The first indication that there was an issue came last week, when students were not able to access their scores. In the end, the College Board invalidated our students' scores.  It sounds like RHS was trying to figure it out but the College Board took their sweet time in making a decision.  Not good. end of update  First, I received this e-mail from a reader about recent SAT testing at Roosevelt on Feb. 25th: Evide...

FYI, Dear Community Members, We are excited to announce a showing of the groundbreaking film, "Race to Nowhere” . The documentary is a call to action for families, educators, and policy makers to challenge current assumptions on how to best prepare the youth of America to become healthy, bright, contributing and leading citizens. Join us Friday, April 25th for a screening of the film followed by a discussion that will bring forth community issues and help us create methods for change. This film is rate PG-13 and is not suitable for young children. Childcare available - see details below. Friday, April 25th, 2014 - 6:45pm (Doors open at 6:30pm) (Film 6:45-8:15pm followed by ~30 min guided discussion). Venue: Orca K-8 School, Lunchroom Address: 5212 46th Ave S, Seattle, Washington Tickets: Free Tickets Here http://www.eventbrite.com/e/race-to-nowhere-presented-by-orca-k-8-school-tickets-11245566793

 Update with correction from SPS: This was a drive-by shooting at the 2900 block of S. Graham of a 15-year old boy.  It is unknown if he is an SPS student. The victim did NOT go to Orca K-8 but a shelter-in-place occurred at 5 area schools as a precaution when the first report of a shooting occurred.  The police determined it was a drive-by shooting (and no gunman was on foot in the area) so the shelter-in-place was lifted.  No word on the condition of the victim except that he was ambulatory and had made his way home. End of Update Reader Southpaw reported that Orca K-8 was sheltering in place (somewhere around 1:15 p.m.). The issue was a person - reportedly a 15-year old - who had been shot somewhere else came to the school to see a family member.   The school likely sheltered in place as a precautionary measure. There was no gunman at Orca. No real info on the victim (who it is and where the person came from) but he/she is apparently alive....

So says the Times .  Eleven teachers and instructional assistants at ORCA K-8 have decided that they, too, will boycott district-required tests known as the MAP, according to ORCA teacher Matt Carter. In the letter to district administrators, the Garfield staff members listed nine reasons why they oppose the test, which range from how few students take it seriously to how much time it takes away from class instruction and whether it measures what teachers are supposed to be teaching.  The middle school teachers at ORCA will not refuse to give the tests because they hope to get a grant from the city that requires that they give them, Carter said.  But 11 of the 16 teachers and instructional assistants in kindergarten through grade 5 have decided to do so, Carter said.   The principal apparently will find others to proctor the tests and give them anyway.  (I have heard about issues using non-staff proctors so it's not a...

Kudos go out to the Orca K-8 student body and staff who delivered 500 nonperishable food items and cash to the Rainier Valley Food Bank last Friday.   From Southend Seattle : Orca K-8 has been a supporter of Rainier Valley Food Bank for the past several years, donating fresh vegetables from the school’s organic garden to the food bank during the growing season, and bringing groups of students in to see the place in operation and help stock shelves. Orca has actively supported RVFB since the beginning of this school year with their “A Can a Kid a Month” program, where every student is asked to bring in at least one canned good for donation monthly. At the end of December, this program alone has brought in over 2,000 cans for RVFB. “The great kids, parents and teachers at Orca set an excellent example for all of us, and are actively helping us realize our vision of a hunger-free Rainier Valley,” Osborne said. “We are profoundly grateful for this partnership, ...