Seattle Schools Community Forum

From SPS Communications: Symetra and the Seattle Seahawks honored Nathan Hale High School teacher Doug Edelstein as a “Symetra Hero in the Classroom” on Sept. 18, during a classroom presentation. Edelstein is a Social Studies instructor for Grades 10–11. “Doug Edelstein is a remarkable individual and educator, who is celebrating his 20th year as a teacher. He has given his heart and soul to students at Rainier Beach High School, Cleveland High School and now Nathan Hale High School. I have had the pleasure of working with him since 1999 and consider him a mentor and a role model,” said Jessica Torvik, a teaching colleague.  Edelstein is one of 16 K–12 teachers across the Puget Sound area who will be honored for educational excellence in the Symetra "Heroes in the Classroom" program during the 2013 NFL season. Teachers are recognized in front of their students and peers at surprise in-school presentations, and they receive a $1,000 donation for classroom bo...

First day of July so bring on the summer weather.  (I'm an Arizona girl so about this time of year I get mighty jumpy.)  From the district: The Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation has donated musical instruments to four Seattle elementary schools, a middle school and a high school.  The Foundation, which donates new and refurbished musical instruments to under-served schools, community music programs and individual students nationwide, awarded $130,574 worth of instruments to the following schools: Bailey Gatzert, Concord International, Highland Park and Northgate elementary schools, Denny International Middle School and Chief Sealth International High School.  Also, more good news: Seattle Public Schools has been awarded $300,000 from the U.S. Department of Agriculture to expand a program that provides a fresh fruit or vegetable snack to every student nearly every day. The money will go to 14 elementary schools where 70 percent or more of students re...

Couple of quick Olympia updates.

Famous local chef, Tom Douglas, is lending his skills to creating recipes for lunches for SPS students and teaching district cooks how to make them. From the article at the Stranger Slog: The partnership will allow Seattle Public Schools to serve made-from-scratch meals in its cafeterias for the first time . The project is possible because of a $100,000 federal Communities Putting Prevention to Work grant, said SPS Nutrition Services Director Eric Boutin. It's tied to Mayor Mike McGinn's Let's Move! program—launched yesterday—which seeks to end childhood obesity. (Note: this is First Lady Michelle Obama's Let's Move! project.) Nearly one-quarter of Seattle students in eighth, 10th, and 12th grades are overweight, with rates for Hispanic and African-Americans being even higher. I asked Boutin whether SPS had banned trans fats, preservatives, refined flour, high-fructose corn syrup, white bread, generic hot dogs and hamburgers, and extremely salty foods. ...