October 14, 2007
www.seattlecouncilptsa.org IN THIS ISSUE
PTA membership payment due Oct 25
PTA Legislative Priorities set: K-12 Education Funding #1
Read a Million Words Kick-off: Oct 16, 10am (Dunlap)
District 3 Meet the Superintendent lunch: Oct 18, 11:45am (Eckstein)
SPS College and Career Fair: Oct 18, 9am-1:30pm (JSCEE)
GLBT Families Dinner: Oct 25, 6-8pm (Meany)
2010 Facilities Master Plan Update Survey
Climate Action Now T-Shirt Design Contest: Deadline Nov 9
Six Seattle Schools recognized as “Schools of Distinction”
School Board Candidates Forums: Oct 17, 7pm (Nathan Hale) & Oct 23, 7pm (Bryant)
Seattle Public Library - Writers in the Schools Book Launch: Oct 18, 7pm
Seattle Public Library – Scholarship workshops: Nov & Dec
Alliance for Education Gala: Oct 27 (7pm) Attend or Volunteer!
Audio resources for bilingual families on-line at Neighborhood House!
WA State PTA Legislative Priorities Set!
The Top Five Legislative Priority Issues selected by delegates at this year's WAPTA Legislative Assembly (October 5-6, 2007) are: 1. K-12 Education Funding, 2. Math and Science Education, 3. Quality Teaching, 4. Student Support Services, 5. Special Education Funding. For more information see:
www.wastatepta.org/legislation.htm.
Join us as we advocate for key education issues: Legislative Roundtable, November 15, 6:30pm (Hamilton International Middle School) and Legislative Focus Day, February 13, 2008 (in Olympia). More information to follow.
SEATTLE PUBLIC SCHOOLS NEWS
Read a Million Words Kick-off!
October 16, 10am
Dunlap Elementary School
The Million Words program is designed to encourage students – and adults – to read one million words a year. This kick-off event includes a poetry recitation by third-grade students, a book reading, and the opportunity for guests to pair up and listen to students reading. Contact: Cathy McLeod at
csmcleod@seattleschools.org or (206) 252-0500.
Superintendent Community Gatherings set for each district
School Superintendent Maria L. Goodloe-Johnson is sponsoring informal gatherings to meet community members and learn about each district. The meetings run from 11:45am-1:15pm and are open to the public on a space-available basis. School lunches will be available for purchase, but must be reserved in advance by calling Pat McKenzie in the Public Affairs office, (206) 252-0200 or by e-mailing
pmckenzie@seattleschools.org. Visit the Superintendent's Web site for meeting dates and locations. For a map by districts, click on this link.
District 3: Thursday, Oct. 18, 2007, Eckstein Middle School, 3003 N.E. 75th St.
Beyond High School: College and Career Fair
October 18, 9am-1:30pm
JSCEE (3rd and Lander)
Come find out more about opportunities beyond High School including information about Colleges, Vocational Schools, Military Opportunities, and Service Learning Opportunities. Volunteers are needed in two easy shifts to help with this event. Please contact Iris Okimoto-Nielsen at 783-6545 or
iris_nielsen@hotmail.com.
GLBT Families Dinner
October 25, 6-8pm
Meany Middle School, 301 21st Ave E
The Health Education Office of Seattle Public Schools, along with Superintendent Maria L. Goodloe-Johnson, invites the public to join gay, lesbian, bisexual, and transgender families and friends at a dinner on Oct. 25. Dinner and activities are complimentary through donations from the community. Craft tables will be available for younger attendees. For more information or to reserve a space, contact Lisa Love at 252-0982 or
llove@seattleschools.org.
2010 Facilities Master Plan Update:
During October and November, the District’s Facilities Department will begin preparing to update the 2010 Facilities Master Plan (FMP). This policy document brings together major district policies, studies, and documents into one document that will guide the future direction of capital construction projects (BEX / BTA) and facility use, re-use, repurposing, and/or closure. The plan will be developed with input from District staff, the City, individual community members, and community organizations. Seattle Public Schools asks you to fill out and mail in their survey:
http://www.seattleschools.org/area/facilities/FMP/FMP2.xml Entries encouraged for Climate Action Now T-shirt design contest (Deadline: November 9)
The Climate Action Now T-shirt design contest is ongoing until accepted until Nov. 9 (cosponsored by SPS and City of Seattle). All Seattle School District K-12 students are eligible to participate. Early bird submissions received before Oct. 26 will be eligible for display at the Mayor's National Climate Protection Summit. See:
www.seattleschools.org/area/conservation/seattlecan_tshirt.html. Contact: Nicole Riss, 252-0599 or
nariss@seattleschools.org.
Six Seattle schools honored as state “Schools of Distinction”
Congratulations to the school communities at: Graham Hill Elementary, Leschi Elementary, Loyal Heights Elementary, Olympic Hills Elementary, West Woodland Elementary, and Garfield High School. These six schools were among 86 in the state honored with the first annual "Schools of Distinction" award. These schools represent the top 5 percent of schools across the state whose students have shown outstanding growth in both reading and mathematics skills during a six-year period.
Seattle School Board Candidate Forums
Nathan Hale HS Performing Arts Center (10750 30th Ave N.E)
October 17, 7-8:30 pm
Hosted by students of Nathan Hale High School’s American Government classes and Nathan Hale PTSA. Come at 6:30 pm for “Community and Connections” – followed by moderated candidate session at 7 p.m.
Bryant Elementary School (3311 NE 60th St)
October 23, 7-8:30pm
COMMUNITY NEWS
Seattle Public Library (Central Library)
Writers in the Schools (WITS) book launch
October 18, 7-8:30 pm
Students from local high schools will read from a recently-published anthology of their original work, "We Will Carry Ourselves as Long as We Gaze into the Sun." Copies of the anthology will be available for purchase and signing. WITS is a program of Seattle Arts and Lectures. Also, the Seattle Public Library is celebrating Teen Read week all month with great events. (To Kill a Mockingbird drama on 10/20, Ying Chang Compestine reads from Revolution is Not a Dinner Party on 10/21, Nick Hornby reads from Slam on 10/24)! Need money for college? The Seattle Public Library has several Scholarship and FAFSA workshops coming up in November and December. Want to learn about all our great free programs for teens? Sign up for a weekly e-mail blast here!
Alliance for Education Black and Orange Gala
October 27 (5pm Silent Auction, 7pm Dinner)
Tickets available for $250. Volunteers also needed!
Looking for a way to help support all schools across the district? The Alliance for Education is reorganizing and refocusing and needs community support for their upcoming Black and Orange Gala Dinner and Auction. Contact Sharon Rodgers at
president@seattlecouncilptsa.org for information about the reorganization efforts and/or about attending as part of a PTSA group. For more information about volunteering see:
www.alliance4ed.org/news/auctionvolunteers.htm.
Neighborhood House/SPS Bilingual Family Involvement Audio Resources
Information is available for parents to help ease their children's transition to elementary school and middle/high school in Amharic, Cambodian, English, Oromo, Somali, Spanish, Tigrigna and Vietnamese. The elementary school information includes excerpts from Seattle School District, SOAR & The Foundation for Early Learning's Getting School Ready! materials. The middle/high school information includes excerpts from Seattle School District materials. Funding for this project came from the City of Seattle’s Families and Education Levy as part of the SPS Family Partnership project. On-line audio files available at:
www.nhwa.org/gethelp/community-resources.php