Education

MOUNT BAKER – Hawthorne Elementary School and Friends of Hawthorne PTA are hosting a free “Open Gym” Event for prospective students and their families this Sunday afternoon.

Families will be able to meet and talk with Principal Sandra Scott, Business Officer/VP Eileen Gray, Hawthorne’s Kindergarten teachers and current parents while the kids play, tumble, wheel around and visit the arts and crafts table. Snacks and beverages also provided.

The event will be held on Sun., Jan. 22, from 1 to 4 pm in the school gymnasium (4100 – 39th Ave. S.).

Photo/Hawthorne Elementary

{ 0 comments }

SOUTHEAST SEATTLE – Five Seattle schools have been singled out as some of the lowest achievers in the state, and all of them are in Southeast Seattle.

Rainier Beach High in Rainier Beach, Martin Luther King Jr. (formerly Brighton) Elementary in Brighton, Hawthorne Elementary in Mount Baker, Cleveland High on Beacon Hill and Interagency Programs in Columbia City are all on the list this year.

Rainier Beach was on the list last year as well.

Overall, 57 schools and 38 districts in the state are on this year’s list.

But unlike years past when being on that list was a green light to apply for federal school improvement grants, schools won’t get help because there’s no money.

Superintendent of Instruction Randy Dorn says it’s not fair to call these schools out without giving them additional resources.

What do you think?

This article was written with help from Bill Rice, Anchor/Reporter with KOMO Newsradio (RVP news partner). Photo/Rainier Valley Post

{ 4 comments }

Seattle Times:

African-American students whose primary language is English perform significantly worse in math and reading than black students who speak another language at home — typically immigrants or refugees — according to new numbers released by Seattle Public Schools.

District officials, who presented the finding at a recent community meeting at Rainier Beach High School, noted the results come with caveats, but called the potential trend troubling and pledged to study what might be causing it.

Michael Tolley, an executive director overseeing Southeast Seattle schools, said at the meeting that the data exposed a new achievement gap that is “extremely, extremely alarming.” Read more.

“I was shocked, and we’re not getting a sense of urgency from the district. We need a timeline. Not another committee. We need to know what they’re doing and when,” Rainier Beach PTSA President Carlina Brown told the Seattle Times. Photo/Rainier Valley Post

SEWARD PARK – Some Southeast Seattle parents are upset over the way Seattle Public Schools (SPS) is handling its Capacity Management issues.

Graham Hill Elementary is one of several schools throughout the district facing overcrowding so severe that changes must be made in time for the 2012-2013 school year.

According to SPS, potential options include terminating the Montessori preschool program and re-purposing the classrooms, installing portable classrooms and/or re-opening the old Van Asselt School on Beacon Hill.

Graham Hill parent Rebecka McKinney says she prefers adding portable classrooms over closing the preschool program which she calls a “pillar of success”.

“Destroying this will leave devastating effects on the Graham Hill community,” she said.

Southeast Seattle Education Director Bree Dussault will address the concerns of the Graham Hill community on Thur., Dec. 8, from 6:30-7:30 p.m. in the Graham Hill lunchroom (5149 Graham St.).

{ 2 comments }

BRIGHTON – Aki Kurose Middle School Academy has been named the winner of the 2011 Get Schooled Fall Attendance Challenge. The students and staff will be recognized with a star-studded event and significant college scholarships later this winter.

Sponsored by the Get Schooled Foundation, the friendly competition included nearly 80,000 students at 73 schools in 17 states between Oct. 3 and Nov. 18. Leading the pack in the nation, Aki Kurose improved its attendance by a remarkable 3.7 percent. On average, schools see less than a 2% annual gain in attendance.

“I’m extremely proud of the students, staff and the Aki Kurose community for winning the Get Schooled Fall Attendance Challenge National Championship,” said Mia Williams, Principal of Aki Kurose Middle School Academy. “Get Schooled has been great for us.  We’re using the momentum, school spirit and the increase in student engagement from the challenge to focus on improving academic achievement school-wide.”

Attendance is the greatest predictor of graduation and a significant driver of student achievement.  Research shows that just missing ten days a year can lead to academic problems. Roughly half of public school students miss that much school. Students who miss 20 days a year (or about one month) have less than a one in five chance of graduating from high school. Few districts report these chronic truancy numbers despite their correlation to low graduation rates.

“Aki Kurose’s attendance improvement means the school is setting the students up for success in high school,” said Marie Groark, Executive Director of Get Schooled Foundation. “Thanks to all the hard work of the students and staff, these students are on the right path to graduation.”

Nationally, schools active in the challenge realized an average increase in attendance of 2.8 percent and 1,000 additional students came to school. Get Schooled brought a mix of celebrity encouragement, interactive educational games, and plenty of opportunities to elevate the voice of the students. The challenge was designed to benefit all schools – bringing creative ideas for how to engage students, track and measure impact and make a difference in educational outcomes.

Schools earned points in the challenge by improving their attendance, nominating teachers who inspire them to come to school, testing their knowledge in an on-line trivia bowl, and signing up for wake-up calls from their favorite celebrities including Tyra Banks and Trey Songz.

Photo/Rainier Valley Post

RAINIER BEACH – Seattle Public Schools is hosting a public meeting next week to update the community on Southeast Seattle schools and scores, as well as the impending International Baccalaureate (IB) program at Rainier Beach High School.

The IB is a pre-university academic program focusing on college readiness that is on par with Advanced Placement programs. The IB Diploma Program assesses students in six subjects across multiple disciplines and a core element.

The courses are only available in authorized IB World Schools. Students taking the Advanced Placement program are able to complete individual courses. IB provides students with rich and challenging curricula and enjoys national and international college and university recognition.

SPS Executive Directors Brianna Dusseault and Michael Tolley will also review the District’s vision and work plan for Southeast Seattle schools and present newly disaggregated 2010-11 student performance data.

The meeting is planned for Tues., Nov. 29, at 6 pm at Rainier Beach High School (8815 Seward Park Ave. S.).

Photo/Rainier Valley Post

MT. BAKER – Powerful Schools – the Rainier Valley organization dedicated to helping kids develop strong foundational skills during elementary school – has been awarded a grant of $100,000 from the JPMorgan Chase Foundation to help children in Seattle and south King County develop strong foundational skills during elementary school.

Reading proficiently by the end of third grade is a crucial marker in a child’s educational development. In fact, those not reading at grade level are four times more likely not to graduate. For kids in poverty, the prospect of failure is even higher.

Through intensive one-to-one daily reading tutoring, teacher training, in-class artist residencies, after-school classes, and family literacy nights, Powerful Schools builds learning communities for children in need, encouraging academic achievement and positive self-esteem, preparing children for future success.

“Data show that early reading ability is a significant predictor of future educational success, including high school graduation and college attendance,” said Anh Nguyen, Board Chair of Powerful Schools. “Powerful Schools is working with teachers and schools to effectively improve student reading and writing skills, and JP Morgan Chase’s investment confirms the value of the work that Powerful Schools is doing.”

This year, Powerful Schools celebrates 20 years of promoting student achievement and community literacy, and having served more than 50,000 children, teachers and families combined. Photo/Sarah Brooke