Go here to find out what’s for lunch this month at Seattle Public Schools.
Students, staff return to South Shore K-8:
South Shore K-8 reopens today after being shut down last year when dozens of teachers and students fell ill from a mysterious odor.
Administrators say South Shore K-8 is ready for a new school year, and its students and staff, who were farmed out to other schools to finish their school year, have returned home after new carpet was installed and test samples were taken this summer.
SPS will continue to monitor and test the indoor air quality of the building after the school year begins, and will also continue to consult with health professionals who will review test results and reports.
The school nurse, Phyllis Holzworth, will be at South Shore on a full-time basis and will be available every school day.
The school also starts the year with a new principal.
Keisha Scarlett has been appointed principal at South Shore PreK-8. Ms. Scarlett has been an assistant principal and mathematics instructional leader at McClure Middle School for the past two years.
Prior to her appointment to McClure, Ms. Scarlett was a principal intern at Concord Elementary and a principal intern and registrar at Denny Middle School. She also spent five years as a mathematics, science and technology teacher at Asa Mercer Middle School, and was a mentor teacher for novice secondary mathematics and science teachers across the Seattle School District. Her professional preparation includes a Bachelor of Science in chemistry from Clark Atlanta University in Atlanta, a Master of Teaching in elementary education from Heritage University in Toppenish, Wash., and educational administration credentials from the University of Washington.
Ms. Scarlett replaces Sherrie Encarnacion, who will serve as assistant principal at Asa Mercer Middle School.
Two Rainier Valley Schools Hosting Guest teachers From China:
Three native Mandarin-speaking teachers from China will be working in two Rainier Valley public schools during the 2010-11 school year as part of the Chinese Guest Teacher Program.
Li Huijuan will return to John Muir Elementary School, while new teachers Lin Lin and Ni Bo will join Graham Hill and John Muir respectively.
The program represents a unique opportunity for Seattle Public Schools students and educators to learn Chinese and learn about China from a native speaker. In addition, guest teachers assist with curriculum development, student recruitment, and materials development and serve as a cultural resource for other subject areas and for cultural enrichment activities.
The guest teachers will work at the school for one school year, and then renew for up to an additional two years if both the school and teacher are satisfied. The Chinese Guest Teacher Program seeks to address the shortage of qualified Chinese teachers in the U.S. and meet the growing interest in Chinese among U.S. K-12 students.
Chinese is the most widely spoken first language in the world. It is the national language of the more than 1.3 billion inhabitants of China and millions more ethnic Chinese around the globe.
Brighton Elementary Renamed Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School:
There will be a sign unveiling at 2:30 pm today to highlight the newly renamed Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary School (formerly Brighton Elementary) at 6725 45th Ave. S.
Following the closure of the former Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary school building in 2006, Seattle Public Schools made a commitment to rename another school in Dr. King’s honor.
Two South-End Schools Awarded State School Improvement Grants:
Seattle Public Schools (SPS) received grants totaling $5.76 million over three years for three schools under the School Improvement Grant program. Funding for the first year totals $2 million. The three-year grants – awarded by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) with funding from the federal stimulus package – will support school improvement plans at Cleveland High School and Hawthorne Elementary School, as well as a school in West Seattle.
Working in collaboration with employee association partners and the school community, SPS submitted school improvement plans that use the “Transformation model,” one of four federally designated intervention strategies eligible for funding under the program. Each plan addresses the following four areas: teacher and principal effectiveness; instructional approach and reform strategies; learning time (additional instructional time for students) and community-oriented schools; and operational flexibility and sustained support.
School Improvement Grants (SIGs) will build on recent efforts to align curriculum, strengthen professional development, and expand advanced learning opportunities throughout SPS. They are also an important component of a broader school improvement initiative that directs resources to schools based on academic performance and specific needs at each individual school. Twelve schools are participating in the school improvement initiative effort this year, and 37 schools will participate next year.
The grants will allow each school to provide additional focused instructional time to meet the needs of every student; increase support and accountability for teachers and staff; and provide additional community and family outreach tools and resources.
Web Content Management System Project Community Meeting at Rainier Beach High School:
Seattle Public Schools is preparing to implement a new Web Content Management System designed to strengthen the way we use the web.
Please join staff from our Department of Technology on Tues., Sept. 14, from 6:30 8 pm at Rainier Beach High School (8815 Seward Park Ave. S.), to learn more about the goals and timeline for the Web Content Management System project. Meeting participants will be asked to provide input on how we should organize our website content to meet our users’ needs using a card sort activity. Card sorting is a technique that is often used to gather information about how users organize and expect to access content on a website. Meeting participants will also be asked to provide feedback on potential design mock ups for the redesigned district website. Interpretation services will be available.
If you can not attend the meeting but would like to take part in an online version of the card sort activity or provide input on the design mock ups, go here.
Information provided by Seattle Public Schools. Photo/do communications
Who to know, where to eat & what to do in one of America’s most diverse zip codes!
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Thank you for the school lunch menu. My daughter begins her first day at school this morning as well.
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