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Aki Kurose Middle School

People in Your Neighborhood: Brighton Neighbor & Aki Kurose Principal Mia Williams

February 19, 2011

in Arts/Living,Education,People In Your Neighborhood

Seattle Times (RVP news partner):

It was the medley of people from all over the world that astounded Mia Williams on her first visit to Seattle and caused her to eventually settle in Brighton. Williams, who is black, spent her childhood in a predominantly African-American neighborhood in Houston, where she rarely saw white people, let alone people from other countries. “The South is very segregated,” Williams said.

Seven years ago she found a home she and her husband could afford not far from the Aki Kurose Middle School Academy on South Graham Street, where she is the principal. Students, collectively, speak dozens of languages, and the school offers instruction in both Spanish and Mandarin Chinese.

Living near her workplace affords Williams a heightened sense of connection. The students like to joke with her when they walk by her home on South Fontanelle Street.

In the warmer months, a neighbor swings by with his power mower to cut the grass.

“I love the community feeling,” Williams said. “I go to the Othello Safeway, and everyone there knows my name.” Read more.

Upon meeting Aki Kurose Principal Mia Williams (above) Rainier Valley mom Anna McCartney said “She knocked my socks off. She answered every question I had, and was super nice. She has some amazing projects going on.”

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Rainier Valley Middle-School Students Get Pulled Into Rowing

February 18, 2011

in Arts/Living,Education,Youth

Seattle Times (RVP news partner):

Former Olympic rower Portia McGee huddled with her teammates Friday morning, strategizing how to win the race that had brought her out of retirement.

McGee wanted to beat seven other teams, and to do so she needed the help of her fellow rowers — three students from Aki Kurose Middle School Academy.

Together, the four competed in an indoor relay race as part of the first year of Seattle Public Schools’ Erg Ed program. The program, offered twice a year through a partnership between the George Pocock Rowing Foundation and the school district, lets students spend a week learning how to row, using rowing machines in their school gyms. Read more.

Row to the Future video featuring student experiences in indoor and outdoor rowing programs.

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Aki Kurose Students Take to the Water & Row at UW

January 26, 2011

in Arts/Living,Education,South-End Scenes

Earlier this month, 45 students from Aki Kurose Middle School in the heart of the Rainier Valley headed to the University of Washington for a field trip – a full day of rowing, erging, team-building games and a campus tour. Students spent time with UW rowers, participated in a talk with a sports psychologist, and took a campus tour with former Husky (and NFL) football player and current academic adviser Ink Algea.

The trip is part of of Row to the Future, a program that introduces rowing to Puget Sound-area kids who otherwise might never experience the sport.

Former Mt. Baker rower and current UW sophomore Helen Tilghman helps a student from Aki Kurose practice her stroke. Photos/Row to the Future

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Seattle Public Schools May Trim Bus Service

January 20, 2011

in Education,News

Seattle Times (RVP news partner):

To save at least $4 million in the upcoming school year, Seattle Public Schools is considering a reduction in bus service to its elementary schools and some of its K-8 schools, and for the second time in two years, a change in most schools’ starting times.

Under the proposal, introduced at Wednesday’s School Board meeting, the district would use 80 fewer buses, reduce the length of bus rides for many students, eliminate service for some elementary and K-8 students who now take yellow buses to school and require others to catch the bus farther from their homes.

In general, the proposal calls for most middle and high schools and some elementary schools to start about 10 minutes earlier. Schools that span kindergarten through eighth grade would start either earlier or later. Read more.

The district is planning a community meeting to discuss all the transportation changes 7-8:30 pm, on Thurs. Jan. 27, at Aki Kurose Middle School (3928 S. Graham St.). Photo/do communications

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Save the Dates: Tours & Open Houses Scheduled for South-End Schools (UPDATED)

January 18, 2011

in Education,Public Service Announcement

New School Field Day 2008Between January and March, Seattle Public Schools invites families to tour schools and attend open houses to learn more about their attendance area school, option schools, or other attendance area schools to which they may be interested in applying.

Families are encouraged to attend these events to meet the principal and staff and have the opportunity to learn about the school:

  • Aki Kurose 6-8 (3928 S. Graham St.) 252-7700; Tours: Please contact the school for tour information, Brighton
  • Dunlap K-5 (4525 S. Cloverdale St.) 252-7000; Tours: Feb 1, 8, 15, March 1, 8; 10 am, Rainier Beach
  • Emerson K-5 (9709 60th Ave. S.) 252-7100; All School Cultural Literacy Night: March 17; 6-8 pm. Day Tour: March 23; 9:40-11:40 am, Rainier Beach
  • Graham Hill PreK-5 (5149 S. Graham St.) 252-7140; Evening Tour & Math Night: Jan. 20; 6:30 pm. (Spanish, Amharic, Somali and Chinese interpreters will be available); Tours: Feb. 8; 9:30-10:30 am (Vietnamese, Chinese, Amharic, Tigrigna, Somali and Spanish interpreters will be available); Feb. 17; 1:00-2:00 p.m. (Vietnamese, Chinese, Spanish and Somali interpreters will be available), Seward Park
  • Hawthorne K-5 (4100 39th Ave. S.) 252-7210; Jan 25th Tours are from 9-10:30am; Feb 1st Tours are from 9-10:30am
  • Martin Luther King Jr. K-5 (6725 45th Ave. S.) 252-6770; Tours: Feb. 10, 17; 9:30-11:30 am. Please plan to arrive by 9:20 am, Brighton
  • Orca K-8 (5215 46th Ave. S.) 252-6900; Open House: Jan. 27, 6-8; 6:30-8pm; Open House: Feb. 3, 6:30-8pm, Columbia City
  • Rainier Beach 9-12 (8815 Seward Park Ave. S.) 252-6350; Tours: Please contact the school for tour information, Rainier Beach
  • Rainier View K-5 (11165 Beacon Ave. S.) Tours: Please contact the school for tour information, Beacon Hill
  • South Lake 9-12 (8601 Rainier Ave. S.) 252-6600; Tours: Please contact the school for tour information, Rainier Beach
  • South Shore PreK-8 (4800 S. Henderson St.) 252-7600;  Tours: Feb. 15, March 22; 9-10:30 am; Evening Tour: Jan. 27; 6:30-8:30 pm, Rainier Beach
  • Van Asselt K-5 (8311 Beacon Ave. S.) 252-7500; Evening tour & math night: Jan. 27, 6-7:30 pm; Day tour: Jan. 25, 9-10 am; Day Tour & Lunar New Year Celebration: Feb. 4, 9-10:30 am
  • Wing Luke K-5 (3701 S. Kenyon St.) 252-7630; Tours: Jan. 25, Feb. 1, 8, 15; 10 am. Other times and days are available by appointment, Beacon Hill

All current students and all new students for 2011-12 who complete early enrollment by January 31, 2011 will receive an assignment letter in mid-March (right before Open Enrollment begins on March 15, 2011). Assignment letters will confirm continuing assignments or provide notification of new assignments for 2011-12. These are initial assignments, and nothing further is required if the family wishes to keep the initial assignment. If a student wishes to attend a school other than the school listed in the initial assignment letter, then they need to submit a choice application during Open Enrollment.

Fall 2011-2012 will be the second year of the District’s New Student Assignment Plan, which assigns students to an attendance area school based on residential address. Any student new to Seattle Public Schools this fall will initially be assigned to their attendance area school.  If the family is satisfied with that assignment, no further action is needed. However, families have the option, during open enrollment (March 15-31, 2011), to apply to attend an option school or another attendance area school. All applications received during open enrollment will be processed together and final assignments will be mailed before the last day of this school year.

For other enrollment forms and instructions, go here. To find your attendance area school, follow the link on the left to the “Address Lookup/School Locator” tool. Photo/Will Austin Photography

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Comment of the Week Goes To…

January 8, 2011

in Opinion

Erin on “Governor Uses One of City’s Lowest-Performing Schools as Backdrop for Speech on College Tuition Hikes”:

See how everyone except the white guy looks like they want to smack her. Even the kids have that SMH look on their face. Does the white guy want to smack her too and that’s just what the expression looks like for him?

The dialogue that occurs here between friends, neighbors and engaged citizens is one of the features that makes your RVP such a valuable community resource. Your RVP does not necessarily endorse the opinions expressed in the Comment of the Week.

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Governor Uses One of City’s Poorest, Lowest-Performing Schools as Backdrop for Speech on College Tuition Hikes

January 5, 2011

in Education,News,Politics

KUOW:

Washington Governor Chris Gregoire asked leaders in business and public education how to pay the climbing costs of public universities. Monday the task force gave its answer. KUOW’s Phyllis Fletcher reports.

The answers are higher tuition and a private scholarship fund. Gregoire spoke to reporters at Aki Kurose Middle School in south Seattle.

Gregoire made drastic cuts in her proposed budget for the next two years, and higher education was no exception. A reporter asked about that. Gregoire turned to the middle schoolers behind her and spoke.

Gregoire: “The message to these students is not to look at what’s happening in the budget today, but to realize the doors of higher education in the state of Washington will be open when you get there. And it will be high quality. And when you get that degree, you can be proud of it. Because with that degree you’re gonna be able to get a good–paying job and you’re not gonna find yourself unemployed in the future.” Read more.

Gov. Chris Gregoire addresses a news conference Monday at Seattle’s struggling Aki Kurose Middle School, which was recently labeled as “low-performing” by Seattle Public Schools. At left is Microsoft executive Brad Smith, chairman of Gregoire’s Higher Education Funding Task Force, and school Principal Mia Williams. Photo/Ellen M. Banner, used with permission from The Seattle Times.

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Congratulations to Our First South-End Scenes Flickr Group Drawing Winner!

January 3, 2011

in South-End Scenes

Aki Kurose

Thanks to everyone who contributed to our new South-End Scenes Flickr Group last month, and congratulations to our first winner, Jamillah Bomani!

Jamillah submitted 18 awesome images and – along with four other members – was automatically entered in a drawing to win a free, one-year RVP membership and two tickets to Columbia City Cinema.

You too can win! Just join the group, start adding photos and automatically be entered in the monthly drawing.

Mural on the west side of Aki Kurose Middle School in the heart of the Rainier Valley. Photo/Jamillah Bomani

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Homework for Wed: South-End Parents to Learn Strategies for Improving Low-Ranking Schools

December 7, 2010

in Education

Seattle Public Schools’ recent reports on 82 of its schools show the vast majority of low-ranking schools are in South Seattle. While the district works to develop school improvement plans, what more can parents do to support their child’s education?

To find out, the League of Education Voters is bringing two experts on parent engagement to Seattle to give parents ideas, options and specific steps on how to get engaged and involved in their child’s education. Parents and community members are invited to this free, public event at Aki Kurose Middle School on Wed., Dec. 8, at 5:30 p.m.

Trise Moore from the Federal Way Public Schools and Ben Austin from the Parent Revolution in Los Angeles will share their unique success stories about their efforts to lead successful parent-driven movements for positive change in their own districts.

Childcare will be provided (and pizza for the kids). Go here to register for this free event.

About the Speakers

Trise Moore is a parent of two children and the Family & Community Partnership Director for Federal Way School District. She has built a team of parents and community leaders that helped the district gain Harvard Family Research Project’s recognition as one of six exemplary family engagement programs in the nation.

Ben Austin has served as the Executive Director of the Parent Revolution since April 2008. His organization led a grassroots movement to pass a law in California called the “parent trigger,” which occurs when 51% of the parents at a school sign a petition demanding change. The school district is then required to transform the school using the turnaround strategy chosen by the parents.

This is the third event in the Voices from the Education Revolution speaker series by the League of Education Voters, which features nationally recognized speakers who will “share their stories of the diverse challenges and opportunities to give ALL our kids the public education they deserve.”

According to the school report cards recently issued by Seattle Public Schools, Aki Kurose Middle School – located at 3928 S. Graham St. in the Brighton neighborhood of southeast Seattle – is one of the lowest performing schools in the city. Photo/do communications

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No Apparent Victims in Brazen Daytime Shooting at MLK & Graham; Teen Arrested

October 27, 2010

in 911,News

SeattleCrime.com:

A police report released this week gives a few more details on a shooting in broad daylight at a busy [Rainier Valley] intersection.

Just before 5:00pm on October 19th, police received reports of gunfire at Martin Luther King Jr Way S and S Graham St.

Witnesses told police a 17-year-old boy had walked out into the middle of Graham street and fired five shots at a red Cadillac. He then fled eastbound on Graham. Read more.

Aki Kurose Middle School sits just east of the intersection at MLK Jr Way and South Graham Street.

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South-End Teens MUCH More Likely to Get Pregnant Than North-End Peers

October 20, 2010

in Education,News,Youth

The Seattle Times (RVP news partner):

Teen pregnancy is associated with all sorts of bad things — physical risks to babies, interrupted education for moms, and lower lifetime incomes all around — so it’s good news that Washington, overall, has a significantly lower rate than the U.S. average.

But the statistics released Wednesday morning by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention don’t tell the whole story. Buried inside the big-picture statistics about Washington are numbers that reveal pockets of teen pregnancy, often in nearby high schools and middle schools.

Consider this: According to Public Health — Seattle & King County, …in Northeast Seattle, there are 1.7 births for every 1,000 teens. But in Southeast Seattle, that number zooms to nearly 18. Read more.

Three south-end schools – Aki Kurose Middle School, Cleveland High School and Rainier Beach High School – will participate in Planned Parenthood’s pilot “Teen Outreach Program”. Photo/do communications

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Three South-End Schools Receive $1 Million Grant to Increase Student Achievement

September 29, 2010

in Education,News

6-20-018

Seattle Public Schools (SPS) has received a $1.05 million, three-year Youth Engagement Zone grant designed to help improve academic and civic engagement for students attending STEM @ Cleveland High School, Aki Kurose Middle School and Mercer Middle School in southeast Seattle.

The grant – a partnership with the Nature Consortium, Seattle Parks and Recreation, and South Seattle Community College – will focus on improving student engagement, academic achievement, graduation rates and college attendance. According to SPS:

The Seattle zone partnerships will connect learning from Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) classes to address local environmental challenges, such as water pollution and invasive species around the Lower Duwamish River. The program will improve community conditions, as well as student attendance, behavior and motivation to learn.

STEM @ Cleveland is an Option School, which means that students from across the District can apply to enroll in the program. Cleveland has two STEM academies: the Life Sciences and Global Health Academy, and the Engineering and Design Academy. A third academy – the College Readiness Academy – serves 11th- and 12th-graders until full implementation of STEM in 2012-13. Photo/do communications

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Charlie Mas: Three Years Later, SE Education Initiative an Abject Failure

09.10.2010 Education

Charlie Mas, Seattle Public Schools Community Blog: There has been some discussion of Rainier Beach High School on the NSAP thread and it has been along the lines of “What can be done to make Rainier Beach a school of choice for the families living in that neighborhood?” The fact that we are asking this [...]

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School News: Cleveland Students Win Awards, Franklin Students Produce Video & More

03.30.2010 Education
untitled

Two Cleveland students win awards for ‘Is Justice Blind?’ essay contest: Two Cleveland High School students received first- and second-place awards for their entries in the “Is Justice Blind?” essay contest. Maraaunjanique Smallwood and Anise Leffall, students in the third-period U.S. history class of Teofilo Cadiente, won first and second prize respectively. The 500-word contest [...]

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Hooray: Brighton Playground Is Done & It’s Time to Celebrate!

12.30.2009 Arts/Living
playground

From Seattle Parks and Recreation: Seattle Parks and Recreation Superintendent Tim Gallagher and the Brighton Playfield neighborhood will celebrate the completion of the Brighton Playground on Thur., Jan. 7, 2010, from 2:30 – 4 p.m. The renovated play area features a paleontology theme in harmony with the Brighton Science Park.  At the playground, children can [...]

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Worried Mom Goes Straight to the Source & Says Aki Kurose Principal “Knocked My Socks Off”

10.19.2009 Education

Ed. note: Last week, Seattle Public Schools announced its proposed new Student Assignment Plan that reduces school choice in favor of a neighborhood-based system. With dramatic differences in school quality throughout the city, the move has some parents concerned. Find full RVP coverage on the issue here. By Anna McCartney The thing that is frustrating [...]

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Aki Kurose Middle Facing No Child Left Behind Sanctions

01.13.2009 Education

Not one, but two southeast Seattle schools – Aki Kurose Middle and the African American Academy (AAA) – both serving primarily poor kids and those of color – are facing severe No Child Left Behind sanctions for failing to meet state standards on standardized tests. AAA is currently on Seattle Public School (SPS) Superintendent Maria [...]

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Aki Kurose Middle School Welcomes 2nd Principal in Two Years

08.04.2008 Education

We recently reported that Ana Ortega, principal at Aki Kurose Middle School for one year, had resigned “unexpectedly” and that Mia Williams – a Rainier Valley community member for two decades – had been appointed interim principal. Aki Kurose, a key school in the district’s Southeast Initiative, has been under increased scrutiny this summer since [...]

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Still Awaiting SPS Response on Sex Crimes Against Students at Aki Kurose MS

07.10.2008 Education

Last week we told you about the instructional aide at Aki Kurose Middle School that has been charged with three counts of child molestation and one count of communicating with a minor for immoral purposes. We also told you that we were committed to getting the story directly from the source. Unfortunately, that’s proving to [...]

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Two More Students Report Being Sexually Assaulted at Aki Kurose MS; This Time by Teacher’s Aide

07.03.2008 Education

By now, most of you have probably heard that an instructional aide at Aki Kurose Middle School has been charged with three counts of child molestation and one count of communicating with a minor for immoral purposes. And if you’re wondering why it’s taken a couple of days for us to mention it, it’s because [...]

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Fourteen-Year-Old Student Reports June 11 Rape at Aki Kurose Middle School

06.20.2008 Education

Exactly one year to the day after a 15-year-old student at Rainier Beach High School was raped by a classmate, SPD is investigating the reported rape of a 14-year old girl at Aki Kurose Middle School. The victim of the most recent attack that occurred June 11, 2008, told police that she was attacked by [...]

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