(Photo by WSB co-publisher Patrick Sand)
The alert we received on Monday warned us not to tip off Sanislo Elementary librarian Craig Seasholes (right) that CenturyLink rep Sue Anderson (left) would be visiting the school with a surprise for him – a big $5,000 check as part of the CL/Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction Teachers & Technology grant program. He’s one of 22 teachers to get one of the grants this year, and we’re told it’ll go toward iPads with educational apps and e-books. (Big spring for Mr. Seasholes and the Sanislo Library – you’ll recall they hosted Caroline Kennedy last month.)

Welcome to the Chief Sealth International High School community! We hope that you are excited to begin life as a Seahawk! We would like to invite you to do what more than 400 fellow Seahawks are already doing – come out for a sports team at Chief Sealth International High School. Whether you’re a long-time veteran of a sport or thinking about trying something, there is bound to be a great fit for you.

Participating in high school sports allows you to meet new people, develop improved work habits, keeps you focused on your grades, and teaches teamwork, sacrifice, self-discipline and many other traits that will help you in the classroom and in life for years to come.

You are invited to the Incoming Student Sealth Athletics Open House

Tuesday, May 28th, 6-7:30 pm @ the Chief Sealth Galleria

All incoming 9th graders and their parents are invited to come visit with representatives from each of our sports and athletic activities in a comfortable and casual setting.

The purpose of the event is to:
• Introduce you to our outstanding coaching staff,
• Connect you with programs they may be interested in,
• Invite you to participate in voluntary summer workouts,
• Walk you through the sports packet and what is required to play high school sports,
• Show you what health and safety resources are available for student athletes,
• Much more!

Refreshments will be served.

Please e-mail with any advance questions. (sjreed@seattleschools.org)

CSIHS is at 2600 SW Thistle.

(May 8th WSB photo)
Big followup from West Seattle High School teacher Danielle Henry, two weeks after the “Cutting Edge” cooking competition came to campus – the WSHS winner is a national finalist!

Sarah Rosenthal is gearing up to take a trip to compete for the ultimate title of Top Teen Chef! We just got off the phone with the National Restaurant Association, and found out that Sarah was selected as one of the top three students in the entire U.S. (out of 63 students and 21 schools) to compete for the title and the opportunity to cook for the President and Vice-President at the White House. They announced her big win at the National Restaurant Association Conference this past weekend. I am so proud of Sarah and can’t wait to see her compete in the next round!!

(September 2012 WSB photo)
Middle College High School will be based at Neighborhood House‘s High Point Centerfor at least another year, reports teacher Alonzo Ybarra. This is the small high-school program focused on social justice and community engagement that lost its longtime home at South Seattle Community College (WSB sponsor) and finally found space at the center for this school year; we last checked in with MCHS in September. Ybarra shared the news via a new blog-format website with updates about the school, which links to a letter with the district announcement. The website also notes that MCHS helped with the West Seattle Bee Garden, launched yesterday with a parade and festival (WSB coverage here), and that its 2013 graduation ceremony is set for June 11th.

(Photo by Debra Salazar Herbst)
Some of the runners and walkers in the fifth annual West Seattle 5K on Alki are still making their way to the finish line.

(Photo by Tracy Brigham – those are her boys in the PJs, the high-five cheering section!)
We have the official list of the top three finishers for both genders and their chip times:

Female

#858 – Kelley McKean, 35, 19:23
#617 – Adrienne Salzwedel, 29, 19:32
#937 – Roxanne Wegman, 25, 19:36

Male

#237 – Josh Fountain, 25, 16:44
#295 – Keefe Hanson, 20, 16:53
#900 – Wyatt Golding, 28, 17:00

America’s best grocery bagger, Andrew Borracchini of Metropolitan Market (WSB sponsor), was the celebrity starter – he posed for us pre-race with a celebrity WSHS alum, County Executive Dow Constantine:

ADDED SUNDAY NIGHT: More scenes from the 5K – starting with WSHS principal Ruth Medsker on the run!

We spotted her on the sidelines pre-race with some of the many WSHS students on hand, too:

As always, the West Seattle 5K was a run/walk for all ages:

Including the spectators:

And it was a race with an intense start …

… as well as some participants all but flying to the finish:

Race results are all available online, by the way – just go here.

ORIGINAL REPORT, 8:01 PM: After two victories in state tournament play this afternoon/evening in Mount Vernon, the West Seattle High School baseball team is off to the state semifinals next Friday in Pasco. They shut out Ferndale and then beat Bonney Lake. More to come!

ADDED 10:10 PM: Greg Slader, the WSHS parent who has shared game information and photos all year, sends more details along with photos, starting with this quote from assistant coach Brian Tupper:

“From the coaches’ perspective, these were the best team games we have played all year. Our focus was so good that we didn’t play uptight in either game something that has plagued West Seattle in the past at State. It was what we have been looking for all year, couldn’t have asked for it a better time for it. Two outstanding pitching performances by Sam Hellinger and Ben Wexler, superb team defense and team offensive execution. We had at least 6 sac(rifice) bunts in the 2 games, 3 sac(rifice) flies, and one perfectly executed squeeze play.

“First Team All-Metro freshman shortstop Morgan McCullough seemed to make every play in the field, collecting almost 10 putouts himself, starting a huge double play in the 7th of game two and then ending the game with a diving stop and stepping on second base 6 unassisted, he also ignited the offense getting on base 6 times out of his 9 plate appearances, finishing 4-7 with a triple and double, 5 runs scored, and 2 RBI’s.

“Metro League MVP Sam Hellinger had a no-hitter broken up in the 4th inning of game one and finished with a complete game 2-hit shutout with one walk and 10 strikeouts on 93 pitches.

“At the plate (above), he continued his hot hitting in the playoffs, extending his hitting streak to 21 games going 5-6 with 3 2B’s 5 RBI and 3 runs scored

“Wexler (above) threw a complete game 5-hitter, allowing 2 runs while striking out 2 on 76 pitches to help seal Westside’s victory and first trip to the State 3A Final Four in school history!”

Greg adds: “West Seattle will be traveling on Thursday morning over to Pasco to play Mount Si in the semifinals at 10 am on Friday, May 24th at Gesa Stadium. Winner to play for the 3A State Championship on Saturday at 4 pm.”

Story and photos by Jason Grotelueschen
Reporting for West Seattle Blog

The sky was sunny and spirits were high on Thursday afternoon, as Hope Lutheran School students, parents and friends took to the streets of West Seattle for their 2nd Annual Walk-A-Thon to raise money for the school.

Hope Lutheran Principal Kristen Okabayashi offered this report:

Today was so much fun! Our top goal for the walkathon was to raise money for our new science curriculum we are implementing next year, but other smaller goals were to build community with our event, and also have an event that raises awareness of keeping your body active. Our students walked and/or ran anywhere from 1/3 mile for our 3 year olds, and up to over 3 miles for some of our middle school students. With a huge number of parents and grandparents helping out today, along with Seattle Lutheran High School’s band performing for all our participants, we had a blast and can’t wait for next year!

Students collected donations and per-lap “pledges” prior to the event, and volunteers also secured corporate donations in support of the cause. Preliminary results:

• 204 participants in P3-8th grade
• 1005 laps walked (a “lap” was around the long block between Oregon/Genesee and 41st/42nd)
• $5962.25 raised on pledge forms
• $2500 raised through corporate donations
• TOTAL: $8462.25 total not including online pledges (represents a $1500 improvement over last year)

Most importantly, students jumped at the chance to get outside and have fun. Participants were divided into groups and ran out of school through an enthusiastic “tunnel” of supporters and fellow walkers:

Then zipped out to the sidewalk while the Seattle Lutheran High School band played:

Some students walked, while others ran and skipped and everything in between:

The skies were blue and the weather certainly cooperated:

But it was important to stay hydrated, especially for the little ones:

Parents and volunteers were ready with stamps to keep track of laps:

And fellow students were ready with shouts (and high-fives) of encouragement:

Several area businesses were proud supporters of the event:

Organizers of the event said they were very happy with the outcome, and proud of the kids, and are already looking forward to next year.

This morning, Roxhill Elementary principal Sahnica Washington greeted scholars arriving by bus – two blocks north of campus! Here’s why: All month, Roxhill families have been part of “walking school buses” – and today was a chance for bus-transported scholars to join in too, with the help of Feet First and the state Transportation Department:

FF even brought along its famous giant Chicken (as in, “why did the chicken cross the road …”)

Crossing the road – and walking along it – will soon be even safer for kids headed toward Roxhill, which, as explained in the Feet First announcement, “is the recipient of a Safe Routes to School grant from the Washington State Department of Transportation. This grant will fund a new sidewalk on SW 30th immediately south of Roxbury, and improvements to the intersection of SW 30th Ave and SW Roxbury, due for construction in the summer of 2013.”

ADDED 1:51 PM FRIDAY: District spokesperson Tom Redman replied today to our inquiry. He included background, some of which is redundant to our story above, but in the spirit of sharing everything the district said, his full reply is below:

The Madison PTSA proposed to purchase and install an electronic reader board sign on the east face of the gymnasium about 4 years ago.

The PTSA applied for and received Department of Neighborhood Matching Funds toward the cost of the sign. The PTSA raised funds to cover the balance of the costs.

Because Madison is situated in a Residential Zone (as are the majority of our schools), a “Departure” from (city of Seattle) Design Standards is necessary to allow the changing image sign.

A Departure was requested, but then temporarily placed on hold, because there was a possibility the Land Use Code would be revised to allow this type of sign outright. But that did not occur. So the process was started up again last spring.

In June of last year, Department of Neighborhoods (responsible for overseeing the Departure process), convened a school/community based committee to review the proposal and make a recommendation.

· This past week, the city issued their decision to grant the Departure, with conditions.

· The conditions concern the limited timeframe the sign can be illuminated during week days and weekends; messages must be non-commercial, and community messages (e.g. community council meetings) can comprise only a small percent of overall messaging; and no flashing images allowed.

The PTSA will order the sign, and when it arrives, it will be installed by the sign company.
Todd Crooks, PTSA representative, would have the cost information. We don’t have information regarding gifts or donations.

SOCCER: In a first-round state-tournament match played at Snohomish High School last night Chief Sealth International High School lost to Glacier Peak, 2-1.

SOFTBALL: On Wednesday afternoon, district softball play resulted in defeats for two local teams:

4-1 was the final score in Chief Sealth’s game with Mercer Island, played at Lower Woodland, which is also where West Seattle High School‘s softball team played Interlake:

13-3 was the final score in that game, with the Wildcats on the lower end.

NEXT UP: The West Seattle HS baseball team awaits its first-round state-tournament game this Saturday, facing Ferndale at Dream Field in Mount Vernon at 1 pm.

2:06 PM: Former Youngstown Cultural Arts Center director Randy Engstrom [right, above] is back at the center right now for a big city announcement regarding arts education: New money for visual-arts and music education for all students in Seattle Public Schools. Engstrom points out that arts funding is a social-justice issue as well as an important underpinning for industry. The program, he says, aligns at the district level as part of the strategic plan, as well as working with principals of all schools, “so that by junior high we haven’t left any of our students behind.” The funding, he says, comes from higher-than-expected revenue from the city admission tax from venues including the new Seattle Great Wheel; 75 percent of those taxes are supposed to go to “arts-related programming.” (The family behind the big ferris wheel has representatives here too.) The implementation will begin with the Central Pathway, says Mayor McGinn, who’s part of the announcement here too: “Arts really define Seattle as a city, too … this is a very, very exciting day,” he said. Also part of the announcement: Carri Campbell, who is the school district’s program manager of Visual & Performing Arts, and says those arts will be increased “in every single school,” and assistant superintendent Michael Tolley.

2:16 PM: “Arts education is one of the academic assurances we put in place” with the switch to neighborhood schools a few years ago, Tolley points out. In Q/A, we asked how this will be rolled out; it’ll take six years, says Campbell, and the second pathway – after Central, where this will be inaugurated – hasn’t been determined yet, so we don’t know when it will get to West Seattle schools.

3:02 PM: The event’s over; the full news release is here.

P.S. One more note – the value of arts education was touted by a Youngstown veteran, professional breakdancer Sammy Tekle, who is now a teaching artist at Orca K-8, introduced by Engstrom:

Looking for an amazing summer adventure? Host a 5th/6th grade student from China. West Seattle will have a visit from 25 students from Chengdu, China and as the date is approaching fast, we are still in great need of host families. Students will arrive July 3rd and departure is set for July 14th. During the weekdays students will attend summer-camp classes at Pathfinder K-8 School, and on the weekends they are ready to play. All you need to be a host family is a desire to enrich your lives – and an extra bed.

To find out more, e-mail Clayton at lclayton@seattleschools.org.

In February we formed a Task Force on Assessments and Measuring Progress to review our testing policies and explore concerns about the Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) assessment. This group, comprised of principal, teacher, student, family and community representatives, met eight times and developed a list of recommendations for the 2013-14 school year.

I want to thank this group for their time and efforts. This proved to be an effective and productive opportunity to work together to develop constructive solutions that put students first while addressing the concerns raised by some of our staff. I look forward to ongoing discussions about the use of assessments to support teaching and learning in our district.

Based on this Task Force’s feedback, I am making the following decisions regarding the MAP assessment for the 2013-14 school year:

· Continue the use of MAP in kindergarten through 8th grade in 2013-14.

· High schools may opt out of MAP in 2013-14, but must provide evidence of a way to assess and monitor progress of students who are below standard in math and reading. In addition, the high school must follow their typical school-level decision-making process (which might include a school committee or staff vote).

· Administer the MAP assessment twice a year, with mandatory MAP assessments for fall and spring, but optional for winter.

· Use MAP in conjunction with other data points in making programmatic decisions for students. Do not use MAP data in isolation for placement in programs.

· Look beyond the next school year to explore new assessments. We will create a smaller working group/task force to evaluate future assessment options and make recommendations for testing starting in the 2014-15 school year.

The Task Force also provided a list of guidelines for the future, which we are taking into consideration. You can read the full report online here: ATF Final Report. In addition, you can read the detailed plan moving forward online here: MAP Implementation Plan

Using data is important in our work as educators. Across Seattle Public Schools, we use multiple forms of data to help guide classroom instruction and measure progress. For many of our teachers and principals, the MAP assessment provides critical data to help screen the most vulnerable students for additional academic support and more personalized attention and to measure their growth and improvement over time. We cannot abandon this important data. But we can do a better job making sure our teachers are trained, the technology is in place for our students and that our families understand when and why we are conducting assessments.

In a survey administered by the Seattle Education Association, our teachers union, the majority of K-12 Seattle teachers said they believe the MAP assessment is effective or somewhat effective in identifying students for additional support, interventions or accommodations. A majority of teachers also said the MAP assessment is effective or somewhat effective in measuring and charting student progress over time.

Moving forward, we will work together to determine the most effective way to assess our students and how we use that data. I will create a new ongoing working group to monitor our assessments and work on recommendations for the 2014-15 school year and beyond.

Again, I want to thank the task force for their work, which included members taking the MAP test themselves. I am looking forward to our continued partnership with staff, families and the community in developing a plan that outlines how we use and administer assessments in the future.

It’s been a big year for West Seattle High School‘s music program, especially the marching band, with two downtown parade appearances including St. Patrick’s Day, as shown in our video above. This Tuesday, you can help the program keep growing by having dinner at Abbondanza in Morgan Junction. WSHS’s first-year music teacher Ethan Thomas explains:

The West Seattle Rotary Club is hosting a dinner fundraiser at Abbondanza Pizzeria (6503 California Ave SW) to support the music program at WSHS.

Abbondanza will be donating 10% of their proceeds and Rotary Club volunteers will be waiting tables and donating their tips.

Mark your calendars for Tuesday, May 14th, and come out and support our young musicians. The restaurant will be open from 5-9 pm.