West Seattle, Washington
01 Friday
(WSB photo from 2012)
The West Seattle Soccer Club sends word of a big match tomorrow afternoon, and you’re invited:
This Friday (November 22nd), the Madison and Denny International MS girls-soccer teams will be competing in a friendly match for the rights to take home the 2nd annual ‘Battle of West Seattle” trophy. This is a perpetual trophy, with the winner’s name engraved on the trophy and placed in the winning school’s trophy case until the next season’s match. In the short time the West Seattle Soccer Club (WSSC) started and sponsored this event, it has become a source of pride for each school. There is a similar ‘Battle’ for the boys’ teams in the spring.
Kickoff is 3:45 pm at SWAC (across from Sealth HS). The game officials are WSSC volunteers. The teams were scheduled to meet earlier this fall, but the game was forfeited. This time, both teams should be at full strength and are eager to square off.
Last year, Madison won, 2-1 – who will it be this year? See for yourself tomorrow; forecast calls for more sunshine!
7:56 PM: In case you’re wondering, and not able to be there in person or monitor the cable TV live feed – the Seattle Public Schools board hasn’t yet gotten to the vote on proposed boundary changes; its meeting is running about an hour and a half behind schedule. Board members did approve an action item that is related to the recent expansion of “no extra charge” full-day kindergarten to some schools, and they have approved a new firearms policy. We’ll add live notes when they get to the boundaries item; the Seattle Schools Community Forum site has been reporting live for the entire meeting, if you’re looking for details on what happened earlier; here’s the final version of the agenda (now on business agenda item #3).
9 PM NOTE: Not there yet, but it’s the next item, #7; they’re currently close to the vote on #6.
9:09 PM: Now they are on to the Growth Boundaries item, and 13 proposed amendments, none of which involve West Seattle boundary changes; our area’s board rep Marty McLaren is co-sponsor of the final amendment on the list, proposing that the boundaries be reviewed each year.
9:40 PM: They’re on Amendment 4, but that’s a little deceiving in terms of tracking time; the three after this one apparently will be withdrawn. By the way, once the entire Growth Boundaries plan comes to a vote, the Intermediate Capacity Management Plan follows, with components including changing Boren’s status to permanent school, and Hughes’ status to emergency site once vacated. This plan also has amendments, none West Seattle specific, though many families here will be interested in the one proposing the district develop an Advanced Learning Master Plan.
10:40 PM: Now, voting time on the maps (West Seattle unchanged from the version in this agenda). Unanimously passed. No further discussion. Here’s what changes for NEXT school year in West Seattle, text taken from the agenda document:
Fairmount Park Elementary School (Area 45 from Lafayette to Fairmount Park, Area 55 from West Seattle to Fairmount Park, Area 61 from Gatewood to Fairmount Park, Area 65 from Alki to Fairmount Park, Area 71 from Schmitz Park to Fairmount Park) – Fairmount Park Elementary School will open for grades K-5 effective September 2014. New boundaries apply to incoming K students and new residents of the attendance area. Students currently in grades 1-5 who live in the new attendance area are grandfathered at their current school, but will be assigned to Fairmount Park if they apply during Open Enrollment through September 30.
Also related to Fairmount Park’s opening:
APP will be offered as an option for eligible students at Fairmount Park in West Seattle beginning in 2014-15 (and subsequently at Madison). This will be a different service delivery model, which is why enrollment is optional. It is anticipated that this will serve students who live in West Seattle who may not have participated in APP previously because of the distance to their pathway schools.
Related to that, the document mentions that the district will “offer Spectrum at Fairmount Park in a blended model with APP.” Meantime, everything else you see in the packet of maps – as it relates to West Seattle – would be implemented at later dates.
And on, literally one minute later, to the Intermediate Capacity Management item, which has a few proposed amendments.
11:15 PM: Those amendments are still being gone through.
11:47 PM: The meeting is adjourned, a few minutes after unanimous approval for the Intermediate Capacity Management Plan.
THURSDAY NIGHT NOTES: Maps that take effect next year are now posted to the district site, specifically labeled as approved for next year. See them here; as of this writing, they include Lafayette, Schmitz Park, and the opening-next-fall Fairmount Park.
West Seattle Elementary School now has a big new banner to tell the world about its progress. We recently published an update from WSES on continued test-score growth, and on Tuesday, principal Vicki Sacco and her staff welcomed visitors including Washington Education Association president Kim Mead (above left), Seattle Education Association president Jonathan Knapp (above right), and State Rep. Joe Fitzgibbon, and received a special recognition banner. Mead and Knapp are touring federal School Improvement Grant-receiving schools in the city, and WSES is one of the stops; WEA says our state’s grant recipients have outperformed those in every other state.
WSES students and staff are also proud of their anti-bullying campaign, shown off for the distinguished visitors:
Pink is the signature color for the no-bullying campaign (previously reported here last March). The hand-raising in our photo shows students/staff affirming the pledge to be kind to each other.
(First 3 photos by WSB’s Patrick Sand)
West Seattle’s Holy Rosary School is celebrating its centennial, and as part of that, its 460-plus students gathered today for a group photo in the church. That’s our view of the big picture, above. Here’s Carl Baber, the parent who served today as official photographer:
He had quite the task to wrangle 460-plus photographic subjects at once. But they got a treat after their historic pose – they were all allowed to make goofy faces:
We asked HR if they had a comparable all-school shot from sometime in the past hundred years. Answer: No; but for comparison’s sake, here’s a 6th-grade group shot from 1959:
And for a bonus view of history, an aerial (looking west-northwest, with 42nd SW in the middle, between church and school):
The people we talked with at HR today didn’t know what year that’s from – do you? Meantime – read about the school’s history here.
Two more school fundraisers of note:
DINE OUT TO BENEFIT GATEWOOD ELEMENTARY TODAY/TONIGHT: Endolyne Joe’s (WSB sponsor) is donating 25 percent of its food proceeds from today/tonight to Gatewood Elementary:
It’s on until 10 pm tonight at 9261 45th SW.
‘DINGO’ FOR WEST SEATTLE HS JUNIORS TOMORROW: If you haven’t seen it in our calendar yet, here’s the announcement of this Thursday night fundraiser:
Dessert + Bingo = Dingo!
WHAT is it? It is a FUNdraiser for the WSHS junior class!
WHERE is it? West Seattle High School (in the commons!)
WHEN is it?
November 14 @ 6:30 pm (It’s okay if you’re lateJ)WIN AWESOME RAFFLE PRIZES: Coastal Basket, Tully’s Basket, Movie Night Basket, Golf Basket, Boeing Basket, Spa Basket, Boeing Basket (with 2 Museum of Flight tickets), Bookworm Basket, WSHS Basket, Wakeboard, Mountain Bike
Entrance fee is $7 and includes a bingo card (additional by donation). Bingo lovers of all ages are welcome!
If you have any questions, contact Class President Ellen Salenjus @ ellensalenjus27@gmail.com
Babysitting service available for $5.00 per child
WSHS is at 3000 California SW.
WSHS’s gala next week, Chief Sealth’s gala this week, and six other school fundraisers are listed in our previous roundup – if you haven’t sent word of yours yet, please do, for our next update (and our calendar if it’s a time-specific event) – editor@westseattleblog.com – thanks!
Congratulations to West Seattle High School sophomore Gabby Carufel, who qualified Saturday night for 3A state competition in the 100-yard backstroke. The report and photo are from Gabby’s proud mom Danette Carufel. The girls’ championships begin Friday night with preliminaries at the King County Aquatic Center in Federal Way.
South Seattle Community College (WSB sponsor) is adding another bachelor’s-degree program as of next year. Here’s the announcement:
The State Board for Community and Technical Colleges recently approved a new baccalaureate of applied science (BAS) degree in Sustainable Science Technology that will be offered at South Seattle Community College in the fall of 2014.
In response to industry demand, the primary purpose of this program is to provide students with the skills needed to run an energy-efficient facility.
An exciting celebration at Holy Rosary School on Friday – the prize presentation for its winning student billboard artist!
This all goes back to June, when we published the art created by the finalists in the Franciscan Health System (WSB sponsor; formerly Highline) contest after they invited local students to write and illustrate healthy-living tips, with the winner to be put up on a billboard alongside the West Seattle Bridge. The winner was Holy Rosary student Audrey Kline (at center in our photo above, with HR’s Father John Madigan and the other HR finalists in the contest). In case you missed seeing Audrey’s art on the billboard, here it is again:
Audrey’s win was announced in September (WSB coverage here); then on Friday, Franciscan Health System leaders came to Holy Rosary to present the other part of the prize – a $500 grant for health education at the school.
P.S. Back in September, after the event announcing the winning billboard, we had first word of Franciscan’s plan to move its Roxbury clinic to Westwood Village. We learned yesterday that they are aiming for an opening date in mid-December.
That’s Our Lady of Guadalupe first-grader Seville Stoll – seeing her dad 6,000 miles away via Skype just before his long-distance participation in the school’s Veterans Day assembly today. U.S. Army Lt. Col. Kevin Stoll serves with the Army Corps of Engineers and is currently in Iraq. His wife Jen and OLG fourth-grader son Solden also were there for the long-distance reunion, as part of the family’s presentation during the assembly:
Students gathered for the assembly and prayer service heard Lt. Col. Stoll talk about why he serves and what it means to him; the online connection even enabled him to show them a slide presentation. Jen Stoll told the students about what it’s like to be a military family with a parent overseas. During the assembly and prayer service the middle-school choir sang the national anthem:
They also sang “Happy Birthday” to Seville, who turned 7 today. Also there, Lt. Col. Stoll’s parents Leonard and Sheila Stoll – both retired military, Air Force and Army respectively – shown with their grandson, holding photos of his dad:
OLG tells us the fourth graders led today’s gathering as part of the school’s stewardship tradition; they are working with the Veterans Administration and other organizations to support active-duty service personnel as well as veterans.
School libraries and public libraries would seem like natural partners – so that’s why it was cause to celebrate when Seattle Public Library reps visited the Sanislo Elementary School library this week to mark a pilot program funded by collaboration grant. At left, that’s Sanislo librarian Craig Seasholes. The grant, as explained by Seattle Public Schools, is “aimed at providing expanded library services to students, family, and staff” at Sanislo and Roxhill Elementaries.
It’s a yearlong pilot project, and as part of it, SPL is loaning books and materials that the district says “support Common Core State Standards,” along with other books that students can take home to read – above, the first batch is linked to Veterans Day Sanislo’s participation in the annual SPL Global Reading Challenge competition also will expand as part of the program.
Wednesday’s event not only included in-person visitors (among them, the district’s West Seattle executive director Israel Vela and local School Board member Marty McLaren) but also online guests who have expertise with this kind of collaboration.
P.S. There’s more background on librarian Seasholes’s website, here, and in last August’s announcement by SPL.
As school open-house season continues, Harbor School on Vashon Island, which serves grades 4-8, is sponsoring WSB to reach out to West Seattle families, and is offering special transportation assistance to get interested families to its open house next Wednesday – including a ferry ticket if you RSVP today, and shuttle service from the dock if you RSVP by Tuesday:
On Wednesday, November 13 at 7 PM, Harbor School will be holding an Open House for prospective students from West Seattle and their families on their Vashon Island campus.
Harbor School, a non-profit, independent school, serving Grades 4 through 8, would like to introduce West Seattle families to a vibrant academic environment on Vashon Island – just a short ferry ride from Fauntleroy. Newly positioned to expand their student capacity, Harbor School has begun an active outreach program to West Seattle families.
Read on for specifics:
It’s playoff time for many fall sports – and last night, we stopped by Southwest Athletic Complex as Metro League girls-varsity soccer teams including West Seattle High School played post-season games. The Wildcats – winners of so many shutouts during the regular season – were held scoreless by Seattle Prep, 2-0.
Their postseason continues Thursday; we’re still checking on schedules.
P.S. We appreciate time/place info on any and all playoff games involving other schools and sports; postseason schedules aren’t as easy to track down! editor@westseattleblog.com – and good luck to all!
When you think of scores and schools – you might think of sports. We certainly hear about those numbers far more often than on the ones that come from the classroom. So we were glad to hear from West Seattle Elementary School in High Point, excited to share the news of its ongoing academic success. The following is by WSES Ritchie Garcia:
West Seattle Elementary has had a dramatic turnaround of student performance on state exams since 2010. Over the last four years, science scores have increased from 3% to 70% passing rate.
Fourth- and fifth-grade reading scores went from 41 percent and 32 percent, respectively, to 70 percent and 73 percent passing rate.
Students have made significant progress in math as well:
We have a diverse population at our school as well as 90 percent of students receiving free and reduced lunch. Our success is significant because we are an achievement gap school that is making a difference for its students. Walking through the hallways in the building, you’ll see classrooms full of students completely engaged in learning and enjoying the school day.
How did this happen? Not overnight, would be the best response. Four years ago, West Seattle Elementary received a Race to the Top grant and experienced a restructuring of staff and administration.
Unlike a charter school that can create a new school culture overnight with its bylaws and self-selecting parents who agree to adhere to that school culture, it takes time (sometimes several years) to change the culture of an existing school. To change a culture, it has to be school-wide and requires strong leadership and partnership with the community, which is why there can be schools with great teachers and low-performing students. It takes a vision and intentional effort to redefine the culture of a school.
I have seen many public schools in affluent neighborhoods raise thousands of dollars through their community to procure materials, hire more teachers, etc.; that amount of fundraising makes it hard to communicate to students in impoverished areas that we are either a meritocracy or there is equity in the public school system. We can help bring some equity to our school by raising money through donations that help build capacity.
How did West Seattle attain success? Some teaching staff stayed throughout the four years and some have moved on. What has been consistent throughout is the leadership in the building and an implementation of systems school-wide. We do not teach a scripted curriculum nor to the test, but we do teach to meet state and common core national standards.
It is not all about increasing test scores, either. In K-2, teachers have instilled a passion for learning, and have taught students the roles and responsibilities of being a student as well as meeting learning standards. More students are arriving in the upper grades inquisitive and enjoying the learning process making it easier for all students to succeed. Many schools have great teachers but it takes more than just great teachers to change a culture or climate. It takes time.
Because we are a green school in an urban area and have made significant academic gains, we have been given an opportunity for our population of students to participate in a science field experience at Islandwood, with our students learning from scientists while conducting their own investigations as well as create a service learning project with Nature consortium. This is a learning experience in which students of low socio-economic status rarely get to partake.
WSES is crowdfunding to make sure the Islandwood experience can happen, as mentioned in our recent roundup of school fundraisers in our area (another one’s in the works, by the way). Here’s the link.
As a followup to last month’s community meeting about youth drug/alcohol-use concerns, a special parent workshop is planned during this Wednesday’s West Seattle High School PTSA meeting, and all are welcome. Here’s the announcement:
Join the WSHS PTSA on Wednesday, November 6th, from 7 pm-8:30 pm in the West Seattle High School library. We will be hosting Mike Graham-Squire from Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD), who will present a “Power of Parents” workshop – a parent guidebook that will help families talk to their kids while using positive parenting techniques that have been proven to help reduce underage drug and alcohol use will be distributed to attendees.
We’ll entice you with tantalizing details of the upcoming Reaching for the Stars auction! Have you donated your item and purchased your ticket? It will be a very fun night – and the best part is that it will benefit the students and staff at the school.
All are welcome. To access the library, enter the building through the side door in front of the visitor parking stalls.
That’s the main lot, at 3000 California SW. P.S. Regarding the WSHS gala – ticket deadline is just one week away; here’s where to get tickets and info.
Playing with a high-wind warning in effect for the area, Seattle Lutheran scored a win at West Seattle Stadium on Saturday afternoon, beating Manson High School – visiting from Lake Chelan – 42-35.
At Memorial Stadium on Saturday night, Chief Sealth International High School got off to a fast start against Bishop Blanchet – but had subsequent trouble handling the ball.
From a 7-7 tie, Sealth’s opponent did the rest of the scoring. Final score was Blanchet 36, Sealth 7.
With everything else happening today – there was post-season high-school football too. In one of three games involving local teams, West Seattle High School played a 4 pm game at Memorial Stadium downtown; final score, Lakeside 41, WSHS 14.
(Light area is proposed Fairmount Elementary attendance area; click image for full-size view)
Seattle Public Schools has just released the third draft of its “Growth Boundaries” proposal. We’re going through it now but didn’t want to wait to put up the link so you can review it too. One key section starts with the map showing the proposed Fairmount Park Elementary attendance zone, which would take effect next school year. More later.
Seattle Public Schools has just announced that five more schools in West Seattle are offering free full-day kindergarten – as in, no extra fees charged to families – effective immediately. We first heard about this thanks to a parent whose school is circulating a letter announcing this, and now there’s a news release from the district. The West Seattle schools are Alki, Arbor Heights, Gatewood, K-5 STEM at Boren, and Pathfinder K-8; five other area elementaries already had free full-day K. Read on for details in the official announcement:
Read More
Starting Friday night and continuing for five performances, you can support the West Seattle High School Drama Club by seeing its fall production, “The Diary of Anne Frank.” This is the famous story of a Jewish family hiding in Amsterdam to try to avoid the Nazis, as told by young Anne. Showtimes are 7:30 pm this Friday and Saturday and November 6, 7, 8. The lowest-priced tickets are $7 by e-mail reservation (reservations@westsidedrama.com); otherwise, you will pay $12 at the door at the WSHS Theater (3000 California SW). More information, including the cast list, on the Drama Club website.
(UPDATED 8:50 PM for a total of 8 school fundraisers, current and upcoming)
It’s fundraising season for local schools – and four SIX EIGHT local PTSA/PTA groups have shared updates on how you can help, as well as how the community has helped already:
LAFAYETTE WALK-A-THON: Lafayette Elementary‘s minute-long video recaps last Friday’s Walk-A-Thon; Kelly Johnston from the PTA tells us: “As a school, the students ran a combined total of 9,477 Laps. This is about 1,898 miles! The students collected $58,000, and local business donated over $15,000! We are so grateful to all of our business sponsors. A link featuring them can be found here.”
ARBOR HEIGHTS DIRECT DRIVE: Some PTAs have launched “Direct Donation Drives” – including Arbor Heights Elementary, which is running through November 6th, and is welcoming donations from the community as well as from those with kids at/ties to the school: “Funds go toward our Young Authors Day activities, Kindergarten Aides, stipends for teacher projects, and much more.” The school website features multiple alternatives for donating, including online.
CHIEF SEALTH ‘PASSPORT TO EXCELLENCE’ AUCTION/DINNER: The biggest annual benefit for Chief Sealth International High School is set for 6 pm Friday, November 15th, at The Hall at Fauntleroy, with a sit-down dinner, entertainment, and auction. You can buy tickets online by going here; you can browse auction items here.
WEST SEATTLE HS ‘REACHING FOR THE STARS’ AUCTION/DINNER: One week after that, it’s the biggest annual benefit for West Seattle High School – 5:30 pm Friday, November 22nd, in the Brockey Center at South Seattle Community College (WSB sponsor). You can buy tickets online by going here; auction items are previewable here.
ADDED 2:16 PM: Since we first published this roundup, we’ve received word of two more fundraisers:
K-5 STEM DIRECT DONATION DRIVE: Our area’s newest public school has a direct-give drive under way; the K-5 STEM PTA points out that the district didn’t give them any money for library books, for example, so they have only what the PTA is raising money for, and that’s just part of what they need. Their plan, and the link for donating online, can be seen here.
NOVEMBER READ-A-THON MONTH AT DENNY: Also just received word of Denny International Middle School’s upcoming Read-A-Thon during December:
Students set reading goals with their literacy teachers (a number of pages or books) and then collect pledges from friends family or the community toward those goals. The first week in December we collect on the pledges and hope for a great double reward money for the school and learning by our students. If anyone is interested in sponsoring a student, please contact the Read-a-Thon chair Nicole Sipila at alipis@clearwire.net. We’ll finish our literacy fundraising with a book fair celebration at the Westwood Barnes and Noble on Dec. 12th. Purchases that night (actually all that week) can go toward Denny if you tell the clerk at checkout. We’ll be featuring some Denny student art, music, and writing that Tuesday evening.
ADDED 8:50 PM: Two more!
WEST SEATTLE ELEMENTARY CAMP FUNDRAISER: 4th and 5th graders from West Seattle Elementary School are going to Islandwood, with donors’ help – they’re crowdfunding, so you can donate (and find out more) here.
ALKI ELEMENTARY AUCTION: Got word tonight of the Alki Elementary PTA Gold Rush Auction & Dinner at 5:30 pm Saturday, November 16th, at The Hall at Fauntleroy. You can browse items for this auction online by going here; and you can buy your tickets online here.
Other major school fundraisers in progress/coming up? Let us know!
For some fall sports, the playoffs are just beginning. Golf is ahead of the game; the Metro League golf tournament was last week, reports parent Kristin Gibson, who says two West Seattle High School boys-varsity players finished in the top 23, Bailey Fuentes and Zach Gibson (shown above in the photo she shared), and qualified for the state tournament May 28-29 of next year at Tri-Mountain Golf Course in Ridgefield. She also reports that Tony Flores finished 37th and Joe Mitchell 45th. Congratulations to the WSHS golfers!
6:39 PM: Under way right now at the Seattle Lutheran High School gym on the north end of The Junction, fourteen local schools have representatives at the West Seattle Education Fair, ready to talk with you, serving grades pre-8th. There’s free parking in the SLHS lot right across the street from the gym (4100 SW Genesee), whose entry is marked with a big bunch of balloons. Here’s who’s here:
Cometa Playschool
Community School of West Seattle
Explorer West Middle School (WSB sponsor)
Harbor School (WSB sponsor)
Holy Rosary School
Hope Lutheran School
Lake Washington Girls Middle School
Our Lady of Guadalupe
Seattle Girls’ School
SSCC Cooperative Preschools
Taproot School
Village Cooperative School
West Seattle Montessori School (WSB sponsor)
Westside School (WSB sponsor)
Also here, Roxbury Spine and Wellness Clinic (WSB sponsor), Freedom13.org, a child-safety-education organization, and us – we’re sponsoring the event, reporting live. Admission’s free and it’s a casual wandering-around setup – drop by any time before 8:30 pm.
7:29 PM UPDATE: If you’re bringing little ones – there’s a play area where they can get creative.
Many of the participating schools are here with their principals/head of schools.
At left in the photo above is Explorer West MS head of school Evan Hundley, with director of admissions Claudia Rose. Three schools are here from outside West Seattle, including Vashon Island-based Harbor School, here with Allison Reid and (right) head of school James Cardo
One more hour remaining – it’s going fast, and the turnout’s been great.
8:19 PM UPDATE: With the World Series and Seahawks game on – plus bedtime for kids – things have slowed down and some of the participants are folding up, so we’d advise against trying to rush over at the last minute. Follow the links above to the schools’ websites; many still have open houses coming up this fall. Thanks to everyone who participated, and congratulations to SLHS for hosting an event bringing together others in the education community – below, SLHS’s Jeanne Flohr, who put the event together, with SLHS head of school Dave Meyer:
| 3 COMMENTS