So Admiral-based Engine 29 pulls into the Lafayette Elementary schoolyard this afternoon:

No fire, but there was a sense of urgency. The entire school was out on the playground, watching the engine come to a stop:

Then a woman in a firefighter’s hat bounded out of the engine.

We knew the secret – it was actually Lafayette’s new principal Shauna Heath, who used the first assembly of the school year for a “dramatic entrance” to announce the year’s theme: “Lafayette is on fire!” (As in, burning for learning, etc.) She and some of her staff were also wearing T-shirts with another slogan – “Only the best is good enough.”

Hot day – apropos to the theme – so the kids (and staff!) weren’t kept out too long; they got a pep talk and then it was back to class.

Community groups, whether new or established, know how tough it is to find someplace affordable and available to have a meeting, particularly at night. New solution: The city and school district say they’re opening up public-school libraries citywide, for a low price per meeting. Read on!Read More

At Southwest Athletic Complex this afternoon, Chief Sealth International High School hosted West Seattle High School for an early-season girls-soccer match.

Sealth scored first; West Seattle answered quickly, and scored again in the second half. That was the final, 2-1. WSHS is now 1-0, Sealth 0-2. Both teams play again Tuesday – West Seattle hosts Cleveland, Sealth visits Rainier Beach.

Before Wednesday ends, a few more scenes from the start of school:

First, two photos shared by families: Chloe started kindergarten today! Next, it’s Tilden School first-grader Grayson:

Also from a parent … this poem by Kate Calamatta, whose youngest child started kindergarten today:

The Pause

Sandwiches, beakers, cereal bars, first day treats;
New rucksacks, writing pads, folders, and socks;
Fall haircuts, nails clipped, skin scrubbed;
This day, marked on the mailed-out calendar, has arrived.

We did wading pools, beaches, the mountain;
Had BBQs, picnics, saw jets, and whales;
Got tans, bought hats, lived in shorts;
I encouraged, enthused, quietly prepared.

Family came and went, laughter and love;
Celebrations and birthdays, play dates and playgrounds;
Adventures and explorations, bike rides in the never ending sunshine;
And it had to end, for another year.

A quiet daytime house, with questions of “what’s next?”
No younger siblings to command my attention;
Just me, whoever I may be;
After seven years of raising boys;
My motherhood remains, but is changed;
For me, forever, and now I pause.

Back to photos: At Lafayette Elementary, day 1 for new principal Shauna Heath (right, with staffer Mimi Armitstead):

(Lafayette remains West Seattle’s most populous elementary, slightly more students than Schmitz Park, according to the district.) And at Arbor Heights Elementary, led by second-year principal Christy Collins, everyone gathered in the sunshine before trooping in:

This was also a milestone day for new Roxhill Elementary principal Sahnica Washington – who we visited last week for the Seattle Police Officers Guild donation event – and new Westside School (WSB sponsor) head of school Kate Mulligan.

(Whichever school – if any – you are affiliated with, please help us share the news of events and achievements through the year – editor@westseattleblog.com or 206-293-6302 any time!)

An old tradition, a new face at Schmitz Park Elementary this morning. On the first day of school in previous years, Alan Schmitz, grandson of West Seattle pioneers Ferdinand and Emma Schmitz, had always spoken during the flag ceremony; Mr. Schmitz died this past March, so his son Dietrich Schmitz (above right, with Schmitz Park principal Gerrit Kischner) spoke today instead. Here’s where everyone gathers:

Then, the ceremony, which we recorded on video – you’ll see and hear student Tyler Johnston directing the color guard before principal Kischner introduces the staff (and others).

Schmitz Park now has more than 540 students, with many studying in portable classrooms, but may get a new, larger building on the current Genesee Hill campus later this decade, if that is written into next year’s BEX levy and approved by voters.

(With principal Dr. Shannon McKinney, student Hajo got ready to help cut the ribbon. Photos by Nick Adams for WSB)
9:17 AM: We’re at West Seattle’s brand-new public school, K-5 STEM at Boren, which starts classes in about 15 minutes.

(Superintendent Banda with Xavier Nguyen and parents Mat and Tia)
Seattle Public Schools Superintendent José Banda is here, as is the regional Executive Director of Schools Carmela Dellino …

… and dozens of excited parents and students already milling around on the south side of the campus, which has been closed the past two years (since serving as Chief Sealth International High School‘s temporary home). The phrase “It’s exciting” has resounded multiple times through the crowd.

From curriculum decisions to enrollment to hiring to building renovations, K-5 STEM at Boren has been “built” in just seven and a half months; as part of a “short-term capacity management plan,” the School Board voted January 25th to create it.

More on the superintendent’s visit and K-5 STEM’s first day, coming up.

1:08 PM UPDATE: Added photos from WSB contributing photojournalist Nick Adams (including images substituted above for the cameraphone photos previously included):

K-5 STEM is West Seattle’s only public school requiring uniforms. While teachers and students started getting to know each other and their new school, mingling continued in a room near the entrance:

The first PTA meeting, as noted in comments, is September 19th, 7 pm. (added) PTA president Heidi Alessi spoke during this morning’s first-ever assembly, too:

ADDED 8:50 PM: As promised, several more photos from the historic first day – click ahead:Read More

Almost everyone who’s not already back to school will be returning today (with exceptions here and there). And that includes opening day for a brand-new West Seattle elementary school (in a building that’s been empty for two years). Today’s highlights:

TONIGHT’S TRAFFIC ALERT: From this week’s day-by-day/night-by-night list, the southbound Alaskan Way Viaduct will be closed again 9 pm-5 am between the Battery Street Tunnel and West Seattle Bridge.

BACK TO SCHOOL! Most Seattle Public Schools students will be back in class starting today (with a few examples – such as, at Denny International Middle School, the 6th graders get the campus to themselves today, with others returning tomorrow), as will the local independent schools that haven’t started already. Remember that this means school buses on the road, middle/high-school students on Metro buses too, school-zone speed-limit enforcement, and more, so please take care.

OPENING DAY FOR K-5 STEM AT BOREN: Seven and a half months after the Seattle School Board approved opening a new “option” school in the two-years-closed Boren Building on Delridge, this is opening day for K-5 STEM (science/tech/engineering/math focus) at Boren. Among its first visitors will be new SPS Superintendent José Banda, scheduled to visit 9 am-10 am.

HIGH-SCHOOL SPORTS: Varsity games/matches are listed on our calendar daily, including all three of West Seattle’s major high schools playing volleyball today.

PUMPKIN-PIE FUNDRAISER: Starting today and continuing Wednesdays, 2-8 pm, till they’re all spoken for, you will find Diane Niemi at the West Seattle Eagles‘ aerie in The Junction, taking pre-orders for homemade pumpkin pies for Thanksgiving. The Heritage Pumpkin Pie Project involves a special family recipe with which she’s baking pies to raise money for Alzheimer’s/dementia research, in honor of her mother. More info in our listing.

DANCING AT THE SENIOR CENTER: The popular Lauren Petrie is at the Senior Center of West Seattle for dancing tonight, 6-8 pm.

SOUTHWEST DISTRICT COUNCIL: Now that it’s September, community organizations are getting back to their regular meeting schedules, starting with the Southwest District Council tonight, 7 pm at South Seattle Community College’s board room. Our calendar listing includes the agenda, which features a discussion on historic preservation.

… and there’s more on the calendar!

Though Wednesday is the big back-to-school day this week, with Seattle Public Schools and others starting classes, tomorrow (Tuesday) is the first day for the major West Seattle parochial schools:

*Holy Family School (20th/Roxbury), which starts a new Spanish-English dual-language program this year. Principal Frank Cantwell tells WSB, “We have hired seven bilingual teachers from Mexico, South America and Spain. Our Pre-School, Pre Kindergarten, and Kindergarten students will be learning half their subjects in Spanish and half in English. Each year, we will include the next grade up.”

*Holy Rosary School (42nd/Genesee), which has a new office administrator and is also looking forward to this year’s WestFest family festival, less than 2 weeks away.

*Hope Lutheran School (42nd/Oregon), where principal Kristen Okabayashi says much is new this year, including the new Singapore-based math curriculum “Math in Focus” for K-8 classrooms, an updated computer lab “with all-new computers and virtualization technology,” two new teachers, a new afternoon preschool class for 4-year-olds, and remodeled school-entrance and school-lobby areas.

*Our Lady of Guadalupe School (34th/Myrtle)

*Seattle Lutheran High School (41st/Genesee), which has a new principal this year, Dave Meyer (as reported here in June). Co-housed St. Christopher Academy also starts tomorrow.

(If we missed any West Seattle school that starts classes tomorrow, please let us know so we can add. Thanks!)

During tonight’s Summer Concerts at Hiawatha finale, at the south edge of the row of sponsor/community group tables bordering the lawn, Sean Reynolds was there on a mission: To talk with anyone interested in Phase 3 of the Lafayette Elementary Playground Improvement Project, for which volunteers – who in previous rounds have engaged in various forms of fundraising – are seeking a city grant. This time, it’s the area between the school building’s west side and the playground – with three concepts in play right now. Sean shared the PDFs you can open to take a closer look at each concept:

Concept A
Concept B
Concept C

Each weaves aspects of environmental learning with improvements to reduce the impermeable area of the schoolyard. If you haven’t already commented on them, there’s one more chance next week:

Master Plan presentation meeting – Thursday, September 6th, 7:00 PM Lafayette Elementary
This meeting will be a presentation to the community of the updated Lafayette Elementary School Phase III Master Plan to be submitted to the city in an attempt to win funding through the City of Seattle Parks & Green Spaces Levy Opportunity Fund. This will be the final round of feedback to incorporate into the materials to be submitted with the application on September 17th.

It’s been almost exactly a year, by the way, since Phase 2 was dedicated just before the start of school last year.

(WSB photos by Patrick Sand; click this image for larger view)
Roxhill Elementary‘s teachers, staff, City Year (red shirts) reps, and new principal Sahnica Washington are on campus today getting ready for next Wednesday’s start of the new school year – and they have extra reason to smile because of what you see in the foreground of this photo:

That’s part of the $1,000 worth of school supplies presented today by the Seattle Police Officers’ Guild, which has “adopted” Roxhill this year, after helping other schools in the past.

(From left, SPOG’s Deb Nicholson and Randy Robinson, Roxhill principal Sahnica Washington, SPOG’s Ed Harris, Rich O’Neill, Kevin Stuckey)
Sgt. Rich O’Neill, guild president, says it’s important for police to build relationships with youth long before they have the chance to get in trouble – to let kids know they want to be a friend, not “the person who’s out to get you.” (Although he joked that he hoped the staff didn’t recognize two of the officers who helped with the presentation, since they do Traffic Enforcement out on Roxbury, among other places!) The guild is the union for more than 1,200 SPD officers and sergeants. (Update: Video of today’s presentation:)

P.S. Roxhill is having its back-to-school barbecue 4:30-6:30 today.

Just got word from Seattle Public Schools about the rounds that new Superintendent José Banda plans for the first day of school on Wednesday; the district says he will start the day at West Seattle’s brand-new K-5 STEM at Boren, 9 am-10 am, before heading out to schools elsewhere in the city. (June photo by Ilona Berzups Photography)

The 300-plus ninth graders entering Chief Sealth International High School will have the campus all to themselves for the first half of the first day of school a week from tomorrow – well, except for their 70 or so mentors. Those students are who you see in our photos – all juniors or seniors, who will be back on campus today for their second day of training for the mentoring program known as Link Crew, which Sealth is using this year for the first time.

Last year, we covered Link Crew’s West Seattle High School debut; this year, it’s debuting at Sealth with the help of a grant the school obtained. That included covering the costs of training for the faculty who are in turn training the Link Crew mentors, who activities coordinator Sam Reed explains were chosen from about 120 applicants. This week, they’re spending two days practicing the sort of team-building exercises they’ll go through next week with the incoming Class of 2016:

As Reed put it, these students have been leading by example – and now, they will be leading by coaching. We talked with the Sealth senior who is serving as the group’s president, Frank Wenn (right). He told WSB that he applied to “help out” and to be “more involved” with what’s going on at school (not that he was exactly disengaged previously, as a football player [right tackle], baseball-team member, and International Baccalaureate program student). What message will he have for the freshmen next week? we asked. Frank said he’ll tell them not to panic about suddenly being in high school: “You’re not going to feel isolated. Everyone here is so friendly – it’s easy to make friends.” Frank and his dozens of fellow Link Crew mentors are working with five faculty members – along with Reed, they are Dean of Students Charlene Grisim, social worker Carrie Syvertsen, and teachers Kim Dinh and Luke Azinger. And even after that all-important first day of school on September 5th, the mentors will be touchstones for the freshmen throughout the year; maybe, a few years later, some of them will even sign up to be Link Crew leaders themselves.

West Seattle’s newest public school is one of the first to have its “back-to-school bash” – thanks to Robin and Kathleen for the info on today’s event for families assigned to the brand-new K-5 STEM at Boren:

Sunday, August 26th from 5 pm – 9 pm

WHERE: Lincoln Park Shelter 1 & picnic tables 1-22 are reserved
South parking lot by the zip line playground

WHAT: Food, friends and fun including a water balloon toss, red rover, and feel free to bring things to play with (footballs, soccer balls, bubbles)

Please bring a potluck food to share and drinks, plates and utensils for just your family! If you can donate – PLEASE bring a uniform item (shirt / pants / shorts / skirt) to the back-to-school-bash. We will have a donation box there – and would love to have inventory for families before school starts!

1st day of school for Seattle Public Schools is one week from Wednesday, September 5th.

More preparation today for the new school year that starts on September 5th, less than two weeks away: Chief Sealth International High School‘s new portable classrooms are being moved into place on the west edge of the campus. On Wednesday afternoon, we photographed the two that had just arrived (above); today, the other two are moving in.

As reported here in June, they will house 9th-grade language-arts and history classes, according to Sealth principal Chris Kinsey. He announced in June that 2012-2013 enrollment was projected to be more than 1,300, about 100 beyond last year, which was already above capacity (and according to a Seattle Public Schools report published this week, 115 students are on its waiting list [total for all grades/programs]).

Seattle Public Schools‘ 2012-2013 school year begins exactly two weeks from today. As the year gets going, new Superintendent José Banda plans “regional meetings” to meet families and commnity members – and he is offering in-person meetings one day a month, too. Details on both, ahead:Read More

West Seattle’s smallest public high school has a new home. You may recall that Middle College High School lost its longtime home at South Seattle Community College (here’s our 6/13 report), which says it needs the space; then Seattle Public Schools planned to co-house it at Boren with K-5 STEM (reported 6/15), but neither school community welcomed that, and a new solution was sought (with confirmation 8/6 that MCHS would definitely not be at Boren). Just received from SPS:

Dear South Seattle Middle College and K-5 STEM at Boren families:

As you know, our South Seattle Middle College program lost its classroom space at South Seattle Community College for the 2012-13 school year and we were planning to co-locate the program on the K-5 STEM at Boren campus.

I’m pleased to announce that we have secured classrooms for South Seattle Middle College at the High Point Center Building located at 6400 Sylvan Way SW in West Seattle. As a result, the Middle College and K-5 Stem programs will remain on separate campuses.

The space at the High Point Center is well-suited for our small Middle College Program and is conveniently located with easy bus line access for our high school students.

We appreciate the feedback from our families, and we worked very closely with the Middle College Principal, Cindy Nash, as we developed a solution we believe will benefit both our Middle College and K-STEM families.

We look forward to seeing all of you at the start of the 2012-13 school year.

Sincerely,

Carmela Dellino
Executive Director of Schools, Southwest Region
Seattle Public Schools

Roxhill Elementary‘s new principal has been announced, just three weeks after word that Carmela Dellino would move up to become Seattle Public Schools‘ new executive director of West Seattle schools. Here’s the letter from Superintendent José Banda:

Dear Roxhill Elementary community,

I am excited today to announce the appointment of Sahnica Washington as your new principal.

Ms. Washington has been with Seattle Public Schools since 1998, and she comes to Roxhill after serving as a STAR mentor for the past four years. She is deeply committed to helping all students excel by encouraging them to work to their highest potential. She will be a great fit for Roxhill Elementary community.

Sahnica Washington is familiar to many Roxhill families from her time as principal intern in the 2010-2011 school year. She is excited to return as principal and looks forward to continuing to work with the students, families and staff at Roxhill.

Read More

West Seattle’s smallest public high school, Middle College HS, will not be sharing the Boren Building campus in Delridge with the new K-5 STEM elementary school after all – another location for MCHS has been found instead. That’s according to an announcement by West Seattle’s school-board rep Marty McLaren, confirmed by Seattle Public Schools spokesperson Teresa Wippel, though both say the new location cannot be publicly disclosed yet.

Read More