The speeches were short, the community-mingle-and-chat time long, during the fifth and final Seattle Public Schools regional “Welcome Back” meeting last night at Chief Sealth International High School. Above, Sealth principal John Boyd (left) is with Gatewood Elementary principal Rhonda Claytor, Mohamed Roble from the district’s Family and Community Engagement team, and head teacher Chris from Roxhill Elementary. Boyd and Claytor were two of 11 principals announced as in attendance from West Seattle schools; those who weren’t, had events under way at their schools.

Superintendent Dr. Maria Goodloe-Johnson was there, sharing a story she said she’d told at the previous meetings – about her kindergartener daughter wanting to choose her teacher, and hearing from Superintendent Mom that she couldn’t, but whomever she got would be “excellent.” She touched very briefly on several hot topics – saying that districtwide “curriculum alignment” was not the same as standardization, that the district has invested in its teachers through the recently approved contract, and that testing is vital – “it’s how we give formative data back to teachers about students.”

Her second-in-command, Chief Academic Officer Dr. Susan Enfield, spoke briefly, promising parents, “We will see gains [in student achievement] this year.” She also discussed the reorganization of the “executive directors” reporting to her and in turn directly supervising principals. Instead of being each assigned to manage a type of school, like elementary or middle or high school, they are now assigned regionally for “more tailored engagement with the community”; Aurora Lora, who’s in charge of West Seattle, spoke briefly, mentioning a “professional development” session earlier in the week in which she and the region’s principals gathered at Denny International Middle School. And there were other district leaders, such as Family/Community Engagement manager Bernardo Ruiz:

He told us that SPS families will see information sent home soon about what’s available for support through his department – with one major event coming up soon: a Family Academy and Early Learners’ Resource Fair, 10 am-2 pm October 16th at South Shore School (4800 South Henderson), featuring free workshops. The superintendent, meantime, is scheduled to return to West Seattle for another community event, one of her “coffee chats,” 6-7 pm October 25th at West Seattle Elementary.

Got the tip from a community advocate: The former Boren Middle School on Delridge – home to Chief Sealth International High School the past two years, but empty this year – is being boarded up, apparently without notice to the neighborhood. We went by to check it out, and indeed, crews like the one in our photo (taken on the north side of the Boren building) were covering the windows with sheets of wood. When we called Seattle Public Schools, our inquiry was referred to facilities communication director Tom Redman. He told us it’s a matter of security, since the school is not scheduled for use any time soon – though it remains on the roster as a possible emergency backup facility if some other SPS facility has to be suddenly taken out of service, and he said it might somehow figure into BEX 4 – BEX 3 was the ballot measure that included the Denny/Sealth rebuild/renovation/colocation project. We asked if the district had plans to watch for graffiti vandalism, since boarded windows might seem like more attractive targets than glass windows, and he said they certainly would respond to reports/complaints. He didn’t know, however, if boarding up unused schools was standard procedure (we’ll be looking at Genesee Hill and Fairmount Park, the two empty elementaries in West Seattle, both of which were offered for lease earlier this year along with the former EC Hughes, but while Hughes was snapped up by Westside School [WSB sponsor], Genesee and Fairmount had no takers).

THURSDAY AFTERNOON UPDATE: Redman clarifies the district’s policy:

We are selective. We try to balance asset protection with the cost of boarding the buildings not in use. Although not every window on every building not in use is boarded, we assess each building on a case by case basis.

While this morning’s community celebration of the Chief Sealth International High School overhaul was under way, we added a photo to an earlier story – now, a couple more: Top, Sue Daley and Lisa Sattler were at the Sealth PTSA table; the PTSA has its own website, by the way – with info including the date for this year’s fundraising auction (November 18th). Next photo – one of the true showpieces of the work on campus, the Galleria between the renovated Sealth and the in-progress Denny International Middle School:

Meantime, there’s another big event ahead at Sealth: This Thursday night, Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Maria Goodloe-Johnson and other top district officials will be there for a “welcome back” community meeting – not just for Sealth families, but for all SPS families in the West Seattle area – that’s set for 6:30-8 pm Thursday (September 30th).

The photo and report are shared by Kory Kumasaka from Chief Sealth International High School:

Chief Sealth International High School Senior Ebony Beauchamp was surprised in her third period class today when she was awarded the Nordstrom Diversity Scholarship worth $10, 000. Ebony’s family was also on hand to celebrate this great event. The good people at Nordstrom also brought cupcakes to share with her classmates.

Two notes from local high schools: One more reminder of the Chief Sealth International High School community celebration tomorrow – parents/guardians are welcome at 9:30 am, everybody else at 10 am, get a chance to tour the newly renovated school, and be entertained by CSIHS students and staff. A tour also was offered for participants at last night’s Sealth PTSA meeting, which we hear had a big turnout. Earlier this week we invited other schools to let us know about their meetings and we’ve since heard from Lori with the West Seattle High School PTSA, who says their first meeting of the year is next Wednesday (September 29th), 7 pm in the WSHS Library: “Everybody is welcome and membership is not required.”

We’ve got word of two PTSA meetings in the next two nights (and we welcome you sharing your announcement of any others) – first, from Lashanna:

Tonight Pathfinder K-8 will be having its 1st General PTSA meeting of the year. Our agenda is packed full of information about our school, what we do and how to get involved. Our goals this year are continued Academic Success and Community Building. You do not have to be a PTSA member to join, but you can join at the meeting! The meeting will be 6:30-8:00 pm in our cafeteria. We are excited about this upcoming year would be honored to have your participation in helping make our community ROCK (more) :)

And tomorrow night is the first PTSA meeting of the year at Chief Sealth International High School – 7 pm tomorrow (Thursday) – details on the school’s home page.

This afternoon, we welcome Westside School as a new WSB sponsor – as they get ready to show off their new West Seattle home with an open house this Sunday, 1-3 pm. New sponsors get the chance to share information they’d like you to know, so here’s their message: Westside School’s mission says it best … Westside School prepares students for the world by challenging them to achieve academic success and by connecting their human spirit and imagination to learning. Established in 1981, Westside School is West Seattle’s only elementary school accredited by the prestigious Pacific Northwest Association of Independent Schools. With classes in preschool through fifth grade, Westside School is a community of educators who care about the development of your child. Working in partnership with families, Westside helps each student fulfill his or her potential as an independent learner, developing self-discipline and responsibility while preserving natural curiosity, imagination, and joy. At Westside School, children experience small class size, an integrated and rigorous curriculum, and engaging, creative teachers. Enrichment classes like Chinese, Spanish, art, and music challenge students to embrace new cultures. Students in all areas of study find learning imaginative, joyful and fun. A Westside School education will not only give your child well-rounded instruction and an incredible sense of confidence, but you will also join an amazing community of parents and staff who care about you and your child. Please visit Westside School’s website at westsideschool.org for more information. The school is located at 7740 34th Avenue SW (map). They can be reached by phone at (206) 932-2511.

Again, Westside School has an open house this Sunday (September 19), 1-3 pm. We thank Westside for sponsoring independent, community-collaborative neighborhood news on WSB; find our sponsor team, and info on joining, all here.

Two notes tonight about upcoming events at local schools: First, there’s an addition to the schedule for the September 25th open-house celebration at Chief Sealth International High School, according to word tonight from principal John Boyd: The event will start with a 9:30 am “early-bird preview” for parents/guardians of Sealth students, before the “all-community celebration” begins at 10 am. Tours will be offered of the new galleria and the renovated gym and main Sealth building.

Second, Seattle Public Schools Superintendent Dr. Maria Goodloe-Johnson is launching a series of “coffee chats” and regional meetings, and two West Seattle stops are on the list: She’ll be at Sealth Thursday, September 30, with other top district officials, 6:30-8 pm, for a “welcome back” meeting geared toward all public-school families in the WS area. Then as part of a series of “coffee chats,” Monday, October 25, she’ll be at West Seattle Elementary, 6-7 pm. Both of the superintendent’s WS visits are scheduled to have interpretation available in Somali, Spanish and Vietnamese, according to the district announcement.

On the WSB Facebook page, we invited proud parents to share first-day-of-school photos, and here are the results – above, Nicole R‘s son Kieran, in his first day of first grade at Highland Park Elementary. Next, Mary Kate‘s first day of preschool, shared by mom Katie:

What a day at Lafayette Elementary! Check out the hallway shot – right after the bell rang – shared by Luckie:

Also at Lafayette, here are 1st graders Molly and Owen, as photographed by Molly’s mom Carrie Ann:

Not far away, Stacey Riley‘s son Kellan started 6th grade at Madison Middle School:

At Roxhill Elementary, it was the first day of fifth grade for Kelli, photographed by mom Lisa:

And Theo started kindergarten at Schmitz Park today, according to proud mom Jennifer:

The Internet’s got infinite room, so if you have a photo to share, send it along!

8:33 PM: Karlynn shares this photo of daughter Kahina, who started this week at Hope Lutheran:

11:09 PM: And Lashanna sends this photo of a trio from Pathfinder K-8 – Coco, Jayden, and Dante (she’s mom of the “bookends” in the photo):

Thanks for sharing photos – be sure to let us know when there’s news at your school too (sometimes we hear from the official sources, sometimes we don’t, so we really appreciate the heads-up, so we can share news of all kinds that helps everyone else in West Seattle know what’s up at local schools).