District News

The Alternative Survey that was offered, taken and compiled here at Salmon Bay will be making a showing at the next School District Board meeting. John Miner, principal of Thornton Creek, will be presenting the results of the Alternative Schools Self-Study (created by SB parent Caleb Banta Green) to the board at the regular meeting June 15, 6pm at the Stanford Center. A show of community support would speak volumes! Remember, if you can't make any meetings or forums, you can always watch school board meetings from the comfort of your own home on tv or computer: Info here

The School Board has approved 2011-2012 and 2012-2013 academic calendars. Mid-winder break will be shortened in 2012-2012.

The main change to the calendar is that in 2012-13, mid-winter break will be reduced from a full Monday-Friday week to four days over Presidents Day weekend – including the Friday before the weekend and the Monday of Presidents Day, which is already a holiday and a non-school day.

As a result of the shorter mid-winter break, the last day of school in 2012-13 will be June 14, assuming no snow make-up days.

The District invites the public to fill out a survey regarding District's Strategic Plan.

Seattle Public Schools is updating and adjusting the Strategic Plan with input from teachers, principals, parents, families, and members of our community. Please visit the following survey link to provide feedback to Seattle Public Schools: 

https://www.surveymonkey.com/s/SPS_Strategic_Plan_Survey_Spring_2011.

The survey consists of 21 questions and will close on Tuesday, May 31. Responses to the survey will remain confidential and anonymous. For questions about the survey, please email performancemanagement@seattleschools.org.

An alert from the WA State PTA warns that a possible $250 million cut to teacher pay could result in the loss of one school week due to teacher furloughs. Some legislators are currently working on bills to prevent this from happening. It is important that we support them. To learn more, and to find and contact your representatives, visit the WA State PTA advocacy page at http://capwiz.com/wastatepta/home/

Monday April 4th, Thornton Creek Elementary School is hosting a discussion regarding standardized testing.  Salmon Bay School is a partner with Thornton Creek on the Alternative Schools Coalition.  The ASC is co sponsoring the below event.   
 
Parent Perspectives on Standardized Testing
Love ‘em?  Hate ‘em?  Questions? Concerns?
Let’s talk!
 
Monday, April 4, 6-8 p.m.
Thornton Creek School
7711 43rd Ave NE, Seattle
All parents (& teachers) welcome!
 
Sponsored by Parents Across America - Seattle and the Alternative Schools Coalition.   For more info contact Chris: stewcc@hotmail.com or Dora: dora.taylor@gmail.com
 

 

Bill Supports Alternative Schools, by John Miner, Thornton Creek Principal

The Washington State House of Representatives is working on HB 1521, a bill that would recognize schools of innovation in the state. Thornton Creek School is named within the bill as an example of an innovation school in Washington.

Parents, please write your legislator and our School Board directors to request their support for HB 1521. The passage of this bill will help with work that the alternative schools have embarked on within the district. Seven of Seattle's alternative schools have begun working with SEA and SPS to establish operational assurances that will support creativity and innovation within the alternative schools.

The more support for HB 1521 that legislators receive, the more likely that the bill will pass. You can email the School Board at schoolboard@seattleschools.org.  You can find your Representative here.

Thank you for your help!

Update: The transportation maps don't include Salmon Bay school.  I emailed the district and was told that "because Salmon Bay is an "option school" there will be no changes to transportation eligibility next year." -- David Innes

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From the Seattle Public Schools website:

In the new transportation plan, transportation eligibility for attendance area elementary and K-8 students will be based on transportation zones.

Students within the transportation zone and outside the walk zone for a school will be eligible for District-provided transportation.

Students outside their immediate transportation zone, but within their extended intermediary boundary, can walk to an attendance area school for bus pick-up if they live within a safe walk zone (up to one mile). Otherwise, they walk up to a 1/2 mile to a regular neighborhood stop. This is a temporary option to extend transportation for two (2) years (2011-12 & 2012-13).

• Transportation Zones will include the entire attendance area of a school
• Transportation Zones will extend to areas within a 1.25 mile radius from the school and within the middle school service area
• Walk zones to schools will still apply.

A group of teachers, parents, and principals have been working on getting feedback about what makes alternative schools in Seattle an alternative school. 

Please click the button below and complete the anonymous survey by Friday, March 11th:

Alternative School Self Evaluation Salmon Bay Parent Version

The results of your feedback will be important for us at Salmon Bay as we work to improve the school, and will also be important to the school district as they determine how to sustain alternative education in Seattle Public Schools.

 

REGISTER and ATTEND FOCUS DAY – Mon, 2/21 in Olympia

Focus Day, the one day that parents from all over WA State go down to Olympia to rally and show support for K-12 education is on Monday, February 21st. Let’s repeat last year’s success with an even bigger crowd, so bring a group, grab the kids, bring the neighbors and head down to Olympia.

Supporting these legislative priorities takes all of us and this is a great opportunity for you, your kids and your school to get involved.  Make a school banner, bring more signs, get noticed and stand out. Show the state representatives that we care about education and that the state needs to do “its paramount duty” and fund K-12. Budget cuts in your district are a direct result of state funding, or lack of it. Make some noise and come down to Olympia.

Sign up today, here: Focus Day.

This is a kid-friendly event, there will be face painting, sign-making and noise makers as we march through Olympia and rally of the steps of the Capitol building.

Can’t make it? Attend virtually and send emails and calls to your legislators at NOON on Feb 21, do what you can to speak up.