Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Another open thread

A new year, a new open thread. How's 2014 treating you, APP parents? Talk about whatever you like!

13 comments:

Anonymous said...

I am interested in having a great music program at JAMS. I wonder if other NE APP 5th grade families are also interested in that. When HIMS became the north Seattle middle school for APP five years ago, two Lowell moms managed to organize, along with other HIMS parents, a great music program at HIMS. They got on the hiring committee --- I don't know what else they did. They started a 501c3 to get donations to support all the music programs--orchestra, band, choir, and also international music.
NEMom

Anonymous said...

Excuse me for bringing this up again as I know there have been numerous detailed discussion and a new round is probably in the works as middle school parents consider high school options but one thing has confused me:

Can north end APP kids apply to the Ingraham IB program or do they only have the option to apply to IBX? Can they apply to either IB or IBX?

The SPS APP website is unclear on this.

Thanks for any insight - and I accept that the "rules" on this stuff can change instantaneously.

-HIMS parent

Lynn said...

Did anyone make it to last night's APP-AC meeting? I'm wondering if there was any discussion of the service model task force.

Anonymous said...

Lynn-the AL Identification task force has been on hiatus for the month of December, it reconvenes next week.

NEMom--You should contact Zari Magness, the FOMAHI President (fomahi.president@gmail.com) about JAMS music program. I understand she has already met with Ms. Montgomery. Starting up a music program is very costly, so hopefully both Eckstein and FOMAHI will be donating funds/instruments to JAMS.

LH

37 Questions said...

It was about this time last year I started having questions as a potential APP family. Asking questions of this forum helped me navigate through the process. My son is now in app and his sister will qualify this year. I wonder if a thread for new/potential APP parents might be helpful..

Just a thought,

Jen C

Greg Linden said...

37 Questions, that's a good idea, thanks. A new thread is live and ready for questions and answers.

Lynn said...

LH - yes I think the identification task force is meeting again next week. My question was about the service delivery task force. The APP-AC was asked to determine the selection process and criteria for task force members and draft a charter for the task force. This is needed in January and I was wondering if there was any news on this process.

Anonymous said...

ACTION ITEM: send an email today to the Board and Mr. Banda (seattleschoolboard@seattleschools.org jlbanda@seattleschools.org ) for the start time of JAMS to mirror Hale's start time to provide excellence in education!

WHY: To leverage the educational opportunities between JAMS and Hale, such as math, foreign languages, and instrumental music, ESPECIALLY as kids are being pulled from Eckstein and Hamilton which both have rich and robust music offerings (including choral!), it is imperative that JAMS bell time be aligned with Hale.

It is not about early or late, it is not about bell times, it is about education: it is about having the SAME start time, whatever that is, so that it is possible to do the 'walk tos' and to get kids the courses they need!

PLEASE, PLEASE please advocate to support Principal Montgomery's vision to make JAMS as excellent as Eckstein and Hamilton, and, that starts by having a bell time that is the same as Hales.

THIS IS VITAL -- PLEASE EMAIL THE BOARD AND MR. BANDA TODAY!! TIME IS OF THE ESSENCE as the Board and Staff are figuring this stuff out right NOW.

As far as I am concerned, this is absolutely crucial to make JAMS be able to realize on the opportunities that uniquely exist at this campus, and that requires a same bell time.

Even if your student won't got to JAMS, please do send an email, because we want every school to be the best that it can be, and so your support to realize this goal would be incredibly helpful. Please do send them a email, advocacy can be powerful when the community stands up!

Thanks

-JAMS WILL ROCK

Hamilton Mom said...

Greg, would you consider a separate thread (now or in the next week or so) for parents to post on their experience in Garfield or Ingraham IBX? Current 8th graders are starting to tour HS and any feedback would be super helpful, it's a big decision to make. Anybody who has opinions about pros and cons,the teachers, the workload, atmosphere and social activities/opportunities, personalities that might do well in one program vs the other; also any fact-based info such as travel time; class sizes; scheduling and realistically getting the classes the student hopes for, etc...Thanks!
Hamilton Mom

Anonymous said...

Thanks for this request Hamilton mom, I am especially interested in what people do about travel to Ingraham and Garfield as neither one is remotely close to where we live. Two metro bus transfers sounds like a living nightmare.

On this topic, I found on the SPS transportation site that Ingraham provides AM yellow bus service to those in the most southern portion of their assignment region but PM is metro bus. Does this include APP students who are outside the Ingraham assignment region?

Thanks in advance for your information.

-HIMS parent

Greg Linden said...

No problem, a new thread on high school is up.

Anonymous said...

Hi HIMS parent,
My daughter rides the 48 bus to Garfield with a lot of Garfield students. The 48 starts on NW 85th, goes by Blanchet, Greenlake, Roosevelt HS, down 15th NE past UW Med. Center, across the Montlake bridge and up 23rd. I drop her off at one of the stops in the morning from our house. We leave our house around 7:05. She gets to school at 7:45. I know some students from north Seattle do take a bus downtown and transfer at 3rd and Cherry or near there.
NEmom (former HIMS parent)

Anonymous said...

Thanks very much for that info NEmom, that does look like a good route for us. Better than I would have found using the bus route planner.

-HIMS parent