Friday, June 27, 2014

Open thread

Almost July, and here's a new open thread. What's on your mind?

30 comments:

Anonymous said...

Wondering if someone could speak about their child's recent experiences at Garfield HS? What issues are arising/do you foresee at GF in future, academic or otherwise? What should an incoming 9th grader expect in 2014-2015?
Thank you!

Anonymous said...

What summer camps are your incoming WMS APP 6th graders attending? We'd like to tag along!
I was just offered a job I can't pass up, so I need to find summer camp/s for my 11 year old son.
He loves minecraft, science podcasts, reading Manga, sports not so much - typical APP kid??
We will be new this Fall to the APP program, so I was hoping Shane might be able to meet some of his classmates while attending summer camps.
We live in North Beacon Hill and I will be working in West Seattle.
Thanks for having this blog, and I hope you have some ideas for us!!
Cynthia Steiner Ganz

Anonymous said...

Noticing that Patricia Guenther's name is newly added to the staff page on the Lincoln website.

Isn't she the principal at WMS?

Anonymous said...

Ah, I see I've been out of the loop. Looks like WMS has a new principal for next year. Anyone know what Ms. Guenther's role will be at Lincoln?

Anonymous said...

this is just a guess, but the assistant principal will be on maternity leave soon, I believe, so maybe she's filling in during that time?

Anonymous said...

coyote central is a good start for middle school camps.

Michael Rice said...

IB results have been posted and the first cohort of IBx students did an amazing job. I congratulate them (and their families) for their successes. I think IBx at Ingraham and APP is going to be a long and fruitful relationship. I am already fired up for the fall.

Anonymous said...

An interim superintendent has been hired for SPS. Does anyone know his history or alignment with APP or APP-like services?

Anonymous said...

Dear All,

I am re-posting here from the Seattle Schools blog.

Please see the articles below regarding sexual assault at Garfield. The first link is to the Seattle Schools blog and the second to the article itself. Truly appalling on many levels. According to the report, the Seattle School District is one of only 23 districts nationwide under investigation for sexual violence under Title IX.

http://saveseattleschools.blogspot.com/2014/07/a-tragic-story.html

http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/america-tonight/articles/2014/7/18/on-rape-high-schoolsareworsethancolleges.html.

- Neighborhood Parent

Shelley F-V said...

We've got a first grader entering APP at Lincoln in September, coming from View Ridge. Are any other parents of first graders interested in getting our kids together before school starts? Park play date, anyone? Contact me privately if you like, sfairweather@yahoo.com.

Anonymous said...

Does anyone know when the JAMS office will be open for business?

For those headed to JAMS, there is a school supply list posted on the JAMS PTA website (donations of extra supplies are welcome).

http://www.jamsptsa.org/

Anonymous said...

The JAMS office is open now. Karen, the secretary is in most days.

Pm said...

Shelley F-V,

There are summer play dates organized by the school. You may want to call the school to see if you can be added to the email list. The dates are also listed on the SNAPP website: http://seattlenorthapp.org

Anonymous said...

The sexual assault has also been documented on the Stranger. This happened at an advanced learning school. As others are posting, it is not about the incident per se, but the shocking appalling and possibly criminal lack of safety provisions for all SPS kids.

Could your kid be in an SPS-sponsored situation like what happened? Yes, he or she could. If you don't look up and get angry and vocal about this situation then don't expect your own kid to be safe during SPS-sponsored events.

Anonymous said...

Appalling. It should outrage all SPS parents. It's not just about Garfield. But Garfield leadership should be weighing in about student safety in particular, and taking responsibility.
-Just saying

Anonymous said...

We need to mobilize and figure out how to keep our schools safe for all our kids and hold SPS staff and Garfield's principal accountable for this continuing tragedy.

More articles here:

http://saveseattleschools.blogspot.com/

and also in The Stranger:
http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2014/07/25/four-questions-about-the-garfield-high-school-rape-case

Neighborhood Parent

Anonymous said...

Anyone else hear about the civil rights investigation against Ingraham High school? Apparently there was enough evidence showing discrimination in the IB/IBX programs to bring in the Feds.

NB parent

Anonymous said...

Can anyone tell me where to get the new school year supply list. I looked at the website and could not find it. I need to buy supplies before we leave on an extended vacation - coming back the day before school starts.

Anonymous said...

What is meant by 'discrimination' at Ingraham - students were/were not admitted to the program based on ethnicity or gender? Issues within the classrooms? Teacher actions? Student actions? This is a broad statement and would like to understand the specific complaint more.

Considering Ingraham

Anonymous said...

Considering Ingraham,

I also find NB's comment vague and would like clarification also. It is my understanding that IB is the honors track at Ingraham, and that anyone who feels up to the workload can place themselves there. IBX is for APP students, so if there were a discrimination issue there it would be an APP (rather than an Ingraham) issue. I have often heard that Ingraham is an extremely welcoming place for all types of students, so this puzzles me. I have never heard anything about Feds being involved at there-- NB, would you please clarify?

rk

Anonymous said...

I didn't think any of the middle schools had "homeroom" each day. Am I misinformed?

I thought that what JAMS is doing is *adding* advisory/homeroom twice per week versus not having it at all. Do HIMS and Eckstein start each day with homeroom?

--confused

Anonymous said...

Homeroom at HIMS
Last year the students had homeroom combined with the lunch period and the break after lunch (3 different schedules for the 3 grades in the middle of the day).
Is there any change planned for this schedule in the middle schools?
HIMS parent

Anonymous said...

Last year Eckstein only had homeroom on Wednesday. The previous year it was on Tuesday and Thursdays.

Anonymous said...

I think the biggest adjustment will be moving to classes meeting only 4 days a week instead of 5. Sure, one day of class each week is a bit longer, but teachers need to compress and plan lessons for around 140 days instead of 180 days (minus standardized testing).

Anonymous said...

The JAMS schedule mirrors Nathan Hale's schedule and I am hearing the teachers are happy with this schedule. How nice to actually have enough time to do an entire science lab or go in depth in any of the subjects! I am excited about this "hybrid" schedule for my kid and I have heard only positive things about advisory from Hale students. We should think positively before judging.

Anonymous said...

Dear Opera Fans,

Exciting news! Mr. Norm Hollingshead, Emeritus APP block teacher, will be giving his famous opera previews in two Seattle Public Libraries this year - Greenlake and West Seattle. Previously, if parents wanted to get the same lecture the middle school kids got, we had to go to a King County Library. These free lectures are not to be missed and tremendously enhance ones enjoyment of the production.

sidneyd

Anonymous said...

Two job listings on the SPS career website:

K-5 Curriculum Specialist desired skills
• Knowledge of current best practices in the field of gifted education
• Familiarity with the Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards
• Understanding of the nature and needs of gifted students
• Experience with developing curriculum for advanced students in Kindergarten through grade five in all content areas

Desired skills for 6-12 Curriculum Specialist:
• Knowledge of current best practices in the field of gifted education at the secondary level
• Familiarity with the Common Core State Standards and Next Generation Science Standards
• Understanding of the nature and needs of gifted students
• Experience with developing and aligning curriculum at the middle and high school level
• Experience with the administration of Advanced Placement and International Baccalaureate programs

Anonymous said...

Neighborhood Parent and Anonymous:

You can hold GHS principal accountable by signing the petition on this site:
https://www.change.org/petitions/seattle-public-school-board-new-garfield-principal-for-2014-2015-school-year The petition was developed by an alum, third generation garfield graduate, 3x class president who is ashamed of Garfield's culture of sexual violence

updates on the assault and the District's actions:
www.facebook.com/stopsexassaualtinhighschool

basic information at
http://america.aljazeera.com/watch/shows/america-tonight/articles/2014/7/18/on-rape-high-schoolsareworsethancolleges.html#commentsDiv

http://jezebel.com/teen-girl-raped-on-field-trip-treated-horribly-by-seat-1609763671


TV
http://www.kirotv.com/news/news/teens-family-appeals-us-department-education-inves/ngnhZ/

http://www.king5.com/news/cities/seattle/Feds-investigate-Seattle-Schools-handling-of-rape-case-268665132.html?fb_action_ids=413703085437289&fb_action_types=og.comments&fb_source=aggregation&fb_aggregation_id=288381481237582




Local Blogs
http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2014/07/24/seattle-public-schools-under-federal-investigation-after-garfield-parents-allege-the-district-botched-a-sexual-assault-investigation

http://slog.thestranger.com/slog/archives/2014/07/25/four-questions-about-the-garfield-high-school-rape-case

http://www.capitolhillseattle.com/2014/07/seattle-school-district-under-fire-for-handling-of-garfield-high-students-2012-rape-investigation/

http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2014/07/28/instead-of-asking-did-she-say-no-we-should-start-asking-did-she-want-to-have-sex/


Community Education Forum
http://saveseattleschools.blogspot.com
A Tragic Story - 7/22
Don’t Tell Us - Show Us - 7/24
The Volume is Going Up on the Garfield Rape Case - 7/25
Seattle School Board Speaks Out on Garfield Field Trip Incident - 7/26
Something Horrible Under Every Rock - 7/27
Garfield Field Trip Assault: Continuing Questions - 7/28
Where’s the Problem? - 7/28


Parent of the victim

Anonymous said...

New policy for APP and AL? See save Seattle schools blog. Seems to be a bit of a mystery.
-J

toots said...

I came across a loveong that is being added into the childrens curriculum about self esteem and responsible decision making. Parents listen snd tell me if this is something we should have added in health classes at Garfield as well. http://www.reverbnation.com/kvii4/song/20753034-cool