Beacon Hill Blog

Follow-up: Foreign language materials about Student Assignment Plan are available

(Ed. note — This is a follow-up post to last Saturday’s “Opinion: School assignment plan lost in translation.”)

by Flo Beaumon

After my article was posted on the Beacon Hill Blog, I heard that a fellow Beacon Hill International School parent had seen translated materials about the Student Assignment Plan. I contacted her, and she said she had handed them out at one of the community information meetings, and they’d had interpreters, too. She referred me to Bernardo Ruiz, who is the Family and Community Engagement Manager. I wrote to him and heard back the next day, a thorough answer. To make a long story short, he said, “The following link will take you to the website where these translations have been posted and are available: http://www.seattleschools.org/area/newassign/resources.html.”

I looked, and backtracked to see how one would get there. I found that someone would first go to the New Student Assignment button, which is big and bright on the home page. That would take them to a page entirely in English. They would need to know somehow that “Learn More”, which is one of 15 generic-looking small buttons, would lead to the translations. Very most likely, one would come to the conclusion, as did I, that the info is not available. I suggested to Mr. Ruiz that they not hide the translations under pages of nothing but English and an undescriptive label, and then I asked him if he’d please tell the District office where to tell callers to find it.

He wrote back right away, saying that he’d talk to the English Language Learner Department about posting these materials more accessibly in their website. And he said, “Also, I will talk to our Customer Service Department to ensure that we provide accurate information to our families and stakeholders.”

Where was this guy when I was looking for him?

(Do you have an opinion about a Beacon Hill issue? We are always interested in opinion posts from the community. Send us your thoughts at blog@beaconhill.seattle.wa.us.)

Tags: accessibility, language, schools, student assignment plan

Opinion: School assignment plan lost in translation

by Flo Beaumon

My son is a first grader at Beacon Hill International School.  It’s a dream come true for us, and we felt very lucky that though it was not our reference area school (we live 1.8 miles north of the school), after a month on the waiting list he got in.  We were doubly happy that our son’s little brother will be able to join his big brother at BHIS in a few years.

Or so we thought.  

Though I had heard rumblings about a change in the school assignment system, I had no information about it until I saw a posting on Madrona Moms last spring.  The new Student Assignment Plan, evidently years in development, quietly eliminated the sibling priority for enrollment.  The plan to make the schools neighborhood schools would break up thousands of SPS families into two different elementary schools, or would force families to pull their older child out of his or her school to be able to attend the neighborhood school with the incoming kindergartener.

We have been trying to get the word out at our school.  It’s greatly complicated by the diversity of languages at students’ homes.  Only about half of the students’ families speak English at home.   My husband got letters to the school board translated into Mandarin and Spanish, and families from those cultures signed them.  Our school’s principal pointed out that over the years many Beacon Hill Elementary School families from outside the reference area chose the school because of its strong support for English language learners.  

In June, the School Board voted to approve the new Student Assignment Plan.  But, due entirely to the growing outcry by parents, they addressed the question of grandfathering in younger siblings of currently enrolled students by promising to consider a transition plan this fall, after the new boundaries are released and voted on. 
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Tags: beacon hill elementary, esl, schools, student assignment plan

Councilmember Tim Burgess on visiting Mercer Middle School

On Tuesday, Tim Burgess from the Seattle City Council stopped by Mercer Middle School for a Families and Education Levy Oversight Committee meeting held there to demonstrate the effect the levy has had in turning the school around. He writes:

As a result of high expectations and standards, student behavior has improved. Instead of suspensions, the school now tries to keep kids with behavior problems in class, monitors them and offers old-fashioned nurturing, guidance, and what we might just call “hand-holding.” In the month of September, Mercer had no suspensions or expulsions. None. Zero. That fact alone is cause for celebration. Couple it with the surge in academic performance, the spirit of expectation and hope in the hallways and classrooms, and Mercer Middle School is a shining star on Beacon Hill.

Read the rest on Tim’s blog.

Tags: mercer middle school, tim burgess

Beacon Bits, briefly: volunteer armies, bagpipes back, and board membership

Adding to the fleet of SPU students in the neighborhood volunteering today is an army of 400 Seattle U. freshmen working in the Cheasty Greenspace with EarthCorps.

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This missing bagpipes have been found! Somebody tossed them in a trash bin, but they were found before it was emptied.

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Denise Louie Education Center is looking for a board member.

Tags: bagpipes, cheasty, denise, earthcorps, seattle university

Try classes for $2 at Jefferson CC

Until October 2 this year, Seattle’s community centers (including Jefferson Community Center at Jefferson Park) have a “Try it for $2″ program. You can attend a class or program session once for $2, then if you like it, register for the rest of the class for a prorated amount. Adult classes eligible for the program are Pottery, Yoga, Mat Pilates, and Zumba Fitness. Youth classes eligible are Hapkido and Creative Movement. JCC’s fall class catalog is online, and you can also register for classes online. If you have questions, contact JCC at 206-684-7481 or email Tiffani.Harris@seattle.gov.

Jefferson Community Center is located at 3801 Beacon Avenue South.

Tags: classes, jefferson community center

Volunteer opportunities a-go-go

The Hanford Stairs Weed Busters need you! Susan Fairo is seeking teams of two people (volunteering together or matched up individuals) who can put in 2-3 hours four times a year to help keep weeds from taking over the new native plants at the public staircase near 25th and Cheasty. Rookie Weed Buster team volunteers will receive instruction on what to remove and what to ignore, and use of tools, watering, plant disposal, etc. If you’re interested or have questions, contact Susan at susan.fairo@gmail.com or call 206-349-7285.

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Noticed an increase in airplane noise? Patty Fong is organizing neighbors in Beacon Hill and the Central District to address the issue with the FAA. See this comment on a previous Beacon Bits for more details, including contact information.

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Teens can earn service learning credit at the library. In addition to free SAT prep and online tutoring, the Seattle Public Library is also running a teen advisory board this school year. If you know teens wishing to earn service learning credit by writing book reviews, helping at teen programs, or writing for the SPL blog, contact Jennifer Bisson at Jennifer.Bisson@spl.org or call 206-615-1410.

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Catholic Community Services is looking for tutors. Their Youth Tutoring Program is an after-school educational enrichment program for at-risk students in first through twelfth grade. Volunteers offer academic support and also serve as positive role models to students, helping strengthen their sense of self-esteem and self-respect. Tutors help students with reading, homework (all subjects), math and language arts skills. Resources are available for those subjects you might not remember quite so well, and no specific background is necessary aside from a high school diploma. Tutoring Centers located nearby in NewHolly and Rainier Vista are open Monday-Thursday from 4:20-7:40pm, and tutoring would be for 1-3 hours per week on the same night every week. You can apply online at http://www.ccsww.org/ytp.

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Flash Volunteer offers many more volunteer opportunities. A non-profit startup run by Brad Wilke, a former Development Director at Denise Louie, aims to link people and neighborhood-focused volunteer opportunities. Check it out at www.flashvolunteer.org.

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A South Beacon Hill neighborhood watch is coming together. Mike Cheney, working with SPD Crime Prevention Coordinator Mark Solomon’s encouragement, is trying to bring together South Beacon Hill neighbors to form a neighborhood watch group. Perhaps you read the recent Wall Street Journal article “Civilian Patrols Grow As Recession Puts Citizens on Guard” and it piqued your interest, or maybe you’d just like to make your block a safer place to live. If you’re interested, email Mike at redboneshadow@yahoo.com.

Tags: airplane noise, block watch, cheasty, hanford stairs, hanford steps, library, neighborhood watch, plants, public stairs, service learning credit, traffic, tutoring, tutors, volunteers

Learn to dance or to save money

Puddletown Squares, a gay and lesbian square dance club open to everyone, are coming to Beacon Hill with square dance lessons starting tonight at the Garden House (also known as the Turner-Koepf House), 2336 15th Avenue South. Lessons run for 20 weeks on Thursday nights from 7:00 – 9:30 pm. The first three lessons are free, after which you can decide whether to continue and pay for the rest of the series. The Puddletown folks do Modern Western Square Dancing, which they describe as “upbeat and energetic without a single hay-bale in sight… danced to all sorts of music, and especially at a gay club like Puddletown, you will be dancing to Disco, world music, house, Salsa, old show tunes, and top 40 hits.” Everyone is welcome.

Beacon Hill’s own Verity Credit Union is offering free credit and money management seminars. Both members and non-members of Verity are welcome to attend these seminars, at which a financial counselor will discuss credit reports, how credit scores work, and what you can do to raise your score.  He’ll also cover money management techniques designed to help you save more and spend less. The bad news? The seminars aren’t here on the Hill, but at the Northgate branch on September 17, or all the way out in Lynnwood on September 16. Both seminars run from 6:30 pm to 8:00 pm. If you are interested, RSVP to Joe Lancaster at 206-315-6718 or JosephL@veritycu.com.

Tags: classes, dance, money

Kimball PTSA receives $60,000 grant

$60,000 from the Seattle Department of Neighborhoods’ Large Project fund was awarded to the Kimball Elementary PTSA “to create a global learning community by fostering inclusion and support, leadership development, and providing programs and classes for parents.”

The awarded funds will be matched by a portion of an additional $1.9 million in community matching (cash, volunteer labor, donated professional services, and donated materials).

Some program background from the news release:

The Department of Neighborhoods’ Large Projects Fund annually provides cash awards of up to $100,000 to neighborhood organizations committed to building a better community. The funding is matched by locally raised money, donated materials, and volunteer labor. The 2009 awards range from $28,000 to $100,000 and communities have pledged to match the city’s $1.3 million contribution with resources valued at nearly $1.9 million.

. . .

Since the program was created 21 years ago, the Neighborhood Matching Fund has awarded over $42 million with a community match of more than $64 million. Projects have involved nearly 65,000 volunteers who have donated over 400,000 work hours.

The full award news release (PDF) is here (linked from here). Other individual award recipients are in another PDF here, or at CHS, the Capitol Hill Seattle blog.

Thanks, CHS!

Tags: award, kimball, matching fund, ptsa

Van Asselt playground project needs neighbor help

Keyunda Wilson at Van Asselt is trying to get a Neighborhood Grant to bring a play structure to Van Asselt Elementary @ the African American Academy.

To be eligible for the grant and to bring a community playground to this area we need 25% of the pledges to come directly from the neighborhood! I need to have pledged commitments by Friday the 28th.

Time is short: the 28th is tomorrow!

Ways you can pledge to help:

• With your time: join the Playground Committee, attend a planning meeting, help design the playground
• With materials: lending or buying tools and equipment, providing snacks for the builders
• With labor: paint or assemble the play structure
• With organizing: contact and recruit other people in the community who may be interested in the project

If you’d like to help, email Keyunda at krwilson@seattleschools.org or pwfowler@seattleschools.org with your name, address, phone number, and the number of hours you are willing to pledge and/or kinds of volunteer activities or items you can pledge. Or call 206-252-7500.

Tags: playground, van asselt, volunteer

Van Asselt grant applications coming to your door

Keyunda Wilson, a teacher at Van Asselt Elementary School, writes to let neighbors know that the knock at the door this afternoon may not be from an annoying alarm system or magazine subscription salesman:

Van Asselt Elem. staff members will be going door to door today, 8/19 from 3-5pm, passing out flyers and sharing information about our plans to bring a community playground to the African American Academy building. We are applying for a grant and one of the requirements is that we get community members and neighbors to commit to helping us. Ways that you can support us would be to attend a planning meeting, donate snacks or building materials on the day of the build, help build the play structure, help gather signatures of commitment, etc.

Look for the dedicated staff members in your area and please show your support!

If you have any questions or concerns, you can contact Keyunda by email at krwilson@seattleschools.org or by phone at 206-252-7505.

Tags: door-to-door, grant

School Board approves new student assignment plan; Cleveland to be science option school?

The Seattle School Board voted this week to approve final recommendations for a new student assignment plan. Under the new plan, students will have initial school assignments based on their home address. They will still have the option to apply to other schools, and open choice seats will be available at all high schools.

Assignment area boundaries have not yet been defined; the assignment maps will be made available for public comment this fall.

A separate motion relevant to Beacon Hill proposed that Cleveland High School be designated as an “option school” under the new assignment plan. Cleveland’s STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) program would then be open to applications from students throughout the District. According to the District, STEM high schools “offer a four-year course of study with a focus on preparing students for academing and professional futures in science, technology, engineering and math.”

Since a STEM school would not necessarily be the right choice for all students living in the Cleveland attendance area, designating it as an Option would allow these students to have a comprehensive attendance-area high school option while still having access to Cleveland’s STEM program if they wish.

The Board is scheduled to vote on the Cleveland motion on July 1.

Tags: cleveland hs, school board, schools

Congratulations to a Beacon Hill graduate!

Congratulations and best wishes to Alison Reese, a Beacon Hill neighbor who graduated this year from Seattle University School of Law with a J.D. degree!

The Beacon Hill Blog would also like to congratulate all of the other Hill neighbors who graduated from high school, college, and beyond. Good work and may you have much success ahead of you!

Tags: graduation

Beacon Hill graduates, send us your names

Back in the day, community newspapers used to publish announcements when local residents graduated from high school or college. We’d like to do that, too. If you are a Beacon Hill resident and graduating from high school or college this year, please send us your name, school name, which type of diploma or degree you’ve earned, and a graduation photo by June 15. We’ll post the graduation announcements we receive shortly after that.

Tags: graduation

Juneteenth gathering to celebrate African American Academy

The African American Academy (AAA) on South Beacon Hill will hold a Juneteenth celebration on June 19 focusing on the life, purpose, and accomplishments of the Academy. The AAA program has been discontinued and the Van Asselt Elementary program will be housed in the AAA building next school year, after a century at their previous site.

The Academy program first opened as a K-5 school in 1991 at the new Colman School (now Thurgood Marshall) and eventually became a K-8 at Sharples (now Aki Kurose). The current AAA building was specifically designed for K-8 use and opened in 2000.

The Juneteenth event, “Celebrating the Life of the Academy”, is on Friday, June 19 from 4:00 – 7:00 p.m. at the African American Academy, 8311 Beacon Avenue South.

As we mentioned in an earlier post, Van Asselt is also celebrating their history this month, with a 100th Anniversary celebration and reunion this Friday.

Tags: african-american academy, school closures, south beacon, van asselt

BHIS awarded $20,000 in new books

Beacon Hill International School recently received $20,000 in new foreign language books for their library, as part of the Symetra Heroes in the Classroom MVP Award, which provides funding to enhance and support learning at Seattle schools.

Each year, schools compete for the MVP Award by developing program proposals to enhance student achievement. BHIS developed the “Heroes at Home” program, which empowers parents, especially non-native English speakers, to assume a more active role in supporting their child’s literacy learning.

The MVP Award funds have been used to purchase hundreds of new books and audio recordings in languages such as Chinese, English, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog and Vietnamese for this program.

Heroes at Home will also feature new weekly Family Library Days, in which parents will be invited to volunteer in the library to help children with book selection and check out.

Congratulations to Beacon Hill International School!

Tags: beacon hill elementary, books, seattle seahawks

Beacon Hill International School students can use your help

Via Erin on the mailing list:

The kids at Beacon Hill International School (BHIS) need your help! As you all have heard, the Seattle Public School is facing some challenging times with their budget and many of our programs are being let go due to limited resources. Seventy-five percent of the students at BHIS are either on free or reduced lunch. Many of our families are bilingual and English is not their first language in the home. BHIS PTA pride itself on actively engaging communities and families to support and provide programs to our elementary kids that they would not otherwise have the opportunities to participate. For example, after school choir and cooking classes for the Kindergarteners.

You can help BHIS kids in several ways in your normal day-to-day purchases. The BHIS PTA funds many school extras such as the 4th grade music program, after school sports, and much more. There are many retailers who will make donations to BHIS PTA, with just a few simple steps taken by BHIS families and friends. Please share this information with grandparents, aunts, uncles, neighbors and other friends whose purchases may also be able to benefit your student’s school. You can start now and have your purchases benefit the school even over the summer time and then through next year!

Safeway Club Card
Log on to www.escrip.com and go to “Sign up” to register your Safeway Club Card number to benefit Beacon Hill Elementary PTA (8560956). You have the choice of registering 3 organizations, and if you do choose 3, then the donation made will be split between the 3, thus each would get just 1/3. If you’ve lost your club card you can call Safeway at 1-877-723-3929 to get your club card number using your phone number, and then enter your phone number at the store credit/debit machine to get your club card savings and earn a percentage for your school each time you shop. You can also register major credit cards with Escrip when you sign up. A percentage of all purchases made using your registered cards will be remitted to BHIS PTA, ranging from 1% to 3% depending on your shopping volume.

Office Depot
Use BHIS’s School ID #70107436 every time you make a purchase at Office Depot and a percentage of your purchase will be emitted to BHIS. This offer only works for purchases made at a store, and does not work for on-line orders.

Red Apple Grocery on Beacon Hill
Save and turn in all of your Red Apple receipts, and 1% will be donated to BHIS. The total donation by Red Apple to the school maxes out at $500 per year, but we have been far from achieving that goal for the past several years. We will be sure to let you know if we get there so you’ll know to stop saving receipts. This is only valid for receipts from the Hilltop Red Apple on Beacon Avenue. Be sure to keep saving receipts over the summer, and give it to Nancy Fujimoto at Beacon Hill International School, 2025 14th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98144.

Box Tops for Education
Each Box Top for Education (the small pink symbol found on cereal, cracker, and other boxed products) is worth $0.10 to the school. If you’re buying products that have this symbol, please tear off the pink box top symbol and turn it in to Nancy Fujimoto at Beacon Hill International School, 2025 14th Ave S, Seattle, WA 98144.

You can send your Red Apple receipts and Box Tops weekly or monthly – whenever they start to build up. Find a spot on the fridge or window sill to save them, and just staple or clip together. These are easy ways that your usual shopping habits can help earn money for our school without asking you to make any extra donations!! The PTA greatly appreciates your effort to take advantage of the opportunities above, so that your purchases can benefit BHIS kids through the programs funded by the PTA. Please also remember to share this information with friends or family who may be willing to do the same for BHIS.

Every penny you spend in your day to day purchases supports programs and services that help our kids reach their potential and build a stronger community. Thank you in advance for helping your school!

From Hazel (in response to a question from Quinton):

Yes, your donation is tax deductible. PTSAs are 501 c 3s

From Shelly, clarifying:

If you do choose to make a donation to BHIS, you should be clear on whether it is a donation to the school itself or the PTA at the school. It’s confusing, but they have their own individual tax ID numbers that are used for donation purposes. As current treasurer for the BHIS PTA, I’d be happy to answer any further questions regarding donations.

If you do have questions for Shelly, drop us a line and we’ll put you in touch.

Thanks Erin, Quinton, Hazel, and Shelly!

Tags: bhis, lunch, pta, school

Charlie Mas files for school board race

With the coming departure of Cheryl Chow, longtime Beacon Hill neighbor Charlie Mas has announced he is again in the running for the office of Seattle Public Schools Board Director, a position he was a candidate for back in 2001.

I’m running for the Board because I want to do the work. The Board’s duties of making policy, overseeing the management of the District, providing accountability and representing the public aren’t getting done. If the voters let me, I’ll do the job.

I want the District to walk the talk. Standing up for accountability and community engagement are positive and supportive of the direction the District is trying to take.

You can find out more about Charlie through his campaign website.

Tags: campaign, charlie mas, director, school board

Drama, chess, and bazaar events in local schools

School may be winding down for the year, but there are still some events at local schools to take note of.

Tonight and tomorrow are the last two nights of Garfield High School’s spring musical, The Mystery of Edwin Drood. Though Garfield is in the Central District, we are told that some Beacon Hill students are among the more than 100 kids who are involved in the production. The play has a bit of a twist; in the story, Victorian actors are putting on a production of Charles Dickens’ final work, but Dickens dies before he can complete it. To solve the mystery of Edwin Drood’s disappearance, the audience votes each night to choose the murderer, and the ending of the play varies depending on the results. Performances are tonight and tomorrow at 7:00 pm, at the Quincy Jones Performance Center at Garfield High School, 400 23rd Avenue. Tickets are $10 ($7 for seniors and students).

Here on the hill, Beacon Hill International School is hosting a Summer Chess Club camp from June 22 to June 26, 8:30 am to 3:30 pm. The camp is for kids of all levels, in grades K-6, and students will be able to learn chess from the basic moves and rules to “strategy, cool openings, and all the tools to get ahead in the game.” Three-time US Women’s Champion Elena Donaldson and National Chess Master Joshua Sinanan will be the teachers. The registration fee is $219 with a $10 discount for siblings, and single-day and half-day registration is also available. For more information, visit the website, call 206-363-6511, or e-mail chess64@comcast.net.

Beacon Hill International School is also holding its fourth annual Beacon Bazaar on June 13, from 9:00 am until 2:00 pm. The bazaar will be held along the front of the school on 14th Avenue South. If you’re interested in purchasing table space to sell your wares, stop by the school at 2025 14th Avenue South, or contact Ferdinand deLeon at jifdeleon@gmail.com.

Thanks to Matthew Bates for the chess camp info, Dorothy Orzel for the news about Edwin Drood, and Shelly Bates for info about the bazaar.

Tags: beacon hill elementary, chess, garfield, theater

BHIS Read-a-Thon, BAN meeting today

It’s a busy day in North Beacon, where students from Beacon Hill International School are participating in a Read-a-Thon today. This event is to raise money for the PTA, which funds fourth-grade music, after-school sports, fifth-grade camp, and other activities at BHIS. Local coffee shops Victrola (former Galaxie) and Java Love are helping support the Read-a-Thon by hosting “Read Ins” at which students will read and play reading games. Victrola is today’s host, and you can stop by between 3:30 and 5:30 pm to support BHIS. Java Love will host their Read In on Saturday from 9:00 to 11:00 am.

Later tonight, the Beacon Alliance of Neighbors (BAN) is holding a meeting to discuss grants, crime and public safety information, the status of the west side woods, and summer planning. The meeting is at 7:00 pm in Quarters 1 on the PacMed campus, at the northwest corner of 14th Avenue South and South Judkins Street.

Tags: ban, beacon hill elementary, coffee, pta

Van Asselt celebrates 100th anniversary; old annual illustrates life on 1920s Beacon Hill

Van Asselt Elementary on South Beacon Hill opened as a 4-room schoolhouse one hundred years ago, in 1909. Since then, the school has served thousands of children, as well as the larger Beacon Hill community.

This year is Van Asselt’s final year at the original site, as the school district has decided to close the Van Asselt building and move the program to a new location at the current African-American Academy site, further south on Beacon Avenue.

To mark this bittersweet occasion, the community, former staff and students, and current and future Van Asselt families are invited to a 100th Anniversary celebration and reunion on June 12, from 4:30 – 7:30 pm at the school, 7201 Beacon Avenue South. The event will include an open house and tours by students and staff in historical costumes, musical performances, speeches from community leaders and students, historical displays, and a cake and snack reception.

Lissa Munger from Van Asselt says, “We’re also collecting stories and memories from Van Asselt’s past. These can be sent to me (ecmunger@seattleschools.org), or to VanAsselt100@gmail.com. ”

The photo to the right is of a particular Van Asselt memory, a 1921 annual, that we discovered recently.

The Totem Annual, Volume II, June 1921, is a collection of mimeographed pages in a construction paper cover. It was produced by the seventh grade class that year, and the staff included Editor-in-Chief Helen Mance, department editors Elizabeth Wallace, James Scott, Arlee Baer, Martha Hansen, and Walter White, and illustrator Tom Petersen. The students included poems, historical drama, book reviews, and dreams of their futures. Unlike some school annuals, this one doesn’t contain student pictures.

Read on to see some excerpts from the Totem (there are a lot of them):
More »

Tags: 1920s, reunions, schools, south beacon, van asselt