Image courtesy rockitspace.orgROCKiT space music classes for kids and teens, hosted by Marc Smason and Stephanie Hughes, have started as of Monday this week. For kids ages 6 to 11, classes are held on MondaysThursdays from 4:00 to 5:30 pm. Kids from 12 to 18 can attend the Tuesday classes, also from 4:00 to 5:30 pm. Topics covered include rhythm, songs, videos, movement, etc. Classes are $10 per session or $35 for an entire month. Call at 206-323-7115 or email rockitspace@gmail.com for more information or to sign up.
Updated Thursday to reflect the revised day of classes for 6-11 year olds and to list additional instructor Stephanie Hughes.
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ROCKiT space is also seeking “creative types with good people skills” to volunteer their time for daily tasks at the space in return for rehearsal time or art space at the ROCKiT facility. Contact Jessie McKenna at 206-323-7115 for more info.
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And if you know about screen printing, ROCKiT space would love to hear from you. From Craigslist:
ROCKiT space on Beacon Hill (a community art and music space) is looking for artists to host/facilitate or co-facilitate a workshop or series of workshops on silkscreening/screen printing. We have some supplies and a neat space to work/teach in. This is a money-making opportunity for someone who can help a group of folks to learn and apply the basics of the silkscreening process.
We already know how to make stencils and tape them to screens and scrape ink across them. We need something a little more in depth than that, someone who can teach photo emulsion techniques etc. You don’t have to be an expert! But good people skills and some moderate to mad silk screen printing skills are a must.
Again, contact Jessie at 206-323-7115 with interest or offers.
It's that time of year again! Photo by Alan Cleaver.El Centro de la Raza has some useful finance-related services coming up over the next couple of months.
They are a United Way Free Tax Prep Campaign site, and will be providing free tax preparation services to low-income taxpayers, in English and Spanish. The free tax prep services will be on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 5:00 – 9:00 pm and Saturdays from 10:00 am – 2:00 pm, starting January 12 and running until April 15, at El Centro, 2524 16th Avenue South.
Volunteers are also welcome for the tax prep services. To volunteer, please call (206) 957-4602 or email volunteer@elcentrodelaraza.org.
El Centro is also offering a series of financial literacy classes in English and Spanish. In the Credit Smart courses, students will learn about how to make an individual financial plan, why we use banks and their services, how to choose and keep a checking account, what your rights are as a consumer, and other important skills and knowledge.
Wednesday classes are in English, from 4:00 – 7:00 pm. Â The Saturday class is in Spanish from 9:00 am – 5:00 pm. The English classes are a series of four classes; the Spanish classes combine the entire series into a single all-day session.
The English-language class series runs weekly, beginning on January 13 and again on February 10 and March 10. The Spanish-language courses this month are on January 16 and 30, and will also be offered on February 6, 20, and 27, and on March 6, 13, and 20.
For additional information or to register for the series, contact Simona Alvarez, Financial Literacy Coordinator, at 206-957-4610 or email homeownership@elcentrodelaraza.org.
News Release From Seattle Public Schools
Contact: Patti Spencer, Communications Manager, (206) 252-0204 Community invited to learn about new STEM program at Cleveland High School
SEATTLE – Seattle Public Schools is committed to providing an excellent education so all students graduate from high school ready for college, careers and life. To help meet this goal, a new Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathematics (STEM) program is being implemented beginning fall 2010 at Cleveland High School. Cleveland has been designated an option school – providing high school students from across Seattle access to this innovative program.
The community is invited to attend two events to learn more about STEM and its implementation.
A meeting will be held December 5 at Cleveland High School. Students, staff, and families of current and prospective students are welcome to attend. The meeting will include a presentation, opportunity to ask questions, and a small group discussion to include:
the vision for the STEM program at Cleveland;
the goals and benefits of STEM;
course offerings and program structure;
next steps for the STEM program and how to get involved; and
how to determine if STEM is a good option for your student.
Cleveland High School will also hold an Open House and Recruiting Fair on January 23, 2010, where staff can answer questions about the STEM program.
Dates, times, locations for the two events are listed below:
Community Meeting
Saturday, December 5, 2009
9-10:30 a.m.
Cleveland High School
5511 15th Ave. S.
Open House/Recruiting Fair
Saturday, January 23, 2010
10 a.m. to noon
Cleveland High School
5511 15th Ave. S.
Interpretation services will be available at both meetings. For more information about STEM, please e-mail: stem@seattleschools.org.
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.)
BHIS students welcomed the community in many languages at last year's Opening Ceremony. Photo by Bridget Christian.My son is a first grader at Beacon Hill International School. Â 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. Â 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. Â
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. Â The new Student Assignment Plan, evidently years in development, quietly eliminated the sibling priority for enrollment. Â 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. Â It’s greatly complicated by the diversity of languages at students’ homes. Â Only about half of the students’ families speak English at home. Â My husband got letters to the school board translated into Mandarin and Spanish, and families from those cultures signed them. Â 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. Â
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. Continue reading Opinion: School assignment plan lost in translation→
Photo from seattle.govOn 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.
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.
Leadership Opportunity – Become a Board Member
As a board member of Denise Louie Education Center, you can apply your professional experience to improving the lives of low income children and families. Our goal is to prepare children for success in school and in life, through pre-school, parent involvement, family support, healthy development, and parent leadership.
Board members provide strategic direction to the organization using information from our community assessment, program data and self assessment. They are responsible for ensuring quality service delivery and the fulfillment of the agency mission.
Board members are also volunteers working at implementation level, especially when there are fundraising events. We would love your help in achieving our goal of continuing to prepare low-income, culturally/linguistically diverse children and families for school and success. This is a leadership level position.
Requirements:
Attend board meetings (8 of 11 required);
Participate on at least one board committee (fundraising, board development or planning and service delivery);
Participate in the board’s annual retreat Make a personal financial gift at a leadership level;
Volunteer at least one time per year in the classroom, field trip, parent meeting or other activity involving DLEC children and/or families;
Help solicit other contributions to the organization or assist with a fund raising event/activity;
Participate in the evaluation of the Executive Director Recruit other board members or volunteers; and
Speak or represent DLEC at a community event.
How to find out more:
Please contact Janice Deguchi, Executive Director at (206) 792-9972 or via email at jdeguchi@deniselouie.org or Frances Lin, Director of Development at (206) 621-7880 or via email at flin@deniselouie.org.
Pottery is one of the skills you can try for $2 this month at the Jefferson Community Center. Photo by Kenny Corbin.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.
A volunteer at work on the Hanford Steps last year. Photo by Jason.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.
Puddletown Squares will bring square dancing to the historic Garden House this fall. Photo by Joe Mabel, Wikimedia Commons.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.
