Parents of Beacon Hill youngsters should note: Kimball Elementary School is hosting a Kindergarten Open House tomorrow, February 17, from 6:30 to 8 p.m. There will be an overview of kindergarten and of Kimball’s program.
Kimball is located at 3200 23rd Avenue South.
Seattle Public Schools are open today, but buses will be running two hours late on regular routes due to weather.
Parents of toddlers on South Beacon Hill, this one’s for you. Van Asselt Community Center is hosting new classes for toddlers and their parents.
In the Parent/Toddler Movement class (18 months – 3 years old), parents/caregivers and their toddlers will explore space through creative movement using props and fun music. The class is Tuesdays, March 1 – March 29, from 11:00 – 11:45 am. Cost is $25.
The Creative Movement class (3 – 5 years old) works to establish body awareness, flexibility, coordination, basic motor skills, and a positive self-image, using age-appropriate music and props while exploring dance concepts such as pathways, rhythms, space, and shapes. Students will also be introduced to basic ballet terminology and steps. This class is Tuesdays, March 1 – March 29, from Noon – 1:00 pm. Cost is $30.
Lastly, Toddler Play Time (for ages up to 5 years old) provides a gym full of children’s toys. Parental supervision is required. Play Time is on Wednesdays, 11:00 am – 1:00 pm; Fridays, 11:00 am – 12:30 pm, and on the 2nd and 4th Fridays of each month, also from 6:00 – 8:00 pm. Cost for Toddler Play Time is $2 per child.
Van Asselt Community Center is located at 2820 South Myrtle Street. To register for classes, please call the center directly at 206-386-1921, or register online via the SPARC system.
Seattle Free School is hosting a class for prospective facilitators on Thursday, January 20 at the Beacon Hill Library. The class runs from 6:30 – 7:30 pm, and is—of course—free.
Seattle Free School runs completely free workshops and classes on a wide variety of topics. Like to make cheese? Need to learn how to tune your motorcycle? Want to learn about world travel? Seattle Free School can help! They rely on volunteer facilitators to keep their programs free, interesting, and exciting.
Here’s how they describe the upcoming facilitator class on their website:
“Is there a skill, hobby, or chunk of knowledge you are passionate about? Want to share that passion with other interested people? Curious about how many people with an aversion to public speaking have come to love being facilitators?
“Come to this class to learn how to be a facilitator with Seattle Free School, and to meet and network with other facilitators. This informal meeting covers what Seattle Free School is, tips on teaching, and how to schedule and promote your course.
“Whether you wish to facilitate a class, or just want to learn more about Seattle Free School, you are welcome to attend this meetup. We recognize that teaching others can be an intimidating task, and we are here to support you and provide assistance in making Seattle Free School a fun adventure for you.”
Please go here to register online for the facilitator class. The Beacon Hill Library is located at 2821 Beacon Avenue South.
Seattle’s school kids are facing a serious threat to their education and need your Yes vote on the school levy this November.
The State of Washington has cut over $32 million from Seattle’s public schools since 2008. As if that weren’t bad enough, the state is now facing a $4.5 billion shortfall. Olympia has signaled that even more cuts are on the way, and school districts are bracing for the worst. Our schools now face a $32.8 million budget shortfall for the 2011-12 school year with more to come.
To help make up for some of these cuts, state legislators changed the law so school districts could ask local voters for help during these difficult economic times. Our public schools are asking voters to approve a three-year, $48.2 million property tax measure this November that will make up for just some of the cuts our schools have suffered.
Voters should approve Proposition 1, the Seattle School Levy. The measure will provide roughly $6 million to purchase textbooks and basic classroom materials, $17 million to support teachers in the classroom, and over $25 million to reduce the number and severity of cuts to educational programs and services.
At 12 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value, the owner of a $400,000 home would pay just $48 per year to support our kids. That’s a small price to pay over the next three years to support our kids in this time of crisis, when they need our help the most.
The community is solidly behind this levy. The Beacon Hill International School PTA board voted unanimously to support the levy. Mayor Mike McGinn, County Executive Dow Constantine, the 34th, 36th, 46th and 47th District Democrats, Seattle Metro and King County Democrats, the teachers’ and principals’ associations, business groups, PTAs, the Seattle City Council, community organizations, and many other individuals and groups have endorsed the measure. They give their support because they know schools need our help.
I am shocked that there are opponents to this levy who say that because “this levy is only 3% of the budget; it won’t hurt kids.†Don’t be misled. That 3% represents nearly $50 million that our schools desperately need.
Opponents also point to an audit of the school district and say that the district needs to fix their accounting first. Schools First, the standing citizens’ group that works to pass school levies, closely monitors the fiscal health of the district. They are confident that all the audit findings are being addressed.
Our kids need us to vote YES on Proposition 1, the Seattle School Levy. Seattle’s 47,000 public school students are counting on us. This year’s ballot is filled with many issues and candidates. I encourage everyone to turn the ballot over and vote for the School Levy first—even though it’s last on the ballot!
Stephan Blanford is the Legislative Chair of the Beacon Hill International School PTA.
Do you have an opinion? We welcome opinion articles on topics related to Beacon Hill. Please email us your ideas.
Jefferson Community Center, along with all of the other city community centers, is once again offering $2 Try-Its. Anytime between September 20 and October 9, you can try a class for $2. If you like the class, you can then register at a pro-rated amount. Certain classes and childcare are not included in the promotion.
Some of the classes available in this promotion include:
Adults: ZUMBA!, Kundalini Yoga, Hatha Yoga, Mat Pilates, Pottery ( first two weeks only), guitar
Kids: Ballet, Hapkido, instructional basketball, guitar, kung fu, creative movement, busy bee li’l dribblers
For more information along with class dates and times, please call 206-684-0167. The Fall class brochure is available here. The community center is located at 3801 Beacon Avenue South.
Wellspring Family Services is offering a parenting class for couples, starting this weekend. It’s a workshop for expecting couples and parents of infants, based on Gottman Institute research. Wellspring says that in this class, students will “discover how to stay connected with your partner when becoming parents, cope with conflict, and create a nurturing home.”
The course is $150 per couple, with scholarships available. Classes are on September 11 and 25 from 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. For further information, contact pgray@wellspringfs.org or call 206-826-3039. Wellspring is located at 1900 Rainier Avenue South.
(Article updated 9/13/10 to reflect date correction — the $2 Try-It promotion runs from September 20-October 9, not September 8-October 8).
The project was part of Clearwire’s service program, “Connecting with Communities.” Thanks to Clearwire for volunteering on Beacon Hill and helping the kids in our community!
Jefferson Community Center’s Kiddie Kampus preschool program is starting up soon for the new school year. The program provides preparation for kindergarten, focusing on all aspects of development: social/emotional, physical, cognitive, and language.
According to the folks at JCC, the philosophy behind Kiddie Kampus is:
“To provide children with a safe and healthy learning environment. Also, to provide children with planned activities that will promote opportunities for friendship, skill development, self-esteem, values, self-discipline, respect for others, and appreciation for nature through positive habits, attitudes, behavior, and choices.”
Classes begin September 14. To attend, your child must be toilet trained and three years old by August 31. For more information, please call Jefferson Community Center at 206-684-7481.
In the Pre-Engineering camp, kids will build cities, bridges, and motorized cars and planes, with the help of a Play-Well Engineering instructor. In the Engineering FUNdamentals camp, students take on real-life engineering challenges that explore concepts in physics, architecture, mechanical and structural engineering with over 100,000 pieces of LEGO material. It is a “hands-on and minds-on course suitable for LEGO novices to ‘maniacs.'”
The activity fee for the camp is $125. For registration information, please contact the Community Center at 206-684-7481.
ROCKiT space is offering afternoon workshops for kids aged 8-13. The workshops will run from to 2:00 to 4:00 pm on Wednesdays and Fridays from July 28 to August 18. Kids in the workshops will be building Rube Goldberg Machines, making and studying space goo, sculpting robots from recycled materials and more. The classes are $5 per student, per class. Sign up in advance by calling ROCKiT space at 206-323-7115.
Business hours at ROCKiT space have changed for the summer; the new hours are Tuesday-Friday from 10:30 am to 6:00 pm, and weekends 12:00 noon to 6:00 pm.
For younger kids, Denise Louie Education Center is hosting a drop-in preschool program at Denise Louie Education Center, 3327 Beacon Avenue South, from 10:00 to 1:00 pm every third Saturday. The free preschool program for kids 3-5 years old is called Playtime Plus, and kids will be able to work on early learning activities and build math and science skills. The next session will be August 7. If you have any questions, please contact Tom Ulie at tulie@comcast.net.