Education

Beacon Hill International School students can use your help

1 Comment
Photo by Bridget Christian
BHIS students celebrated the opening of
the International School program last September with a parade of flags. Photo by Bridget Christian
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!

Education

Charlie Mas files for school board race

Charlie Mas, candidate for school board director. Photo courtesy mas4schools.com.
Charlie Mas, candidate for school board director. Photo courtesy mas4schools.com.
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.

Crime

South Precinct crime trends report released

SPDs South Precinct major crimes by month
SPD's South Precinct major crimes by month, click for full graph in PDF
SPD just released crime trend reports for all precincts recently. Some highlights from the South Precinct PDF report.

The top-line summary:

…there has been an overall increase in Major Crimes in South Precinct for the first four months of 2009, when compared with the same period in 2008. Robberies and aggravated assaults in South are both up through April in 2009, when compared with 2008, resulting in an overall increase in Violent Crimes.

Among Property Crimes, larceny/thefts have increased from the same period a year ago. Burglaries and vehicle thefts, on the other hand, are at the same level in 2009 through April as they were in 2008 in South Precinct.

SPDs South Precinct major crime trends
SPD's South Precinct major crime trends, click for full graph in PDF
And:

…despite increases in specific crimes, the trend line for crime in South Precinct is downward, with total Major Crimes declining each month in 2009 compared to the previous month and falling below the monthly April total from 2008. This is a different pattern from that seen in 2008, when Major Crimes increased in each of the first four months of the year.

Comparative, historical precinct stats are also available for each month individually as PDF and Excel files. We’ve also made them available as Google Docs spreadsheets.

Beacon Bits

Beacon Bits: Street repair, home values, and the Great Seattle Fire

4 Comments
Courtesy of Seattle Municipal Archives
Courtesy of Seattle Municipal Archives
  • The Seattle Department of Transportation will be working on 15th Avenue South this Saturday, June 6, from 9:00 am to 6:00 pm, repairing pavement. The street will be closed to all traffic except for local access, pedestrians, and bicyclists, between South Atlantic Street (on the north) and South College Street (on the south). 14th Avenue south is the detour route. The street will open to northbound traffic at 3:00 pm, and for both directions at 6:00.
  • June 6 is also the 120th anniversary of the Great Seattle Fire. Commemorate it by checking your smoke detectors and fire extinguishers.
  • While housing in the rest of King County lost value last year, Beacon Hill and Rainier Valley home prices went up, perhaps a result of the soon-to-be-open light rail line. This news gives at least one Beacon Hill resident reason to smile.
  • Art On Airport, an artists’ open studio event, is happening just down the hill in Georgetown on Saturday, June 13, from 11:00 am – 7:00 pm. Artists in the Sunny Arms Artists Cooperative, the Old Rainier Brewery and the 4810 Building will welcome visitors into their studios to see painting, sculpture, photography, and printmaking, as well as performing arts. It’s free and open to the public.
  • Following up on a post from December 12: the elderly woman found in her home on 26th Avenue South covered in maggots and filth, is now being cared for in a nursing home. Her daughter, Margaret A. George, has been charged with criminal mistreatment and theft. She is scheduled to be arraigned June 9 in King County Superior Court.
  • Don’t forget to check our events calendar to see what’s going in the next few days, including the SNAP Disaster Preparedness workshop on Thursday and the Beacon Hill Festival on Saturday!
Urban Planning

NBHC meeting this Thursday; Festival Street and El Centro development among topics

It’s the first week of the month, which means it’s that time again: the North Beacon Hill Council meets this Thursday at 7:00 pm. All are welcome. You become part of the council when you attend your first meeting, and have voting privileges when you attend your second.

This month’s meeting is at a different location from the usual: Beacon Lutheran Church, on the northwest corner of 18th Avenue South and South Forest street, one block east of the library.

This is the agenda for this month’s meeting:

  • 7:00 Welcomes and Introductions
  • 7:10 Updates
    • Neighborhood Planning Ad Hoc Committee – Freddie Merrill (10 minutes – probable vote needed)
    • Lewis Park – Vinh Nguyen (5 minutes)
    • Candidate’s Night – Michael Richmond (5 minutes – vote of approval needed)
  • 7:30 South Lander Festival Street Update, Megan Hoyt, Seattle Department of Transportation
  • 7:50 El Centro de la Raza plans for development – Estella Rodriguez, El Centro de la Raza
  • 8:10 SE Precinct Seattle Police Department, Capt. Eric Sano/Shelly Bates
  • 8:25 Community concerns, announcements
  • 8:45 Closure
Crime

Plant thieves target Lewis Park

1 Comment
Pink flags marked new plantings in Lewis Park a few weeks ago. Photo by Wendi.
Pink flags marked new plantings in Lewis Park a few weeks ago. Photo by Wendi.
Native plants and shrubs were recently stolen from Lewis Park, a small park at the north tip of Beacon Hill near the PacMed/Amazon building and the Jose Rizal Bridge. The plants were planted by volunteers who have been reconstructing this park recently, with support from the City.

Vinh Nguyen has been spearheading this project, and reports that on May 28, volunteers found that more than a dozen plants had disappeared from the park, including lady ferns, red flower currants, and evergreen Oregon irises. While parks are public property, the plants within them are not free for the taking, and stealing them is a crime. If anyone knows anything about this crime, please call 911.

If you would like to help with the reconstruction of the park, please join other volunteers at the Friends of Lewis Park work party every Sunday, 9:00 am -1:00 pm. Tools and gloves are provided.

Getting Around

Traffic congestion expected nearby on Saturday

If you are going to be driving off the Hill on Saturday, be prepared for some congestion both east and west. On the east side, SDOT crews will be repairing roadway pavement at two locations on Rainer Avenue South, from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. One location is between South Juneau and South Mead Street, and the other is between South Cloverdale and South Henderson Street. Traffic lanes will remain open but drivers should plan for congestion.

West of the hill, Sounders FC are playing a match against the Columbus Crew at Qwest Field, 7:30 pm on Saturday night. There will be traffic, so be prepared.

Education, Local Events

Drama, chess, and bazaar events in local schools

1 Comment
Garfield students in The Mystery of Edwin Drood
Garfield students in The Mystery of Edwin Drood.

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.

Beacon Bits

Beacon Bits: Golf carts, food carts, planning starts

Be sure to check out the Events calendar for more upcoming activities nearby!

Site News

The BHB wants YOU

Do you have something to say that is relevant to Beacon Hill (North, Mid-, or South)? If so, the BHB wants you. We are looking for guest writers on a variety of Beacon-related topics, and particularly for folks who live in Mid-Beacon or South Beacon. Living toward the north end of the Hill, we know we don’t always hear about what’s going on further south as well as the people who live there do. We are committed to covering the entire Hill, and we are glad to feature other voices than our own.

Don’t be shy — you don’t have to have perfect writing skills to do this. We can polish up your prose if needed.

Here are some potential starter topics, though these are not the only ones, and we welcome your ideas:

  • Raising kids on Beacon Hill
  • Voices from the various cultures represented on the Hill
  • History of the Hill
  • Restaurant reviews on the Hill and nearby
  • What to do on the weekends
  • City political issues as they directly affect the Hill
  • Land use and development
  • South Beacon Spotlight
  • Mid-Beacon Spotlight
  • Crime
  • Gardening on the Hill
  • Schools and education issues
  • A Greener Hill: environmental issues
  • Beacon by Bus: Life here without a car
  • BeaconBike: A cyclist’s life on Beacon Hill (Bike-On Hill?)

Interested in a regular writing slot or just a one-time opinion piece? Either way, email us.