The School Board approved the plan with a 7-0 vote last night (Wednesday, Jan. 25, 2012). It was developed following input from the Facilities and Capital Management Advisory Committee. Input was also considered from about 300 attendees at six community meetings and about 550 written comments.

The plan includes boundary adjustments to John Stanford International School (4057 5 Ave NE),  B.F. Day Elementary School (3921 Linden Ave N) and McDonald Elementary School (temporarily located at 4400 Interlake Ave N). McDonald serves children from Wallingford, Green Lake and the University District.

The new boundaries will be in effect beginning with the 2012-13 school year. Families in will be able to determine their school boundary with an online address lookup tool starting Tuesday, Jan 31.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2012.

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Post tags: fremont, kids, mcdonald school, schools, udistrict, wallingford

The tours will be led by PTA representatives and will include brief observations of classrooms. Prospective parents will also hear from Principal Grinager and the McDonald PTA.

Tour registration details are available on mcdonaldpta.org. Registration is required to attend.

There will also be an open house on Thursday, March 1, 6:30-8:00 p.m., at the Lincoln High School location (4400 Interlake Ave N). Prospective parents will visit classrooms on an informal basis. Teachers will not make presentations, but will be in attendance to answer informal questions. There will be a presentation by the PTA and the principal at the beginning of the evening.

McDonald Elementary School will be moved to its permanent location at 114 NE 54th St this September, following refurbishment work.

For more information, call (206) 252-2900 or visit mcdonaldpta.org.

Thanks for the tip, Catherine Beard!

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2012.

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Post tags: kids, mcdonald school, schools, wallingford

The proposed changes would also impact Fremont’s B.F. Day Elementary School (3921 Linden Ave N) and McDonald Elementary School (4400 Interlake Ave N). McDonald serves children from Wallingford, Green Lake and the University District.

Click to enlarge

The changes were presented at a PTA meeting on Tuesday (Jan. 10, 2012) and will be voted on by the full School Board next Wednesday (Jan. 18).

“Seattle Public Schools has seen increased enrollment over the past two years and needs to make adjustments to ensure all students have a safe and productive environment to learn,” says Lesley Rogers, a spokesperson for Seattle Public Schools. “The John Stanford International School is currently overcrowded and use exceeds the optimal use of the rooms.”

At John Stanford, there is room for 16 homerooms, but 18 are currently in use. “The current boundary for the John Stanford International School is unsustainable,” Rogers says. “With no boundary change, the situation worsens and there will be a need for 23 homerooms by fall 2014. The combined capacity for McDonald Elementary and JSIS can only support the population within the combined current boundary for two more years at most.”

Also, according to Rogers, demand for language immersion programming is greater than the number of seats available.

In order to keep siblings together and alleviate overcrowding, the school district is proposing a plan that they say will offer predictability to all families. Once approved, all those impacted by the boundary change will know where their student will attend school in September 2012.

According to the school district, the proposal for the 2012-13 school year:

• Ensures incoming kindergarten siblings of students attending John Stanford who live in Area # 1 or # 2 will be guaranteed assignment to John Stanford
• Students who live in Area #2 and who are not entering kindergarten siblings will be guaranteed assignment to McDonald
• Offers a plan to bring the number of JSIS homerooms back to a sustainable level.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2012.

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Post tags: fremont, kids, mcdonald school, schools, udistrict, wallingford

Photo credit: McDonald Elementary School PTA

McDonald Elementary School is preparing for their biggest annual fundraiser.

On Friday, October 21, 2011 McDonald students will participate in the school’s second annual Move-a-Thon. The children – most in kindergarten or first grade – will walk or run laps at Wallingford Playfield to raise money for the school, while parents, friends, and neighbors cheer them on. This year, the Mariner Moose will also be on hand.

“This is our budding new school’s major fall fundraiser. We hope to be able to fund programs that will greatly enhance our children’s scholastic experience,” said Move-a-Thon organizer Jennifer Sill-Reichert in a press release from the school. “We are coming together as a community to make a difference. And the kids get to play a role in all this and have fun at the same time!”

McDonald Elementary, which opened just last year in the Lincoln High School building (4400 Interlake Ave N), has tripled in size this year to 190 students and serves children in grades K-5 from Wallingford, Green Lake, and the University District.

This year McDonald was designated an international school; its curriculum is modeled on that of nearby John Stanford International School.  The school will move to its permanent location at 114 NE 54th St in fall 2012, after renovation of the building is complete.

The McDonald PTA has a Move-a-Thon fundraising goal of $40,000, which will support programs that more-established schools already have, while keeping true to the values at McDonald: EDUCATION, TEAMWORK, HEALTH, COMMUNITY.

The PTA also is seeking local businesses to sponsor the Move-a-Thon. The many benefits for sponsors are listed on the McDonald PTA website.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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Post tags: fundraiser, kids, mcdonald school, running, schools, walking, wallingford

Kate Martin is running against District 2 incumbent Sherry Carr in the  November 8, 2011 General Election. District 2 covers the Green Lake area and represents Bagley, B.F. Day, Green Lake, Greenwood, Hamilton International Middle School, McDonald Elementary, Middle College @ Wilson Pacific, Olympic View, Sacajawea, Seattle Evening School, Stanford International School and Whittier.

Both candidates provided statements to us before the Primary Election. You can read their statements here.

Earlier today, Jesse Baumgartner sent us the following press release on behalf of Sherry Carr:

Kate Martin’s Record of Insults and Outbursts Would Be a Step Backward for Seattle School Board

Candidate has received police escorts from Roosevelt High, insulted Special Education, Advanced Placement and other students, raising questions about her fitness to govern the state’s largest school district

SEATTLE – After a string of campaign trail tirades by challenger Kate Martin, including insensitive remarks about special education, non-English speaking and other student populations burdening the overall student body in Seattle Schools, School Board Director Sherry Carr says her opponent has gone too far.  Carr today noted a pattern of divisive and angry behavior by Martin that she believes will be detrimental to a district in need of collaborative, civil leadership in challenging economic times.

“Enough is enough,” said Carr, a former Seattle PTSA President and longtime neighborhood schools leader who works at Boeing.  “These actions from Kate Martin during the past four years show an insensitivity to the needs of Seattle students and are completely out of line for someone running for our district’s school board.”

• This September, Martin sent a statement to a local Democratic group containing a very insensitive remark that “ELL, Special Ed, and an assortment of behavioral problems are mainstreamed on the backs of average students.”
 (PDF attached)

• Additionally, the Seattle Times reported in August that Martin had to be escorted by Seattle Police out of Roosevelt High School in 2009 because she became so adamant that the school assign her son a new math teacher. The school’s security “asked that Martin be permanently barred from the building.”
 http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/localnews/2015801694_schoolboard03m.html

• In December 2007, Martin sent a letter to the Seattle Times calling Advanced Placement classes “another club for white, affluent families,” and also stating that “given that apparently everyone cannot be served, I’ll help the most vulnerable first and leave the affluent kids ‘behind.’ We all know they’ll do just fine.” 
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/opinion/2004069763_frilets14.html

• In 2010, Martin filed a recall against several Board members because she disagreed with a policy decision.  The effort cost the District tens of thousands of dollars in outside legal fees and was thrown out by King County Superior Court. Link to court case search King County Superior Court, Case No. 10-2-38755-2 (PDF of Martin statement also attached)

“Representing our city’s children requires a level head, an ability to look out for every student’s interest, and a willingness to create a welcoming environment for all students,” said Carr. “Serving on a School Board involves working with others even when you disagree on matters of policy. Throughout my time on the School Board, I’ve made a concerted effort to partner with organizations and individuals to make a positive impact for Seattle students.”

Shortly after the above email was sent, we received this statement from Kate Martin:

What you see is what you get from me. I’m not hiding anything, protecting anybody or corroborating cover ups behind the scenes. I’m honest.

To be clear to voters and to my incumbent opponent, the things she criticized me for today are things directly in my crosshairs at the district.

Those things include: principals that suck, the untenable conditions in the “general education” classrooms and the curriculum and contracting incompetence down at central.

I’m super proud of what I’ve learned and accomplished while navigating the education landscape with my sons. I’m going to take all of that with me to the John Stanford Center.

I’m not going to be more of the same. We need a reset.

The judge at the hearing where I tried to recall several directors said she could identify with the frustrations I communicated about Seattle Public Schools and suggested I focus my discontent into a run for school board. I’m doing just that.

Disclosure: Kate Martin for School Board is a My Green Lake advertiser.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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Post tags: daniel bagley elementary, fremont, greenwood, hamilton middle school, kids, local politics, maple leaf, mcdonald school, phinney, roosevelt high school, schools, wallingford

Photo courtesy Kate Martin

Kate Martin, a candidate for Seattle School Board District 2, is holding a Meet and Greet at Green Lake’s Urban Bakery (7850 East Green Lake Dr N) on Saturday October 15, 2011, 3 p.m. – 5 p.m.

District 2 represents Bagley, B.F. Day, Green Lake, Greenwood, Hamilton International Middle School, McDonald Elementary, Middle College @ Wilson Pacific, Olympic View, Sacajawea, Seattle Evening School, Stanford International School and Whittier.

Kate Marin is running against District 2 incumbent Sherry Carr in the  November 8, 2011 General Election.

Both candidates provided statements to us before the Primary Election. You can read their statements here.

Disclosure update: As of Saturday, October 8, Kate Martin for School Board is a My Green Lake advertiser.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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Post tags: daniel bagley elementary, fremont, greenwood, hamilton middle school, kids, local politics, maple leaf, mcdonald school, phinney, schools, wallingford

The president of the North Central Little League is retiring and the league is looking for someone to fill the position. NCLL covers parts of Ballard, Fremont, Phinney Ridge, Greenwood, Green Lake and Wallingford.

Tom D’Angelo has been a part of NCLL for more than a decade but now that his kids are older, he believes it is time for him to move on.

A week ago he sent this letter to families involved in NCLL:

Dear North Central Community,

Eleven years ago I began my North Central journey as a father, a coach, and a league “helper”. Over the course of those years I filled many positions and am finishing this chapter of my journey as President of this great organization. My kids and I have moved on to other pursuits (www.shrimpskateboarding.com) and I simply cannot be an effective leader for our league moving forward. I announced my “retirement” several months ago but to date, we do not have any candidates to fill the President position.

On September 13th we will be having our annual Membership Meeting at 7 p.m. at the Phinney Neighborhood Center. All league parents are invited to this meeting and we appreciate your attendance. There are three key components of this meeting: a “state of the league”, elections, and the start of our organization for the 2012 season. It is very important that we have at least one person willing to assume the role of President by this time.

North Central is a vibrant and healthy league that contributes positive energy into our community. It has been a big part of my family’s life and it has been rewarding and fun. In some ways I probably “over did it” and that may have some people a little concerned they cannot commit to the job of being President. I believe you can. The great Board of Directors, coaches, and volunteers have elevated North Central organizationally and are always there to help. I believe the key quality for the President is keeping an eye on “the whole” and keeping things in motion. Most of this is by e-mail and/or phone. I will help you.

As a league we have grown from about 350 kids just a few years ago to over 630 in 2011. We have held by our commitment to offer our kids a positive experience, invested in our coaches, umpires, and fields. The kids and the families are having fun and enjoying the game of baseball. It’s a good situation and it needs good leadership to continue our great tradition.

Please let us know about your interest in being President, serving on the Board of Directors, or in any other league-level role by e-mail at ncll.baseball@comcast.net.

I appreciate everything that all our great families have put into North Central. Thank you for helping us build and sustain a great Little League.

Sincerely,
Tom D’Angelo

© for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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Post tags: ballard, baseball and softball, fremont, greenwood, kids, phinney, wallingford

King County is holding an all-mail Primary and Special Election on August 16, 2011. Ballots have now arrived at most Green Lake homes.

Green Lake residents will see School Board candidates on their ballots. The top two candidates in the Primary race will be on all Seattle ballots in November.

There are four contenders for Seattle School Director for District No. 2, which represents Bagley, B.F. Day, Green Lake, Greenwood, Hamilton International Middle School, McDonald Elementary, Middle College @ Wilson Pacific, Olympic View, Sacajawea, Seattle Evening School, Stanford International School and Whittier.

The incumbent for School Board, District 2 is Sherry Carr. Her challengers are Jack Whelan, Kate Martin and Mark T. Webber. A fourth challenger, Terrence J. Menage, has suspended his campaign.

We asked for statements from the four candidates currently running in the Primary race for School District No. 2.

From Sherry Carr:

Four years ago, I ran successfully for School Board energized by the belief that quality schools change lives and transform communities.  That belief has driven my decision making on behalf of our city’s 47,000 students.  In every decision, I have leaned on valuable lessons learned from my years as President of the Daniel Bagley PTA – I have rolled up my sleeves and put what is best for students first.

Our School Board has laid a strong foundation for accomplishing our primary goal of improving academic outcomes for all students.  We implemented a new neighborhood-based student assignment plan in response to parent demand.  We secured landmark agreements with our teachers’ and principals’ unions that drive increased accountability for student achievement.  Major curriculum changes have been made to ensure that every student has more equitable access to a high quality education.  And our students are now benefiting from the first nearly complete purchase of new textbooks in decades.  These milestones benefit all students and are fundamental to closing the achievement gap.

As Audit & Finance Committee Chair, I provided key leadership aimed at driving significant structural change to our District.  This work included a major overhaul of Board policies, ethics program improvements, and stronger financial controls.  These changes will result in a strong governance structure for Seattle Public Schools.  Despite four consecutive years of budget gaps, we worked together to prioritize funding for our classrooms first, reducing central administration while investing in changes necessary to improve academic outcomes for students.

In the Green Lake neighborhood, McDonald School has re-opened at Lincoln and will move ‘home’ in fall 2012.  The 1913 building is currently undergoing a $15M renovation. This fall a language immersion program will be added including both Spanish and Japanese tracks.  Green Lake School continues to be a thriving school community with a new leader and a strong academic program.  Daniel Bagley School, once the repeated target of closure threats, has grown to nearly 400 students with waitlists for both Montessori and Contemporary programs.  Through it all, I have been responsive to families through email and in person to address their concerns.

I have lived in the Green Lake neighborhood for nearly 30 years with my husband, Bill and our two daughters both of whom attended Daniel Bagley.  At soccer games at Green Lake fields, Girl Scout troop meetings at the Hearthstone, or PTA meetings at Bagley, I have met my Green Lake neighbors.  I am honored to serve this community and feel a strong sense of accountability to its residents.  There is still work to do.

Student achievement must improve, and we must close the achievement gap.  We aren’t there yet – but we are moving aggressively forward.  I assure you that our progress, while sometimes challenging to achieve, is both steady and substantial.  I’m confident we are moving in the right direction; now is not the time to reverse course.  My sleeves are rolled up.  I ask for your vote in the August 16^th primary election.  Thank you!

From Jack Whelan:

My name is Jack Whelan, and I am running for School Board, District 2.  I have lived in the Green Lake neighborhood for twenty-three years in three houses: one on Canfield Place in the old Honey Bear days, then over in the Green Lake Elementary neighborhood near 65th, and since 2004 just north of Blanchet H.S. on Burke Ave.

My son, Luke, went to Green Lake Elementary where he graduated in 2002, and he graduated from Ingraham H.S. in 2009. My wife has taught in Seattle Public Schools since 1992, and taught one year at Green Lake Elementary.  I was the parent chess coordinator/coach at Green Lake Elementary from 1998 to 2002, and I was a Little League coach for the Roosevelt-University District-Greenlake (RUG) League Minors and Majors teams from 1999-2003. I was named All-Star coach for the Majors in 2003.

I have degrees from Boston College and Yale University, and I have been on the faculty of the UW’s Foster School where I have taught a strategic business communications since 1986. I am an educator married to an educator, and I understand that you can only be good at what you love to do, and you cannot learn if you do not love to learn. Everything in a school system has relevance only insofar as it supports the love of learning in our kids, teachers, and parents.

If elected, I will work hard to restore stability and good order to an otherwise dysfunctional school system. You cannot build stability from the top down, and you cannot build on a flawed foundation.  The district suffers from both problems.

I want a return to site-based collaborative management, in which parents have a role in choosing principals, where principals and parents evaluate teachers, and parents and teachers evaluate principals. I want to see the district structured in such a way that principals understand that their first responsibility is to serve the needs of their learning community, not a top-down agendas dictated by the people downtown.

I could go on, but please check out my campaign blog for more about my campaign and my ideas.

I am endorsed by King County Democrats, the 43rd District Democrats, and Where’s the Math.

From Mark T. Webber:

The change we need. The voice we deserve.

I grew up in the Roosevelt neighborhood of Seattle and spent many days with my brothers and sisters swimming and playing at Greenlake.  We would walk to the lake for the 4th of July fireworks, and watch the outboard hydroplane race there during the summer.  The house I live in now is in Maple Leaf and I am able to look down the hill to the lake from my deck.  It is a view that brings back good and pleasant memories from my childhood.  I attended John Marshall when it was a Junior High School and graduated from Roosevelt High School.

As a practicing architect, contractor and business owner, I learned the importance of long-range planning, fiscal responsibility and integrity. I just completed my Masters of Arts in Education degree and I am overseeing the construction of the community garden at Harbor Church in Crown Hill.

As a volunteer, I taught under-represented youth entrepreneurship skills and have been a mentor for young men and women.  Since its inception, I have been active in Harbor Church in Crown Hill and supported its efforts to improve the quality of life in the Crown Hill neighborhood.

I believe short-sighted solutions are not the answer to our school district’s problems.

The Seattle Public Schools needs a ten-year plan to ensure that every school is striving to be a Twenty-first Century school. This means that students must attain high standards of knowledge through a balanced curriculum which encompasses the eight key learning areas with an emphasis on math and science:

The arts (including drama and music),
English,
health and physical education,
languages other than English,
mathematics,
science,
studies of society and environment,
technology.

Schools must fully develop the talents and capacities of all students including:

analytical, communication and organizational skills,
self-confidence and high self-esteem,
responsibility and decision-making skills,
employment-related skills,
the skills to confidently use new technologies.

In addition, students should have the skills to maintain a healthy lifestyle. They should have an understanding of the natural environment, and the knowledge to contribute to ecologically sustainable development.

Our schools didn’t get where they are overnight and positive change will not come overnight.  Short-sighted plans bring short-sighted and short-lived results.  We need to start looking down the road into the future.  We need to decide where we want our school system to be in ten years and start developing the plans and strategies necessary to get us there.  We need someone with the vision, courage, and the drive to make the Seattle Public Schools world-class schools again.

From Kate Martin:

Hello.  My name is Kate Martin and I am a candidate for School Board in District 2.

My husband, José Chavez, and our two sons, Emilio and Esteban (Steb), live in South Greenwood in the home that José and I have lived in since 1985.  We have just finished navigating our sons, 18 and 20, through Seattle Public Schools and I am ready to put that knowledge to work for other students and families.

All kids need and deserve to be challenged and inspired continuously. I believe that every single student needs the kind of attention in the classroom that celebrates and amplifies their gifts while recognizing and mitigating their deficits.  The “one-size-fits-all” approach to preK-12 public education in Seattle combined with endless ineffective strategies for addressing the achievement gap is leaving vast groups of students short of reaching their personal best.

Families must work in close continuous collaboration with schools to insure the full and complete educate of the students.  Academics, social skills and emotional competencies are the essential building blocks for a successful life, so a focus on all three is essential.  I will advocate for each student and family to work together with Success Coordinators to craft Personal Learning Plans with customized pathways for each of them to realize their goals.

I also believe that the role of a school board director is to oversee, not overlook.  We have been plagued by conflicts of interest, cronyism and corruption which have become a significant distraction that fails to focus on the task at hand which is serving students and families.   My tagline is “Kate does her homework” and I assure you that I will do just that.  The rubberstamping of bad ideas robs all of us, especially the students, of the resources needed for successful schools.  I believe Seattle can and should have the best schools in the country, but that takes diligence and research-based information, not ideas that don’t work from special interests.

I am a concerned parent and a professional planner ready to serve our schools.  Please contact me anytime to discuss your ideas or concerns about public education in Seattle.  I am on Facebook (search Kate Martin Seattle).  My website is katemartinforschoolboard.com.  You can find out more about my platform there.   I also have an on-line magazine, theseattlejournal.com where I have been writing and publishing articles by others about Seattle issues including many articles about education.  I have been endorsed by King County Democrats, The Metropolitan Democratic Club of Seattle and the Save Seattle Schools Community Blog and I would honored by your vote.    Don’t forget that ballots are due back by August 16.   Thank you.

Who are you voting for in the Primary election for School Board, District 2, and why? Leave your comments below.

The Primary and Special Election ballot also includes a question, Referendum 1, which relates to the Alaskan Way Viaduct replacement. You can read about Referendum 1 as it relates to the Green Lake neighborhood here.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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Post tags: daniel bagley elementary, fremont, greenwood, hamilton middle school, kids, local politics, maple leaf, mcdonald school, phinney, schools, wallingford

When McDonald Elementary School opened last year in its temporary location at Lincoln High School (4400 Interlake Ave. N.), only about 65 students showed up for the K-5 school. With its designation earlier this year as Seattle’s newest international and language immersion school, the enrollment has nearly tripled to 174 — plus a wait list — for 2011-12.

The school will have six language immersion classes — four for kindergarten (three in Spanish, one in Japanese) and two for first grade (one class each for Spanish and Japanese). Nearby John Stanford International School provides the blueprint for McDonald School’s immersion program; JSIS employees and parents say the key to its success is having an immersion assistant (a native speaker) in each classroom to help with instruction.

Hiring immersion assistants for McDonald will cost $100,000 this year, and McDonald’s PTA is trying to raise the money — fast. They need all the funds by the end of July to hire for September.

The school is hosting a family square dance as a fundraiser on Friday (June 10, 2011) at its temporary location at Lincoln High School (4400 Interlake Ave N). You can read more about the event, which is open to the community, on My Wallingford.

McDonald Elementary School will be moved to its permanent location at 114 NE 54th St in the fall of 2012, following refurbishment work.

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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Post tags: fundraiser, kids, mcdonald school, schools, wallingford

Click to enlarge

A free Wellness Walk through Tangletown is scheduled for Saturday, May 21, 2011, 10 a.m. – 1 p.m. The event highlights services at Active Wellness Chiropractic & Massage (2223 N 56th St), Tilia Natural Health (105 NE 56th St), and Thrive Natural Family Medicine (5020 Meridian Ave N).

Neighborhood health care providers will open their doors to kids and adults during the walk. There will be free chair massages, a raffle, and events at each stop along the way.

For more information, contact Active Wellness at (206) 547-9944 or drvevoda [at] seattleactivewellness.com.

Thanks for the tip, Amy!

©Amy Duncan for My Green Lake | Seattle's Green Lake Blog, 2011.

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Post tags: bargain alert, health, local businesses, open houses, wallingford