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| Chinook Middle School Students Honored |
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Two Chinook Middle School students, Austin J. and
Sarah M., have been accepted into People to People
programs.
 Austin,
a seventh grader at Chinook Middle School, will
participate in the People to People World Leadership
Forum. He will join a select group of students in
Washington, D.C., September 11-17, 2006, to earn high
school credit while studying leadership and exploring some
of the United States’ most prominent monuments and
institutions.
From Capitol Hill to the Smithsonian Institute, and from
Colonial Williamsburg to the National Museum of American
History, Austin will examine the characteristics of
American leadership during times of national challenge and
prosperity. Forum delegates will also participate in
small-group discussions and exercises to experience
first-hand how successful leaders develop strategies, make
decisions, build consensus, and foster change.
Austin was nominated and accepted for the honor based on
outstanding scholastic merit, civic involvement and
leadership potential.
 Sarah, an eighth grader, will be joining the People
to People Ambassadors traveling to four Australian cities:
Melbourne, the capital Canberra, Sydney, and Cairns. The
group will learn about the Australian culture, past and
present, and live with a host family to experience the
day-to-day life.
Sarah was nominated by a teacher for this hands-on
cultural experience focused on promoting peace through
understanding between individual citizens of the world.
Todd Moorhead, principal at Chinook says, “These
are great kids who have been chosen for a significant
honor. We’re really proud of Austin and Sarah and pleased
to have them represent our school.”
The program is coordinated by People to People Student
Ambassador Programs to fulfill the vision Dwight D.
Eisenhower had for fostering world citizenship when he
founded People to People during his presidency in 1956.
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| Teachers Earn National Board Certification |
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L to r: Lisa Wilson
and Trishka Dargis |
Two Pacific Middle School teachers, Trishka Dargis and
Lisa Wilson, were recently notified that they have
successfully earned certification by the National Board
for Professional Teaching Standards. The process, a
year-long endeavor, is extremely rigorous and involves all
facets of professional instruction.
Trishka joined Highline Public Schools in 2000 and has
been an active part of the Pacific Middle School staff.
She’s the recipient of several grants and awards including
the National Consortium for Teaching about Asia
scholarship, which sponsored a three- week study tour of
China in 2004.
Lisa has been teaching for ten years. From the time she
was in middle school, she has been actively involved in
the Academy of Science where she has conducted research
and made presentations in the field of mathematics. Her
National Board Certification is for “Early
Adolescent/Math.”
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Tony
Kahler |
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Trishka and Lisa join a cadre of Highline teachers who
have earned this distinction. Tony Kahler, Highline High
School Business Education instructor, also recently
completed his board certification.
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Scott
McComb |
New to our district this year, Scott McComb of Aviation
High School is also a recent recipient of the National
Board certification. Scott completed his certification
last November, before joining Highline Public Schools.
NBPTS trains teachers who are dedicated to student
learning and upholding high standards for professional
performance. The National Board process establishes high
standards for accomplished teaching professionals, then
strengthens their educational preparation through the
standards, and creates performance-based assessments that
demonstrate accomplished application of the standards.
National Board Certification has become a symbol of
professional teaching excellence. Currently a voluntary
process, National Board Certification complements, but
does not replace, state licensing. While state licensing
systems set entry-level standards for novice teachers,
National Board Certification establishes advanced
standards for experienced teachers who must have three
years experience prior to beginning the process.
According to Ms. Dargis, “Although it was a challenging,
and sometimes frustrating, learning experience, I know I
am a better teacher for going through the process. I am
proud to say I am now a National Board Professional
Certified Teacher!” Ms. Wilson tells us that, “Working on
my National Board Certification was the single most
influential process to effect how I evaluate my teaching
and student learning. It will continue to impact my growth
as an educator.”
Congratulations to Trishka, Lisa, Tony, and Scott for this
noteworthy accomplishment!
Note: As we learn of others receiving their national
certification, we will share their information in upcoming
issues of District News.
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| World Vision’s House of Hope Opens Doors |
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 World Vision opened the doors of their House of Hope
Distribution Center and invited teachers and classroom
staff from several schools to “shop ‘til they drop!”
For three afternoons in mid-November, staff from Mount
View, Beverly Park, White Center Heights, Hilltop,
Southern Heights, Cascade, and Evergreen flocked to the
House of Hope Distribution Center in White Center. There,
they were able to pick out useful supplies and products
such as paper, binders, labels, pencils, notebooks, office
and desk supplies, creative project supplies, crayons,
backpacks, and much more. The supplies were for the staff
and the students they serve.
According to Leonetta Espy, area development manager for
White Center, “Over 150 teachers from seven areas schools
shopped in three days. We are happy to serve the teachers
and students of
this area with useful school and classroom
supplies. The Highline School District is a great one, and
we hope to continue to partner to create more
opportunities for success and achievement of its
students."
World Vision maintains a large warehouse in the Kent area
where they regularly hold shopping opportunities for
teachers. This, however, is the first time such an event
has been held in the Highline area.
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| Valley View Students Team Up with Doubletree Hotels |
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L-r:
Emily B., Alexis G., Vicki Lee of the Red Cross, Kyle P. and Shantel P. |
Each year, Doubletree Hotels sponsor a service project
entitled Teaching Kids to Care. This year, the theme of
the project was teaching children to make conscious
decisions to help others in their communities and the
world they live in.
The students at Valley View Elementary, led by teachers
Teresa Bond and Michael Grife, worked with the Seattle
Airport Doubletree Hotel to sell cookies donated by the
hotel. The students raised over $2,000 with cookie sales
plus an additional $321.43 from an impromptu coin drive.
Combining their sales and donations with $2,000 in
matching funds from Doubletree, the students were able
to present two checks to the Red Cross totaling
$4,356.43. The donation has been earmarked for victims
of the recent hurricanes.
The curriculum for this year's project was integrated
with the school's Service Learning Projects, designed to
help others in need. Principal Diana Garcia commented,
"This was a valuable learning experience for everyone
involved and we appreciate the partnership with
Doubletree in bringing projects like this to life."
Philip Feredinos, director of food and beverage at the
Seattle Airport Doubletree, is the local coordinator for
Teaching Kids to Care. Mr. Feredinos hosted an event at
Valley View on November 29 to thank the students and
recognize Nancy Weeks' class for being the top sellers.
And, as if they hadn't already had plenty of samples,
there were cookies and milk for everyone!
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| Hilltop Elementary Launches Anti-Bullying Project |
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The fear of being “bullied” may keep as many as 160,000
U.S students out of school on any given day, according
to the National Association of School Psychologists.
Students everywhere deserve to come to school where they
are safe from repeated intentional harm perpetrated by
bullies.
Hilltop Elementary School, following guidelines from
recent legislation and district policy, will launch the
Olweus Anti-Bullying Project beginning on November 28
with a school-wide assembly. This project is based upon
effective practices that address school culture by
empowering bystanders and others to remove any incentive
bullies have for engaging in anti-social behavior. OABP
has been in use for over twenty years and is an
internationally proven program.
Studies show that youth who bully others frequently
behave badly in school. Youth who are bullied are often
insecure, depressed, and lonely. According to Principal
Steve Grubb, Hilltop’s staff looks to the project to
create an even safer, healthier, and learning-focused
elementary school.
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| Lunch Buddies Needed! |
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Hazel Valley Elementary has a volunteer program called
Lunch Buddies! Adult community volunteers come to school
to read with a second grade student. They arrive at lunch
time and read to the child while they eat. Then, the
students read to their lunch buddy.
The children benefit by having another adult in their
lives who is interested in reading and their progress. The
adults benefit by gaining understanding of how children
learn to read, and they have an opportunity to give
precious time to a child. This is a wonderful experience
for everyone.
Lunch buddies meet every Thursday from 12:00-12:30 in the
library. This is our sixth year of lunch buddies, and we
are always looking for more adults to join the program. We
have many students who would love to participate.
If you are interested in becoming a lunch buddy, please
call the school (206-433-9784), and Darlene King will get
back to you.
Contributed by Darlene King
Primary Literacy Coach
Hazel Valley Elementary
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| Advisory Council Formed to Review Gifted Program |
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A team of people made up of parents, teachers, students,
and community members has begun work on a review of the
district’s elementary highly capable program, Challenge.
The review is being conducted against a backdrop of
national issues and whether those issues manifest
themselves in the Highline district. The expectation is to
add to and refine our current model, not replace it.
Some of the national issues impacting the discussions are:
the relationship between gifted students and gifted
education; the role of race, class, language, and gender
in gifted education; and the impact of gifted education on
the students in the program and on the larger community.
As the effort gets underway, the group is considering
“What should education for highly-capable students look
like in an urban environment?” Their charge is to generate
a three- to five-year plan for presentation to the
superintendent. The work is expected to take until the end
of the academic year.
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| Pacific's PTSA Grants Wishes |
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Pacific Middle School PTSA is pleased to announce that
over $41,000 was raised as a result of their recent fund
raising event-AUCTION 2005- "Support and Success For Our
Students" held on October 22. With these funds the PTSA
will be purchasing the following items from the "Wish
List" submitted by staff.
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17 Library computers
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$500.00 Grant for Sports Uniforms
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18 Microscopes
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Sciencesaurus A/R Quizzes and books
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8 LCD Projectors
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7 Digital Display Cameras
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$500 Grant for ASB Activity Bus
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$100 Grant for Math Team
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$565 Grant for Poster Machine Repair
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DVD Players
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Folding Machine (Office Staff)
The Pacific PTSA would like to thank all who helped to
contribute to the success of this event. Go Vikings !
Contributed by Lora Bolding
Pacific PTSA president
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| Insights |
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Read about the ParaEducator Assessment Timeline, Medicare
Part D, HR Department December closure dates, substitute
ID badges, training opportunities and more in December's
Insights.
December
2005 Insights... »
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| Highline
Health Matters |
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Find
tips for reducing holiday stress,
meet Highline School
Nurse Becky Morton, get a recipe for cranberry
spice cider and read about the winner of October's trivia
contest in this month's issue of Health
Matters.
November/December
2005 Health Matters... »
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| Board
Minutes |
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The minutes for the December 14 and January 11 board
meetings will be included in the January 19 District News.
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Season's
Greetings |
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Enjoy your Winter Break!
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