Highline Public Schools is beginning its seventh year of partnership with the Panasonic Educational Foundation, the philanthropic arm of the Panasonic Corporation. The mission of the Foundation is to assist school districts in their reform efforts aimed at educating all students. The Foundation's mantra is all means all. The values of equity, excellence, collaboration, and accountability guide the Foundation's work to assist school districts to meet their most important goals.

Shauna Pierson, a counselor at the Academy of Citizenship and Empowerment (ACE), was working late one evening. Walking down the hall, she recognized a student at his locker and stopped to talk. Seeing the hopelessness in his face, she probed and learned that he was planning to run away from home that night. He said he had friends in Connecticut and had just met a man who said he'd drive him there.

The electronic student information system (eSIS) funded by the 2006 bond is nearly fully operational. Conversion from the outdated system has been a massive undertaking. Now all schools are operating on eSIS for attendance, emergency contact information, and most other student data.

Raisbeck Aviation High School kicked off a major capital campaign at an event on November 17 at the home of James and Sherry Raisbeck. The Raisbecks and their foundation have pledged $4 million toward the effort to construct a facility for the school at The Museum of Flight.

Highline Public Schools board of directors recognized board member Julie Burr Spani during the final meeting of her term. Superintendent John Welch said, "We are grateful for Julie's contribution. During her four-year tenure, the district has created - and grown - a college-going culture." The addition of the Office of College and Career and the annual Life After High School event have given students, parents, and the community a look at ways to increase opportunities and open doors for students.

Each year Highline Public Schools provides an update to the community on its progress in a variety of areas including Systemwide Measures of Success (SWMS) and five areas of strategic focus: Learning Environment, Excellent Staff, Academic Achievement, Resource Stewardship, and Neighbors and Community (LEARN).

At its November meeting, the school board recognized Global Connections High School for dramatically increasing the number of students taking Advanced Placement (AP) courses and exams. Sixty-nine students took AP classes last year, up from 13 the previous year.

Did you know that students who meet income eligibility and sign a pledge during their 8th-grade year to stay in school, maintain good grades, and stay out of trouble with the law are eligible for full college tuition and fees at Washington public colleges? Through Washington's Higher Education Coordinating Board, College Bound Scholarships are enabling young people to break the cycle of poverty by furthering their education. Read the story in the College Bound Scholarship Newsletter about Health Sciences & Human Services High School student Mohammed Al-Shimari.

American Education Week is being celebrated November 16-20 in Highline Public Schools and across the nation.

In addition to the budget presentation (PowerPoint), the 2009-2010 budget overview (pdf) is now available online. Both documents may be viewed from the Business Services page of the district website.

The community is invited to a screening and discussion of the documentary Papers on Friday, November 20, at the University of Washington. It will be hosted by OneAmerica, an immigrant and refugee rights organization in Seattle, and is an opportunity to learn about the DREAM Act, Comprehensive Immigration Reform, and how immigrant youth are affected by current immigration laws.

Wesley Redding, a freshman at Highline Big Picture High School, was recently featured in Northwest Gold Coast Business Forum with a story about his internship at Cascade e-Commerce Solutions, Inc. (CeSI). Wesley is the second Big Picture student to intern with CeSI. He joins senior Colby Klein.

The Tyee Holiday Bazaar will be held on the Tyee Campus December 5, 2009, from 9:00 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. There will be over 100 booths of hand-made and commercial products for your shopping fun. Shoppers can also have their picture taken with Santa, get your Christmas tree, enter a prize drawing, have breakfast or lunch, and enjoy a hot, fresh espresso beverage. There will also be a Kids Activity Center for the little shoppers. All proceeds benefit Tyee student activities. Vendor spots are still available.

Many of the schools around the district hosted Veteran's Day assemblies to honor community members and celebrate their contributions to our freedom. Southern Heights Elementary School students recited poems, shared stories written by students, and entertained the crowd with singing.

CityClub's 2009 Community Matters Campaign (CMC), in partnership with The Seattle Foundation, has announced the winners of the People's Choice Awards for organizations who make educational and economic opportunities available in King County by using two strategies outlined in the Healthy Community Report

Puget Sound Skills Center (PSSC) unveiled a new Building and Construction Trades curriculum at an event hosted with the Building Trades Leadership. This pilot program, dubbed "multi-craft core curriculum," was originally developed by the Building and Construction Trades, AFL-CIO, and has been refined and received curriculum approval over the last 18 months under the guidance of PSSC's Construction Technology Instructor Ken Pierson. Instruction will take on a unique format with instructors from the Seattle Pipe Trades, Local 32, and PSSC staff. Pierson thanked Ed Holmes, former director of training for Seattle Pipe Trades - and a member of the Construction Technology Advisory Board, saying, "Ed was really instrumental in the design and a driving force in getting this curriculum approved and in place for use by our students."

Valley View Early Learning Center offers monthly family events to foster a strong home to school connection, and present community resources. Our October Harvest Festival featured free family portraits, face painting, games, prizes, popcorn, and pretzels. Three hundred forty four people attended an evening of family fun, teacher bonding, and meeting new neighbors.

Highline students, staff, and families have been instrumental in lending support for tsunami-ravaged Samoa. Many Pacific Islander families here have family and friends affected by the storm. Efforts have been coordinated through World Vision.

The students of Asociacion Latina de Accion y Servicio (ALAS) recently presented an altar at El Centro de La Raza's annual Dia de Los Muertos Gallery. This was the first time students from ALAS participated in the event and they chose to theme their project around a social justice issue that affects many of the students at Health Sciences & Human Services High School and the entire Evergreen Campus - the DREAM Act.

Speak Up is a national online survey where students, parents, and educators can participate in the national, state ,and local dialog about key educational topics.

The staff of Highline CHOICE Academy at Woodside wants to extend their thanks to their Parent/Student Organization (PSO) for the new refrigerator! Staff member Donna Smith observed, "This replaces an ancient "beast" that either froze everything or didn't stay cold enough!" She went on to say, "We have an extremely supportive parent organization and are so grateful for all they do to support our students, staff, and program."