College Goal Sunday a Success

Highline Public Schools participated for the first time in College Goal Sunday Washington. All four high school campuses opened their doors from 2:00-5:00 on Sunday, January 25. The career centers and libraries at each campus were filled with volunteers ready to help students and families navigate the complex, and often confusing, process of applying for financial aid for college.

Approximately 120 students and parents received an in-depth, line-by-line explanation of the FAFSA form and were able to submit the application online. Typically taking an hour or more to complete the form, both parents and students were appreciative of the assistance they received.

The event was sponsored by the Office of College and Career with coordination efforts led by school counselors Jennifer Fichamba at the Evergreen campus, Teresa Matthews at Mount Rainier, Jewel Robinson at the Tyee Educational Complex, and Amanda Zuber at Highline. Volunteers from a variety of community and professional organizations as well as district employees, the PTSA, and the School Board were on hand to help out.

Barbara Wilson of the Office of College and Career observed, "You could see the feeling of accomplishment and pride in both the student and parent as they all left the event with big smiles on their faces."

College Goal Sunday is a free, state-wide program that helps students and families complete the Free Application for Federal Student Aid (FAFSA), the form that is required to apply for federal financial assistance for higher education. The FAFSA is the single-most important application for financial aid. Most students (63%) rely on financial aid to make attending college a reality. However, the paperwork can be confusing. At College Goal Sunday, students and parents were able to talk to experts and get in-depth help filling out the FAFSA.

Dictionaries for Students

Dan Johnson, president of the Des Moines Rotary Club, helps a Midway Elementary student look up a word in his new dictionary. Each year, the Des Moines Rotary Club gives a children's dictionary to every third grader in the city.

Highline in the News for Challenging Students in Different Ways

Highline has recently been featured in several publications highlighting the work being done to prepare all students for college, career, and citizenship. Because students come to school from so many different "places" in life, the district has learned the power of individualizing each student's education.

"A four-year college or university isn't the right fit for every student," says Superintendent John Welch. "However, we don't want to be in the business of sorting students, predetermining their futures. We want every student to be prepared so they have choices that lead to family-wage jobs. We know that most post-secondary education - whether it's a two-year college or apprenticeship program - have nearly the same academic requirements for admission as the four-year colleges."

• Puget Sound Skills Center was featured in the Superintendent of Public Instruction's website for its work with students on Collection of Evidence. Read about the success stories featured.
• Big Picture High School is featured in this month's The Learning Network with three stories; one on high school innovation, another on building partnerships for student learning, and a third on Big Picture's model of individualized learning through interships.
• White Center Early Learning Initiative (WCELI) is an important partner of Highline Public Schools. A public-private partnership funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation, the State of Washington, and others, WCELI's goal is to ensure that all children enter kindergarten healthy and ready to learn. White Center Heights Elementary School Principal Dave Darling is co-chair of the WCELI Community Advisory Committee. See the article on page 2 of the WCELI Update newsletter.
• Highline Public Schools is commended for its work to prepare all students for college and career in the latest issue of the Northwest Gold Coast Business Forum.

Give Us Your Input on Early Release Time and Waiver Days

Our schools and teachers want and need to have time to receive training and work together to improve their teaching skills. That is why students have partial or full days off from school while teachers are working (early release and waiver days). On those days, teachers receive training in math and literacy, review data on student progress, and develop school improvement plans for the year.

A committee of teachers and administrators is working to develop a schedule for non-student days that will be least disruptive to student learning and to families. The committee's preliminary recommendations are that the time be a combination of waiver days and either early release or late start, and that the days be scheduled at regular intervals, only on weeks that have five full school days (not on weeks that have holidays.)

The committee wants feedback from teachers and parents on early release, late start, and waiver days. In early February, the district will launch an online survey for teachers and a phone survey for parents. Expect a phone call if you are a parent -- or an email if you are a teacher-- in the next two weeks. The survey will ask whether you prefer late start or early release, how often, and what day of the week you prefer to have it.

The data gathered from this survey will be considered by the committee as it develops its recommendation to the superintendent regarding scheduling of non-student days for next year and beyond.

Gregory Heights Students Learning to be Successful Scholars

Gregory Heights students told the school board how they are building skills that will help them be scholars in elementary school and beyond. They are receiving intensive training through AVID, a program also in many Highline middle schools and high schools, which prepares students for college. The program emphasizes study and organizational skills.

Fourth grader Jasmine Tran told school board members about the planner given to AVID students. "The planner helps me organize my time to finish tasks and communicates to my family the daily work we do in class."

According to Gregory Heights Principal Phil Robinson, "AVID creates a connection to middle school and high school and college."

Caption: Fourth-grade student JasmineTran addresses the school board.

February is Black History Month

Celebrated in February each year, Black History Month is an opportunity to recognize important African American people and events in the history of our country. Research shows the designation was actually made in 1926 by historian Carter Woodson. He chose the month of February "because it marked the birthdays of two Americans who greatly influenced the lives and social conditions of African Americans: former President Abraham Lincoln and abolitionist Frederick Douglass."

School Board Honored

Superintendent Welch recognized the Highline School Board for their work and dedication at Wednesday night's Board meeting. Governor Gregoire has proclaimed January School Board Appreciation Month. Each board member received a certificate from the superintendent.

United Way Offers Tax Help for Families in Area

From January 13 - April 15, United Way of King County will provide free tax preparation and access to the Earned Income Tax Credit and other tax credits to help working families increase their incomes and create savings. Tax services will be available at 15 sites across King County. Free tax preparation allows low-income people to keep more of their hard-earned money and avoid paying unnecessary fees for commercial tax preparation and "rapid refund" loans. Being financially stable reduces the risk of becoming homeless.

Exciting Changes at Technology, Engineering & Communications School (TEC)

In year two of small schools on the Evergreen campus, there is growing excitement about the partnerships, projects, and direction of the Technology, Engineering & Communications School known as Evergreen High TEC. On its way to becoming known as the premier engineering program in the area, the staff at TEC has established strong partnerships with the National Academy of Engineering and the National Academy of Technology, including an advisory board made up of volunteers from The Boeing Company and NASA.

TEC has added rigorous engineering curriculum that offer students the opportunity to earn college credits from several prestigious universites including Duke, Purdue, and Rochester Institute of Technology. Staff has also aggressively pursued funding partnerships and grants that have provided tecnology and equipment for a shop and lab for students. Students and volunteers are currently preparing for their FIRST (For Inspiration and Recognition of Science and Technology) Robotics competition, a prestigious competition involving hundreds of students from Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) schools in the U.S. and Canada.

TEC recently was granted authority and funding to host a Summer Youth Program through Gateway Academy, a Project Lead The Way (PLTW) initiative. Gateway Academy is a project-based experience, designed to introduce middle school students to the fundamentals of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics. Students work together in a fun, exciting environment using leading-edge technologies to sample such disciplines as robotics, aeronautics, rockets, and eco-design. This program is intended to recruit students into PLTW® coursework at the middle school and high school level.

In addition to these new additions, rigorous academic work continues in the basics; algebra and language arts teachers are working with specialized coaches to implement best practices in their content areas.

Scholarship Opportunity for National Board Certification Candidates

On January 12, 2009, the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) announced the opening of the scholarship window for 2009-10 candidates. In the 2009-10 National Board for Professional Teaching Standards (NBPTS) candidate cycle, there are two official scholarship rounds, the first of which has an application deadline of February 13, 2009.

Round 1: January 5 - February 13, 2009. Applicants will be notified on March 20, 2009, whether they have been awarded a scholarship.

Round 2: March 27 - May 8, 2009. Applicants will be notified no later than June 5, 2009, whether they & have been awarded a scholarship.

This competitive scholarship is based in part on a series of essay questions the applicant must answer and several federal- and state-required demographic considerations. The scoring of the application is done by committees of NBCTs from around the state. While the scores on the essays are important, they are not the sole consideration for the scholarship. Attention to detail throughout the National Board process is very important and this same intentionality should be taken when completing the OSPI NBPTS scholarship application.

To apply for this scholarship (online application), go to

http://www.k12.wa.us/Certification/NBPTS/Candidacy/scholarships.aspx

or more information about the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards, go to http://www.nbpts.org/

Students From the Puget Sound Skills Center Help Out

Students from the Puget Sounds Skills Center Fire Services program recently put their training to good use. On January 8, 2009, in response to the heavy rainfall and subsequent flooding, students were asked to assist the area's emergency teams. Cadets Jesse Marco and Ryan Snyder along with Instructor Mark Voigt, used the Skills Center's Aid Unit to transfer sandbags from Redmond to Duvall.

Then on January 9, 2009, Puget Sound Skills Center Fire Service Cadets were again asked to assist the region with the flooding that was occurring. Cadets Chris Draper, Nick Stephens, and Jesse Marco, along with their instructor, went to Fife and assisted with sand-bagging operations well into the night. This included making sandbags and placing them to protect structures from flood damage.

"The Mayor of Fife and the Chief of Police were very grateful of the assistance given by the cadets. The first-hand exposure to emergency situations was invaluable for their training," said Voigt.

Big Picture Student Receives Grant

Tylor Curry, a sophomore at Big Picture, just received a $500 grant from the Washington Foundation for the Environment to implement an internship project involving teaching elementary students about forest restoration. Tylor's internship is at the Nature Consortium.

Snow Make-up Days Identified

District officials have been working with Highline Education Association on a plan for making up time lost due to weather closures last month. Work was done in an effort to attain a fair and equitable decision and to recognize the difficult circumstances that staff had to deal with in their travels to work.

Students and staff will make up the December 17 snow day on May 22, which is the district's designated snow make-up day. June 22 will be added to the school calendar for both elementary and secondary schools. June 23 will be a make-up day for elementary only.

Though not required to make up December 18 since it was a half-day for secondary schools, the district recognizes that it was not an effective educational day for students. Secondary schools will make up that day on May 8, which had been scheduled as a waiver day. Elementary schools will still have a waiver day on May 8.

Make-up days for elementary schools will be: May 22, June 22, and June 23.

Make-up days for secondary schools will be: May 8, May 22, and June 22.

"I want to take this opportunity to thank all of you who made it to school on December 18," said Superintendent Welch. "I know some of you made heroic efforts to get to work that day. I regret that some faced hazardous conditions in your travel."

He continued, "I want to give special recognition to our facilities and transportation staff who were out in the wee hours of the morning for several days in a row, driving bus routes, checking road conditions, and preparing our facilities for staff and students. I am grateful for your dedication to keeping our schools running safely."

"In a variety of other ways, teachers, principals, and classified staff all demonstrated devotion to our students throughout the recent weather events. Thank you for what you have done and continue to do for the children of our community."

Highline to Gain $2 Million for School Construction

The school board has voted to postpone the start of construction of the new McMicken Heights Elementary School in order to take advantage of enhanced state matching funds. The district learned last Friday afternoon that the rate of state match for Highline would increase next fall. By postponing construction until then, the district could collect approximately $2 million in additional capital funds from the state.

The state provides matching funds to school districts for new school construction.

McMicken students and staff are scheduled to move to their temporary location, the historic Sunnydale building, during mid-winter break in February. The board asked the superintendent to decide whether the move should go ahead as scheduled or be delayed until summer break.

Superintendent Welch pledged to work with McMicken Heights staff and families to come up with a moving plan.