Students Attend LEAP Conference

Students from Midway, Cascade, Pacific, Chinook, Global Connections, Odyssey, Highline, and Mount Rainier attended this year's Latino/a Educational Achievement Project (LEAP) conference February 6. In addition to student participation, parents also attended - sponsored by Title III funds intended to engage parents of ELL students.

Global Connections alumnus Gabriela Osorio was named one of two recipients of the Phyllis Gutierrez McKinney scholarships - each for $5,000. Gabby, a 2008 graduate who maintained a 3.8 GPA, has been unable to attend college due to financial constraints. She was a co-founder of the Latino Stand Up club at Global Connections and has continued her leadership by volunteering with LEAP and leading their regional seminars throughout the state. She has worked with youth to advocate and inform them about the DREAM act.

Deputy Superintendent Carla Jackson commented, "What a treat to see Gabriella receive one of the $5,000 scholarships! The staff at Global should be very proud of their students. With Jose, this makes two years in a row for a Global student to be honored with this scholarship." She went on to say, "Quality students like these make me comfortable about who will be our future leaders."

The conference included workshops that support LEAP's mission of academic achievement of Latino/a students, with awareness of post-secondary options and opportunities, which is aligned with Highline's mission and vision for all students. During the visit to the state capitol, this group of over 80 participants met with Representative Dave Upthegrove to discuss laws and policies affecting Latino/a students and communities.

LEAP was founded in 1998, focusing their efforts around developing educational policy priorities to improve teaching and learning in Washington State. Their goal is that all students will graduate from high school with the skills, knowledge, and confidence needed for success in post-secondary education or in today's information age and technology-driven workplace.

Top photo: Midway students with Family Advocate/Academic Coach, Samuel Paredes

Mount View Students to Perform in New York

Two Mount View students will go to the SCORES national poetry slam in New York City this spring to perform their original poetry.

Uziel Martinez and Shani Calamiong recited their poems at the last school board meeting.

SCORES is an after school program that combines soccer and literacy. Students build literacy skills through poetry.

Uziel Martinez recites The Donkey

The Donkey By Uziel Martinez I remember watching a movie. It was so groovy. It was about a donkey. Man it was so funky. He was doing hip hop. And he did the criss cross. And he met a donkey girl. And they had a strawberry swirl. And they did the kisses And she became a Mrs.

Shani Calamiong (left) performs her poem with the help of her friend, Angelica Gil.

Inside & Out By Shani Calamiong I'm on the inside like a worm in an apple. I'm on the out like a flower blowing in the breeze. I got the brains like Albert Einstein. I get the credit like a giant being mean. I have the feelings like a mom letting go of her child. I share the mood like an emotional wreck I pick the clothes like a fashion model full of style. I wear the clothes like a bear wearing fur.

Classified Employees Week is coming!

The week of March 9-13 is Classified Employees Week in Washington. Superintendent Welch presented a proclamation to representatives of Highline's classified employee groups at the last board meeting. Read the proclamation...

Rose Clark, Carla Nakashima, Kevin Youngs, and Jan May receive the proclamation from Superintendent Welch.	Deborah Pierson represents bus drivers.

Mount Rainier Principal Selected

Julie Hunter has been appointed as principal of Mount Rainier High School, effective July 1. Ms. Hunter is currently an assistant principal at Mount Tahoma High School in Tacoma.

Ms. Hunter's background makes her highly qualified to serve in this position, including extensive experience in leading International Baccalaureate (IB) programs and small learning communities, as well as experience working with a diverse student population.

She served as assistant principal at Kent Meridian High School for three years, where she coordinated the IB and AVID college prep programs. She was a teacher leader at Foster High School during the conversion to small learning communities, and was head of the Tukwila Teachers' Association.

Ms. Hunter earned her B.A. at Pacific Lutheran University and her Master's degree at University of Puget Sound. Her principal certification is from Central Washington University.

Heidi Geise will continue to serve as interim principal at Mount Rainier through the end of this year.

"I want to thank Heidi for her leadership of Mount Rainier this year," says Superintendent John Welch. "Heidi has gone above and beyond the call of duty to ensure the smooth operation of Mount Rainier, and she has continued the strong focus on academic excellence."

High School Fairs for Middle School Students

Highline Public Schools will host four High School Fairs for all middle schools students and their parents to hear about small-school options for high school. Eighth graders are encouraged to attend their neighborhood school's event. Families considering other district schools as an option are welcome to attend any of the fairs. There will also be daytime events featuring booths for each small school or small learning community.

Please click here for a flyer listing all of the locations, dates, and times.

Budget Work Continues

District leadership continues to work on ways to reduce the budget for the 2009-2010 school year in the face of unprecedented reductions in state funding.  The community is encouraged to provide input.

Comments can be submitted on the district website. The school board encourages the public to attend board meetings and budget work sessions. All schools will host budget information meetings, and a district-wide community forum on the budget will be scheduled in early April.

School Board Budget Work Sessions
The community is encouraged to attend.
March 25 - 7:00 p.m. Evergreen Campus
April 22 - 7:00 p.m.  Tyee Educational Complex
May 27 - 7:00 p.m. Southern Heights Elementary

Budget Questions and Answers

Does the district plan to close schools?
No. Enrollment is projected to be stable for the next several years and then grow slightly. We need all the schools we are currently operating.

Will there be teacher layoffs, and how will that impact class size?
We don't anticipate major teacher layoffs or a significant change to class size. However, we won't know how deep staff cuts must go until the state budget is finalized this spring.

Why is the district building schools if there is a budget shortfall?
Construction dollars are funded by a bond approved by voters in 2006. By law, these dollars can only be spent for capital improvements. It is not legal to transfer capital dollars to the general fund to pay for teachers and programs.

What is the timeline for determining budget cuts?

• March: Schools will hold informational meetings.
• March 25: Preliminary budget cut recommendations presented to school board.
• April: District will host community-wide informational meeting.
• April 22, May 27: Updated recommendations presented to school board.
• June 24: Final budget adoption by school board.

Bicycle Club for Teens

Cascade Bicycle Club and Bike Works has unveiled the Major Taylor Project, a new program dedicated to creating a welcoming environment where teenagers have the opportunity to spend time outdoors and on a bicycle. King County Executive Ron Sims, who spearheaded the initiative for the Major Taylor Project, was on hand February 25 for the kick-off event.

The Major Taylor Project will begin with four, after-school bicycle clubs for teens at Global Connections High School in SeaTac, the Rainier Vista Boys and Girls Club, the YES Foundation in White Center, and the Bike Works facility in Rainier Valley. Cascade Bicycle Club will provide instructor and volunteer training, program management, and the initial purchase of 70 Redline cyclocross bikes to get the kids rolling.

"Hundreds of children will experience the exhilaration of recreational bicycling thanks to the partners in this new program," said King County Executive Ron Sims. "This kind of opportunity can truly be life-transforming for some of the students who will take part."

Clubs will run April through August, and will educate teens about mountain and road biking, skill building, bicycle mechanics, map reading, safety training, mentorship, and community awareness. At Global Connections, Principal Rick Harwood, a biking enthusiast, is involved in the program along with some of the GC teachers.

Program leaders anticipate reaching 120 teens in the first year, some with goals for long summer rides, such as Cascade Bicycle Club's 200-mile Group Health Seattle to Portland ride. Major Taylor Project supporters include Group Health, King County Metro, Seattle Bike Supply, Recycled Cycles, Rack 'n Road, and Cycle University.

Marshall Walter "Major" Taylor was the first African American professional cyclist in the United States. Born in 1878, Major Taylor's professional racing career spanned 13 years. Banned for several years from competing in championship events, he eventually became a national and world champion several times over. A source of inspiration to athletes from all walks of life, the Major Taylor Project honors Major's commitment to his passion in the face of adversity.

Founded in 1970, Cascade Bicycle Club is a 10,000-member, nonprofit organization based in Seattle, serving more than half a million cyclists in the Puget Sound community. The club is operated by a nine-member volunteer board of directors, 19 professional staff, and thousands of volunteers. More information about Cascade Bicycle Club's advocacy, commute, and education programs is available online at www.cascade.org or by calling 206- 522-3222.

What's the Scoop with the WASL?

Since Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn's January announcement of his plan to replace the WASL, there has been some confusion reported from students and families in regards to state testing in 2009.

For grades 3-8 and 10, nothing is changing this spring. It is federal law that all students in those grades participate in state testing.

For more information, please read "State Testing 2009."

Additionally, there has been a lot of buzz around the cancellation of optional 9th-grade WASL testing and the associated costs.

Beginning in 2006, OSPI allowed ninth graders the option of taking the high school WASL in math, reading, and writing. The intent was to let students who felt they could meet standard on the high school WASL take the tests a year early. The high school WASL is designed to measure proficiency in math, reading, writing, and science at the 10th-grade level.

"In the past, OSPI has been able to financially support optional testing for ninth graders because the number was fairly small," State Superintendent Randy Dorn said. "Now, the costs have grown significantly at the same time that an economic crisis is forcing our agency to cut optional programs and activities. This also supports moving forward with online testing because we would no longer have to print more than a million test booklets each year. "

Pre-registration for this spring's WASL testing ended January 13. After that date, OSPI determined that it would cost $477,000 in additional testing costs not provided for in the current state budget. OSPI estimates that 2009 testing in grades 3-8 and 10 will account for approximately 1.7 million WASL test booklets to be printed, not counting 100,000 booklets for ninth graders.

Ninth graders who have already registered to take the math, reading ,and/or writing WASL tests this spring will now take the new High School Proficiency Exam next school year.

Washington Aerospace Scholars Opportunities

Washington Aerospace Scholars and The Museum of Flight are sponsoring a six-day summer residency where students will plan their own mission to Mars. Interested students from across Washington are completing a series of online lessons on topics ranging from the history of NASA to the future of human space exploration. Top performers will be selected to participate in the summer event, all expenses paid. What's needed now are adults who will help make the experience truly exceptional for the selected students.

There will be four residency sessions during the summer - each one focusing on the design of a human mission to Mars - with four teams per session: Getting There, Living There, Working There, and Mission Integration. Each team needs a mentor (professional engineer or scientist) and an assistant mentor (university student) to work with them. Each team also needs a counselor, a certified teacher who provides both support and supervision during the weeklong experience.

The mentors and assistant mentors are volunteers who will work with the students each morning from 8:00am - noon. The counselors remain with the students for the duration of the residencies, and thus will earn $500 stipends, as well as clock hours. All costs (transportation, meals, lodging) are covered for teachers.

Applications for each of these positions are available here. Each one begins with an overview of the responsibilities. Teacher applications are due by March 13; mentor applications are due March 27 and assistant mentor applications are due by May 15.

For more information, contact Melissa Edwards, WAS Administrator at The Museum of Flight 206-764-5866. Or read through the WAS Newsletter.

Gold Star and Teacher of the Year Awards

Recognition of outstanding employees is a cooperative effort between the district and Highline Schools Foundation for Excellence. Each year, the Foundation organizes and hosts the Gold Star Award Luncheon to showcase top performers in the following categories: teacher, administrator, classified/professional support staff, and volunteer. The employees recognized are nominated by their co-workers, students, parents, or community members. So, here's your chance to shine the spotlight on someone whose work you've admired. Send the completed application form to the Foundation for Excellence by April 1, 2009.

The outstanding teacher selected will represent the district as our Teacher of the Year in the recognition program sponsored by OSPI.

This year, the Awards luncheon will be May 29 at the Doubletree Guest Suites in Tukwila.

For more information, contact the Foundation at 206-248-5196.

Read Across America Celebrates Dr. Seuss' Birthday

This week marks a national celebration of reading in honor of Dr. Seuss, who was born on March 2. Each year at this time the National Education Association sponsors Read Across America, during which families are encouraged to read together. Read the proclamation...

Mount Rainier Team Swims to 2nd Place in State

Led by Mac Lowry, who became the new State Champion is the 200 and 500 Freestyle, the Mount Rainier High School men's swim team took 2nd overall in the recent state competition. Matt Jude placed 3rd in both the 50 and 100 Freestyle.  Two relay teams finished in 2nd place - the 200 Freestyle team made up of Mac Lowry, Matt Jude, Greg Giesbers, and Curtis Strand; and the 400 Freestyle team made up of Lowry, Jude, Strand, and Dillon Webster.

Congratulations!

The District Safety Committee

The district safety committee has designated the month of March as "Employee Safety Month." During March, the focus will be on reminding employees to be safe both on and off the job. Safety posters and note pads, with simple safety reminders, will be sent to your schools and sites. The Safety Committee asks that you make the posters and note pads visible to all of your staff. Safety's intention is accident prevention.

Attention All High School Video Producers!

2009 High School Student Awards

For recognition of excellence throughout the Northwest

Attention all high school video producers!

Would you like to have major-market television professionals take a look at your work?

Would you like to attend and have your work recognized at the Northwest Regional Emmy Awards?

Would you like to win the closest thing to an Emmy a high school student can win?

Then you want to enter the High School Awards for Excellence presented by the Northwest Regional Emmy Awards!

Enter you best work in these categories:

• News
• Cultural Affairs
• Sports
• Public Affairs
• Craft Achievement
• Documentary
• Dramatic presentation

Entries must be received no later than 5 p.m. on Monday, March 16, 2009.
For details, go to www.natasnw.org/highschool .