Life After High School Event - Coming Soon
Every high school student and their parents should plan to attend the district-wide Life After High School event on October 22 from 6:30 - 8:30 p.m. at Mount Rainier High School. Organized by the Office of College and Career, Marianna Goheen and Barb Wilson commented, "This event will offer students an opportunity for exposure to many different colleges, universities, apprenticeships, technical schools, and the military. There will be people available to answer questions on financial aid, preparing college applications, and an array of other resources."
Don't miss out on this once-a-year chance to find out more about all the possibilities of life after high school!
HS3 Students Attend National College Fair
 Submitted by Vicki Potter, HS3 at Evergreen
Forty-two (out of 58) Capstone seniors from Health Science & Human Services High School (HS3) attended the Seattle National College Fair on September 29 at the Washington State Convention and Trade Center.
Over 420 colleges (both national and international) had representatives and booths set up so that students could find out about admission requirements, financial aid, housing, student life, and programs that they offer.
In addition to visiting booths, students had the opportunity to attend seven different workshops. The topics included Financing Your Education, The Importance of the College Essay, The Student Athlete and the NCAA, What to do During Your Campus Visit, and more.
Feedback from the students was very positive. Many of them said that they learned about colleges they didn't know existed, and offered programs that matched their career paths perfectly.
 
Highline Hosts Second Annual Faith Leaders Forum
 Superintendent Welch hosted the second annual gathering of area faith leaders at Puget Sound Skills Center on October 1. The gathering of more than 70 area leaders, organized by HPS and the College Success Foundation, offered the opportunity to continue work started last year as well as look for new ways to support the students and families we jointly serve.
Many area faith organizations offer after-school enrichment programs and tutoring. The forum gives those organizations the chance to share what's working at their site and learn from others engaged in similar work.
 Superintendent Welch asked specifically for the help of faith leaders in getting 8th grade students signed up for the College Bound Scholarship program which offers students a full-ride scholarship to any Washington college or university if they sign up while in 8th grade, maintain a 2.0 GPA and stay out of trouble with the law. "This program offers students an incredible opportunity to change the course of their life through education," said Welch.
The event, held at PSSC, gave the Culinary Arts students an opportunity to hone their skills. They prepared and served a hot breakfast for the gathering.
Recruiting Microsoft Volunteers
Microsoft has created a simple, online process for schools to submit volunteer opportunities to their internal Volunteer Connection System. Not only do Microsoft employee volunteers provide a wealth of knowledge and skills, but Microsoft can also match their time with a $17 per volunteer hour donation to Highline's Foundation for Excellence.
Microsoft aims for strategic and creative about ways to leverage the skills, time, and talent of their employees. Dozens of Microsoft employees express an interest in volunteering for the math partnership each month, and there continues to be extremely positive feedback from the schools and volunteers about these experiences. Recent volunteer roles have included:
- Mentoring or tutoring students in math, science, technology, or literacy
- Judging math or science student competitions
- Delivering hardware or product demonstrations to students to highlight the importance of match, science, and technology
- Providing technology and operational assistance (website upgrades, technology planning, etc.)
Your questions or feedback are welcome. Please contact:
Jennifer Werdell | Microsoft Community Affairs | office: 425.421.9797 | v-jewerd@microsoft.com
New Organizational Structure Aimed at Support for Principals and Teachers
With a clear focus on service to principals and teachers and a desire to streamline, clarify, and create cohesive teaching systems, the Instructional Design and Development group is emerging. The new structure capitalizes on the talents of the current staff and was done without adding any new employees.
The Instructional Design and Development team is part of the larger Teaching and Learning department which includes school supervision, special services, peer mentors and professional development.
As Instructional Design and Development, headed up by Executive Director Angus Mairs, the group will now have five distinct areas of concentration: K-12 Literacy - led by Coordinator Brandon Mitchell, K-12 ELL led by Coordinator Bernard Koontz, K-12 Mathematics (and temporarily K-12 Science) led by Coordinator Susan Wood-Megrey, and Student Advancement led by Coordinator Cherrie Smith. Assistant Director Courtney Vollan will manage operational aspects of the department as well as the Title and LAP programs. As part of this group, Teacher Mentor Joe Pierce will work closely with Rick Maloney, Recruiting and Retention, to support teachers in their work. See the new organization chart for details.
The new structure came about after taking stock of what the organization's needs are, analyzing what people do best, what the customers (students, teachers, principals, and the community) need, and pushing highest priority items to the top. "People ought to expend their energy on their dream work - what they are passionate about," said Angus. He went on to say, "This group knows what good instruction looks like and this should position them to demonstrate instructional leadership."
An example of this work comes with 9th grade algebra. Rather than theory, Susan, with experience in implementation, will be able to work directly with teachers and principals in the classroom on instructional practices. That, coupled with collaborative accountability (teachers gather weekly to review results) helps create a team committed to continuous improvement.
Click for a printable organization chart.
Mount View Receives Generous Gift
 Submitted by Trina Samson, librarian
Mount View Elementary School library received a generous donation of $500 from Richard Hoffmann and his family. Richard works for Kassel Construction, the company that built the new Mount View.
The gift is in honor of Ester Melvin, who attended Mount View in 1910, and taught there all through her career. (Ironically, she taught 4th grade most of her years, which is the only grade she never went through herself, because she skipped 4th grade!) Ester recently passed away, and it was her family's wish that instead of flowers, books be given to needy children. Richard Hoffman, his family, and office friends all decided to give to the Mount View library.
It is a wonderful gift and much appreciated. Thanks again to Richard Hoffmann, his family, and friends!
Photo: Mark Demick, principal; Richard Hoffmann, and Trina Samson, librarian, Hoffmann's wife and two office staff.
TEC High Receives iGrant to fund FIRST Robotics Team
Technology, Engineering, and Communications High (TEC) at the Evergreen Campus has been awarded a $4,000 iGrant to form a FIRST Robotics team at their school. In addition, a Boeing engineer, Melanie Rider, stepped forward to lead the support for the team. With Melanie's support comes a $6,000 grant to cover registration and parts. Eric Hong, principal of TEC, commented, "I'm excited to be able to offer this opportunity for applied learning and mentoring for our students. It will be a great experience for them."
FIRST is an acronym For Inspiration and Recogntion of Science and Technology and has been a supporter of the Robotics program at Aviation High School. For more information visit: www.firstwa.org
The build season for the FIRST competition is January 3 - February 17 with competition beginning shortly thereafter.
Mount Rainier Alumnus Organizes Fund Raiser
Submitted by Brian Jacobson
Martin Santos, a 2008 graduate of Mount Rainier High School, is making a difference! He recently organized a fund-raising walk at Des Moines Creek Park to support victims of sexual abuse and raise awareness about the issue.
As a survivor of sexual abuse himself, Martin is dedicated to helping other victims.
As a sophomore, he got an assignment in Dave Hunzinger's language arts class that changed his life and is now changing the lives of others as well. He told the story of how he endured years of sexual abuse and until then had never revealed it to anyone. Since then, he has shared his story with KCSARC, the King County Sexual Assault Resource Center, including through a professionally produced video that was shown at last year's annual breakfast in downtown Seattle with over 1000 leaders, business people, and supporters in attendance. More recently, he told his story in an interview on KUOW. http://www.kcsarc.org
Around our World
October is both Filipino American History month and Italian American Heritage month.
Here are some great resources:
An interesting fact about Filipino American History for every day of the month: http://www.geocities.com/fasa_usc/culture/filamonth.htm
And, 31 days of Italians, with a multitude of ideas and facts: http://www.italianheritagemonth.com
Family Involvement in Education Month
Washington Governor Christine Gregoire has proclaimed October as Family Involvement in Education Month. Superintendent Welch read the proclamation at the October 8 school board meeting.
The board's work study focused on Neighborhood and Community Engagement with presentations by Catherine Carbone Rogers and Jackie Martinez Vasquez. Lively discussions followed with several community organizations, partners, parents, staff, and the board.
Click to read the proclamation.
Southern Heights Teacher Recognized by Co-workers and OfficeMax
Southern Heights teacher Denise Della Pella received the OfficeMax "A Day Made Better" recognition on October 1. She was part of a nationwide recognition program where 1,300 teachers received a surprise visit by local OfficeMax staff laden with gifts worth over $1,000 for each classroom. "I'm not sure who is more excited - Ms. Della Pella or the students," observed Principal Anne Coxon. She continued, "What a great surprise - I love it when new teachers are recognized. It's so encouraging!"
Ms. Della Pella was nominated by Office Manager Barbara Zimmer and Assistant Manager Melanie Terhune. "Last year was her first year teaching, and she did a great job with challenging circumstances," they said. "We just wanted her to know we think she's a great teacher!"
Included in the enormous prize box were lots of pens, colored pencils, Sharpies, Post-it notes, and many other basic supplies. There was also a digital camera and a label maker. Ms. Della Pella also received a leather, ergonomic, desk chair.
Along with the gifts for Ms. Della Pella, the OfficeMax staff delivered bags of supplies for every employee at Southern Heights.
OfficeMax has declared educators as its companywide cause and is mobilizing 3,500+ employees to support teachers nationwide. "A Day Made Better" is derived from the concept that OfficeMax can make at least one day better for educators, providing 1,300 teachers with essential classroom supplies. Through this event, OfficeMax seeks to educate and motivate the public to take action and partner with educators and schools in their community to make donations to Adopt-a-Classroom, funding more than 10,000 classrooms.
For more information, visit http://www.officemax.com.
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| Southern Heights teacher Denise Della Pella |
OfficeMax staff
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| Students help unpack the box |
Students help unpack the box
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Highline Schools Foundation Offers Excel Grants
The Highline Schools Foundation for Excellence is pleased to announce that applications are now being accepted for 2008-2009 Excel Grants. More than $100,000 in Excel Grants have been awarded to Highline Public Schools teachers since 2002.
What is an Excel Grant?
Established to inspire innovative teaching and enrich student learning, an Excel Grant is an award of $50 to $1,000 for a specific project. According to one teacher, "The Excel Grant from Highline Schools Foundation allowed me to share one of my passions with my students and strengthen their academic skills at the same time."
How do I apply?
A short, on-line application form is available at www.highlineschoolsfoundation.org. "It was so easy!" said a recent Awardee. Not all requests are funded, but all are reviewed.
What is the timeline?
October 24 - Applications due.
Late November - Decisions made.
Mid December - Grant awards mailed.
Early May - Showcase the results of your project.
Where can I find more information?
For examples of projects funded in the past and an application form, refer to Excel Grants at www.highlineschoolsfoundation.org. If you have specific questions, contact the Foundation office at 206-248-5196 or info@highlineschoolsfoundation.org
New Start Students Help with Annual Clean-up at Hicks Lake
Ann Magyar, teacher at New Start, organized a group of students to participate with the annual clean-up effort at Hicks Lake. Their efforts were recognized in White Center Now - check it out!
http://whitecenternow.com/2008/09/27/photos-annual-cleanup-at-hicks-lake/
Holocaust Education Conference Still Open
If you are interested in the Powell and Heller Family Conference in Support of Holocaust Education announced in the last issue of eHighlights, pre-registration is not necessary for clock-hours. However all teachers interested in receiving clock hours should register on-site before 8:30 a.m. on October 21. For further information, please contact Dr. Robert P. Ericksen, the Kurt Mayer Professor of Holocaust Studies via email: ericksrp@plu.edu or phone: (253) 535-7591.
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