Bilingual Teacher Mentoring Program

Highline is blazing a trail to "grow our own" bilingual teachers from today's high school students through a new Bilingual Teacher Mentoring Program (BTMP).

Last Saturday, teachers, staff, community members and students came together to kick off the program, a long-term strategy to develop high quality bilingual teachers who may one day work in Highline and other Washington school districts. The program admits students in their junior year and provides a mentor who works with students for two years to make sure they are college ready and are exposed to the teaching profession.

The BTMP was made possible when the 2008 state legislature earmarked funds for the Latino/a Educational Achievement Project (LEAP) to implement the program. Highline Public Schools, in partnership with LEAP, will pilot the program this year. Jackie Martinez-Vasquez, Highline's Manager of Family and Community Partnerships and a LEAP board member, was instrumental in developing the program.

Darcey Escamilla (pictured above), a junior at Highline High School, is one of five students who are part of BTMP. Darcey wants to be a teacher because, "I want to make a difference like my eighth-grade core teacher made for me. I want to be there for students; I want them to go home knowing that nothing can be too hard if they try."

Darcey's mentor is Sandra Aguila-Salinas, a kindergarten teacher at Beverly Park Elementary.

We will have open enrollment for the remainder of the 2008-09 school year. If you have any questions feel free to contact Jacqueline Martinez-Vasquez at martinjg@hsd401.org.

Student of the Month

Vincent Perry, a senior at Puget Sound Skills Center, has been chosen as the Southwest King County Chamber Student of the Month for December.

Vincent maintains a 3.1 GPA while taking college-level courses as a Running Start student at Highline Community College. He has previously been recognized as a Student of the Quarter at PSSC.

In addition to his scholastic endeavors, Vincent is captain of his soccer team and is active in swimming and weight training. He is part of the SeaTac Fire Explorer Post 24, which is providing him with excellent hands-on training in his chosen career field.

Upon graduating, Vincent plans to move to Hawaii and attend Honolulu Community College, where he will earn his associate's degree in fire and environmental disasters. From there, he will transfer to the University of Hawaii and obtain his bachelor's degree in personal fitness training. He would like to become both a professional fire fighter and personal trainer.

Congratulations, Vincent!

Get Money for College!

Save the date - College Goal Sunday is coming January 25, 2009!

Four of Highline's high schools will be joining schools around the country in hosting College Goal Sunday - an open house forum for students and families to learn about options to pay for college. There will be financial experts and counselors on-hand to assist students and families in preparing the Free Application for Financial Student Aid (FAFSA).

Each family must bring their financial information for 2008 to complete the FAFSA; copy of tax filing or W2s, plus current account balances including savings, 401k, and checking. You will also need social security numbers and driver's licenses (if any).

See the attached flyer for more details or contact your school counselor.

Music Students Receive State and District Recognition

Three students from Global Connections High School have been selected to be a part of the 41st biennial All-Northwest Band, Orchestra, Choir, and Jazz event to be held in Spokane, February 12-15.

Carrie Floodeen, tuba - All-Northwest Band
Ashley Hale, trumpet - All-Northwest Band
Taylor Marlow, baritone saxophone - All-State Band

The Washington Music Educators Association (WMEA) and the Music Educators Northwest Conference selected top performing students for the event.

WMEA also hosts the Junior All-State West band, choir, and orchestra event to be held March 14 at Highline's Performing Arts Center.

Martin Obrero, from Chinook Middle School, has been selected to participate in the Junior All-State West Band.

Sixteen Highline Teachers Among 2008 National Board Certified Teachers

Sixteen Highline teachers are among the 2008 National Board Certified Teachers announced by The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

Jessica Apitz - Global Connections
Christie Brown - Parkside
Jacque Decker - Highline
Amy Flanigan-Zadra - Mount Rainier
Marisa Gaalema - Hilltop
Ramona Grove - Cascade
Maureen Kiely - Bow Lake
Emily Lauer - White Center Heights
Jolly Meloottu - Mount Rainier
Lauren Monroe - Mount View
Megan Olson(Funes) - Bow Lake
Shauna Pierson - ACE
Kari Robins - Seahurst
Jacob Savishinksy - Aviation
Kathy Webster - Cascade
Nancy Weeks - Bow Lake

They spent a year cataloging their teaching experiences, creating portfolios of their work, taking tests. After all the work, a total of 919 more Washington teachers are National Board certified.

State Superintendent of Public Instruction Terry Bergeson expressed enthusiasm for the teachers. "What I continue to find so amazing is the personal growth the teachers go through during the application process," she said. "So many teachers have told me that they learn not only how to be better teachers, but how to be better people. They've learned so much more about themselves: their capacity, their limits. And they take all that new knowledge back to the classroom.

Certification is a year-long, introspective process that requires teachers to submit a four-part portfolio and a six-exercise content and pedagogy assessment. The ten entries document a teacher's success in the classroom as evidenced by his or her students' learning. The portfolio is then assessed by a national panel of peers.

Legislation passed in 2007 awards a $5,000 bonus to each certified teacher. Teachers can receive an additional $5,000 bonus if they teach in "challenging" schools, which are defined as having a certain percentage of students qualify for free and reduced-price lunch (50 percent for high schools, 60 percent for middle schools, and 70 percent for elementary schools).

"I want to extend my congratulations to these accomplished teachers," said Governor Gregoire. "Their commitment to excellence and their ability to complete this rigorous process has led to this recognition by their peers. It is particularly exciting to see the increase of certified teachers in those schools with a large number of struggling students."

"Today is a great day for Washington's students," noted Mary Lindquist, president of the Washington Education Association. "National Board Certification does make a difference in improving teaching and learning at the classroom level. Under Governor Gregoire's leadership, we've seen a dramatic increase in interest in National Board Certification - particularly in our state's most challenging schools. The Washington Education Association is proud to be a partner in supporting educators with this rigorous professional experience."

There will be a formal recognition of the Highline teachers at a January school board meeting.

Mount Rainier Girls' Swim Team Excels at State Meet

Congratulations to the Mount Rainier Girls' Swim Team!

The Rams took the state title in the 200 Freestyle Relay. Molly Larson, Mackenzie Marrs, Haley Gansneder and Leona Jennings posted an All-American time and shattered a 14-year-old team record.

The same relay team took second place in the 400 Freestyle Relay, posting another All-American time and breaking a 12-year-old team record.

And Leona Jennings is the reigning state champion in the 100 Backstroke and 50 Freestyle. She broke the current state records in both events and posted All-American times. She now holds 6 team records, some of which were last set 28 years ago!

Teresa Matthews MRHS staffer observed, "Leona Jennings is just one example of exceptional academics merging with incredible athleticism! She is a wonderful student and swimmer."

Head Coach Omar Crowder was enthusiastic about the event, "What a great performance at state for our team and our school!"

Update on the Mount Rainier Pool

Highline Public Schools is continuing its efforts to develop means to support the Mount Rainier pool. Currently, operation of the pool is funded by Highline in partnership the cities of Des Moines, Normandy Park, and SeaTac. SeaTac will stop funding the pool when the new Highline YMCA pool opens in SeaTac. The city of Des Moines has agreed to continue funding the pool until the end of 2009. The pool partnership has commissioned a study to evaluate the cost of capital improvements the 40-year-old pool will need in the future.

The pool was built and has been owned by King County. In March 2009, ownership of the pool reverts to Highline Public Schools. Highline is seeking continued partnerships with cities and other partners in order to keep the pool operating.

Rotarians Provide Dictionaries for Third Graders

Des Moines Mayor Bob Sheckler presents dictionaries to third graders at North Hill Elementary.

The Rotary Club of Des Moines made its annual visit to North Hill and Parkside elementary schools this week to give a dictionary to every third grader.

Each year, Des Moines Rotarians raise money to purchase an illustrated children's dictionary for every third-grade student in the city. The children take the dictionaries home with them at the end of the school year.

Food Drives Fill Pantry Shelves

Seahurst Elementary ASB hosted a food drive for ten days in November. During that time, nearly 4,000 items were collected for the Highline Food Bank.

Nate and Alex Ferry stood outside of Albertson's one evening to ask community members for donations to help the cause. Together, they collected nearly 900 items.

Seahurst teacher Emily Hathaway commented, "It was very successful, and the Highline Food Bank was pleasantly surprised and excited on the large donation."

ERAC staff have also been generously filling a giant food barrel...donations which have been enthusiastically accepted by the local food bank.

There is also a "Warm Up for Winter" effort underway at ERAC with staff donating warm coats, hats, and gloves for students. District social workers have access to these items for distribution when they see a need.

Sister Schools from Des Moines to Uganda

Aviation High School students joined together to collect school supplies and funds for their sister school in Uganda. The money raised, over $1800, will go to refurbish the girls' showers at the school and anything left over will fund student scholarships there. This is the second year AHS has participated in this fundraiser.

Jody Ellinger, biology and health teacher at AHS said, "Most of the items collected included clothing, personal items, and school supplies. In the spring time, Sister Schools comes back to AHS and does a presentation to show how the collected items were distributed."

Principal Reba Gilman commented, "We appreciate Jody organizing this very meaningful fundraiser. It certainly brings to light the hardships the students at our sister school endure and how we can help."

Ellinger said, "We also want to thank our advisory winners: Mrs. Ciccone-Cook's advisory won for the highest monetary total at the end of the competition, and Dr. Katim's advisory won for the most items donated."

Sister Schools hopes to be a springboard for social involvement for American children; helping each individual child develop an awareness of the needs of those less fortunate and an appreciation of their own ability to effect positive change.

When an American school joins Sister Schools, they start with a slide presentation and discussion, students see what it is like to live and grow up in Uganda or El Salvador. Special attention is given to contrasting the conditions in the schools of these countries with those in our own. Students not only gain a greater understanding of the world around them, but also a greater appreciation of the resources and opportunities available to them in their own school.

For more information about Sister Schools, visit their website at: http://www.sisterschools.org/index.htm

Economy Down, Highline Giving is Up!

This year, Highline employees responded in a big way that is truly in the spirit of giving through the United Way and Highline Schools Foundation for Excellence giving campaign. Total pledges increased 6% this year over last; add that to 13.8% the previous year and employee giving is up almost 20% in the past two years. Rexanne Forbes, this year's campaign chair, observed, "Even in these tough times, Highline employees responded to our neighbors in need with open hearts and generous spirits."

Of the 2,529 Highline Public Schools employees, 631 participated in the campaign to benefit United Way and the Foundation. More employees responded to United Way, but a higher percentage increase for the Foundation was shown this fall with an increase of 35% in pledges made to the Foundation.

More people giving + more money given = more services provided to students and the community. United Way will invest in families and basic needs such as supporting food banks to acquire additional food and extend their hours, provide services to help people avoid eviction and foreclosure, and employ services to help people learn about and qualify for public benefits.

The Highline Foundation pledges will develop community resources directly impacting student success, including a plan to give all seventh-grade students the opportunity to visit college campuses, inspiring innovative teaching through Excel Grants, and elevating arts in education through band instruments and scholarship support for the Summer Arts Academy. Executive Director Dawn Elwell said, "On behalf of the Highline Schools Foundation, I would like thank the staff of Highline Schools for their support of the Foundation. These funds will be instrumental in helping the Foundation achieve its goals of helping every student to reach a higher level."

Congratulations to the first-place fundraising "Shining Star" of schools participant, Highline High School, raising $7,164. Runner-up goes to Mount View Elementary with a tight margin securing pledges of $6,540. Hazel Valley receives accolades for third place and "most improved" with $3,570 raised. This represents an increase at Hazel Valley of 61%.

Congressman Inslee visits Cascade Middle School

U.S. Representative Jay Inslee returned to Highline recently to pay a visit to the school he attended as a young teen. Congressman Inslee was a student at what was then Cascade Junior High in 1964, before moving out of the district to attend high school.

Congressman Inslee was the guest speaker at Cascade's Honored Students Awards Assembly. He encouraged students to set high goals, and he promised to return next year to ask them about their progress toward their goals.

Math and Market Night at Shorewood

Shorewood Elementary School recently hosted a "Math and Market Night." It was a fun-filled night with the Shorewood gym transformed into a Farmers' Market of fresh fruit and vegetable produce stations.

The students engaged in nutrition-related activities that gave them practice with valuable math skills. Shorewood students served as cashiers at the stations, while Shorewood children and families "purchased" food with play money, building math skills, and at the same time strong, healthy bodies!

Families had the opportunity to take home delicious fresh fruits and vegetables, and learn about the importance of consuming a wide variety of colorful fruits and vegetables for lifelong health. "The math and market night allowed us to take students on the adventure of learning to love fresh fruits and veggies," said Highline Public Schools Nutrition Services Manager Brianna Smith, RD. "We hope to spark their interest and develop lifelong habits of eating nutritious, delicious foods."

A Visit from 'The King of Instruments'

Students at Shorewood Elementary School are hosting a very special instrument at their brand new school - a pipe organ! Margie Paynton, the general music teacher at Shorewood, was able to arrange for this seven-week residency because of her membership in the American Guild of Organists.

The pipe organ was designed and built locally as a teaching tool, having the ability to be plugged in to fill the air reservoir, or be hand pumped (as in the days of J.S. Bach). There are 150 pipes (wood and metal) and a 24-note, flat pedalboard. Plexiglas panels allow students to see the inner workings of the instrument, as well as play or pump the organ.

Posters, a set of wooden pipes for blowing, and related science and social studies lessons accompanied the pipe organ to the school, and 5th- and 6th-grade students are learning Beethoven's 'Ode to Joy' on barred instruments and recorders to play along with the organ.

Midway ELL Homework Night a Success!

Teachers and coaches from Midway Elementary teamed up with the English Language Learners (ELL) staff to host a family homework night.

With nearly 100 parents in attendance, the staff modeled ways parents could help their children with homework. For example, a staff member how to read a book to a child, stopping to ask probing questions to test for comprehension such as, "What do you think is going to happen next?" The groups also played math games, with staff members modeling how to turn the game into learning. With the game Go Fish the teacher practiced matching numbers and then addition by asking, "If have a one and a two, and you have a two and a three, who wins?"





At the end of the night, each family received a homework basket to take home. The baskets were filled with supplies including scissors, glue, pencils, and a bilingual book in their language. Parents learned the importance of a routine for homework, teaching the students good learning habits.

Highline Drama Students Honored by ACT Theater

Four Highline High School drama students were honored recently by the ACT Theater for plays they have written.

Amber Rowe wrote a scene that was a parody of the novel Twilight. She and Cody McCann performed Amber's parody for the audience at ACT.

Cody McCann and Shelby Wunch both received an honorable mention for their plays For Real and Psychological Love.

Danielle Mantello will have her play Fatalism produced at Live GIRLS! Theater in Ballard.

The ACT theatre in partnership with Highline High School and ARTS High School drama departments provide acting and script writing professionals to come to the high schools and work with students to create and perform their own original works.

New School Board Officers Elected

The school board held its annual reorganization election at this week's meeting. Bernie Dorsey (pictured) was elected as president, succeeding Julie Burr Spani. Sili Savusa was elected vice-president.

Dollars Available for Student Community Service Projects

Do you know a student with a great community-service project that could use some funding? The Seattle Foundation announces a special opportunity for the youth and students of Highline Public Schools.

Administered through The Seattle Foundation, the Mother House Fund's Seeds of Compassion Youth Grants Program offers $500-$1000 grants to greater Seattle-area high school student projects that demonstrate compassion, by reaching out to others in need. An application is attached, and more information can be found at www.motherhousefund.org. Applications are due by 5:00 p.m. on Friday, January 30, 2009, and decisions will be made in March 2009.

Each student MUST have a sponsor from their school or 501(c)3 nonprofit organization that will participate actively in the ongoing management of the project - and process the grant - as we are not able to make a grant directly to an individual. The sponsor's contact information should be included on the Grant Cover Sheet form on the application.

Sample projects include: helping elderly neighbors, providing tutoring to a local pre-school, making a difference to the threatened environment, or helping people in another part of the world plagued by warfare and famine. The Seed Grants can help jumpstart a new project, or to help continue a current project, for example paying for marketing and promotional materials or paying for refreshments for a fundraising event. For more examples of projects or uses of a Seed Grant, please go to http://www.motherhousefund.org.

A Pink Principal?

What does reading have to do with turning Interim Principal Vi Erickson PINK?

Marvista students have taken on a reading challenge to read at least 20,000 minutes each week as a school, and Mrs. Erickson will wear a little more pink each week until everything she is wearing is pink!

The first week the students read over 60,000 minutes. During November 10 - 14 the students read 63,400 minutes and November 17 - 21 the students read 75,000, and the students committed to read over 80,000 during the first week in December.

Some classes have elected to have a "pink class day" in solidarity with Mrs. Erickson and reading.

"It has been a lot of fun to have the students so enthused about their reading," said Mrs. Erickson.

MAD Grants Benefit Highline Students

More than 2,000 Highline students will benefit from MAD Grants this year through 17 projects.

MAD Grants is a program that awards small grants ($25 - $1,000) to educators in Highline Public Schools and Portland, Oregon, schools. The program was started in 2002 by two Northwesterners: Chris Blumenthal and Nanci Tangeman, a 1979 graduate of Mount Rainier High School. MAD Grants are facilitated by the Highline Schools Foundation in conjunction with their Excel Grant program. Thus far, close to 140 projects have been funded over seven years.

Below is a list of this year's MAD Grant recipients. For more information, please visit www.madgrants.org.

Marketing ACE/TEC and Small Schools
Academy of Citizenship and Empowerment
Carrie Howell, IA/Film/Mass Media Teacher

Engineering Young Minds
Aviation High School and Midway Elementary
Scott McComb, Robert Steele, and Keitha Bryson, Teachers

AHS Mars Rover
Aviation High School
Nikhil Joshi, Math and Science Teacher

Olympic National Park's Creature Feature Traveling Trunk and Adaptation Show
Bow Lake Elementary
Carlyn Roedell

Trebuchet Catapult (Flinging Projectiles)
Bow Lake Elementary
Brett MacDonald, Sixth-grade Teacher

Painting Animals onto Real Canvas Frames with Acrylic Paints
Bow Lake Elementary
Brett MacDonald, Sixth-grade Teacher

Student Composition Recordings and CD Making
Cedarhurst Elementary
Bianca Smith, Music Specialist

Culture Club
Chinook Middle School

Tutor Team
Highline High School
Dwayne Olson, ELL Tutor

Wildlife Discovery: Owl Pellets
Hilltop Elementary
Terre Salzer, Librarian

Sprucing Up Computers
Madrona Elementary
Katie Yore, Sixth-Grade Teacher

Writers' Notebooks
Madrona Elementary
Michael Hecklinge, Literacy Coach

Family Homework Night
Midway Elementary
Jessica Ma, ELL Kindergarten Teacher

Science Fair
Mount Rainier High School
Sam Garson, Science Teacher

Science Fair
North Hill Elementary
Stephanie Nichols and Nancy Becker, Fifth- and Sixth-Grade Teachers

A New Heritage in a New Land
Seahurst Elementary
Mimi Krsak, ELL Teacher

Audio Slideshows
Technology, Engineering and Communications School
Michael Ko, Language Arts/Graphics Teacher

Friday is the Last Day...

We just learned about a great opportunity for those of you who are "tech savvy." Verizon Foundation and the National Center for Family Literacy (NCFL) are sponsoring a competition to identify program that help parents bridge the widening gap between adults' and children's understanding of technology. The deadline for entries is this Friday, December 12, 2008, at 11:59 p.m. (EST).

One $25,000 national award and four $5,000 regional awards will be presented at the National Conference on Family Literacy in Orlando, FL, March 2, 2009.

Stacey Langan of the NCFL said, "Please consider submitting a nomination for the Verizon Tech Savvy Awards. I know that so many of you are doing wonderful things with technology and have a lot to share!"

For more information and guidelines and to apply online, go to http://www.famlit.org/techsavvyawards.

Class of 2009 Graduation Toolkit

The Class of 2009 Graduation Toolkit (pdf) is a resource provided by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to help educators and families understand state graduation requirements. The toolkit will be periodically updated with new materials and when changes occur during the 2009 legislative session.

Information is available on a variety of graduation-related subjects including Meeting the Math Graduation Requirement, Overview of Certificate of Academic Achievement Options, and State Testing.

Link: http://www.k12.wa.us/Resources/pubdocs/2008/Classof2009_GradToolkit.pdf

Who, What, When, Where?

eHighlights provides a way for staff and community members to learn about stories and events that support the mission of Highline Public Schools. Our goal is that eHighlights will bring attention to the impact our schools have on students and the community at large.

We need you to be our eyes and ears around the district. Please send us stories that demonstrate how students are being prepared for college, career, and citizenship. Stories might be about a classroom charitable project, a powerful learning activity, an exciting achievement by a student or staff member, or any news you'd like to share with your colleagues and community.

Here are some guidelines for what we're looking for:

• Headline - Five words or less
• Photos (with names if possible) - optional, but very desirable
• Story - Keep it simple: who, what, when, where, why. (25 -125 words)

Send the above to Rexanne Forbes (forbesrg@hsd401.org). (Use this handy Word document submission form.)

Log on to eHighlights at: http://ehighlights.hsd401.org/ In fact, why not set this site as your homepage when logging on to your computer. That way, you'll always be in the know.

Be a part of telling our story!

Highline Updates Student Information

Highline is in the process of switching to a new electronic database for student information. The new system, eSIS, will store information such as the student's home address, emergency contacts, doctor's phone number, and language spoken at home.

At elementary parent-teacher conferences, families were asked to update their information to ensure the new system is up to date. If you are the parent of a middle or high school student, you will receive a form in the mail. Please fill in your family's current information and return it to the district office.

eSIS is a major improvement over the old database. It will allow us to access information much more quickly and efficiently. Ultimately, eSIS will tie into a parent portal that will allow parents to view their children's grades, attendance records, and school assignments online.