Hello Eckstein Jazz Fans!

We’ve begun our first fundraiser to support the Eckstein Senior Jazz Band and Vocal Jazz in their quest to get to Reno.  Increasing costs and shrinking family resources create a challenge to get all our students to Reno.  We hope you can help!

Barnes & Noble will host a Book Fair to support the Eckstein Jazz Program beginning November 14^th and ending November 21st.

No need to write an extra check, no need to sell anything – all you need to do is shop for purchases you would normally make AND encourage your friends and family to do the same.  When a purchase is made, use the voucher below (click on the “Voucher” link) and Barnes & Noble will credit our account.  We will receive in cash a percentage of the total sales – the more the sales the greater the percentage – up to 25%!  The voucher is good at any Barnes & Noble in the United States!

Voucher

Each year some of your PTSA dollars go toward helping teachers get additional supplies and equipment that they’d have to do without otherwise.  This year just under $9000 was awarded to over 30 teachers who asked for grants ranging from $85 to $1570.  The average request was $272.  Your PTSA membership makes a real difference in the education your children receive.

See the complete list after the jump.

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The Eckstein Orchestra is in the middle of their 2009 ”Holiday Greenery” Fundraiser.

This is one of the Orchestra’s most important fundraising activities of the year and all Orchestra students participate to support their program.

Our items and prices are:

25ft cedar garland  #200    $30.00

Noble Mini Charm #302      $12.00

Door Swag  #330                $14.00

Mixed Noble Wreath #102  $22.00

Table Wreath #404             $15.00

Noble Swag #303               $21.00

Here is a copy of the flyer (.pdf) with colored pictures of all the items we are selling and an order form(prices above) you can fill out and turn into the school office by Nov 18th, or bring to the Nov 19th orchestra concert. Please enclose the order form and your check made out to “Eckstein Orchestra” in an envelope att. Mr Smith. All orders must be picked up at the school on Thursday Dec 3rd  in the  cafeteria, we will be there with your ordered product from 2pm till 7pm. We do not have the resources to deliver product to you unless you order from an orchestra student.

Any questions can be directed to Bill Trettenero @ trett56@gmail.com

Start the festive holiday season with lovely miniature poinsettia plants, specialty flavored candy canes and luscious Seattle Fudge!  Your generous orders will benefit the band students as they enter competitions and festivals in the area and region.  Please return the order form and check to the Band Room Mailbox by November 30.  We will have your orders ready for pickup at the Winter Concert on December 10.  Feel free to contact us if you need alternate arrangements, however.  We are also offering a lovely gift basket for teachers!  Questions?  Contact Sylvia Sargeant at chezsarge@comcast.net.

The order form is here (pdf).

We’re raising $$ for Eckstein’s 8th-grade trip to Japan, June 2010, and Pasta Freska is giving us a whopping 25% of the day’s proceeds to help underwrite this trip, ensuring ALL of Eckstein’s outstanding Japanese scholars can go!

Location:
Pasta Freska, Westlake
1515 Westlake Avenue N
Seattle, WA 98109 US
When: Sunday, December 6, 2:00PM to 7:00PM   
Phone: 206.420.4878 (Paige Gilbert, organizer)

Bring your family, friends – and neighbors! – to Pasta Freska on Westlake for a mouth-watering buffet dinner of Italian cuisine from Seattle’s most unique and congenial chef, Mike Horri.

Northwest Source says: Horri is just a really good cook, not  to mention a dynamic presence in the dining room.

We’re raising $$ for Eckstein’s 8th-grade trip to Japan, June 2010, and Pasta Freska is giving us a whopping 25% of the day’s proceeds to help underwrite this trip, ensuring ALL of Eckstein’s outstanding Japanese scholars can go!

Thanks, Mike!

Adults: $15
Children: $12 (10-12), $7 (4-9)
3 Seatings: 2pm, 3.30pm and 5pm

Please RSVP to Paige Gilbert (lisbethpaige@yahoo.com) and indicate which seating you’ll attend.
Parking: East side of Westlake, opposite the restaurant.

Thank you for coming!
Domo Arigatou Gozaimasu!

To receive the E-vite for this event, which you can use to invite others
and RSVP, contact Paige Gilbert at lisbethpaige@yahoo.com.

Thank you!

See the flyer

Full Inclusion Committee

October 26, 2009

Purpose: The purpose of the Full Inclusion Committee is to review research and data regarding full inclusion and to make a recommendation to Eckstein staff and families for the ‘10’11 school year.  This movement would only affect Language Arts and Social Studies; Math would continue to offer Honors classes.

Attending: Kara Golgert, Liora Minkin, Kathy Sherman, Eric Miller, Ruthann Allan, Josh Hanson, Kim Whitworth, Miriam Hart, Stacey Norman, Jodi Gedansky, Terry Elrand

Summary of Meeting: At this meeting we read an article out of Education Leadership that outlined the rational to replace tracking with heterogeneous grouping in schools.  This helped us identify benefits and challenges to this model.

• Benefits:
  • High expectations for all students
  • Differentiated instruction that meets the needs of all students, including advanced learners
  • Our science and elective classes are already heterogeneously grouped
  • Acknowledgement that students come with multiple intelligences that are not identified in our current advanced placement testing
  • Students who didn’t get into Spectrum but are highly capable would be better served
  • This addresses working on 21^st Century skills
  • Many of our students are already coming from a full inclusion model
  • This model moves us closer to fulfilling the Districts philosophy of social justice as well as Eckstein’s philosophy of inclusion for all

• Challenges:
  • There would be more pressure for teachers to articulate how they are meeting the needs of all students
  • We would need to provide ongoing professional development for teachers in the areas of differentiation and rigor
  • We would need to ensure that the classes are balanced in terms of the program ratios
  • Parents will want to have their children in a pull out Spectrum model regardless of our assurances that we will meet the needs of students in a heterogeneous model

• Next Steps:
  • Gather feedback from the full inclusion pilot we’re doing at Eckstein
  • Look at more research on heterogeneous grouping
  • Gather input from Language Arts and Social Studies teachers
  • Get information out to families via, PTSA meetings, website and listserv

• Calendar:
  • November 9 – Share our work with PTSA in an open meeting
  • November 23 – Full Inclusion Committee meets to share information on benefits and challenges
  • December 14 – PTSA Parent Forum
  • Parent and Staff survey during this process

Supporting Documents

The Case for Untracking (.pdf)

Tracking and Ability Grouping in Middle Level and High Schools (.doc)