don’t establish the
boundaries
first,
the squares, triangles,
boxes
of preconceived
possibility,
and then
pour
life into them, trimming
off left-over edges,
ending potential:

A.R. Ammons

Dear Colleagues and Families~

Closings are always bittersweet and today I write with great affection for you and our community.   The work we have done this year was single mindedly focused on our children and it makes me proud to be a part of this community.

It is in the midst of a tinge of sadness that we send you off with the hope of a joy filled summer. Please take time to rejuvenate yourselves.  I know for some of you this means being with friends and family, while for others it will be climbing mountains and biking through Europe.  The time will fly.

I would like to take just a moment before we all depart for the summer to both reflect on this year and look forward to the fall.

The work we did this year provided opportunities to increase the support and collaboration we have among our staff members.  Our Professional Learning Communities (PLC’s) provide us a framework for looking at four essential questions of teaching and learning:

• What do we want kids to know and be able to do?
• How will we know if they’ve learned it?
• What do we do if they haven’t learned it?
• What do we do with students who already know it?

Our focus next year will be to continue to learn more about the processes for strong professional learning communities and specifically, common formative assessments and our response to interventions.  We are a staff who looks at kids and responds to their needs.  We don’t put them in preconceived squares and triangles. We should all be proud of how far we’ve come in such a short amount of time.

To facilitate our continued work in professional learning communities for next year we agreed on Schedule option “B”.  From now on we’ll just call it the 2010-2011 professional development calendar.  This provides one two-hour early release day a month.  Every other Wednesday we will devote our meeting time to working in PLC’s.  I am attaching a copy of the calendar so you can have it for your planning.

The other decision we had to make for next year was the bell schedule.  Providing students and teachers with two fifty-minute blocks of Homeroom time this year opened up a number of opportunities.  Students were able to use the time to make up assignments and labs as well as get additional help from their teachers.  More importantly, we were able to continue our Cohort homeroom for 6^th, 7^th, and 8^th grade students.  We just started to scratch the surface of more interventions for students.  The Math Mentor Program is only one example of this.  I know that by continuing to provide time we will develop more interventions for students who are struggling in school. With this in mind, we will continue to offer two, fifty-minute study hall periods on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  The bell schedule for next year is included below.

BELL SCHEDULE AND HOMEROOM/STUDY HALL:

2010-2011 Bell Schedule

Classes on Monday, Wednesday and Fridays are 55 minutes long.  Classes on Tuesday and Thursdays are 45 minutes long.  The study halls are 50 minutes each. The study hall time will be used for cohort, the math mentoring program, silent sustained reading, ASB, assemblies and activities.  We will also be able to have grade level lunches on Tuesday and Thursday.

We will continue to evaluate schedules and calendars in the upcoming months.  All changes will have opportunities and challenges and it’s up to us to evaluate and maximize the strengths. What I am sure of is that we will work together to make things work for our kids.

We will have some staffing changes for next year and this means the loss of some wonderful teachers and friends.  Below are the staff members who are moving on:

Carl Chew – Science

Orleen Baugh – LA

Kimberly Reagan – LA

Dianne Siasoco – SS

Kristie Fowler – LA

Paul Cavendar – LA

Clayton Townley – Music

We have had the opportunity to hire two teachers for next year.  Please join me in welcoming Sara Hoofnagle and Al George to Eckstein.  Ms. Hoofnagle will be joining the 6^th grade science team.  Al George will be a new PE/Health teacher at Eckstein.  Both were teachers at Summit K-12 and are excited to be at Eckstein next year.

We will keep you updated on any additional hiring that occurs this summer.

Have a wonderful summer and we’ll see you in the fall.

Best,

KW

Semi-Annual North Seattle Schools Women’s Kickball Tournament: Eckstein Players Needed! Saturday, October 17 at 2:00 p.m. at Laurelhurst playground   No experience necessary – this is a way to connect with other women who have kids in, or work for, north Seattle schools while having a good laugh and getting some exercise.   The women of various N. Seattle schools compete for bragging rights and the highly coveted golden kickball trophy.  Team Eckstein needs a minimum of 9 players.  Everyone will get to play  If you are interested, please contact Eckstein parent Darcy Paschino at darcy.paschino@usbank.com.   If you are interested in coordinating an Eckstein dad’s barbeque during the tournament, please contact Eckstein parent Terrie McCoy at gtjk@comcast.net.   Go to www.oldladysports.org for more information.

Eckstein would like to implement a full inclusion program*.   To do so, we need to research heterogeneously grouped classrooms, pilot a program, and make a plan for its implementation.  Please let me know if you would be interested in being on a committee with students and teachers to bring full inclusion to Eckstein.

Our first meeting will be on Monday, October 26th at 6 PM.  Please let Kim Whitworth (kdwhitworth@seattleschools.org)  know by Friday, October 16th if you are interested.

*”Full inclusion” means having classrooms with Special Education, General Education and Spectrum students together.  Two thirds of our classrooms will only have Spectrum and General Education students together.

It’s that time again…..after school programs!  Eckstein Community Learning Center (CLC) Student Registration Forms are ready in the main office this Friday (Sept. 18)!  Remember, classes fill up quick and are first come first serve!  There’s several new CLC programs….Urban & Break Dancing, Graffiti Art, HW Club, Fitness Training, and more!  CLC staff will also be distributing forms during lunch, so look for us!   Ms Daisy & Ms. Marnie  (Daisy Catague at ddcatague@seattleschools.org)

One million Washington K-12 students are counting on you to pass ESHB 2261 and reform basic education.

Today’s students face unparalleled competition from every corner of the globe. Our state can no longer condone poor math and science achievement, unconscionable achievement gaps, and a 30% drop out rate.  The goal of ESHB 2261 is to ensure that all students have ample opportunity to graduate from high school fully prepared for college, rigorous job training or the workforce.

Support ESHB 2261 as passed by the House, 71 – 26.

ESHB 2261 redefines and expands the definition of basic education to include:

• Raising high school graduation requirements to 24 credits
  • 6 periods in both middle and high schools
• All-day kindergarten, and early learning for at-risk children
• More resources focused on closing the achievement gap
• Fully staffed schools, including librarians, counselors and nurses

Washington schools need ESHB 2261 passed this session.

Proposed budget cuts will drive many districts to the brink of financial crisis. Schools will be forced to lay off several thousand newly recruited teachers. Class sizes will rise. Every special program will be slashed or eliminated. As the state’s economy recovers, ESHB 2261 is the blue print we need to rebuild a stronger K-12 system.

Without new accountability, millions of federal stimulus dollars are at risk.

ESHB 2261 will ensure Washington State is better aligned with federal requirements by:

• Focusing basic education on college and work ready standards
• Directing the State Board to build an accountability/intervention system
• Supporting the development of a data system to track student learning
• Developing performance-based teacher certification and evaluation

If our state is to receive its full share of federal stimulus ARRA dollars, and if we want to compete for millions of innovation dollars, we need to pass ESHB 2261.

ESHB 2261 would phase-in implementation as the economy recovers.

The legislature must make basic education an on-going funding priority. ESHB 2261 would dedicate 50% of revenue growth over 5% to fund basic education. Implementation of the expanded definition of basic education would be phased in 2011 – 2016.

For more information, please contact:

George Scarola

League of Education Voters

George@educationvoters.org

206-409-5096

Kim Howard

Washington State PTA

khoward@wastatepta.org

(253) 241-7187

Jim Kainber

Washington Stand for Children

jim@kainber.com

(360) 292-8074

We need volunteers to help with school tours, for the 5th graders and other families coming to visit Eckstein.

Tour dates are:  Thursday, January 29, 2009, February 5, 2009 and February 12, 2009 from 9:00a.m. until 10:45a.m.; with an additional evening informational time on Thursday, February 5, 2009 from 6:30p.m. until 7:30p.m.

We need someone to chair the effort, as well as tour guides for the various sessions.

Please respond to Susan Colligan at colligan42@hotmail.com if you can help.  Thanks.

The Future of K-12 Public Education in Washington State:
Expectations and Funding in 2009

WHAT: A Presentation by members of the Basic Education Task Force about current
opportunities to reform K‐12 Education in Washington state. Learn more about basic education; find ways for your voice to be heard and help ensure Olympia is listening to the needs of public schools in this state. Representative Ross Hunter will review the progress of the Basic Education Finance Task Force, scheduled to release their recommendations in a few weeks.

HOW THIS WILL AFFECT YOUR CHILD’S EDUCATION: The 2007 Legislature created a Joint Task Force on Basic Education Finance to “review the definition of basic education and all current basic education funding formulas”. The Task Force is to “develop options for a new funding structure and all the necessary formulas, and propose a new definition of basic education.” The Task Force will complete its work next month (December 2008). The result of this task force’s efforts and the outcomes of this upcoming Legislative session will determine whether public schools are on the right track to make changes to ensure that our kids graduate ready for university, college and work. This is your last chance to hear what the Task Force is doing, and what you can do and need to do to ensure that Olympia funds our public schools at the needed level – the state budget is in terrible shape, YOU NEED TO MAKE YOUR VOICE HEARD about the importance of adequately public education. Don’t sit back and say to yourself, oh, so-and-so will do this, I don’t have to get involved. YOU need to get involved.

WHEN: Monday, December 1, 2008, 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. (this coming Monday, right after Thanksgiving weekend)

WHERE: John Stanford Center Auditorium, 2445 3rd Avenue South (at Lander), Seattle

WHY: Our Education finance system has not been overhauled in over thirty years!
Budgets and curriculum that were established in the 1970’s do not work in today’s global economy and technological world. It is time for change.

Questions, or to reserve child care, please contact: Heidi.Bennett@seatttlecouncilptsa.org, Melinda Mann at melbmann@comcast.net, Kerry Cooley‐Stroum at kcs@seanet.com

Supporting Sponsors: Seattle Special Education PTSA, Schools First, Coalition for Educational Equality, Filipino American Educators of Washington, Asian Pacific Directors Coalition, League of Women Voters, Partnership for Learning, Campaña Quetzal, Stand for Children, Successful Schools in Action and others.

Bryant Elementary School is having a Fall Carnival

Blastoberfest

Saturday, October 4^th 2008 from 2-6pm

Volunteer shifts are:

Early shift        Saturday 1:30 – 4:00

Late shift          Saturday 3:30 – 6:15

Clean up          Saturday 6:15 – 8:30

All kinds of volunteer jobs are available…set up before the carnival starts, pony rides, a hay maze, carnival games, BBQ, hot dogs, pizza, root beer garden, inflatable rides, cake walk, pumpkin decorating, clean up and more

If you would like to volunteer please contact Dolly Smith at 206-729-0117 or via email ohanasurf@comcast.net – Tell her your name, phone number or email address, what shift(s) you want to work and what jobs interest you.  Shifts and jobs are filled on a first come, first served basis…so contact her soon!  You will be notified of your shift time and job before the carnival.

A letter to document your participation and the number of hours you volunteered will be available at the end of your shift.

Bryant Elementary School is located at 3311 NE 60^th