Spare change donated by customers at two Renton Fred Meyers raised $3,500 for the Renton School District this year.

Bettina Sopke, Human Resource Coordinator for the Benson Hill Fred Meyer, presented the check to the Renton School Board’s July meeting. The money is collected at checkstands.

Renton plans to use the money to support improving student achievement in literacy.

McKnight Middle School science teacher Carlie Jonas is one of only six teachers selected to help design environmental science and sustainability curriculum this summer with a team at Fred Hutchinson Cancer Research Center.

The team will work with Nobel Laureate Dr. Lee Hartwell to design a curriculum to be used in a teaching program at
Arizona State University. Fred Hutchinson hopes to eventually have the curriculum used in local universities.

Next school year Jonas will work with other McKnight teachers to implement lessons learned during her  summer program.

I thought I’d use this blog to share a chart I received from the district about who is going where next year next year.

(Sorry the doc is zoomed out. Go to the bottom of the box to zoom in. Scribd is being fickle.)

Black River 2

I just finished up a feature on a fantastic Tiffany Park kindergarten teacher who retired after 42 years last week.

Sue Brumfield is loved for many reasons, but one was her inclusive social outtings and sense of fun. To brighten the spirits of the staff or an occasional teacher she’d organize red shoe days, where the whole staff would be invited to wear red shoes.

When I attended the last-day pep assembly, where Brumfield was honored, half the teachers were wearing red shoes. Among them were a few men, who found red sneakers. Above is a photo of Brumfield’s shoes that day. I hope it brightens your day.

Sue Brumfield on stage receiving applause from Tiffany Park Elementary. She retired this week after 42 years with the district

Megan Stith, left, helps student Karen Huang, right, pin her sash to her gown before commencement. About 214 students graduated from Renton High School Tuesday.

New this year, we created slide shows for four of the Renton School District senior graduations. Look at the center fold of today’s newspaper (June 18). I took photos for the Renton High School graduation, but our photographer Charles Cortes took the remaining photos.

Renton High School

Lindbergh High School

Hazen High School

Black River High School

The three comprehensive high schools graduated Tuesday, June 15 at Kent’s ShoWare Center.
“This is what it’s all about,” said Superintendent Mary Alice Heuschel. “Some of these kids have overcome some amazing challenges to get here.”
One school after the other occupied the space. In a way it forced a comparison of the schools and their individual characteristics, struggles and values.
“One of the nice things is it brings the district together as a whole,” Heuschel said.

For Renton, Hazen and Lindbergh high schools, the event is June 15 at the ShoWare Center, 625 W. James St., Kent.

Renton High School’s graduation is at noon with student speakers Tamthy Le and Lindsay Dacuan. About 214 students are expected to graduate. Damien Pattenaude is the principal with Renton School Board Director Todd Franceschina accepting the class.

Lindbergh High School’s graduation starts at 4 p.m. with student speakers Paula Luu and Teresa Nguyen. About 260 students are expected to graduat. The principal is Tres Genger with board Director David Merill accepting the class.

Hazen High School’s graduation starts at 7:30 p.m. with student speakers Brian Palma and Grace Bradford. About 265 students are expected to graduate. John Knisely is the principal with board Director Al Talley accepting the class.

Black River High School’s graduation will take place at the school, 7800 S. 132nd St., Seattle. The ceremony starts at 2 p.m. June 16. About 30 students are expected to graduate.

The Sartori Education Center graduation ceremony is at Renton Technical College at 3000 N.E. Fourth St., Renton. About 22 students are expected to graduate. It begins at 4 p.m., June 17. Student speakers include Antonio Cebey, Zakk Marx and Shane Omtvedt, and board president Lynn Desmarais will be accepting the class.

The six-week session begins June 23 and goes Monday-Thursday from 8 a.m.-11 p.m. All students ages 15-19 may enroll for the $400 class. The money is due when you register.

All of the classes are held at the Sartori Education Center, 315 Garden Ave. N., Renton.

There are also Saturday classes offered during the school year.

The registration forms are online. Questions? Call the Career and Life Skills Office at (425) 204-2312.

Twelve Hazen High School students were recognized as Outstanding Seniors. From the left, Julie Vaisarova, Colin Jones, Brian Goddard, Laura Kooiman, Monica Razniewski, Ky To, Ravit Ly, Taylor Hoover, James Holland and Nick Teal, not pictured are Ai-my Dinh and Josh Burch.

Congratulations to the 12 Hazen seniors who were recognized last week.

The kids came up with this idea for a photo, thanks to the encouragement of spokesperson Randy Matheson.

The standard one will run with the double-wide graduation photo pages we’re doing.

Press release:

Twelve Hazen High School students were recognized as Outstanding Seniors by the Renton School Board.
Renton High principal John Kniseley introduced the 12 students at a board meeting last week as a talented group of young people who have succeeded in the classroom and served their community.

Students were selected based on their academic achievement, leadership, co-curricular involvement, citizenship and character, community service, and contributions to their classmates and school.

Students spoke briefly about what made them successful in school and motivated them in their personal life, often thanking parents and teachers.

Each year the board take the time to recognize seniors from each of the district’s three high schools.

Hazen High’s students this year are Josh Burch, Taylor Hoover, Monica Razniewski, Ai-my Dinh, Colin Jones, Nick Teal, Brian Goddard, Laura Kooiman, Ky To, James Holland, Ravit Ly and Julie Vaisarova.

If you’re concerned about cuts to special education or how kids with emotional/behavioral issues will be helped now that Black River High School is closing, this would be a good information session.

At the same study session, MacGregor also plans to present on the Teaching and Learning vision and Summit, which could take up most of the time. He will then go on to introduce his vision at the regular board meeting at 7 p.m. The study session is at 5:30 p.m., May 26 at the Kohlwes Education Center.

It’s only an hour long study session, and MacGregor posted several documents he plans to present. Don’t expect much time for discussion, but there seems to be a good history lesson in them.

There will not be an opportunity to comment at this meeting. It’s for the benefit of the Renton School Board, and happens to be open to the public. However, the following board meeting at 7 p.m. will provide an opportunity to speak to pretty much the same people.

If you’re short on time, keep in mind that Hazen High School Outstanding Students will be receiving their awards at the board meeting, which could take some time.

From what I’ve heard about Black River, it helped a lot of struggling students, though most of them aren’t in EBD classes.

(Carol Grimes, the horticulture teacher, even accused the district of sending a middle school student there, because they didn’t know what to do with her. The alternative middle school was closed a few years ago in a round of budget cuts.)

However, the district has said that Black River was never meant to be a last resort school, and seemed to be opposed to the idea of having one.

I think this meeting has the potential of explaining really how the district plans to help EBD students in the coming years.

On a side note, Superintendent Mary Alice Heuschel is strongly interested in having better data to understand not only the students but her teachers. There is a good chance that some of those research methods could be discussed as a part of MacGregor’s main presentation.

EBD Program Review

I decided to share it, because I know some readers want everything I have on the issue.

There wasn’t any information in the release that was new to me. But the release does a better job explaining why the school is closing and the district’s perspective on the issue.

It also has pretty pictures of the new Secondary Learning Center. I’ll write about the center as soon as I can get the right people to talk to me about it.

Black River Sec Learnin Center-4!15!10

The April 28 meeting is from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Kohlwes Education Center, 300 S.W. 7th St., Renton. The meeting is open to the public.

I’ve been getting a lot of phone calls and e-mails from people who are concerned that their programs are going to be cut. If you’re one of those people, I recommend going to this meeting.

I expect it will give a picture of the what is going to be presented at the community meetings at 7 p.m., May 10 at Lindbergh High School, May 13 at Hazen and May 17 at Renton.

The regular board meeting will follow the session with the announcement of Outstanding Lindbergh Senior awards.

Renton High's Lindsay Dacuan won a full-ride through the Gates Foundation.

A Renton High School senior was named a 2010 Gates Millennium Scholar.

Lindsay Dacuan will be one of only 1,000 worldwide to in the prestigious award, which includes a full-ride scholarship to college.

The scholarship comes through the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation.

Dacuan plans to study bioengineering at the University of California, San diego.

“This award makes me think that I can really change something in the world for the better,” she said in a press release.

When asked how her school helped her prepare for the award she began to list teachers and staff and how they all supported her.

“Renton High teachers and staff are amazing educators. They helped me get where I am today,” she said. “I couldn’t be successful without them.”

The senior class president, she holds a 3.78 grade point average. She’s the Key Club vice president and a Renton High Outstanding Senior. Concert mistress of her high school orchestra, she qualified for the Washington Interscholastic Activities Association Solo and Ensemble Competition. She was also the swim team captain and played tennis.

In her free time, Dacuan serves as friendship ambassador to Japan through a Japanese-American exchange program. She spent the past two summers helping build houses in Mexico.

Dacuan was one of about 21,000 applicants who were evaluated on academic achievement, community service and leadership potential.

The program was established in 1999 with a $1 billion grant from the Gates Foundation.

While the district had hoped to open the school this year to account for a growing student population, teacher layoffs this year are expected to increase the number of available classrooms.

The legislature came back with more money than the district expected, only cutting $2.5 million instead of a proposed $4.3 million. The district is still anticipating increased costs, meaning the budget gap will be about $4.3 million instead of a projected $6.1 million.

The district plans to put away about another half a million dollars to prepare for the grand re-opening of Honey Dew in the 2011-2012 school year. It’s something its been doing for a few years now.

The district won’t be redrawing elementary school lines until Honey Dew opens for all grades.

Honey Dew was last used as a neighborhood school about 20 years ago. The district used it as a temporary meeting space for most of its 13 elementary schools, while they were being rebuilt or remodeled.

Its remodel was complete in 2010. It can serve about 440 students in a K-5 setting. The boundary review committee made its recommendation for redrawing the lines of elementary schools.

The maps are attached to the Scribd document alone.

Honey Dew Boundary Pres-3!30!10

The legal ramifications of having a formal closure are burdensome at best. RCW 28A.335.020 would require a 90 day period of hearings followed by a Board of Directors vote.

To better understand the issue, I’ve put in a request through a third party to the attorney general’s office. I’d like to know what constitutes a legal closure.

Functionally, the families, teachers and staff are experiencing what feels like a school closure. The school will have a new name (now called the Secondary Learning Center), combine itself with Sartori, and start entirely new programs.

Black River won’t be hosted in other facilities during construction, which happened with the district’s 13 elementary schools. What teachers aren’t reassigned will be laid off. Rumor is the principal will be laid off.

From the district’s perspective, they’re simply suspending the program and restarting it with a new facility. It didn’t plan to close the school during the building process, but safety and construction issues made the first plan impossible.

It seems a matter of semantics.

RCW 28A.335.020
School closures — Policy of citizen involvement required — Summary of effects — Hearings — Notice.

Before any school closure, a school district board of directors shall adopt a policy regarding school closures which provides for citizen involvement before the school district board of directors considers the closure of any school for instructional purposes. The policy adopted shall include provisions for the development of a written summary containing an analysis as to the effects of the proposed school closure. The policy shall also include a requirement that during the ninety days before a school district’s final decision upon any school closure, the school board of directors shall conduct hearings to receive testimony from the public on any issues related to the closure of any school for instructional purposes. The policy shall require separate hearings for each school which is proposed to be closed.
The policy adopted shall provide for reasonable notice to the residents affected by the proposed school closure. At a minimum, the notice of any hearing pertaining to a proposed school closure shall contain the date, time, place, and purpose of the hearing. Notice of each hearing shall be published once each week for two consecutive weeks in a newspaper of general circulation in the area where the school, subject to closure, is located. The last notice of hearing shall be published not later than seven days immediately before the final hearing.

Black River is an alternative public school that hosts students who struggle in normal classroom settings.

Mother Wendy Bluhm reported that extra security, including the King County Sheriff’s Office, were called to the school, while teachers broke the news.

However, Renton School District spokesperson Randy Matheson later stated in an e-mail that extra security was not used.

“The students were really upset. They don’t know what to do,” she said. “I’m sure dropping out is going through their minds.”

The district has plans to tear down the Black River facility and to build a new Secondary Learning Center in its place, according to a press release.

A new alternative program will be designed during the facility’s construction. It’s scheduled to open in the 2012-2013 school year.

The decision to close the school came with little discussion, said Bluhm. Teachers didn’t hear about it until an early April staff meeting.

“This didn’t occur until the last minute,” Bluhm said. “It was never in the budget.”
Parents are planning to attend Wednesday’s board meeting at the Kohlwes Education Center, 7 p.m., April 14.

Below is a press release.
Dist to Build New BR Site-3!30!10 (2)

She’s expected to receive a bonus to match the high rating at the end of the school year. I’ve put in a request to find out how much.

In a letter read by board president Lynn Desmarais, the board outlined several reasons for the high rating.

Among the praises is the work that came out of the Summit Initiative. Heuschel has a strong focus on gathering better information to help teachers improve their instruction time.

She’s given praise for connecting with other government and private organizations, which have lead to helping teachers get further certification and training.

The board then lists various praises for her communication skills, leadership and overall intelligence. I posted the letter in a Scribd tool below.

I’d like to get input on what readers think about this relatively new superintendent.

If you don’t want to sign up to comment (a painless process) shoot me an e-mail at cgracey@rentonreporter.com.

2010 Board Superintendent Eval Summary Ltr 2009-10

10-11 Calendar REA R 3-18-10

Below is a district press release.

Second LHS Pool Meeting Planed-3!4!2010

031210 CrazyComputerFlowChart

Procedure 3520p Track Changes 2-24-10

The meeting schedule:
7 p.m., Feb. 23, Hazen High School, 1101 Hoquiam Ave. N.E., Renton
7 p.m., Feb. 25, Lindbergh High School, 16426 128th Ave. S.E., Renton
7 p.m., March 1, Renton High School Commons, 400 S. 2nd St., Renton

Below is the budget cut presentation Moore offered about a month ago. My story on the budget cuts is also good background.

10-11 budget development 1-11-2010 (2)

The pilot program began in 2008 with four online courses for Spanish-speaking students with the hopes of increasing poor graduation rates.

I can imagine it’d improve standardized testing scores as well, although the Spanish-speaking students still won’t know how to read the English-written test.

The program is called CONEVyT, a strange acronym for National Council on Education and Lifelong Learning. The four recommended courses are Algebra, Physical Science, United States Government and World History.

Below is the memorandum. The meeting is at Renton High School at 7 p.m.

CONEVyT Online Program

Barbara Madsen

Here is the press release:
Hazen High School alum Barbara Madsen has been elected as the state’s newest Chief Justice to Washington’s Supreme Court. Justice Madsen, who graduated from Hazen in 1970, was first elected in to the Supreme Court in 1992, and re-elected for a third term in 2004. She has served as a public defender in King and Snohomish Counties, and a Seattle City attorney. The chief justice presides over the court’s public hearings, serves as the administrative head of the state’s judicial branch, and is the court’s main spokesperson.

Renton Schools Superintendent Dr. Mary Alice Heuschel and her cabinet team delivered more than 5,000 homemade cookies to staff throughout the district today as part an annual staff appreciation celebration.

Each year Heuschel and her team spend several nights making cookies and treats to deliver to staff during the holidays. Heuschel started the tradition to show her gratitude to staff upon taking over as superintendent three years ago.

“We make the cookies in Renton High School’s kitchen. We leave them to cool on racks in the back and return each night to make more and decorate,” said spokesperson Randy Matheson in an e-mail.

The fair gives Renton School District students ideas for job training and apprenticeships. Several of the fair participants will have hands-on activities for students.

“They are our future workforce, and providing information to help them prepare and train them in this very competitive job market is key,” according to a press release.

The fair is open to all high school students and buses will be transporting students from different schools.

The fair is from 8:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. with a complimentary lunch from the Lindbergh culinary arts students.

The board acknowledge the decision at their last board meeting alongside approving some minor language changes.

This was the letter of consent, which explains why the board originally authorized the use of cameras:

The Board authorizes the use of digital cameras on district-operated school buses for the primary
purpose of reducing discipline problems, thus providing a safer environment for the transportation of students.  The reason for recording the transportation environment is to provide school officials, drivers, and parents/guardians with documentation when dealing with inappropriate student behavior.  Disciplinary action shall be in accordance with district policies and procedures.

The superintendent shall prepare procedures for use of digital equipment on buses, notification of use of video equipment, authorized review process for digital recording including their audio components.

Below is a document showing a language change to the original policy:

Procedure 6608P Track Changes 10-28-09

The grant as provided to music specialist Marlene Creaser from the English Handbell Ringers, and includes curriculum for classes from kindergarten through fifth grade.

Also, two Renton Park Elementary students will get to participate in this year’s Rainier Youth Honor Choir.

Fifth-grade Megan Phillips and fourth-grade Ratu Nagasima will take part in the community-based organization that draws from the Puget Sound area.

Emphasizing the development of vocal skills and music understanding, the organization creates a world-class choral performance and music education program for children.

The visit was a few minutes behind schedule. After a classroom visit, we left the classroom to be surprised by a bell that flooded the hallway with students, all eager to shake her hand.

Below are a few images I got from the event. I set me ISO at 800 to accommodate low lights and a lens with a 4.0 aperture, which is why the photos are so grainy.

Governor Christine Gregoire at Dimmitt Middle School

Governor Christine Gregoire at Dimmitt Middle School

Pam leads with 55.10 percent of the vote, and Grossnickle has about 44.64 percent of the vote. These numbers reflect the County’s Tuesday night tally release.

Grossnickle is in Atlanta this week for a work conference, but Teal sent me a comment last night.

“I am hopeful that the count will continue to go my way and am looking forward to serving the parents and staff of Renton for the next four years,” Teal said.

In other words, Teal isn’t declaring victory, though chances are slim that Grossnickle will overcome her about 10 percent lead.

About 27.08 percent of the ballots that were sent out have been counted. This percent does not take into account the percent received.

As of Wednesday at 8 p.m., 36.94 percent of the ballots were returned for this election. This number will increase some in the next few days as the United States Postal Service delivers them. However, it’d be surprising if more than 50 percent of registered voters voted in this election.

Grossnickle’s best chance is if New Castle and Bellevue’s votes come in late and strong.

Only about 40.4 percent of 10-grade students in the Renton School District passed the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) last year, sending the district scrambling to improve math performance. Whereas 45.5 percent of Washington state students passed the math portion.

Right now students who fail the standardized test in 10th grade can retake the exam or take an additional two years of math. This option will no longer be available for the class of 2013.

The graduating class of 2010 is only required to take 2.0 credits of math. As I reported last week, starting with the class of 2013, students are required to take an additional credit, totaling 3.0 credits. The district doesn’t know how many more math teachers it will need to hire to provide enough courses for students.

There is a chance this could impact elective courses, but I’ve heard conflicting opinions from district administrators.

Right now it appears that the state legislature is phasing in higher standards. First for reading and writing, where the district performs well, and now with math scores. Currently, all students must pass the reading and writing portion of the HSPE or WASL to graduate.

I’m working on an in-depth story looking at the impact of these higher standards on the school district and the students. Feel free to give your input, I’d like to know parent and teacher concerns.

The policy was adopted by the Renton School District Board of Directors Oct. 28, and was a proposed recommendation from the Washington State School Directors’ Association.

There are two RCW references. When Scribd is done processing the documents, I’ll have them up as well.

RCW 19.166   International Student Exchange

RCW 28A.300.240  International Student Exchange

(1) The superintendent of public instruction shall annually make available to school districts and approved private schools, from data supplied by the secretary of state, the names of international student exchange visitor placement organizations registered under chapter 19.166 RCW to place students in public schools in the state and a summary of the information the organizations have filed with the secretary of state under chapter 19.166 RCW.

(2) The superintendent shall provide general information and assistance to school districts regarding international student exchange visitors, including, to the extent feasible with available resources, information on the type of visa required for enrollment, how to promote positive educational experiences for visiting exchange students, and how to integrate exchange students into the school environment to benefit the education of both the exchange students and students in the state.

The regular meeting is open to the public, and starts at 7 p.m.

The school district’s Web site didn’t offer much explanation of the math presentation, other than it will be presented by Robert MacGregor, the assistant superintendent of Learning and Teaching.

District math scores are behind both the Washington state average and Seattle Public Schools, which both have poor reputations. In the Oct. 14 meeting, board members examined the WASL scores.

The new graduation requirements will be introduced for a first reading.

Other items on the agenda are a presentation on the district’s enrollment numbers for the year and on new exchange student policies.

The meeting is at 7 p.m. in the board room (from the lobby take a right) at the Kohlwes Education Center, 300 S.W. 7th St., Renton.

***I apologize for not double checking the location for this event. Much to my demise, I discovered it was on Talbot Hill instead of the normal spot.***

Below is a document given formally at the Oct. 14 school board meeting.

Flood Planning

The board approved the plans without objection Oct. 14. So far the project is on time and budget.

Contractors are hoping to complete the project between September and December of 2011. I’ll write more on it when I have time.

Hazen Board Presentation

The Dimmit Middle School students participated in science research with Salish Sea Expeditions.

The project gave students a chance to experience science firsthand, by studying the effects of light and depth on plankton populations in Puget Sound.

The students slept, cooked and learn to sail while on the boat, while families and friends were able to track the students’ adventure online.

I was hoping to take pictures of them getting on the boat, but I didn’t hear about it until it happened. I’m going to try and get something in next week’s paper.

Under the guidance of Renton High teacher Eric Hougan, the students maintain a rigorous high school course load, while also taking classes in child development, teaching as a career, and classroom management.

The students also spend time in an elementary school, tutoring, observing, and gaining knowledge from professional teaching staff.

The program is a collaboration between the school district and Central Washington University and is paid for by a Recruiting Washington Teachers grant, a state-funded program, administered by the state’s Professional Educator Standards Board.

Highlights include overall low math scores, poor scores across the board in 4th grade, and improved scores among ELL students at Renton High School.

The school board discussed them on Wednesday. Below is the file for Renton but the state has a nice Web site so you can compare different schools and districts. Click here to see.

Ppt State Assessment Update to Board

WASL Hi_Lo Scores All Students 2001-2009 Prelim

View Larger Map

A&R Solar installers put up panels on Dimmit Middle School.

Here’s a picture of A&R Solar installers putting up the panels on Dimmit Middle School’s Gym Sept. 28.

Hazen High School should be getting solar panels in the next week or two.

I have a story done, I’m just waiting on some details from the district to be double checked. It should be on RentonReporter.com tomorrow afternoon.

2009-2010 RSD Calendar

You can also tweet me @celestegracey.

Grossnickle and incumbent Teal are both running for the Renton School District board.

Renton jumped from a 60 percent graduation rate to an 81 percent graduation rate, while Lindbergh High School jumped from 85 percent to 93.7 percent and Hazen High School from 96 percent to 97 percent.

These numbers track how many freshmen graduate as seniors.

Parents are encouraged to take these statistics with a grain of salt, as the dropout rate doesn’t necessarily reflect quality of education or even completion of education.

A variety of scenarios play into the rates, including immigrants who move and never graduate from the district.

From 2004-2009 Renton’s rates float around the 70s and some 80s while Hazen and Lindbergh’s rates float around the 80s and 90s.

I’m hoping to develop this into a full story, inquiring why Renton’s numbers fluctuated so heavily these past few years and about what factors really drive the numbers.

I’m still waiting on the WASL scores from the district. We’ll run them as soon as we get them.

Graduation Rate Statistics 2004-2009

All staff will be conducting various trainings. There will also be a teacher training day November 6.

Classes were not canceled, just never scheduled for this day. I apologize for any confusion.

Hazen High School senior Julie Vaisarova

Props to Hazen High School senior Julie Vaisarova who was named a 2009 National Merit Scholar semifinalist.

She is one of a few Washington state students to receive the honor, which recognizes individual students who show exceptional academic ability and potential for success in rigorous college studies.

She now has an opportunity to continue in the competition for a National Merit Scholarship.

Eighty-four percent of Lakeridge Elementary School first-graders exceeded standards on beginning-of-the-year reading proficiency testing. The students took part in the Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills (DIBLES) testing which helps establish a student’s oral fluency level and measures his/her accuracy of reading at the beginning, middle and end of the year at each grade level.