A Web-based newsletter for the staff of Everett Public Schools
March 1, 2011 (NewsLinks articles are now archived on Docushare)
ITEMS IN THIS ISSUE:
· Foundation breakfast – dine with the Galloping Gourmet!
· See one of your Hispanic students honored
· Technology news – Facebook and video streaming coming to your desktop?
· Wellness – March is National Nutrition Month
· News around the district – good work happening everywhere
· Opportunities for staff and students
· Opportunities in brief – quick reminders of opportunities you still have time to explore
· Key dates you won’t want to miss
Did you read the article about the “Galloping Gourmet,” Graham Kerr in the Feb. 19 issue of Seattle Times? If not, learn more about the man and his mission to improve the health and food of the world online.
You are invited to the 17th annual Benefit Breakfast on March 10, 7:15 – 8:30 a.m. where Kerr will share his message of childhood health and nutrition as a key component of supporting the “whole child.” Reserve your seat now!
SEE ONE OF YOUR HISPANIC STUDENTS HONORED – Noticias Univision in Seattle will profile one outstanding Hispanic student each week
Starting this month, Star Student segments will be part of the Es El Momento (The Moment is Now) television series on KUNS TV.
Please check on your nominee’s FERPA status before contacting KUNS. To nominate one of your students, send details of achievements and your rationale for the nomination to noticias@kunstv.com. Students will be highlighted – one per week – in the 6 and 11 p.m. newscasts until the end of the school year.
INSTRUCTIONAL TECHNOLOGY NEWS
Enhanced internet access for instructional staff is available for some schools and in-the-works for others. The schools below now have access to sites like YouTube, Facebook, image sites, etc. Decisions to move this direction have been made at each school. Other schools are working with information systems department to schedule the transition.
· High schools: Cascade, Everett, Jackson (Sequoia to be determined)
· Middle schools: Evergreen, Eisenhower, Heatherwood, Gateway (North to be determined)
· Elementary schools: Emerson
Additions such as these are just a few of the changes you will be seeing over the next six years as we launch our next phase of technology improvements – made possible when the public voted in favor of the February 2010 Building Repair and Technology Levy. Funds from that levy become available in April 2011.
One of the most critical components the levy makes possible is a new Student Information System (SIS) and Learning Management System (LMS) that will merge with the rollout of system and equipment upgrades and the supportive professional development to maintain technology as a key tool for teaching and learning and accessing student learning data.
To see how the technology action plan will impact you and when, read the plan online.
Our school board has been guiding the planning process for the technology plan and use of funds since that levy was first considered. Our school board has been reviewing and tracking information systems department’s planning and the progress toward SIS and LMS – all leading up to last month’s approval of Global Scholar as the vendor. The dates of the board’s discussions of this topic are archived online.
WELLNESS NEWS
March is National Nutrition Month! Burst into spring with more energy and vitality! JOIN the 31-day EAT SMART SPRING CHALLENGE! Starts March 1; open to all Everett Public Schools employees; nutrition tips all month. Webinars on healthy eating, shopping and snacking! Great prizes! Learn MORE. Register here (go to March 1). Be among the first 100 to register and you will receive a Pocket Pal Guide to Eating Healthy on a Budget.
EPS Fit Pass: Look and feel your best this spring! Stretch, get strong and fit. Purchase a five-week Fit Pass for just $25! Attend unlimited classes anywhere in the district for five weeks. Pass is good from Feb. 28 – March 31. View schedule. Print registration form.
Fitness Council: Would you like to have a voice in planning EPS wellness program fitness events, campaigns and classes? Join the Fitness Council. FREE Fit Passes! Interested? Email us. Group now forming; please state your interest by March 1.
Weight Watchers at Work: New 11- and 13-week sessions begin in April at Cedar Wood, Penny Creek and Emerson. Learn more about joining one of these AMAZING and successful district groups. Email us to learn how to organize a Weight Watchers group at your school or site next school year.
The Wellness Challenge: Join anytime all year long! No limit on number of enrollees. Log your healthy activity and earn up to $200. Instructions for enrolling. Note: You must be on an EPS medical benefit plan to participate.
NEWS AROUND THE DISTRICT – information about good work everywhere
02.28.2011 Local team behind film Unbeaten which is getting critical acclaim
02.25.2011 Students
team up with local nonprofit to help save salmon
02.25.2011 Proclamation declares Career and Technical Education
Month
02.25.2011 Students compete in Puget Sound Area Automotive
SkillsUSA competition
02.23.2011 Everett
Public Schools athletes winning weekend
02.22.2011 Garfield Elementary honored by state board for
improvement
02.17.2011 Seven Everett
schools earn 2010 WA Achievement Awards
02.14.2011 Scrap metal collection drive - help send
fifth-graders to camp
02.11.2011 College
athletics recruiting informational nights
02.10.2011 District sets March 7, 9 and 29 for public comment
about 2011-12 budget
OPPORTUNITIES – for staff and students
1. WAEOP workshop Imagine the Impact on March 5 in Auburn. Clock hours available. Great opportunity to learn about the impact each of us has on other staff, students, families and community members. Registration form and details are online.
2. GET enrollment deadline March 31. Guarantee your child’s college tuition, guarantee peace of mind. Washington’s Guaranteed Education Tuition (GET) program helps families save for college. Payroll deduction is available for this plan. With a state guarantee, choice of colleges nationwide, tax benefits and flexible payment options, GET offers an easy and safe way to save for your child’s or grandchild’s college education. Visit the website at www.get.wa.gov to enroll by March 31.
3. The Washington State Board of Education announces the second-annual student video contest. This year’s contest focuses on the important role of math, science, technology, and/or Career and Technical Education courses. The contest due date is Monday, May 2, 2011.
More information about the contest, including the winning videos from last year, is available on the website and YouTube.
4. Yes, Virginia, there IS a ProCert requirement – Although the Portfolio is moving to an online format and there are some changes, the 12 ProCert criteria are becoming the basis for teacher preparation at all levels.
The ProTeach online Portfolio is a detailed process. Northwest University in Kirkland is prepared to help. Contact the lead faculty member, Ron Jacobson, at 425-899-5304 or ron.jacobson@northwestu.edu. Information is also available at the state’s new ProTeach website.
5. Teachers needed to help students plan a mission to Mars! Washington Aerospace Scholars (WAS) is an educational program for Washington state high school juniors. WAS is looking for state certified teachers to support a team of students during a six-day summer residency at The Museum of Flight in Seattle. Applications for the teaching positions are due by March 25. More details available online.
6. Snohomish County Youth Challenge Awards 2011
Nominate an exceptional student for one of the following categories: community service, courage, creativity, environmental service, inspiration, leadership or group award. Open for student nominees in seventh- through 12th-grade.
Download a nomination brochure or complete the online nomination form. Nomination deadline is March 31, 2011. The Youth Challenge Awards are presented by the Lynnwood Rotary Club.
7. A New Approach to Principal Preparation – UW Bothell is now accepting applications for its new master’s program, Leadership Development for Educators (LEDE), for spring and autumn quarters.
LEDE is designed for teachers who work as instructional leaders in either formal or informal roles, and provides a pathway from teacher leadership into the principalship.
If you are interested in the principalship and are currently engaged in working with other teachers to improve instruction, this program is designed to give credit for your current work and to support your continuing efforts as a teacher leader.
Application deadline for spring quarter 2011 is March 1; the deadline for autumn quarter 2011 is in mid-August. The program invites applications from currently employed teachers with a Washington Professional Teacher Certification who have formal or well-documented informal teacher instructional leadership experience and responsibilities.
More information on the LEDE program and how to register is available online.
8. Culturally Responsive Classroom Practice: Teaching and Learning in Our Changing World with Ilsa Govan of Cross Cultural Connections, LLC
A series of three FREE workshops for teachers and paraeducators provides new information and strategies that can be immediately applied to working in culturally diverse classrooms.
Each session can also stand alone; however, staff are encouraged to attend all three. Clock hours are available – you must attend two or more sessions to qualify for clock hours. Sign up on the course registration system. Questions? Contact Gayle Watts, ext. 4101.
Session One: What does Culturally Responsive Teaching
Look Like?
Tuesday, Feb. 15
(Did you miss that one? There are still two more opportunities!)
Session Two: Negotiating Culture and Power in the Classroom
Tuesday, March 15
4:15 - 6:15 p.m.
Longfellow Large Annex
Session Three: Counteracting Stereotype Threat in Schools
Tuesday, May 17
4:15 - 6:15 p.m.
Evergreen Middle School Library
OPPORTUNITES IN BRIEF – quick reminders from past issues
1. March 5 is Garfield’s scrap metal drive. Students are helping to clean up the neighborhood and gather funds for fifth-grade camp. They will be at the corner of 23rd and Pine from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. that Saturday, gladly accepting your old metal throwaways. Contact Stephanie Van Driel at Garfield for more information.
2. “Dare to Dream” Students of Color Career Conference – scholarships available! Middle and high school students of color are invited to attend EvCC's annual Students of Color Career Conference (SOCCC) on Thursday, March 24, from 8 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Encourage students of color to complete the SOCCC scholarship – it just may that extra help for students to achieve their educational and/or career goals! Contact Esther Moss at 425-388-9306 for more information.
3. PUD art contest for K-12 students. Guess My Renewable Resource poster contest. Entries due March 18. Details and entry forms online.
4. WSU 4H Experiential Education workshop, April 1, 2 and 9, 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. each day at Adopt a Stream, McCollum Park. Full details about this three-day intensive workshop designed to increase your knowledge about facilitating team building and leadership development.
5. Camp Invention to be held again this June at Cedar Wood Elementary. Elementary students will be taking home copies of the flier now online. Think about students in your class who might benefit by this summer enrichment.
6. Upcoming retirement seminars are held at Cascade High School. No reservations are required. Spouses are welcome.
Session III — Wednesday, March 2 (4-5:30 p.m.)
State Retirement Plan 1
Session IV — Wednesday, March 9 (4-5:30 p.m.)
State Retirement Plans 2 and 3
KEY DATES – important dates and celebrations you won’t want to miss planning for now!
POLICY & PROCEDURE INFO – links to all policies and procedures are online
New Conflict of Interest policy 5215 was approved by the school board in February, based upon input from district staff and after being reviewed by the Presidents’ Council. The opening lines read:
Conflicts of Interest
Due to the nature of an employee’s responsibilities, which entail the promotion of the public interest and the preservation of the public’s trust, it may, in some cases, be necessary to restrict the activities of a district employee to ensure that a conflict of interest does not exist.
The purpose of this policy is to provide guidance on activities that may constitute a conflict of interest, but is not designed to be exhaustive. Regardless whether a particular activity is not specifically addressed within this policy, district employees including those on any form of paid or unpaid leave from a position of employment with the district shall inform their supervisors in writing of all reasonably foreseen potential or actual conflicts of interest.
Everett Public Schools does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, or age in its programs and activities. Designated to handle inquiries about nondiscrimination policies are: Affirmative Action Officer, Carol Stolz, 3715 Oakes Ave., Everett, WA 98201, 425-385-4106; Title IX Officer, Randi Seaberg, 3715 Oakes Ave., Everett, WA 98201, 425-385-4104; ADA Coordinator, Kristine McDowell, 202 Alder St., Everett, WA 98203, 425-385-5250; Section 504 Coordinator, Becky Ballbach, 4730 Colby Ave., Everett, WA 98203, 425-385-4086. (Email address for each is FirstInitialLastName@everettsd.org.)
Diane Bradford
Communications Dept.
Everett Public Schools
425-385-4040