There is a Save Seattle Schools Rally on Wednesday, January 7th, at 5 pm at the John Stanford Center. Join parents, educators and students for a better vision of the Seattle Schools. For more information, contact Vicky Jambor.
Technorati tag: savearborheights
Tuesday, January 6, 2009
Anti-school closure petition gaining steam
The Seattle P-I also wrote a brief article able a group who is pushing for school closures only as a last resort. http://blog.seattlepi.nwsource.com/schoolzone/archives/158391.asp
The article says:
A new group called "Educators Students & Parents for a Better Vision of Seattle Schools" (ESP Vision) has started an online petition, criticizing the preliminary plans to close some Seattle schools and urging the Seattle School Board to consider closures "strictly as a last resort."
An excerpt:
"We, the parents, teachers, students and concerned members of the Seattle Public Schools community, oppose the capacity management proposal put forth by School Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson, which would close as many as seven school buildings and discontinue (or dramatically alter) as many as 14 programs, directly impacting over 4,000 children citywide and negatively affecting many more through class-size increases and other unintended consequences."
Grass roots momentum to minimize school closures is growing.
Technorati tag: savearborheights
The article says:
A new group called "Educators Students & Parents for a Better Vision of Seattle Schools" (ESP Vision) has started an online petition, criticizing the preliminary plans to close some Seattle schools and urging the Seattle School Board to consider closures "strictly as a last resort."
An excerpt:
"We, the parents, teachers, students and concerned members of the Seattle Public Schools community, oppose the capacity management proposal put forth by School Superintendent Maria Goodloe-Johnson, which would close as many as seven school buildings and discontinue (or dramatically alter) as many as 14 programs, directly impacting over 4,000 children citywide and negatively affecting many more through class-size increases and other unintended consequences."
Grass roots momentum to minimize school closures is growing.
Technorati tag: savearborheights
Seattle PI Article - School closure fight goes online; Parents, others turn to Web sites, blogs, Facebook
Mark Ahlness proudly represented Arbor Heights in an interview with Jessica Blanchard - Seattle P-I reporter. The Tuesday Seattle P-I article starts out with:
Tech-savvy Arbor Heights Elementary teacher Mark Ahlness had a hunch his school would be targeted in the latest round of Seattle school closures. So he bought a domain name for $10, and waited.
It paid off: Hours before the formal announcement that his program would be discontinued in the fall, Ahlness launched "Save Arbor Heights," a blog touting the school's value to the community.
"I figured, well, if we're not on the recommended closure list, that's $10 for the domain name, and that's all," Ahlness said. "That's $10 well spent."
Others quickly followed suit....
The full Seattle P-I article can be read at http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/394886_schools06.html.
Thank you, Mark for taking the lead. Arbor Heights is very lucky to have such a technology pioneer!
Technorati tag: savearborheights
Tech-savvy Arbor Heights Elementary teacher Mark Ahlness had a hunch his school would be targeted in the latest round of Seattle school closures. So he bought a domain name for $10, and waited.
It paid off: Hours before the formal announcement that his program would be discontinued in the fall, Ahlness launched "Save Arbor Heights," a blog touting the school's value to the community.
"I figured, well, if we're not on the recommended closure list, that's $10 for the domain name, and that's all," Ahlness said. "That's $10 well spent."
Others quickly followed suit....
The full Seattle P-I article can be read at http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/local/394886_schools06.html.
Thank you, Mark for taking the lead. Arbor Heights is very lucky to have such a technology pioneer!
Technorati tag: savearborheights
Tuesday, December 16, 2008
A message from your PTSA Board
A story about Arbor Heights recently aired on KUOW radio. Unfortunately the KUOW story contains a number of inaccuracies and did not accurately reflect the subject matter of our conversation with the reporter. As saveseattleschools.com, West Seattle Blog and Seattle Times have reported earlier, Seattle School Board members (Sundquist and Maier) directed the District to consider Cooper Elementary as a location for Pathfinder at the November 25th School Board meeting when closures were first announced – prior to any testimony, letters from parents or calls to Board members. Also at that meeting, Board members questioned Dr. Goodloe-Johnson about why she wasn’t proposing to close a high school when the District had excess capacity of 3,000 seats, with 800 more by 2011.
During public testimony at the December 3rd School Board meeting Arbor Heights parents presented School District data supporting three potential alternatives to closing Arbor Heights. That data was in no way based on poverty. It was based on building capacity, percentage of attendance drawn from reference area and rate of first choice attendance.
Three schools in West Seattle rank high (2nd, 4th & 5th respectively) for first choice and neighborhood attendance despite high levels of students in poverty – Concord (81% free lunch), Sanislo (50% free lunch), and Highland Park (73% free lunch).
Dr. Goodloe-Johnson’s Superintendent’s report at the December 3rd School Board meeting proposed Cooper as the location for Pathfinder and closure of Rainier Beach. Delivered immediately following public testimony, the report was clearly prepared in advance. These facts are easily verifiable through media reports of the meetings and by the Superintendent’s Reports on the School District’s website.
Seattle School District has said schools will close. This is nothing to celebrate and we at Arbor Heights, along with the rest of West Seattle, do not celebrate ANY West Seattle School closing. Our efforts have always been, and will continue to be, focused on two things only: making sure that the district stays true to its stated priorities of neighborhood schools and equitable access to quality education for all students.
Please contact ahptsa-owner@yahoogroups.com with any questions or concerns.
Technorati tag: savearborheights
During public testimony at the December 3rd School Board meeting Arbor Heights parents presented School District data supporting three potential alternatives to closing Arbor Heights. That data was in no way based on poverty. It was based on building capacity, percentage of attendance drawn from reference area and rate of first choice attendance.
Three schools in West Seattle rank high (2nd, 4th & 5th respectively) for first choice and neighborhood attendance despite high levels of students in poverty – Concord (81% free lunch), Sanislo (50% free lunch), and Highland Park (73% free lunch).
Dr. Goodloe-Johnson’s Superintendent’s report at the December 3rd School Board meeting proposed Cooper as the location for Pathfinder and closure of Rainier Beach. Delivered immediately following public testimony, the report was clearly prepared in advance. These facts are easily verifiable through media reports of the meetings and by the Superintendent’s Reports on the School District’s website.
Seattle School District has said schools will close. This is nothing to celebrate and we at Arbor Heights, along with the rest of West Seattle, do not celebrate ANY West Seattle School closing. Our efforts have always been, and will continue to be, focused on two things only: making sure that the district stays true to its stated priorities of neighborhood schools and equitable access to quality education for all students.
Please contact ahptsa-owner@yahoogroups.com with any questions or concerns.
Technorati tag: savearborheights
Monday, December 15, 2008
Arbor Heights on the Net
Arbor Heights has an illustrious past on the Internet, beginning with the establishment of The Earth Day Groceries Project and the school web site in 1994, pictured here. This is a place to share thoughts about the impact of our school on the web in education. Leave a comment here (please leave your full name, location, and affiliation), or send an email, and we'll get your story up here. Thanks! - Mark
Technorati tag: savearborheights
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Media Advisory - 12/11/08 - Arbor Heights Receives Grant for Playground Improvements
Arbor Heights Elementary will receive a "Small & Simple" Neighborhood Matching Funds grant from Seattle Department of Neighborhoods in a ceremony tonight from 6 - 7:30 pm at Alki Elementary School, 3010 59th Ave SW.
Arbor Heights parents applied for the $4,084 grant to install new basketball hoops and courts at Arbor Heights Elementary after the school's old basketball hoops were removed by Seattle School District in September 2008 because of high lead content on their painted surfaces. Replacements were not supplied by the District, so Arbor Heights parents began fundraising and writing grants to fund new hoops on the school playground.
Arbor Heights raised $800 to fund new basketball hoops through two fundraisers: a childrens change drive, where Arbor Heights students brought in their loose change; and a partnership with West Seattle restaurant Endolyne Joes, where a portion of one November evening's sales benefitted the Arbor Heights basketball hoops. Arbor Heights PTSA will contribute approximately an additional $975 toward the cost of building new basketball courts and installing new hoops.
More information: Suzette Riley, Arbor Heights PTSA Co-President, 206-409-1960
Arbor Heights parents applied for the $4,084 grant to install new basketball hoops and courts at Arbor Heights Elementary after the school's old basketball hoops were removed by Seattle School District in September 2008 because of high lead content on their painted surfaces. Replacements were not supplied by the District, so Arbor Heights parents began fundraising and writing grants to fund new hoops on the school playground.
Arbor Heights raised $800 to fund new basketball hoops through two fundraisers: a childrens change drive, where Arbor Heights students brought in their loose change; and a partnership with West Seattle restaurant Endolyne Joes, where a portion of one November evening's sales benefitted the Arbor Heights basketball hoops. Arbor Heights PTSA will contribute approximately an additional $975 toward the cost of building new basketball courts and installing new hoops.
More information: Suzette Riley, Arbor Heights PTSA Co-President, 206-409-1960
Wednesday, December 10, 2008
Updated Closure List - Arbor Heights is not on the list!
The Seattle School District sent out a News Release late last night.
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ahptsa/files/20081209_Capacity_Management_NewsRelease.doc
Arbor Heights Elementary is not on the updated closure list.
Technorati tag: savearborheights
Seattle Public Schools continues to weigh options for capacity management and building closure
Community feedback, ongoing evaluation helping to shape options
Community feedback, ongoing evaluation helping to shape options
http://groups.yahoo.com/group/ahptsa/files/20081209_Capacity_Management_NewsRelease.doc
Arbor Heights Elementary is not on the updated closure list.
Technorati tag: savearborheights
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