White Center Now: The blog about White Center

Big day tomorrow for Cascade Middle School in White Center. Governor Inslee and state Superintendent of Public Instruction Randy Dorn will visit for an event described in a media advisory as follows:

Governor Jay Inslee, State Superintendent Randy Dorn and invited guests will appear at 12:30 p.m., Friday, Oct. 4, at Cascade Middle School in (White Center) to speak about the Next Generation Science Standards.

It is important that every Washington student is prepared with the strong science skills they need for the future. Science education is pivotal in growing Washington’s innovation economy and preparing our kids for a lifetime of opportunity and success.

Not a public event, but we’re planning to be there; we’re checking to see if it will be shown live on TVW. Meantime, you can read more about the science standards by going here.

It’s the first day of school for most students in the area, though some went back yesterday (which was Day 1 at Holy Family). Highline Public Schools is chronicling the day through tweets, including photos, and you can follow along here:

In addition to Highline Public Schools, today is also the first day for West Seattle Montessori School in White Center.

The recent pet-food donation drive by White Center-headquartered West Seattle Montessori/West Seattle Academy brought in 2,471 pounds of food! Heather Aquino shares photos and a report:

The West Seattle Academy’s 7th graders collected more than a ton of dog, cat, and even bird food for their school-wide pet food drive. The drive lasted three weeks and was a spirited contest between all of the classes in West Seattle Montessori and West Seattle Academy. The Yellow Room donated the most food, with a whopping 724 lbs donated to the cause. They were treated to an ice-cream party hosted by the 7th graders on Thursday, May 9th.

The report continues:

On Friday, May 3rd the 7th graders loaded up the school van with all of the large bags of dog and cat food and headed to the Humane Society of Seattle to drop it all off, take a tour of their facilities, and learn about how their donations help local families, senior pet owners on limited incomes, and people with terminal illnesses lacking the essential resources needed to tend for their furry companions.

With the bulk of the collected food being donated to the Humane Society, there is still a substantial amount that will be dispersed to smaller, local animal shelters in our community. The drive was an overwhelmingly huge success. Thank you to the Yellow Room and all of the students of West Seattle Montessori and Academy for an amazing experience that benefited not only the Humane Society, but that also inspired the giving spirit of our 7th graders.

From Highline Public Schools:

Parents of middle and high school students are needed to help shape a plan that will guide schools for the next three years. It is part of a community effort to create a new three-year strategic plan.

The core planning team responsible for designing the plan is seeking ideas from Highline families and community members. The upcoming public input session will focus on ideas that can shape students’ middle school and high school experience.

“We are working toward very ambitious and necessary goals, to achieve better outcomes and broaden the opportunities for all students, and to better prepare them for their adult, working lives,” said Stacia Jenkins, a member of the core planning team and mother of a student at Pacific Middle School.

All parents are welcome, but middle school and high school parents are especially encouraged to join other families and community members for a meal and a conversation about what we want for our children and our community.

“We have heard exciting ideas from families and community members around the district,” said Susan Enfield, Superintendent. “However, we want additional input about how we can do a better job of educating all students. The middle school and high school years are so vital to student success, and our three-year plan must include strategies that work well for secondary students and schools.”

What: Highline Public Schools Community Strategic Planning Session

Date and Time: Wednesday, April 3, 6:00 – 8:30 p.m.

Location: Highline High School cafeteria, 225 South 152nd Street, Burien, WA 98148

Details: Interpretation, dinner, and child care will be provided free of charge.

Please RSVP for interpretation, child care, and dinner: Individuals who need an interpreter or childcare, or if you are coming to dinner, please call 206-277-5922 so that we can plan for you.

Highline Public Schools is among the regional districts that joined forces to seek – and win – a big federal grant. Here’s what our partners at The Seattle Times are reporting about it; here’s the reaction of HPS Superintendent Dr. Susan Enfield, per district e-mail to media:

As many of you know, Highline joined with several South King County school districts to apply for a federal Race to the Top grant. I am thrilled to announce that our proposal has been granted full funding of $40 million. We are one of just two applications across the country to receive the full $40 million.

I want to thank Alan Spicciati and other members of the Highline team who contributed to developing our application. This was a regional team effort, and I am so proud to be part of the coalition that put together this successful application. Most importantly, this grant will give us the opportunity to make a significant difference for the children of Highline and the South King County Region. … Exciting times are ahead!

(Photos by Katie Meyer for WCN)
If you haven’t already noticed: White Center has a new Christmas-tree lot this season – at Holy Family, benefiting HF’s Parish School. It’s being run by HF parishioners the Calderons: Carlos, Tracy, and kids Andres and Tahlia, who are in our photo, and Marco (who was off at a sports practice when we stopped by).

Carlos says the idea came up at a Holy Family School board meeting – fundraising ideas were being brainstormed, and Carlos suggested a Christmas tree lot, recalling one run by an acquaintance in South King County. The idea was enthusiastically approved. Carlos was put in charge. He and his family bought the tree inventory, added fencing to the lot at 18th and Roxbury, built the wooden framework for the trees, and opened within days.

The Calderons are helping tree-shoppers in Spanish as well as English, and they’re open long hours – 9 am till 10 pm. P.S. Delivery’s available.

You’ve been invited to dinner on Saturday, 5-8 pm at Holy Family School:

Bring the family for a spaghetti dinner and raffle at Holy Family School in White Center (9615 20th Ave SW). Adults $12, children 11 and under are $5. Dinner includes spaghetti, salad, garlic bread, and ice cream. Seating from 5:00 until 8:00pm. Live entertainment will feature local celebrities, and the raffle will include crafts and gift certificates from local establishments. All proceeds will benefit tuition assistance for eligible boys and girls at Holy Family School.

Holy Family is at Roxbury/20th.

From Highline Public Schools:

More Highline Kindergarteners will learn a second language at school starting next fall. Highline will open new dual language programs at White Center Heights and Madrona elementary schools. Each school will have two dual-language Kindergarten classes starting in fall 2013.

Madrona will offer Spanish immersion. At White Center Heights, there will be one Vietnamese immersion and one Spanish immersion class. Half of the students in each program are native English speakers and half are native speakers of the other language. Students spend 50 percent of every day learning in English and the other 50% learning in the second language.

Each year, the schools will add a grade level as students progress through each grade and new Kindergarteners enter the program every fall.

Hilltop and Mount View elementary schools were the first two schools in the district to offer Spanish dual language programs. The first cohort at Hilltop will enter 7th grade in 2015. Highline plans to expand dual language to middle school at that time.

Demand for dual language classrooms in growing in Highline. “We anticipate expanding to other elementary schools in the next three to five years,” said Bernard Koontz, Director of Language and Cultural Arts.

Big smile from Holy Family Parish School principal Frank Cantwell – it’s the first day of school and the first day of a new program that will continue growing over the years. Holy Family is debuting its dual-language program. The principal explains, “We have hired seven bilingual teachers from Mexico, South America and Spain. Our Pre-School, Pre-Kindergarten, and Kindergarten students will be learning half their subjects in Spanish and half in English. Each year, we will include the next grade up. For now, all the students in Grades 1 through 8 will be taught in English, but learning Spanish in the more traditional approach.” One of the new teachers is Flori Muñoz from Argentina:

Here’s her kindergarten classroom from another angle:

Assistant principal Anca Wilson was conducting parent orientation:

Also happening this week at Holy Family – the annual Street Fair is coming up Saturday and Sunday (September 8-9). Principal Cantwell says, “We will be having Mexican, Filipino and Vietnamese foods, as well as hot dogs and hamburgers. We will have pony rides again this year, and we have built a water slide that I am sure will be a big hit with the kids. We will also be having a variety of ethnic music and dancing. We expect it to be bigger and better than ever.”

Three events you won’t want to miss on Saturday:

MCLENDON HARDWARE PANCAKE BREAKFAST: The tasty tradition arrives at the store again on Saturday morning. 7:30-10 am, free.

WEST SEATTLE MONTESSORI PLANT SALE: 9 am-3 pm, at the campus (11215 15th SW) – with a bake sale, organic soil, student vegetable starts, plants from Village Green Perennial Nursery, and more – read about it on the school’s website.

WHITE CENTER JUBILEE DAYS GALA: Saturday’s the night, Youngstown Cultural Arts Center (4408 Delridge Way SW in West Seattle) is the place, 6:30 pm – the ticket link and more details are on the Jubilee Days website.

(Photos by WCN’s Patrick Sand)
Notice people in bright-green shirts around White Center at midday today? Those were the Starbucks workers whose second annual Month of Service volunteerism brought them today to Mount View Elementary, Lakewood Park, and White Center Heights Park (the latter is where we caught up with them).

The White Center work was in conjunction with SeattleWorks.

According to the announcement we received in advance, on behalf of Starbucks, the company has a lofty April volunteerism goal: “This year we’re aiming to beat 200,000 community-service hours – that’s the equivalent of nearly 100 people working 9-5 for a year!”

White Center’s Mount View Elementary invites families of incoming kindergarteners to Information Night this Thursday, 6-7:30 pm:

The school’s at 10811 12th SW. Here’s a full-size version of the flyer.

This Sunday, you’re invited to Holy Family Parish School (20th/Roxbury) for an open house featuring its new Spanish-language program. 9:30 am to 2 pm, everybody welcome, according to principal Frank Cantwell.

Two announcements in one!

White Center Kiwanis will be honoring the student of the month from New Start High School Wednesday, April 18 at White Center Pizza. The meeting starts at 12:30 with the presentation to the student soon after. Honoring students at New Start is something that White Center Kiwanis feels is important to the youth of the community because it gives them recognition for their work. The nominations are made by the staff of New Start.

And coming up this Saturday:

White Center Kiwanis will be doing their One Day activity April 21 from 11 to 1 at the White Center Food Bank in conjunction with Key Club of New Start High School. They will be handing out food to clients on the regular 3rd Saturday food distribution. The White Center Kiwanis sponsored this Key Club starting the end of last school year. Two students from the club went to the Key Club convention last month. White Center Kiwanis along with the Key Clubs from Evergreen High School and New Start High School regularly hand out food at the White Center Food Bank on the second Wednesday evening from 6 to 8.

*Metro will remain on snow routing – Friday morning details here

*Seattle Public Schools already have announced they’ll be closed
*Highline Public Schools are closed Friday.
*So is West Seattle Montessori.
*Holy Family closed too.

(White Center snow fun photo courtesy of Gill)
UPDATED THURSDAY MORNING:

Highline Public Schools have now announced they’ll be closed Thursday too.

ADDED 8:07 PM: Holy Family School and West Seattle Montessori are closed too.

ADDED THURSDAY 8:29 AM: White Center Food Bank closed.

Most trash pickups around the region are also canceled for today. And King County government is opening late, 10 am.

ADDED THURSDAY 10:29 AM: Via Facebook, we see the White Center CDA office is closed.

We also have received word that the White Center Kiwanis‘s Key Club dinner tonight is postponed – since the school’s closed! We’ll update the calendar listing with the new date (note – that’s 6:30 pm February 16th).

Any other closures/changes, please let us know – whitecenternow@gmail.com or you can call our 24-hour phone line (at West Seattle Blog HQ), 206-293-6302.

As we continue to wait to see what the weather brings overnight, Highline Public Schools has now announced it’s closed on Wednesday. Holy Family School is, too.

ADDED 12:18 AM: White Center Food Bank also will be closed Wednesday:

In order to ensure the safety of the food bank volunteers and clients, the White Center Food Bank will close Wednesday, January 18 due to forecasted snow. We follow the decisions made by the Highline School district so will remain closed as long as the school district remains closed.

Audrey Zemke
Volunteer and Food Drive Coordinator

ADDED 5:51 AM: The snow arrived a few hours ago, and we have more closures: West Seattle Montessori/West Seattle Academy closed. Kennedy High School (Burien) closed.

ADDED 8:25 AM: No trash pickup today, per Waste Management.

ADDED 9:09 AM: Metro Route 54 is having trouble getting uphill through Fauntleroy and for now is NOT making it all the way to White Center. This could change at any time, if road conditions improve.

11:01 AM: Any White Center restaurants that are open are free to let us know, whitecenternow@gmail.com. So far, we’ve heard from Zippy’s Giant Burgers – open!

1:37 PM: We’re told the 54 is back on its regular SNOW route. Meantime, we’re testing this live list of what’s changed with King County during the storm:

SCHOOLS: Highline Public Schools will open two hours late. From the HPS website:

* Buses will stop at their regular bus stops – two hours later than normal.
* There will be no breakfast, no morning classes for preschool, kindergarten, ECEAP, or PSSC. Afternoon classes for these programs will be on time.
* Schools will dismiss at regular times.

Also, Kennedy High School in Burien is closed.

TRANSIT: Metro remains on snow routes.

More updates to come.

Here’s a unique way to experience today’s first day of school in Highline Public Schools – and 49 more days after that: Interim Superintendent Dr. Alan Spicciati is planning to visit “50 sites in 50 days,” and he’s writing about it here. He started with writing about his Tuesday Madrona Elementary in SeaTac, and it looks like he plans to write about visiting a few more schools on this actual first day of classes. (In case you’re wondering, on the other side of the line, Seattle Public Schools don’t start till next Wednesday.)

From Highline Public Schools:

Community members, parents, and Highline staff are invited to a program honoring Superintendent John Welch on Wednesday, August 24, 5:00-6:00 p.m. at the school district central office (ERAC) at 15675 Ambaum Blvd SW in Burien.

The event will be “open mic”, giving people an opportunity to make remarks thanking Welch for his work in Highline.

Welch has served as Highline’s superintendent since July 2005. On September 1, he will become the new superintendent of the Puget Sound Educational Service District (PSESD) in Renton. PSESD is a regional educational agency that serves all school districts in King and Pierce counties.