White Center Now: The blog about White Center

SCHOOLS: No changes listed so far for Highline Public Schools. For Seattle Public Schools, they’ve announced all schools will start on time and all buses will run regular routes.

BUSES: Metro is continuing to update its “adverse weather” page with changes for specific routes. Among them, the 54, which is listed right now (6:41 am) as “does not serve White Center.”

The forecasters were finally right. No word of school changes yet, though (as of 5:25 am).

5:29 AM UPDATE: Seattle Public Schools are CLOSED for today.

5:40 AM UPDATE: Highline Public Schools are 1 hour late, “limited buses.” South Seattle Community College is starting at 10 am. We’ll keep checking for changes, which tend to happen if/as weather worsens.

5:57 AM UPDATE: Metro has updated its list of bus routes on “adverse weather” reroute. See it here.

6:16 AM UPDATE: Holy Family in White Center is closed today.

7:20 AM UPDATE: Shorewood Christian School will be open at 10:30 am.

7:42 AM UPDATE: Per scanner, SW 100th in 4th SW area “impassable.”

7:59 AM UPDATE: Shorewood Christian School changed status to CLOSED.

8:25 AM UPDATE: Myers Way is closed.

8:45 AM UPDATE: Highline Public Schools has changed its plan:

All elementary schools will be closed today due to snow. Because of developing weather conditions and late notice, middle schools and high schools will remain open.

10:55 AM UPDATE: Olson closed too.

11:56 AM UPDATE: Highline Public Schools changed its status again:

Due to worsening weather conditions, we will dismiss secondary students early today.

* Buses will pick up students at Puget Sound Skills Center at 11:45 a.m. and return them to their high schools.
* High schools will be dismissed at noon.
* Middle schools will be dismissed at 12:30.
* Emergency bus stops will be used on all bus routes.
* All after-school and evening activities, sports, and events and evening building use have been canceled.
* Also, we hope to make decisions about tomorrow this evening.

Also, Metro is warning its afternoon service will be limited; read more here.

Who knows what we’ll wake up to … the forecast’s truly all over the map. To check the status of Highline Public Schools (and others): schoolreport.org.

Highline Public Schools already will be 2 hours late tomorrow – and they’re asking families to check in the am for possible closure (since it may be snowing by 4 am or so). Here’s the message at SchoolReport.org.

Highline Public Schools will be 2 hours late today; Seattle Public Schools is also going to start 2 hours late. Meanwhile, a winter storm watch is up for late Tuesday through late Wednesday (forecasts here). For Metro bus updates, here’s the latest list of the ones on “adverse weather” reroutes.

Highline Public Schools and Seattle Public Schools are both on two-hour delay; those and other districts are listed on SchoolReport.org. Holy Family School is starting at 10 am; Shorewood Christian School is closed. More as we get it. Here are various info-links:

County info on snow/ice routes/procedures (including Metro reroutes)
Metro “adverse weather” service status
King County road alerts
Latest forecast
WSDOT trouble spots via Twitter

5:57 AM UPDATE: Metro has now updated its page with Monday morning info. The 128 is on its “adverse weather” routing, among other White Center/West Seattle-area routes listed here. Here’s the table:

Another update tonight from the county – read it here. We are also keeping watch for any updates from both the Highline and Seattle school districts on potential school changes/closures for tomorrow and will post that information as soon as it’s available; you can also watch the regional closure-information site SchoolReport.org. 9:03 PM UPDATE: We have word that Holy Family School will start late tomorrow, 10 am.

No need for a “snow day” if the potential flakes arrive early on Friday – because it’s already a day off (“waiver day”) for students in Highline Public Schools. After that, just one more week of school till winter break, which starts Dec. 22 (classes then resume on Jan. 5 – winter break in Seattle Public Schools runs on the same schedule).

That’s video provided by Shorewood Christian School from its bell choir’s performance at Southcenter last week – and Hope Kerkof says they’ll be there again this Wednesday, 1 pm at the dining terrace!

Thanks to Shorewood Christian School for e-mailing to call our attention to that clip they posted on YouTube after 5th graders went to work at the Burien-Highline Food Bank; we told you earlier about the school’s food drive to help the White Center Food Bank (which you can help anytime by donating online; here’s the link). Here’s the full news release about their latest project: Read the rest of this entry »

If you are interested, we are covering tonight’s announcement of Seattle Public Schools closure/changes plans live at West Seattle Blog. Not far from White Center, it’s reported that Arbor Heights Elementary will be on the list (and one reader has said that in turn, another “program” may move into that building) – so there could be WC-vicinity effects. You can see our updates here.

We’ve also written about this on West Seattle Blog, but White Center businesses and others may also be interested in helping a school that’s about to move to WC — West Seattle Montessori. They’ve lost their longtime WS home because of a development project, and they’re renovating a building next to the King County Library’s White Center branch, in hopes they’ll be ready to move in during the winter break. First, they’ve got a fundraising auction coming up December 5th, and they’re looking for donations for the auction as well as some help for the move – here’s what Sandra Kutz-Russell told us:

As for the auction, we need anything and everything; we are grateful for each item we are given! We will have both a silent auction and live auction. Keep in mind that we are a little auction with big dreams! At other auctions I have attended, trips, condo weekends, behind the scenes tours, chef taught cooking classes, signed books, CDs and sports equipment are always top sellers. Dinners are popular and services too! Because our auction is so close to the many winter holidays, Hanukkah, Christmas, Kwanzaa and Eid Al-Adha related items would be well received. Anything handmade seems to sell very well!

We are a school in need of help, help with our auction, help with the move, help with new playground equipment and rubber playground surface. Heck, the fence alone cost $11,000! Can we ask for a donation of printing services or truck rentals and boxes? What about a moving company or even plants for the landscaping? We do need a tree moved! It is a Japanese cherry tree that was planted in memory of a 1st grader’s mother who passed away of cancer. That little girl started college this year!

I can be contacted by e-mail, or by calling the school at 206 935-0427 and leaving a message for anyone on the auction committee, Brenda, Renee and Sandra.

You can e-mail Sandra at: skutzrussell@yahoo.com

Happened onto the Evergreen Key Club‘s blog, with an update on myriad projects they’re taking on this fall, including work this week on scarves for homeless people. Sounds like these teens are going to have a very busy season of giving; read about it here.

The White Center Community Development Association and Trusted Advocates will host the 2008 Community Summit this Saturday, November 8th at Mount View Elementary School.  The event starts at 8:00 am and ends at 3:00 p.m.  Please come and offer your input on the future of your community.   Mount View is located at 10811 12th Avenue SW.

This year’s community summit will gather families, government agencies and local community-based/non-profit organizations in a fun family-friendly environment.  Live cultural performances, ethnic foods, door prizes and children’s activities are just a taste of what the summit has to offer!

Come learn about the issues affecting your community and how you can be involved in a positive way.  There will be info booths and workshops on health, education, jobs, housing, annexation, immigration and more.  Translation services will be provided in Cambodian, Vietnamese, Spanish, Tigrinya, Somali, Amharic, Samoan, Arabic and English (other languages upon request).  Childcare will be provided.

For more info:  Ebony Davis: (206) 694-1082 ext.  168 – ebony@wccda.org or Ian Dapiaoen:  (206) 694-1082 ext. 175 or ian@wccda.org.

From the Highline Public Schools calendar (which you can see in its entirety here): Wednesday’s an “early release” day, Tuesday 11/11 is a school holiday in honor of Veterans Day (as it is in the Seattle district).

EVERGREEN HIGH SCHOOL FOOTBALL: Tough year for the team, which lost Saturday night to Renton, 40-8. One more regular-season game to go, an away game against Lindbergh on Friday night, 7 pm.

VILLAGE GREEN PERENNIAL NURSERY: Today’s the last scheduled day for the nursery to be open. Proprietor Vera Johnson is having a sale on Vietnamese pottery for the grand finale (50% off). Vera also notes she’s offering consultation/design/installation services, $50/hour, and adds, “Just a heads-up, we will be reorganizing over the winter. I am planning some changes with the use of the land.” Next year, she’s planning the usual spring opening, but then a July closing of the retail operation, not sure about “regular” hours after that, but definitely “more design and consulting work, allowing our creative skills to be more useful in designing beautiful gardens for clients, plus garden maintenance.” She’s also planning to offer plants for real estate “staging,” as well as using the Village Green land to grow more food, with more “demonstration edible gardens” and more workshops on “edibles/herbals.” One final note – she’s planning on keeping goats, and might even rent them out for blackberry removal. Vera promises more details to come; meantime, Village Green‘s hours today are 10 am-4:30 pm, 10223 26th SW (map)

They lost to Foster tonight by just a touchdown, 13-6. Next week they play Renton (Saturday 10/25, 7 pm).

Two things, really – first, Evergreen High School football director Alfred Johnson sends word that it’s Homecoming Week:

This week is HOMECOMING!!!

I want to get the word out to any and all Evergreen Alumni, if you live in the area or not, to come out and cheer the boys on to victory for the 2008 Homecoming.

There will be a Homecoming Assembly at Evergreen on Friday 10/17/08, I believe that it will start @ 2:00 pm, but call the school to be sure if anyone plans on attending.

The Homecoming Football game will be at Highline Memorial Stadium @ 7:00pm, Friday 10/17/08.
We will be duking it out with the new addition to the Seamount League, The Foster Bulldogs.

Alfred also sends word there’s a new website for Wolverines football. See it here.

It’s the big “crosstown” game tonight: Evergreen High School vs. Highline High School, 7 pm, Highline Stadium – the Wolverines are going for their second win. Get out and cheer ’em.

Click pic to play video

That short video clip shows a big run by Evergreen High School’s #5, senior Jared Brunell, in the second half of last night’s 16-6 victory over Tyee at Highline Memorial Stadium in Burien. That brings Evergreen to 1-3; next Friday, they play Mount Si.