Snoqualmie Valley School District Headlines

3 Schools Earn Wash. Achievement Awards

Tue, 7 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PST

Three Snoqualmie Valley schools have earned 2011 Washington Achievement Awards from the State Board of Education and the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI). This award recognizes the top 5% of highest-performing schools on the basis of state test scores, graduation rates and closing achievement gaps over time.

We congratulate Snoqualmie Valley school staff, students, principals and parents at:

Chief Kanim Middle School for "Overall Excellence - Middle School" and "Special Recognition in Science" awards;
Twin Falls Middle School for an "Overall Excellence - Middle School" award; and
Two Rivers School for a "Special Recognition - Extended Graduation Rate" award.

"We are extremely proud of the work occurring in our schools and the terrific outcomes that are being produced. This is the third consecutive year that a number of our schools have qualified for Washington Achievement Award recognition," said Superintendent Joel Aune. "As we celebrate their outstanding work and congratulate our schools on these excellent results, we look forward to sustaining these efforts so that our schools will continue to rank among the very finest in the state."

To celebrate this achievement, the award-winning schools from across the state have been invited to a special awards ceremony on April 25, 2012 at Mariner High School in Everett.

The Washington Achievement Awards program recognizes top performing public schools (based on two-year averages) in seven categories: Overall Excellence, Language Arts, Math, Science, Extended Graduation Rate, Improvement and Closing Achievement Gaps. The selection criteria for the awards and analysis of scores are determined through the Achievement Index, a matrix our state developed to provide a fair and consistent measure of public school performance using assessment data. The index looks at how schools are improving over time, how they compare to schools of similar demographics, and whether they are closing achievement gaps.

For more information about the Washington Achievement Awards on the OSPI website, visit http://www.k12.wa.us/educationawards/WashingtonAchievement/default.aspx.

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The Snoqualmie Valley School District (www.svsd410.org) provides quality public education for approximately 6,000 students in grades K-12 in ten schools. The district spans more than 400 square miles, serving the communities of North Bend, Snoqualmie, Fall City and surrounding areas of east King County in Washington State.

Kindergarten News

Thu, 2 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PST

Kindergarten Registration:

On Tuesday, March 6, all five Snoqualmie Valley elementary schools will host two registration sessions - 1:30-3pm and 6-7:30pm - to enroll students starting Kindergarten next fall, as well as new students joining our district in other elementary grades.

Children must be five years of age by August 31, 2012 to start Kindergarten in the 2012-13 school year. Parents will need to bring the following information to enroll their student: birth certificate, immunization history, and emergency health and contact information. Click here for more enrollment information or to download forms in advance that parents will be required to complete.

Proposed New Kindergarten Schedule:

School Districts across the state are in the process of planning for significant reductions in spending for next year, due to proposed cutbacks to K-12 education funding from our State. If the Legislature adopts the Governor's current proposal, our district will receive about $2 million less next year...which is especially challenging after dealing with state reductions over the past several years.

That said, many school districts are modifying how they deliver their Kindergarten programming. Our District recently proposed a new way to re-structure how we deliver our "half-day" Kindergarten program -- that will result in some savings around transportation, without impacting student learning.

The proposal for an "All-Day Alternate-Day" (AD-AD) schedule would offer the same or more hours of instruction to students, while eliminating daily mid-day bus routes (which are not funded by the state.) Research shows no clear differential effects of kindergarten schedules on either academic achievement or classroom social behaviors. The District anticipates this change would potentially save $110,000 to $140,000 a year. In addition to reducing fuel consumption and drive times costs, it would also generate additional revenue through Food Service with a greater percentage of students participating in the mid-day lunch program. (Currently, Half-Day Kindergarten students only participate in the lunch program on Fridays.)

The new schedule would serve one group of students all day Mondays/Wednesdays and alternating Fridays, and a second group all day Tuesdays/Thursdays and alternating Fridays (on early release). This change would replace the current half-day Kindergarten schedule that involves half-day service via AM and PM classes Mondays-Thursdays with alternating full-day Fridays (on early release). The proposal pertains only to the half-time Kindergarten service that is fully funded by the state and offered free to all children.

The District does not plan to alter its current Full Day Kindergarten (FDK) program which provides daily all-day instruction at each elementary school. This program is supplemented by monthly parent tuition for the half of the school day that is "unfunded" by the state. (Families interested in the FDK program are selected through a lottery drawing following registration.)

To learn more about the proposed "All-Day Alternate-Day" Kindergarten schedule, check these resources:

Attend an informational meeting:
- Monday, February 6, at Fall City Elementary School, 6:30-7:30pm
- Tuesday, February 7, at North Bend Elementary School, 6:30-7:30pm

Listen online to the Kindergarten presentation to the School Board January 26 (approximately 30 minutes).

Or, read the following report for details about the decision-making factors the School Board will consider in determining whether Snoqualmie Valley School District should adopt a district-wide All Day-Alternate Day Kindergarten schedule beginning the 2012-13 school year.

To share your thoughts or suggestions, email comments to CurriculumDepartment@svsd410.org by 3pm, on Wednesday, February 8. (The School Board will consider this input prior to discussing the topic at their next regular meeting February 9.)

Educational Program and Facilities Planning

Fri, 3 Feb 2012 00:00:00 PST

Planning for how our Snoqualmie Valley schools can best serve the needs of a growing student population continues to be a priority in the district. This topic has been the goal of several bond campaigns, extensive research and discussion on options, and hundreds of hours of community involvement over the past several years. Because the 2011 bond proposition to build a replacement middle school did not receive 60% voter approval needed to pass (one vote short), the challenges still remain: How to effectively manage growth and overcrowding in our high school? And most importantly, how to strengthen and bolster our programs and schools to further improve the educational experience for our students and better ensure their success?

The purpose: With two newly elected directors starting on the School Board in January, the district is providing a comprehensive review of this complex subject - in a four-part presentation. The purpose is to bring the Board up-to-speed on the facilities and programming solution that was approved by the Board in February of 2010. This review process will equip our directors with the facts and data they will need to make the best decision for Snoqualmie Valley students, regarding the timing of converting Snoqualmie Middle School (SMS) into a Freshman Learning Center.

The timing: These important discussions are currently underway because if the district is to move forward with annexation by the fall of 2013-when high school enrollment is expected to exceed the program capacity of the Mount Si High School (MSHS) campus-a decision is needed by March. Since this transition will require 15-18 months to fully implement, the Board must decide whether to move forward with the transition in 2013 or delay the decision.

Board meetings: Interested citizens may learn more about these developments as follows:

1/12/12: Facilities perspective: Program capacity and projected enrollment* (listen below)
1/26: Delivery of educational programming: Middle school perspective** (listen below)
2/9: Delivery of educational programming: High school perspective
Work session (date tbd): Additional considerations (funding for portables, transportation, delivery of student services, cost implications, timing of future elections, etc.)

* Listen to the 1/12 presentation on School Program Capacity and Enrollment Projections (approx. 25 minutes)
** Listen to the 1/26 presentation on Delivery of Middle School Educational Programming (approx. 40 minutes)

The solution: The current solution was based on recommendations from the Long-term Facilities Planning (LTFP) Committee and the High School Educational Program Study Committee, comprised of staff, students and parents from across the district. It involves annexing Snoqualmie Middle School as part of nearby Mount Si High School to create a Freshman Learning Center for all 9th graders in our district. The Freshman Learning Center would provide extra support for freshman students during this key transitional year to build academic success in high school and strong relationships within their class (coming from different middle schools). Expanding the high school campus would not only alleviate overcrowding for many years to come, it would also provide space to grow vital programs such as: Science Technology Engineering Mathematics (STEM), robotics, and other opportunities to help students prepare for 21st century careers.

To make this feasible (in the absence of bond funding intended to build a replacement middle school), students and staff at SMS would need to attend the district's two larger middle schools: Chief Kanim Middle School (CKMS) and Twin Falls Middle School (TFMS). This transition would create two middle schools with approximately 750 students in the fall of 2013. (Current middle school enrollments are 404/460/575 at CKMS/SMS/TFMS, respectively.) Approximately 6-7 modular classrooms would need to be added to both CKMS and TFMS to serve our middle school population.

Please share your thoughts: We welcome community input regarding the timing of implementing this important school facilities solution. Comments submitted via the link below by Monday, March 5, will be shared with board members prior to their decision in March. Click here to send your feedback.

Background information:

LTFP Committee Recommendation to Annex SMS to MSHS (February 11, 2010)
Long-Term Facilities Planning Report to the Board

9th Grade Campus Recommendation (September 9, 2010)
High School Educational Program Study Report to the Board

Enrollment Projections from Calm River Demographics (November 17, 2011)
Enrollment projections & program capacities of CURRENT school configuration
Enrollment projections & program capacities with ANNEXATION of SMS

Board Adopts Resolution for School Funding

Fri, 27 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PST

Earlier this month, the Snoqualmie Valley School District Board of Directors adopted Resolution 771, entitled "Funding for Schools". This resolution has been sent to Governor Gregoire and our legislators in Olympia, and is intended to urge the protection of funding for K-12 education.

"As the State begins to comply with the Supreme Court ruling and finds solutions that ensure ample, stable, long-term funding for education, it is vitally important that decisions made during the upcoming legislative session do not involve more cuts to K-12 education for 2012-13," says Superintendent Joel Aune.

Please contact our state leaders to share your thoughts on the importance of education funding.

Governor Christine Gregoire http://www.governor.wa.gov/contact/default.asp

5TH DISTRICT:
Senator Cheryl Pflug (R) Pflug.Cheryl@leg.wa.gov
Representative Jay Rodne (R) Rodne.Jay@leg.wa.gov
Representative Glenn Anderson (R) Anderson.Glenn@leg.wa.gov

45TH DISTRICT:
Senator Andy Hill (R) Andy.Hill@leg.wa.gov
Representative Roger Goodman (D) Goodman.Roger@leg.wa.gov
Representative Larry Springer (D) Springer.Larry@leg.wa.gov

To learn who represents your area, visit: www.access.wa.gov/government/index.aspx.

Speech & Debate Team Excels

Tue, 10 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PST

Congratulations to Mount Si High School's Speech and Debate students. This past weekend, January 6-7, 2012, Snoqualmie Valley teams placed among 53 participating high schools at the Puget Sound High School Forensics Tournament at the University of Puget Sound, as follows:

Juniors Jeremy Knight and William Richards took 1st place championship in Varsity level debate!
Sophomores Lydia Petroske and Ali Raphael earned 1st place overall in Junior Varsity debate.
Brothers Andrew (junior) and Ryan Hartman (freshman) placed 3rd at the Varsity level.
Also, teammates Douglas Knox (senior) and Garrett McCarty (freshman), and sophomores Riley Dirks and Kevin McLaughlin placed in the top 8 in the Novice level debate.

"These results are a testament of the students' hard work. I'm so proud!" shared Diana Young-Blanchard, Mount Si High School Language Arts teacher and Speech and Debate advisor. "Our teams' performances this year have reached unprecedented levels. It's exciting to see such significant improvement from previous years."

Other noteworthy highlights from competitions this year:

University of Washington Tournament (December 2-3, 2011): Four MSHS teams "broke" into elimination rounds (which means they made it past the prelims and into quarter finals). The Hartman brothers took 1st place overall in Novice Public Forum Debate, out of 30 high schools competing! Knight and Richards made it through quarter finals in Open Public Forum Debate. Dirks and McLaughlin made it to quarter finals in the Novice Public Forum division; and Raphael and Petroske made it through semi-finals in the same event. Read a related article: Debate team puts in the hours, miles and effort (SnoValley STAR, published 12/14/11).
Tahoma High School Tournament (November 18-19): Knight and Vanessa Scott went to finals in Novice Oratory --Knight placed 3rd and Scott placed 5th.
Whitman College Tournament (November 3-5): Seniors Matt and Vanessa Scott took the 1st place prize in the Novice Public Forum division. Knight and Richards went through semi-finals in the Championship division, taking 3rd place overall in the Championship division of Public Forum debate.
Gig Harbor High School Tournament (October 28-29): Raphael and Petroske won an award for Novice Public Forum. Sophomores Duncan Deutsch and Christian Henriksen won a Novice Dual Interpretation award and an Open Public Forum award.

Currently 24 students comprise the Mount Si High School Speech & Debate club. More information about upcoming tournaments and past results are posted on the debate team blog at: http://mshsspeechdebate.blogspot.com. Also, the team is always looking for judges and is willing to train adult volunteers. If interested, please contact Diana Young-Blanchard at young-blanchardd@svsd410.org or 425-831-8185.

Supreme Court Ruling Supports Education

Fri, 6 Jan 2012 00:00:00 PST

The Washington State Supreme Court ruled on January 5th, that the State of Washington has not complied with its constitutional obligation to amply fund public education for K-12 children.

Read a summary for the McCleary ruling from the Network for Excellence in Washington School (NEWS) Coalition.

The Snoqualmie Valley School District and the Snoqualmie Valley Education Association have been part of the state-wide NEWS coalition, which led the lawsuit against the State. The coalition represents school districts, parent and teacher associations, civic and community organizations, and students across the state.

In its decision, the Supreme Court prohibits the Washington State Legislature from eliminating or cutting funding for reasons that are not directly related to educational policy. To help facilitate progress to restore funding and fully implement mandated financial reforms by 2018, the Supreme Court has stated it will retain jurisdiction over the case.

"The Supreme Court's decision is not only the right one in a legal sense; it is also the right one in a moral sense. The children of this state depend upon educators and schools to provide an educational experience that prepares them to compete and thrive in a changing world," commented Joel Aune, Snoqualmie Valley Schools Superintendent and President of the Washington Association of School Administrators. "Ample funding for what it really costs to provide the quality education essential for our children's futures is necessary and sadly overdue. This ruling is a cause for celebration."

Aune added, "I am cautiously hopeful that in the long term, levels of state funding required to build and sustain exceptionally great schools and school systems will ultimately come to fruition. For the immediate future, however, a good deal of uncertainty still exists. The Court has given state legislators six years to fully restore funding to the levels mandated by law. Let's hope our legislators demonstrate leadership and a commitment to education by stepping step up in a serious way during the upcoming legislative session in Olympia to do what is right for the children who are currently attending our schools."

This decision came one week before the Washington State Legislature reconvened on January 9 for a 60-day session to tackle the state's challenging budget crisis.

Read the Court's decision.

Updated January 27, 2012