December 9, 2013

Dear SB K-8 Families,

I hope everyone enjoyed time this weekend with family and friends.  As always, there are great things happening at Salmon Bay K-8! I am proud to begin this week's newsletter with some exciting staff celebrations:

• Marian received her National Board Certification. National Board Certification is an advanced teaching credential that requires teachers to analyze their teaching as well as their students' needs. This process is very rigorous and time demanding, requiring video submission, reflection and a clear demonstration of student growth and achievement.

• Jon, Joel and Katie, three of our 6th grade teachers, attended the Sound Grading Conference in Portland, Oregon last week. The conference highlighted the following objectives:

• learning how to turn assessment information into accurate, defensible report card grades

• gaining a deeper understanding of the issues involved in sound grading

• learning how to track and communicate assessment results; and

• learning how to ensure that grades provide accurate reflections of student achievement.

• Devin and Kate, two of our middle school teachers, were highly recruited to serve on the district's new "Literacy Cadre" to develop a K-12 Common Core aligned English Language Arts curriculum that will be implemented by classroom teachers district-wide.  

Please join me in recognizing the above staff members for their ongoing commitment to best practices in teaching and learning.

Next, I am excited to provide you with an update about the work we have been doing this year in pursuit of our vision.

Building Leadership Team

• Mission, Vision and Values: As you know, the Building Leadership Team worked closely with the staff and families last year to update our Mission, Vision and Values statements. Together, these statements will continue to guide our work together as we make decisions that support student achievement in the context of the whole child, a value deeply rooted in our beliefs about teaching and learning.

• Alternative Education: Following the completion of our mission, vision and values statements, the BLT began to work collaboratively with the staff to bring greater clarity to what "alternative education" represents at Salmon Bay K-8. While it has been acknowledged that this work is highly personal, particularly for those staff and families who have been with Salmon Bay dating back to its roots as Coho-Noms (individually and collectively), we embarked on this important work, knowing that it could serve as a valuable tool as we continue to grow as a K-8 community. Through the whole child lens, and using alternative education "indicators" developed in 2005 by a Seattle Public Schools task force made up of parents and teachers, we began this important work. I look forward to sharing more with you about this in the upcoming months. Here are some highlights of our work around the topic of alternative education:

• The value we place on students' intellectual needs is met by our commitment to active engagement through experiential learning and through a differentiated approachthat supports the needs of all of our students.

• The value we place on our students' physical needs is met by our commitment to a daily K/5 PE program, the use of co-created K-8 behavioral expectations and through incorporating opportunities for student movement throughout the instructional day.

• The value we place on our students social-emotional needs is met by our commitment to align staff and student needs,  to make time for relationship building during the school day and outside of school hours and by valuing families as integral partners in every child's education.

• Next Steps:

• Comprehensive School Improvement Plan (CSIP): The BLT is currently in the midst of updating our CSIP to reflect current data about student achievement in reading and math. We are also including a school climate goal to address the area of communication (among staff and between staff/families). I look forward to sharing this work with you within the next couple of months.

• Professional Development Plan: A key component of our CSIP will be our professional development plan for the 2014-2015 school year. Using our mission/vision/values statements and our work to this point around alternative education, we will work together to prioritize next steps for building on the work we have done this year with Envisions Learning Partners (ELP).

Professional Development

• Envisions Learning Partners (ELP) - Highlights from our work together this year:

• Graduate Profile: ELP believes that if schools clearly define their graduate outcomes for students to include not only the courses or subjects they need to pass but also Deeper Learning Outcomes -- mastering academic content, thinking critically, communicating effectively, collaborating productively and learning to learn,  -- we will create schools that ensure all students are ready for success in college and career. During a professional development earlier this year we began creating Graduate Profile that fully integrates the whole child framework. We will be completing this work during our January 15th early dismissal session and look forward to sharing the results with the broader school community.

• Key terms: We are also working with ELP to personalize definitions for some key terms that will drive our professional development including, 21st century skills, rigor and alternative assessment. Again, all of this work will be done through the lens of our valued whole child approach to teaching and learning.

• Next Steps:

• Project Based Learning and Performance Based Assessment: Knowing that project based learning and performance based assessment are practices that align with our mission/vision/values statements and with our beliefs and practices regarding alternative education, we recognize that continued professional development will allow us to strengthen these practices across our school. Our first step will be to "inventory" current practices so that we can build on our strengths and identify areas for improvement. This will involve grade-level, K/8 and content area discussions about curriculum and instruction, alternative assessment, human and material resources and innovative scheduling practices that will support us in achieving our vision.

I look forward to sharing more with you in the near future. Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or comments.

Thanks,

Jen

Dear 8th graders - now is the time to start thinking about the photo that you want in this year's yearbook and the quote, if any, you want to include. The students of the media arts classes are now accepting photos/portraits and quotes. Photos must be in .jpg format, and sent as an email attachment to Glyde (ghking@seattleschools.org) or brought to her on a flash drive in room 306. (Remember, most photos taken by phones are NOT in .jpg format and need to be converted before they are sent...)

Deadline = Monday Jan 20.

8th grade quote - school appropriate, with proper credit and no longer than 20 words.

If you do not send in a photo, then we will include your school photo instead.

Thanks!

Glyde & the Yearbook Editors

"Peter Pan" opens this week! Join us for a magical journey to Neverland and see mermaids, beasts, Lost Boys, and pirates. Evening performances will be held at 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, December 12 (Cast A) and Friday, December 13 (Cast B). Weekend matinee performances will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 14 (Cast B) and Sunday, December 15 (Cast A). All performances are free to attend and will be held in the Salmon Bay auditorium. Seating is first come first served. We have plenty of room, but limited chairs, so please consider bringing your own. If you would like to support drama at Salmon Bay, you will have the opportunity to make a donation at the show. We hope to see you in Neverland!

Salmon Bay K-4 Play, "The Phantom Tollbooth" Auditions

The drama committee is producing the K-4 play, "The Phantom Tollbooth."

Auditions for "The Phantom Tollbooth" will be held on December 17th and 18th between 3:00 p.m. and 5:00 p.m. in the Salmon Bay Auditorium. Rehearsals will be held M, W, and some F beginning January 8. Performances are scheduled for March 27 and 28.

Audition Information

Children must schedule their audition slot for either the 17th or the 18th on the sign-up genius through the Salmon Bay drama website. Sign-up genius will be available December 10 through December 16.

All K-4 students who are interested in auditioning for a MEDIUM or SERIOUS role (see descriptions below) should memorize and prepare a Shell Silverstein poem. Students interested in a SERIOUS role may also be asked to perform a monologue. Poems and monologues are currently posted on the Salmon Bay drama website. Poems and monologues will also be shared and worked on at the Audition Preparation and Parent Information night, on Monday, December 16, from 6:00 to 7:30 (this is an optional night, students can audition regardless of whether they attend). Students interested in a JUST FOR FUN role, need not prepare a piece for auditions. They should just show up for their scheduled rehearsal spot and plan to have fun.

Outline for Auditions

- All children will be required to attend auditions from 3:00-3:30 on the day they sign up for. At this time, the directors will play games in order to get to know the children and their ability to focus, follow directions, work as part of a group, and their confidence in a group

- The children who are interested in a JUST FOR FUN commitment will only need to stay for this portion of the audition. Parents should pick their children up at 3:30.

- 3:30-4:00 Children who are interested in MEDIUM or SERIOUS roles will now showcase the monologues they memorized in a variety of fun ways (everyone will memorize a short Shell Silverstein poem/ and those interested in SERIOUS roles will chose from a selection of longer monologues as well).

- 4:00 - 4:15 - Actors will break for a snack. The directors will discuss who they would like to stay for a few more exercises. Parents of students interested in a MEDIUM or SERIOUS role should arrive at 4:15 to pick up their students. However, some may be asked to stay a little longer.

- 4:15-4:45 - Those requested to stick around, (especially those interested in SERIOUS roles) will work stage individually (directors are looking specifically at ability to stay focused as well as potential for stage presence).

- Note - parents will not be allowed in the audition space.

What children should know going into the auditions:

- Acting is about trying out new ways of being; the directors are not asking children for requests based on which character they are interested in. Children should be prepared to try out any character. They should be assured that if its not a character that they were expecting, directors will be there to support them every step of the way. They should also be reminded that sometimes the seemingly smallest roles can be the most fun, exciting, and even important.

- We all want to be a star, but when signing up for auditions, we ask that children not think about what size role they want, but rather, we ask that they think about what kind of commitment they are prepared and capable of making. We will be dividing the roles of the play into 3 tiers SERIOUS commitments, MEDIUM commitments, and JUST FOR FUN commitments

- SERIOUS commitments - are students who are able to come to all rehearsals, are interested in and able to memorize large chunks of lines, are able to focus for extended lengths of time, are excited about the idea of working hard with directors, who are confident in their ability to deliver lines alone, they will be asked to stay later and take a leadership role, both artistically and behaviorally 

- MEDIUM commitments - are studens who are able to come to many (or most) of the rehearsals, are interested in memorizing some lines, who are able to focus for chucks of time with teacher support, who enjoy working as part of a team, are willing to try out more than one character

- JUST FOR FUN commitments - are children who are very young, or just trying theatre out for the first time, who appreciate a lot of teacher support to stay on task, would like to be involved but can't commit to coming to every rehearsal. These children are often happy to learn lines but would rather not deliver them on their own, are excited about being on stage but would prefer to be part of a group

The 6th grade service learning class is hosting a food drive from December 2nd -19th. All donations will go to the Ballard Food Bank. We really hope you will help remind your student to bring in canned or non-perishable food items. Collection boxes will be in middle school homerooms and outside the main office.

Thank you for helping to support our community!

Congratulations to 1st grader Jacek Rovira for winning the district-wide Food Ranger competition for naming the broccoli "Brainy Broccoli"! Jacek's name is featured on this month's menu, and Brainy will be featured in the months to come, along with his friends Mighty Milk and Super Apple Man.

Don't miss Turkey Mashed Potatoes & Gravy Day on Thursday the 12th.

Join us on Thursday from 8:30-9:30 as we host our monthly morning coffee , and co-host a "Dollars for Donuts" event alongside our annual giving campaign chair, Monica Porter. Drop-off your donations, grab a cup of coffee and donut, and accept our thanks for your support.

It was great to see so many faces at our FOSB meeting last Thursday evening. A special thank you to Dan Gallagher, Seattle Public Schools Science Program Manager, for joining us. You can read a summary of the information shared in our meeting minutes, which are posted online. 

Planning is underway for our annual retreat. Mark your calendars for January 25th, because all are welcomed (and encouraged) to attend. The retreat is a great opportunity to hear about the progress we're making towards achieving and sharing our school's mission, vision, and values, and to work collaboratively in an inclusive way to develop our community and outline some funding priorities as well.

Our recent board meeting revealed a growing interest in advocacy at the district and state level. Our legislative committee chair position is currently open. If this is an area around which you have interest and passion, please consider volunteering.  

Last week the building improvement mini-grants were awarded, and FOSB has funded furniture and improvements for four classrooms, chairs designed for the instrumental music program, and additional folding chairs for the auditorium. We also heard of the growing desire to see a fresh coat of paint for the hallways--did you know that the district will provide us with the paint and materials needed? All we need is people power, and if this idea excites you, please consider helping us to organize a school workday. We'd love to put something together for the end of the school year or summer. Imagine starting school next year with a fresh coat of paint on the walls! Please email us if you are willing to coordinate s school work party.

Your questions, comments are feedback are always welcome. Please feel free to contact us at any time. Thank you! Jodi Russell (reddsell@comcast.net) and Robin Lofstrom (clevelandette@gmail.com).

Can you believe how close we are? Current Direct Giving total is $29,210!

Stop by the front hall this Thursday morning (during drop off), for our annual Dollars for Donuts event! Even if you have already made your donation, stop by and say hello!

The end of the year is just over three weeks away:  Make your tax deductible donation today! We can hit our goal of $40k!

Online donations, visit:  http://salmonbayschool.maestroweb.com/ 

Read our blog at:  http://sbsdirectgiving.blogspot.com/ 

Monica Porter-Bohanan:  monica571@gmail.com 

Coho Kids' Time hosting Another Parent's Night Out Next Friday 

Coho is hosting a holiday Parents Night Out next Friday, December 20th from 6:00-10:30pm. Come play games, do crafts, make hot chocolate & watch Muppet Christmas Carol (G) with Michelle & Mikiech! A dinner of spaghetti, carrots and juice will be served. Kids are $25 ($20 for each additional potty-trained sibling). To register stop by, call us at 206-297-7764 or let us know by email at coho@positiveplace.org. We'll see you there!

North Seattle Baseball Registration Now Open!

Real Baseball. Real Fun.

Kids age 4-19 can now register for the upcoming 2014 spring baseball season. North Seattle Baseball is the premier competitive baseball league in Seattle's north end, adopting Pony rules for a game that includes lead offs and age-appropriate base path and pitching distances. Our practice and game fields are conveniently located in north and northeast Seattle. We offer "buddy baseball" in our younger divisions where kids ages 4-8 years old can play with coach/friends/schoolmates of their choice. We form tournament or all-star teams beginning at 7 years of age for kids who want to play further into the summer. We are the only league in the area to offer indoor batting facilities, and there are no confusing boundaries. Please email any questions you may have to contactnsba@gmail.com. Find out why North Seattle Baseball provides the best baseball experience for your family and sign up today at:

www.nsbabaseball.org

Want more Peter Pan? Come see 5th grader Lydia Hayes starring as Peter Pan in Broadway Bound Children Theatre's Production of the classic Musical. Tickets are available at:  www.brownpapertickets.com  just search for "Peter Pan Cast 3" to purchase. The dates are January 17,18,19 & 25th at the Shoreline Conference center.

Betsy Alexander has an air B&B room available for rent in her beautiful craftsman home in Ballard,  6316 30th Ave NW. $75 a night.  Available weekends only. Please call Betsy, 206-351-3307 for more information and bookings.

Violin/Fiddle Lessons

Does your child want to learn to play violin/ fiddle? Betsy Alexander is a Salmon Bay mom that combines the Suzuki violin method with fiddle music. She has a performing group of kids and adults. Please call Betsy at 206-351-3307 for information.  

Space to Create 

Studio sale this week-end!

Friday, December 13th from 5 - 8 pm

Saturday, December 14th from 10 am - 4 pm

Sunday, December 15th from 10 am - 4 pm

Gift-making classes on Thursdays in December. See website for details. 

We will walk a group over from Salmon Bay.