Stranger Danger

Protected Static sent us a note this afternoon with the Hamilton International Middle School weekly newsletter. The top announcement is a good safety reminder for everyone: Safety Alert We place the safety and security of our students as our highest priority, and are sharing the following information with you. Late yesterday afternoon, a Hamilton student was walking from a friend's house near the school to the bus stop.  The student was approached by a man who tried to grab her. The student kicked the…

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B.F. Day Playground Redesign Meeting Open to Public

If your kids attend B.F. Day Elementary, you might have heard the great news about plans a playground redesign. I'm especially excited about this because it means that perhaps in the not-too-distant future, my kids will no longer bonk their little melons against the oddly-placed bar at the top of the slide! This project is in the very early design stages, but it gives the community an opportunity to brainstorm ways to make the expansive space surrounding "the big toy" much…

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Are Problems at Hamilton Being Addressed Constructively?

The annual school reports have been released for Wallingford. In general, the school reports don't tell you much. The student and parent survey results are more a reflection of the relative performance of teachers within a school and come out about the same across schools (they are useful within a school, but not for comparing schools). Standardized test results are held up high by reform advocates but mostly just reflect school demographics, with a tweak towards how aggressively the school teaches…

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Meridian Fall Carnival: Doughnut Dangle

This Saturday (October 29) head on over to The Meridian School at the Good Shepherd Center (4649 Sunnyside Ave. N.) for their annual Fall Carnival from 1:00pm - 4:00pm. This carnival is super great fun, especially for preschoolers and elementary school-aged kids, but the carnival offers fun games and activities for all ages including hay dive, pumpkin painting, cupcake walk, face painting and more. Julie Bayuk adds: We have some new games and activities, as well as the old favorites including…

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Wallybits: Seattle Public Schools edition

Here's some news we've accumulated regarding our neighborhood's public schools: Hamilton earns "Schools of Distinction" honor Hamilton International Middle School was one of five schools named "2011 Schools of Distinction." The schools are chosen for outstanding academic improvements in math and reading and have been ranked in the top 5% of highest-improving schools in the state. This is the second year in a row that Hamilton earned this distinction. Early Kindergarten enrollment for fall 2012, in-person Monday, Oct. 24 If you've…

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Movin’ and groovin’ for McDonald Elementary

This Friday (October 21), students at McDonald Elementary School will be walking laps around Wallingford Playfield to raise money for the school. The second annual Move-a-Thon is the school's major fall fundraiser, and they hope to raise $40,000 which will help cover the costs of enrichment programs not funded by the district. This year, the Mariner Moose will be on hand to cheer the little ones on as they make their way around the field. McDonald Elementary is a neighborhood school…

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Shine on Seattle

Shine On Seattle is a community bike-ride fundraiser benefiting Seattle Public Schools where participants will ride as sponsors for their school of choice. Proceeds from the event will be used to purchase shares for local schools in Seattle City Light's groundbreaking Community Solar Project. The fun starts at Gas Works Park at 8:00 a.m. (ride at 9:00 a.m.) on Sunday, October 9th. As of Monday afternoon, 70 riders had registered, according to the Facebook page. Details: WHAT: 10-mile family-friendly ride WHEN: Sunday,…

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