WWPS - Week in Review

Walla Walla Public Schools
Week in Review - September 15, 2006

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School board meeting Tuesday
School board members host first listening post Tuesday
“Let’s Talk Schools — We’re Listening” survey online
School board members to visit schools and listen to parents
Community facilities planning symposium participants needed
Pioneer Humanities Curriculum Night Monday
New Wa-Hi Principal to speak at Chamber of Commerce Synergy Lunch
Garrison and Green Park receive improvement award funding to support learning
Science teachers meet for Fall Science Institute
Garrison teacher to travel to Japan on Fulbright Scholarship
Pioneer Stars Camp helps 6th graders transition to middle school
Wa-Hi Cheerleaders present “Kids Cheer Camp 2006”
Boise Wallula donates paper to Walla Walla Public Schools
Wa-Hi vs. Richland football tonight on KTEL 1490 AM
2006 Open House Schedule (remaining)
Students showcase skills in Technology fair projects

•	School board meeting Tuesday Tuesday, September 19 7:30 p.m. Open to public
•	School board members host first listening post Tuesday • Talk to a school board member one-on-one • Participants may also leave written copies of their thoughts, ideas, concerns at the listening post following their session with a school board member. School Board Listening Post Dates: • Tuesday, September 19 (preceding the regularly scheduled board meeting) District Office: 6 to 7:30 p.m. • Tuesday, October 3 District Office: 6 to 7:30 p.m. (preceding the regularly scheduled board meeting)
•	“Let’s Talk Schools — We’re Listening” survey online “Let’s Talk Schools — We’re Listening,” the district’s information gathering campaign, begins this fall to involve the community in a facilities needs study in light of last May’s bond issue. An online survey is now available on the homepage of the district’s website. Please take time to get involved and have a voice in the future of our schools.
•	School board members to visit schools and listen to parents Community members and parents will have opportunities to talk with school board members at their neighborhood schools mornings before schools starts regarding facilities throughout the month of September. This is a great opportunity to be heard. Please see the schedule below: • Monday, September 18 – Blue Ridge (7:30 to 8:00 a.m.) • Tuesday, September 19 – Pioneer (7:30 to 8:00 a.m.) • Wednesday, September 20 – Green Park (7:30 to 8:00 a.m.) • Thursday, September 21 – Garrison (7:30 to 8:00 a.m.) • Friday, September 22 – Sharpstein (7:30 to 8:00 a.m.) • Monday, September 25 – Prospect Point (7:30 to 8:00 a.m.) • Tuesday, September 26 – Wa-Hi (7:30 to 8:00 a.m.) • Wednesday, September 27 – Berney (7:30 to 8:00 a.m.) • Thursday, September 28 – Paine (7:30 to 8:00 a.m.) • Friday, September 29 – Edison (7:30 to 8:00 a.m.) (**Note: School board members will also be in attendance at Open House events to discuss these issues as well.)
•	Community facilities planning symposium participants needed Help shape the future of your Walla Walla Public Schools by participating in a facilities planning symposium. School board members, administrators, staff, parents and students will join you at the table to discuss how the district should address its facilities needs. To volunteer to be a participant, please RSVP by September 29, to Mark Higgins at: (509) 526-6716. Community Symposium Date: • October 13: 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. Location: Walla Walla Regional Airport
•	Pioneer Humanities Curriculum Night Monday Pioneer Middle School has scheduled its Humanities Curriculum Night Monday, September 18 at 6:30 p.m. A free Pizza dinner sponsored by our Millenials Grant Program will be served. A PTSA meeting will begin at 7 p.m. and families will be able to visit various Humanities classroom to experience instruction in this curriculum as well as gain valuable ideas and insights to help them support their children’s learning. “We will have a very interesting evening and some lucky families will win door prizes of games and activities to enjoy at home,” Principal Dana Jones said.
•	New Wa-Hi Principal to speak at Chamber of Commerce Synergy Lunch When: Wednesday, September 27 Where: Elks Lodge Time: 11:30 a.m. lunch served Noon to 1:00 p.m. program Price: Chamber Members $13, Non-members $16 RSVP by: Thursday, September 21 to reserve your seat. Call 525-0850, x201 to RSVP Drawing on information from the book “The World is Flat” by Thomas L. Friedman, Darcy Weisner will address changes in the world economy and the resulting need to re-think how school systems operate. He will also speak about how changes in education have impacted teaching and learning and influenced the American culture. Weisner will also speak at Thursday’s Rotary meeting on many of these issues.
•	Garrison and Green Park receive improvement award funding to support learning Congratulations to Green Park Elementary and Garrison Middle School for being selected as two of 55 schools to receive the state’s Title I Improvement Award. Green Park will receive $10,000 and Garrison will receive $14,700 to support the school’s continuing efforts to increase student academic success. The funds are provided through No Child Left Behind Title I, Part A and may be used for any purpose that is defined under this Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) program. “It’s not often that I have the opportunity to provide a monetary award to our schools for their outstanding efforts in working with our children,” State Superintendent of Public Instruction Dr. Terry Bergeson said. “I thank your staff for all the work that you have done and for your continuous support for your students.”
•	Science teachers meet for Fall Science Institute This week Wa-Hi Science Department Chair Rob Ahrens organized the Fall Science Institute. This training for secondary science teachers was a chance to review WASL scores, design powerful lessons and discuss common assessments. Ahrens provided his “State of Science Union” report by compiling the most recent released WASL science data and leading a discussion.
•	Garrison teacher to travel to Japan on Fulbright Scholarship Garrison Middle School teacher Grace Ogoshi-Maher has been selected as a participant in the Japan Fulbright Memorial Fund Teacher Program. She was selected from a national pool of nearly 2,300 applicants by a panel of educators to earn this honor. Ogoshi-Maher departs in November for Tokyo and will be among 200 educators visiting Japan. Participants will travel to selected host cities where they will have direct contact with Japanese teachers and students in an effort to promote greater intercultural understanding between the two nations.
•	Pioneer Stars Camp helps 6th graders transition to middle school Every year Pioneer Middle School counselors Judy Anderson and David Tegtmeier gather groceries for approximately 230 sixth graders and 30 staff members and parent volunteers. Cabin assignments are made, fishing equipment is fine tuned, projects planned and busses are arranged. Yes, it’s a lot of work. And to be honest, it’s almost too much right at the beginning of the year. So why bother? The purpose of the STARS Camp is to create a positive atmosphere for students, one of trust and good citizenship, says Pioneer Principal Dana Jones. “When the students feel safe and know each other and the staff members, it creates a positive environment for learning.” “Every year we think, is it worth all the trouble?” Anderson says. “The logistics of setting this up are huge. And facing 230 sixth graders in a very informal setting can seem daunting, But every year, the adults who attend camp tell me, without exception, how glad they are they came. This is the first camping experience for many of our students, and STARS Camp is always a fun and meaningful experience for them.” During the fishing, swimming, games, hiking, art projects and singing, students who come from several elementary schools become Pioneer students together and begin building a community that will carry them through 8th grade. Bradley Colvin a sixth grader this year at Pioneer says “It was a lot of fun. I think it helps kids know their advisory teacher and other students better, and it makes you think being a student at Pioneer is awesome!” Pioneer teacher Debra Wright says of STARS Camp, “It gives us an unparalleled opportunity to get to know our kids, and it creates a very strong community.”
•	Wa-Hi Cheerleaders present “Kids Cheer Camp 2006” Registrations are now being accepted for Kids Cheer Camp 2006 offered by the Wa-Hi cheerleaders. Event Information: - Saturday, Sept. 30 - 9:30 to 11:30 a.m. (registration begins at 9 a.m.) - Wa-Hi gym - Cost: $10 or $20 w/t-shirt Participants will perform during halftime of the Wa-Hi varsity football game, Friday, Oct. 6 at Borleske Stadium. Kick-off is at 7:30 p.m. All cheer camp participants will be admitted free to the game. Parents must pay admission. Registrations are due by Friday, September 22. Contact Cheer Coach Cathy Rasley for more information: 527-3020 ext. 4751 or by e-mail: crasley@wwps.org.
•	Boise Wallula donates paper to Walla Walla Public Schools Boise Paper’s Wallula Mill has donated numerous cartons of copy paper to Walla Walla Public Schools. The district was among 10 local school districts to receive a contribution of paper from the mill, which is located on Highway 12 in Wallula, Washington. Most of the paper was made at the Wallula mill and converted—or cut to copy-paper size—at Boise’s Salem Finishing Plant in Salem, Oregon. The Salem plant also packaged it for delivery to various customers, so it doesn’t all carry the Boise brand name. The paper was considered obsolete inventory, due to changes in customer packaging requirements, and the Salem plant needed to move it off their floor. “Last year, we were able to donate about a pallet of paper each to five school districts,” said Wallula Mill Manager Ashim Banerjee. “The positive reaction to those donations made us realize how much the school districts need paper, so when Salem called us about this inventory, we told them to send it over.” “I’m proud to live in a community that supports education,” Superintendent Rich Carter said. “We are very thankful to Boise Cascade for this generous donation. This gift will help the district put additional resources into the classroom to support instruction and learning.” Thanks to fork lift operator Richard Grabner, who loaded the paper into the school districts’ vehicles. Besides the paper donated to the school districts, individual Wallula employees will be able to donate paper directly to the schools their children attend.
•	Wa-Hi vs. Richland football tonight on KTEL 1490 AM Wa-Hi vs. Richland Varsity Football KTEL 1490 AM. Friday, Sept. 15 Kick-off is at 7:30 p.m.
•	2006 Open House Schedule (remaining) Edison Elementary Open House Monday, September 25 7:00 - 8:00 p.m. Green Park Elementary Open House Thursday, September 21 - Pizza Dinner at 6:00 p.m. - Open House at 6:30 p.m. Pioneer Middle School Open House Monday, October 16 7 p.m. Walla Walla High School Open House Monday September 18 5:30-6:15 p.m. (BBQ) 5:30-6:15 p.m. (Pick up student schedules) 6:15-9:00 p.m. (Classroom visitations)
•	Students showcase skills in Technology fair projects This year at the Walla Walla Fair and Frontier Days there were 147 technology entries in the Education Exhibit building. Grades 1-12 Technology categories included: • Multimedia • Web • Classwork collections • Demonstration projects • Print “Congratulations to the winners for their excellent work and extend my appreciation to our teaching staff who have infused technology into their curriculum to provide a rich and engaging learning environment for WWPS students,” Technology Director Janis Barton said. Barton extends additional thanks to: 1. WWPS Technology department staff technical and set-up support: Rick Pummel, Pam Nichols, Pat Griffith, Shane Jacobson, Steve Olsen, Cory Fish 2. Technology master teachers who served as judges: Shannon Ahrens, Mike Gobel, Dennis Bennett, Terri Gilbert 3. WWPS teachers and students who assisted in the booth: William Calhoun, Beth Clearman & Explorer students, Glen & Meredith Mitchell, Shannon Ahrens, Anthony Barba and Roger Garcia. 3. Pocket iNet who provided wireless Internet access 4. Qwest who provided telephone service Grades 1 - 3 Classwork Collections 1st – Green Park 2nd Grade “Charlie & the Chocolate Factory” Mr. Telstad, Teacher 2nd – Berney 2nd Grade “Life Cycle of the Butterfly” Mrs. Holbrook, Teacher 3rd – Prospect Point 1st Grade Readers “Amazing World of Dragonflies” Mrs. Rutzer, Teacher 4th – Cameron Cortinas & Christopher Castillo “Mystery Mixture Tests” Edison Elementary, Mrs. Gogl, Teacher 5th – Noah Porter & Dillan Legrand “Mystery Mixture Tests” Edison Elementary, Mrs. Gogl, Teacher Honorable Mention – Alexia Miller & Taylor Talich “Mystery Mixture Tests” Edison Elementary, Mrs. Gogl, Teacher Grades 1 - 3 Multimedia 1st – Sara Dudenkov “Butterflies” Berney 2nd Grade, Mrs. Parodi, Teacher 2nd – Skylar Gladden “Butterflies” Berney 2nd Grade, Mrs. Hand, Teacher 3rd – Mason Lehn “Butterflies” Berney 2nd Grade, Mrs. Parodi, Teacher 4th – Reilly Michener “Butterflies” Berney 2nd Grade, Mrs. Hand, Teacher 5th – Jenna Bower “Butterflies” Berney 2nd Grade, Mrs. Hand, Teacher Honorable Mention – Jacob Jensen “Butterflies” Berney 2nd Grade, Mrs. Parodi, Teacher Grades 4 - 5 Multimedia 1st – Dominique Cox “Ronald Reagan” Green Park 5th Grade Mr. Lux, Teacher 2nd – Justin Moreno “Woodrow Wilson” Green Park 5th Grade, Mr. Lux, Teacher 3rd – Megan Evans “Franklin Pierce” Green Park 5th Grade, Mr. Lux, Teacher 4th – Keith Kelly “Abraham Lincoln” Green Park 5th Grade, Mr. Lux, Teacher 5th – Parker Toon “William Taft” Green Park 5th Grade, Mr. Lux, Teacher Honorable Mention – Christan Angel “Abraham Lincoln” Green Park 5th Grade, Mr. Lux, Teacher Grades 6 - 8 Multimedia 1st – Seth Hampson “Longitude” Pioneer Middle School, Mrs. Ahrens, Teacher 2nd – Amanda Hamilton “Columbus and Celestial Navigation” Pioneer Middle School, Mrs. Ahrens, Teacher 3rd – Seth Hampson “Geometric Kaleidoscopes” Pioneer Middle School, Mr. Barba, Teacher 4th – Katelyn Madeson “Geometric Kaleidoscopes” Pioneer Middle School, Mr. Barba, Teacher 5th – Dan Lockhart “Geometric Kaleidoscopes” Pioneer Middle School, Mr. Barba, Teacher Honorable Mention – Jessica Demianew “Geometric Kaleidoscopes” Pioneer Middle School, Mr. Barba, Teacher Grades 6 - 8 Classwork Collections 1st – Emma Burgess & Annie Erickson “Energy Source vs. Time Radiometer Spins” Pioneer Middle School, Mrs. Ahrens, Teacher 2nd – Garrison 6th Grade “Mysterious Life of King Tut” Mrs. Clearman, Teacher 3rd – Matt Skorina & Kelly Gallagher “The Chinese in Walla Walla” Garrison Middle School, Mrs. Clearman, Teacher 4th – Mike Collison, Nate Wickham, Will Bergston, & Colton Hill “The Chinese in Walla Walla” Garrison Middle School, Mrs. Clearman, Teacher 5th – Mike Collison, Matt Skorina, Kelly Gallagher, Colton Hill, & Andrue Hart “A Day in the Life of a Guy Who Works at the Fed” Garrison Middle School, Mrs. Clearman, Teacher Grades 6 - 8 Print 1st – Gregory Heller “Nile News” Garrison Middle School, Mrs. Clearman, Teacher 2nd – Emily Schueller “Nile News” Garrison Middle School, Mrs. Clearman, Teacher Grades 9 - 12 Multimedia 1st – Alexander Bernstein “Invention No. 1” Walla Walla High School, Mr. Mitchell, Teacher 2nd – Jason Barber “Speak Up!” Walla Walla High School, Mr. Mitchell, Teacher 3rd – Michael Bogard “A Curious Indifference” Walla Walla High School, Mr. Mitchell, Teacher 4th – Sara Heimbigner “A Simple Flute Duet” Walla Walla High School, Mr. Mitchell, Teacher 5th – Brian Reno“Piano, with Variations” Walla Walla High School, Mr. Mitchell, Teacher Honorable Mention – Mindy Juergensen “Choices” Walla Walla High School, Mr. Mitchell, Teacher Honorable Mention – Natasha Christy “Remy-Joe Christy Wellingham” Walla Walla High School, Mr. Mitchell, Teacher Grades 9 - 12 Classwork Collections 1st – Jared Johnson & Sydney Gabbard “Nocturne for Glen” Walla Walla High School, Mr. Mitchell, Teacher Grand Award Winners Grades 1-3 1st Green Park 2nd Grade “Charlie & the Chocolate Factory” Mr. Telstad, Teacher 2nd Berney 2nd Grade “Life Cycle of the Butterfly” Mrs. Holbrook, Teacher 3rd Prospect Point 1st Grade Readers “Amazing World of Dragonflies” Mrs. Rutzer, Teacher Grades 4-5 1st Dominique Cox “Ronald Reagan” Green Park 5th Grade Mr. Lux, Teacher 2nd Justin Moreno “Woodrow Wilson” Green Park 5th Grade Mr. Lux, Teacher 3rd Megan Evans “Franklin Pierce” Green Park 5th Grade Mr. Lux, Teacher Grades 6-8 1st Emma Burgess & Annie Erickson “Energy Source vs. Time Radiometer Spins” Pioneer Middle School, Mrs. Ahrens, Teacher 2nd Seth Hampson “Longitude” Pioneer Middle School, Mrs. Ahrens, Teacher 3rd Amanda Hamilton “Columbus and Celestial Navigation” Pioneer Middle School, Mrs. Ahrens, Teacher Grades 9 - 12 1st Alexander Bernstein “Invention No. 1” Walla Walla High School, Mr. Mitchell, Teacher 2nd Jason Barber “Speak Up!” Walla Walla High School, Mr. Mitchell, Teacher 3rd Jared Johnson & Sydney Gabbard “Nocturne for Glen” Walla Walla High School, Mr. Mitchell, Teacher