Walla Walla Public Schools
Week in Review - August 7, 2009

In this Issue:

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First day of school - Tuesday, August 25
Walla Walla Public Schools Back-to-School Information is available on the district website: www.wwps.org. School hours are located in the A to Z section -- S: School Hours. For more information, contact Communications Director Mark Higgins.

Mark Higgins, Communications Director
364 South Park Street
509.526.6716 (office)
509.520.6242 (cell)
509.529.7713 (fax)
mhiggins@wwps.org


District wall calendars now available
District wall calendars are now available for the public. The calendars feature the following: photos of students, dates when school is not in session, school hours, contact information and much more. Calendars are at the district office - 364 S. Park St. School starts Tuesday, August 25.

Please note - Pioneer Middle School Hours correction: Walla Walla Public Schools regrets to announce an error in the 2009-2010 district wall calendar. The school hours section states Pioneer Middle School students are released at 2:50 p.m. each Wednesday for early release. This is a typographical error. Pioneer Middle School students will be released from school each Wednesday at 2:05 p.m. Teachers and staff use this time to collaborate and improve instruction. School hours are also published on the district website at www.wwps.org.


Kindergarten start up schedule for Fall 2009
August 25 and 26 - Individual Conferences (parents will be notified by schools regarding individual appointments)
August 27 - Half of the class (Group A) meets for ½ day
August 28 - Other half of the class (Group B) meets for ½ day
August 31 - Group A atttends the full day
September 1 - Group B attends the full day
September 2 - All students attend the full day (Note: Early Release)

* Bus service for eligible kindergarten students is scheduled to begin on August 31.

For more information, contact your child’s school beginning the week of August 17.


New web sites on the way for Berney, Edison and Lincoln
Construction of new web sites for Berney and Edison Elementary Schools and Lincoln Alternative High School are underway. The district hopes to have the sites up and running by the start of the school year. The sites will feature easy navigation paths, in-depth school information, an enhanced PTA presence and more resources for staff and students. The district will announce when the new sites are available online and will post links to the district site at: www.wwps.org.
Transportation Cooperative Groundbreaking Ceremony
Date: Wednesday, August 19
Time: 10 to 10:30 a.m.
Location: Site of Transportation Cooperative
(1207 Entley Street, Walla Walla, WA 99362 -- Across the street from Koncrete Industries - 502 N. 13th Ave.)

Groundbreaking Ceremony Agenda
10 a.m. - Welcome, Introductions, Scope of Project - Rich Carter
10:15 a.m. - Thank you for the support - Mary Jo Geidl
10:20 a.m. - Construction Timeline / Facility Functions - Project Representative
10:30 - Closing remarks - Rich Carter

What is a Transportation Cooperative?
The Southeast Washington Transportation Cooperative offers regional member school districts:
- Discounted school bus maintenance and repair service
- School bus inspection support and professional development opportunities
- Preventative maintenance schedule
- Service record keeping

What districts have joined the Transportation Cooperative?
- Walla Walla Public Schools (host district)
- Prescott Public Schools
- Dixie Public Schools
- ESD 123 (to serve buses operating in the Walla Walla Valley)

Why did these districts join?
- Save money on school bus maintenance and repair service
- Improve school bus safety
- Extend school bus life
- Reduce risk liability

What was required of the districts to join the Transportation Cooperative?
Regional school district partners commit to a 10 year agreement for these services. There is a “buy-in” fee that all partners pay per state law which collectively equals 10 percent of the cooperative facility. A fee for service, based on a formula driven by the number of buses the district includes in the cooperative, is also collected over a 10 year period with no interest rates attached. Earlier this year, the school board adopted a resolution to form a Transportation Cooperative, hosted by Walla Walla Public Schools, to offer school bus maintenance and repair service. Dixie, Prescott and ESD 123 have elected to join the cooperative.

Transportation Cooperative contractor named
Walla Walla Public Schools Board of Directors named T.W. Clark Construction, LLC of Spokane to serve as general contractor for the Southeast Washington Transportation Cooperative construction project. Construction is expected to begin in August and be completed summer 2010.

Construction Bid Terms
Base Bid: $3,409,000
Alternate #1 - Bus parking asphalt: $109,000
Alternate #2 - North Loop parking: $81,000
Alternate #3 - Existing house and garage demolition and earth work: $0.00
Alternate #6 - Fuel storage tank and pump: $56,700
Alternate #9 - Compressor: $0.00
Alternate #10 - Residential: $0.00
Alternate #12 - Automated Logic Controls: $37,700
Total: $3,691,400

State Matching dollars to fund project
The district is using the $3.4 million state matching money from the Edison Elementary construction project to fund the Southeast Washington Transportation Cooperative. This action will leverage nearly another $4 million, or 90 percent of the total cost of the Transportation Cooperative facility, in state matching money back to Walla Walla to support construction of a new Support Services facility.

*NEXT PHASE: A Support Services complex (warehouse, maintenance, grounds, print shop, food services) will be built on the same site as the Transportation Cooperative. Bids for the Support Services project are expected to go out winter 2010.

The district openly communicated prior to the Edison bond election that state matching funds would be used to support district capital improvement projects. The district has successfully used this formula for decades. Examples: State matching funds from the Sharpstein bond project funded air conditioning and new heating systems at Prospect Point. Matching funds from the Green Park bond project in the mid-1990s provided funds for major roofing and asphalt projects.



Edison teacher’s tip selected for DIBELS newsletter
Congratulations to Edison Elementary Title 1 Teacher Kit Chryst for having her teaching tip selected for the upcoming DIBELS Newsletter. Chryst received a $100 gift card from Barnes and Noble, according to Katherine Schwinler, DIBELS Newsletter Editor.

Below is Kit’s submission:
“I am the Title 1 teacher and work with 3 paraeducators in our program. Every month I print a calendar with school events on it, field trips, etc. so we have a heads up about events of the month. I also add the grade levels that need to be progress monitored each month so we are prepared in advance who needs to be tested. I put the test booklets in the teacher’s boxes on the Friday before their week to test. We have a basket in our Title 1 room that holds the rest of the booklets that need to be tested for the week. Once they are done, the booklets go into a different basket so scores can be entered on a regular basis. This system is working pretty well for us.” Kit Chryst


Communication focus topic of Administrative Leadership retreat
This week district administrators met in Walla Walla for their annual summer Administrative Leadership Academy. This year’s focus was on civility and communications. Administratrator’s studied two books this summer. Administrators will continue to work on strategies throughout the school year to implement recommendations from these resources.

Summer 2009 book study included:
“Why School Communication Matters: Strategies from PR Professionals” by Kitty Porterfield and Meg Carnes. This book reinforces the importance of building relationship and having open and honest dialogue amongst stakeholders in order to be successful. The district will focus on strategies from this book during the 2009-10 school year.

“Choosing Civility: The Twenty-five Rules of Considerate Conduct” by PM Forni. This book focuses on treating people with respect, honor and civility.


Technology advancements help Edison teachers support 21st Century learning
This week Edison Elementary teachers began training on the state-of-the-art technology equipment at the new Edison Elementary. Teachers are spending some of their summer break learning how to use their new equipment. The new Edison features interactive electronic boards with projectors, student response devices, presentation systems, a wireless environment, modern telephone systems and other communication devices.

Special thanks to Technology Director Janis Barton and her staff for organizing the training sessions and assisting in getting the equipment installed and ready to use.


Walla Walla High School 2009-2010 ASB events calendar

AUGUST
24 – Freshman Orientation
29 – Luau Frolic

SEPTEMBER
11 – Welcome Back Pep Assembly
16 – Club Conference
23 – Club Fair & Link Lunch

OCTOBER
12-17 Homecoming Week
12 – Royalty Assembly/Buff Puff*
13 – Wallastock*
14 – Powder Puff*
15 – Pack the Gym
16 – Homecoming Football Game
17 – Homecoming Dance
31 – Trunk or Treat*

NOVEMBER
10 – Veteran’s Day Assembly*
20-22 – Big Blue Weekend

DECEMBER
11 – Winter Pep Assembly

JANUARY
26-27 – Conspiracy of Hope

FEBRUARY
22-26 – ASB Elections (online)
26 – Hoops for Heart*

MARCH
12 – Spring Pep Assembly
13 – Sadie Hawkins*

APRIL
5-9 – Class Elections (online)
28-29 – Every 15 Minutes

MAY
1 – Prom
29 – Campus Pride Day