Walla Walla Public Schools
Week in Review - August 26, 2011

In this Issue:

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District Stories

School Stories

Community Stories

District Stories
No School Friday, September 2 & Monday, September 5
No School Friday, September 2 & Monday, September 5. Enjoy the Walla Walla Fair and Frontier Days and Labor Day Holiday.
Extra police patrols in school zones
Motorists should be on the look out for extra law enforcement patrols in school zones as the district begins a new school year. City and county officers will be stepping up patrols to help keep students safe. City firefighters will also be out near school zones the next couple of weeks to promote safety and community involvement.

Reser Road Update - From Walla Walla County Public Works

Construction of Reser Road, located between Howard Street and Fern Avenue, and Fern Avenue from Carmella to Reser Road continues. Work will include 8 foot sidewalks on the north-side and 6 foot sidewalks on the south-side. Improvements also include curb and gutter, a new and wider bridge over Yellowhawk Creek and new asphalt pavement with designated bike lanes.

Four stormwater treatment swales will be constructed to eliminate existing, direct flows into Yellowhawk Creek and improve water quality. The City of Walla Walla is constructing a new water main as part of the project as well from Carmella to Costello Place.

Progress
- Asphalt grinding complete
- Fern Ave/Reser Road intersection open heading east on Reser Road
- Fish herding on Yellowhawk complete, set to remove bridge Aug 29
- 25% of road excavation complete
- Utility relocation is 50% complete
- Currently installing water line on Reser Road

Schedule
Construction
- Complete bridge: Sept 15 (no thru traffic Aug 15-Sept 30)
- Open road: Early Dec 2011

Traffic
- Prospect Point – access from Howard (while bridge is out)
- Walla Walla High School main & Fern parking lots – access from Fern only (while bridge is out)
- Flaggers, signing and vigorous communication should keep traffic flow safe and efficient

WA-HI: gym parking lot and Fern Avenue parking lot will remain open during construction. Temporary 5 min delays should be anticipated when traveling to and from school. We encourage parents and students to leave early and utilize other streets for pick-up and drop-off locations when feasible.

Prospect Point: main parking lot will remain open during construction.

Walla Walla County Contact:
Aaron Grimm
509.520.0548
agrimm@co.walla-walla.wa.us


Don’t miss Walla Walla Public Schools at the Fair!
Wednesday, August 31 to Sunday, September 4

Education Building
- Student displays: art, science, technology, vocational and more

Information Station
- Meet Superintendent Mick Miller and several district representatives
- District information: Calendars, handbooks, sports schedules and more

Safe Travels Alliance
- Volunteer Chairs Katie Christianson and Kathryn Southwick-Hess and several students will share information about school zone safety.

AVID Program - Advancement Via Individual Determination
- Walla Walla High School students involved in the AVID program will be in attendance in the afternoons to talk about the program and how it is helping them have success in school. They will have informational brochures and more about the program.

Performances and Parade
- Look for district students performing at the fair, showing animals and participating in the parade.


School Stories

Beginning Orchestra program information night scheduled
- Beginning Orchestra is available free of charge for all students in 5th grade.

- Orchestra meets at Garrison (Prospect Point, Sharpstein, & Blue Ridge) and at Pioneer (Edison, Berney, & Green Park) from 7:20 - 8:10 a.m. three days a week.

- Students are dropped off by parents to the middle schools and bussed back to their elementary schools.

- A parent & student information night will be held on Wednesday, August 31 at 7 p.m. at both Pioneer & Garrison. Information on class schedules, obtaining an instrument, and the class will be available.

- The instructors are: Julie Woods (jwoods@wwps.org and 527-3050, ext. 3914) for Pioneer and Nichole Riggs (nriggs@wwps.org and 527-3040 ext. 4912) for Garrison


Pioneer WEBS “Where Everyone Belongs” orientation helps 6th graders feel at home
Monday approximately 160 six grade students participated in the WEBS “Where Everyone Belongs” Program. There are 48 WEB Leaders who are older students who have volunteered to mentor sixth grade students this year. WEBS helps the transition from 5th to 6th grade and is an International program in more than 2000 schools.

Link Crew Program welcomes freshmen to Walla Walla High School
Monday nearly 500 Walla Walla High School freshmen were greeted to cheers and “high fives” from upper classmen and staff during the Link Crew Freshmen Orientation. Nearly 150 juniors and seniors have volunteered to work with freshmen this year as part of Link Crew.

English Teacher Matt Shaw says the program is designed to help students have a successful transition to high school.

“Freshmen year is a time when students can get off to a great start in their high school career or start making mistake that can stay with them throughout high school,” Shaw said. “We want to mentor the students so they have the skills and support necessary to have success in high school and make it a great experience.”

Several activities are planned this school year as part of the Link Crew program. Contact Assistant Principal Mindy Meyer at Walla Walla High School for more information about this program: mmeyer@wwps.org.


Community Stories

Fort Walla Walla offers free admission for class visits - By Paul Franzmann
A school trip to Fort Walla Walla Museum can be a great supplement to classroom teaching of regional heritage. Class visits are admission-free (through December) and are educational and entertaining. Over the past decade the Museum has received more than 50,000 participants in the program. That is a testimony to the program’s effectiveness, as many schools schedule trips each year so their students can get in touch with our shared past.

To prepare for your visit, the Museum offers its Teacher’s Guide to Fort Walla Walla Museum, available as a pdf download on the Education page of its website: www.fortwallawallamuseum.org. You are encouraged to freely reproduce it for your classroom use.

The Museum is open 10 a.m. – 5 p.m. daily, April through October, and 10 a.m. – 4 p.m. weekdays, November through March. It is suggested teachers allow two hours for a classroom tour.

To reserve your school’s preferred date and time, call Don at the Museum, 525-7703. Please have your school’s name, address and phone number when you call. We will also want to know how many children in your group, how many adults (teachers and chaperones), and whether you will avail yourself of the Store.

Paul Franzmann,
Communications Manager
755 Myra Road
Walla Walla, WA 99362
509.525.7703
Support regional heritage!
Make a donation using Donate Now


Starbucks donates free coffee to area teachers
Walla Walla Public Schools wants to thank Walla Walla Starbucks coffee stores for providing free coffee to district teachers the first week of school as thank you for helping students succeed. Starbucks is also organizing a Back-To School Supplies Drive this month at both the downtown and Plaza Way stores to help families in need of school supplies this school year.

Plaza Way Store Manager Michelle Westlund and Downtown Store Manager Dustin Funderburg say the partnership is aligned with Starbucks’ mission of supporting education and community needs.


Walla Walla Rotary donates $1000 in school supplies
Special thanks to the Walla Walla Rotary Club for donating more than $1000 dollars in school supplies to help families in need as the district begins a new school year.

Club member and project coordinator Linda Hardy delivered a car load of supplies to the district Monday morning. Additional generous donations on Thursday helped fund back packs for high school students. Thanks so much to the Walla Walla Rotary Club for helping students get off to a great start.


Cardio Strength Bootcamp participants to donate school supplies to students in need
Cardio Strength Bootcamp is pleased to announce its first annual “Push Ups for Pencils” workouts to be offered on August 22 and August 24. Each workout will be held at Sharpstein Elementary School on the outside playground at 6:15 a.m. Admission for all participants is $5 worth of school supplies. All donations will be given to the Walla Walla School District to be used by students in need of such items.

Participants will use bodyweight exercise, TRX suspension trainers, sandbells, kettlebells, exercise ropes, and medicine balls in an outdoor environment.

Campers will experience fitness enhancement and fat loss techniques by participating in metabolic resistance activities. No prior experience is necessary and all activities can be modified to meet individual fitness levels.

For more information contact Marc Yonts (509 540-9553 or myonts@charter.net) or Scott Tibbling (509 240-4126 or stibbling@yahoo.com).

Interested individuals may also visit the Cardio Strength Bootcamp website at cardiostrengthbootcamp.com.


Starbucks and Walla Walla Public Schools team for school supplies drive
Walla Walla Public Schools and Walla Walla Starbucks coffee stores have teamed for a Back-To School Supplies Drive throughout the month of August. School supplies will be collected at both the downtown and Plaza Way stores to help families in need of school supplies this school year.

Plaza Way Store Manager Michelle Westlund and Downtown Store Manager Dustin Funderburg say the partnership is aligned with Starbucks’ mission of supporting education and community needs.

“We need to be a positive presence in our community,” Westlund said. “It is our responsibility to give as much as we can.”

Funderburg says Starbucks continues to move in this direction.

“It’s a huge focus of Starbucks,” Funderburg said. “We need to be involved in our community and have a positive impact. We are excited to partner with the schools and help support families in need of school supplies.”