Hope everyone is having a great Summer!  With the return of the sun, we will be having a kick off party to weed, mow, prune, and seed the current dusty knoll near the playground into a lush grassy play field for the kids when they return to school after Labor Day. We need your families help and that of anyone available to assist this Saturday and Sunday morning.  Please contact Rick and Mark Koontz at

The Kindergarten Playground is a total loss as a result of a late night fire last night. The West Seattle Blog has been covering this since early morning; check there for details and updates. We’ve been getting a flood of messages from concerned members and the broader community. Thanks to all for your concern, offers of donation, and willingness to assist in any way!  Here is the latest update: No update on how fire started

We have raised $204, 278.53 as of June 3, 2014. Our goal was $187,000 for the 2013-2014 school year. There are checks still coming in for deposit and will know the final total by July 1 or sooner. This has been an amazing year for all of us. I want to Thank YOU for taking an active part in your child’s learning and supporting the Schmitz Park community as we continue to strive for excellence in academics and personal

It’s the end of the year and time for our final celebration, FIELD DAY Carnival! Field Day is Tuesday, June 17th from 10:00 am to 2:30 pm. Below is the schedule of participation: 10:00 am – 12:00 pm: 2nd grade, 3rd grade and 5th grade 12:30 pm – 2:30 pm: Kindergarten, 1st grade and 4th grade We need a lot of help and volunteers to: Help set-up the event Manage the games and check off

The main news from Thursday’s brief member meeting: The membership elected a new Board of Directors for the 2014-2015 year. By a unanimous vote, the following members were elected: President: Joe Turcotte Vice President: Robert Kelly Secretary: Alyse Hufford Legislative Co-chairs: Emily Giaquinta & Angela Cough Fundraising Co-chairs: Lorie Bennett & Derek Birnie Communications: Cheri Carl Treasurer: Tom Boyer Vice Treasurer: Michelle Wonder Also at the meeting, we discussed and celebrated a number of significant achievements, including a year-over-year increase in participation, volunteer

Congrats go out tonight to the Schmitz Park Flag Football Team 3rd – 5th graders!  They beat the Lafayette Leopards 70-63!  Everyone had a great time cheering on their teammates…it was nice to see camaraderie and team spirit between the two schools.  So the Foxes take home the infamous trophy once again until the teams meet up again in the Fall.  And a HUGE thank you to Coaches Aranza Santana and Emily Giaquinta for all their hard

Update June 11, 2014: Superindendent Jose Banda sent a letter to principals strongly encouraging consistent adoption of Math in Focus (read the full letter here). In the letter, he writes: “Given the short timeframe and the need for consistency in our District, I must ask you to support the adopted Math in Focus program for the fall. We will provide the funding to fully implement the program and also ensure aligned professional development.” We will

Our Golden Acorn Winners 2014 were revealed at the Volunteer Breakfast this morning – Carl Sweetland, Stephanie Kimball, and Lorie Bennett.  Golden Acorn recipients are recognized  for their outstanding and extraordinary volunteer work and commitment to the Schmitz Park community. Stephanie Kimball, Carl Sweetland, and Lorie Bennett

West Seattle Blog covered the event in which all our students participated today – the unveiling of the restored Admiral Way Totem Pole at the Log House Museum. Photo Credit – West Seattle Blog Head over to West Seattle Blog for the full story.

This post will be updated as possible. For the SPS live feed, click here. Update 8:19 PM. Per Lorie Bennett: “Math in Focus has been adopted as the sole math curriculum by the SPS Board with 4 votes for and 3 votes against.” Amazing, amazing accomplishment! Thank you to everyone who sent a message to the school board! Update 9:00 PM. Some other coverage: Blow by blow reporting at Seattle Schools Community Forum  Celebratory story at the