Category Archives: Learning

Save the Date! Enrollment for Fall 2020 (Online) Enrichment Classes opens 9/22 @ 7 PM

Enrichment

Make sure to set a reminder for Tuesday, 9/22 at 7 PM to enroll for Fall enrichment classes via Homeroom, our online enrichment portal. We’ve got a great line up of virtual enrichment activities this session, with plenty of new classes, plus old favorites that are guaranteed to delight students (and give tired parents some extra time to get work done, or practice some much needed self care)! View the Class List here.

Enrollment runs from Tuesday, September 22nd at 7 PM through Friday, September 25th at 5 PM. Course offerings (including days/times, fees and class descriptions) are currently available to view on Homeroom.

Fall enrichment classes will start on September 28th and run through December 11, 2020 (with a make-up week scheduled from December 14-18, 2020).  Classes will start at 3:30 PM (2:15 on Wednesdays) and run between 45 – 90 minutes in duration. Note: some classes may have earlier/later start dates or times, so please check the class schedule carefully. Fall enrichment classes are open to students in grades 1-5 only.  Kindergarten students are welcome to enroll starting Winter session. More details are available on the Enrichment page.

By choosing to enroll in a class through the GH Enrichment Program, you will be supporting our dedicated vendors, many of who are local, small businesses. Plus, a portion of each tuition goes to the PTA’s scholarship fund to allow for all GH students to take enrichment classes, regardless of financial ability.

Questions? Please contact the Enrichment Coordinator.

Enrichment Classes Going Online for Spring Session!

Enrichment, Uncategorized

The following classes will be offered ONLINE so that students can continue to take virtual enrichment classes during the school closure:

  • Mondays: Little Coders K-2, Drawing & Painting Exploration 2 -5 (now open to 2nd graders!)
  • Tuesdays: Boom Dance Exploration K-3, Mandarin K-3, Chess 2-5 (new day for online classes only)
  • Wednesdays: Game Development (Int/Adv) 2-5, Jump Rope 1-5
  • Thursdays: Minecraft Server Modding 3-5, Tae Kwon Do K-3* (starts April 9th)
  • Fridays: Art Wizards K-5, Drumming 3-5 & 1-5 (new day for online classes only), Vocal Performance 2-5*

*Note: All classes will be offered “live” via Zoom, except Tae Kwon Do and Vocal Performance which will post weekly video lessons (with optional prompts and activities) for students to access at any time.

If your student is looking for fun and creative activities in the afternoon after a long day of homeschooling, I’d highly recommend giving one or more of these online classes a try.  In particular, Jump Rope and Drawing & Painting Exploration are both terrific classes, plus very good value! Not sure about if online classes are a good fit for your student? All classes have a satisfaction guarantee so your student take a trial class for free. There are still spots available for all online classes, so please contact the Enrichment Coordinator as soon as possible to enroll before the session starts on March 30th!


Early Dismissal Art Wizard Camp

Enrichment

colored pencilsWe have a two hour early dismissal on Wednesday March 25th.  We will be offering an Art Wizards camp from 1pm-3pm that day, $25 per student.  You can sign up ONLINE  or complete and return the PAPER FORM.

Registrations will occur in real time and will close once the class reaches capacity.  Jen Schill, Enrichment Coordinator, will pick up paper forms once per day at 2:45pm and process them that evening.

Spring Enrichment Classes Coming Soon

Enrichment

**Updated 2/25/15 @ Noon PST, you can now sign up online for Spring Enrichment Classes.  Click HERE to begin the sign-up process.  And a reminder if entering Kindergarten as your child’s grade, please use ‘0’ to designate.**

If you prefer to hand in your registration form, you can download the form here and turn into the front office.

We’re excited to announce we will be offering online enrollment for our upcoming Spring Enrichment classes!  You can view course descriptions on our new Enrichment page here.

enrichment

And stay tuned as a registration link will be added to the Enrichment page this Wednesday, February 25th at noon to allow you to sign up.  Please visit the Enrichment page for further details and rules about this Spring’s registration process.  Questions please contact Jen Schill at enrichment@schmitzparkpta.org

Sing Out Seattle Comes to Schmitz Park

Enrichment
ATTENTION 3RD-5TH GRADERS
We are pleased to announce that we will be offering Sing Out Seattle’s (www.singoutseattle.com) Mary Poppins as an after school enrichment class beginning March 17th and running through May 26th.  Classes will be on Tuesdays from 3pm-4:30pm in the Gym, with breakout sessions in Room 8.  There will be a final performance on Friday, May 29th in the cafeteria.  We will need a handful of parent volunteers for that performance to help with hair and makeup, as well as set up and clean up.
sing out seattle
You can download the registration form here and hard copies will be available in the office.  Please return form to the office. The deadline is Thursday February 26th at 3pm.  All forms received by the deadline will be processed equally and a lottery will determine placement if the class is oversubscribed.  The class minimum is 24 students, maximum is 30.  If the class does not fill, we will open registration to 2nd graders as well.
Please contact Jen Schill at enrichment@schmitzparkpta.org if you have questions or need any assistance.

Enrichment 2014-2015 Winter Session

Enrichment

snowflake.comHello Schmitz Park Families!

Our Enrichment Winter Session will begin the week of January 5th and registration begins now!  Some important things to keep in mind about registration:

*Registration deadline is Wednesday December 10th at 3:00pm.  Please bring your forms to the main office.

*Registrations will be processed December 10-14, you will receive email confirmations of enrollment or waitlist placement by Tuesday, December 16th.

*Classes with a stated maximum limit will be determined by lottery of the registrations submitted by the deadline.  Registrations received after the deadline will be processed on a first come/first served basis as space allows.

*Some classes will offer priority to students who were placed on the wait list for the Fall Session.

*Please read the registration forms carefully; while there are classes open to all grade levels, some classes are limited to certain ages, some classes have different end times.

*As always, please contact Jen Schill with any questions: enrichment@schmitzparkpta.org

Future of Math in Seattle Schools: Will Singapore Prevail?

Community, Fifth Grade, First Grade, Fourth Grade, Kindergarten, math curriculum, Second Grade, Singapore Math, Third Grade

This is a Call to Action to Share Your Singapore Math Story

This is a critical time to voice your personal support for Singapore – Math in Focus to the Seattle School Board. Schmitz Park Elementary staff, teachers, parents, and the PTA board all agree that a Singapore Math program is the best possible curriculum for our kids—and over the last 7 years our kids math scores prove it. Please contact the School Board and tell them why you believe Singapore – Math in Focus is the right choice for your child.

What’s at stake?

The School Board is voting this Wednesday, June 4th, on which math curriculum will be adopted for all K-5 Schools over the next seven years. Now is the time to put all of our efforts into influencing the vote. We only have time for one last effort to reach School Board Directors and ask them to vote for Singapore – Math in Focus.

How did we get here?

During the Math Adoption Committee’s process, a Public Input period occurred and the results from parents were overwhelmingly in favor of Math in Focus. Schmitz Park Principal, Mr. Gerrit Kischner, our teachers, Schmitz Park PTA, and parents have each stated the same, over and over again. Our collective public opinion was not factored into the recommendation. Since then, more and more parents and schools are coming forward saying they want Singapore – Math in Focus as the preferred math curriculum across the District. What’s more, Seattle schools and Singapore Math advocates have challenged this recommendation. Fortunately, Singapore Math in Schmitz Park Elementary still remains a viable option. After the initial School Board recommendation, School Director McClaren submitted an amended Board Action Report which was co-sponsored by Director Sue Peters, outlining a “dual adoption” to provide schools a choice between enVision OR Math in Focus (Singapore). This amendment may be at risk, facing a potential legal challenge. Now, a new amendment is also in consideration which asks the School Board to adopt Math in Focus as a sole curriculum.

Here are Five Good Reasons why Singapore – Math in Focus is the Right Choice:

  1. Test Scores Prove It – Of Schmitz Park’s 70 graduating 5th graders, 51% will or are likely to bypass 6th grade math after 2014 Spring MAP Scores. (A score of 235+ qualifies recommended students to enter 7th grade math and 27 students scored 235+. A score of 228-234 qualifies a student to take the middle school placement test to confirm they will advance to 7th grade math. Nine students scored 228-234.) Of STEM at Boren’s 36 graduating 5th graders, 81% will or are likely to bypass 6th grade math after review of the 2014 Spring MAP Scores. (27 students scored 235+, two scored 228-234.)
  2. Buy- In: Schools Approve It – Singapore Math has backing from elementary schools (and middle and high schools) across the district. It was chosen 7 years ago as a “supplementary” curriculum by SPS. The problem was “supplementary” did not come with any district support in the form of professional development or materials for students. Buy in from parents is not easy to achieve and here is an example of where it is only growing, yet, SPS is ready to dismiss it. Read Testimonials.
  3. Anyone Can Learn It – Math in Focus is language neutral, ensuring “Equity for EVERY Student”. In contrast, the enVision curriculum is text heavy and will continue to present an English language barrier for ELL students. Children of ethnicity comprise 62% of the district (Bilingual children (ELL) have a 38% proficiency rate). Increasing their proficiency rates requires a program that has proven success for students struggling with text intensive math programs. Math in Focus would “Improve systems District wide to Support Academic Outcomes”, which has been proven by Schmitz Park Math scores and K5 Stem at Boren scores.
  4. Student Mobility-Consitency – There is frequent student mobility in the Southern sections of our district, where students may transfer in and out of Seattle Schools with the Highline School District. Highline uses Math in Focus and has achieved such strong results they are extending their curriculum to their middle schools. Math consistency during a transition into the Seattle School District will help make school transition easier for students.
  5. Teacher’s and Principal’s Testimonials – Read the testimonials made by teachers and parents who feel strongly about Singapore Math. There is a reason Singapore Math was selected at our newest Science, Technology, Mathematics & Engineering (STEM) School. There is a reason Schmitz Park Elementary achieves high middle school placement scores year over year.

Please Share Your Story on How Singapore Math has Benefited Your Student

Do not think for a moment that someone else will, or can, share your perspective. Every person (parent, student, teacher, principal, community member) needs to share their opinion on what is best for our students and families. School Board Members

School District Staff

For quick reference, these are the email addresses to cut and paste into your response martha.mclaren@seattleschools.org; sharon.peaslee@seattleschools.org; sherry.carr@seattleschools.org; harium.martin-morris@seattleschools.org; stephan.blanford@seattleschools.org ; sue.peters@seattleschools.org ; betty.patu@seattleschools.org ; isvela@seattleschools.org;  superintendent@seattleschools.org;  anna.box@seattleschools.org ; Shauna Heath ; slheath@seattleschools.org ; mftolley@seattleschools.org

Schmitz Park PTA math adoption letter sparks advocate discussion

math curriculum, Singapore Math, Uncategorized

A letter from Schmitz Park PTA President Jeff Rayner and Capacity Chair Emily Giaquinta to the school board got picked up and reposted to the Seattle Schools Community Forum. To-date it has prompted 55 comments, including some very detailed and thoughtful analysis. This is good reading for members looking to learn more about what others are thinking on math adoption.

Seattle Schools Community Forum has five years of posts referring to Schmitz Park and Schmitz Park PTA.