2009 -2010 school year is coming quickly to an end and yet we have so many things to be thankful for!  Each student’s accomplishment brings them certain pride for achieving their goals. Thank you for bringing your child to us at Montlake. We believe with hope in our hearts that each child knows how much we care about them as individuals and how they make Montlake the wonderful place it is.  For those of you leaving Montlake at the close of this year, I know that all of us here send your family our warmest regards, wishing your family much happiness. For those of you returning to Montlake in September please know that we are excited about continuing to be part of your lives. We’re all doing this work of teaching and learning because we desire to make a difference, one child at a time. So here’s wishing you all a safe and refreshing summer holiday!! 

Sincerely,

Claudia  

March 16, 2010

Dear Montlake Families,

 I am writing with an important update on Montlake’s plan for ensuring the quality of our educational offerings as we weather the current economic crisis.  As many of you have heard, the school district is facing an unprecedented budget crunch and District funding for all schools for the 2010/11 school year will be lower.  As a result, Montlake must uphold its high standards while relying on fewer resources for the upcoming year.  Compared with many other schools, we are extremely lucky:  Through the PTA, our generous families and donors allow us to fund many vital school programs.  However, PTA fundraising is also adversely affected by the economy and PTA funds will not be able to bridge the reduction in District funding to maintain our current faculty levels so we have been forced to reduce staff positions for the coming 2010/11 school year.

Given these constraints, the faculty and I have reached a consensus that the current budget for 2010/11 cannot fund the half-time basic skills teachers in Teams 2 and 3 in the upcoming year.  We are enormously sad to lose the benefit and presence of Joan Hsiao in Team 3, and we will greatly miss having Richard Marshall as a math instructor in Team 2 (though Mr. Marshall will continue to teach art).  The faculty reached agreement on this only after turning over a host of other options.  This means that our blended 2/3 and 4/5 classes will not break into single-grade basic skills groups in the morning.  Our Team 2 and Team 3 teachers have years of experience with multi-age curriculums and classrooms.  I am confident that they will continue to offer an appropriate and challenging curriculum for all students.  In addition the District is planning to eliminate funding for elementary school counselors, which is also a significant loss for our school.  Ms. Manor will be greatly missed.

The PTA’s grant to the district will continue to directly fund other vital staffing and supply needs.  The faculty elected to use 70% of the PTA’s grant for teacher salaries to create manageable class sizes and maintain our reading intervention program.  In addition, the remaining 30% of the PTA grant for staffing will create a reserve.  Teams 2 and 3 are now making plans to deploy this reserve to supply math and literacy tutoring and other targeted academic support where it is most needed.   In addition, should our projected enrollment increase, or should PTA fundraising substantially outstrip estimates, we will reevaluate our staffing options. 

Again, please understand that the Montlake faculty, after much thought, has reached a consensus that this is the best way to optimize student learning under current budget constraints.  Also, please know that the faculty has consistently expressed its gratitude for the ongoing support by the PTA and parents.  Your generosity has protected us from much more severe cuts, and your thousands of hours of volunteer work in the school each year directly assist student learning, whether through reading instruction, handwriting and math tutoring, classroom preparation, or by helping us celebrate important class events.  Our school will be the same vibrant, caring, and old-fashioned community that it has always been.

Thank you for your commitment to and support for Montlake.  Please feel free to email me, call me, or stop by with any questions or concerns.

Sincerely,

Claudia Allan, Principal

I thought you might be interested in how I spent my day today at a local Seattle elementary school as part of a professional study group of Seattle school principals.

BACKGROUND of Seattle Principals’ Ongoing Professional Development

All principals in our district are working in cadres with other principals around the work of improving our professional skills—We call this work  “CEL” (Center for Educational Leadership). This professional development  comes to us through a partnership grant with the University of Washington.

 The focus of our work is coming to know and apply the 5  Dimensions of Teaching and Learning based upon research work that comes out of the University of Washington.

WHAT  is meant by  THE 5 DIMENSIONS OF TEACHING AND LEARNING?

The dimensions of teaching and learning are: Purpose, Student Engagement, Curriculum and Pedagogy, Assessment for Student Learning, and Classroom Environment and Culture. Each of these dimensions are described in terms of “the Vision” (what a learning opportunity in a classroom looks like when this dimension is fully implemented) and  “Guiding Questions” that help us conceptualize the teaching and learning we see happening in classrooms.

We FOCUS ON A PROBLEM OF PRACTICE

We do this work by visiting each others’ schools and observing student learning with the support of a CEL coach who guides our reflections. The principal of the school we visit provides us with their dilemma, called their “Problem of Practice”.

Today’s problem of practice was “How are we doing and how can we get better act differentiating mathematics across all grades in our school?” This  problem was agreed upon by their staff as they created their Continuous Student Improvement Plan (C-SIP).  The school we visited has a diverse student population now and  will become even more diverse next year. Currently they have ELL (English Language Learners) students,  an ALO program (Advance Learning Option),  two EBD (Emtionally Behavior Disordered)classrooms (1^st-3) and (4^th-5^th), and 44% students who qualify for free lunch.

In addition, next year they will be a BOC school (Bilingual Orientation Center)  and a Spectrum school. They are not expecting sufficient numbers of spectrum students to have them in self-contained classrooms so it becomes everyone's responsibility to meet the wide expanse of student needs.

It is compelling work for me to see teachers implementing instruction around their students’ needs. Our role as visiting principals to this school for a day is to reflect with fellow principal colleagues what systemic instructional moves might be considered to  improve student learning at our guest school. The extension of this work is to improve  our abilities as instructional leaders in our schools. I enjoy the time to reflect and learn along with my colleagues in developing my practice as a school principal.

It is likely that next year my cohort of principals will come to Montlake for this purpose.   I look forward to the opportunity to share the incredible teaching and learning that happens EVERY day at Montlake! My colleagues are equally excited to visit Montlake!

So for now, the only dilemma I’m faced with is a physical one, “Where is there space for us principals to meet and debrief several times throughout the day in a setting that respects the integrity of the teaching and learning  we have the pleasure and privilege of viewing?”  Any suggestions? :)

I'm thinking that perhaps we can utilize space in our nearby public Montlake Public Library.....

Don’t Miss Out on Coming to Know and Appreciate Washington Middle School!

I am very excited to promote Washington Middle School as an academically challenging school that offers a socially safe school climate for all of our diverse,  graduating 5^th grade student population.  Washington MS is Montlake’s, Stevens’, and McGilvra’s reference area middle school—and WOW are we lucky!

 Washington MS is known for its excellent principal, teaching staff, and growing family involvement.  Last year twenty-one Montlake students smoothly matriculated into the 6^th grade at Washington.

I base my positive opinion on having spent time visiting the school myself and hearing reports from our own Team 3 teachers who visited the school. In addition, many of our former students regularly come back to tell me that they L0VE ITJ  Among those who come to know Washington MS, there is a growing admiration for the professionalism and dedication practiced daily by the entire staff. So--, I urge you to see for yourself the rich learning opportunities available at Washington MS!

Come! See for yourself by attending the Open House and taking a daytime  tour; the dates are listed below:

Washington Middle School Evening Open House

Thursday, January 21 from 6:30 – 8:30 P.M. Self-guided tours will be from 6:30 -7:30 p.m. with a formal presentation starting promptly at 7:15 p.m. and ending at 8:30 p.m.  No reservations are required.

Washington Middle School Daytime School Tours

8:15 a.m. – 10:15 a.m. Please come on time. No reservations required.

Wednesday, March 10

Wednesday, March 17

Wednesday, March 24

Dear Parents and Guardians,

There are several new acronyms coming out this school year that you’ll want to become familiar with. I’ve tried to provide an overview of two of them in my entry below, M.A.P. and M.S.P.

So, What’s the M.A.P.?

During September, our teachers began implementing the assessment called Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) for students in kindergarten through Grade 9 in 76 schools across the District. Montlake is one of these schools. This is not a new test. It has been used in thousands of schools across our nation. It is therefore a norm-referenced test and will become overtime an important tool for teachers. We know that MAP will become a a key tool and support for our teachers as we all become better informed about analyzing and interpreting the results.

MAP is a brief computer-based assessment that helps us determine each student's instructional level; measure academic growth throughout the school year; and measure growth from year to year in the areas of reading and mathematics.

Results from MAP are available immediately and so will support our teachers in knowing what students have learned and the progress they are making. Teachers  are just becoming trained in analyzing the results and we will all have additional training in MAP prior to our parent/teacher conferences in November. Teachers will use this information as they consider how to adjust instruction to help each student succeed.

The tests are taken using a computer. We are VERY FORTUNATE TO HAVE TECH TEACHER, JIM DUNNIGAN, AND OUR NEW COMPUTER LAB to implement this assessment. Three times this school year all  students (K-5) will spend a total of no more than two hours completing these tests: one in reading and the other in math.

MAP tests are unique in that they adapt to be appropriate for each child's level of learning. As a result, each student has the same opportunity to succeed and maintain a positive attitude toward testing. And with MAP tests, we can administer shorter tests and use less class time while still receiving detailed, accurate information about your child's growth.

Each school year, students in grades Kindergarten - Ninth Grade take the tests in September/October, January and April/May. This year, teachers will share information about MAP results during parent-teacher conferences in November.

We are pleased to have a new tool available to our teachers and students that will help us focus on every child's individual growth and achievement. Consistently tracking student progress and using that data to help improve student achievement is a key strategy of Seattle Public Schools' strategic plan, Excellence for All.

Our newly elected (January 2009) Superintendent of Public Instruction, Randy Dorn, mandated that the WASL be replaced beginning this spring, 2010 with an assessment for grades 3-8 called the Measure of Student Progress (MSP).

The new assessment for high school students is called the High School Proficiency Exam (HSPE). These tests are under development and will incorporate the state’s academic learning requirements.

Superintendent Randy Dorn’s goal in replacing the WASL is to make it “less complex and more responsive”. The tests are shorter and online versions will be phased in over the next few years. The focus of these assessments is to measure students’ progress in meeting our state learning standards. The test won’t be easier but the results are expected to be valid and reliable.

Students are tested in:

• Reading: Grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 10
• Writing: Grades 4, 7, and 10
• Math: Grades 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, and 10
• Science: Grades 5, 8, and 10

You are likely interested in the type of questions that will appear on these new state tests.

Answer: The MSP and HSPE tests are much shorter than the WASL and include multiple-choice, short-answer questions. No longer will students have to answer four-point essay questions for reading, math, and science tests. This change allows students to show that they are able to solve problems, while not being scored on their writing ability on math, reading, and science tests.

What if a parent refuses to have his/her child take a state test?

Answer:Some parents in our state refuse to have his/her child take a state test. What happens then? The school is not able to gain important information on how they address students’ learning needs. It also means that the school receives a zero that is averaged in with  their school’s total scores. Therefore the scores published are not a true reflection of how well we instruct our students.

When will my child be tested so I can plan ahead?

Answer:

There is a wealth of additional information available on the Office of the State Superintendent of Public Instruction’s website. http://www.k12.wa.us/assessment/default.aspx

I urge you to look over the content of this website at your leisure.

When while the MSP test take place?

Answer: May 17-20 and Make-ups May 24-38 for grades 3-5

If you haven’t seen the INSIDE of Montlake in the past couple of years, I invite you to come by and take a look just so you can appreciate all the beautiful changes that are now part of our school’s interior and also its physical infrastructure.

For example, come see the change to our main entrance’s interior, located at the northeast front door. You’ll be pleased by our new, richly-toned entrance carpet. Glance upwards and you’ll notice new lighting fixtures, including replicas of turn-of-the century schoolhouse chandeliers. Our new acoustical ceiling tiles instill a sense of calmness in our hallways; turn your head sideways and you’ll be cheered by the warm yellow wall tones and accent walls of sage green.

You will hardly recognize our gym with its new cushioned floor painted with colorful lines for games and activities. You might notice our new subtle, window shades that nicely frame our antique windows and cast natural light across our gym, portable classrooms, and lunchroom.

Speaking of our lunchroom ….Wow, what an amazing improvement! Children’s hungry voices are now dampened by the newly raised ceiling covered in acoustic tiles. Again, new lighting, flooring, window shades, and interior paint finish off the look here as well.

We’ve replaced  a not-so-glamorous artifact of old, the monstrous-looking diesel heating stove in the original P5 (now known as P1) with a brand new heating and ventilation system.

These are just some of the highlights made this past summer.  I know, I know … it’s not just about our school’s physical plant.that sets us apart from a “typical public school”; Those of us who come to know and love Montlake see it as a special place where children thrive academically, socially, and emotionally. Why? Because we have an amazing team of staff, students, families, and community volunteers who work with passionate optimism and hold fast to the belief that each of us makes a difference for every child who comes through our school doors. I firmly believe that a high quality education for every child is the social justice issue of this century. Come and see for yourself how we work hard to accomplish our mission and if you can’t come, stay connected through our wonderful school website made possible by dedicated and talented volunteers.

Wishing you all the best for the coming school year.

Claudia Allan, Principal