Redmond area families invited to host exchange students.

"BENNETT'S BUNCH" FROM LAST YEAR

Liven Up Your July -  Be Connected Forever!

Educational Homestay Program Starts July 12. Sign-Up Today!

Educational Homestay Program (EF), is a non-profit organization  bringing short-term foreign exchange students to our area for many summers ~ perhaps you've met some!
 
50 high school students from Spain and China will be living in and around Redmond this summer from July 12-31 and we need many host families to take them in. (We can find a filler family if you will be gone part of the time.)
 
Hosting is super easy and fun since the students will go on daily field trips and to school at RJH each M-F from 9-5 (being taught by the ever-popular Ms. Samppala) . Host family members are welcome to attend field trips and just need to provide meals, transportation to RJH, and a bed.
 
You can host 1-4 students but most host 2. (Students can share a room with you or each other.) They also bring their own spending $ and are fully insured.
 
Hosting can often be counted for community service hours. For more info please don't delay in contacting Kris Bennett at Bennettbunch@aol.com  or 425-890-9252 and check out the EF website: http://www.ef.com/ehp 
 
By Kris Bennett
Education Hill neighbor
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Native American Indian students perform for LWSD school board to an overflowing audience.

Eastside Native American Indian students perform in School District chambers.

Eastside Native American Indian students perform in December 5 school board business meeting to recognize retiring School Board member Ravis Shahadi's 8 years of service. (See Ravi squirm.) Mary Wilber, Director of the Eastside Native American organization also recognized the services of departing Sup. Chip Kimball.

The district chambers were overflowing with various groups attending, including: Merit Scholar awardees and their parents, Sammamish parents and students lobbying for Eastlake athletic field uses, citizens speaking for a convenient STEM school location on Willows Road, and PTSA members and press awaiting the Board's superintendent announcement. Jane Todd, Principal RHS and past-Principal of Juanita High introduced the Merit Scholars.

Eastside Native American Indian Association:  http://www.eastsideindianed.org/  The organization serves three school districts  

Video report By Bob Yoder

LW District students outperform ten largest state school districts in "improvement status" rating

Superintendent Kimball

“Our high schools continue to do very well compared to other schools across the state.  Science is a particular strength here, as it is in our junior highs and elementary schools.”
     -- Chip Kimball, LWSD Superintendent

Of the ten largest school districts in the state, Lake Washington is the only one that has not entered Average Yearly Progress (AYP) “improvement status.” 

Redmond, Wash. – With high average state test scores, Lake Washington School District (LWSD) met the standard for Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) in 51 of 57 areas under the No Child Left Behind Act (NCLB), according to information released by the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. District students continue to score significantly above state averages on the state tests, the Measurements of Student Progress (MSP) and High School Proficiency Exams (HSPE) as well as the new End of Course exams for math in secondary schools.  Read More >>

18 Lake Washington District Schools not up to Federal "AYP" standard - Data is confusing.

According to the LWSD, the 2010 Federal Adequate Yearly Progress ("AYP") data confuses the achievement picture because the label is an all or nothing designation.

For example, the District says by most measures, Inglewood Junior High is a high-performing school. Over 83 percent of students meet or exceed the state standard in reading and over 84 percent in math at the seventh grade level.

Yet according to the federal government’s AYP benchmark, Inglewood Junior High is not a success. In fact, Lake Washington School District (LWSD), Inglewood Junior High and 18 other LWSD schools out of 50 schools total are not up to the AYP standard.  The list of schools with categories not up to AYP standard are, as follows: 

· Dickinson Elementary, Step 1, special education math
· Eastlake High School, Step 1, special education math
· Einstein Elementary, Step 2, special education reading; special education, Hispanic and low income math
· Evergreen Junior High, Step 2, Hispanic math
· Family Learning Center, Step 2, All students and white students math
· Inglewood Junior High, Step 2, special education math
· Kamiakin Junior High, Step 3, special education reading; special education, Hispanic and low income math
· Kirkland Junior High, Step 3, special education reading and math
· Lake Washington High School, special education reading; special education and low income math
- Muir Elementary, Step 1, special education reading; special education and low income math
· Redmond High School, Step 2, Hispanic, special education and low income math
· Redmond Junior High, Step 1, Hispanic, special education and low income math
· Rose Hill Junior High, Step 2, special education and low income math
· Twain Elementary, Step 2, special education reading and math

Read entire LWSD Press Release on LWSD schools "in improvement", what it means and why it's confusing.

Posted by Bob Yoder
Source:  LWSD website.

Part I - Over 250 Russian and Egyptian citizens turn-out at recent City Hall meeting.

The last City Council meeting (11/17) could be labeled "organized chaos", "a monster meeting", "history in the making".   For Mayor John Marchione it was a home run.  One of  Marchione's Budget priorities is to "build a sense of community and connections with others" and to measure it by counting  turnout at council meetings. Probably, close to 300 citizens showed up!  See for yourself  here.

Two items of  "new business" caused the high turnout;  the Christian Egyptians of NE Rose Hill and the Russians of Overlake, trying to establish their cultures and connect their citizenship to the Greater Redmond community.  (Coptic church painting on left).

More than half  were members from St. George Coptic Orthodox Church - a growing, peaceful community of Christian Egyptians seeking  freedom from religious prosecution in America.   The *church members came to Council seeking a sewer line extension to service a new church they've planned in NE Rose Hill.  The project site is on county land planned for annexation.  The annexation currently has 59% election approval: it needs 60% approval for annexation into Redmond.

Councilmember Richard Cole laid the hammer down referring to Redmond's long-standing urban growth boundary policy denying city sewer extensions into the County.  Mayor Marchione summed up the Council's decision stating:

"We welcome the St. George Coptic Church into the community, but this in not the vehicle in which  to do it.  The vehicle is through annexation."

Greater Redmond christian Egyptian immigrants may not have achieved the immediate infrastructure connection they had hoped, but they made significant progress towards connecting their culture and building our Greater Redmond community.

* Members of the Coptic church presently holds services in space leased from Rev. Tim White's, Washington Cathedral.   Rev. White addressed the Council speaking in support of the church community.

The Russian community of Overlake story will be presented in Part II, above this one.

by Bob Yoder

Ordinance approved, 12/14  http://redmond.gov/insidecityhall/citycouncil/20091215pdfs/AM09296.pdf

2/4/09, UPDATED: Will Redmond Town Center partner with the City on flood protections and salmon preservation?

2nd in a series of opinions on Redmond Town Center.

UPDATED 2/4/2009  You'll find a post 2 days ago trying to understand the relationship between Redmond Town Center and the City. Talk from some neighbors and my review of several city council meetings reveal the city was negotiating with Redmond Town Center for Bear Creek buffer land. It appeared from these talks the city was frustrated with Redmond Town Center and their owner, Macerich REIT.  Its since been learned, the relationship is back on track with hopefully no strings attached by Macerich.

According to Mayor John Marchione: "...Regarding the (Redmond) blog, the City has a very good relationship with Redmond Town Center. We are working together to transfer land buffering Bear Creek to City control. Earlier in the year we approached Macerich for permission to perform survey work on the land in anticipation of the project. There was a delay as attorney’s work on language. But the delay was weeks, not months or years.....  Read More >>