Lake Washington Schools Foundation receives $130,000 Microsoft grant.

LAKE WASHINGTON SCHOOLS FOUNDATION NEWS.

The Lake Washington Schools Foundation (LWSF) was established five years ago to promote academic excellence for all students in the District. This summer, our donors made it possible for 33 at-risk students to attend summer school. In conjunction with the Lake Washington School District, we are pleased to announce a $130,000 grant from Microsoft to develop science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) programs similar to other successful STEM programs in the country. Starting in the spring of 2011, LWSF will fund classroom and school grants that focus on helping each school reach the goals they set for their Continuous Improvement Plan. This fall, each school in the District is eligible to receive up to $1500 worth of grant funds. Please contact us for more specific information about the one-time fall grant application process.

"Mustang Weekly", 9/26/2010

Redmond Man charged with threatening to arrest Kirkland mayor

Redmond Man charged with threatening to arrest Kirkland mayor

"A man who authorities say threatened to arrest Kirkland Mayor Joan McBride and Assistant City Manager Oskar Rey has been charged with two counts of intimidating a public servant.

David Myrland, 52, of Redmond, was arrested by Kirkland police on Sept. 21. He was charged in King County Superior Court on Friday." Read More

By Jennifer Sullivan
Seattle Times Newspaper, 9/29

LETTER: School Zones, Speed Limits and Crosswalks on Education Hill, By Susan Wilkins

Letter from Susan Wilkins, a PTSA volunteer and resident of Redmond.

I have been working on bus transportation for Horace Mann. I got mail from [LWSD Deputy Superintendent] Janene Fogard that said Title 1 funds could not be used on non-AYP transportation so Horace Mann students were not allowed to ride the Einstein or Redmond El buses. I have been reading Title 1, Part A documentation and there is a lot to read to familiarize myself with the details.

I couldn't find any documents that said or could be interpreted to mean that Horace Mann students weren't allowed to ride in surplus seats on AYP buses. I sent email to Ms. Fogard to ask her to clarify what she meant and where this rule is cited. I haven't heard back.

The attached article came about as a response to [neighbor] Paige Norman questioning the varying speed limits and school zones along 166th at the end of one of my letters. I had read so much about traffic and crosswalks while researching the NE 116th Street crosswalk and speed cameras, that I decided to organize my thoughts and explain what I had found.  I hope people find it interesting: 

###

"School Zones, Speed Limits and Crosswalks on Education Hill", By Susan Wilkins

We have a lot of schools on Education Hill – a high school, a junior high, five elementary schools and numerous preschools. We also have a variety of street signs and zones surrounding the schools, but there is a lack of uniformity in how the signs and zones are assigned. While going through official documents pertaining to school safety and crosswalks and making observations in the neighborhood, I have found that the implementation of school zones and speed limit signs appears to be uneven, inconsistent, overused and possibly misused on Education Hill.  Read More >>

Taped Highlights from the September 27 School Board Meeting

September 27, 2010 Regular Board Meeting

Superintendent Chip Kimball announced $42,469 PTSA donations this month, including a $27,299 donation from Wilder PTSA to Wilder El.  Click on the video link for all donations. 

Superintendent Chip Kimball appears to be inviting more staff members more often to present at Board meetings.  Conversation amongst Board Members is more dynamic, engaged, and purposeful.  President Pendergrass is running this meeting efficiently and openly with more attention to protocol. 

Read More>>

Police Results of Prescription Drug "Take-Back" Day in Redmond

Redmond, WA – On Saturday, September 25th from 10:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m., Redmond Police collected controlled, non-controlled, and over the counter medications—no questions asked.

The event was a partnership with Redmond Public Works - Department of Natural Resources and the Drug Enforcement Administration (DEA) as part of the first nationwide prescription drug “Take-Back” initiative.

There were 131 participants who dropped off drugs filling three boxes with a gross total weight (containers included) of 149 pounds.

Police personnel who staffed the event reported that the participants all provided positive and encouraging comments about the opportunity to safely dispose of their un-used medications.

By Charles E. Gorman, RPD

National "Take-Back Drug" Event In Redmond A Big Success!

Redmond Police Lobby Take-Back 

You may notice unwanted pharmaceuticals accumulating in your cabinet with "no place to go".   Recently, the State Attorney General said we are not to flush pharmaceuticals.  Yet, throwing them in the trash contaminates ground water; and they are a drug abuser's delight.   So how do we safely dispose of our unwanted pharmaceuticals?  The City of Redmond is working hard on this! 

Last Saturday, City Police participated  in a National "Take Back Drug" program with the Drug Enforcement Agency.  According to the two police officers on duty in the Public Safety Building Lobby the event was a success; over 100 citizens dropped off their unwanted pharmaceuticals.  When I visited a half hour before closing, the police pointed to a large brown box (18 inches X 48 inches) completely filled with drugs - going to the incinerator.

The National Take Back Program is a once a year event.   But, other local organizations will take-back your drugs.   The Sammamish Police Department has a lock-box and accepts controlled drugs.  Group Health - Redmond (425-882-6150) and Bartell Drug - Bridal Trails (425-881-5544) take-back all but controlled drugs.  A Group Health -Redmond pharmacist recommended mixing the controlled drugs with water and coffee grounds. 

Sherry Grindeland, spokesperson for Evergreen (Public) Hospital says Evergreen  won't take-back drugs for the community, writing: 

"Hospitals have to follow certain protocols when they discard outdated drugs. We are required by law to have them destroyed and it is quite expensive. (I didn't ask exact amount.) We give them to a company that specializes in this and they're incinerated at extremely high temperatures.

The pharmacists I talked to said the best way to dispose of drugs was to mix them with kitty litter --- USED kitty litter - and put them in your household trash. Yuk!"  7/23

Read More >>

Q&A: Why Microsoft surrendered 7 million blogs to WordPress.com

Q&A: Why Microsoft surrendered 7 million blogs to WordPress.com:

"Microsoft surprised many people in the tech community today when it announced plans to end work on its 6-year-old Windows Live Spaces blogging platform, helping its users migrate to the rival WordPress.com.

More surprising: The arrangement comes with no financial compensation, no marketing agreements, and no commitments that WordPress.com use Windows Live ID or Microsoft's Windows Azure cloud-computing platform.

So why do it?" Read More >>

By Todd Bishop
TechFlash

LETTER: Should Year-Round Schooling be an option for managing LW District growth?

Richard Morris and Sadie

 Before we moved to Redmond, my family lived in a number of states due to military duty. Colorado Springs used a year-round school schedule to reduce overcrowding in its schools. In a nutshell, our school facilities sit idle for approximately 12 weeks during the summer break. Year-round scheduling utilizes that 12 week break by implementing multi-track schedules. 

Year-Round School is the scheduling of educational institutions so that students take class throughout the entire calendar year. A motivation is that higher student throughput is accomplished via more effective scheduling of school resources. Year round schedules deliver the same number of total days of classroom education and vacation as traditional calendars, distributed differently throughout the year. Funding considerations favor multi-tracking students, which allows more students to use the same number of classrooms, instead of constructing entirely new schools. Some institutions use this method to relieve overcrowding in some of the larger schools.

Advocates claim that year-round calendars help students achieve higher and allow teachers to provide more effective education. Reports from the California State Department Of Education show that standardized reading test scores increased 19.3% for year-round grade school students[1] and that a greater number of year-round students met state score objectives than those on traditional schedules[1]. Conversely, opponents insist that year-round education is detrimental to student learning. Some school board officials and studies indicate negative impacts of schedule changes and year-round education. Lawsuits have even been filed against various school districts to block or ban year-round calendars,[2] charging that year-round education is "harmful to students."
 
By Richard Morris
Education Hill - Redmond
i Phone Photo by Yoder

LWSD Overcrowding input session schedule:
Tuesday, September 28, Eastlake High School, 6-8 p.m.
Thursday, September 30, Juanita High School, 6-8 p.m.
Wednesday, October 6, L.E. Scarr Resource Center, Redmond Town Center, 5:00-7:30 p.m.

80 Rose Hill area parents and youth turn out for the Hartman weed-pull!

See the long, brown, linear band of dirt where the weeds were pulled?

Correction:  I've been advised a large group of workers at this event was not reported.  My apologies. Laura Svancarek informs me she set up extra credit for Ms. Marsh's Honors Bio-Chem classes at Redmond High and they accounted for the large influx of youth volunteers.  Laura is a Land Steward and reports she and another Hartman Land Steward, Alvin Loong ran the event.   Laura and Alvin are Juniors at Redmond High.  Laura reports, "We walked among the volunteers and helped them with individual questions regarding plant identification and what they should be doing, and were continually finding new places for the volunteers to work as they removed the blackberries from each area."  Thank you, Laura.  10/05/2010    

Saturday was a beautiful day to work in the forest!  A large group of volunteers from the Rose Hill area spent 3+ hours on Saturday pulling weeds in the Hartman Greenbelt on 176th Ave. NE.   The neighbors across the street were obviously smiling.  Some may have pitched in.      

The turn-out was huge.  Over 80 volunteers showed up for this Cascade Conservancy "GreenRedmond" event.  Many were from Kirkland.   Students from Rose Hill J.H.were out in force, earning school credit for their work.  But, perhaps the largest contingent of  "urban foresters" were scouts from two Kirkland LDS wards.  Jim Balkman greeted the workers while Jeff Burnham, President of the Kirkland LDS Stake (six wards) pitched in - literally!   Some weed piles were almost five feet tall. 

A hard-working maintenance supervisor from the City of Redmond appeared to be running the whole show.  The Land Steward couldn't make it that day, and Councilmember Myers infamous bicycle and clippers were not to be seen.   But, the volunteers did just fine!  

Report and Photo by Yoder

The Municipal League of King County opposes proposed County sales tax increase.

Election Day in Tuesday, November 2.

Seattle – Today the Municipal League of King County released recommendations on six proposals that will appear on the November general election ballot. Notably, the League is opposing the proposed King County sales tax increase.

Read More >>  for complete findings from the League’s review.  In summary, the League made the following recommendations:

· SUPPORT: King County Charter Amendment No. 1 to specify the local and regional role of county government,

· SUPPORT: King County Charter Amendment No. 2 to change the way political candidates file campaign finance materials,

· NO POSITION: King County Charter Amendment No. 3 to grant the Sheriff authority to bargain working conditions,

· OPPOSE: King County Proposition 1, which authorizes King County to impose an additional sales tax (two-tenths of one percent) to fund criminal justice services,

“These were not easy decisions,” said League Co-Chair Kathy Elias. “The sales tax proposal was an especially difficult issue. However, our Committee felt that the County should demonstrate significant progress on the road to reform before asking voters to approve additional taxing authority.”  Read More >>

MudBay Grand Opening at Bella Bottega - a howl of a good time!

Neighbors at MudBay Grand Opening in Bella Bottega

Saturday was a beautiful day to run around town, with lots to see and do!  MudBay's pet store "for healthy dogs and cats" celebrated their Grand Opening at Bella Bottega, in their little "village" of tents.

A crowd favorite was Dan Nelson's exhibit with tips on dog care.  Did you know your dog is dehydrated when the scruff of its neck fur stands up after you pull it?   And, the Mountaineers publish a  "Best Hikes with Dogs" book, written by Dan?   He also writes the Seattle Times, "Getting in Gear" feature on Thursday's.

Jenny Solomon, Owner of  "Wag More Dog Walkers" was giving away collapsible water dishes.  She runs a neighborhood dog-walking business on Education Hill.   When you're busy or out of town Jenny will walk you dog one-on-one for $22.50 per half hour.   (The Solomon family are active city volunteers- Brad volunteers for the Redmond Historical Society; their daughter Michelle was a leader in the City's Youth Partnership Program.)

So what's with MudBay?

MudBay is family owned and operated higher-end "natural dog and cat food pet supply store."   They started in a feed store in Olympia overlooking Mud Bay, in l988.  The founder's son and daughter, Lars and Marissa Wulff,  have since expanded to 20 Puget Sound stores with Mercer Island and Redmond the most recent.  Contact MudBay at Info@mudbay.us. 

It appears MudBay has big plans to keep expanding.  The family recently hired two Starbuck's executives, including Redmondite, Brad Stevens,  a past  Starbucks Vice President of Marketing - America.  Brad says the Puget Sound market is home to some of the most educated and knowledgeable pet-owners in the country.  He says it's a great market for a company like MudBay that appeals to healthy dogs and cats.

Report and Photo By Yoder

Overlake Squadron Civil Air Patrol Cadets Meet at LW School District Offices



Overlake Squadron CAP Color Guard in Safeco Stadium --  will perform in community upon request

from the desk of Mike Holliday....
One of the best kept secrets in town is the Overlake Squadron of the Civil Air Patrol. CAP has been around since 1941 and has 60,000 members across the country in 1500 Squadrons.

The Overlake unit has been here for 15 years and is mainly a Cadet Squadron made up of young people aged 12-18 operating from the Lake Washington School District Resource Center located in the Redmond Town Center.

The unit meets throughout the year on Tuesday evenings from 6:45-9:00pm. CAP operates like a military unit, wears the USAF uniforms, but is an all volunteer civilian organization with no obligation for military service.

The Squadron is holding a recruiting campaign during the month of September for new cadets as well as adults who support the operation. Of particular interest are adults who are pilots, medical, web-site design, and emergency services personnel.  Email Mike Holliday at:  overlake@wawg.cap.gov

We welcome the public to attend a meeting during the month of September to see the cadets training and to learn more about the Civil Air Patrol.   Read More details of the program and FAQ from Mike >>

Regards,
MICHAEL B HOLLIDAY, 1st Lt, Civil Air Patrol
Commander PCR-WA-050
Overlake Composite (Cadet) Squadron
Civil Air Patrol

www.facebook.com/overlakesquadron

UPDATED: Evergreen (Public) Hospital responds to citizen requests for access.

UPDATE:  [Read the comments under this post]  Two citizens from Redmond have attended Evergreen Public Hospital Commission meetings in the last few months.  One citizen wanted to learn more about the Commissioner's role in hospital governance, specifically with regard to the decision to add a 4th level to Evergreen's Redmond Medical ER Clinic at Bella Bottega.  As you can read from the Board minutes below, I have been asking for improved public access to the Commission Meetings and Study Sessions. 

On September 17, after making several public email requests and this August 17 public comment, Laurene Burton of Evergreen sent the following message that they would publish agendas and minutes somewhere on their website within the week.       

Sept. 17, 2010
Dear Bob,

Your email is very timely as I have been working with our webmaster and plan on having meeting agendas and minutes posted by the beginning of next week. You will be one of the first to know when that has been completed.

Have a great weekend!

Laurene (H. Burton)
Administrative Director of Evergreen Hospital
Public Records Request Officer

As of 9/27, the Board web page hasn't been updated.   To find the "Commissioner Reports" from their meeting, Read More >>

Swedish Redmond Campus is looking for Artwork from Children and Young Adults



Bettina Makley's Healing Art Journal

 Swedish Looking for Artwork from Children, Young Adults to Feature in New Redmond Campus
 
Contact: Ed Boyle, 206-386-2748, ed.boyle@swedish.org

REDMOND, WASH., Sept. 22, 2010 – Swedish is excited to be building a new campus in Redmond, located on Union Hill Road. The facility will feature a full-service Emergency Department, primary care clinic and office space for various physician specialists. In an effort to be an engaged community
partner and improve the healing environment of our new facility, we would like to feature digital images of artwork or photos by children or young adults who live in the Redmond area (open to children and young adults ages 5 to 18). The digital images selected will be turned into long-lasting pieces of art to showcase in the new Swedish facility.

“Art plays an important role in creating a positive, welcoming and healing environment. When deciding on what works of art to display at Swedish/Redmond, we knew we wanted to feature local artwork. And what better pieces to include in the facility than works by children or young adults who live the in area,” said Janette Turner, a member of Swedish’s Art Committee. “Art or photos by children can often be the most healing and touching pieces, as they truly come from the heart and are often shaped by their own experiences. We look forward to showcasing works by these young members of the community.”  Read More >>

Current LWPTSA Parent Volunteer Opportunities and Parent Education

from the desk of Joanne Hall, LWPTSA Committee Chair, Parent Education....

PARENT VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES & PARENT EDUCATION

LINKS VOLUNTEERS NEEDED. The district's LINKS program (Looking Into the Needs of Kids and Schools) places volunteers into schools as tutors, mentors, or classroom helpers. Would you like to help the children in our district? Visit the LINKS web site to learn more and sign up to volunteer.

BRAIN RULES: SURVIVING & THRIVING FROM HOME TO SCHOOL. Most of us have no idea what's really going on inside our heads. Yet brain scientists have uncovered details every business leader, parent, and teacher should know. Brain Rules, taught by John Medina, is about what we know for sure, and what we might do about it. The workshop will be held on Tuesday, October 5th from 7:00-9:00 PM. Location: Cornerstone Theater at The Bear Creek School (Union Hill Campus location at 8905 208th Avenue NE, Redmond) Admission Price: $20. Visit the Bear Creek School's web site to purchase tickets.  Read More >>

A Letter from Councilmember Hank Margeson encouraging safe disposal of unwanted prescriptions.

The City of Redmond is sponsoring a "drug drop-off" program this Saturday (10-2) at the Redmond Police Department Lobby.  Councilmmember Hank Margeson has been working hard for more than two years to form and  implement these programs. 

Here's what Hank has to say....

Hi Bob,

YES!  The Saturday drug drop-off  program is really great news. I had intended to write to you to put it on your blog, but was busy doing Safeco's work during the day and then stopped by the house to change before visiting Gold's Gym to get in a heavy workout. And to my delight, you wrote to me!

The drug drop-off program adds to the options our residents now have to safely dispose of unused and unwanted prescriptions. Most important, it offers the option to securely dispose of controlled substances, no questions asked. We need to keep educating everyone to avoid flushing (except in rare circumstances) drugs down the drain and ending up in our streams, rivers, lakes and the Sound. If dropping off isn't a good option for some, I encourage them to follow the guidance provided by Attorney General Rob McKenna, mix the unused prescriptions in a zip lock bag along with used coffee grounds or kitty litter and put them in the trash.

Taking a step back, while this is a one day event, the momentum seems to be moving in the right direction in terms of safely and securely disposing of prescriptions. Who knows what the future holds in terms of additional options drug disposal options.

Thanks for keeping this in your Blog!

On an unrelated note, are you hearing anything from your readership on Backyard Chickens?

Take Care,

Hank
 
Details on Saturday's drug-drop off program

On Chickens:  http://redmondcity.blogspot.com/2010/09/city-may-revisit-backyard-chicken.html

"Braided Grass Art", by Sarah Kavage

click to enlarge

This photograph of Sarah Kavage's "Braided Grass" art was taken in August, 2010 by Redmond resident, John Reinke.  A rare natural art installation, Sarah's work was discovered close to the Sammamish River Trail just south of the 116th Street Bridge.  The "Braided Grass" art was woven for the City of Redmond.

-- posted by Bob Yoder

A Rabble Rouser in Redmond?

Outside.in monitors all the news, blogs, and discussions on the web and dynamically maps them to more than 57,000 neighborhoods in the US. You can find "What's Happening Where You Are Right Now." on the Outside.in search engine . 

I was invited by Esther Brown of "Outside.in" to an interview for her feature, "Bloggers We Love".  The interview is titled "A Rabble Rouser in Redmond?" Yup, that's me! Check it out!  Comments, please!

Outside.in is supported by leading investors including Union Square Ventures, CNN, Village Ventures, Betaworks, the New York City Investment Fund, and Milestone Venture Partners.

The interview:  "A Rabble Rouser in Redmond?"
Photo By Pam Yoder

Costs of "The Redmond Saturday Market" lease

Redmond Town Center leases land to the Saturday Market for $950/day.

UPDATED:  The Saturday Market has been a part of Redmond's culture for the last thirty-four years.  With the move to "Buy Local" the Market is more popular than ever before.   Driving down Leary it's not hard to see the bustle in the farmers and craftspersons white tents.   Do you see the tents behind Redmond Town Center's gateway sign?

The Market and parking lot sits on 8,000 square feet of land leased from Redmond Town Center (RTC).  According to  Market Manager, Martha Tyler, they pay Redmond Town Center $950/day to rent "the dirt", or $3,800/month.  The Sani-Cans are extra.  The Market is open for six months from May 1 - October 30 so the total payment to RTC each year is $22,800.   But, RTC sponsors the Market with a $3,000/year donation plus advertising space valued at $1,800/year by RTC.   Market Manager Martha Tyler said:

"It would be great if the market parking lot was donated each Saturday since it's a community service for the folks of Redmond.  Many farmer market sites in the state of Washington are donated or charged a very small amount so that the market can operate with less of a financial burden, we're talking farmers and crafters here, not big business". 

About two years ago, Jim Hoagland, Saturday Market President, approached City Council asking for funds to help cover their lease payments and attract entertainment.  According to Ms. Tyler, Council has approved a $5,000/yr. payment to the Market (a nonprofit) for the last two years.  Three other government-funded entities sponsor the Market:  Evergreen (Public) Hospital ($1,000), Think Redmond ($1000) and R-Trip ($1000).  Read More.

The donations and new management have brought back the bustle!  Have you heard about their big "Howl-O-Ween Day" event on October 30?    Read More >>

Lake Washington PTSA looking for "Special Needs Liaisons"

Julie Shalaby says....

I have a list of schools where we still need Special Needs Liaison's. Our goal is to have a Liaison at every school in the district. It's not a big time commitment and you can make it what you want but it really helps the families in your school become connected with this community.

Lake Washington, Juanita , Redmond HS

Northstar, Inglewood, Renaissance

Audubon, Bell, Einstein, Peter Kirk, Rush, Sandburg, Smith, Twain, Rachel Carson

Here's all you need to do (or NOT do!) as a liaison. It's easy!!!

Contact our SNG Liaison Coordinator, Amy Verrall, to let her know you are interested or if you have questions. home@verrallfamily.com    Read More.

Redmond overpowers Woodinville 20-6

Mustang cheerleaders hovering  like angels



Falcon fans trying to spook Redmond

 It was a rainy night in Redmond, but you'd never know it.  The Mustangs, led by Quarterback Michael Conforto and a superb coaching staff,  flushed out the Falcons in the second half picking off a long interception deep to the end zone for a touch-back.  A few plays later Conforto heaved a 50-yard pass to #13, a sharp-eyed receiver for the score....and the KIRO play of the game!  Redmond is 2-1 for the season. Watch the KIRO clip of the High School Football Game of the Week!"    (up for only one week)

Read the Redmond Mustang Football Facebook Fan Page!   Sign-up!

YouTube video submitted by Zach Bloom on KOMO site.

By Bob Yoder
Photos by Yoder