Maywood Middle School evacuated after power outage, smoke
September 3, 2010
NEW — 11:05 a.m. Sept. 3, 2010
Maywood Middle School students had an unexpected evacuation Friday morning.
At about 9 a.m., the school’s power went out. Shortly after, students and staff members reported smelling smoke and immediately evacuated the building, according to an e-mail Principal Jason Morse sent to parents.
King County Fire District 25 responded to the emergency call and found a faulty motor in the heating and cooling system had burned out because of the power outage. Firefighters evaluated the motor and allowed students and staff members to re-enter the building at about 10 a.m.
Teachers take the initiative in learning program
August 31, 2010
Dr. Duane Baker presents to about 900 Issaquah School District teachers at Skyline High School, telling the teachers about improving instruction through observing other teachers’ classrooms. By Laura Geggel
Teachers are a valuable resource, especially for one another. Read more
School district reminds drivers to not forget bus safety
August 31, 2010
Jo Porter (left), director of transportation, with supervisors and coordinators Connie McCoy, Lucy Anderson, Gayle Morgan and Laurie Mulvihill, stand beside the high-backed seats in one of the school district's new buses. By Greg Farrar
With school back in session, Issaquah’s drivers are once more sharing the road with buses carrying students to and from school.
Some drivers are more patient than others when driving behind buses. Understanding bus safety rules would help everyone on the road, Issaquah School District Transportation Director Jo Porter said. Read more
Parents face choice after Issaquah Valley Elementary School falls short
August 27, 2010
UPDATED — 3:40 p.m. Aug. 27, 2010
Issaquah Valley Elementary School fell just shy of meeting standards set by the No Child Left Behind Act and is being sanctioned for not meeting standards in low-income reading.
This is Issaquah Valley’s second year in a row of not meeting Adequate Yearly Progress standards in low-income reading.
If a subgroup of students fails in reading or math, then the school or district does not meet AYP. Schools that do not meet AYP in a subgroup for two consecutive years face sanctions if they receive federal Title I dollars.
In the sanctions leveled against Issaquah Valley, the school will have to notify parents, give families the opportunity to send their children to another elementary school and pay for that transportation.
Volunteers sought for VOICE mentor program
August 24, 2010
Paula Cockerham earned Cs and Ds in her high school classes until her biology teacher pulled her aside and said, “You’re smarter than this.”
Cockerham began spending more time on homework and studying harder, transforming herself into an A student. Now, she works at The Boeing Co. as an environmental chemist.
“It just took having someone tell you, ‘You can do this’, and ‘I believe you can do this,’” she said.
In 2006, Cockerham decided to return the favor to Issaquah’s students. She registered with Volunteers Of Issaquah Changing Education — more commonly known as VOICE — and began mentoring high school students in physical science.
Cockerham is one of VOICE’s 155 mentors, and Director Susan Gierke said she hopes to raise membership to 200 volunteers this year. Read more
St. Louise schoolhouse ready for students
August 24, 2010
Issaquah students have been attending Bellevue’s St. Louise Parish School and Faith Formation Center for nearly 50 years. Contributed
Issaquah’s 7-year-old Amelia Aitken has finished her back-to-school shopping. She has a new uniform, new school supplies and a new school building, the St. Louise School and Faith Formation Center.
For nearly 50 years, the private Catholic school, near Crossroads in Bellevue, has provided a learning place for students in kindergarten through eighth grades from Seattle and the greater Eastside, including Issaquah. This year, 454 students will attend St. Louise — 46 of them from Issaquah.
Creekside Elementary welcomes students with natural setting, high-tech touches
August 17, 2010
Robin Earl, Creekside Elementary School principal, stands in a balcony hallway overlooking the library core. Large windows bring the outdoor beauty inside. By Christopher Huber
To the tune of hammering and buzzing saws on a hot day at the end of July, Principal Robin Earl walked through the crowded hallways of her new school.
Back to School Essentials
August 17, 2010
- The first day of school is Aug. 31 this year, prior to the Labor Day holiday. To see when your child begins and ends school, refer to the bell-time schedule.
- Basic statistics: The Issaquah School District serves more than 16,000 students in a 110-square mile area. It has 15 elementary schools, five middle schools, three comprehensive high schools, an alternative high school and oversees education at Echo Glen Children’s Center, the state juvenile detention center.
- Family Access is an online tool that allows students and parents to view their educational records, including test scores, attendance records and class schedules. Families with secondary school students also have access to grades. Login or get more information about obtaining your password at www.issaquah.wednet.edu/family. If you don’t already have a password, obtain it from your school secretary or registrar by showing photo identification. Read more
School construction by the numbers
August 17, 2010
Pacific Cascade Middle School
- Construction: June-August 2010
- Approximate cost of conversion and construction: $310,000
- Square footage: 107,557
- Classrooms: 25 regular rooms and four specialized teaching spaces
- Science laboratories: six
- New features: Additional track and field structures, like a long-jump pit, shot put and discus area were added. Former elective classrooms and equipment for them, like the engineering class, were turned into regular classrooms and the equipment was divided between Issaquah and Skyline high schools. All high school textbooks were replaced. Administratively, the school will handle three grades instead of one and there are dozens of new faculty members.
District launches social networking site to link students
August 17, 2010
Forget Facebook. Issaquah School District students, teachers and parents will soon be connected online with a site dedicated to advancing education.
This fall, every student in the district will get usernames to Issaquah Connect, a secure social networking site run from the district’s server.
“This is a virtual extension of our classrooms,” Executive Director of Educational Technology Colleen Dixon said. “This is the world, this is how we interact, how we get information and how we talk to each other in many ways.”
Issaquah Connect, the Issaquah School District’s new social network, links students for sharing educational opportunities. Contributed
Issaquah Connect has been operational for about a half-year, but teachers have been using other online tools, like Blackboard and Google Groups, to connect with students for years.
The new site enables every school and teacher to have easily accessed and updatable information on one page. The pages are similar in nature to those you’d see on other social networking sites, like Facebook, but the information is relevant and educational.
