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
School district sells remaining 2006 bonds
April 6, 2010
Issaquah School Board members unanimously approved the final sale of $41.2 million in bonds at their March 24 meeting.
The sale included $29.8 million in taxable Build America Bonds and $11.3 million in general obligation bonds that were refinanced from the 2006 voter-approved $242 million construction bond.
District officials refinanced the bonds because market conditions will potentially allow up to 5.5 percent, or close to $750,000, in savings for taxpayers over the life of the bonds.
The bonds were marketed by Seattle Northwest Securities March 23. District officials were present at that sale, made pending final approval by school board members the next day.
The money will be used to finish planning and construction on several schools in the south end of the district, like the Briarwood Elementary School rebuild project outlined in the 2006 measure.
Dr. Seuss helps make reading fun for students
March 16, 2010
Liberty High School senior Alexis Court and Alexander Munson (above) enjoy the annual Read Across America Read Aloud, held March 4 to coincide with the birthday of ‘The Cat in the Hat’ author Dr. Seuss. Below, elementary students and their families from Apollo, Briarwood, Maple Hills and Newcastle attended the event. Contributed
With more than 300 students reading, March 4 was a night at Liberty High School to do Dr. Seuss proud — after all, it was the famed author’s birthday
Voters will decide fire-protection funding measure
October 27, 2009
Voters will decide fire-protection funding measure
Voters in Klahanie, Preston, Tiger Mountain, May Valley and Carnation — the area covered by Fire Protection District 10 — will decide whether to reauthorize a charge to provide dollars for emergency fire and medical service on the Nov. 3 ballot.
Proposition 1 would lower the district property tax rate from $1.50 to a maximum of $1 per $1,000 of assessed value. No organized opposition to Proposition 1 has materialized.
District officials said a lower property tax rate in conjunction with the charge — based upon building size and use — is a more equitable and stable way to pay for emergency services.
Telephone lines down at some schools; use e-mail instead
October 26, 2009
NEW — 9:45 a.m. Oct. 26, 2009
Due to stormy weather, telephone lines were out at Challenger and Briarwood elementary schools and Liberty High School this morning.
District officials are trying to determine the cause of the outage.
Challenger’s telephone lines went out at about 8 a.m., and Liberty’s and Briarwood’s sometime before that, said Lissy Mandel, spokeswoman for the district.
District officials ask that you contact the schools via e-mail for emergency situations.
Board approves $149 million budget
September 1, 2009
A quorum of Issaquah School Board members unanimously approved a $149.6 million budget Aug. 26. Read more
School board, Newcastle City Council share info, goals at joint meeting
May 19, 2009
Issaquah School Board and Newcastle City Council members met to discuss issues of mutual interest May 14 in Newcastle. Read more
Issaquah Schools Foundation awards more than $64,000
April 28, 2009
Twenty-three teachers have been presented with more than $64,000 in grant money to help fulfill educational goals in classrooms throughout the Issaquah School District.
The teachers applied through the Issaquah Schools Foundation for Kateri Brow Big Idea/Biggest Need Grants or Classroom Enrichment Grants. Read more
School district awards Golden Acorns
March 30, 2009
Kimberly Montague (left), Alison Meryweather, Robin Callahan and Ramona Lawrence, and Susan Evans (not pictured), received districtwide PTSA Council Golden Acorn Awards March 24. Contributed
Seventy-five school volunteers and community members were recognized by Issaquah School District’s PTSA council at the annual Golden Acorn Awards at Liberty High School March 24. Read more
