Eckstein Rummage Sale On Saturday

The Annual Eckstein Band Rummage Sale, benefitting the Eckstein music program, is Saturday from 9-3pm. Eckstein Middle School (3003 ne 75th Street) is the reference school for Laurelhurst.


The information says:

Please bring your donations on  Friday to the cafeteria between 1:30 and 4:00 pm. The cafeteria's exterior entrance faces the garden area in the back parking lot.  We need your donations to make this event a success.

Donate clothing in wearable condition, household items others could use, books and music for fresh ears and eyes to enjoy, furniture in good condition, toys, games and puzzles with all pieces and parts and sporting equipment for a budding athlete. No electronics, unassembled furniture, baby carseats or strollers. 

At the Rummage Sale there will be great deals to be had, baked goods, and music from our very own award winning jazz combos. 

Proceeds raised from the rummage sale go directly to the Ecksteins music program and are used to help offset some of the cost of off-campus music performances, repair damaged instruments and provide scholarship to children who needs assistance. Our goal is to make music accessible to everyone. Thank you for supporting Eckstein Bands! 

Eckstein Middle School Informational Night Tomorrow Evening

Eckstein Middle School (3003 NE 75th Street), the new reference middle schoool for Laurelhurst, is holding an Information Night for 5th grade students and their families tomorrow from 7-9 PM.. 

The event is for incoming families of 2013-14 school year or for those families considering the school.  There will be no planned guided or self-guided tours given.  

For questions contact Head Counselor Reema Ziadeh at raziadeh@seattleschools.org.

Villa Academy K-5 Information Meeting Tomorrow

Villa Academy (5001 NE 50th Street)  is hosting a Kindergarten –5th grade Admission Coffee tomorrow at 9am.

The Coffee is an opportunity to learn more about the Kindergarten through 5th grades,  Lower School programs and take a tour of the school.

Meet in the  Villa Parlor on the 2nd Floor at 9:00 a.m.

For more information, please call the Villa Academy Admission Office at 206-527-9388.

Magic Show Tonight at Near-By School

One of our readers, Katie, sent us this information to share with the neighborhood.

She said "this is a fundraiser for an area public school, some of the kids live in Laurelhurst."

Looks fun!

“The West Coast’s Favorite Magic and Illusion Show is Coming to Jane Addams School!”

Friday, April 23rd, 2010, 7:00 pm

11051 34th Ave. NE

“Magic Spectacular!” is a nationally recognized show the entire family can enjoy, whether you’re three years old, or 103! A great time is sure to be had by all, even those skeptical teenagers. This year’s edition of “Magic Spectacular!” features a delightful myriad of brand-new, never before seen wonders, as well as timeless classics. Imagine seeing a princess floating in mid air, and vanishing in an instant! Be witness to the Human Origami Box – can a human being really be folded into an origami box only 12 inches square? The famous Metamorphosis, Houdini’s signature trick, which made him a world-wide sensation, will be demonstrated at lighting speed!

A child from the audience will even be made the star of the show!

Named “Star of Tomorrow,” by the Society of American Magicians

Super Value Family Pass only $15.00

Good for a family (or group) of 5

Individual tickets $5.00 each

Tickets available at the door.

Questions? Email: Klarson123@comcast.net

Revised School Maps Unveiled Yesterday

A new round of maps came out yesterday afternoon based on comments received from the public.

According to the Seattle Public Schools Community blog, here are some of the changes for the NE area:

*Olympic View's southern border has dropped taking in more of Maple Leaf
*View Ridge has taken the southeast corner of Sand Point. Sand Point now dips about half-way down into the previous northeast boundary of Laurelhurst
*Bryant has taken in a small piece of northwest Laurelhurst
*The UW campus was split between Laurelhurst and JSIS and now Laurelhurst takes all of UW
*JSIS now pops up a bit in ts NW border into McDonald
*Green Lake no longer has any of North Green Lake (which went over to Bagley)
*Wedgwood's eastern boundary has shifted to mostly 35th Avenue NE (with View Ridge taking its lost part)

*Wedgwood and Bryant have shifted an area - Wedgwood's NW border has shifted south and Bryant's NE border has shifted north.

Here is the full news release from SPS.

The district site also now has a page linking to “walk route” maps for individual schools.

The revised maps will be voted on in two weeks. Before that time, there will be an official public hearing on November 9th at district headquarters.

You can give testimony at public meetings and hearings. To learn how to sign up and/or testify click here.

There will also be a series of community meetings on November 5 and November 7 "to explain the rationale behind the recommended maps," according to the SPs website.

For this area, looks like the meeting will be on November 5 from 6:30-8:30pm at Roosevelt High School.

For a full list of community meetings times and locations, please click here.

Today is International Walk to School Day

Kids in the neighborhood are out on the streets walking or bicycling to school today as part of International Walk to School Day.

As the website says, walking "enhances health of kids, improves air quality and the environment and creates safer routes for walking and bicycling."

Laurelhurst Elementary School students will be walking or biking all month long as part of the Walktober challenge, sponsored by International Walk to School Month and Safe & Active Routes to School.

The students will have a Walktober pledge calendar to keep track of their trips to school. And for bus riders, kids count the walk to the bus stop as their walk to school. And at the end of the month, cool prizes will be handed out when the tracking calendars are turned in.

The Walktober Challenge is funded by the Seattle Department of Transportation and Seattle Children's Hospital is providing neighborhood walking maps.

International Walk to School Day started in the England in the mid 1990's, and aims to bring children, adults and the surrounding neighborhoods together to create awareness around the need for walkable communities.

"International Walk to School Month gives children, parents, school teachers and community leaders an opportunity to be part of a global event as they celebrate the many benefits of walking. In 2008, millions of walkers from around the world walked to school together for various reasons – all hoping to create communities that are safe places to walk." says the website.

SPS School Attendance Area Boundary Maps Released

The Seattle Public Schools released the proposed attendance area boundary maps yesterday at the SPS School Board Meeting.

Here’s a link to find all the attendance areas by school.

Here is a link to Laurelhurst Elemenary's attendance area.

As a part of the plan they are looking to reopen five schools - Sandpoint for school year 2010-2011 and McDonald for 2011-2012. The assignments for McDonald will begin in 2010 with students starting at Lincoln in Fremont until the school is available in 2011.

Also it looks as if students living in the Laurelhurst area will be placed in the Hamilton attendance area, changing the choice to go to Eckstein Middle School.

As part of the Student Assignment Plan which was approved in June, the district was given the go ahead to draw boundaries around each school so students will know where he or she will go to elementary, middle and high school based on their address. There will be no more district-wide open enrollment to apply for schools.

See our earlier post for more details regarding upcoming community meetings, surveys, etc.

Hard copies of the maps are available today at any location where ParentMap is distributed. A reader told us they are at the PCC in Viewridge.

Proposed Seattle School Boundary Maps To Be Unveiled Tonight

This afternoon at the School Board Meeting, parents will be able to take a first look at the Seattle School District proposed student assignment plan . Currently boundaries for attendance schools are being redrawn. If the District adopts the maps, it will play a significant role in where students will attend public school in Seattle.

Here are the current maps.

Today's meeting will be held from 4-8 p.m. at the John Stanford Center auditorium.

After reviewing all comments, the District will formally introduce recommended boundary maps — including any revisions — at the Board meeting on Wednesday, November 4.

The schedule of community meetings leading up to the final vote on November 18 can be found here.

The meeting for this area is at Eckstein Middle School this Saturday from 10am-12pm.

"Seattle Public Schools has worked closely with the community to create a new student assignment plan that is equitable, predictable, and easy to understand," the SPS website says.

Under the new plan, students will receive initial assignments to elementary, middle or high schools in their attendance areas. The assignments will be based on their addresses. Students can choose to apply to schools outside their attendance area and those assignments will be based on a series of tiebreakers. If students are presently enrolled at schools outside their attendance areas, they can stay at those schools through its highest grade under a process called “grandfathering” — as long as the services the students need are available at those schools.

The new plan will be implemented in phases, beginning in the 2010-11 school year, starting with incoming Kindergarten, 6th and 9th grade students. The assignment rules for the current 2009-10 school year will remain the same.

If you can't attend a meeting, there are other ways to give input. You can send e-mail, or postal mail. There are also opportunities to speak at public meetings and hearings. To sign up to speak go here. To fill out a survey and submit your comments go here.

Pinwheels for Peace at Laurelhurst Elementary School

Have you noticed the sea of beautiful pinwheels at Laurelhurst Elementary School? If not, hurry over as we've heard they will be taken down in the next day or so.

Every student at Laurelhurst Elementary School made one yesterday joining a worldwide movement for world peace called International Day of Peace, celebrated yearly on September 21st.

Pinwheels for Peace, as the celebration is called, is in conjunction with International Day of Peace, and is an event in which students worldwide make their own pinwheels in the name of peace.

The Pinwheels for Peace website says ""We estimate that there were 3 million pinwheels spinning on September 21st, 2009, in countries around the world!"

"Pinwheels for Peace is an art installation project started in 2005 by two Art teachers, Ann Ayers and Ellen McMillan, who teach at Monarch High School in Coconut Creek, Florida, as a way for their students to express their feelings about what’s going on in the world and in their lives. The project was quickly embraced by their students and the entire school community and by millions of art teachers, teachers, parents, children and adults who desire peace in our world.

The first Pinwheels for Peace were installed on Sept. 21, 2005. Since then, we have grown from 500,000 pinwheels planted the first year, to 2 million pinwheels in 2008!" the Pinwheels for Peace website says.

"A pinwheel is a childhood symbol – it reminds us of a time when things were simple, joyful, peaceful.

Imagine… millions of pinwheels spinning in the wind – pinwheels in the United States, Great Britain, South America, Australia, the Middle East, Canada, Africa, Europe and Asia; pinwheels all over the world! – big pinwheels, small pinwheels; pinwheels of all shapes and sizes – colorful pinwheels, decorated with drawings, paintings, collages, photographs – pinwheels with words of peace and harmony written on them – fields of pinwheels, pinwheels along roadsides, in schoolyards, in parks, pinwheels EVERYWHERE!

This is the Pinwheels for Peace project!"

Thanks Laurelhurst Elementary for a beautiful project that the neighborhood can also enjoy.

Villa Event Tomorrow Night: Let's Raise the Roof!

Tomorrow night from 6:30-9:30 All Villa Academy community members and neighbors are invited to join the school as they unveil their new covered play area and thank everyone who helped raise the roof by supporting the 2004-2006 capital campaign.

"Enjoy a few cold ones on us, some Dick’s burgers, and dancing to live music by Big Dog Revue. Don’t miss the fun!" the invite says.

RSVP to development@thevilla.org or 206-729-0219 x 268.

Back to School Safety Tips

This news advisory was recently released from the Mayor's office on Back to School Safety tips.

Tomorrow most Seattle public schools start up again, including Laurelhurst Elementary School.

The Seattle Police Department has put together a list of back to school safety tips in many areas. The list includes how to make your school safer, pointers on being safe on the bus and the street, what to do if you are confronted, and how to report a crime.

Here are some of the General Safety Tips:

*Follow your intuition. Pay close attention to the uncomfortable feelings that often warn us of potential danger. “Trust your gut.” If you feel that a situation is not right, move out of the situation. Trusting your own instincts about a situation that feels "wrong" can be the best personal safety tool you have. Don’t be afraid to cross the street, return to a business or ask for help based on that “funny feeling.” You may be right.
*Be aware of your surroundings. In social situations, be alert to places and situations that make you vulnerable or unsafe. Know who is nearby or who may be following you.
*Walk confidently and alertly. Avoid walking alone and using shortcuts.
*Walk with others and stay on paths that are well lit where you can easily see and be seen.
*Carry your valuables safely and securely. Don’t display items (e.g., I-pods, cash, phones), when walking to and from your destination

Signs that School is Starting Soon

Lights are starting to turn back on at Laurelhurst Elementary School. Teachers are inside cleaning and organzing their classrooms. The principal and office staff are getting ready. Seattle Public Schools utility trucks are coming and going, hedges are being trimmed, grass mowed, paint touch ups and lots more.

The start of public schools and many others is only a few days away. Almost the end of summer...sigh...

Laurelhurst School Playground Dedication Ceremony

Mayor Greg Nickels attended the Laurelhurst School Playground Dedication Ceremony this morning during the End of Year Assembly in the school cafeteria. The south playground was recently completely redone - with new play equipment, new lines and resurfacing for tetherball, basketball, kickball, etc. It looks great. And the playground has some very interesting equipment that hasn't been seen at other city playgrounds.

Mayor Nickels and others thanked everyone involved for their donations, support of the many fundraisers, and the countless hours of volunteer time put in to make this happen. There were many volunteers on the stage accepting the kudos as well as all the students who applauded for their new playground.

Fundraising continues for the north playground. Today there was an "Ice Cream Man Fundraiser" immediately after school let out. All proceeds were donated by our local Ice Cream Man to the playground fund. Thank you Mr. Ice Cream Man!

On October 12 there will be another fundraiser held at the Sandpoint Country Club - a golf tournament.

And sometime in Spring 2010 there will be a Gear Sale. Last time they had tons of great stuff, super cheap! So don't miss that one.