The McDonald School Community is asking anyone with school-aged children, or with children entering Kindergarten next year, and who live within the proposed boundaries for McDonald School, to complete a survey.
The survey was developed to identify and address important issues concerning the school’s re-opening plan, and report these issues back to the school board.
Results of the survey will be shared at the upcoming planning meeting on Saturday , November 14 and on November 18–when the school board votes on the new boundaries.
Click here to take the survey.
It seems really strange to me that there’s this tremendous push to shape the plan for McDonald school when the boundaries haven’t even been finalized yet. The details of the new Student Assignment Plan have a long ways to go yet and there are a huge number of families that are in limbo right now. I have two kids at JSIS and a 2011 incoming kindergartener and it’s going to be a while before I know if my child will be allowed to follow his siblings. I’m still hopeful that he will which makes it nearly impossible for me to put my heart into any effort at shaping a school he may be forced to attend (absent private school). And, if all my neighbors that are in the same position take this survey (I did take the survey just in case), they will almost certainly put language immersion as a top priority. If we end up getting grandfathered into JSIS, this survey will be skewed by all those votes. I can appreciate the McDonald parents (am I one? I don’t know yet!) wanting to be proactive but this really seems like a case of putting the cart before the horse.
Brian, I can see your point and I hope the sibling grandfathering works out in your favor. But I can also understand why the McDonald families are so eager to get started. Instead of pining for JSIS and hoping against hope to get in, here’s the chance to be proactive and help start their own excellent school that will truly belong to them. How refreshing.
We live outside the McDonald boundaries, but I’m very excited and encouraged to see my neighbors coming together to support a new elementary school. Whether or not our own kids will be a part of it, another strong public school is good for the neighborhood and good for everyone.
Brian,
I hope you get the sibling placement you are hoping for, but as a parent of a future, 4 years from now, McDonald child, I know that now is the time to affect decisions for McDonald. If we wait until the school is open and running it will be much harder, if impossible, to change curriculum. It is a very exciting time now, as Seattle hasn’t opened a new school in maybe 20 or 30 years, maybe more! Seattle schools have no rules for opening schools, no regulations. As a result there is a unique opportunity right now to encourage an immersion program; to have our voices, as neighbors and parents heard regarding the remodeling of the school, programs, nurses, curriculum, teachers and the principal. I say let Seattle Schools know how excited and supportive we are of our new neighbor, the McDonald School.
So people N of 50th should sit and wait on their hands until the folks who used to be in the JSIS reference area find out if they are still in or not? I don’t think official word on the siblings will come for a few more months.
The time is now… especially for parents of children entering next fall. I think the parents attempting to get involved and shape the McDonald school are doing a great job.
Jessica, your contempt for JSIS is coming through loud & clear.
I think the issue I have is more with the school district and their process. The district is giving us such a short deadline when they don’t even have the plan figured out and are more or less forcing McDonald parents into immediate action. I’m actually inspired seeing them being so involved and proactive. I know that having great neighborhood schools is good for everyone. But, consider this…there are 24 families with siblings at JSIS that are now in the McDonald zone. Let’s say that 100 families take the survey (I think the latest tally was less than that) and 20 of them are from JSIS. The JSIS families are most certainly going to put language immersion as a top priority. Of the remaining 80 survey takers, say they’re split 50-50 on language immersion. This would show that language immersion was highly desired for McDonald. Shortly, we will enter the ‘Implementation’ phase of the SAP. If those 20 JSIS families get their siblings into JSIS, there’s 20 votes from families that aren’t attending McDonald. Is that fair to the families that didn’t have language immersion as a priority? If, as Jessica stated, the sibling issue isn’t decided for a few months, the school plan will probably already be decided by then so those families that didn’t want language immersion are shafted. Personally, I would love to see two language immersion schools nearby, both feeding into Hamilton.
Another issue is the levy. If the levy doesn’t pass, there is no McDonald school. There are a lot of people around the district that are not happy with their handling of this plan so the possibility of the levy not passing is real. This whole plan hinges on the levy passing. I personally think it would’ve been wise for the district to see if they were going to have funds to open the school before deciding to open it.