W W W . B E T H E L S D . O R G O C TO B E R 2015

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Inside on pages 4-5I N T H E D I S T R I C T

As a result of the district’s leading-edge work with online curriculum, the Department of Education and the White House invited Superintendent Tom Seigel to Washington D.C. Seigel’s visit took place in late October and was part of a national effort to promote the use of Open Educational Resources, or OERs.

O E R s a r e f r e e , o n l i n e curriculum resources that can be used in place of traditional textbooks. Using OERs, districts can save millions over the cost of textbooks, but there are other benefits too. The materials are online, easily accessible and frequently updated.

Last year, all Bethel elementary schools implemented an OER called Eureka Math (previously Engage NY) because it better aligned with the Common Core State Standards.

Ed Week magazine featured the district’s use of OERs in a series of articles this summer. To read them visit www.edweek.org/ew/articles/2015/06/11/districts-put-open-educational-r e s o u r c e s - t o - w o r k . h t m l a n d w w w. e d we e k . o rg / e w /articles/2015/06/11/teachers-district-devote-time-to-open-resource-transition.html

To see our Eureka Math implementation video, go to h t t p s : / / yo u t u . b e / b m L g M -CaguY/.

Bethel SD recognized as a leader in OERs

If you’ve been on the campus of the Pierce County Skil ls Center this year, you’ve no doubt noticed the giant hammer resting outside the Olympic building amidst an assortment of giant nails driven into the concrete. This sculpture, entitled “Hit or Miss,” was created by Seattle-based artist Peter Reiquam through the Washington State Arts Commission, in partnership with the Bethel School District and Pierce County Skills Center.

The hammer – created from powder-coated aluminum and stainless steel – was recently dedicated on campus by Reiquam, members of the School Arts Committee, as well as a number of representatives from districts who utilize the Skills Center.

The installation was supposed to take place prior to this, but

Reiquam was involved in a motorcycle accident that landed him in the hospital for some time. “There was a delay as a result of that, but it turned out to be really fortunate,” he said. “I got an email from the powder coating company that I use that said, ‘Coming Soon: Wood-grain powder coating.’ I had never heard of this before, so I immediately got in touch with them.”

The new coating gave the hammer’s handle the realistic look it has now. But with such a wide variety of programs available at the Skills Center, how did Reiquam decide on a hammer?

“I was really inspired by the programs that are offered here. I would have thrived in a place like this when I was in high school,”

he said. “I didn’t want to do something really literal that illustrated each and every single one of those programs for two reasons. One, I think that’s not very interesting intellectually or artistically. Two, programs change from time to time.”

Reiquam said deciding on one image that covered all the programs was a bit of a challenge. “I wanted something that was a little more universal and could speak to all of those programs. So my idea of this hammer is, that it is the archetypal tool. It’s the most basic tool, and by metaphor, represents all the tools used in all of the different disciplines that are taught here.”

T h e h a m m e r i s n ow a gathering place for students, with the giant nails acting as a seating area. One of the nails

is even bent over like it was hit incorrectly; a detail Reiquam said was based on personal experience. “I don’t know about you, but when I learned to use a hammer I bent over a lot of nails,” he said. “The kids learn to do things by doing them – hands-on experience – and sometimes you fail. That’s not a bad thing, that’s how you learn. That’s how you learn any new skill; by making mistakes and improving your process and technique.”

As part of the Washington State Arts Commission’s Art in Public Places program, “Hit or Miss” is now part of the state art collection, which consists of 4,500 pieces throughout Washington.

P C S C w i l l b e h o l d i n g a dedication for phase 3 completion on Dec. 9 at noon. The community is invited to attend.

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Pictured above, left to right: Orting SD CTE Director Betty Johnson, Fife SD Director of Career and College Readiness Marlyne Johnson, Franklin Pierce SD Superintendent Dr. Frank Hewins, artist Peter Reiquam, PCSC Director Michelle Ledbetter, Bethel SD Chief Technology Officer Mike Christianson and White River CTE Coordinator Amy Miller.

October is National Bullying Prevention Month and schools around our district are bringing the topic of bullying to light in a variety of ways. While some are having discussions and activities centered in classrooms, others are working on large-scale projects and holding assemblies.

Bethel’s director of equity and achievement, Debra Carlman, said that variety of involvement in our district was great to see. “Bethel Schools are doing good things to raise awareness this month. We want to continue that by keeping our focus on bullying awareness, not just during the month of October, but every day.”

To raise awareness in their school, Cougar Mountain Middle School brought in motivational s p e a k e r Ho u s t o n K ra f t t o energize their students with his message of choosing love. Love can be an awkward subject for middle school students, but Kraft’s wordplay and wit had students laughing out loud when they weren’t listening with rapt attention.

“I talk to my mom everyday,” Kraft said to the students. “At the end of the phone call every time I say, ‘I love you, mom.’ Earlier in the day I say, ‘I love bacon.’ I’m using the same word [love]; hopefully I don’t feel the same

Schools discuss bullying prevention this fall

PCSC dedicates ‘Hit or Miss’ artwork

way towards them! Either I don’t like my mom very much, or I love bacon in a really weird way.”

Kraft said while it’s easy to have feelings of love for someone you like, choosing to love someone whom you don’t necessarily get along with is tougher. But he was quick to point out, that’s not an excuse to choose to be mean.

“My guess is, as you go to school everyday, there are people you don’t necessarily like very much. My guess is there are people at this school that feel the same way about you. That’s normal. Not all of us are going to feel like family, not all of us are going to feel like we have a lot

of things in common. But even when I don’t necessarily feel like being kind, I can still choose to love people. I very much believe that one of the most important things that we can do in life is get better at loving each other. Get better at being more kind, more compassionate to each other. But it’s a skill we have to work on.”

It’s certainly a great skill to work on during National Bullying Prevention Month.

***Y o u c a n l e a r n m o r e

about Houston Kraft and his #ChooseLove campaign at www.houstonkraft.com.

Board of Directors considers new bond proposalFor the past year and a half,

the Bethel school board has been considering proposals to deal with overcrowding, and to maintain safe, secure and healthy schools.

Last December, they released their list of priorities for a possible Districtwide School Improvements, Technology and Safety Upgrades ballot measure. Now, at their Nov. 17 meeting, they will decide if the proposal will go to voters in February 2016.

Since the 2001 and 2006 bonds were approved, the district has made substantial strides to improve schools throughout the

district. Thanks to this financial support, about half of the schools are new or completely modernized, and issues with toxic mold, asbestos and e-coli have been eliminated.

And, with a demonstrated, strong commitment to fiscal responsibility and construction oversight, the district was able to stretch tax dollars and ensure that all projects were completed.

But there is still a lot of work left to do.

G r a h a m - Ka p ow s i n Hi g h School was built for 1,400 students. They currently have

nearly 2,000. More classrooms as well as gym and cafeteria space are needed to support students.

Bethel High’s last renovation was in 1989. Technology there is not equitable to other schools in the district, and cafeteria and weight room spaces are inadequate. There are also numerous issues with plumbing, electr ical and mechanical systems.

Challenger High School is comprised of a series of aging portables. There is no general meeting area, cafeteria or gym

space for students. The school has a waiting list and the campus severely limits how many students they can serve and the types of programs they can offer.

Constructed in 1982, Cedarcrest Middle School also has its share of problems. The current design has poor site circulation for students. Several classrooms can only be accessed from the outside or by walking through adjacent classrooms. Hallways are inadequate, which creates supervision and security issues.

Continued on page 2

OCTOBER 2015BETHEL PRIDE • WWW.BETHELSD.ORG2 bethelpride

bethelprideBethel Pride is produced by the Bethel School District.

Krista Carlson:Communications Director, Bethel Pride Editor; 253.683.6051; kcarlson@bethelsd.org

Bethel Pride Contributors:Doug Boyles and Timra KnoxBethel School District is an Equal Opportunity Employer and complies with all federal rules and regulations, including Title IX, RCW 28A.640, RCW 28A.642 and Section 504. Bethel does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, honorably discharged veteran or military status, sexual orientation including gender expression or identity, the presence of any disability, or use of a trained service animal by a person with a disability in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. Please contact Title IX officer, Bryan Streleski, Director of Athletics and Security at 253.683.6055, Section 504 coordinator Lori Haugen, Executive Director of Special Education, at 253.683.6920 or the Civil Rights coordinator, Debbie Carlman, Director of Equity and Achievement at 253.683.6035 with any questions or complaints.Under the Open Records Act, the public is afforded full access to information concerning the administration and operations of the school district (policy 4040). This information is limited to records not protected by state and federal privacy laws. For more information on access to school district records, call the records custodian, Kathryn Kemp, at 253.683.6000.

I N B R I E F

Former Nelson and Graham Elementary princi-pal Kelley Boynton was recognized in October as the Washington Library Media Association (WLMA) Elementary School Principal of the Year. The award is given annually to a school principal who has dem-onstrated a special commitment to school libraries. Boynton currently serves as the district’s executive director of elementary schools.

Boynton gets award

Twenty-eight Bethel High Link Crew leaders joined other students from around the state and Canada on October 15 at the Student Link Conference held at West Seattle High School. The leaders were guided through a series of mixers and ac-tivities that allowed them to connect with Link Leaders from other schools and to realize they can provide a powerful and positive experience for freshmen as the year continues. Leaders worked with a trainer from the Boomerang Project who inspired them to return to school with a greater concern for the students they are leading.

BHS Link Crew attends conference

A letter to our community...CONTINUED FROM PAGE 1Possible bond....

Portables are deteriorating and the cafeteria is too small.

A new bond would renovate or modernize these schools, update Na c h e s Tra i l a n d Eve rg re e e n elementary schools and build an additional elementary to handle the growing student population. It would also allow for much needed roof, HVAC, mechancial, electrical and plumbing repairs, as well as seismic, technology, security and safety upgrades.

Athletic and recreational needs will also be addressed. For the past decade, the district has seen substantial growth in the use of field space by school teams and community users. The bond would install turfed fields and lighting at all three high schools, giving students and coaches greater and more equitable access to facilities for practice and play.

And, for the first time in several decades, there is a provision for a community swimming complex. The plan calls for a 50-meter, 10-lane pool because of the district’s size and to attract regional swim teams to defray operating costs. The center will include family-friendly features and therapy pools, which will be open to the community. If the plan moves ahead, the district would also provide swim lessons to 2nd and 5th grade students.

The Board’s list of priorities represents the hard work of more than 80 staff, parents and administrative members of the district’s Long Range Facilities Planning Team. It also reflects several years of studying facility needs, including the age and condition of each building.

The board meeting will be held Nov. 17 at 7 p.m. at the Educational Services Center.

For more details about the bond proposal, visit www.bethelsd.org and click on the Board Priorities feature box in the center of the page.

School Closures & DelaysWhen bad weather causes school

closures or delays, this information will be posted on district websites, social media and TV stations. Families will receive phone calls and emails through our Blackboard Connect system and our hotline, 253.683.6001 will be updated. To sign up for alerts, visit https://www.flashalert.net.

SLHS Holiday Craft FairSpanaway Lake High School is

decking the halls in preparation for their annual craft fair. The event will be held Saturday, Nov. 7 from 9 to 5 p.m. and Sunday, Nov. 8 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Dozens of vendors and artists from across the state will be in attendance. Admission is $3 and children under six are free. For more details, visit www.bethelsd.org/slhs.

October 2015

Dear Parents/Guardians of Students in Bethel School District:

The United States Department of Education (USDE) has removed the State’s Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Flexibility Request (Waiver) that was approved by USDE in 2012. This April 24, 2014 non-renewal requires the State to return to determining Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP) for school districts.

The ESEA/No Child Left Behind (NCLB) Act of 2001 required all states to create their own high academic standards for what a child should know and be able to do for all grades in English-language arts (ELA) (reading) and mathematics. Every school must improve each year until all students meet these standards. This yearly improvement in school performance, which includes the academic standards and other components, is called Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP).

ESEA/NCLB also requires the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) to annually review the performance of each local district. A district receiving Title I, Part A, funds is identified as a district in improvement if it does not meet AYP goals for two consecutive years within specific areas, focused primarily on academic achievement in English-language arts and mathematics.

ESEA/NCLB requires OSPI to inform parents/guardians of students about district performance. Bethel School District has been identified as a district in improvement. The district did not meet AYP for two consecutive years in [ELA/mathematics/other indicators] in the district’s elementary, middle, and high schools. You can find specific AYP data used to make this deci-sion at http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us/ayp. If you do not have access to the Internet, please contact Sally Keeley, Director of Support Services at 253.683.6962, and a hard copy of the report will be provided.

As a Title I, Part A district in improvement, we are required to institute the following:

How can parents help their school and district improve?

Here are some suggestions to help you work with your school and district to support improvements:

I encourage you to contact Sally Kelley at 253.683.6962 for further information about any of these requirements and to find out how you can become involved in district and school improvement efforts.

Sincerely,

Thomas SeigelBethel School District

Write an addendum to our District Improvement Plan. We must consult with parent and school staff when writing the District Improvement Plan Addendum which will include information on how we plan to use Title I and other funds to improve student achievement. We will post the approved District Improvement Plan on our Web site (www.bethelsd.org) or a paper copy may be requested by contacting Sally Keeley at 253.683.6962.Reserve at least ten percent of our annual Title I allocation to provide professional development for teachers and ad-ministrators.Continue to provide assistance to schools identified in Step 1–5 of school improvement.

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Learn more about the ESEA/NCLB requirement and become aware of strategies to improve student academic achieve-ment. Additional information and resources are available at the following web sites: • Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction: http://www.k12.wa.us• Washington State School Report Card: http://www.k12.wa.us/ESEA/AYP/default.aspx• The U.S. Department of Education: http://www.ed.gov and http://www.ed.gov/parents/landing.jhtmlTalk with district staff about the District Improvement Plan and the program changes that must be made to help students meet the state standards in ELA and mathematics.Visit your child’s school. You also may participate in voluntary activities to assist your school.If you are a parent of a student who attends a Title I, Part A school in improvement Step 2, ask about school choice op-tions to transfer your child, with paid transportation, to a public school in your LEA that is not identified as a Program Improvement school.If you are a parent of a student who attends a Title I, Part A school that is in Step 2-5 of school improvement, ask about supplemental educational services (SES) that may be available for your child. Supplemental educational services are tutoring services provided outside of the regular school day for eligible students.

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Students at Cedarcrest and Cougar Mountain middle schools took their research of the Washington Territorial Wars all the way to the State Fair.

OCTOBER 2015WWW.BETHELSD.ORG • BETHEL PRIDE 3bethelpride

I N B R I E FMark your calendars for FUTURESCHOOLS

Starting this fall, community members will once again be invited to get a close up look at how our schools operate.

During FUTURESCHOOLS tours, community members are shuttled around the district to see specific schools in action. Patrons meet with the principals, conduct classroom observations and participate in discussions.

Three to four schools are highlighted on each trip. Tours depart the Educational Service Center at 8 a.m. Transportation, s n a c k s a n d b e v e r a g e s a re provided. Tour dates are as follows:

• December 10• January 6 To participate, please contact

Jerri McKeown at 253.683.6016.

FISH Food BanksTo assist local families in need,

the following FISH food banks are available:

Spanaway: 16001 A Street, 98445. Open Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays from 1 to 2 p.m.. Call 253.383.1817 for an appointment between 9:15 a.m. to noon.

Graham: 10425 187th Street East, 98374 (Holy Disciples Catholic Church, Meridian & 187th). Walk-in Mondays and Fridays, 10 a.m. to 1:30 p.m and Wednesdays, 2 to 6 p.m.

Spanaway: 166th Street & Pa-cific Avenue (old Spanaway El-ementary). Tuesdays from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Spanaway: 22215 38th Ave-nue East (Bethel High School). Wednesdays 4:30 to 6:30 p.m.

Clothing BankWear It Out is a free clothing

store that offers gently used clothing for infants, children and adults. The shop is located at 215 166th Street South in Spanaway (the old Spanaway Elementary School). The store is open on Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. For more information, contact Penny at 253.777.7489.

Register to Vote!Did you know... Only half the

people who live in our district are registered to vote?

Make sure you are one of them. You can easily verify and update your voter registration online. Just visit http://www.sos.wa.gov/elections/voters.aspx.

If you have never voted before, you can take care of that too. Just go to the site or scan the QR code below and select the option t h a t s a y s ‘Register to Vote.’

T h e d e a d l i n e to vote in t h e n e x t election is Jan. 12.

A r e y o u R E A DY ! f o r Kindergarten?

Are you the parent or guard-ian of a toddler or preschool age student? If so, it’s never too late to get your child started on the path to academic success.

READY! for Kindergarten is a series of 90-minute interactive classes that are designed for par-ents and caregivers of children ages 2 through 5. Sessions for the 2015/16 school year will be from 6 to 7:30 p.m. Dates and locations are as follows:

Nov. 3 - Thompson ElementaryNov. 5 - Nelson ElementaryJan. 19 - Thompson ElementaryJan. 21 - Nelson ElementaryApr. 19 - Thompson ElementaryApr. 21 - Nelson ElementaryFree childcare is provided at

Ready! for Kindergarten events. To register, visit www.bethelsd.org/page/2258. Have questions or want more information, call Ben McCracken at 253.683.6919.

Middle school students study local historyFor students at Cedarcrest and

Cougar Mountain middle schools, the Washington Territorial Wars of 1855-1856 sprang to life thanks to highly capable teacher Abbi Wonacott. “The Territorial times are still affecting us now,” she said. “Fishing rights, salmon conservation, some tribal people still not being recognized as tribes.”

The Internet has made it easy to research things these days, but the history the students were looking for wasn’t just a Google search away. This was deeper research that Cedarcrest student Jesse Kauffman wasn’t expecting. “Quite frankly, it was a challenge,” he said. “You had to check so many sources for each little detail.”

Wonacott brought in books and showed her students online resources they had never seen before. “They could go online through the state archives and read actual journal entries from people that were printed in the newspaper.”

As students learned about the

history that occurred where their schools now stand, they took their class projects to heart. “With this project I was just able to let all my creativity flow,” said Cedarcrest student Haley Hunter. That creativity included QR codes on their display boards that linked to an audio presentation the students created to help take the project to the next level.

As students at both middle schools painted a vivid picture of life in, “The Dark Days of Washington,” Wonacott got to thinking. “I’d see them make these beautiful projects and I felt kind of selfish, because only I would get to see them. So we thought, let’s put on this exhibit and have the community come.”In February, the students invited the community into their schools and showed off their work. “A lot of Indian elders came and they really liked it,” Wonacott said, “because they don’t see a lot of kids talking about the Territorial Wars.”The

elders were so impressed they i n v i t e d t h e students to bring their displays to the Washington State Fair during t h e N a t i v e A m e r i c a n Days. So, this September the t w o s c h o o l s ’ c o m b i n e d e x h i b i t j o u r n e y e d t o the Fair where it touched the hearts of many who saw it.

“There was a lot of people who came to read it and knew about it,” said Cougar M o u n t a i n student Breeana Bernardo. “Some actually cried.”

“We were not prepared for that emotional impact at all,” said Wonacott. “It was amazing

to watch Indian elders walk through. I’m never going to forget this.”

Influenza (also called the flu) is a contagious respiratory in-fection that can cause mild to severe illness, and possibly even death. The flu spreads through droplets made when people with the flu cough, sneeze or talk. The droplets can land in the mouth or nose of someone nearby or on a surface. A person can catch the flu by touching a surface with flu

Nurses Corner...Time to fight the Flu! germs on it and then touching their own mouth, nose or eyes.

Signs and symptoms of the flu: include:

• Feeling feverish/chills • Cough• Sore throat• Runny or stuffy nose• Muscle or body aches• Headaches• FatigueSome people may have vomit-

ing and diarrhea, though this is more common in children than adults. It’s also important to note that not everyone with flu will have a fever.

There are three ways to protect yourself from the flu.

1) Get a flu vaccine each year. There are many different flu vi-ruses. The flu vaccine protects against the viruses that research predicts will be the most common

in that year. The flu vaccine pro-tects against three or four viruses. Everyone six months of age and older should get a flu vaccine each year. Children under the age of six months are at great risk but are too young to be vaccinated. People who care for them should get a flu vaccine to protect these babies. A common misconcep-tion about the flu vaccine is that you can get the flu from it. The flu vaccine contains inactivated or weakened viruses and therefore, cannot give you the flu.

2) Use everyday actions to pre-vent the spread of germs. These actions include avoiding close contact with sick people; stay home if you are sick for at least 24 hours after your fever is gone without the use of medicine to reduce fever; cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you

cough or sneeze; wash your hands often with soap and water; avoid touching your eyes, nose and mouth; and clean and disinfect surfaces contaminated with germs.

3) Take antiviral drugs if your doctor prescribes them for you. If you get the flu or think you have symptoms of the flu, see your doctor. Doc-tors can prescribe antiviral medication to make the flu milder and shorten the time you are sick.

***Source: Centers for Disease

Control and Prevention- Na-tional Center for Immuniza-tion and Respiratory Diseases (cdc.gov/flu)

Bethel MS delivers some high quality H2OLast year, Bethel Middle

School’s 24seven Green Team was looking for a way to make a positive difference at their school. Rylee Evanger was one of the students who saw a problem and wanted to solve it. “I do sports a lot, so I always try to drink as much water as I can. I saw how much water people were buying from the vending machine and I was like, that’s ridiculous! That’s wasting a lot of plastic.”

So the Green Team put their heads together and came up with the idea for a water bottle filling station. “I first saw it at PLU,” said Green Team advisor (and BMS 6th grade science teacher) Julie Benkovich. “I think kids see them at different places: at stadiums, museums and national parks. So it’s not a new piece of equipment … just new for us.”

With their idea in hand, now the students just needed a backer. Enter Bob Dieckmann, Pierce County Public Works’ recycling project coordinator. “I look around for viable schools that have the administrative support and students that are really interested in recycling and reducing waste at their schools,” Dieckmann said. He met with members of the 24seven Green Team last summer and loved their enthusiasm. “It was just kind of a perfect combination of things. We had money, they had this idea, and I thought this would really be something to invest the money in.”

Bethel Middle was one of three schools in Pierce County that

received a Filling Station from Pierce County Public Works. Dieckmann said the other two schools were Gig Harbor High School and North Tapps Middle School.

T h e Fi l l i n g St a t i o n w a s installed at Bethel Middle before school started this fall and now students like Rylee use it every day. The Filling Station even tracks the number of water bottles it refills. Just two weeks into the new school year, the Filling Station had already filled over 400 bottles of water.

Seventh grader Luis Arechiga, a Green Team member, said some of those bottles are unique to Bethel Middle School. “We sell

Bulldog bottles so people won’t have to keep repeatedly buying water bottles, and they can save the environment.”

Mason Weir is a sixth grader who is new to the Green Team this year. “The water bottle fill up station is a really good idea. It saves bottles, it saves plastic. I came in here on the first day and it was really fun, we made posters and everything.” The posters advertised the Green Team itself, and also served as advertising for the new Filling Station.

Bethel’s energy conservation manager, Michael Knaack, was on hand to congratulate the students on their success, and to try out the Filling Station first

hand. “Now that’s some high-quality H2O,” he quipped before letting his pride in the students shine through. “This was kid driven. The kids saw a need and they decided to do something about it. It’s the smell of victory … and the taste of water.”

Julie Benkovich hoped their project’s success would encourage other schools to aim high. “We’re the only Filling Station for water bottles in the district, so hopefully it can be something that will grow and grow from school to school.”

Students at Bethel Middle School are now drinking “high-quality H2O” thanks to the hard work of the 24seven Green team.

bethelprideOCTOBER 2015WWW.BETHELSD.ORG • BETHEL PRIDE 4

“Están muy contentos de venir a la escuela. Tienen una actitud maravillosa, son muy participativo, y les encanta bailar y cantar y moverse. ¡Nos divertimos mucho!”

“They’re very excited to come to school. They have a wonderful attitude, they’re very participatory, and they love to dance and sing and move around. We all have a ball in here.”

Dual Language Program / Programa de Lenguaje DualThompson Elementary’s Dual Language Program kicked off this year with its first two classes of kindergarten students. The program combines native English and Spanish speakers with the goal of students becoming bilingual, bi-literate as well as having a deep sense of multiculturalism.

“When you think about the very first day of school, and the teacher says, ‘Okay, boys and girls, it’s time to line up,’ most kids in that classroom environment would know what to do. In a dual language classroom, when the teacher says, ‘Formense la linia,’ half the kids are going to look around and say, what do I do? And at that very moment, the half that speak Spanish are able to be models because they understand what’s going on, and the students who are learning Spanish are able to look around, problem solve, and do all those critical thinking habits that we want students to do. When you transfer that to reading and math, it really pays dividends.”

“Cuando se piense en el primer día de clase, ye el profesor dice, ‘Bueno, chicos y chicas, es hora de hacer cola,’ la mayoría de los niños en ese ambiente de clase sabrían qué hacer. En un salón de clases de lenguaje dual, cuando el profesor dice,’ Formense la linia,’ la mitad de los niños van a mirar a su alrededor y decir, ¿qué hago? Y en ese mismo momento, el medio que hablan español son capaces de mirar a su alrededor, resolver problemas, y hacer todas esas hábitos de pensamiento crítico que queremos estudiantes hacer. Al transferir eso a la lectura y matemáticas, proporciona grandes beneficios.”

“The voters did a great job with the Levy by supporting our program for the long term. These children will be supported as they go throughout their elementary careers. Our program is a 90-10 model. What that means is in kindergarten and first grade it’s ninety percent in Spanish and ten percent in English. In second grade it becomes 80% Spanish, twenty percent English. Third grade is 70-30, fourth grade 60-40, and then fifth grade and beyond it’s 50-50.”

“Los votantes han hecho un gran trabajo con el Levy apoyando nuestro programa ahora y en el futuro. Estos niños serán apoyados a medida que avanzan durante sus años en Thompson Primaria. Nuestro programa es un modelo 90-10. Lo que esto significa es en el jardín de infantes y primer grado es el noventa por ciento en español y el diez por ciento en Inglés. En el segundo grado se convierte en 80% español, el veinte por ciento Inglés. El tercer grado es 70-30, cuarto grado 60-40, y luego el quinto grado y más allá de que es 50-50.”

“Hablamos en español a todo los diferentes profesores y estudiantes que vemos. Lo que es realmente divertido está de pie en la línea de autobuses, donde hay una gran cantidad de niños mayores que hablan español, promociona yar conexión entre mis estudiantes hijos mayores en la escuela. Es muy emocionante todo lo large de la escuela.”

OCTOBER 2015WWW.BETHELSD.ORG • BETHEL PRIDE 5bethelpride

Dual Language Program / Programa de Lenguaje DualPrograma de Lenguaje Dual de Thompson Primaria inició este año con sus primeras dos clases de estudiantes de kindergarten. El programa combina Inglés nativo y Hablantes de español con el objetivo de los estudiantes se conviertan en bilingües, bi-alfabetización, así como que tiene un profundo sentido de la multiculturalidad.

“If you learn a foreign language at a later age, you can learn it faster, but you don’t learn it better. At a younger age, when you’re just developing your first language and you bring a second language on side by side, it takes longer – it takes seven to nine years to become fully bilingual – but you learn it better and you’re able to retain it for life.”

“Si usted aprende una lengua extranjera a una edad posterior, usted puede aprender más rápido, pero no aprender mejor. A una edad más joven, cuando estás desarrollando su primer idioma y le aporte un segundo idioma en el lado de la otra, se necesita más tiempo – se necesita de siete a nueve años para convertirse en completamente bilingüe – pero se aprende mejor y usted es capaz de conservar por toda la vida.”

“We sing the days of the week, we sing the months of the year, we sing the colors – we have a little dance that goes with it. The parents are excited because they’re learning things through their kids – even if they’re quiet in class. I have one mom that said, ‘I know she’s really shy in class, but I want you to know, the minute she gets in the door she’s singing this stuff at the top of her lungs.’”

“Cantamos los días de la semana, cantamos los meses del año, cantamos los colores – tenemos un pequeño baile que va con ella. Los padres están aprendiendo cosas a través de sus hijos – incluso sí son tranquilo en clase. Tengo una mamá que dije: ‘Yo sé que es muy tímido en la clase, pero quiero que sepas, el minuto en que se pone en la puerta que ella está cantando estas cosas en la parte superior de sus pulmones.’”

“We speak in Spanish to all the different teachers and students that we see. What’s really fun is standing in the bus line where there are a lot of older kids that speak Spanish. They hear me speaking Spanish and they come up and they’re talking to me in Spanish, and I’m connecting my students with older kids in the school. It’s really exciting all throughout the school.”

Anthony Porto is a teacher of the visually impaired, and orientation and mobility specialist for the Bethel School District. How did you get into this field?“I’ve been a long-time teacher – social studies, English as a foreign language. I was down in Portland and I just happened to find out they had a Teacher of the Visually Impaired program there – the only one in the Northwest. There were lots of job opportunities, so I job shadowed some people doing it and ended up getting into it.”How do you identify students that need help?“I get called in by a teacher to take a look at a student they think has an issue, or there’s a referral from a doctor. Or the school notices someone with vision issues.”What types of services do you offer?“My caseload’s pretty varied. I teach Braille to a couple of kids in the district who need that, vision therapy for students with certain conditions, classroom accom-modations for students – magnifiers, large print, Braille, certain kinds of lighting. I like the variety of going to every building and working with a lot of different people. It’s always something new.”You mentioned you were a teacher before doing this. Where did you teach?“I’d been living overseas doing different things – military, Peace Corps. I had probably a total of 12 years in the classroom before that. I taught for four years in Saudi Arabia; I taught English at King Fahd University. From my apartment I could see Bahrain.”

6 bethelprideOCTOBER 2015BETHEL PRIDE • WWW.BETHELSD.ORG

Bethel schools and community members are getting recognized.

Here’s a look at what they’ve been up to.

In theSpot light

Staff Spot light

Our classified staff is making our community a better place! The Bethel Chapter of the Public School Employees of Washington SEIU 1948 recently adopted part of B Street in Spanaway and have committed to keeping it clean for the next two years. We thank these amazing staff members for their hard work in our community!

PSE staff cleans up in Spanaway

Jane Wertenberger has taught math at Spanaway Lake High School for the last 16 years. She teaches Algebra 1, Precalculus and AP Calculus. What is the artwork behind you?“It’s a project we do in calculus that connects geometry with calculus. Students are calculating volume by adding up volumes of shapes geometrically. They are also applying the calculus to it and then comparing their results. I’ve been doing that since I took over calculus in 2009.Has the project changed much over the years?“Two years ago I had a student utilize the laser cutter in the technology lab. Previously, kids were just using box cutters. So last year I tried to incorporate that technology with all of them.”What do you enjoy most about teaching high school math?“I just always liked math and I’m always trying to better myself each year. I get the statistics back and all the scoring and I look it over and say, ‘What do I need to switch and change?’ I’m just constantly trying to improve things and make it more efficient for the kids to learn it.”

Jason Saunders teaches music at Graham-Kapowsin High School and Frontier Middle School. Recently, he was awarded the Outstanding Emerging Choral Director Award from the Washington State chapter of the American Choral Directors Association.“The award was presented in front of choral conductors from across the state – collegiate and otherwise. It was a big honor and it makes me feel really good about what’s going on here. It inspires me to keep working hard and keep building the program here at GK. There’s a ton of potential here. I feel great about working for Bethel; it’s a really great district for the arts and music so it’s a pretty lucky first job to get out of school.”What does the choir do on the first day?“Icebreaker activities, getting to know each other – it’s really important that a choir or any musical performing group has a good personal bond. Without that you really can’t make good music. We’ll make sure everyone’s singing in the right section, introduce some music, talk through the year, lots of different things.”What song are you looking forward to hearing your students sing?We’re doing a lot of cool music this year. One in particular is a German piece called Abendlied by Rheinberger. It kind of sounds like a sunset; painting the image of the day closing, and asking for peace and for rest. It’s just this glorious, beautiful piece. It’s pretty tricky, so it’s going to be something we do in the spring, but I’m really excited to hear the Chorale (GKHS’ top mixed choir) do that.”

Students in Alec Olschner’s chemistry class at Spanaway Lake High School are benefitting from the districts’ iPad roll out to all high schools this year. Middle schools will receive iPads for the 2016/17 school year.

iPads make a difference in SLHS Chemistry class

New principal Jamie Burnett visits with students in Sharon Long’s kin-dergarten class at Evergreen Elementary School.

Kindergarten counts at Evergreen!

Christi Lewis is a bus driver for the Bethel School District, which she’s been doing for the past five years. She’s also Bethel’s answer to Rosie the Riveter!“Rosie’s my hero. During World War II, when the workforce of men was all out fighting the war, the girls could get it done. When I started at Kaiser Aluminum, I was one of four women and 500 men. I learned how to blacksmith, work with hydraulics, pneumatics, and programmable controllers. We were required to fix anything from the front gate to the back gate, including the gates! I enjoyed the challenge and it was a good workout every day, similar to what the women did when they built the planes.”I hear you also worked for a famous local startup.“I started looking around for something new to do, that’s when I applied for a job with a little company. When I walked in, they had the phone in the middle of the floor. I thought, ‘My goodness, what have a I got myself into?’ The company was Netflix. I went seven years without a day off and never being late.”You’re like Cal Ripken Jr.!“I coached a girls baseball team too! They were the only team called the Crab Cakes – my brother’s a commercial fisherman and he sponsored my team. I also homed foreign exchange students from Japan for eight years, and they were all girls – it was a girls school. So I’ve done a little bit of everything. ‘A woman can do whatever she wants to do, as long as she sets her mind to it,’ that was something my dad told me.”And now you drive a Bethel bus. What do you like most about that?“The preschoolers. They make my heart happy. I have ‘Sticker Friday.’ When they go home they get to pick a sticker. And if they have a brother or a sister, they get to take a couple.”

Jason Saunders

Anthony Porto

Jane Wertenberger

Christi Lewis

7bethelpride OCTOBER 2015WWW.BETHELSD.ORG • BETHEL PRIDE

I N B R I E F

Nelson sets date for an-nual fun run

The PTA at Nelson Elementary is finalizing all of the details for this year’s Jingle Bell Family Fun Run. This popular annual event is open to all families in the community. More race details will be available soon on the Nelson Elementary website and at www.bethelsd.org.

The date for this event is set for Dec. 6. This is the fun run’s sixth anniversary. Traditionally, the race has a holiday theme and occurs on the Nelson Elementary, Fron-tier Middle School and Graham-Kapowsin High School campuses.

For more information, email jin-glebellfamilyfunrun@yahoo.com.

Bethel Rec 3rd-6th grade basketball

Bethel Recreation is now accept-ing registration for its 3rd through 6th grade basketball program. The session is open to all Bethel area children and costs $45 per student. Families can sign up in person at the Lineup. Online registration closes Nov. 29. Coaches are needed.

For more information, visit www.bethelrec.org or call 253.683.5940.

Want to play Lacrosse?Bethel Blackhawks Lacrosse Club is open to all Bethel School District Students. This season they will offer lacrosse for boys grades 5-12 and girls grades 7-8.New player registration begins in November. Visit their website for more information at www.hawkslacrosseclub.org or facebook.com/bethelblackhawkslax.

Family sports passesTo help make attending sports

contests more affordable for fami-lies, we now offer family sports passes. The passes are available at district athletic events and they cover the cost of home games and meets in the South Puget Sound League.

A single event pass, which cov-ers the admission for two adults and two children is $15. Seasonal event passes are $150. They admit two adults and two children to all home games and athletic events during a sport season.

Check out SPSL.org The South Puget Sound League

offers a great website that pro-vides fans with the latest scores, standings and schedules. All high schools and their sports teams are listed on the site. There is even a mobile app for your smartphone. To learn more, visit www.spsl.org.

M iddle school spor ts schedules are online

Looking for the latest informa-tion on your child’s middle school team? The district’s new website, www.bethelsd.org, has the full list of game dates, times and locations. To find the schedules, just go to Departments, click on Athletics and then Schedules.

Hey, Sports Fans!Our communications staff can’t

make it to every game this season. So, we need your help. We would love to share some of the great pictures you have taken of our amazing students in action as well as our awesome fans!

To share your pictures, just post them on Instagram, Twitter or Facebook, tag us and use the hashtag #BethelSDSports.

B o a rd s u p p o r t s L a ke Kapowsin park resolution

T h e B o a r d o f D i r e c t o r s u n a n i m o u s l y s u p p o r t e d a resolution to develop a new park at Lake Kapowsin. Bethel SD is now the latest organization to support the proposal. Organizers are seeking a 1,000-acre park and wildlife preserve in the area. The park still needs additional funding and government support.

Runners hit their stride in new ABC Day runThe first annual ABC Day Fun Run/Walk was a big hit with

our community! Over 70 people braved the chilly morning to participate this year, with the proceeds of the event going to benefit the Nick of Time Foundation – a program that will work with Graham Fire & Rescue and the Bethel School District to make free heart screenings available to our high school students.

The Fun Run began at Bethel Middle School and participants ended by running underneath the Graham-Kapowsin inflatable eagle. The run ended as ABC Day began, so runners and walkers were able to stroll next door to Bethel High School to take part in the festivities there.

Special thanks to all the runners, walkers, and coordinators for making this event a huge success and to our community partners: Cascade Regional Blood Services, Molina Healthcare, Costco, Fleet Feet Sports and Mountain Mist.

Proudly sponsored

by...

Bethel HS marks the reopening of Art Crate Field

Mobile dentist stops a t C e d a r c r e s t M S

S t u d e n t s a t Cedarcrest and several o t h e r s c h o o l s a re receiving vis i ts by Northwest Medical Teams International.

T h e p r o g r a m provides free to low-cost urgent dental care services to patients who lack dental insurance or the ability to pay.

During their brief visit to the Spanaway area, the mobile dental clinic saw several patients.

Each fully-equipped van is staffed by licensed dentists, hygienists and dental assistants who generously volunteer their time.

Thank you, Northwest Medical Teams International!

Bethel Braves football players and cheerleaders cut a ribbon to re-dedicate Art Crate Field. The field, track and stadium underwent renovations this summer including a full synthetic turf, lighting and sound system replacements.

Liberty MS student athletes, musicians and families spruce up their campus

Liberty Middle School held a campus cleanup event in mid-October. It was a competition between this season's athletes and all music students. Over 50 students and their families showed up and worked for four hours. The beau-tification effort made a made a huge difference on campus. Many thanks to everyone involved.

All Bethel Community Day was a huge success once again! This year the event was held at Bethel High School and brought out the best the community has to offer, making it a wonderful place for our students, staff, families and community members to spend their Saturday.

Captain Joseph Pingley and other members of the 5th Air Support Operations out of Joint Base Lewis-McChord hosted one of the event’s most popular attractions. “We volunteered to come out to the community day so that we could show the kids what we do,” Pingley said. “Right now we’re showing off a Humvee and an M-ATV. These are the two vehicles that we drive around the most. On top of the M-ATV is a CROWS System. We’re letting the kids play around with it, letting them drive the joystick so they can look through the cameras and see their mom and dad in infrared.”

The vehicles were a big draw for the community, Pingley said, especially the kids. “It’s been a great day. We’ve had a lot of people from the community come out – a lot of kids. It’s been a very positive experience. We have a long line at the truck now, so I think we’re one of the hits here on this side.”

Pingley wasn’t the only captain in attendance. Captain Graybeard of the Point Defiance Pirates was enjoying the sights and sounds of the event along with his crew. “We’re really liking this festival! You’ve got the arts and entertainment and dance and other programs to inspire the young to excel and exceed.”

Bethel High School’s biomedical class offered some of that inspiration as they created a very unique freebie for attendees. “Today we are extracting DNA from people’s cheeks,” said Madison Riehm, a BHS biomed student. “We put it in a little necklace for them and then they get to take it home and keep it forever.”

Though there were a lot of freebies, some things were for display only, like the armadillo and skink from the Point Defiance Zoo and Aquarium, and two motorcycles from the LeMay Family Collection. “One is a Yamaha single cylinder,” said Lemay volunteer Clayton Scott. “The other is a Sears Craftsman scooter that only has 130 miles on it. It was from the Sears catalogue originally.”

Scott was one of many attendees who said Bethel’s annual ABC Day helped bring the community together. ‘Think First’ coordinator Mike Corsini knew that to be true, as he’s been attending for many years. “I’ve been coming every year since the very first one. The first one was really good and it’s just gotten bigger and bigger. Of all the events that we go to, I’d say this is top notch.”

If you missed this year’s ABC Day, be sure to mark your calendar for our next big community event! Spanaway Lake High School’s annual Holiday Craft Fair will be held on November 7th and 8th.

Stanley Chapin, President253.847.1614schapin@bethelsd.org

Warren Smith, Vice-President253.531.2211wsmith@bethelsd.org

John Manning253.537.5521jmanning@bethelsd.org

Amy Pivetta Hoffman253.720.3020apivettaho@bethelsd.org

Brenda Rogers360.893.5425brogers@bethelsd.org

NOVEMBERNov. 3: Election Day

Nov. 4: Late Arrival

Nov. 7: Holiday Craft Fair, SLHS, 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.

Nov. 8: Holiday Craft Fair, SLHS, 10 a.m. - 4 p.m.

Nov. 11: Veterans Day

Nov. 13: HS end of 1st Quarter, Early Dismissal

Nov. 17: School Board Meeting, ESC, 7 p.m.

Nov. 26-27: Thanksgiving Break (No School)

DECEMBERDec. 2: Late Arrival

Dec. 8: School Board Meeting, ESC, 7 p.m.

Dec. 9: Elementary & MS end of 1st Trimester, Early Dismissal

Dec. 21 - Dec. 31: Winter Break (No School)

JANUARYJan. 1-3: Winter Break (No School)

Jan. 12: School Board Meeting, ESC, 7 p.m.

Jan. 13: Late Arrival

Jan. 18: Martin Luther King Jr. Day (No School)

jan. 23: Technology & Art Fair, GKHS, Time TBA

Jan. 26: School Board Meeting, CMS, 7 p.m.

FEBRUARYFeb. 3: High School End of 2nd Quarter - Report Card Prep (Early Dismissal)

Feb. 9: Election Day

Feb. 9: School Board Meeting, ESC , 7 p.m.

Feb. 12: Snow Make-up Day or No School

Feb. 15: Presidents Day (No School)

Feb. 16: Waiver Day #2 (No School for Students)

Feb. 23: School Board Meeting, FMS, 7 p.m.

D I S T R I C T C A L E N D A R

B S D S C H O O L B O A R D

bethelcelebrates8 OCTOBER 2015BETHEL PRIDE • WWW.BETHELSD.ORG

ABC Day 2015Thousands turn out for 7th annual event