·        School Board members made several important decisions this week: They gave the go ahead for construction of the new elementary school on the Sammamish Plateau—authorized by voters in 2006—for opening in 2010; they directed the boundary review committee to keep Clark Elementary a neighborhood school during the upcoming boundary process, with the provision that administrators keep a close eye on emerging enrollment numbers in the coming years; and they approved the superintendent’s plan to form a graduation requirements committee as part of the high school “visioning” process.

 

·        Be the first in the (s)know! The temperature outside is a good reminder that winter weather might still cause disruptions this school year. If you have a suspicion that there might be icy conditions in the District, please check one of these information sources before your students leave in the morning: www.schoolreport.org —sign up now to receive the earliest possible alerts via e-mail or phone (this is where the media gets delay/closure notices); the District homepage; your District E-News account—please note that individual school E-News listservs will no longer send out morning closure/delay e-mail notices because of the frequent time delay; your school’s main phone number or the District’s main phone number, 425-837-7000; or your local television and radio stations. Now, think warm thoughts through the rest of winter!

 

·        SAT Readiness Classes sponsored by the I.H.S. PTSA are now open for registration to all high school juniors in the Issaquah School District. Classes emphasize study skills and test taking techniques. Classes start February 25th and run for 6 weeks either after school or in the evening. More information and registration forms are available on the PTSA page of the Issaquah High website: www.issaquahhighptsa.org

 

·        What Is Your Life’s Blueprint? In honor of Martin Luther King Jr. Day, please take a moment to consider how true King’s words to school children remain today:  “Number one in your life's blueprint should be a deep belief in your own dignity, your worth and your own somebodiness. Don't allow anybody to make you feel that you're nobody. Always feel that you count. Always feel that you have worth, and always feel that your life has ultimate significance. Secondly, in your life's blueprint you must have as the basic principle the determination to achieve excellence in your various fields of endeavor. You're going to be deciding as the days, as the years unfold what you will do in life—what your life's work will be. Set out to do it well.”