High Quality Instruction and Learning for Every Child, Every Day in Every Classroom

June 2016

Renton School District graduates are ready for the world

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undreds of Renton School District high school students graduated recently with meaningful diplomas and are now entering higher education, the workforce, or the military. Through experiences inside and outside of the classroom, they’ve learned from their teachers and support staff, from parents and family members, and from each other, and are better prepared for a new world of opportunities and challenges.

rigorous and relevant courses to earn class credits to gain the critical knowledge and skills required in today’s workplace; they chose electives of interest to them; they passed countless class, district and state tests, and the SATs; they completed culminating projects to apply their knowledge and skills; they helped in their community to be better, more engaged citizens; and they created a plan to take them beyond high school and into the world.

Students worked through

Congratulations 2016 graduates!

Retiring Renton School District staff members celebrated Nearly three dozen retiring Renton School District staff members were celebrated recently by Renton School Board members, and Superintendent Dr. Art Jarvis. The staff members are teachers, paraeducators, custodians, administrators and others, who have served students, families and the Renton community for a combined 690 years. Some of the teachers and support staff have been with the district for more than 40 years; others for just under a decade. All of the retirees are highly-skilled, compassionate members of the education profession. Retiring staff members in attendance at the celebration and pictured are, back row (l-r): Bill Thomas, Bill Tobias, Paul Scott, Diane Seil, Ruthann Nelson, Cynthia Holmgren, Elbert Moore; front row (l-r): Lorraine Martin, Iris Hardin, Sherry Rutherford

Student-athletes recognized for hard work in the classroom and on the playing field Renton School District student athletes have been recognized by the state’s athletics association for hard work in the classroom and in sports.

higher received the Outstanding

Twenty-five district high school spring sports teams, with dozens of student-athletes, were recently recognized as top teams in the state to excel in sports while also maintaining high combined team grade point averages (GPA). The student-athletes won the

• Six district high school teams

Team Award; teams with a GPA of 3.00-3.49 received the Distinguished Team Award.

received “Outstanding” honors for maintaining a near-perfect 3.5-3.7 GPA. Dairy Farmers of Washington/Les Schwab Tires Scholastic Award presented in association with

the Washington Interscholastic Athletics Association. Teams with a combined GPA of 3.5 or

• Fourteen additional teams also won Distinguished Awards.

Plans for opening new Risdon Middle School continue Vera Risdon (middle in photo), the namesake of the new Risdon Middle School being built in the north end of the district, recently visited the school construction site along with the school’s principal Craig Cooper and Nakisa Salashoor (right), the school’s recently elected PTSA president. The three toured the school and discussed ongoing plans to continue preparing the school for its opening in September, 2017. As construction continues, so too does work to purchase books, curriculum material, and other essential items. Parents are already joining the school’s PTSA, under the direction of PTSA President Nakisa Salashoor, and have already begun paying dues and making donations so that the parent organization is in good position to begin providing teachers with support. If you’d like to join the newly-formed Risdon Middle School PTSA, visit the school’s webpage at www.rentonschools.us/risdon

Work well underway to build new Sartori Elementary School Thanks to overwhelming voter support in the Feb. 2016 school construction levy election, a new, much-needed elementary school is being built at the Sartori Elementary School site, at 315 Garden Ave North, Renton. Because the school is needed now as students and families continue to move into the district, Superintendent Dr. Art Jarvis has placed the construction of the new school on a fast track. Integrus Architecture has been hired to design the school. The school will be designed to allow flexibility for future use, like walls that can be moved to expand or separate some areas to provide additional classrooms. Renton School Board held a study session recently to take a look at the design for the three-story, 650-studentschool. Designers and architects from Integrus,

be designed to allow flexibility for future use; like walls that can be moved to expand some areas or make two classrooms out of one.

using input from teachers, principals and others, showed how the school, playground and field could be configured on the site. The design shows the defining edge of the school positioned along Park

Ave North, with the school bus drop off and parking along Garden Ave. North. The playground would be positioned at the north end of the site, along with a park-like green space. The school will

The school will be a kindergarten-thru-fifthgrade school and could a choice school, meaning that parents from neighborhoods throughout the district could choose to enroll their child in the new school. The school will have flexible learning spaces that can be changed over the years as the needs of students and education changes; and that can be adapted to accommodate new, innovative technologies. Opening of Sartori Elementary School is scheduled for September 2018. (See a slideshow of how the school might be built on the site at www.rentonschools.us.)

High school students design, build and market products: some to be sold at Renton Farmer’s Market Hazen High School students in Jonathan Clark’s Industrial/Construction Technology class, have designed and built wonderful items for sale at the Renton Farmer's Market. Students learned a lot this school year about product design, building, and marketing, and are providing some of their items for sale including wheelbarrow planters, small metal art, garden art, and more. Renton Farmer’s Market is open every Tuesday from June to September, 3-7 p.m., at the Renton Piazza Park, 233 Burnett Ave., South in downtown Renton.

Friends of Renton Schools foundation funds summer enrichment programs Thanks to donations to the Friends of Renton Schools foundation, students in schools throughout the district this summer will again be offered a chance to attend free Summer Science Exploration programs which focus on Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM). The STEM-based classes are designed to engage all learners with varying levels of science background and understanding, preparing them for success in school and beyond. Middle and high school students will attend robotics camps to learn mechanization, engineering, programming, scripting, and

coding, all while working in teams to experiment and create working robots. Elementary and middle school students will attend math and language arts summer programs. All of the classes are taught by Renton’s highly-qualified educators. The learning opportunities are made possible free of charge to children thanks to the generous (and tax-deductible) donations from individuals and businesses from all around the area to the Friends of Renton Schools foundation. Learn more, and make your donation at www. friendsofrentonschools.org.

Taxpayers in Renton School District to pay less next year Renton School District taxpayers will see a reduction in their tax rates next year; with a potential savings of $144 or more per home/per year. Because of the growth within district boundaries (which includes Renton, Bellevue, Newcastle, Kent, Issaquah, and unincorporated King County), there are more business and individuals paying taxes, which results in a decrease in the tax rate for each individual taxpayer. Tax rates next year will drop from the current $5.39 to $4.99 per $1,000 of assessed property value. For the owner of a medianpriced home of $360,000, that’s a savings of $144 per year.

Looking for a great job? Renton School District is hiring: Apply online now at

https://jobs.rentonschools.us

Teaching and non-teaching, full-time positions or part-time substitute positions, with hours that are set or flexible and many do not require a teaching degree. Pay can range up to $17.36 per/hour with great benefits. Current openings include: Bus Driver, Custodian, Food Service/Substitute Cook, Office Assistant, and more.

Renton School District | 300 SW 7th Street, Renton WA 98057 | 425.204.2345 | www.rentonschools.us www.facebook.com/renton.schools | twitter.com/Renton_Schools | www.youtube.com/user/RentonSchoolDistrict