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Announcements |
Washington State College Bound Scholarship Program - Don't Miss Out! |
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| Presently, Washington ranks 32nd nationally in the percentage of low-income students who participate in post-secondary education. Within 10 years, these students will represent one-third of our state's graduating class. Without action, 72% of these 28,000 low-income students currently in seventh grade are unlikely to even aspire to a college education, let alone enroll. Now, thanks to a new state-sponsored scholarship, there is hope and incentive for students who otherwise might not consider college as an option because of their family’s income. This four-year scholarship, in combination with other state aid, can help cover the cost of college tuition, fees and books for low-income students who sign a pledge in seventh or eighth grade. So far, close to 6,000 students from around the state have signed up.
Time is running out! This year’s eighth grade class only has until June 1 to apply!
So, what is the Washington College Bound Scholarship?
It is a four-year scholarship that covers the cost of college tuition, fees and books for low-income students who sign a pledge in 7th or 8th grade promising to graduate from high school and to demonstrate good citizenship. This program provides hope and incentive for students and families who otherwise might not consider college as an option because of its cost.
Who's eligible?
Seventh and eighth grade students from families who qualify for free or reduced-priced lunches may participate. Family income must remain at 65 percent or less of the state’s median income by the time of high school graduation to permit a scholarship award. In addition to meeting the family income requirements, students must also sign and adhere to the pledge mentioned previously. What's the reason for this program?
The intent of the program is simple: it is designed to inspire students to begin making their college and career plans without worrying about the cost of attending college. Our state and our nation have an increasing need for highly-educated and highly-skilled workers. Without intervention, this need will either go unfilled or will be filled with growing numbers of highly educated adults from other nations. So, what's the process for participation?
Washington's Higher Education Coordinating Board (HECB) is administering the College Bound Scholarship Program and has produced a number of helpful documents. An introductory brochure is available and give a nice overview of the program. The have produced an informative document that answers many frequently asked questions. You can also find more information about the program at the HEC Board's website or by calling 1.888.535.0747; additionally, by visiting the HEC Board website, you may apply online. If you would rather mail the application, it can be downloaded here.
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Kindergarten "Round-Up" is Here! |
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 It's time for the 2008 Kindergarten Round-Up! The opportunity to register your child for Kindergarten in Deer Park is coming up on Thursday, May 1, from 9:00 AM to 3:00 PM at Deer Park Elementary. We would love to see as many families at the Round-Up as possible. Please pass this information along to neighbors and friends who have school age children.
Here's some important information you'll need before you come to register for kindergarten:
- Children need to be 5 years old on or before August 31, 2008.
- Please bring your child with you when registering.
- Deer Park Elementary School kindergarten teachers will be doing a short assessment with the children while parents are completing registration forms.
- Please bring proof of immunizations. Call the school nurse for more information on requirements (Tammy Glidewell, Deer Park's head nurse, can be reached at 464.5527).
- Please bring a legal birth certificate (this is not the one with footprints you received at the hospital).
- If you come without proof of immunizations or without a legal birth certificate, your child will not be considered for placement.
- If you do not have a birth certificate you can request one from the state in which your child was born. Please contact the school office (464-5600) for more information about necessary documents.
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DPHS Students Rock the High School Journalism Conference! |
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 What do the sun, Mickey Mouse, and high school journalism students have in common? They all recently converged in Anaheim, California for the JEA/NSPA National High School Journalism Conference. Nine Deer Park students traveled to the OC to attend classes and lectures on writing, interviewing, photography, design and press law.
On Friday, April 18, eight students competed in a two-hour Write-Off competition which tested the students' abilities in copy writing, caption writing and design. They competed against students from across the nation. Three students, all seniors, brought home awards in three different categories. Katie Wheeler received a Superior (the highest rating) for Yearbook Copy and Captions in Academics. Matt Hunter received an Honorable Mention for Newspaper News Writing. Connie Barnett received an Honorable Mention in Newspaper Sports Writing.
This is a big honor for these three students as well as to the Journalism programs (Yearbook & Newspaper) at DPHS. Congratulations Katie, Matt and Connie!
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Congratulations to former School Board Member Larry Barden |
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 On Friday, April 18, Superintendent Mick Miller had the pleasure of presenting former Deer Park School Director Larry Barden with a Northeast Washington Association of School Administrators (NEWASA) community leadership award at the NEWASA awards luncheon.
Larry served on the Deer Park School Board for ten years and during his tenure the district grew from 1650 students to 2300 students. The Home-Link program was established during his board chairmanship and bonds were passed to build the new Deer Park Elementary School, to remodel and expand Deer Park High School, and Arcadia Elementary School and Deer Park Middle School were also remodeled. Further, a new maintenance building was constructed and the Clayton School, which is on the National Historic Register, was restored and is once again being used to educate kids. Students in Deer Park Schools will continue to benefit from his service for years to come.
But the construction and renovation of buildings is not the area in which Larry takes the most pride. He is a firm believer in early childhood education and he pushed hard for the creation of a birth to five program in Deer Park culminating in the county's first all day Kindergarten program.
On behalf of our students and patrons, we thank Larry for his commitment to kids and to the Deer Park Community. |
DPHS Students Take Teen Poetry Slam! |
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|  DPHS students Joseph Engle (1st place) and Shilah Schmidt (3rd place) were a big hit at the Teen Poetry Slam competition held at Spokane's Empyrean Cafe. The Teen Poetry Slam is part of Eastern Washington University's week long Get Lit! Festival. Get Lit!, is the Northwest's festival for readers and writers, and features author presentations and readings, writing workshops and panels, author visits to schools throughout eastern Washington, youth poetry slams, and more.
The poetry competition began with 17 high school students from around the Spokane area dramatically reciting a poem in front of a live audience. Five judges in the audience then gave Olympic-style scores based upon the quality of the poem and the performance. After the first two rounds, Joseph and Shilah had placed in the top five.
As a result of his win, Joseph will read at the festival's main event, “An Evening of Poetry and Jazz.” He will be on stage with such noted professional writers as Guggenheim, NEA, and Richard Hugo award winning poet David Wojahn, Pushcart Prize winning poet Dorianne Laux, poet D. T. Shaw, and jazz bassist Glen Moore. Congratulations to Joseph and Shilah - thanks for helping place Deer Park on Spokane's artistic map! |
Varicella (Chickenpox) Case Confirmed at Deer Park Elementary |
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This week, we learned that a student at Deer Park Elementary has a confirmed case of varicella (chickenpox). We also learned of a case of shingles, which is related to chickenpox. These two students were not in school in the second half of the week, but did attend early in the week. The student with chickenpox does have siblings in other buildings and does ride the bus to and from school. A parent letter and fact sheet were sent home today. Additional information on the illness and vaccination is available from the Department of Health at http://www.doh.wa.gov/cfh/Immunize/diseases/varicella/default.htm or you can contact the Spokane Regional Health District at 324-1600. As always, please feel free to contact our District Office at 464-5500 if you have further questions or concerns.
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WASL Testing Resumes |
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While high school students have already completed the reading and writing portion of the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL), the mathematics and science portions of the test will be given this week. Students at DPHS will test Tuesday through Friday. As with previous WASLs, students must be present on testing days as there is no make up for missed WASLs except the summer testing period (in August). For students in grades 3 - 8, the WASL testing window is April 14 - May 2. Deer Park schools will begin testing on Tuesday, April, 15th in these grades. The testing schedule is reading and math for grade 3; reading, writing and math for grade 4; reading, math and science for grade 5; reading and math for grade 6; reading, writing and math for grade 7 and reading, math and science for grade 8. If you have any questions regarding WASL testing, please call either your building principal, assessment coordinator Travis Hanson (464-5509) or superintendent Mick Miller (464-5507). Have a great week!
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Welcome Back! |
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Spring vacation is history ... and we are still waiting for that sunshine. We hope all of our students and staff had a great break. We look forward to a great final ten weeks of school! |
It's Spring Vacation ... How About Some Sunshine! |
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With an early release on Friday, March 28, the Deer Park School District is on spring vacation! At least students and staff in the buildings are on vacation. The District Office will be open next week and our custodial and maintenance staff will also be working. Each year students and staff really look forward to this vacation as it signifies that summer is just around the corner and that a long winter is behind us. However, this year, that long winter seemingly will not go away! We are hoping that next week brings sunshine, warmer weather and a true taste of spring. Have a terrific vacation. |
Making Up Snow Days - Schools Open on March 21st and June 13th |
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| Superintendent Mick Miller and the Deer Park Board of Directors met recently to make final decisions about school days missed due to the heavy snow accumulations we experienced in January. Based on this meeting, as well as official communication received from OPSI, changes were officially made to the school calendar.
 The school cancellation on January 9th occurred prior to the Governor's proclamation of a State of Emergency and thus, this particular day must be made up. The make up day for the Jan. 9th cancellation will be Friday, June 13 (essentially extending the regular school calendar by one day).
 In addition to the day missed on January 9th, we also missed three days during the officially declared emergency - January 28, 30 and 31. With commencement at Deer Park High School being on June 7, and with state law allowing seniors to graduate up to five days prior to the end of the school year, we need to end the school year on June 13 to avoid changing commencement ceremonies; this left March 21st, a state curriculum day, as the only other day where missed school days could be made up. With this in mind, the school board has decided to use the March 21st curriculum day as the second make up day. Thus, days missed on Jan. 9 and Jan. 28 are being made up on March 21st and June 13th, and the school district has been granted two "waiver days" from OSPI in order to avoid adding days to the school year.
Our hope is that this provides useful information for families as they seek to make future plans. Thanks for your patience and understanding as we worked though this matter...hopefully the last of the snow will disappear soon - it's time for spring!!
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