Class bell ready to ring

Families in South Sound’s three largest school districts – Olympia, Tumwater and North Thurston – will be greeted with a host of changes Wednesday as students head back to the classroom.

They include:

A new schools superintendent in Tumwater: Mike Kirby took the helm of the Tumwater School District on July 1, replacing Terry Borden, who retired after working in the district for nearly 25 years.

Kirby, former assistant superintendent in the Richland School District, said one of his goals in the coming months is “to get to know people, and let them get to know me.”

And one of his first big projects is overseeing a lengthy, strategic planning process for the 6,475-student district.

But don’t expect any immediate major shakeups; Kirby said he plans to bring consistency to the district and continue Borden’s work.

“I agree with the major initiatives that are going on in the district,” Kirby said. “… There’s not going to be any radical changes in what I’ll be doing.”

A different teaching approach in Olympia: Graduation rates and state and national test scores are ways to measure student success.

But what can schools do to improve those numbers?

In the 9,200-student Olympia School District, officials hope the “differentiated instruction” method is the answer.

“The idea is to get everyone to a certain level at the end of the year, even if they come in with different levels at the beginning of the year,” district spokesman Peter Rex said.

Differentiated instruction is built on the concept that kids learn in different ways and at different rates, according to Nancy Faaren, the district assistant superintendent for teaching and learning.

It’s about assessing students on their skills and using a teaching method that will work for them. For some, it might be independent work. For others, it might mean studying about a topic in a small group or using some hands-on learning tools.

“The focus is on the learner, not the teacher,” Faaren said. “The goal is that all students are learning.”

And while some educators have used differentiated instruction for years, district officials will provide training and encourage all teachers to incorporate it into their classrooms, Faaren said.

A new math program in Tumwater: New curriculum is expensive and can be controversial, which is why the Tumwater School District spent most of last year working with parents, teachers and administrators to find a new program for kindergarten through fifth grade.

The district adopted the Bridges in Mathematics program, which is published by the Math Learning Center of Oregon. In addition to textbooks, the program uses manipulatives and paper-based work for students. The cost of new materials was about $250,000, and it replaces a program called Math Central, which was purchased about 12 years ago, according to Sue Anderson, supervisor of curriculum and professional development in the Tumwater School District.

The publisher offered two days of teacher training on the new materials.

The district also appointed two teachers to work as “math coaches” throughout the year, to help teachers get the most out of the new curriculum.

“They’ll be available all year long to teach side by side and look at student work,” Anderson said.

Major changes in curriculum often result in a dip in the first year of test scores as teachers and families experience a learning curve with new materials.

“This first year will be all about getting our feet wet with the new materials,” Anderson said.

Still, teachers are excited about the new program, she said.

“When you have the same text for 12 years, you get a little tired of it,” Anderson added. “They’re ready to dig into something new and try some new approaches.”

More full-time kindergarten slots in North Thurston: Federal stimulus dollars opened more spots for families seeking full-time kindergarten in North Thurston Public Schools, district spokeswoman Courtney Schrieve said.

Two years ago, the 13,700-student district offered two tuition-based kindergarten programs. This year, the district will offer full-day, daily kindergarten programs at each of its 13 elementary schools.

Six of the schools will offer tuition-free programs because of Title I funding (an indication of high poverty levels at those schools). The other seven schools will offer optional full-day tuition-based programs.

Students in full-time kindergarten programs traditionally tackle the same reading, math, writing and social skills that are offered in state-funded half-time programs. But the students have more time to work on all of the lessons.

“It’s a little more of a relaxed pace, a little bit more of a relaxed atmosphere,” said Jana Brock, a full-time kindergarten teacher at Woodland Elementary School in Lacey.

“The full-day kids have more time to come together as a community. They have more time to build social relationships,” she said.

Full-time kindergarten programs also are popular because that extra time in the classroom often translates into higher skill levels.

Brock said that by the end of last year, 95 percent of her full-time kindergartners were reading at an end-of-first-grade level, which was much higher than what many of the half-time kindergartners were tested at.

Construction projects under way: A two-year remodeling project at Chinook Middle School in Lacey is expected to be finished by January, according to North Thurston Public Schools officials.

The $18 million remodeling included the construction of modular buildings for classrooms, seismic improvements, and electrical and heating upgrades. It was part of a slew of capital projects paid for with the district’s $112 million construction bond that passed in 2006.

Meantime, in the Olympia School District, crews spent the summer retrofitting the snow-damaged roof at Capital High School. The project, which is being paid for with insurance money, is expected to cost about $8 million and be finished next summer.

Crews also worked on reconfiguring the pick-up and drop-off areas at Roosevelt Elementary School and fixing a leaky roof at the Olympia Regional Learning Academy, Rex said.

An abundance of principal changes: A couple of retirements and promotions created a shuffle of South Sound principals and other administrators.

For example, Randy Weeks, the new principal at Pioneer Elementary School in Olympia, hails from Mountain View Elementary School in Lacey, where he was the principal for four years. Chris Woods, the former Pioneer principal, is moving to Capital High School, his alma mater. He replaces Faaren, who was appointed assistant superintendent of teaching and learning after Kevin Evoy retired.

In North Thurston Public Schools, Kurt Hatch, the former principal at Sunset Primary School in University Place, was hired as principal at Mountain View Elementary School. And Kate Cook, the former assistant principal and dean of students at Marshall Middle School in Olympia, will be the new principal at South Bay Elementary School.

Nate Grygorcewicz was named assistant principal at Komachin Middle School, replacing Gary Benton, who retires this year. Grygorcewicz was an assistant principal at Tenino Middle School and taught in Shelton and Tumwater schools.

In addition, Michael Smith and Mark Vandenhazel are the new assistant principals at River Ridge High School, replacing Eddie George and Mark Kilcup, who are moving to other school districts. Smith recently completed an administrative internship at Fort Vancouver High School; Vandenhazel is the former principal of Hoquiam High School and previously worked in the Yelm and Tumwater districts.

In the Tumwater School District, Shannon Leatherwood, a former administrator in the Orting School District, is the new principal at Michael T. Simmons Elementary School. She replaces Trisha Smith, who was named superintendent of the Napavine School District.

SCHOOL DISTRICT INFORMATION

Griffin School District
Estimated student population: 650.
School starts: Wednesday.
School ends: June 20.
Website: www.griffin.k12.wa.us.
Phone number: 360-866-2515.

Mary M. Knight School District
Estimated student population: 195.
School started: Tuesday.
School ends: June 10.
Website: mary.wa.schoolwebpages.com.
Phone number: 360-426-6767.

North Thurston Public Schools
Estimated student population: 13,700.
School starts: Wednesday.
School ends: June 21.
Website: www.nthurston.k12.wa.us.
Phone number: 360-412-4400.

Olympia School District
Estimated student population: 9,200.
School starts: Wednesday.
School ends: June 20.
Website: www.osd.wednet.edu.
Phone number: 360-596-6100.

Rainier School District
Estimated student population: 913.
School began: Wednesday.
School ends: June 14.
Website: www.rainier.wednet.edu.
Phone number: 360-446-2207.

Rochester School District
Estimated student population: 2,300.
School began: Wednesday.
School ends: June 16.
Website: www.rochester.wednet.edu.
Phone number: 360-273-5536.

Shelton School District
Estimated student population: 4,100.
School starts: Tuesday.
School ends: June 17.
Website: www.sheltonschools.org.
Phone number: 360-426-1687.

Tumwater School District
Estimated student population: 6,475.
School starts: Wednesday for grades 1-12; Sept. 13 for preschool and kindergarten.
School ends: June 16.
Website: www.tumwater.k12.wa.us.
Phone number: 360-709-7000.

Yelm Public Schools
Estimated student population: 5,400.
School starts: Tuesday.
School ends: June 16.
Website: www.ycs.wednet.edu.
Phone number: 360-458-1900.

Sources: Individual school districts and the state Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction.