February 2010

Seattle Public Schools is now evaluating the Feb. 4 decision by King County Superior Court Judge Julie A. Spector regarding the District’s adoption of the Discovering Series math curriculum. The judge concluded that the Seattle School Board had insufficient evidence to make its May 6, 2009 decision to adopt the math curriculum, and has sent the decision back to the Board for further consideration.

This is a very surprising decision, and the District is now evaluating its next steps. Seattle Public Schools followed an extensive process in adopting these materials, which were thoroughly vetted by a diverse group including mathematicians and teaching professionals.

In addition to any action the School Board may take, the district expects to appeal this decision.

Our job as professionals is to ensure that learning and teaching goes on for all of our students. We have an adopted math curriculum, a program of professional development and instructional materials that we will continue to use as we fulfill our obligation to advance our students’ math education.

For more information, please contact Patti Spencer, 252-0204.

Room 15, Layfayette 1st grade teacher for 23 years passed away Thursday, January 28, 2010, at the age of 96. She taught her students not only reading, writing and arithmetic, but also helped build character in the children she so loved. She was preceded in death by her husband, Mel "Whitey" Munsen, a plastering contractor in West Seattle.

Her many students, friends and parents are encouraged to attend her services. Rosary will be at Howden Kennedy Funeral Home on Monday, February 8th at 7pm and the mass of the Christian Burial will be the following day at Our Lady of Guadeloupe Church @ 10:00 am, followed by a reception in the church hall, during which a celebration of her life with pictures will be shown.

She is survived by her three daughters, Kay Trepanier, Peggy Munsen and Mary Munsen, one sister, 7 grandchildren, 7 great grandchildren and three great great grandchildren.

Here is her official obituary notice:

The Lord, Jesus Christ, enfolded his arms around his daughter, Margaret Purvis Munsen, on Thursday, January 28, 2010 and carried her to Heaven. She was 96 years old.

By Sarah Gardner

“How can you know what is right for the world?
By knowing what is right for your own life.” – Tao Teh Ching

If you or a loved one experience feelings of depression for short or long periods of time, you are familiar with its oppressively heavy cloak.

Studies show that 9.5 percent of Americans 18 and older are diagnosed with depression and 27 million are prescribed medication for their symptoms.

These medications for depression are, by design, short-term remedies which mask – not cure – symptoms, create dependency, withdrawal symptoms, adverse side effects, new illnesses and have an 80 percent relapse rate.

Add to this the fact that depression often goes undiagnosed in a culture where a state of discontent is often the accepted norm, and we start to see that it is time to look at other ways to understand and treat depression.

As a practitioner who sees clients with symptoms of depression, it would not be my wish to take the medications away.

The Ballard High School girls basketball team, looking for its first win since Jan. 8, found itself on the wrong end of an 82-55 blowout at Redmond High School Feb. 3.

Ballard was down by 11 points after the first quarter. By halftime, the deficit was 23.

Ballard coach C.J. Sealey said her team had one of its better games of the season offensively, but Redmond didn't seem to miss a shot.

"Teams always seem to have their best games against us," Sealey said. "I don't know why that is."

The 27-point loss was the Beavers' seventh in a row and ties their worst loss of the season.

Redmond's 82 points, the most given up by Ballard this season, helped the team break its own three-game skid.

Senior Kayla Wenger led the Beavers with 17 points. Junior Theresa Moriarty had 12.

With three games remaining, Ballard has dropped to 1-12 in KingCo and 3-14 overall.

Sealey said the team is going to keep working on defense and playing hard to finish out the season, and hopefully that will result in a win.

She said the girls on her team continue to have a great attitude despite the losses.

Banh mi thit heo Nuong - That's Vietnamese for "the best meal in Federal Way under $5."

Actually, it describes the extremely tasty Vietnamese style BBQ Pork sandwich on the menu at Mama's Kitchen.

For those of us still dabbling in Vietnamese cuisine, banh mi takes everything we love about Pho (sans broth) and nestles it in a loaf of fresh french bread.

Picture fresh cucumber, carrot and Thai basil paired with tangy barbecued pork; all stuffed in a sizable sandwich that makes one of those mega-chain "five-dollar-foot-longs" seem overpriced.

Add to that fresh slices of jalapeno pepper and a small (I repeat, small) squirt of the spicy chili sauce, and you have before you a wallet-friendly meal with enough zing to get you through the afternoon.

Mama's kitchen serves banh mi sandwiches with a variety of different fillings (including a tofu vegetarian option) for $2.75.

That's right, I didn't leave out a digit.

The tiny price for a big sandwich left me enough change from my Lincoln to order the deep-fried egg rolls. The dipping sauce for the egg rolls goes great with the sandwich, too.

On February 3rd, at approximately 9:50 pm, Southwest Precinct officers responded to a collision between a pedestrian and a Metro bus at California Avenue Southwest and Fauntleroy Way.

The pedestrian, a 29 year old female, sustained life-threatening injuries and was transported to Harborview Medical Center.

The driver was interviewed by police and cooperated with investigators. The Traffic Collision Investigation Squad responded to the scene and will be responsible for the follow up investigation.

This month, February, is the month when you can make choices about your children’s future in Federal Way Schools. There are some good choices that can be made.

Remember, “That you can get an excellent education in the Federal Way School District!” Please note that I did not say, “You will get an excellent education in the Federal Way School District!” There is a difference and I don’t think that too many, who have not made some choices, are likely to be getting “An excellent education in the Federal Way Schools.”

This week we learned that Microsoft now can only find 1% of its new hires in this state, down from 8% and that Washington is 2nd in the nation in engineering jobs available and 2nd from the last in engineer graduates from colleges.

Evidently many students are following the path suggested by the President of the University of Washington who suggested that most kids in this state are “Preparing to be washing the cars of the educated!”

Choices are, in my mind, very important.

What are these choices?

It is rare that a community has the opportunity to feel the pride of sending one of their own to compete on the world stage of the Winter Olympics. Federal Way is blessed, we have a couple of Olympic Short Track Speed Skating competitors representing the USA, Washington State and the City of Federal Way.

Apolo Ohno has been to the Olympics, went to school in Federal Way with my kids (so we know of Apolo’s early life), started skating at Pattison’s West and now claims Seattle as home.

J.R. Celski is the son of Bob and Sue Celski both graduates of Federal Way High School class of 1974. Bob played football and Sue was a cheerleader.

Both have supported and sacrificed beyond belief for J.R.’s quest and road to the Olympics. Bob recovered from a broken back suffered in a football game only to come back and play with more determination.

J.R. too has come back from a horrific accident suffered at the Olympic trials in September 2009 and is strong and ready.

Living across the street and attending Sherwood Forest Elementary and following his brothers through Illahee Middle School, J.R. Celski claims the City of Federal Way as home.

The driver of a car that was rear-ended by a pickup truck at a Top Hat intersection died at Harborview Medical Center in Seattle on Wednesday.
The driver was taken to the hospital early morning in critical condition.

The collision occurred around 6:45 a.m., Wednesday morning. A compact car and a pickup truck were stopped at a traffic signal at First Avenue South and South 112th Street. Sheriff's deputies said another pickup then smashed into the other two vehicles.
The other two drivers and a passenger with minor injuries were taken to local hospitals.

First Avenue in the North Highline area was closed for five hours during the morning commute.