Fife Public Schools » District News

Congratulations to Our New National Board Certified Teachers!

Elaine Smith — Mon, 23 Nov 2009 19:21:15 +0000

We’d like to congratulate five of our teaching staff on receiving word last week that they had achieved National Board Certification from the National Board for Professional Teaching Standards.

Leanna Aker – CJH Science Teacher, Nadine Baxter – SLMS Art Teacher, Laura Nixon – Hedden 5th Grade Teacher, Phil Moseley – CJH Science Teacher, and Ed Scheidt – CJH Language Arts Teacher completed a year of rigorous study and reflection on their teaching practices.

After compiling a portfolio of evidence to show proficiency in a series of standards, teachers attempting this high level of certification must then pass a very difficult written examination.

From the NBPTS website:

The National Board for Professional Teaching Standards improves teaching and student learning.National Board Certified Teachers are highly accomplished educators who meet high and rigorous standards.

Like board-certified doctors and accountants, teachers who achieve National Board Certification have met rigorous standards through intensive study, expert evaluation, self-assessment and peer review.NBPTS offers 25 certificates that cover a variety of subject areas and student developmental levels.

In a congressionally-mandated study, National Board Certification was recently recognized by the National Research Council as having a positive impact on student achievement, teacher retention, and professional development.

Since 1987 nearly 74,000 teachers have achieved National Board Certification. These teachers prepare America’s diverse student population with the skills it needs to compete in the 21st century workplace.

Congratulations to Mrs. Aker, Mrs. Baxter, Mrs. Nixon, Mr. Moseley, and Mr. Scheidt. We are proud of you and this very impressive accomplishment!

FHS Senior Signs Letter of Intent

Elaine Smith — Tue, 17 Nov 2009 19:06:12 +0000

Congratulations to FHS Senior, Cameron Booser, who recently signed a letter of intent to play baseball for the Oregon State Beavers. FHS Athletic Director, Amanda Fox, held a ceremony with Cameron’s family, coaches, and other guests to celebrate the first Division I baseball scholarship in FHS’s history. Cameron has played baseball the past two seasons at FHS and holds the team’s record for strike/walk ratio. He was selected the Nisqually League’s Most Valuable Player last season.

“Cam has been a great leader on the field for the Fife Baseball Team. He is a great competitor and works hard on the little details of the game. I’m excited for his Senior season and his future at OSU.” — Shane Nixon, FHS Head Baseball Coach

Thank You Rex Sutherland for 9 Years of Service

Elaine Smith — Tue, 03 Nov 2009 22:17:28 +0000

Today’s blog post comes from our superintendent, Dr. Steve McCammon:

At our most recent school board meeting I had the honor of recognizing Rex Sutherland for nine years of dedicated service on the Fife School Board. Rex is leaving the board due to his relocation within the school district. Rex served as board president for several years and was in fact a member of the board that offered me this position over nine years ago. I take this additional opportunity to thank him for his leadership in times that have not always been easy as we have continued to weather the post 9/11 funding crisis that has impacted all school districts across our state and nation. Rex was integral in helping us to maintain a solid fund balance in lean times, enviable class sizes, as well as serving during a time when Fife became a national leader in our Standard Bearer school reform effort. His guidance on the completion of our Columbia Junior High School project as well as the agreement to build our turf field at SLMS was invaluable. He will be missed and I hope you will join me in thanking him for his selfless dedication to the students and staff of our fine school district.

District Walkthroughs

Elaine Smith — Mon, 19 Oct 2009 20:28:32 +0000

Several times a year, Dr. McCammon invites district leaders to “walk through” each of our six buildings looking for evidence of high quality student work. Each walk through begins with a conversation with that building’s principal, Dr. McCammon, and the other leaders who will be touring the school. The team then walks through the halls of the school examining the work posted along with the description of the work the teacher has posted. This description, Walls That Teach, appears alongside the work so that viewers can understand the key concepts for learning, the design of the work, and how students felt about doing that work. The walkthrough then ends with a debrief, led by Dr. McCammon, about what was seen and learned.

Here our a few pictures from the first walkthroughs conducted this year:

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Congratulations Dr. Mark Knight!

Elaine Smith — Wed, 07 Oct 2009 18:55:07 +0000

We are proud to announce that FHS Principal, Mark Knight, has been awarded his education doctorate by the University of Washington! Dr. Knight defended his dissertation, ““The Use of Student Voice to Inform Communities of Practice in the Lesson Design Process: Conclusions for System Leaders Seeking to Increase Student Engagement,” this morning. Dr. Knight has been participating in the Leadership for Learning Program through the UW Center for Educational Leadership. Please join us in congratulating Dr. Knight by leaving a comment below.

WOW Refrigerator Updated

Elaine Smith — Tue, 15 Sep 2009 17:19:17 +0000

The WOW Refrigerator has been updated for this first time this fall. It is currently displaying some great examples of student work from Miss Carly Grab’s fourth grade classroom. Miss Grab’s students have created some great recipes for having a successful learning experience this year. Head to the WOW Refrigerator to read a few of their ideas and you’ll be inspired to be successful, too!

Follow Dr. McCammon on Twitter!

Elaine Smith — Tue, 01 Sep 2009 21:59:47 +0000

Dr. McCammon has embarked on a new way of communicating district news through the eyes of the superintendent. He has joined the world of Twitter. To receive his updates, simply follow this link and sign up to follow his Twitter feed. You can either follow his tweets (individual posts) via your computer or by receiving text messages via your cell phone. We invite you to join in the fun!

We’re Getting Ready for You!

Elaine Smith — Mon, 24 Aug 2009 22:14:25 +0000

All across the district you can see signs that the first day of school is fast approaching! The Fife Public Schools staff and student leaders are busy preparing and getting ready for another great year. School begins on September 2; check www.fifeschools.com for a variety of back to school information such as lunch menus, bus routes/times, and the school hours of each building.

Make a Smilebox scrapbook

District Art Show Fabulous Success!

Elaine Smith — Thu, 28 May 2009 16:50:06 +0000

The CJH LIbrary was packed with artists, teachers, and proud families/friends on the evening of May 27 at the annual district art show. Kudos to district art teachers Kendra Danielson, Nadine Baxter, Melissa Brownell, and Kelli Loomis for once again putting together such a tremendous showcase of student work.

Enjoy this slideshow of pictures taken at the show and then leave the students and teachers a comment with your reactions/thoughts!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Fife Teachers are Fabulous

Elaine Smith — Mon, 04 May 2009 19:04:34 +0000

“A teacher affects eternity; he can never tell where his influence stops. ”
Henry Adams

The week of May 4-8 is designated as National Teacher Appreciation Week. We not only appreciate the fabulous teaching staff throughout our district but are grateful for the amazing work they do each and every day. Please leave them a message of encouragement and thanks; we believe we truly have the best of the best right here in Fife Public Schools!