Better test scores pay off for three area schools

Meeting the needs of all students is the common focus at Cooper Elementary School.

“We take the assessment data that we get back on our kids throughout the year to see how we intervene in a way that’s meaningful and helpful,” Principal Michael Cosgrove said.

That way of thinking seems to have paid off for Cooper and three other Spokane schools.

Cooper, Arlington and Whitman elementary schools and Shaw Middle School – All Title I Distinguished Schools – were recently awarded Academic Achievement Awards from the state Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction for improving student learning.

The achievement awards are given to those Title I schools in Washington that met adequate yearly progress for the most recent three consecutive years in mathematics or reading, or both.

Cooper and Arlington elementary schools, both in northeast Spokane, each received $20,000. Both schools were given the awards for improvements in reading and math scores on the state WASL test. At Cooper, 84 percent of fourth-grade students met standard on the math WASL last year, compared with a 59-percent statewide average. More than 60 percent of Arlington’s students passed the math portion of the test.

Shaw Middle School and Whitman Elementary School, also in northeast Spokane, each received $10,000 for achievement in math.

The money likely will be used for the professional development of teachers.

“The better prepared teachers are to deliver instruction in the classroom, the better our students do,” Cosgrove said.

Title I is part of the federal No Child Left Behind Act and designed to give disadvantaged children equitable access to a high-quality education, school officials said.

Spaghetti at Salk

Salk Middle School will host its 12th annual spaghetti feed and silent auction Tuesday to benefit the school’s music department.

The event will be from 5:30 to 8:30 p.m. in the school cafeteria, 6411 N. Alberta St. Spaghetti dinner will be served at 5:30 and 6:30 p.m., followed by the auction.

The fundraiser is the largest of the year for the northwest Spokane school’s music program, helping to pay for trips, music, uniforms and other items not covered by district funds, Bryan Bogue, the director of band and strings at the school, said in a news release.

APPLE and Montessori

Families interested in enrolling their elementary-aged child in Spokane Public Schools’ APPLE or Montessori programs must attend orientation meetings scheduled for next month.

APPLE, or Alternative Parent Participate Learning Experience, is a parent-cooperate program that requires parents to volunteer at least 90 hours of their time at school. It is open to any student in grades one through six, and is offered at Garfield and Franklin Elementary schools.

Montessori programs for students in grades one through six are offered at Balboa and Jefferson elementary schools. Students do not need to live in the attendance boundaries of the schools to be eligible for either program.

The meetings will be as follows:

“Montessori

Feb. 21 – 7 p.m. at Balboa Elementary, 3010 W. Holyoke Ave.

Feb. 27 – 7 p.m. at Jefferson Elementary, 3612 S. Grand Blvd.

“APPLE

Feb. 22 – 7 p.m. at Garfield Elementary, 222 W. Knox Ave.

Feb. 26 – 7 p.m. at Franklin Elementary, 2627 E. 17th Ave.

For more information about either program, call (509) 354-7365.

St. George’s open house

St. George’s School will host an all-school open house Monday from 9 a.m. to noon for parents and students in grades kindergarten through 12 interested in learning more about the private school.

Spokane students will be out of school Monday, but classes will be in session at St. George’s.

Student-led tours will leave every half hour beginning at 9 a.m. from the historical Davenport House on the school grounds, 2929 W. Waikiki Road.

The school is asking anyone interested in attending the open house to RSVP to the admission office, (509) 323-0400, exts. 204 or 325, or by e-mail to Debbie.duvoisin@sgs.org. A map and directions to the school grounds are available at the school’s Web site, www.sgs.org.