International Baccalaureate at Birchwood Elementary

After reopening in the fall, the staff at Birchwood Elementary school intends to pursue the authorization of Birchwood as an International Baccalaureate World School. Rob McElroy, an Executive Administrator on Special Assignment for the district, said that Birchwood will most likely begin the process but submitting a letter of intent to the organization in the fall. Matthew Whitten, the new Birchwood principal, expressed his interest in the program by saying “exploring International Baccalaureate is something that I really value and as a parent would want for my kid.”

            According to McElroy, “The International Baccalaureate Organization is a non-profit organization supporting a worldwide network of schools that make application to deliver one of their programs.” The organization offers a Primary Years Program, a Middle Years Program, and a Diploma program, which can also be supplemented with a Career-related Certificate.

            Birchwood, as an elementary school, will be looking to implement the Primary Years Program, which is for children ages 3 to 12. Before working at the district office, McElroy was the principal at Wade King Elementary, which was the first elementary school in Washington State to offer the Primary Years Program.

Since then, Northern Heights Elementary, also in the Bellingham School District, has become an authorized International Baccalaureate school with the same program, making them the only two elementary schools in the state. According to McElroy, two more elementary schools in the district, Alderwood and Carl Cozier, have been accepted as candidate schools by the organization.

According to McElroy, the authorization process starts with a school doing a feasibility study to learn more about the program and how it will fit into the school. Then a letter of intent must be submitted to the International Baccalaureate Organization. To become a candidate school, the staff must begin to implement some elements of the program, then fill out what the organization calls Application A, to show their commitment to the program and demonstrate what elements have already been put in place.

In order to fill out Application B, the candidate school must more thoroughly incorporate the elements of their selected program. International Baccalaureate will then send a consultant to assess the progress and give further recommendations. This process continues for one to two years until the staff feels they are ready for authorization.

After submission of Application B, a team from the organization will visit for a couple of days to observe classes and talk to the community and administration. The team will then send a recommendation back to the organization about whether a school should be authorized, and the International Baccalaureate Organization will make the final decision. McElroy said that from the feasibility study to authorization, the whole process usually takes two to three years.

Part of the implementation process is making sure the school has alignment with the International Baccalaureate vision, and “their vision is really developing whole kids who will make contributions a better and more peaceful world, so it’s a rigorous curriculum,” said McElroy.

The curriculum, according Whitten, is “really about developing a program of inquiry” Every grade has different curriculum, so “basically each grade level has different units of inquiry, focused on different themes,” added Whitten.

Carolyn Hinshaw, one of the new teachers that will be joining the Birchwood staff, said that “students get a chance to do high leave questioning and thinking. They explore their world in a multi-discipline, non-art, integrated way.” McElroy explained that this trans disciplinary curriculum is organized into investigating important central ideas instead of subjects, such as writing, math, reading and science, investigated individually.

The International Baccalaureate program emphasizes student action, “so teachers at IB schools support kids in taking action based on their new learning,” said McElroy. Another important aspect of the program is character development, which is demonstrated through a learner profile.

A learner profile is a set of ten attributes that exemplify an “internationally minded individual,” according to McElroy. Some of these attributes include open-minded, risk-taker, and being principled.

“They’re really attributes about people who are world changers, people who make contributions to a better more peaceful world,” McElroy added. “So they’re not attributes of CEOs or presidents of the United States.”

Yet another element of the program is the second language portion of the program. Students at International Baccalaureate schools are required to be taught a second language, “whether it’s teaching a class or whether the school is doing some form of language immersion,” said McElroy. The purpose of this portion is not just to gain an additional skill, “but it’s also helping kids understand a culture that’s significantly different than their own,” said McElroy. “That’s part of the international mindedness we’re trying to develop in kids.”

McElroy has seen first-hand from being the principal of an International Baccalaureate school the effect this program has on students. “They’re more inquiring, they’re curious, they’re feeling confident about their ability to ask questions and do research, so they’ve got better research and communication skills,” said McElroy. The students know longer wonder what the point of learning a subject is or how they’re ever going to use it in life “because they see really relevance with what they’re learning,” said McElroy.

The direction of this program is to prepare children for the world they will inherit. “Most of our problems that we need to problem solve around transcend borders,” said McElroy. “They’ve got to be world citizens too.”

Some of the problems, according to McElroy, that the children of today will inherit are sharing the planet, environmental issues, and how to problem solve around technology, among other issues. So children participating in this program will be “exploring a central idea and asking their questions about that central idea in a formal, structured way, finding out, presenting their findings, and then taking action,” explained McElroy.

The Birchwood staff has already begun the process to becoming an International Baccalaureate school. While they have to be a fully operational school in order to send a letter of intent, Whitten has confirmed that the staff that has been hired has already engaged in training for the style of teaching the program requires.

Most of the cost that comes with the program comes from the hiring of the correct staff. Since the school is reopening it is a process of reallocation staff, and making sure they acquire a world language teacher to teach the second language portion. They must also be prepared to support a part-time International Baccalaureate coordinator when the time comes for the evaluation of the implementation of the program.

Once the school is authorized, there will be an annual fee of $8 thousand, which pays for International Baccalaureate consultants and an online curriculum center. McElroy said that a small portion will be paid at the district level, but that the largest cost for the school will be the staffing portion.

Birchwood Elementary School Preschool

Birchwood Elementary School will be introducing a new preschool program when it reopens in the fall. There is a potential for two programs: one developmental program, and possibly a community partner program.

The developmental program will definitely be incorporated in the fall with the opening of the rest of the school, and Matthew Whitten, the Birchwood’s new principal, said he is 99 percent sure that the school will be getting a community partner program, but it is unclear which community partner will be established.

            The developmental preschool is a special education program that Whitten said has been planned since the designing phase of the building. Kristi Dominguez, the Early Childhood Education Coordinator for the school district, confirmed that Birchwood is just the first school to open under the district’s Bellingham Promise.

            The Bellingham Promise is a strategic plan created by Bellingham Public Schools to ensure the commitment to the children of Bellingham’s education and well-being. The Promise states that this will be achieved through innovation and flexibility, early childhood education, a one schoolhouse approach, and student, family, and community engagement.

So the decision to add a preschool to the new school was not the work of an individual. It was a group decision that involved the district’s Special Education Department, the district’s Preschool Review Advisory Group, the Early Childhood Education Department, with supervision by the superintendent, Greg Baker. Whitten said that while the superintendent was not part of the early decision-making but “may ultimately approve the decision.”

Of the Special Education Department, Whitten said that the director, Michael Haberman, had a lot of voice in making the decision for the addition of a preschool. Their department’s goal is to establish a language-based curriculum and provide services for children with disabilities in general education.

Haberman is also Co-Chair of the Preschool Review Advisory Group, along with Dominguez. This group’s goal is to review current preschools in the school district, develop plans for high-quality preschools, and more specifically make recommendations for the fall of this year and attempt to expand preschools through the district’s new schools over the next 3 to 5 years.

One specific task the group has done is give feedback on the configuration and layout plan for the Birchwood classroom when Whitten presented them with a design plan during one of their meetings.   

While Whitten was not part of the decision-making process of agreeing on the addition of the preschool, since that was before he was added to the project, he has made some changes since.

            When it became clear that there was going to be two preschool programs, and that the school needed an extra classroom, Whitten said “we adjusted the cabinetry heights to make sure that they were appropriate for preschool.”

Whitten also mentioned other smaller, organizational considerations, such as bathrooms, “which aren’t common to all the other classrooms so they have their own space.” There also has to be specialized transport for the students so they don’t have to walk long distances to and from the normal bus loading area. Whitten also posed the question of how to serve food in the classrooms since other grades will be eating in a cafeteria.

Dominguez also added that adding an appropriate preschool playground is one of the next steps in the project. The idea is to have a “2 to 5-year-old preschool outdoor play space so that they can go and climb and develop their growth motor skills,” said Dominguez. This playground will be separate than that of the main elementary schools playground, but Dominguez said that children will be able to access both.

            There will be requirements for admission into the developmental preschool. In order to be admitted, children ages 3 to 4 would be screened by “varied specialists like a school psychologist…an occupational or physical therapist, or speech and language pathologist,” said Whitten. If the child was found to have a disability, they would qualify for the developmental pre-k and would be admitted into the program.

            Dominguez added that each student will also need an IEP. An IEP is an Individualized Education Program that a child receives after such a screening. This is an individualized document that will assist the educators in the preschool in improving development and educational results of the child.

For the developmental preschool, there is no cap on the amount of children admitted into the program. “It’s more of a district-wide program so they place kids trying to be geographically smart so kids that are near Birchwood would mostly likely attend the Birchwood pre-k,” said Whitten. But the normal teacher to student ratio is 3 to 10, so when a classroom fills up the district will spread the students to different schools.

When talking about the curriculum involved in a developmental preschool, Dominguez said “We have core beliefs that play is a foundation and a piece that’s part of everyday so every day you would see children engaging in meaningful and intentional play.” She also added that the children will be learning reading, writing, math, and science just like in any other preschool.

            Each community partner program, such as Opportunity Council or Whatcom Community College, has different qualifications. A community partner program is when a school will provide the space for a preschool, and the partner will “provide a preschool in that site and the preschool becomes part of the school but its run by the organization that put it there,” said Dominguez.

One example of a qualification given by Whitten was family income level: “a family with less resources would be able to qualify potentially for a Head Start program.” Head Start is a federally funded program that aids in the education of children from low-income families, and is just one of many possible community partners.

            According to Whitten, the three supervising adults that would be in the classroom will consist of one certificated preschool teacher with a special education background, and two instructional assistants. Whitten said that “staffing decisions in the preschool haven’t been finalized yet.”

The addition of the preschool so far has had good reception. Kelly Morgan, neighborhood resident, parent, and teacher said “I am especially excited about the potential for a preschool program of some kind on campus if that bears itself out.”

Dominguez said one of the things that need to happen before the preschool opens is the need to redistribute families. “We’ve been working with families as boundary changes go into effect as to who will go to Birchwood,” Dominguez said.

The school also has to buy supplies for the preschool, which is anything “from desks to chairs to a dollhouse to home furniture that you’re going to want in a high quality learning environment,” said Dominguez.

The school district has other developmental preschool programs in Geneva, Happy Valley, Northern Heights, and Sunnyland elementary schools, according to Whitten.  The district is also providing space for community partner programs in Carl Cozier, Roosevelt, Alderwood, Silver Beach, and Sunnyland elementary schools, according to Dominguez.

These programs are all part of the expansion of high quality preschools in the district promoted by the Preschool Review Advisory Group. But Dominguez said that “It’s bigger than our school district, it’s about the community of Bellingham and asking ourselves how do we provide opportunities for all children who want it to have a high quality early learning program.”

New Birchwood Elementary School Principal

Matthew Whitten has been announced as the new Birchwood Elementary School’s principal. He has been part of the project since January of this year. Whitten, who grew up in Kent, Wash., is 36 years old and married to Sarah Whitten. They have two kids, Lena, a 5-year-old, and Elison, who is 2 years old.

Whitten is currently the principal at Geneva Elementary, and has been there since the fall of 2010. Before becoming the principal at Geneva, Whitten was the principal of Concrete Elementary, a K-8 school in Concrete, Wash. He was a Physical Education teacher before starting his principal career. He has been teaching for 14 years.

Whitten is now attempting to connect with his new community of Birchwood before school starts in the fall. He’s been meeting with various groups in the community including the Birchwood PTA and the Birchwood Neighborhood Association, and has noticed a general excitement as opening day gets closer.

He’s also been attending weekly site meetings at the school’s construction site, working with the architect and contractor and adding his voice to the design. By doing this, Whitten said that he’s making sure to implement “what’s going to be the best for our kids and our specific programs.”

Most of his involvement in the project has been centered on ensuring that the school has all necessary furniture and supplies, and even adjusting cabinet heights in two classrooms to accommodate for the new preschool program.

He also mentioned little things that have to be decided such as “how are we going to have the kids dropped off at school, how are we going to move them to lunch, what is our discipline policy, what are all of our emergency procedures going to be.” He expressed excitement at being able to start from scratch and make these decisions to see his vision shape the attitude of this new school.

According to Michelle Hanks, the Vice President of the Geneva PTA, the students and families at Geneva are not happy that Whitten has decided to leave. She said that “The staff even have ‘Team Whitten’ shirts that they wear on Fridays.”

Not only is he leaving, but he is also taking with him the school secretary of 22 years, Laura Murdzia, and two teachers, Sam Cousens and Laura Britt. Murdzia said that Whitten is being replaced by Steve Ruthford, a science teacher at Sehome High School, who has been interning at Geneva since March of this year.

Murdzia has developed a personal relationship with Whitten, stating that “Matt has been a steady rock for me since coming to Geneva...I consider him a friend as well as a boss.” She said that he is always willing to help employees in any way possible, “whether it is work related or on a personal basis.”

Even though she is leaving, Murdzia acknowledged the effect his absence will have on the school by saying “Just when we found a person that made a difference in the whole community of the building and now they are losing him.”

Though he is leaving Geneva after this school year, he has made his mark on the school. “He has built the staff and school back up from many years of being a dysfunctional school with low morale,” said Murdzia. Not only has he built professional relationships at Geneva, but personal ones as well. “Matt has been a steady rock for me since coming to Geneva. He is willing to help with everything and has made the transition of being a new principal and secretary working relationship very easy.”

To become involved with his students, Hanks mentioned that she has seen Whitten in the cafeteria cleaning tables after lunch. Murdzia said that “He is a caring, compassionate principal but knows when to set boundaries and expectations with the students.”

She added that the students love him and that he works impressively well with them. He connects with students by interacting with them in the halls and cafeteria, and playing games with them at recess.

To connect with the parents of his students, Murdzia said Whitten attends PTA meetings, school functions and activities, and “Matt is a great communicator with all stakeholders in a school.” 

Birchwood Elementary School Update

            The new Birchwood Elementary School has acquired a new principal and has released its list of the first group of teachers hired for the new school. Construction on the new school is well underway and is scheduled to be completed in the fall in time for the start of the school year.

            Matthew Whitten has been announced as the new schools principal, and has been part of the project since January of this year. “It wasn’t a formal application process where I applied to become the Birchwood principal,” said Whitten. “It was more through conversations with district level administration and hearing about my vision and my interest in the Birchwood community.”

Whitten is currently the principal at Geneva Elementary, and though he doesn’t currently live in the Birchwood neighborhood, he stated that “it’s a really diverse group of students, and that is something I really would like to be a part of, where you have just a mix of people coming together.”

Another point of interest for Whitten in joining the Birchwood team was the fact that it’s going to be a whole new school. “If you are starting from scratch it feels like you have the opportunity to shape a vision as opposed to coming into a school that already has established traditions or an idea of what they’d like the school to look like,” said Whitten. “Now we get to come in fresh with a clean slate and start designing what we would like it to look like.”

While the school has not been completely staffed yet, ten teachers have been hired. Four are coming from Cordata Elementary, which is where the staff of the old Birchwood went as a group after the school was close. Anne Franzmann, Kelly Morgan, Matt Burns, and Carolyn Hinshaw are all coming from Cordata. Whitten is bringing Laura Britt and Sam Cousens with him from Geneva Elementary. Nina Bellow is coming from Parkview Elementary, Maggie Belisle is leaving Alderwood Elementary, Columbia Elementary is losing Shannon Pries, and Trisha Muirhead is coming from Carl Cozier Elementary.

The previous Birchwood Elementary school building was built in 1928, and was in need of updates and repairs. The school was originally slated for a remodel, but Kelly Morgan, a past and soon to be present teacher at Birchwood, said “After much research and input from parties regarding the historic building’s HVAC systems, plumbing, electrical and structural features it was clear there needed to be a change to meet the needs of our neighborhood students.”

The design for the school was created by Dykeman: Architecture, the company that also designed the new Whatcom Middle School. “Dykeman architects honored the feel of the historic Birchwood School by keeping the brick front façade…and keeping the building a one story building,” said Morgan. Another part of the old school that will be incorporated in the new model is the old entryway. “Inside the building one of the entrances to the library they’re going to install that historic entrance,” said Whitten. Stephanie Twiford of the Birchwood Neighborhood Association also added that “The district has done a good job of placing the school in the same foot print and trying to keep the same look, please the neighborhood.”

New aspects will also be included in the design of the new school. These improvements include “small group learning areas both indoors and some outside,” said Morgan. “It will be technologically advanced and classrooms have the flexibility to be used in different ways.” The school website also lists energy-efficient heating and ventilations systems as some additions to the new building. Despite the extensive construction in a largely residential area, Morgan said “I live just blocks from the school in Birchwood and it doesn’t seem to have been a problem traffic-wise in any way.”

According to the school website, this rebuild is being funded by a bond from 2006 as well as state construction assistance funding. Morgan said that “Our district leadership made sacrifices at the administrative level that made Birchwood schools and students a priority.”  Whitten explained that these funds were originally planned to support the rebuilding of the district office.

Whitten said that construction will be complete in late July or early August. There will be a ribbon cutting ceremony when the school is reopened, but no date is set. “Typically those happen a few weeks after the school year started so once the years up and rolling then there’ll be a ribbon cutting event and that’ll be kind of like the grand opening kickoff.”

Squalicum Creek Park Update

Squalicum Creek Park in the Birchwood neighborhood of Bellingham is currently undergoing its final stage in a large, six year construction project. Phase 3 of the master plan for the 35-acre park

            Work began in March to make the last major changes to the park. According to the Phase 3 master plan provided by the city, one of the larger changes is a new lighted ball field next to the current one, though Birchwood Neighborhood Association Board Member and Birchwood Elementary School teacher Kelly Morgan said “I personally don’t think we need more baseball fields in the North End.  The current field often stands empty.” Another Board Member, Christy Nieto, agreed, and said that after attending informational meetings about the project, where most of the attendees were Birchwood residents, that “the majority of them, more than 90 percent, are against the city’s plan to add more ballparks to Squalicum.”

According to the master plan for the entire park, the original proposal was for two additional fields to be built in the park. “It seems to me and to other neighbors that there are not enough softball and baseball games happening to warrant the extra ball fields,” said Nieto. The Phase 3 plan only shows one additional ball field planned for construction, while the space that was originally the site of a third ball field is now labeled as possible future development.

Other improvements include a playground, park benches and picnic tables with a future phase picnic shelter and pavilion, a dog off-leash area, a perimeter trail, a basketball court, and additional restrooms. Some smaller additions include supplementary lighting on walkways and a trail connecting the park to the Bay to Baker trail. Walkways will be improved, the current baseball field will be getting lights, lighted parking will be added, and a storage building will be converted into a park management facility. The park will also be getting a face-lift with extensive landscaping and removal of concrete slabs.

            While improvements are underway, other changes are being made. For quite some time there has been a very large hill in the middle of the park; an earth deposit dumped in the park intended for the construction of the second ball field on the master plan. It became its own form of recreation for park-goers, but now that construction for the second field is underway the dirt is being used and the hill is disappearing. “The parks department received hundreds of yards of free fill for the new ball fields several years ago,” said Stephanie Twiford, another Birchwood Neighborhood Association Board Member. Twiford said that the resulting hill “became one of the most loved parts of the park.” This hill was used at different times of the year for different purposes. “It was used in the winter by kids sledding, in the spring during the mountain bike portion of the ski to sea race, year round by the neighborhood by people walking dogs... so it was sad when it had to go.”

Morgan also mentioned the hill in her complaints about the construction of the park. “We liked the dog walk area and the sledding hill as it was and many, many neighborhood people used these areas,” Morgan said. Twiford stated that “several people lobbied the parks department to change the plan, however the plan was set in stone and the hill is slowly being removed.”

Construction has also affected the daily lives of the Bellingham citizens living in the Birchwood area. Since construction has begun and land is being cleared the park has been closed and fenced off. “We have a walking neighborhood, and everyone misses not being able to walk through the park,” Twiford said.

Morgan voiced some doubts about the master plan for the park. “We have density without enough green space and open areas,” said Morgan. The only planned open green space in the master plan for the park is a small play meadow, a large empty space for future development, and a multipurpose field.

Despite these voices concerns, Nieto said that the Parks and Recreation Department “did not seem willing to alter or request changes on our behalf.” Nieto did also add that “we neighbors understand that this is a city park and not a neighborhood park.”

This phase of the project is being funded by the Greenway Levy 3 Funds at a bid price of about $3.1 million. The Greenway Program is specifically aimed at obtaining open space to develop parks and make trails and is funded by a voter-approved property-tax levy. Projects using these funds are approved by voters and the City Council. The first phase was paid for by a Washington State Grant of about $1.5 million. The Phase 2 main project, the salmon habitat called Willow Spring, was funded by a Department of Ecology Centennial grant through the Department of Public Works, though the amount of the grant is not given by the city.

Phase 1, which included the installation of a ballpark, restrooms, and parking, was completed in 2008. Phase 2 was completed in 2010 with the addition of a salmon enhancement project and some trail work. Phase 3 is scheduled to be complete in December of this year. 

Bike to Work and School Day

The annual Bike to Work and School Day here in Bellingham is coming up. This event is not exclusively for cyclists; walkers are also welcome. This is the main page for the event: http://www.biketoworkandschoolday.org/

This Friday, May 16, there will be Celebration Stations set up around the county, including two in the Birchwood neighborhood. One will be primarily for Shuksan Middle School students on the corner of Northwest and Alderwood, and another one will be at Bellingham Technical College. Here is a list and map of all the Celebration Stations: http://www.biketoworkandschoolday.org/stations/

People participating in this cycling commute can stop by any Celebration Station between 6:30 a.m. and 9:30 a.m. and not only receive encouragement from the volunteers running the stations, but can also get free refreshments, prizes, and enter raffles. The “I Biked to Work Today” sticker that cyclists will receive will get them discounts and deals at certain businesses if worn all day. Here is a link to businesses that have donated and sponsored the event: http://www.biketoworkandschoolday.org/sponsors/

            Volunteers at the Celebration Stations will also be counting participants when they stop by. One purpose of this event is to help educate the community on the ease and importance of committing to a more energy-efficient form of commuting every day. The number of people participating can illustrate that, and help the community encourage funding for the maintenance and addition of cycling and walking facilities.

Welding Rodeo

Bellingham Technical College will be hosting its 13^th annual Skills Challenge and Welding Rodeo on May 16^th and 17^th at Morse Center.

BTC’s Welding Rodeo is a competition where 20 teams of four have two 8-hour days to complete an original sculpture from scratch. Each sculpture is judged by a panel of three community members, and cash prizes are given to 1^st, 2^nd, and 3^rd place, as well as President’s Choice and People’s Choice. All sculptures are entered in a Live or Silent Auction, and proceeds help pay for the event and support the BTC Welding Student Scholarship Fund. Here’s a look at the entry form and event details: http://www.weldingrodeo.com/WeldingRodeoEntryForm-2014.pdf  

In addition, there will be a Skills Challenge, with the same participant criteria as the Welding Rodeo. There are 20 different skill levels, and each level has its own allotted time and welding skill set. Here is the link to the application page where more details are provided: http://www.eventbrite.com/e/individual-skills-challenge-at-the-welding-rodeo-may-16th-17th-tickets-10754491975

            While the deadline for the Welding Rodeo applications has passed, this is a public, community event with food, vendors, and entertainment. This slideshow provides more details about where the building materials come from and how this event benefits the college and its students, as well as photos from past Welding Rodeos: http://mmbreeze.btc.ctc.edu/wr20102

Welcome to Birchwood Bulletin

Hello readers! My name is Jacquelyn Stenman, and I am a journalism student at Western Washington University. This quarter I am taking Reporting and will be covering all the happenings in the Birchwood neighborhood in Bellingham, Wash. The neighborhood is mostly residential, containing the Birchwood Park and the Squalicum Creek Park, as well as many trails throughout. Certain trails also connect the neighborhood to the Bay to Baker trail. Other highlights of the neighborhood include the recently rebuilt Shuksan Middle School, the under construction Birchwood Elementary School, Bellingham Technical College, and the Bellingham Golf and Country Club.

So for the next couple months I will be connecting with the neighborhood and writing blog posts and news stories to share all there is to know about current events in Birchwood. I look forward to familiarizing myself with a new part of Bellinhgam!