Earlier this month, we reported that the school district proposed boundary changes to alleviate crowding at John Stanford International School. Seattle Public Schools has released a new tool for residents to determine their school boundary. The adjustments apply to John Stanford Elementary School and B.F. Day and McDonald elementary schools for the 2012-13 school year.

The boundary change is part of a short-term capacity management plan that addresses Seattle Public Schools’ enrollment growth. According to Seattle Schools, “the plan, which outlines how the School District will accommodate the projected increasing enrollment, was developed following input from the Facilities and Capital Management Advisory Committee (FACMAC). Input was considered from about 300 attendees at six community meetings held between September and December 2010, and also included 550 written comments.”  It was approved 7-0 by the Seattle School Board on Jan. 25. To read the full plan, see the Board action report.

In response to the Healthy, Hunger-Free Kids Act led by first lady Michelle Obama, the U.S. Department of Agriculture has released new school meal standards to help fight obesity in children. Seattle Schools say they are already meeting many of the standards set out by the USDA. The guidelines double the amount of fruits and vegetables in cafeterias, and promote more whole-grain foods.

Photo courtesy Seattle Public Schools

“Seattle has been very progressive with changing the way we offer meals, offering fruits and vegetables every day, as well as whole grain-rich foods,” said Wendy Weyer, Director of Nutrition Services for Seattle Public Schools. “There is a new requirement that we only offer fat-free or low-fat milk varieties, which we are already doing in Seattle.”

The new menus also set maximums for calories and cut sodium and trans fat, a contributor to high cholesterol levels. The standards will be phased in over a three-year period, starting in the 2012-13 school year. “During the first year of the three-year adoption, I do not see many changes for us. The biggest challenge in the longer-term targets will be looking at how to reduce sodium content, while keeping the meals palatable for our students,” Weyer said.

Here are the guidelines from the USDA’s Healthy Meals and Healthy Kids site:

• Ensuring students are offered both fruits and vegetables every day of the week;
• Substantially increasing offerings of whole grain-rich foods;
• Offering only fat-free or low-fat milk varieties;
• Limiting calories based on the age of children being served to ensure proper portion size; and
• Increasing the focus on reducing the amounts of saturated fat, trans fats and sodium.

The school district expects a cost increase with the new standards, as it mandates a fruit or vegetable on every tray, regardless of whether the student chooses it. Schools across the country will receive an extra 6 cents a meal for lunches from federal funding. Seattle Schools currently receive $2.79 for every lunch served to a student eligible for a free lunch, $2.39 for a reduced-price lunch, and 28 cents for a full-price lunch.

However, guidelines will still allow french fries and pizza. Back in November, lawmakers insisted that pizza counted as a vegetable because of its tomato paste. To take a look at current menus and nutrition standards for Seattle Public Schools, visit their Nutrition Services site.

If you’re over 50, and you’ve been putting off that New Year’s resolution to start exercising more, here’s your chance. Seattle Parks and Recreation is kicking off a new season of training for those interested in getting in shape for a 5K, 10K or half marathon walk. Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Lifelong Recreation Sound Steps is offering a kick-off training event in North Seattle on Wednesday, February 1 from 1 to 3 p.m. at the Greenwood Senior Center (525 N. 85th St.). The event is open to all, but the training is specially designed for those, “50 and better.”

After the kick-off event, the real training gets started on Saturday, February 4 at 9 a.m. The training is free, and volunteers will lead groups from Jefferson Community Center (3801 Beacon Ave S.), Ballard Senior Center (5429 32nd Ave. NW) and Ravenna Eckstein Community Center (6535 Ravenna Ave. NE).

To learn more about the training, visit the Seattle Parks and Recreation’s Lifelong Recreation site.

The KapKa School, a K-5 elementary school just west of Wallingford at 510 N 49th Street, is having an open house for prospective families this Saturday, Jan. 28 from 2 – 4 p.m.

Photo courtesy of KapKa School

Chris Park, a current KapKa parent, says the school believes in, “educating the whole child; taking care to support each child’s academic, social and emotional growth.”

From Park:

KapKa provides an experience-centered, integrated curriculum. With strong involvement and support of our parents, passionate teachers and staff, our students are challenged to develop the academic and social skills necessary to be inquisitive, thoughtful, caring and contributing members of our community.

This fall, KapKa moved three blocks from our eleven-year home at the “Little Red Schoolhouse” on Linden Avenue to our current location within the Emmanuel Bible Church complex near Woodland Park. Doubling our previous square footage, we now have more classroom space, a larger library, larger mixed-use space for music and art, an outdoor play yard as well as a full-size indoor gym.

From our sister site, My Ballard.

Students in Seattle Public Schools will make up one of this week’s snow days on Friday, January 27th. That date was scheduled as a professional development day for the staff, so kids were supposed to have the day off.

“It is important to get our students back in the classroom next week,” said Interim Superintendent Dr. Susan Enfield. “We know some families may have made out-of-town plans for next Friday, and we apologize for any inconvenience this causes.”

Next Tuesday is a three-hour early dismissal day and can’t be used as a snow make-up day. School officials will decide next week when to make up the additional two snow days – possibly tacked onto the end of the year.

Seattle’s snow days are coming to an end, as the rain and warmer weather begin to claim the nearly half foot of snow that fell in Wallingford this week. The city is now warning residents of urban flooding as the snow is likely to melt away quickly today and tomorrow.

From the City’s Emergency Operations Center:

With the thaw on the way, the City is asking residents and businesses to locate nearby storm drains in the street and  — if it’s safe —  to clear them of snow and debris. It’s the single most important thing people can do to protect their property and prevent water from pooling and creating traffic hazards.

If the drain cannot be cleared, or if the cause of the blockage or flooding is uncertain, call Seattle Public Utilities at (206) 386-1800.

The forecast now predicts rain and temperatures in the 40s through the weekend.

The weather should warm back up to the 40s tomorrow, but lingering snow and ice means schools have decided to keep the doors shut for a third day tomorrow. The John Stanford Center for Educational Excellence will also be closed.

“The snow is still falling and temperatures are low, making it difficult to safely transport students to and from school,” said Dr. Susan Enfield, Interim Superintendent. “We hope our students, families and staff members are staying safe and warm, and we look forward to re-opening our schools on Monday.”

Early this morning, freezing rain started pelting the city of Seattle and surrounding areas, causing widespread power outages, making travel treacherous, and grounding flights from SeaTac. A rain/snow mix has been falling steadily for the last few hours in North Seattle, and Metro has reduced services in many areas.

Buses with reduced or canceled services in Wallingford are the following:

• Route 16 is not serving regular stops in the Wallingford/Greenlake area between N 45 St and N 80 St. Brief reroute in Northgate as well.
• Route 26 Express is not serving portions of the Fremont/Wallingford areas. Click here for a detailed list of missed stops.
• Route 30 is not serving regular stops on N. 40th St. between Stone Way N. and Wallingford Ave N. or between University Way NE north of NE Campus Parkway and NE 55 St. west of Princeton Ave. N.
• Route 31 is not serving N. 40th St. between Stone Way N. Wallingford Ave. N.
• Route 44 does not have pre-planned snow routing. It is operating via its regular route and stops, but with possible significant delays due to weather, road or traffic conditions.
• Route 46 service is canceled until further notice.

A message from the Seattle Emergency Operations Center warns residents of travel dangers:

On traffic cameras, television or from your window, streets may appear bare and wet but they may still be covered with ice. The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) continues to treat major arterial roads with salt brine and granular salt. Some secondary or neighborhood streets are very slick and changes in conditions between treated and untreated roadways can be very sudden. Four wheel drive is not a solution – vehicles need chains to have traction. Keeping the roads clear of traffic is extremely helpful for emergency vehicles.

Bottom line: officials recommend staying home if at all possible. If you’re experiencing any power outages, call Seattle City Light’s Outage Hotline at 206-684-7400.

Seattle kids are in for a treat: the school district has announced another snow day for tomorrow, Thursday Jan. 19.

Interim Superintendent Dr. Susan Enfield said it snowed just enough to warrant keeping everyone home another day. “We hoped that students and staff could return to school on Thursday, but forecasts right now are showing continued severe weather, including the potential for icy roads,” said Enfield. “We want to err on the side of caution, and also give families enough time to plan for another snow day.”

Metro buses will continue to be on snow routing, and SDOT is still working to clear as many roads as possible in the city. The National Weather Service predicts a rain and snow mix for tomorrow, tapering off to rain and in the 40s on Friday.

It’s been snowing since the wee hours of the day, and Wallingfordians are out in droves; walking dogs, getting coffee, and taking the kids sledding.

Rachel, who works at the Chocolati Cafe on N. 45th St. said people have been coming in droves. “It’s been really crazy,” she said. “I think people are out walking around and having fun.” And, getting coffee it would seem. Nearly a dozen people streamed through the door while we were speaking.

Sledding, snow football, and cross country skiing were a few of the activities at the Wallingford Playfield.

While traffic was light, the buses seemed to be moving along at a steady pace. The roads are still considerably slick, and nearly half a foot of slush lined the streets down 45th St.

Send us your snow day pictures at tips@mywallingford.com.

Seattle has woken up to a blanket of snow on the ground, although in less drastic amounts as first anticipated. However, roads are still slick and the snow is likely to come down most of the day.

The Seattle Department of Transportation says they plan to keep plows on the streets all day:

The Seattle Department of Transportation (SDOT) has trucks out working to keep major arterial streets clear. Crews are mostly spreading granular salt and monitoring snow routes for accumulating snow. Please consider transportation options for essential travel and avoid driving if possible. The City continues to urge that drivers use caution during their commute.

Seattle Public Schools have chosen to close tomorrow due to the looming forecast that predicted up to 14 inches in some lowland areas. That forecast has since been scaled back, as Cliff Mass reports on his blog. However, he mentions how difficult it is to know how the storm will play out.

From Cliff:

The latest series of model runs are in and to me they suggest we need to scale snow totals down over Puget Sound to 2-6 inches.  In other words, not a record even over the PS area..  Folks this is a very difficult forecast.  Everything depends on getting the track of the low exactly right…first to decide where the rain/snow changeover will be and secondly to get the amount of precipitation right.

As many of you have probably noticed, the snow was spotty in some areas, and downright blizzard-like just a few miles away. The storm that will hit tomorrow morning will likely be more widespread, and many city services have prepared.

Here is a list of services and their advisories, put together by our sister site, My Ballard:

UPDATE: Seattle schools are also closing two hours early today.

Seattle Public Schools have announced they will have a two-hour delay Tuesday morning, January 17, because of a winter weather advisory issued by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). And, all pre-school activities, including preschool and Head Start are cancelled.

From Seattle Public Schools:

Buses will be operating on snow routes tomorrow, which means that yellow buses only run on roads maintained by the City that receive snow removal. Students who ride buses received notice of snow routes in the mail during the week of Nov. 21. For more information on transportation, visit www.seattleschools.org/transportation<http://www.seattleschools.org/transportation>

“During winter weather conditions, safety is our top priority,” said Interim Superintendent Dr. Susan Enfield. “We want to make sure all of our students are safe, and that means delaying the start of school on Tuesday.”

Families are being notified by an automated call tonight. Families are also advised to continue monitoring weather tomorrow morning and this week, as winter weather conditions may cause changes to school schedules.

Families can learn if there is a school delay or closure through:

* local TV and radio stations
* the District website at www.seattleschools.org <http://www.seattleschools.org/>
* an automated phone call
* the Public Schools Emergency Communications System at www.SchoolReport.org

Winter weather is not letting up in Seattle, and forecasters are warning of a “major snow event” in the area through Wednesday.

Highway 518 near Sea-Tac airport on Sunday afternoon

As sister site My Ballard reports, the National Weather Service is calling for a historic snowstorm to move through on Tuesday and Wednesday. “Snowfall amounts at Seatac could exceed anything seen since November 1985, a top five record 24-hour snowfall amount,” writes the NWS on this forecast discussion. How much? Anything from 6-14 inches in the immediate Seattle area.

Here are a few useful resources:

• SDOT has this Winter Weather Response map:  During a winter storm, SDOT sends out a fleet of vehicles equipped with GPS tracking systems. Some vehicles have a plow blade; others have de-icing or spreader equipment. The map layers show the recent path of vehicles that have been dispatched to respond to the winter weather event, by time frame and type of equipment.
• There is also the SnowWatch website (screen grab above) that shows current temperatures, estimated snowfall and temperature trends.
• King County Metro hasn’t announced any changes for Tuesday. Check their website here for updates. We will also update this post.
• Seattle Public School officials will monitor conditions and make a decision on whether schools will be open in the morning. Again, other Seattle neighborhoods got hit hard – Capitol Hill received about 5 inches – so the decision will be made based on a district-wide conditions.

As a reminder, residents and shopkeepers are required by city code to clear the sidewalk in front of their home/business.

This weekend marks the first wintery weather of the season, as the forecasts predict lowland snow through midweek. In addition to keeping an eye on Metro’s snow routes, there is now a website called SnowWatch, put together by the City of Seattle, Cliff Mass and the University of Washington. SnowWatch tracks and forecasts snowfall at the neighborhood level, and can help the public track storms, learn where snow is falling, and make informed choices.

Click here for a larger version of this map (.pdf)

If it snows in Wallingford, N. 45th St. and N. 50th St. are “Level 1″ arterials that will be cleared to bare and wet from curb to curb. Stone Way is a “Level 2,” which means it will be cleared to bare and wet with one lane in each direction. Wallingford Ave N., N. 40th, and N. Northlake Way are all considered “Level 3,” which means they will treated only on curves, hills and stopping zones.

From the City of Seattle:

Throughout this week Street Maintenance crews have been treating areas prone to roadway frost and ice to improve conditions for drivers, and will continue this operation while nighttime temperatures remain low. SDOT will also continue to carefully monitor weather forecasts.

The department has on hand 2,200 tons of salt and 46,500 gallons of salt brine and has already conducted a full exercise with its plow fleet. Other storm preparations include converting to a more effective salt brine solution (magnesium chloride) for anti-icing and de-icing work, and completing internal agreements to provide SDOT’s snow fleet with additional drivers from other departments if needed.