When McDonald Elementary School opened last year in its temporary location at Lincoln High School (4400 Interlake Ave. N.), only about 65 students showed up for the K-5 school. With its designation earlier this year as Seattle’s newest international and language immersion school, the enrollment has nearly tripled to 174 — plus a wait list — for 2011-12.
McDonald School at its current interim location. The school will move in fall 2012 to its permanent location at N. 54th and Latona.
The school will have six language immersion classes — four for kindergarten (three in Spanish, one in Japanese) and two for first grade (one class each for Spanish and Japanese). Nearby John Stanford International School provides the blueprint for McDonald School’s immersion program; JSIS employees and parents say the key to its success is having an immersion assistant (a native speaker) in each classroom to help with instruction.
Hiring immersion assistants for McDonald will cost $100,000 this year, and McDonald’s PTA is trying to raise the money — fast. They need all the funds by the end of July to hire for September.
One fundraiser is this Friday, June 10, and promises to be a foot-stomping good time — a family square dance complete with a caller. From the McDonald PTA website:
Come one, come all! Come on down for an evening of fun, dance, a silent auction, and more. Featuring Seattle’s raucous old-time string-band, the Tallboys.
We’ll also hold a silent auction with some pretty amazing items — Silent Auction details here.
The Stranger calls them “one of the hardest-working bands in Seattle,” Give ’em a listen here.
Friday, June 10 from 6PM to 8PM in the Gym at Lincoln.
PTA member Brooke Anderson is organizing the shindig and told us the invitation to the family dance extends to current and future McDonald families, plus anyone in the community who’d like to know more about the school. Anderson added, “For future McDonald families, I think any chance for them to see their community and know what the school was like this year. It’s been such a special privilege (and a ton of work) to be a part of a new school and we are excited to bring other families into that!”
A family ticket is $25; you can purchase them online or at the door.
so we paid tax dollars for running a public school with only 64 kids.
and why is there one – international school – so close to John Stanford.
did we need another one?
did we vote on thsi?
You're right, let's cancel it.
This school just started. Of course enrolment was low; it always is for brand new schools. Also, why would we cancel it? Are you aiming for the lowest quality education we can get?
Cutting programs from schools is shooting yourself in the foot, as our whole society suffers from a dumber populace. Smarter people make more money and pay plenty enough in taxes to justify the extra expense of their education.
That was last year. Next year it is filled to capacity, and has a waiting list. It just opened, so it took a year to get going. Now they are going to have trouble cramming all the kids into the building. What a difference a year makes.
Also, I can think of an easy way to raise $100,000. Just get rid of some of the teaching coaches at SPS. We need staff in the classroom more than we need expensive teachers for the teachers. Or re-do the MLK building sale and give to the high bidder. Going with the high bidder would have paid a year's salary for nearly 150 instructional assistants.
But that won't happen of course. See you all at the dance. Time once again for the bake sale approach to funding needed programs for our schools, sigh……
Obesity in America is alive and well. Enjoy those Big Macs and French Fries. The fact that enrollment tripled tells us a lot about our obession with junk food.
So get your rear down to that dance, fork over the $25 for a good cause, and work off those extra pounds. Put your money where your mouth is, other Guest!
Um. There's no mention of cancelling anything – just of hiring an assistant to make the program more successful. And the community (not “taxpayers” as a whole) are raising the funds. No need for a vote on that.
There obviously was a demand for these programs, otherwise there would not be a wait list. Sounds like it was a good idea to create this school.
A few commenters here apparently didn't make it through their elementary schools…