Webucator is a weekly publication produced by the Tacoma Public Schools Public
Information Office for district staff members. To submit story ideas or inquire about a published story, contact Pam Thompson at pthomps@tacoma.k12.wa.us
or call the
Public Information Office at 253-571-1015. Please note: When submitting photos of students with a story, please include their names and make sure the students have no photo restrictions.
June 1 –30: Great Outdoors Month
June 1: Tacoma School of the Arts graduation, 6 p.m., Pantages Theater
June 1: Gray GIFT family fun night, 5 p.m.
June 2, 7 and 8: Highly capable programs community meetings, 6 p.m. PDC
June 2: Tacoma Council PTA awards banquet, 6 p.m., Foss H.S.
June 5: Elementary All-City track and field meet, Mount Tahoma H.S., 9 a.m.
–3 p.m.
June 5: World Environment Day
June 5: East Side Clean Sweep project, 9 to 11:30 a.m.; celebration noon to 1:30 p.m.
June 5: CIS car wash at Sherman E.S., 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
June 6: Birney bike team rides for St. Leo’s “Meals to Wheels”
June 6: Benefit in memory of Jennifer Paulson, 2 p.m., Swiss restaurant
June 9: Oakland H.S. graduation, 6 p.m., CAB board room
June 12: Hunt M.S. open house, noon to 4 p.m.
June 12: Hilltop Artists glass sale, 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
June 12: College Bound scholarship event, UPS, 8 a.m. to noon
June 12: Foss H.S. cheerleaders garage sale, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., Foss parking lot
June 13: Race Unity Day
June 14: Flag Day
June 14: Stadium H.S. graduation, 4:30 p.m.; Lincoln H.S. graduation, 8 p.m., Tacoma
Dome
June 15: Wilson H.S. graduation, 2:30 p.m.; Mount Tahoma H.S. graduation, 5:30 p.m.;
Foss H.S. graduation, 8:30 p.m., Tacoma Dome
June 15: Last day of school
June 21: 10-hour, 4-day work weeks begin for staff through Aug. 13
Deputy Superintendent Carla Santorno has scheduled “Teacher Chats” on June 7–9 to provide staff with an opportunity to hear a brief presentation on district efforts for the
2010-11 school year and to answer any questions. All district staff is welcome to attend and light snacks will be provided. Join Carla Santorno at any of the following chats:

Monday, June 7, 3:30 –5 p.m.
Truman Middle School, library, 5801 N. 35 th St., Tacoma, WA 98407

Tuesday, June 8, 3:30 –5 p.m.
Jason Lee Middle School, library, 602 N. Sprague Ave., Tacoma, WA 98403

Wednesday, June 9, 3:30 –5 p.m.
First Creek Middle School, library, 1801 E. 56 th St., Tacoma, WA 98404
Write a caption for this photograph and win a $20 Starbucks gift card. The Public
May 28, 2010
Birney plants garden
A Birney E.S. student plants a flower in memory of Jennifer
Paulson.
Birney E.S. families help plant a memorial garden for Jennifer
Paulson.
Students and adults plant flowers in the memorial garden.

Information Office (PIO) is sponsoring the caption contest and will select the winner based on creativity and humor. Look at the attached picture and tell us what Pat Cummings, director of
Research and Evaluation, is saying to Gov. Chris
Gregoire as Board Member Kim Golding and a
PTA parent listen in. The photograph was taking earlier this month when the governor came to the
Central Administration Building to celebrate the
Tacoma Public Schools commitment to support the state’s Race to the Top grant application.
If you have any questions, please call PIO at 253-
571-1015.
The Gray Middle School Gray Involving Families Together (GIFT) program will host a family fun night at Gray Tuesday, June 1.
Dinner will begin at 5 p.m., followed by a variety of activities, ranging from demonstrations on crocheting and cupcake decorating to babysitting success tips to face painting and balloon art. Games will include science bingo, language jeopardy, math mysteries and a free-throw contest.
Representatives from the Tacoma Public Library, Manitou Community Center, Metro
Parks, Boy Scouts and Naval Sea Cadets will be at the fun night to share valuable information. The Tacoma Stars soccer team and the Tacoma Cobra pro football players will be on hand to sign autographs and mingle with the crowd. The event will include door prizes and a “white elephant” sale as well.
Gray invites families to join the fun by calling 253-571-5214 for reservations; space is limited to the first 300 participants.
Foss High School baseball team members are selling $10 Mariners tickets for the
Seattle Mariners vs. the Minnesota Twins game Wednesday, June 2, at 7:10 p.m. at
Safeco Field, Seattle. These are view, reserved seats along the third-base line and usually sell for $20.
Foss was the first South Sound baseball team invited to play at Safeco this spring. If the team sells 1,000 tickets to the June 2 game, the players can be invited back to play at
Safeco Field next spring. “It is a fun opportunity for the Foss boys and a great ticket price,” Principal Thu Ament said. Foss Athletic Director Tom Burmester will throw the first pitch.
If you would like to sit with other family, friends or staff members, please place one order for the entire group. Orders are filled on a first come, first served basis and are based on availability.
Two dollars from every $10 ticket sold goes to support Foss High
School baseball.
You can order tickets through Michelle Bullinger, a PTSA parent, at 253-226-3620 or
Roy Young, Foss baseball coach, at 253-571-7450 or 253-571-7454. Checks can be made payable to “Foss Summer Baseball.” You can order tickets online at www.mariners.com/foss ; however, $1 per ticket will be added for on-line purchases.
The third annual Clean Sweep project on the East Side will be Saturday, June 5, from 9 to 11 a.m. The celebration and award ceremony will be from 11:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. at
Principal Chris Hinds speaks to the gathering and reads a poem.
Ken Paulson plants a weeping cherry at Birney in memory of his daughter Jennifer.
First Creek health fair
First Creek M.S. students planned and staged a health fair with community organizations.
MultiCare provided scrub shirts for First Creek students to wear at their May 15 health fair.
Peter Pan flies at First Creek

Sheridan Elementary School, 5317 McKinley Ave. For more information, contact Kate
Frazier at 253-571-5974.
Communities In Schools will sponsor a car wash June 5 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. in front of Sherman Elementary School, 4415 North 38th St.
On Saturday, June 12, Hunt Middle School will host an open house that will honor
Hunt’s history and mark Hunt’s temporary closure after this school year. The open house will include tours of the school, a time capsule made by students and Hunt souvenirs. Donations of Hunt memorabilia will be accepted for the time capsule the students are creating for the new school. Students, alumni, staff members and friends are invited. The open house will be at the Hunt Middle School cafeteria, 6501 S. 10th
St., from noon to 4 p.m. Please contact the office at Hunt at 253-571-2400 for more information. Click here for flyer.
The ceremony started at the garden with Birney Elementary School students and their parents planting flowers in the memorial garden. Students and parents wrapped up their hard work with cookies and juice.
Tony Franco, a co-worker of Jennifer Paulson, led the ceremony with stories of the past. Miranda Gust, former Birney student presented Jennifer's parents with a T-shirt she designed for the St. Leo's "Feed The Hunger" bike fundraiser on June 6. A Birney bike team will wear the shirt to honor Jennifer's memory. The shirt has a sketch done by Miranda Gust on the back.
Ken Paulson , Jennifer’s father, talked briefly to the crowd. Birney students read poems they wrote about Jennifer Paulson, and performed and sang. Principal Chris Hinds then led the crowd to the front of the Round Building where Jennifer's parents, Ken Paulson and Nancy Heisler, helped plant a maple tree and a weeping cherry tree. The principal read the poem, “I Teach.” Staff and visitors gathered for refreshments and conversation following the tree planting.
Stadium High School Youth Leading Change group won the grand prize in the competition to present peer-based prevention programs at the recent Youth Spring
Forum at the Great Wolf Lodge.
Teens from all over the state gathered to share ideas about reducing drug and alcohol abuse, violence and other destructive behaviors. Among the PowerPoint slides, costumes, singing and role-playing, one theme came up again and again: Prescription drug abuse is a growing, yet hidden, threat to young people, according to a press release from the office of Attorney General of Washington Rob McKenna.
“These young adults demonstrate a growing awareness of the prescription drug threat and an eagerness to alert their peers to the problem,” said Washington State Attorney
General Rob McKenna. “We’ve seen a stunning spike in the number of kids experimenting with prescription drugs. Yet, most teens and adults have no idea that painkillers can be lethal.”
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Saturday, May 15, was a special day at First Creek Middle School as science students from Donna Chang’s science classes hosted the First Creek Health and Safety Fair.
The fair was the culminating event for a service learning project that was blended into
First Creek M.S.’s “Peter Pan” turns then stage into a jungle.
Peter Pan’s Wendy and her brothers fly through the jungle at First Creek.
Stadium YLC wins top prize
Stadium H.S.’s Youth Leading
Change (YLC) group won the grand prize at the recent prevention forum.
Wilson YLC paints Tacoma
Students in Wilson H.S.’s Youth
Leading Change group paint over graffiti on a building.
Wilson students paint over graffiti on a Tacoma building.

the student’s study of the human body. While sixth graders were learning about the cardiac and respiratory systems, the seventh graders were working on the musculoskeletal system.
“The health and safety fair was unique in that the fair was planned, organized and implemented by seventh graders,” Chang said.
Liesl Santkuyl from the MultiCar e Healthy Living Center said, “This is the only health fair
I know of that has been planned by middle school students! The students did an awesome job!” Each student was responsible for a research project and presentation board to be shared at the event.
Planning began for the seventh graders in January with work on a community vision, followed by community asset mapping. Next, they formed committees, wrote business letters seeking community support and sponsors, measured floor space, calculated booth spaces, created equipment lists and staffing schedules. Students created interactive learning stations on some topics, and on fair day, students took blood pressure readings, explained watershed contamination and taught proper hand washing techniques.
The science students set up the space, staffed the booths and provided entertainment.
The students, dressed in scrub shirts provided by MultiCare, presented information on topics ranging from polio, to hypertension, to treatment for sprains and strains. More than 220 students, family members, and community members attended the event.
McKinley Elementary School fourth graders showed off their musical talents at a concert for parents and students May 25. The fourth graders have been practicing their violins and recorders diligently with their instructors, Monica Valentine and Ronnee
Fullerton.
This year, the violins were borrowed from Arlington Elementary School. However, thanks to a generous donation from Milgard Windows and Doors, McKinley was able to purchase their own violins for next school year. The students and staff at McKinley are very excited about this gift and the opportunity to expand their musical talents.
Felipa Galaviz’ middle-school Spanish students at Bryant Montessori School entered a drawing contest sponsored by Center for Spanish Studies at the University of
Washington. They will receive awards for second place and honorary mention
Saturday, June 5, in Olympia, in the State Reception Room of the Legislative Building.
Wilson High School Youth Leading Change (YLC) and other YLC groups throughout
Tacoma Public Schools attended the annual spring Youth Prevention Forum at the
Great Wolf Lodge. Wilson YLC was selected out of hundreds of prevention teams in
Washington to attend the forum. The students presented their service project, "Defend your heart" at the forum. Although the Wilson team did not win, the Stadium High
School YLC took home the grand prize.
Art and creativity were flowing through the air May 20 and 21 when the Truman Drama
Club presented its performances of “The Will” and “The Hidden Place.” Both shows were directed by John Hoover, and showcased the students’ performing talents.
“The shows are both beautifully staged,” Principal Brenda McBrayer said.”
Congratulations to Director John Hoover and the young actors and actresses who acquired a new sense of maturity and dedication to their roles in the shows.
”
Wilson students in the Youth
Leading Change group pose with
Miss Washington at their spring
Prevention Forum at Great Wolf
Lodge. Their YLC adviser is
Milagros Thompson.
Cub Scouts gather food
Cub Scout Troop 208 with about
50 boys meets at Point Defiance
E.S. On two weekends, they collected food for local food banks. The scouts and family members load a truck with the first food to deliver.
Hunt get ice cream reward
Hunt M.S. Principal Mary
Chapman adds sprinkles to a dish of ice cream. Students were rewarded with ice cream sundaes after taking the new
Measurements of Student
Progress (MSP) tests. They earned points taking the MSP to
“buy” different ice cream toppings.
Hunt music class
Hunt M.S. band students practice in class.
Fourth graders perform

“The Will” is about a woman named Sarah. As she writes her dying will, she is faced with herself at various ages, and begins to reflect on the choices she made in her past as she is on the verge of death. The “Will” stars an all-female cast, and showcases the talents of Kat Miller, Courtney Rainier, Natalie Cargill, Sophie Nevin, Shanaelynn
Godwin, Jasmine Littlejohn and Alyssa Nelson.
The second show, “The Hidden Place,” is a more serious play and revolves around a boy named Rob who has acquired a rare blood disease and may soon die. His life has become a continually transforming “surreal” reality between real life and his imagination as he comes to the inevitable terms with his disease. This show starred Alex Dillon as
Rob, Jasmine Littlejohn as his mother and Seth Wheeler as his father, who has served and died in Vietnam. Katelyn Butler was Dr. Chang , Rob’s doctor; Amanda Nixon was the Haole Man, Rob ’s personal angel; and Kat Miller was Kam, Rob’s best friend. Katy
Murphy played Susie, his nemesis; Sophie Nevin was Jeanie, Susie’s personal lackey;
Shanaelynn Godwin was Khara, the demon; and Gabriela Aleman was God/the Monk.
The staff and students at Hunt Middle School want to extend a huge thank you to the staff and students at Truman Middle School, especially Principal Brenda McBrayer,
Assistant Principal Robert Arial and Chris Koval, the ASB adviser. Hunt students were recently invited to see Truman and were welcomed with open arms. When students first arrived, Truman ASB officers presented Hunt students with Titan-colored necklaces and led them into the cafeteria for a talk on what to expect at Truman.
“The morning highlights were the school tour and, of course, the ice-cream treat at the end,” said Dawn Baughman, a Hunt teacher. “With this time of uncertainty, your willingness to welcome us seemed to relieve the uneasiness of our students. Thank you!”
Teacher Kathleen Pickett said, “Great things are happening at Hunt.” Several Hunt teachers were recently honored as Outstanding Teachers by the Hunt PTSA. The outstanding teachers included sixth-grade teachers Shirley Argyle and Sue Gregory; seventh-grade teacher Dawn Baughman, drama teacher Annette Hockman and adjustment teacher Janet Tierney. Each of these teachers will be honored on June 2 at the PTSA award dinner. Principal Mary Chapman was also honored as the Volunteer of the Year.
A special thank-you goes to MultiCare Health Center for providing scrub shirts and financial assistance for the First Creek Middle School health fair May 15. Other community service providers who donated door prizes or staffed booths included: First
Creek Neighbors, Pierce County AIDS Foundation, FISH FoodBank, MultiCare Center for Healthy Living (assisted by Explorer Scouts and a member of Wilson High School’s
Key Club), Metro Parks, the Boys and Girls Club, Tacoma-Pierce County Health
Department, Pierce Transit, South Sound Martial Arts, Club Bravo and Baile Latino.
“I'll teach you to jump on the wind's back, and away we go,” yelled Peter Pan as the
First Creek adventure to Neverland took flight.
More than 160 students’ voices and 20 marimbas filled the commons at First Creek
Middle School with joyous music at the annual choir auction. More than 350 parents/guardians attended and were impressed with the musicality, talent and artistry displayed by the sixth-grade choir, Mixed Choir, Select Choir, Concert Choir and
Marimba All Stars.
The Marimba All Stars performed pirate tunes from the 60-foot pirate ship that they designed and built with the assistance of John Sousley, First Creek physical education teacher. An army of choir students transformed the stage into the jungle of Neverland from the Broadway musical, Peter Pan —the theme of the musical revue.The Select
McKinley E.S. fourth graders performed in a violin-recorder concert on May 25 for students and parents. The violins were borrowed from Arlington E.S., but next year McKinley will have its own violins thanks to a donation by Milgard Windows and Doors.
Ronnee Fullerton directs his fourth-grade recorder group at a
recent concert at McKinley E.S.
District honors retirees
Retirees from across the district attend the retirement reception at CAB May 27.
Superintendent Art Jarvis hands a retiree a gift from the district at the retirement celebration.
Retirees talked about their years of service to the district and where they worked.

Choir researched local Native American art and teepee design to construct teepees for
Princess Tiger Lily ’s portion of the set.
A big thanks to Brenda Dunn for sewing the teepees together. With the help of community and parent volunteers, students created their own costumes to dress as the main characters —Peter, Wendy, Little John, Michael, Princess Tiger Lily, the Crocodile,
“Lost Boys and Girls” and Captain Hook and his pirates.
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If you are pursuing your National Board certification during school year 2010-2011 and would like to be part of a support group, please attend a Tacoma Public Schoolssponsored National Board support group registration meeting on June 8 in the Gray
Middle School library from 4 to 6 p.m. Contact Jean Sheckler, NBCT, district National
Board coordinator, at Gray Middle School, 253-571-5200 for more information.
Attention SERS and TRS Plan 3 members. Are you planning to leave employment or retire sometime in the next five years? Do you know what decisions you need to make in regard to your retirement plan when you leave? Do you know what payment options you have? Michael DuBois from ICMARC will be presenting a short seminar and answering questions for Plan 3 members on these very topics. If you are retiring or separating from service within the next five years, you are strongly encouraged to attend.
Come to any of the Withdrawing from Plan 3 seminars (all sessions are identical). The next meeting will be Monday, June 7, at 4:30 p.m. in the CAB fourth-floor board room.
You can register for the class from the TRS Web site . Choose “Withdrawing from Plan
3 ” to find the session(s) available. You may need to change the date range and click
Submit to list all seminars for your district. When the screen refreshes, scroll through and click on Registration to reserve your space.
The district’s annual office professional/professional technical summer conference will be Monday, Aug. 23, from 7:30 a.m. to 4 p.m. at the Professional Development Center.
Aug. 23 is the first day back to work for 10-month secretaries and there will be numerous sessions geared to give them critical information for the start of the school year.
Help support the conference by having your staff provide a themed gift basket, items for a gift basket or cash donations. Bring your basket or donation to Cathy Martin at CAB. If you have any questions about the conference or baskets, call her at 253-571-1157.
Are you in need of obtaining your professional certificate for principal/program administrator? If you answered yes, City University is conducting an informational session on Wednesday, June 2, from 4 to 6 p.m. at its Fife campus, 3700 Pacific
Highway. Answers to your questions about cost, time commitment and requirements will be answered.
If you have a residency certificate (2004 or later) and have two years of administrative experience as a principal, assistant principal or program administrator, then you are eligible to seek your professional certificate. Please join City University staff June 2 if you are interested or want more information regarding this program. You may also contact Jay Hambly at jhambly@cityu.edu
or call him at 253-508-4795.
Superintendent Art Jarvis asked retirees to share something about their years in Tacoma’s schools at the district retirement celebration May 27.
Tacoma Education Association
(TEA) President Darrick Hartman congratulates a retiring TEA member.
TEA president gives out a gift to a retiring TEA member.
Board celebrates success
Skyline E.S. Principal Rebecca
Owens is congratulated by board members for Skyline’s earning a Washington
Achievement Award.
Foss H.S. Principal Thu Ament introduces his high-achieving scholars.

For more Microsoft Office tips, click here .
Join millions of other tobacco users from around the world who will quit tobacco on May
31 as part of World No Tobacco Day. When you are ready to quit, the Quit For Life®
Program is one of the best methods you can choose to help you quit tobacco and gain the skills you need to stay heal thy for life. With help from a Quit Coach®, you will make the best decisions about medications, develop new thinking skills and learn how to behave differently in situations that used to involve tobacco. You can quit tobacco. Quit for Life coaches will teach you how.
Call 1-866-QUIT-4-LIFE (1-866-784-8454) or log on to www.quitnow.net
for details or to enroll.
For the past year, Pierce Transit has been working with the public redesigning how it delivers transit service. Two final alternatives are ready for your comments. The alternatives are based on funding Pierce Transit currently receives and what Pierce
Transit could be with additional funding. Pierce Transit has served Pierce County for t30 years. Help plan for the next 30.
Check out the plans
Come to an open house, see the plans, and talk with staff. Or check out the plans online at www.PTtomorrow.org.
Let Pierce Transit know what you think
Your comments are encouraged. Let Pierce Transit know what you like and what you do not like prior to the Board of Commissioners taking action on these plans.
Submit your comments:

Online at www.PTtomorrow.org

PT Tomorrow recorded line at 253-983-3606

Attend an open house or the June 14 public hearing
See the attached brochure for an open house near you. Plus, follow the transit’s progress, give your suggestions and sign up to get the latest updates at www.pttomorrow.org
or link to it from www.piercetransit.org.
Do you know an eighth-grade student who is starting to wonder what to do with his or her life? Do you know a student who would benefit from spending time in the healthcare environment, exploring the wide range of health-care careers and learning about healthy choices? Have them sign up for Health Adventures which will be July 12 to 15 from 4 to 8 p.m. at St. Joseph Medical Center.
Health Adventures is a free service provided by Franciscan Health System to introduce youth to career opportunities in health care. Designed for students entering ninth grade in the fall, Health Adventures is a great way for students to narrow down their career choices and learn if a health care profession might be a good fit for them. It is not just for future doctors and nurses.
Participants learn about hospital jobs that encompass all levels of expertise and areas of interest. Health Adventures also illustrates a direct connection between classroom
Stadium H.S. Principal Gail
Barnum talks about all the activities her scholars are involved in and yet maintain high grades.
A Wilson H.S. senior, Heather
Willis was named a Washington
Scholar.
Kelsey Breiner from Mount
Tahoma H.S. was selected as a
Washington Award for
Vocational Excellence (WAVE) winner in automotive technology. She is congratulated
by the school board.

learning and the knowledge and skills needed in the workplace. For four days this summer, 75 students will visit different areas in their community hospital, interacting with staff and getting involved in handson activities that show what it’s like to work in a health care setting.
Students interested in participating in Health Adventures must complete an application and send it to the address listed on the application. The deadline for submitting an application has been extended to May 28.
For more information, please contact Sheri Bebbington at 253.426.6785 or sheribebbington@fhshealth.org
. Click here for flyer and application .
Fort Nisqually Living History Museum school tours bring the past to life. Tours include stories, songs and crafts for younger children; discussions about fur-trade era history and 1850s life at the fort for children in grades three and higher.
Fort Nisqually educators also offer in-school programs and a traveling history trunk for grades 3 through 6. A special native cultures program focuses on the roles of Native
Americans in the fur trade.
School tour prices range from $3.50 to $5.50 per student, with a $50 minimum.
Include Fort Nisqually in your field-trip plans for next school year. Guided tours of this restored Hudson’s Bay Company post give students of all ages a look at what life was like in Washington Territory during the fur-trade era. Fort educators in period dress share the arts, sciences, economics and stories of the first European settlement on
Puget Sound.
For more information, call 253-591-5339, e-mail fortnisqually@tacomaparks.com
or check the Web site at www.fortnisqually.org
. The Fort Nisqually living history museum is part of Metro Parks Tacoma.
Tacoma School District complies with all federal and state laws and regulations and does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, religion, sex, gender identity, sexual orientation, national origin, or ancestry, the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability or use of a trained guide dog or service animal by a person with a disability, age, familial or marital status, honorably discharged veteran or military status. This applies to all educational programs and extra-curricular activities. Inquiries regarding the application of the above should be directed to Laurie Taylor, assistant superintendent, Human Resources, telephone 253-571-1252. Inquiries regarding the application of Title IX should be directed to Jennifer Kubista, director of Athletics and Activities, telephone 253-571-1123. Inquiries regarding the application of Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act (concerning students with disabilities who are not eligible for special education) should be directed to Barbara O’Rorke, executive director, Special Education, telephone 253-571-1224. Inquiries regarding accommodations for disabled employees and the public should be directed to Leslie Nohr, Disability
Accommodations Office, telephone 253-571-1021. These individuals may be contacted by mail at P.O. Box
1357, Tacoma, WA 98401-1357.