Tahoma School District (among many others in the area) is closed today for the second day in a row. The Maple Valley Chamber of Commerce luncheon has been canceled, City Hall is closed, as is my RE/MAX office. Whatever you had planned today, call ahead to make sure the business is open. I’m working, but from the safety comfort of my home office. (Photo above taken in my back yard about 8:30 am)
Students in the Tahoma School District will have 13 1/2 days to enjoy the Holidays this year. Beginning with an early release day on Wednesday December 21, through a Staff Development day on Tuesday, 1/3/2012, classes will resume on 1/4/2012. (view full calendar here) This means lots of time for baking, shopping, game-playing, visiting, caroling and overall-merry making. I’m sure there are more than a few kids (and kids at heart) out there who are counting on a little snow to make the holiday break extra fun. You can count me among them. half day on Wednesday
Summer is now “officially” over! Tomorrow is the first day of the 2011-2012 Tahoma School District Calendar year. Parents hugging their coffee cups at the bus stop, kids in spanking new shoes weighted down with stuffed back-packs….I remember those days fondly. I also remember having to check and recheck the bus schedule just to make sure we were on time. Here is a link to the bus schedules for the whole District….just in case you’re 1. a procrastinator who hasn’t checked yet or 2. neurotic like me and have to repeatedly recheck. Enjoy the morning with your kids, they fly far too quickly!
In 1987, my husband and I elected to relocate our family from the Mid-West to the greater Seattle area. My parents lived here at the time, and after several visits we felt pulled to the area; the climate, economic opportunites and overall quality of life were bold “check” marks in the Pros (vs. Cons) column. Coming from a lower priced market to a higher priced market, with one son and one on the way, we were more sensitive to the cost of housing than proximity to Metro areas. My husband was willing to sacrifice his time with a 45 minute commute (each way) to Seattle, if it meant we could have a comparable home in an area we could comfortably afford. We did not originally move to Maple Valley. Seven years later, after having been in the real estate field for 4 years, I began to hear a recurring theme from people I met….”We’d like to move, but we will NOT leave the Tahoma School District”. At this time, we now had three sons and were not only concerned about schools, but were interested in becoming a part of strong community. Fast forward 17 years….my three boys have graduated and my husband and I are
The Tahoma School District continues to impress with it’s efforts to stand “above the crowd”. Recently the district received recognition by King County as the first district to achieve the first level of the Green Schools Program. All eight schools in the district worked to significantly improve in areas of waste and energy reduction. The district implemented changes which amassed a savings in the range of $25,000 when comparing the ’07-’8 year to the ’09-’10 school year. Just one more feather in the Tahoma District’s hat (and as I’ve said before, that hat must be getting heavy!)
The League of Education Voters blog published an overview of the Tahoma School district yesterday. The author is going to do a weekly overview of those Washington schools which were named in the Newseek top 5% article. When it comes to Tahoma, she writes: So overall, it definitely looks like Tahoma is doing what they need to do to make Newsweek I thought I’d help spotlight the spotlight to help spread the word about our great schools!
Be Safe and have fun!
Yet another feather in the Tahoma School District’s cap…..Glacier Park Elementary school has been named a School of Distinction by the office of State Superintendent of Public Schools. State Superintendent Terry Bergeson said “Students and teachers and schools continue to make incredible progress,” Bergeson said. “This award celebrates the real gains these schools have made, gains that aren’t recognized by the federal No Child Left Behind law or its ‘Adequate Yearly Progress’ calculations.” The Tahoma School District continues to be a strong draw to families relocating to the greater Seattle area. High WASL scores along with relatively more affordable housing (compared to districts closer to Seattle/Bellevue) means “more house for the money”. Congratulations to the Administration, Teachers and Students who have worked hard for this honor of distinction! Colleen Fischesser is the Broker/Owner of RE/MAX Select in Maple Valley, WA. She has been successfully selling and marketing properties all over South King & North Pierce counties since 1990 but specializes in the Maple Valley Washington area. .She may be contacted directly at: 425-432-5400 Copyright 2008, All Rights Reserved Colleen Fischesser
