Thu, Mar 28 5:55pm
Next week, the entire Whittier community is invited to attend an important Special Meeting called to inform families and caregivers about the Math Agency and possible future PTA funding of the program.
You may have seen information about the meeting and Math Agency in this week's Wildchat.
In case you missed it, here's a recap:
Key Dates:
- April 1st from 7 - 9 pm via Zoom: Special Information Session with the Math Agency (all Whittier families are invited to attend.) Learn more about the Math Agency, their mission, and their model.
- April 16th from 7 - 8:30 pm via Zoom: PTA Meeting, including community vote on Math Agency funding (all invited to attend, all PTA members may vote.) Learn how to become a PTA member.
Community Input Needed: Math Intervention and Extension Opportunities for 2024-2025 School Year
Seattle Public School does not provide funding or a systematic structure for math intervention. Whittier has been working with the Math Agency to support scholars in becoming strong, confident and independent math learners. Since the Fall, the Math Agency has been supporting 35 Whittier learners aligned with the Math Agency's mission to close educational gaps in math in public schools. In January, Whittier began piloting a program in partnership with the Math Agency to support 12 Extension learners as well (students identified as performing above grade level), as the District mandates but does not fund advanced learning support.
During the 2023 - 2024 school year, Whittier was not charged for Math Agency support. The service has been offered for free to provide the Math Agency with performance data. Going forward, the Whittier PTA is being asked to fund the Math Agency at Whittier.
As we create the 2024 - 2025 PTA budget, we as a community need to determine if we will continue to fund the Math Agency. The level of funding could be the largest line item in our budget, surpassing the flexible staffing grant Principal Watters uses to close the gap in district funding for Nurse Marissa; our literacy specialist, Ms. Trilby; our Specialists, Mr. Buck, Ms. Steph, and Mr. Pule, and our librarian, Ms. Newcomb.
We are hosting a special community meeting with the Math Agency on April 1st. The purpose of this meeting is to inform the community of the Math Agency's mission, student support, structure, and to-date results at Whittier. Discussion will also include qualitative impressions from teachers, families, and students that the Math Agency has served. Then, on April 16th, the PTA community at large will vote on Math Agency Funding.
Please join us.