Puyallup parents who oppose a proposed switch from junior highs to middle schools are circulating a petition online.
Some parents say they oppose the move because they believe sixth graders belong in elementary school, rather than a sixth-through-eighth grade middle school. Others say moving ninth graders to Puyallup’s existing high schools will create overcrowding at the high schools. They also fear the numbers will force students unwillingly into double shifting at the high school.
District officials say middle schools are the prevailing model in Western Washington. They also say ninth graders need to be in a high school …

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You’re invited to a dedication ceremony and open house Wednesday Nov. 17, beginning at 4:30 p.m. at Victor Falls Elementary School, 11401 188th Ave. Ct. E., Bonney Lake. The school is celebrating completion of its modernization project. The open house includes a performance by a student choir directed by Mark Edgbert.

Lakes High School’s Parent Teacher Student Association is hosting its third annual Book Fair Thursday and Friday at the Lakewood Towne Center Barnes & Noble, 5711 Main Street S.W.
If customers making a purchase on those days mention that they want to support Lakes, the school gets a percentage of the profits. The money will be used to purchase new books to help fill the recently rebuilt school library.
For more information call 253-583-5555.

Ninety percent of Tacoma’s low-income eighth graders have signed up for Washington state’s College Bound Scholarship program, according to Tacoma Public Schools. The program, created by the Washington State Legislature, promises college scholarships for eligible low-income students.
To qualify for the College Bound Scholarship, students must graduate from high school with at least a 2.0 GPA, demonstrate good citizenship and stay crime-free. Each year, seventh and eighth graders can sign up, but they must enroll before the end of eighth grade.
The school district says Tacoma’s success in signing up kids for the program is a result of …

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When the space shuttle Discovery crosses its final frontier, it will carry a bit of Tacoma with it.
The signatures of 20 students from UW Tacoma’s Math, Science, Leadership (MSL) program, along with autographs from several faculty, staff and family members, will go along for the ride when Discovery makes its 39th and last trip into space.
The MSL program offers 7th- to 12th-grade students activities designed to
encourage interest in science, technology, engineering, mathematics and leadership. The journey from UW Tacoma to Discovery’s last flight started last spring.
On May 8, as part of Space …

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Teens and parents can get a glimpse of the future at High School & Beyond Night, 5:30-7:30 p.m. Thursday at Mount Tahoma High School in Tacoma.
More than 70 representatives from colleges, careers and industry and volunteer organizations will be available to talk to you about opportunities and answer questions that will help high school and middle school students plan for life after high school.

The Bethel School Board will hold a public hearing on state Referendum 52 during its meeting Tuesday.
The meeting is scheduled for 7 p.m. Tuesday in the Educational Services Center boardroom, located at 176th St. E. in Spanaway.
Members of the public can comment on the proposed legislation, which would set aside $505 million to fund energy saving projects at public schools, colleges and universities. Proponents say the bond measure would help create new construction jobs and extend the state’s bonding capacity to pay for projects that demonstrate energy savings over time. Opponents say it will saddle the …

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Tacoma teachers, principals and administrators are looking for ideas to improve schools, and they want to hear what’s working and what’s not for you and your child.

You can share your ideas at one of five Community Conversation Circles sponsored by the Tacoma teachers’ union and the school district.

The first is scheduled for 5:30 to 7 p.m. Thursday  at Jason Lee Middle School, 602 N. Sprague Ave.

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