For Immediate Release | October 25, 2016
Green Dot Public Schools introduces new school leader and plan for new public middle school in the Rainier Valley
SEATTLE – Southeast Seattle middle school students and families will have another choice for a tuition-free public school for the 2017-2018 school year. Today, Green Dot Public Schools announced the launch of its new middle school and open enrollment process for Washington students. The middle school is part of a state-approved 6-12 charter public school that will be located in the Rainier Valley.
The school will be named by its community advisory team and families this spring, and its school leader and community advisory team is spending the next year listening to southeast Seattle residents to learn how to best meet the needs of the students in the community.
“We’re excited to work with the community to build a school that reflects the diversity of the neighborhood and offers families another choice to help prepare their child for success,” said Walter Chen, Green Dot’s southeast Seattle school’s founding principal. “Every student that walks through our doors will receive high-quality, personalized teaching from educators who know that all students can succeed.”
In 2015, Green Dot’s Destiny Middle School in Tacoma opened its doors to an inaugural sixth grade class, added seventh graders this year, and will add an eighth grade next fall. In Destiny’s founding year, students on average grew 3 grade levels in reading.
“We know we can replicate our Tacoma success in southeast Seattle,” said Bree Dusseault, Executive Director at Green Dot Washington. “Parents and families are our most important partners in this work, and we will continue to work closely with our community and families to close historic opportunity gaps and set our students on the course to college.”
Green Dot Public Schools are public schools that are tuition-free and open to all students with the mission to help transform public education so all students graduate prepared for college, leadership, and life. The southeast Seattle middle school will be located at 6020 Rainier Avenue South and will open its doors to 6th graders only in the 2017-2018 school year, rolling up to a full 6-8th grade middle school over the next three years.
Green Dot works closely with the families and communities it serves to create open, inviting schools that reflect the needs of the community and ensure families feel welcome. A community advisory team consisting of residents, leaders, and educators from the neighborhood advises Green Dot as it shapes the culture of the new school.
“As a parent who lives and works in southeast Seattle, I love that my voice is being heard in creating the foundation for the environment of this new school,” said Natalie Hester, southeast Seattle resident and member of the southeast Seattle school community advisory team. “This new school has an opportunity to collaborate with my community and provide another public school choice to serve the families and students in the Rainier Valley.”
Green Dot’s southeast Seattle school is now enrolling for the 2017-2018 school year and recently launched a website and Facebook page. Families can find more information including how to enroll a student below:
For more information contact Walter Chen, Principal, at 206.496.4573.
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About Green Dot Public Schools
Green Dot Public Schools’ mission is to help transform public education so all students graduate prepared for college, leadership, and life. Green Dot is fulfilling this mission by running high-achieving public schools that are focused on graduating students and fully preparing them for college. For more information visit: www.greendot.org.
This press release was originally published by Green Dot Public Schools Washington.