Mount Vernon school buses going green

Through the Washington State Clean School Bus Program, the Northwest Clean Air Agency (NWCAA) recently retrofitted all Mount Vernon School District buses built before 2001 with devices geared to reduce emissions. NWCAA received $121,638 from the Clean School Bus Program to retrofit the Mount Vernon buses. Buses built prior to 2001 are already equipped with better filtration systems.

The new filtration systems will reduce carbon monoxide emission by 1,130 pounds, hydrocarbons by 370 pounds and particulate matter by 132 pounds in one year. Without the filter, the exhaust from the back of the bus filters into the air or into the cabin where the students sit.

NWCAA implemented the program with help from Cummins Northwest, a motor company, and is already working with schools in Sedro-Woolley, Burlington, South Whidbey, and Oak Harbor to implement filtration systems there.

Parents: Learn effective strategies to understand your teen

Parents are invited to attend lunch time group training sessions that will help to understand yourself and your teen and improve your relationship. You'll learn the power of trust, respect, and encouragement and how to positively change your response to your teenager. You will also learn how to encourage cooperation, how to use consequences to build responsibility, and which problems to own and which problems to let your teen own.

The training sessions will be facilitated by school psychologist and counselor Phil Koester, who has over 22 years of experience teaching parenting courses and is the father of two adult children.

WHO: Mount Vernon parents of teens (priority given to parents of 9th-graders)

WHEN: Wednesdays beginning January 14, 21, 28, and February 4, 11, 18, and 25

TIME: 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

WHERE: Room 302-1/2, Old Main, Mount Vernon High School

Please R.S.V.P. as space is limited. Contact Dawn Kammenga at 428-6100, ext. 2177 to register.

If you are interested in purchasing the book, visit Amazon.com to purchase Parenting Teenagers: Systematic Training for Effective Parenting of Teens.

MVHS Principal Anderson named 2008 Golden Apple Award winner

KCTS 9, PEMCO Insurance and the School Employees Credit Union of Washington announced the winners of the 17th annual Golden Apple Awards on October 24. Eight individuals and two programs making a positive difference in Washington state education in grades K-12 were named. Among the winners was Mount Vernon High School Principal Dave Anderson, who will be honored in ceremonies to be held in January 2009 in Seattle.

The 2008 winners were selected from over 200 nominees by a panel including educators from around the state. Principal Anderson will receive a "Golden Apple" statuette and a $250 prize. PEMCO Insurance will also award Anderson a $1,500 grant to support Mount Vernon High  School.

To read more about Principal Anderson's efforts, please click here.

Class of 2009 Graduation Toolkit released

The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) recently announced the release of the Class of 2009 Graduation Toolkit. The Toolkit is provided for educators and families to better understand state graduation requirements and will be periodically updated with new materials/handouts if any changes occur during the 2009 Legislative session. To view the toolkit along with other graduation requirements resources, please click here.

School District news on TV-10

Join us for the Mount Vernon School District TV show, Focus on Learning, as we explore school-related issues, instructional programs and important community partnerships. Focus on Learning airs at 11:00 a.m. and 6:00 p.m. on channel TV-10.