6th Grade in Middle School

Spring 2019

Family Information Nights were held in January and February 2019 for all middle schools in Highline. Families of students in 5th and 6th grade attended meetings about moving up to middle school in the fall. A summary of the meeting presentations is available.

Background

2015--Planning began in 2015 with community meetings and a 30-member committee of parents, teachers, counselors, paraeducators, principals and central office staff. 

2016--Transition plans paused until a bond to fund a new middle school passed in November 2016.

2018--Family meetings in each of the four service areas in spring 2018 continued the process of providing information to families and  feedback for staff to develop plans and determine details.

2019--Principals at each middle school held a second round of middle school information meetings in spring 2019 to provide detailed information for incoming 6th- and 7th-grade families.

These are the senior district staff who served on the transition steering committee for the move of 6th grade to middle school in fall 2019. The committee was co-led by Diana Garcia, director of educational specification & transition planning and Julie Hunter, director of secondary initiatives.

Steering Committee Members

Capital projects 

Scott Logan, Chief Operations Officer

Inclusive Education 

Gaye Bungart, Director of Special Education
Rebekah Kim, Director - Instructional Support
Kristin Percy-Califf, Director, Language Learning

School culture & Climate

All Middle School Principals
Ben Guayan, Executive Director - Instructional Leadership
Deborah Rumbaugh, Executive Director - Instructional Leadership
Jenniffer Reinig, Executive Director - Inclusive Education
Susanne Jerde, Chief Academic Officer
Kisa Hendrickson, Chief Engagement and Partnership Officer

Pre-K–12

Janet Blanford, Director of Secondary Success & College Readiness
Anne Arnold, Director of Pre-K And Elementary Success
Bernard Koontz, Executive Director - Language Learning and Teacher Development
Roberta McFarland, Director - Waskowitz Outdoor Education Center
Jami Haskin, Resource Manager, Assessment & Accountability

Athletics

Phil Willenbrock, Director of Athletics

Human resources

Steve Grubb, Chief Talent Officer
Chris Larsen, Executive Director - Human Resources

Communications

Catherine Carbone Rogers, Chief Communications Officer

Safety and Security

Randy Body, Director of Safety & Security

Business services

Jackie Bryan, Director of Budget