SCHOOL BRIEFS: Vaccinate your child

The start of school is just around the corner, and the Snohomish Health District is encouraging parents to vaccinate their child with their health care provider.

Required vaccines:

• two doses of chickenpox vaccine or a doctor-verified history of disease for students in kindergarten through grade two

• one dose of chickenpox or parental history of disease for students in grades three, four and six

• adolescent pertussis vaccine for students in grades six through nine

Recommended vaccines:

• one-shot Meningococcal vaccine for children 11 and older

• three-shot series of human papillomavirus for girls age 11 and older

• adolescent pertussis vaccine for older teens

• two-shot series of hepatitis A vaccine for children 12 months and older

• flu vaccine for everyone age 6 months and older

From Aug. 30 through Sept. 17, the Snohomish Health District is offering back-to-school immunizations at its clinics in Everett and Lynnwood for families without a health care provider. The district requests payment the day of the service; private insurance is not accepted.

The Everett clinic will be open for appointments from 8 a.m.-noon and for walk-ins from 1-4 p.m., Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays. The Everett clinic is located at 3020 Rucker Ave Ste. 108.

The Lynnwood clinic will be open for appointments from 8 a.m.-noon and for walk-ins from 1-4 p.m., Tuesdays and Thursdays. The Lynnwood clinic is located at 6101 200th Ave. SW. Ste. 108.

Both clinics will be closed on Labor Day, Sept. 6.

For more information, call the Everett clinic at 425-339-5220 or the Lynnwood clinic at 425-775-3522.

EdCC offers new two-year degree

Edmonds Community College is offering a new Emergency Management and Business Continuity degree. The degree can be completed in two years, with most classes offered online.

The program will train students in the phases of emergency management, focusing on preparedness, planning, prevention and mitigation of emergency situations, response to emergencies and recovery from emergency situations. The program will teach students the skills necessary to help prepare emergency and business continuity plans, and to comply with the National Preparedness Directive, the Federal Emergency Management Agency’s National Response Framework, and Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations, as they respond to emergencies.

Lark Stewart, the director of the Emergency Management program, will lead a workshop called “Emergency Preparedness at Work and Home” for EdCC employees at 8:30 a.m. in Woodway Hall 202, 20000 68th Ave. W, Lynnwood.

Edmonds School District levy passing

The Supplemental School Programs and Operations Levy is unofficially passing at 54.04 percent as of Aug. 20. The levy requires a 50 percent simple majority to pass.

The four-year levy will cost 31 cents per $1,000 of assessed property value in 2011 and 2013 and cost 30 cents per $1,000 in 2012 and 2014. The levy will raise between $6.8 million and $8 million each year if approved by voters.

Election results are expected to be certified Sept. 1

State has eighth highest ACT scores

ACT results were released on Aug. 18 and for the seventh year in a row, Washington state has scored well above the national average. Washington students in the class of 2010 who took the ACT tied with Delaware for the eighth highest ACT scores in the nation.

In the 2009-2010 school year, one out of every six high school seniors took the ACT, which is a record for Washington. The average score in Washington was a 23.0. The national average is 21.0. The ACT is scored on a scale from one (lowest) to 36.

EdCC hires new VP for Finance and Operations

Edmonds Community College hired Kevin McKay to serve as the new vice president for finance and operations. McKay, of Lynnwood, had been serving as the college’s interim vice president for finance and operations since January 2009.

McKay has worked with the college since 1993, and previously held positions there as director of information technology and director of distance learning and online programs coordinator. In his new position he is responsible for the college’s facilities and capital projects, information technology services, campus safety and security, and its finance departments.

McKay earned a Master’s degree in Public Administration this year and a Bachelor’s degree in Business Management in 2007 from the University of Phoenix.

EdCC to offer video game degrees

During the upcoming academic year, Edmonds Community College will be one of 300 colleges, universities, art and trade schools in the United States offering degrees in video game design, development, programming and art, according to research from the Entertainment Software Association (ESA).

EdCC is one of nine colleges and universities in Washington that offer game-related degrees. The continued growth of video game programs coincides with the overall growth of the entertainment software industry, according to the ESA.

Edmonds board changes building hours

The Edmonds School Board recently approved revised facility use parameters, in order to reduce energy costs and use custodial time more efficiently.

Community groups including school board members will now use designated schools in each part of the district. There will be extended hours for community use in each of these buildings. There will be standard hours for when all buildings will be open, with exceptions for school-based evening activities.

The scheduling for community groups will now be done centrally. For more information on availability and fees, contact Jamie Smith at 425-431-3844 or smithja@edmonds.wednet.edu.

Edmonds district receives Dept. of Education grant

The Edmonds School District received a three-year grant for $999,845 from the U.S. Department of Education. The grant is intended to increase teachers’ knowledge of American history, and will allow the district to bring in historians to work with teachers.

“The teachers will be investigating multiple perspectives of American history and will share that learning with other teachers and their students,” said Sarah Schumacher, the district’s social studies coordinator.