|
|
Small Faces’ Assistant Director, Kathy Brockman Completes her 25th year of Purposeful Play
– by Lynn Wirta (Director Emeritus, Small Faces Child Development Center)
 Kathy Brockman
It’s time to celebrate 25 years of Kathy’s dedication, devotion and commitment to the children, families and staff of Small Faces and the greater Crown Hill community! Kathy began her work here in the fall of 1978 after she graduated from the University of Washington where she majored in History and earned her Elementary Education teaching credential. Kathy heard about Small Faces from a friend so she applied for work as a substitute. In those days, Small Faces was located across from Ballard High School on 14th NW in an old church. Early in 1979, a regular position became available so Kathy gave up subbing for Seattle Schools and launched her career at Small Faces. In early 80s, accreditation was unheard of and licensing of child care was pretty lax. The class size was 12-15 four year olds and Kathy was THE teacher! (Today, our rooms have 3 staff for 16-18 children). Including the director and a part time cook, there were 5 staff and an enrollment around 55 children.
In January 1980, Small Faces moved to the former Crown Hill Elementary School. Kathy’s classroom was in the current Kangaroo Room though it was called by the teacher’s name at the time. A few years went by and the community expressed a need for a program for children who turned 5 in late summer or early fall but could not attend public school. The school year 82-83 inaugurated the Challenge Class for children whose birthdays fell between September 1 and October 31. Kathy taught that program for 7 years though it wasn’t named Challenge until a few years later when all classroom names were changed. One year, there were 22 children enrolled in Challenge! Fees in 1984 ranged between $120 and $270/ month. As the Center grew in the late 80s, Kathy became the Assistant Director with administrative duties in the afternoon. By 1993, she had one son, Luke, born in 1985 and was about to have the twins, Steve and Joe, so she said farewell in December. During the next 7 years, while raising the her own children, Kathy did childcare in her home for staff members. In 1999, the Center needed a Challenge teacher so she agreed to return. In 2000, the Assistant Director position became available and Kathy moved back into her old administrative job full time.
A favorite “kid story” that Kathy likes to recall is about the time the 5 year old asked her, “What part of you is ‘the bride’?” Kathy asked what did he mean? The child said, “I was at a wedding and the man said ‘You may now kiss the bride’. Is the bride part your lips?” Another time, a child asked Kathy what a ‘widget stand’ was. Again, Kathy asked for more clarification. The child said, “You know, when we pledge allegiance to the flag for ‘widget stand’. What is a widget stand?”
Here we are today, celebrating over 25 years of Kathy, an institution at Small Faces! We estimate that Kathy has interacted with at least 2500 children and 150 co-workers; taken first aid/CPR class 10 times, taken the food handlers class 6 times and completed a minimum of 300 hours of Early Learning workshops. Kathy is always quick with a smile and a laugh; can see the bright side of any situation; never looks overwhelmed from too much paperwork; sometimes can’t find her glasses but will get right back to you when she does; can remember the names of current and alumni children AND their parents; rarely gets sick and if she does, she will get 3 more tasks done before she goes home all while raising 3 boys and a husband. Small Faces is blessed to have Kathy in its family.
This year’s Fall Family BBQ on September 22nd will be in Kathy’s honor. Past and present families, staff and her family are invited to celebrate Kathy’s dynamic personality, character, and the many other gifts she has given to the success of Small Faces.
The School of Oom Yung Doe will be holding a Grand Opening and Open House at their newest location in Crown Hill. The event will take place on Saturday, September 10th from 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM.
Come by to meet the instructor, see the facilities and learn more about what the school has to offer. Free 15 minute introductory lessons will be held every hour throughout the event starting at 12:30 PM. Special offers and discounts will be extended to all who attend as well as a chance to win free lessons or products through the school.
Oom Yung Doe incorporates the eight main styles of traditional East Asian martial arts, each offering its own unique benefits and specific body development.
- Aikido/Hapkido
- Tai Chi Chung
- Udo/Jiujitsu
- Tae Kwon Do
- Kung Fu
- Bagwa
- Kom Do (Samurai Sword)
- Ship Pal Gae (18 Weapons)
Through the school a student may focus on any one particular style or work towards their black
belt in all eight. Instruction is available for all ages and conditions.
Come visit the school on Saturday, Sept. 10th and experience the difference of Oom Yung Doe!
School of Oom Yung Doe – Crown Hill
8543 15th Ave. NW
Seattle, WA 98117
(206) 462-1339
crownhill@oomyungdoe-nw.com
For more information visit our website at www.oomyungdoe-nw.com or join us on facebook at
facebook.com/OYD.CrownHill
One of the larger housing developments in Crown Hill is Olympic Manor, an association of 350 homes. The annual garage sale in the Manor will take place on Sept 10 and 11. Most of the action is on Saturday so get there from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. for best selection. On Sunday from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. come back for the last minute bargains. Typically 40-60 homes participate. The Manor extends from NW 85th Street to NW 94th St and from 24th Ave NW to 20th Ave NW.
This was just received from Terrie Johnston, North Precinct Community Crime Prevention Coordinator, Seattle Police Department:
Robert Joe Childs is a level 3 Registered Sex Offender who recently moved onto the 11200 blk. of Meridian Ave. N. He is a 35 year old, white male; 5’9″ and 190 lbs. Det. Gordon from our Sex Offender Detail will be checking on him periodically to verify his information. To learn more check out www.waspc.org. If you have specific questions about sex offenders, call Michelle McRae at 684-5581. I’ve attached safety information for you to share with your neighbors/contacts. Thank you. tj
Seattle Police Crime Prevention
206-684-7711
Level 3 sex offenders pose the highest risk to re-offend. It is normal to feel upset, angry and worried about a registered sex offender living in your community. The Community Notification Act of 1990 requires sex offenders to register in the community where they live. The law also allows local law enforcement to make the public aware about Level 2 and Level 3 offenders. Since this offender has completed his sentence, he is free to live where he wishes. Experts believe sex offenders are less likely to re-offend if they live and work in an environment free of harassment. Any actions taken against the listed sex offender could result in arrest and prosecution as it is against the law to use this information in any way to threaten, intimidate or harass registered sex offenders. The SPD Sex offender detectives will check on these offenders every 3 months to verify our information.
The single most effective means of protecting your child is communication with your child. They have to feel comfortable discussing sensitive matters with you. Teach your children that they should not be asked to touch anyone in the bathing suit areas of their body or allow anyone to touch them in those areas. Teach them types of situations to avoid. It is not good enough to tell a child to avoid strangers. Please remember that children are most often molested by someone they or their parents know.
Here are a few pictures taken on August 24th of some of the work proceeding on the future Crown Hill Park. The circular walkway on the North end of the park is being worked on this week, and all of the asphalt is now gone along with the sod. A number of you have asked if the turf for the fields will be natural or artificial. Without getting into the pros and cons of turf types, the plans call for natural grass.
 Circular Pathway, August 24th, 2011
 Soccer and Baseball Fields, Aug 24th, 2011
 Circular Pathway, Closeup of Gravel Tamping, August 24th, 2011
 9076 Holman Rd
The property at the proposed site of a four story building including 105 unit residential units on three floors, plus ground floor commercial development at 9076 Holman Rd is now up for sale. The signs state “Pending MUP for 105 Units of Multifamily.”
The proposed development spans from 13th Ave NW to 14th Ave NW along the South side of Holman Road. The lot owners previously demolished the Union 76 station and Mini-Market adjacent to 13th Ave. Queen Anne Auto Body is still open for business on the Western portion of the site.
We recently reported the developers had applied for a MUP (Master Use Permit) to begin construction. The Department of Planning and Development issues an MUP when the project has passed through the Design Review phase(s) and a SEPA (State Environmental Policy Act) review for environmental impacts. DPD has not yet issued the MUP because they have asked for plan corrections prior to issuance.
The School of Oom Yung Doe is now open at 8543 15th Ave NW in a storefront formerly occupied by The Tweetery.
From their website: “Different from typical martial arts, sports or exercise Oom Yung Doe does not just develop one aspect of a persons condition, but all areas of strength, flexibility, coordination, speed, control, and agility internally and externally, lower, mid and upper body. It is common to see many athletes retire at a young age because of the damage athletics has done to their bodies. Through Oom Yung Doe an individual can continue to progress and maintain their condition through their seventies and beyond.”
They have other locations in Bellevue, Kirkland, Redmond and Wallingford.
The School of Oom Yung Doe
8543 15th Ave NW
(206) 462-1339
crownhill@oomyungdoe-nw.com
http://www.oomyungdoe-nw.com/
Facebook
Welcome to the neighborhood!
The Seattle Schools will be back in session in two weeks (Wednesday, September 7th). Along with the new assignment policies, parents and children will be faced with a new transportation policy and recommended walking routes to school. The new transportation policy will save the district money in the form of 80 fewer buses, and less fuel used. Under the policy, bus rides will be 25 minutes at most.
Below is a map of the transportation zones for North Beach Elementary. The orange area represents the “Walk Zone,” the yellow area represents the “Regular School Bus Transportation.” Other areas are left to the parents to arrange for shuffling the children to and fro. North Beach not your school? Maps for all the schools are here.
 North Beach Elementary Transportation Zones (click to view full size)
The School District has also identified Safe Walking Routes to assure your children get to school safely. Below is the map for North Beach Elementary. If you are looking for a different school, try here.
 North Beach Elementary Walking Routes (click to view full size)
We received the following from Terrie Johnston, North Precinct Community Crime Prevention Coordinator:
Dear Block Captains/Contacts:
Hope those of you who participated in our 27th Annual Night Out on August 2nd enjoyed Seattle’s biggest Crime Prevention celebration. 1, 327 blocks registered this year, a 12% increase in participation from last year (approx. 720 blocks in the North Precinct participated, twice the number of the other 4 precincts combined). Spectacular!
No big crime trends to report at this time, however, here are a few tidbits from recent residential burglary reports. August burglaries occurred during daytime hours, many before noon. The bulk of the entries are non-forced through open or unlocked doors and windows. (Still a few through dog-doors as previously reported) I noticed several entries through unlocked garage doors, which can be harder to protect. If you can access your home through the garage, please think of the door between the garage and house as an exterior door. They should be solid; wooden or metal with good deadbolt lock and a door frame that is anchored into the wall studs. Window screens are easy to cut or remove so don’t consider them adequate defense for an open window. Victims reported they left doors unlocked as they were only walking the dog, or at a nearby park with their kids and didn’t plan on being gone long. We think 9 minutes is a long time for a burglar to be in your home. Laptops, jars of coins, jewelry and tools were popular stolen items this month. One burglar entered an unlocked garage and stole the victim’s car using the valet key left in the glove box of the vehicle. On 7/30/11 people on Densmore Ave. N. were having a party in their basement and a guest came upstairs to find four burglars inside the house. They were chased outside and fled in the suspects’ vehicle. An astute individual reported 2 motorcyclists stuffing their back packs with stuff from a suitcase they later discarded. The witness gave good descriptions and even a license plate number to 9-1-1. Officers ended up arresting one of the thieves a short time later near the Home Depot parking lot. Turned out the motorcycle was stolen. The suitcases seen had the victim’s name on the ID Tags which helped verify a burglary had occurred; and most of the chase was caught on an in-car camera of the patrol car. Great work by North Precinct patrol and by the great witness who called in the Suspicious Activity which lead to the arrest. You are our eyes and ears!
For any questions or to schedule any follow up services, please call me at the North Precinct. tj
Seattle Police Crime Prevention
206-684-7711
We had great turnouts for both the Crown Hill Garage Sale on July 23rd and Night Out Seattle on August 2nd this year!
 Garage Sale 2011 (click to enlarge)
The 5th Annual Crown Hill Neighbors Garage Sale on July 23rd had 67 advance sign-ups this year. There were actually more sales and free sales. I made it to 46 of the sales. My favorite sale this year was the 8 year old boy who decided to have a sale when a couple of his neighbors started putting their wares out. He was trying to raise $40 to help his sister replace her stolen bike. I checked back a week later and he made his goal! There was great food to be had including Mt Fuji hot dogs, “possibly the best chocolate chip cookies in Crown Hill,” lemonade, and goodies galore (those lemon bars were really, really good). Of the 67 listings we had, 5 wouldn’t fit on our map, but we made them honorary Crown Hillers for the day. Traffic slowed to a crawl on many streets with multiple sales as cruisers walked from sale to sale. The folks on 16th between 87th and 89th deserve a special mention — they sure know how to have a multi-family garage sale — every one had a mix of great merchandise at bargain prices — and everybody was having fun talking to each other. Thanks all and if you have comments, please get back to us at garagesale@crownhillneighbors.org
 Two Young Artists Discuss Their Art on 12th Ave
We had over a dozen block parties that I am aware of. In my immediate neighborhood there were 4 parties blocking the streets, and there were a number of folk who walked to adjoining parties to share in the camaraderie and festivities. Children were seen zipping up and down the street on bikes, scooters, and foot as they enjoyed the freedom from vehicle traffic for an evening. Dogs were welcome at several of the parties (and at one, the whole group of herding dogs took noisy exception in unison to a child’s attempt to jump on a pogo stick). As always, the food was fabulous, and as is the case in potlucks, there was more than enough to go around. We’ve had a rough summer with crime, and it was great to see folk getting to know each other. MyBallard had an article featuring various parties around Ballard, and Crown Hill scored two pictures including the one at right! Next year, we’ve got to invite Engine 35 to come visiting!
 "We decorated the fence so the construction crew would have something pretty to look at while they worked" (Photo courtesy of Small Faces Child Development Center)
On Wednesday, August 10th construction began on the soon to be Crown Hill Park. The Paul Brothers of Oregon were awarded the construction contract for the park a few weeks ago. On Wednesday children at Small Faces decorated the fences with ribbons so the workers “would have something pretty to look at while they worked.”
 Behind Former Home Plate
 John Deere and Blacktop Mountains
 Concrete Culverts Removed
Our new park will include a renovated ball field, open lawn areas, a skate dot, a pathway and much improved landscaping. The two large sycamores, south of the old ball field will be retained. Small Faces and the community began work to secure the historic Crown Hill School Site for community use many years ago. Seattle Parks held community meetings in 2005, 2007, and 2010. Crown Hill Neighbors was formed in 2007 to act as a community voice in this effort. Initially it was thought the School District would enter into a long-term lease (50-year) with Small Faces, and Seattle Parks and Recreation would construct the park on the leased land while Small Faces operated the old school building. An opportunity presented itself one year later when the School District decided to surplus the school and land. Seattle Parks purchased the land for the park using the Opportunity Fund from the Parks & Green Space Levy, and Small Faces purchased the building to become the future Crown Hill Center.
 Final Site Plan (click to enlarge)
UPDATED: 9 AM, 08/09/2011 — Added pictures of suspects from SPD blotter and descriptions
UPDATED: 4 PM, 08/09/2011 — the description of the incident on 13th near 100th was clarified based on further information from neighbors and from Terrie Johnston from the SPD.
The Key Bank in Carkeek Plaza was robbed at gunpoint today at approximately 10:45 AM. A number of neighbors reported that the Plaza around the bank quickly filled with police cars, and a helicopter hovered overhead as the police searched for the robbers.
At about the same time police received a call about a possible residential burglar or otherwise suspicious circumstances in a house on 13th, a few short blocks away. Police blocked NW 100th from 12th Ave NW to west of 13th Ave NW. Neighbors reported that the police surrounded a house near 13th Ave NW and NW 100th, but did not take anyone into custody. One neighbor reported there was “a swat team, at least 10 cop cars, a couple of black vans.” Approximately 2 PM the containment around the house was cleared and traffic flow was restored on 100th.
Additional coverage of the bank robbery can be found on the MyBallard website.
Photos and text from the SPD Blotter article:
On August 8th, at approximately 10:48 AM, two suspects robbed a bank in the 9700 Block of Holman Road Northwest. The suspect descriptions are:
1) White male, 20-30, thin, wearing an “Idaho Vandals” hooded sweatshirt, black bandana over the face.
2) White male, 40-50, thin, dark blue-green flannel over shirt, black t-shirt beneath used to cover face.
Anyone with information regarding this robbery or the identification of the masked suspects, please contact the FBI-Safe Streets Task Force at (206) 622-0460.
 
Join neighbors and friends the 4th Saturday of every month as we remove invasive plants from the North Beach Park and Nature Area, at 24th Ave. NW and NW 90th St. We meet at 9 am at the entrance to the park; the next work party is August 27th. Bring water, sturdy shoes, and clothes you’re willing to get dirty. We’ll provide gloves and tools.
North Beach Park is a small ravine park kitty corner from North Beach Elementary. Although there is a serious problem with invasives, the canopy and understory still have a diversity of native species, from Western Red Cedar and Big Leaf Maple down to Pacific Waterleaf. The park is also home to mountain beavers and numerous birds. Removing invasive plants increases the beauty and improves habitat and health of the park.
For further information, please contact North Beach Park forest steward Luke McGuff at 206-715-9135 or lukemcguff@yahoo.com.
We received the following press release from Page Ahead (1130 NW 85th St), a Crown Hill non-profit which promotes children’s literacy:
Local author Keith Baker donated 200 new copies of his children’s books Hide and Snake and On the Go with Mr. and Mrs. Green. He delivered the books to Page Ahead’s Crown Hill office on Monday Aug. 8th. In the attached photo, Keith Baker is pictured with Susan Dibble, Page Ahead’s Executive Director.
Keith Baker was a nominee for Page Ahead’s 2011 Best Books for Kids Awards for his alphabet book LMNO Peas, and is the recipient of other children’s book awards including a Golden Kite Award for Big Fat Hen, and a School Library Journal Best Book of the Year for The Magic Fan, among others.
Page Ahead is the leading provider of children’s books and literacy services in Washington State, serving 55,000 children in need every year. Page Ahead provides new books for children in need; literacy support for families; and reading resources for communities.
 Keith Baker
The City of Seattle is sponsoring a Trees For Neighborhoods program again this year. The program encourages residents to plant trees in their yards and along their streets. They city will provide residents:
- Free trees
- Watering bags
- Training on proper planting and care
- Coupon for free Groco compost
- Ongoing care reminders and workshop opportunities
The list of available species is here.
This is a City program so there are some ground rules:
- Trees can be planted anywhere in residential yards, but must be planted at the address on the application.
- Permits are required if planting street trees – reLeaf staff will coordinate acquiring permits. Receiving a permit is not guaranteed. No permit is required for yard trees.
- You must be present at the planting training to pick up your tree(s). All trees should be planted shortly after receiving them.
- The number of trees approved for your yard may be fewer than the number requested. Please note that tree availability is not guaranteed.
- If you do not own your home, you must obtain the permission of the homeowner.
- Tree supply is limited and applications will be accepted on a first come first served basis, so apply early!
If you would like to participate, please visit the program website and submit your application. The deadline for applications for street trees this year is September 1st, 2011 and for yard trees is October 24th, but you should apply early because the number of trees is limited.
|
|