Chris Gregoire is Coming to Town!

On Tuesday, October 30th Governor Chris Gregoire is holding a town hall meeting at Universtiy High School, 12420 E. 32nd Avenue, Spokane Valley. Doors open at 6:30 with the meeting set to begin at 7:00. There will be a good WEA presence there; please come out if you'd like to hear her agenda for the coming legislative session!

What's New from the Cheney Free Press

There was a nice page 2 article in the October 18th edition about the Family Math Night that Medical Lake Elementary recently held, including a picture of Mrs. McSmith. You can read the article here.

Also, here's the picture they ran of the Students of the Month at Medical Lake Middle School.

Cyber-Lobbying

Mad as hell and not going to take it any more? Have we got an outlet for you!

If you click on over to the WEA website and look in the bar on the right hand side, you'll see a button with an American flag that says "Contact Congress Now!" Click it, and you'll be taken to the NEA's Legislative Action Center, where you can email your US Senators and Representatives to let them know what you think about the education issues of the day, including the upcoming reauthorization of the No Child Left Behind act.

It's amazing how easy they've made it. By typing in your zip code they'll be able to direct an email to your representative; you can either type in your own thoughts or click on phrases that work for you and they'll get dropped right into the body of the message. There are also links to official NEA positions on issues like merit pay, which could be a great resource for those out there working on their graduate credentials.

You can be heard in three minutes, and that's power.

(Note: Please only send political emails from your home computer!)

Other Recent Medical Lake Articles from the Cheney Free Press

September 20th: A look at our WASL results.

September 27th: One of the ROTC kids is going to a national conference on security in Washington, DC!

October 11th: Highlighting the Character Counts program at Medical Lake Elementary.

All of us thank the Free Press for the great coverage they give our schools!

Right Here at Home

In the past couple of weeks you might have seen information about two good causes cross your radar; we wanted to provide a bit more information about who they are and what they do for Medical Lake schools!

Along with your September pay warrants you received an automatic deduction sign-up sheet for Citizens for Medical Lake Schools, the group that supports our bond and levy campaigns. I've been lucky enough to attend several of their meetings in the past, and I'll personally attest that they're a good group that works hard for our kids.

With the simple majority measure being on the ballot soon, and the need for a new building for Medical Lake Elementary growing even greater as the years go on, our bond and levy committee can use all the support they can get. If you're so inclined, it's a great cause.

Another local group that does great things right here at home is Dollars for Scholars. The Cheney Free Press did a great article about their work here; the potential that their endowment drive has to help MLHS seniors on their way to college is incredible. Our own Carol Tyson is involved with the Cardinal STAR campaign; if you'd like more information (or to donate!) she'd be happy to help.

The MLEA gives several scholarships every year as part of Dollars for Scholars. If you're interested in being part of the group that looks at the scholarship applications, look for an email in the spring!