Lawton Elementary

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Building Leadership Team (BLT)

What is the Building Leadership Team?

The Building Leadership Team (BLT) is a site-based management team that addresses school policy, goals, and operations. It is comprised of our principal and teachers and parents representing the various school-age groups. The BLT meets monthly to discuss and resolve current issues.

How Does the BLT Help Parents and Students?

Meetings are open to all in the Lawton community, so feel free to attend. Please contact your BLT representative with any questions or concerns that you would like to have addressed at BLT meetings.

Specific Responsibilities of the BLT

  • Oversee the facilitation and development of a school-wide professional development plan to support the Academic Achievement Plan.
  • Set goals and implement plans for Lawton that provide for family, staff, community, and student involvement in appropriate aspects of school functioning.
  • Communicate to the Lawton staff and parents suggestions and policy regarding the philosophy and focus of the instructional program at Lawton, allowing the staff to plan final implementation steps.
  • Consider suggestions and concerns of the staff and parents in order to aid and advance the goals of Lawton.
  • Assist in the annual and ongoing review, possible modification, and implementation of the Lawton School Transformation Plan, including any updates and amendments.
  • Oversee the facilitation and development of the Lawton school budget.
  • Advocate for the interest of Lawton with the District and larger community.
  • Actively seek ways to attract additional funding and resources to the school.
  • Work cooperatively with the PTA in furthering the goals and mission statement of Lawton.

2011-2012 BLT Meeting Schedule, Agendas & Minutes

  • Monday, September 12, 2011 – 3:30 p.m., Agenda;  Minutes
  • Monday, October 3, 2011 – 3:30 p.m. Minutes
  • Monday, November 7, 2011 – 3:30 p.m.  Minutes
  • Monday, December 5, 2011 – 3:30 p.m. Minutes
  • Monday, January 2, 2012 – 3:30 p.m. Minutes
  • Monday, February 6, 2012 – 3:30 p.m. Minutes
  • Monday, March 5, 2012 – 3:30 p.m.
  • Monday, April 2 , 2012 – 3:30 p.m.
  • Monday, May 7, 2012 – 3:30 p.m.
  • Monday, June 4, 2012 – 3:30 p.m.

2011-2012 BLT Committee List

CSIP: Lead: Tom Bolger/ Members: Tom Bolger, Neil Gerrans, Lyon Terry
Professional Development: Lead: Neil Gerrans/ Members: Neil Gerrans, Lyon Terry, Peter Hubbard, Linda Cutler
Discretionary Budget: Lead: Scott Schliebner/ Members:  Scott Schliebner, Neil Gerrans, Corrie Kahn, Carrie Wheeler
Decision Making Matrix: Lead: Amy Efroymsen/ Team: Amy Efroymsen, Neil Gerrans, Kara Palmer Johnson, Ovidiu Todoran, Jeni Rudsill

2011-2012 Roster

Amy Efroymson – 5th Grade Parent Representative and Chair
This is Amy’s second year on the Lawton BLT.  Amy has three children at Lawton this year – Audrey, who is in Ms. Ulmer’s 5th grade class, and Katie and Caroline, both in Mr. Matzner’s 1st grade class.  Amy is a Seattle native who grew up in Magnolia and attended Seattle public schools.  She is a graduate of Whitman College with a degree in Anthropology.  Professionally Amy is a partner in a human resource consulting firm.  Prior to consulting Amy worked as an HR professional for Seattle Children’s Hospital and Cardinal Health.  In her free time she enjoys gardening, cooking, reading and doing house projects (which seem to be never ending). 

Ovidiu Todoran – 4th Grade Parent Representative
Ovidiu joined the Lawton BLT representing the 4th grade in October 2011. Ovidiu fell in love with Magnolia 11 years ago when he and his wife (Ioana) moved to Seattle. They have 2 boys attending Lawton in 4th grade (Mr. Shernoff’s class) and kindergarten (Ms. McDonagh’s class). Ovidiu believes education is one of the fundamentals pillars of society and wants to add his contribution by volunteering in classes and other activities at Lawton. Ovidiu was born in Europe, in Romania and graduated in Computer Science. He is a Software Architect at a dynamic company in downtown Seattle. In his free time he enjoys biking with his kids, traveling and skiing with his family as well as dancing.

Corrie Kahn – 3rd Grade Parent Representative
This is Corrie’s second year on the Lawton BLT.  She is married with two children.  Her oldest is a 5th grader and her youngest is a 2nd grader. She has enjoyed being a stay-at-home mom for the past several years; however, she is planning on returning to work part-time this year as an Occupational Therapist.  She enjoys volunteering at school and pursuing her other interests which include gardening, home remodeling, traveling, and cooking.

 Scott Schliebner – 2nd Grade Parent Representative and Secretary
Scott joins the Lawton BLT for the 2011-13 school years representing the 2nd grade.  Scott lives in Magnolia’s Lawtonwood neighborhood with his wife Angela, daughter Sofia (in Mr. Terry’s 2nd grade class), son Max (attending pre-school at Discovery Montessori), and golden retriever, Leo.  Scott grew up in upstate NY, went to college in Colorado, attended graduate school in Utah, and completed a graduate research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health.  He has a Master’s in Public Health, with a background in biostatistics, cancer epidemiology, and clinical research.  Scott directs the operations for a local non-profit cancer research organization. When not working, Scott is an avid cyclist, enjoys kayaking, walking his dog in Discovery Park, and beachcombing with his kids.  He loves Seattle and exploring the Pacific Northwest.

Tom Bolger – 1st Grade Parent Representative
This year, Tom’s son Nicholas will be a third-grader in Ms. Wong’s class and his daughter Megan will be a first-grader in Mr. Connor’s class.  Over the past three years, Tom has enjoyed the opportunity to volunteer in classes at Lawton as well as participate in numerous other Lawton functions at the school.   Professionally, Tom is a partner in a consulting firm and he has the opportunity to work with boards and management teams across the country.  Tom moved to Seattle from Chicago in 1999 to be closer to the mountains and, along with his family, spends as much time as possible outdoors.  When he isn’t in the mountains, he generally spends his Fall Saturday’s agonizing over his alma mater’s (University of Notre Dame) heroic ability to lose games they should easily win.

Kara Palmer Johnson – Kindergarten Parent Representative
Kara and her husband Scott have two children at Lawton —Kaley who is in second grade and Silas who is in kindergarten. Kara’s professional background includes 20 years of experience in program management, public affairs, advocacy and communications, working for a variety of government, non-profit organizations and businesses in the Puget Sound region. She serves on the board of Pangea, a volunteer organization dedicated to inspiring global engagement and supporting grassroots community development in Africa, Southeast Asia and Latin America.  She also is a World Affairs Council Fellow for 2011-2012. Kara enjoys coaching youth soccer, playing tennis, tinkering in her garden, and cycling and hiking with her family.

Neil Gerrans – Interim Principal
Dr. Neil Gerrans has a passion for education and wants to instill a love of learning in all students. He has taught grades 1 – 4 in public schools, instructed English language Learners from primary aged students to adults in Korea, and worked in outdoor education as a program director at a summer camp for youth. Dr. Gerrans works to create an engaging learning environment for students where they thrive and are stretched towards their potential.  Before going back to school to become a certified teacher, Dr. Gerrans worked at McKinsey as a strategy consultant and was a research assistant earning his Ph.D. at Carnegie Mellon in computational electromagnetics.

When he is not at school Neil enjoys working in his garden, reading books, and traveling. He recently traveled with his wife Yvette for a year, living and learning in Syria, Laos, Bolivia and France.

Peter Hubbard – 4th & 5th Grade Teacher Representative
Peter has been teaching at Lawton since 1995 and in Seattle since 1986. Over the years, he developed the Tetragami paper folding system to promote spatial learning. Peter started and coordinates the Seattle Green Schools Network, which is dedicated to fostering learning through green action projects and to helping to create a greener 21st Century. He has an adopted daughter from China. 

Lyon Terry – 2nd & 3rd Grade Teacher Representative
Lyon Terry has taught 2nd grade at Lawton for 6 years and represents the 2nd and 3rd grade teachers on the BLT. This is his second year on the BLT. Lyon has taught 2nd or 3rd grade throughout his 15 years of teaching both in the Seattle area and in New York City where he taught at P.S. 321 in Brooklyn. He is passionate about the teaching of writing through the writer’s workshop model and has conducted professional development sessions on the topic both at Lawton and at the District Level. Lyon has a Master’s Degree in Education and in 2010 received his National Board Certification. Lyon has two children who attend Lawton and are in the 1st and 3rd grades.

 Jennifer Rudisill – K & 1st Teacher Representative
Jeni has been teaching at Lawton since 2009. Previously, she taught 2nd and 3rd grade in the Mead School District in Spokane and taught Kindergarten in SPS at Wedgwood. She graduated from Gonzaga University with her teaching credentials and a B.A. in Psychology. Her interests include being a crazy cat lady to her two kitties Beans & Chili, singing karaoke, roller-skating, playing guitar and spending time with family & friends.

Linda Cutler – Staff Representative
Linda has worked at Lawton Elementary since 1994 as an instructional assistant, computer lab assistant and, for the last 7 years, as an assistant with the Inclusion Program. She attended San Francisco State College and received her BA from Evergreen State College in Olympia. She loves traveling, the outdoors and creating gardens for hummingbirds. Her hobbies are reading, hiking and, thanks to Carol McKinney, painting with water colors. 

Carrie Wheeler – Spectrum/Special Needs Representative
Carrie holds a BS in Occupational Therapy from the University of North Dakota. She has worked in the Seattle School District since 2002. Carrie has a particular interest in sensory integration and how a child’s sensory world impacts school performance. She feels Lawton is a wonderful school and she has really enjoyed being part of the Lawton community. She loves to watch her own children navigate the world. In her free time, Carrie enjoys hiking, camping, volleyball, creating cards and photography.

ARCHIVES:

2010-2011 BLT Meeting Schedule, Agendas & Minutes

2009-2010 BLT Meeting Schedule, Agendas & Minutes

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