AN IB WORLD SCHOOL

Academic News

Head of Upper School Russell Werkman has confirmed that he will be moving east next summer, after his son Xander graduates from SGS, to join his wife Sarah in New England.  During his decade of employment, Russell also has served as Assistant Head of School for Secondary Education.  He has taught various classes and continued to develop the College Counseling program into a huge asset for the students and families.

Read Russell's Letter about his plans for the coming year, as well as Jamie Tender's Head of School Letter about the search process planned to find the next Head of Upper School for Saint George's.

Thursday, Sept. 13 is Parent Night for the Middle and Upper Schools.  Parents are invited to visit their student's classrooms beginning at 6:30pm and learn about what's planned for the school year.  Special meetings from 6:00 to 6:30pm will provide details about planned trips in 2019 -- to Washington DC for 7th & 8th graders or to Peru for 9th-12th graders.  See a flyer on the Peru Trip and a Full Parent Night Schedule.  See you there!

After creating their tie-dyed shirts, the Chemistry classes modeled their outfits on Sept. 7 and the rest of the Upper School voted on their favorites at Monday Assembly.  See photo galleries of the Chem Lab Tie-Dye Process and several of the Classes Wearing Their Shirts!

Left to right are Jonathan Rowland, Sam Wyss, Rachel Musser, Sarah Henrickson, Meghan Anderson, Lynette Georgeson, Matt Melka, and Christopher Marshall.

Please help us welcome eight new teachers to the Saint George's faculty this fall.  Each brings both valuable experience and a passion for teaching to their new roles:

Meghan Anderson is our new full-time K-12 Counselor. She comes with a background in working with students of all ages in private practice. She earned her BS in Psychology form Belmont University and MS in Clinical Counseling from Emporia State University.

Lynette Georgeson will be our Lower School Librarian.  Lynette brings a wealth of library experience and knows the SGS culture as an SGS parent.  She earned a BA in History at UC Riverside and Masters in Library Science at Indiana University.  She also has her teacher Certification from La Sierra University.

Sarah Henrickson is our new 2nd grade teacher.  Sarah brings her elementary teaching experience to SGS full-time after serving as a substitute for several years. Sarah has a BA in Secondary Education from Pacific Lutheran University and a MAEd from Antioch University.  She holds an Elementary Certificate/ Reading Endorsement.

Christopher Marshall will be teaching math in the 7th grade and Upper School.  Chris is a WSU Cougar, earning his Bachelor of Mathematics and Masters in Teaching in Pullman.  Chris will be involved in Math is Cool and other activities outside of the classroom.

Matthew Melka is joining the Middle School faculty, teaching 7th and 8th grade Social Studies.  Matt is also a WSU Cougar with BA degrees in Social Studies and History and his Secondary Education Certification.  Matt will also be a Middle School coach in Cross Country this fall.

Rachel Musser is joining the Lower School faculty teaching Spanish and assisting in the 5th grade.  Rachel is moving over from Olympia, Washington where she has been teaching.  She earned a BA in Spanish and English instruction. 

Jonathan Rowland will be teaching various levels of Upper School math.  Jonathan brings a wealth of experience back home to Spokane after teaching several years in Phoenix, AZ.  Jonathan earned his BA in Classics from The University of Washington, a Masters in Philosophy at Cambridge University, a Ph.D. in Classical Studies from University of Michigan and BA in Mathematics from Western Governors University.  Jonathan also will be involved in Math is Cool in the Upper School.

Sam Wyss is our new 5th Grade teacher.  Sam is returning to Spokane after several year of teaching in Denver in Teach for America.  He earned his BA in Philosophy form Gonzaga University and his Masters in Curriculum Instruction from University of Colorado- Denver.  Sam will also be involved in outdoor activities and coaching in the Lower School.  

And while she is not new, Jen Ward will be working as a co-teacher in the 4th grade with Rick Petrini and teaching a 5th grade math section.

The seniors gathered in the Library on August 28 to review the Common Application for colleges and get started on their applications.  See a Photo Gallery of them working with Upper School Head Russell Werkman and exploring what different colleges and universities require for successful applicants.

The sophomores spent three days visiting colleges and universities in Oregon, including Univ. of Portland, Willamette, Oregon State, and Reed College.  See a Photo Gallery of their visits from August 28-30 to launch their 10th grade at Saint George's.

One of the first activities for the 7th and 8th graders was to work out the "keys" that would let them "escape" with a growth mindset.  See photo galleries of the 7th Graders and the 8th Graders working in groups on the stage of Founders Theater to learn how to get the most out of this coming school year.  Looks like everyone escaped!

First day of Upper School (grades 9-12) classes is Monday, August 27, while the Middle School (grades 6-8) begins on Tuesday, Aug. 28 and the Lower School (grades K-5) starts on Wednesday, Aug. 29.  Regular bus service begins Aug. 27, but you can drop off your student and stop by the Parents' Association Back to School Coffee to meet other SGS parents.  For Middle School parents, it's at 8-9am in Peter's Garden on Tuesday, Aug. 28, while for Lower School parents it's from 8-9am in the Errol Schmidt Athletic Center on Wednesday, Aug. 29.

The 9th, 11th and 12th grades will be heading out to class campouts at nearby lakes and the 10th grade will visit colleges in Oregon this first week.  See the Grades 9-12 Fall Campout Letter to Families on the Back to School Documents webpage (password = inspiring) for details.  Then be sure to join all of the students and staff for the annual Dragon Dance at 2:15pm on Friday, Aug. 31 on Davenport House lawn to celebrate the start of school.  Check out the Website's Calendar for more details.  Go Dragons!

SGS Chinese teacher Qingqing Ji led a tour of students and parents to her home country this summer.  See a Photo Gallery of their visit that included Beijing (Great Wall), Xi'an (terracotta warriors), and Shanghai (river cruise featuring colorful buildings).

Rick Petrini's Legos & Programming summer camp in early August was a busy classroom with kids creating moving Lego animals and all kinds of contraptions!  See a Photo Gallery from the center of creativity (and robots) on campus.


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