Fruitland Earns State Award as "Great School"!


This is the third consecutive year that Fruitland Elementary School has received the statewide recognition, formerly titled “Schools of Distinction.”

Kalles Junior High and Fruitland, Zeiger, and Hunt elementary schools have been recognized as “Great Schools” for being among the top 5 percent of schools statewide that have demonstrated sustained academic achievement in reading and math.

This is the third consecutive year that Fruitland and Hunt elementary schools have received the statewide recognition, formerly titled “Schools of Distinction.”

Puyallup is the only school district statewide to have more than one of its schools win the award three years in a row.

“I congratulate the students, staff, parents, and community members from these four schools for their consistent work at improving student achievement,” said Puyallup School District Superintendent Tony Apostle. “This award is another example of how all of our schools are working hard every day to improve student achievement.”

The four Puyallup schools are among 104 statewide that were honored during an awards luncheon on Saturday, September 26. Each school received a certificate and banner to hang in their school proclaiming the site as a “Great School 2009.”

Nearly one third of the more than 100 educators who attended the awards luncheon at the Holiday Inn in Renton represented the Puyallup School District.

School Board President Greg Heath joined Apostle, other central office administrators, as well as school principals, assistant principals, teachers, and other staff members from the four winning schools in cheering and applauding when organizers announced the four Puyallup schools. (See photo gallery).

Hunt Elementary Principal Rebecca Williams also served on an afternoon panel to discuss the topic, “Educational Reform — We are making a difference!” She joined principals and administrators from other schools that are repeat winners of the award to share research and other factors that contribute to academic achievement.

“The business of our business is learning,” Williams said. “We have no limits at our schools about what schools can do.”

Performance criteria used to select the winning schools is the same as has been used the past two years by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction to name Schools of Distinction.

Each school had to have scored at or above the state average in math and reading in grades four, seven, or 10 on the 2009 Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL). Schools that met that requirement were then evaluated for academic gains in both subjects as measured by seven years of WASL test scores.

The award is co-sponsored by The Center for Educational Effectiveness and the Washington chapter of Phi Delta Kappa International.

“This is a tribute to the hard work you are doing,” said Sue Mills, executive director for The Center for Educational Effectiveness.

Fruitland Elementary
1515 South Fruitland
Puyallup, Washington. 98371

(phone)253.841.8734
(fax) 253.840.8915

Puyallup School District does not discriminate on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, honorably discharged veteran or military status, sexual orientation including gender expression or identity, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups.

Questions and complaints of alleged discrimination may be directed to:
Lorraine Wilson, Assistant Superintendent of Human Resources ~ (253) 841-8764
Executive Director of Diversity Affairs ~ (253) 840-8966
Title IX Coordinator ~ (253) 841-8785
Section 504 Coordinator ~ (253) 841-8700