JSIS Playground Master Plan

Final Plans

2009-01-31T13:54:00.000-08:00

Global Play

Axiometric

Drawings

2008-12-06T13:20:00.000-08:00

Main Entrance:

Northwest Garden:

Playground update

2008-12-05T15:01:00.000-08:00

Our new playground design was presented to the Wallingford Community Council on Tuesday, Dec. 3rd. Daniel Winterbottom and Jennifer Szabo described the entire plan, including public amenities and the cultural themes of creative play. Kelly Aramaki, members of the steering committee and a JSIS parent and student attended the meeting to show support. The presentation ended with the topic of fundraising and community building in this area of Wallingford. The council praised the plan and recommended advertising our project at Wallingford Park and on the Council's website.

On January 7, 2009 Seattle Parks Superintendent, Tim Gallagher, will attend the next WCC meeting. The Hamilton/Wallingford Park interface 65% design will be presented. The intent of Gallagher's attendance is to gather community input on how the Parks and Recreation Department can work successfully with the neighborhood in the future. This will be an ideal opportunity to show our support for the playground upgrades. Our playground is a pocket park for the neighborhood and should complement Wallingford Park. With support from city departments such as Parks, our fundraising options expand. Please consider attending this meeting.

The new Master Site Plan will soon be posted on the playground blog site which is accessed via the JSIS website at jsisweb.com. The design team will be meeting independently with Gretchen Dedecker at Seattle School District to gain her explicit approval. Landmarks Board will also review the plan. Finalization of the plan with these approvals should occur in early January. The steering committee will be completing our grant obligations with the Department of Neighborhoods by the end of January. Our hope is to apply for the large grant in February to enable us to begin the playground renovation later this year. Stay tuned for opportunities to make the playground a reality.

In the meantime buy lots of Stoneyfield Farm Yogurt and leave your lid covers in the envelope opposite the staff office on the second floor before the holidays. We could win $50,000 toward a new playground!

Stonyfield Farms Yogurts

2008-12-04T19:40:00.000-08:00

We are collecting specially marked tops to Stonyfield Farm yogurts (6 oz and 32 oz sizes). To support our school efforts, please collect tops similar to those in the picture. Ask your family, friends, neighbors and favorite local restaurant or deli to help too!

The organization that collects the most yogurt tops between now and December 31, 2008 will receive a $50,000 grant for their playground renovation project.

Before winter break: bring your clean yogurt tops to school in a ziploc-type bag with the number of tops written on the bag. There is a collection envelope on the “Powered by You” wall.

During winter break – no later than Monday, December 29th: deliver your tops by mail or in person to London, 4604 Eastern Ave N, 98103.

To learn more about Stonyfield Farm and KaBOOM!, please visit:
http://www.stonyfield.com/kaboom/

Playground Update

2008-11-15T06:26:00.001-08:00

On Thursday, November 6th, Daniel Winterbottom and Jennifer Szabo presented the final master site plan for the entire JSIS school site. Their plan is packed with active play structures, dynamic slides, seating, quiet refuges, games, trees and picnic tables. The plan addresses three distinct areas on the school grounds; the southern playground, the kindergarten play area with the northwest garden and the eastern building entry with the northwest school sign. In each of these three areas the design team incorporated themes and elements that were preferred in the public design workshops. The plan successfully reflects the diverse cultures and creative minds that participated in the design. It also incorporates many opportunities for artist and student participation in construction.

About 20 adults attended the unveiling and applauded the completion of the master plan. Questions regarding safety, lighting, grading, construction timing and funding were discussed. The design team presented rough construction costs for the three areas of the site as well as phasing plans. The rough grand total cost for all improvements came in at $1.3 million. This cost can be broken out into many mini-phases of construction depending on funds available and interest from parents and community members. Gretchen DeDecker with the school district attended the meeting and contributed to the brief brainstorming session regarding funding sources. The Department of Neighborhoods, the school district, Vulcan and Starbucks were all mentioned as possible funding sources for construction and final design. There is also the possibility of developing a safer pedestrian connection between our school and the Burke Gilman trail by linking the playground improvements with the Lake Union Loop trail development by the City of Seattle. There are currently no playgrounds along the the new Lake Union Loop trail.

On December 3rd, the design team and steering committee will present the plan to the Wallingford Community Council at the Good Shepherd Center. At that time we hope to make connections with people in the neighborhood that could lead to avenues for fund raising. Please attend to show your support and enthusiasm for the improvements at our school. The plans will also be posted at school soon for those who couldn't attend last Thursday's meeting.

If you would like to be involved in the next phase of fund raising to make the plan a reality please contact Kim Lokan at kimlokan@gmail.com or Janel London at londonjanel@yahoo.com.

See the JSIS Playground Design

2008-11-05T20:27:00.001-08:00

Daniel Winterbottom and Associates will unveil the preferred plans for a culturally rich design that includes play structures, sitting areas, safer surfaces and lots of fun.

When: November 6th, Thursday at 7 pm

Where: Library

Free Childcare is available in the cafeteria. Coffee, tea and treats will be served. Come to see what the future could hold for a renovated playground!

Playground Meeting a Success -- Still Time to Share Your Opinion

2008-09-12T01:36:00.001-07:00

The playground meeting this past Tuesday night was a great success with over 40 participants reviewing and discussing the three conceptual plans prepared by the landscape architect, Winterbottom Design. Copies of the three conceptual plans will be displayed in the hallway across from the school office starting Friday, September 11. Comment forms will also be available at the display. Please stop by and have a look and record your comments on the form provided. Comment forms must be turned in to Chris in the office by 4PM on Tuesday, September 16. Feel free to contact Janel London at londonjanel@yahoo.com or Kim Lokan at kimlokan@gmail.com with any questions about the proposals.

Playground Meeting September 9th @ 6:00 pm

2008-08-27T05:50:00.000-07:00

JSIS Playground Design Renovation continues: Our next public meeting on the Playground Design is Sept. 9th, Tuesday from 6:00-8:30. Everyone is invited. Please come to offer your opinions and to view the alternatives proposed by our landscape architects.

The public meeting will be in the cafeteria with the schedule as follows:

6:00-7:00 Description of the three conceptual master plans

7:00-7:30 Individuals voting on the components of the plans that they prefer

7:30-8:30 Open discussion/questions

This format is designed to allow folks to come and go and should be fairly kid friendly. If you have questions you can contact Kim at kimlokan@gmail.com.

We need your feedback

2008-06-17T08:09:00.000-07:00

Please review the attached plan of the existing site conditions and submit answers to the following questions using this online form. Survey will be available until June 30. If you have any additional questions please contact Janel London at londonjanel@yahoo.com.

Using the red numbers as reference points, what elements or places on the
site are you fond of (like) and feel contribute to the quality of the outdoor
space.
Again using the red numbers as reference points, what elements or places are you not fond of (dislike) and feel do not work or are inappropriate to the quality and use of the outdoor space.
Using the categories below, list elements you would like to see incorporated into the school site plan. For example, under green spaces you might list a Japanese garden; under games you might list tetherball; under site furnishings you might list more seating. Include as many elements as you wish.
* Active play
* Passive play (play that is not physical such as imaginging, observing, bird-watching)
* Wayfinding (circulation)
* Green spaces
* Public art
* Green building strategies
* Games
* Site furnishings
* Safety
* Community amenities
If you have any additional thoughts or concerns for the Landscape Architects, please feel free to include them with your answers.

Landscape Architects to Visit school on Tuesday June 10th

2008-06-10T08:51:00.000-07:00

The Landscape Architects will be at school all day Tuesday working with students in the PE classes to get their input on the playground. Parents, teachers, and staff are all welcome to stop by and visit with them if they wish. They should be in the gym most of the day. They will also try to be available at the volunteer reception.

Playground Renovation Workshop A Success!!

2008-06-10T08:50:00.000-07:00

Thank you to the 20+ parents and staff who participated in the workshop last Saturday. The brainstorming and discussions were invaluable and will help to shape the project outcome. The "wall of ideas" generated at the workshop will be on display tomorrow in the cafeteria, as well as some photos of various playground features. If you have time, stop by and take a look. Feel free to add your own ideas or take notes on the ideas you like so that you can include them in your survey response. A survey will soon be on-line as a way to gather project input from folks who were not able to attend the workshop.

2008-06-07T06:00:00.000-07:00

John Stanford International School

Playground Master Plan

Meeting & Workshop

Saturday, June 7, 2008 – 8AM to 12PM

Please join us in a public meeting and workshop to share your thoughts, concerns, hopes and desires for the John Stanford international School (JSIS) playground and landscape. This workshop provides a unique opportunity for Wallingford and University District community members, JSIS parents, and teachers and staff to share their ideas with the landscape architects and steering committee members. We will discuss what you like about the school site and playground and what you think can be improved upon. We will brainstorm about what the most appropriate elements and activities are for inclusion in the master plan. You will also have a chance to participate in a hands-on design exercise and contribute to the conceptual design process. All are invited and no experience or expertise in design is required or necessary.

Where: John Stanford International School cafeteria (enter from the south playground)

When: Saturday, June 7th, 8am -12pm

Who: Everyone interested in school yards, open space and children’s play facilities

Child care will not be available and the content of this session is geared for adults. Substantial snacks/breakfast foods and beverages will be provided.

There will be additional outreach sessions for students and an electronic survey will be available after the workshop for children, parents and community members who cannot attend this session. We encourage you to bring ideas your children might have to this meeting.

Please RSVP to Kim Lokan at kimlokan@gmail.com by Thursday June 5th.

This project is a partnership with Seattle Department of Neighborhoods, Seattle School District

John Stanford International School PTSA, and the Playground Project Steering Committee.

Landscape Architect – Winterbottom Design Inc.

Volunteer Needs

2008-06-07T05:30:00.001-07:00

Contact Kim Lokan if you're interested in helping out.

Volunteer Coordinator
* Solicit volunteers for various project roles and tasks
* Match volunteers with project needs
* Assist with tracking volunteer hours for grant reporting

Communication Coordinator/Lead
* Identify methods of information distribution
* Identify target populations
* Provide information to website lead
* Coordinate creation of announcements
* Coordinate distribution of information

Public Meeting Organizer/Lead
* Assist with scheduling and organizing public meetings
* Coordinate meeting set-up & clean-up
* Coordinate food, beverages, and materials for meetings

Fundraising Coordinator/Lead
* Create a team to develop a plan for fundraising money for playground construction
* Brainstorm fundraising ideas & recommend to steering committee
* Identify logistics and implementation plan
* Coordinate with website lead, communication lead & PTSA

Match Grant Writer
* Work with Project Coordinator/grant writer
* Prepare grant paperwork for next phase of the project

Discreet Tasks
* Create e-mail group list (for information distribution and specific requests)
* Create announcements or posters
* Write project updates
* Send project updates or volunteer solicitations to e-mail group list
* Distribute flyers to residents around the neighborhood
* Distribute flyers/posters to area businesses for posting