Friday Family Message
October 17th, 2022
Hello Families!
For many of us this time of year, we focus on gratitude. Friends, families, and colleagues gather to share gratitude, friendship, and camaraderie. We take the time to lend a helping hand, share a meal, and look after our neighbors. Many schools will focus on “gratitude” this month using our Character Strong curriculum.
Author and Nobel laureate Elie Wiesel wrote about gratitude when he said, “I feel gratitude in my heart each time I can meet someone and look at his or her smile.” A smile is a simple act. A smile extends a message of care and connection. When I walk through the doors of our schools, I am immediately brought to a smile as I hear the sounds of learning and playing. I smile as I listen to students express their understanding in sometimes simple and often complex ways. I am grateful that our community has such a strong identity, connection, and pride in our schools and one another.
School Boundaries
I hope by now that you have heard we are looking at adjusting our school boundaries due to unbalanced enrollment. We work alongside a community group called the Capital Facilities Advisory Committee (CFAC). Anyone can join this group; the next meeting is 5:30-7:30 p.m. Monday, Nov. 7, at Port Susan Middle School.
We are reviewing the district’s projected enrollment through 2031, studying current overcrowding, and analyzing new boundary options to recommend to the school board in the spring. Please consider joining the CFAC or attending one of our community feedback sessions. We want your input! All of the details are HERE.
Inclement Weather
As the weather forecasts indicate, we may see cold weather this winter. I wanted to share with you how we make the determination to delay or close schools due to ice, snow, flooding, etc.
Safety first! We consider the safety of our children on buses, our student drivers, families driving and walking to school, and the safety of our staff, especially our bus drivers.
We monitor weather patterns using multiple methods 24/7. In particular, we use a tool called Accuweather that is specifically designed to support school districts in looking ahead at weather patterns.
When there is a concern about school starting on time, our staff begins driving the roads throughout the district as early as 2 a.m. We take photos, check road conditions, monitor traffic, look for hazards, etc. We typically drive the roads multiple times in the early morning to determine if conditions are improving, worsening, or staying the same.
We strive to decide about the school day by 5 a.m. Once the decision is made, we begin communicating with families and staff. We communicate through:
Autodialer (via School Messenger)
Email (via School Messenger)
Website
Flash Alert
Predicting the weather is a challenge, and our primary goal is to ensure that the roads are safe, our campuses are easy to navigate, and the weather does not impede a safe school day. Find the 2022-23 snow routes HERE.
Play at SHS: “Arsenic and Old Lace” Opens this Month
Stanwood High School presents "Arsenic and Old Lace," a classic comedy written by Joseph Kesselring. See the Stanwood High School fall play at 7 p.m. on Nov. 11, 12, 18 & 19 at the new Stanwood High Performing Arts Center. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students.
Health updates
The state Department of Health recently issued new guidance for schools about COVID-19 that says students who show symptoms of COVID-19 should stay home or go home if they become ill at school. Students, staff, and families seeking free testing should contact their schools directly. All COVID-19 testing at school will still require paper or digital consent to be signed or on file.
It is recommended to use this COVID symptom and exposure flowchart to help you make decisions. Symptomatic students who test positive for COVID-19 should isolate at home for 5 days.
With other seasonal viruses making the rounds, health officials urge people to stay home if sick until symptoms are significantly resolving.
Students and staff with any of the following symptoms will be asked to go home:
- Cough (new, changed, or worsening); any cough that would be distracting to yourself or others
- Temperature 100 degrees or greater within the past 24 hours
- Vomiting or diarrhea within the past 24 hours
- Runny nose with drainage that is cloudy, yellow, or green
- Mucous or cloudy drainage from the eye or pink eye
- New crusty rash on the face or around the nose
- New body rash, especially with a fever or itching
- Sore throat, especially with fever or swollen glands in the neck
- Shortness of breath or difficulty breathing
- New loss of taste or smell
The new COVID requirements are in place for all public and private K-12 schools and childcare facilities in Washington. Schools and childcare facilities are required by state law to follow these guidelines. The school district will continue to track its COVID-19 cases on the online dashboard, which is updated each Wednesday.
Get social with us!
Please remember to follow the SCSD on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter, and follow my tweets @rumbaughsupt.