Wolf Pack News
Week of December 5-9
Attendance Reminders
We are settling into the school year! At the beginning of the year, we were doing an excellent job of coming to school and getting to class on-time. Unfortunately in the last month or so, we have seen a rise in unexcused tardies, absences, and truancy. YIKES! During the winter months we are going to try lots of different ways to encourage students to get to school and class on-time. We do understand that students may get sick or have important appointments (medical, dental, etc). Those will be excused when you communicate with our attendance secretary. Our attendance secretary will also excuse absences that are prearranged with the school.
Two of the major school-wide incentives that we are planning involve winter sports.
Here is the expectation:
- To attend a winter sports event, non- athletes can only have 3 tardies the week of the event and 1 unexcused absence.
- To participate as an athlete, athletes can only have 3 tardies the week of a competition and 1 unexcused absence. Athletes who do not meet this requirement 2 weeks in a row will not participate in the next competition.
Athletes on our campus are students first and it is critical that they focus on being student-athletes! Spectators are wonderful and we want them to cheer on athletes. However, school is a place for learning first! It is important that our spectators are focusing on their learning as well.
We will post the list of eligible athletes and spectators before events so that students can check to see if they are on the list. If you are on the “cleared” list then you will be able to participate as an athlete or experience the event as a spectator. If you are not on the cleared list, you will need to try again to improve your attendance before the next competition.
Learning Matters! Attendance Matters! If you have questions please call the office at 253-945-5000.
Student athletes sign a Code of Conduct form when signing up to participate in a sport. A copy of that form is attached for parent/guardian review.
Reminder about Student Laptops
If you have any questions, contact Mr. Doan at 253-945-5030.
Parents - Did you know that you can add student attendance to Parent Vue?
- Open ParentView
- Click on "Report Absence"
- Please put the absence reason in the notes section (dr. appt., sick, vacation).
- If the vacation is more than 3 days long, fill out the Prearranged Absence Form in the office.
If you have any questions, call our Attendance Secretary Ms. Jamie Hale. She can be reached at 253-945-5002.
Introducing our new Communities In Schools coordinator
I’m your school’s new Student Outreach Coordinator (SOC) from Communities in Schools. You may already be familiar with my role here, but just in case, let me give you a “reader’s digest” synopsis of what I do. 😊
Communities in Schools is all about filling in the gaps of what schools can’t provide as far as student support. We have a wealth of resources to combat whatever is getting in the way of learning. Whether that barrier is mental, physical or financial, we strive to come up with an inventive solution to take care of those base level needs so that the kids can focus on learning. My role as the SOC at TAF@Saghalie is to build one-on-one relationships with students (and their families) to assess which students need additional attention and resources. Then, I’m able to connect those students with all the wonderful resources we have available in our community. Additionally, CIS provides extra enrichment opportunities like student groups, field trips, and after school programs. Please, don’t hesitate to let me know if you have any students you think could benefit from any of the resources I have available through CIS. I am starting up a lunch-bunch in my office, so please send along the names (and ID #s) of anyone who may benefit from that.
Thank you for your time,
Heidi Cavens
Communities In Schools Outreach Coordinator
TAF@Saghalie
COMMUNITY EVENTS DURING DECEMBER
Maker Space Sugar Cookie Decorating
On Monday, December 12th from 3:40 - 5:00, the Makerspace will be holding a sugar cookie decorating event. Materials will be provided, students must be accompanied by an adult.
Please register using the following link: https://forms.office.com/r/EneCKR08F5
White River Valley Museum
El Centro Skate Park
School Closures and Delays
What if it snows? What if the roads are icy? Will school be cancelled?
Winter weather may bring road and driving conditions that cause changes in school operations such as delayed opening, early dismissal, or closure.
Even when road conditions in one part of the district appear passable, driving conditions on hills and in other areas of the district can impact the operation of buses on some routes.
- Normal school operations will prevail unless a change of schedule is announced.
- Expect morning buses to be late during severe weather.
- If buses cannot complete afternoon routes, students will be returned to their schools.
Our goal is to make information available to families about school closure or changes in the school operations by 5:00 a.m.
We provide this information to families in a variety of ways:
- Prominently displayed on our district homepage.
- Social media posts on the district Facebook and Twitter accounts.
- Local television and radio news stations.
If you do not see Federal Way School District closure information on any of these communications channels, it means we are operating on a normal schedule.
Contact us
Email: jciotta@fwps.org
Website: https://www.fwps.org/tafatsaghalie
Location: 33914 19th Avenue Southwest, Federal Way, WA, USA
Phone: 253-945-5000
Facebook: facebook.com/TafatSaghalie
Twitter: @TAFatSaghalie