Blue Heron Herald
November 1, 2021
About Blue Heron Middle School
Blue Heron Middle School attendance phone 360-379-4540, x. 8110
Website: https://blueheron.ptschools.org/
Location: 3939 San Juan Ave, Port Townsend, WA 98368, USA
Phone: 3603794540
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlueHeronSchool/
Principal Update
by Victoria Kalscheuer
Can you believe that it is already November? This school year has started off with so many positive attributes, including the most important factor - our students and teachers are just happy to be able to be at school in person! Our teachers are learning about various aspects of Universal Design for Learning and will be trying to apply various approaches based on the guiding principles of this inclusive design for learning. You will find a little bit of information regarding this in the section below titled Tools to Support Learning and Focus.
Principal Forum: Literacy Night
On Tuesday, November 9th from 5:30-7:00pm I invite parents/guardians to join me in my first Principal Forum at Blue Heron Middle School. This event for parents/guardians will be in person. Our focus for this evening will be on literacy. Eric Ode (7th grade ELA teacher), Daniel Saksa (Reading Interventionist) and Joy Wentzel (School Librarian) will also join us. During this evening, we will have time to discuss our literacy practices at a universal level, within the ELA classroom and throughout the school as well as see what a reading intervention might look like. There will be time for you to ask questions, get your own community library card - if you don’t have one, and to check out books. School level Title 1 information can also be found here.
We will have meals for families to take home for dinner and will provide childcare if needed, rsvp is required for meals and childcare. Click here to respond to your family's childcare and meal request, please include any dietary needs. RSVPs for meals and childcare are required by Friday, Nov. 5th at 3:00pm. Come join us for an evening in support of life-long literacy!
Tools to Support Learning and Focus
As our children return to in-person learning there are various stressors that they continue to experience. To support our learners' access to school and learning, we are providing fidgets and alternative seating within various classrooms. You may hear your child talk about fidgets, wiggle seats/stools, chair bands at the bottom of chair legs, or starfish chairs (yoga balls on stable legs). These are all tools to support learning and will be provided to those children who we identify as needing support to access learning and the classroom environment. Children who use any of these tools as toys, will lose access to them for a time and will be retaught how to use them appropriately to support their learning.
Indoor/outdoor Lunch and Recess Guidelines
We are working hard to minimize risk of COVID at school and to date have been pretty successful. To aid in minimizing risk of transmission, a reminder to families that the plan for lunch and recess each day is to be outdoors. This requires your child to bring appropriate layers of clothing to school.
Choice of indoor or outdoor for lunch will occur when: winds are over 20 mph, temperatures are 39 degrees or lower, or rain is more than typical light mist. Recess will remain outdoor on these days unless rain is heavy.
Lunch and/or recess will be indoor when: rain is occurring that is stronger than mist and/or wind is 31mph or higher.
Cell Phones
We need your help regarding cell phone use at school. Did you know that the use of cell phones at school is a violation of our school rules? Parents who need to contact their child in school should call the office and not call or text your child's cell phone. Students who are using their cell phone in a classroom or anywhere on school grounds during school hours will be asked to turn their phone into the office. If children have multiple instances of needing to turn their cell phone into the office, a parent/guardian will be asked to come to school to retrieve it.
Student Vaccination Status and Possible Clinic for Children 5-11yo.
Our district is collecting COVID vaccination status for each child. Please submit a copy of your child's vaccination card; uploaded into skyward. Contact the office if you need assistance with this process.
In addition to this news, if vaccines for children ages 5-11 is approved this week, the county health department is planning on hosting multiple vaccine clinics in the coming days/weeks:
-Moderna Boosters (ages 12-adult) all day this coming weekend (Nov 6) at Chimacum
-Peds clinic (ages 5-11) in the AM, Moderna booster clinic in the PM (November 13) at
Blue Heron Middle School (if vaccine is approved for ages 5-11)
-Peds clinics (ages 5-11) in both AM and PM on November 20th at Chimacum (if vaccine
is approved for ages 5-11)
Positive Attendance
Positive attendance trends are critical to develop and maintain during middle school. Research shows that students who miss just two days a month, or 18 days throughout one school year, can develop academic learning gaps. New research suggests that chronic absence predicts whether a student will finish college. The discipline and determination to get to school every day builds a habit that helps a student persist and succeed in college, in their career and with their work ethic. Parents and families are essential partners in promoting good attendance because they, ultimately, have the bottom-line responsibility for making sure their children get to school every day. If you are experiencing any struggles getting your child to school, please reach out to our school counselor, our dean of students, or the school Principal to make a supportive plan. We plan to regularly share information from Attendanceworks.org, as we do in this newsletter, to support all of our students and families with positive outcomes.
Important Dates:
Nov. 9th, Principal Forum - Literacy Night (rsvp here by Fri., Nov. 5th)
Nov. 11th, No School
Nov 18-19th, Conferences, more information to follow regarding virtual meeting sign ups
Nov. 25-26, No School
Dec. 20-31, No School
Brian and I want to thank all of the Port Townsend families who have been so immensely welcoming as we transition to becoming a part of this new home. We are very grateful for all of the support to date. We are finishing some of the final organization pieces in our home and can’t wait to now have more time to explore the local community!
As always, please feel free to let me know what questions or concerns you have.
Take Care,
Tori
360-379-4540
School Counseling News
As some of you know, middle school students can avail of the College Bound Scholarship program. All 7th, 8th, and 9th grade students who qualify for free and reduced lunch are automatically signed up for this scholarship. If you have not filled out your Free and Reduced Lunch form, it is very important to complete and submit. This is how the state determines who qualifies for this scholarship. Each family will receive a certificate through the mail that they have qualified. If you know you have sent in your form and have not received a certificate please reach out to Ms. Farrell at efarrell@ptschools.org to confirm status.
I have included a PDF explaining College Bound scholarships, the expectation for students to continue to qualify, and how it can be redeemed to pay for tuition. You can find the PDF in English or en español.
This year all of our 8th graders will be participating in college and career readiness. This will include conversations surrounding high school course options, West Sound Tech programs, and Running Start at Peninsula College. These programs are available for all junior and senior students, however, we want our students to get a head start on taking ownership of their role in helping themselves make goals and plans for their next stage of life. I strongly encourage parents to begin having conversations with students about their goals and dreams for the future. I will be sending out more tips and ideas about conversation starters in the weeks to come.
If you have any other questions about how you can help your student's growth, please reach out. Thank you for your continued support as we help students navigate this year.
Kind regards,
Ms. Farrell
Student Assistance Program
Blue Heron has started a Coalition Club! This club is interested in all students who are interested in promoting a drug and alcohol free campus. This club will facilitate school wide activities that are focused on healthy, substance free living. We meet on Wednesdays at lunch. Please encourage your son or daughter to attend a club meeting if interested!
Thank you,
Holly McIlvaine
Student Assistant Professional
Non-discrimination statement
Port Townsend School District No. 50 does not discriminate in any programs or activities on the basis of race, creed, religion, color, immigration status, national origin, age, honorably-discharged veteran or military status, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, marital status, 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. The district provides equal access to the Boy Scouts of America and all other designated youth groups listed in Title 36 of the United States Code as a patriotic society. The following employees have been designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged discrimination:
Civil Rights Compliance Coordinator for State Law (RCW 28A.640/28A.642): Amy Khile, 1610 Blaine Street , (360) 379-4603, akhile@ptschools.org
Title IX Officer: Laurie McGinnis, 1610 Blaine Street, (360) 379-4602, lmcginnis@ptschools.org
Section 504/ADA Coordinator: Shelby MacMeekin, 1610 Blaine Street, (360) 379-4366, smacmeekin@ptschools.org