Port Susan Middle School
Student & Family Update 11.20.22
Why we do what we do!
Together with our families, we work with over 520 students ranging from 11-14 years of age with both academic and emotional levels that vary. As Port Susan continues to look at our AAP (Annual Action Plan) for this school year, our focus as educators will continue to be on the strategies we use as "educators". From our staff in the office, custodial, kitchen, instructional assistants, bus drivers, teachers, coaches, SLPs, OTs, counselors, psychologists, health room, student support advocate, our mental health counselor, along with our families, we ALL have an impact on the middle school experience.
The image above was part of a late entry to our HIB contest and I really thought this is a good image of the importance of working together through this journey of education. It takes us all to be unified in the work together! Please know that I am thankful and feel fortunate to be able to work you in this journey of supporting students. I hope you continue to see the positive impact that we make with our students and understand the importance of this work.
Advisory - Microaggressions
Student Recognition
Shining Star!
- Ella has shown herself to be smart, creative and has a desire to learn.
- Ella is an active and contributing member of the classroom. She pays attention to detail when she is working on her sewing projects in Home Ec. and she is very helpful in the kitchen. Ella is a pleasant and patient student to work with.
- Ella enters each day with a positive attitude and an eagerness to succeed. She works diligently to complete her activities and puts thoughtful effort into her work. Ella is kind to others and helps to celebrate in their success. She has done an excellent job advocating for herself and is working hard to achieve her goals.
- Ella works hard in every class, raises her hand, is respectful to her peers and teachers, has no missing assignments, is able to bounce back quickly from challenges, and is excited to learn new things! Ella truly is a Shining Star!
- Ella consistently works well in her classes and participates in activities. She is a wonderful member of the PSMS community.
We appreciate you, Ella!
Support PSMS Band!
PSMS Band has kicked off our Butter Braid fundraiser. We're running sales until December 2nd. Online orders have been a big plus for students and customers, so don't forget about that handy option if you're interested in buying some from a student.
Click HERE to Order & Pay Online! (select seller, then order)
Sales end: December 2nd
Delivery: Friday, December 9th (after school) - students pick up and deliver
Community Resources
For families in need of support or connection to resources/services, please feel free to reach out to our Student Support Advocate, Amy Hart. Amy can help answer questions, connect families to community resources, and share needed information on programs and services that may be helpful. Amy is here to help however possible, and can be reached via phone (call or text) or email: 360-965-8249 or ahart@stanwood.wednet.edu.
Girls' Volleyball Sign-Ups
Girls' Volleyball will begin on Wednesday, November 30th. There will be 4 teams: 7th Grade JV, 8th Grade JV, 7th Grade V, and 8th Grade Varsity. Tryouts will be Nov 30-December 2 from 2:30-4pm. Once teams are decided, there will be rotating practice times to give teams more space in the gym. Coaches will be sharing their practice times with their team.
The match schedule is found here. This is a live document and will be updated as things change or if we are able to secure a bus for transportation.
IMPORTANT DOCUMENTS:
Athletic Registration: An Athletic Registration Form must be completed either online or by hard copy prior to turning out for practice. This includes emergency contact information, insurance and the Athletic Code.
Sports Physical: All athletes must have a current sports physical (good for 2yrs) turned into the office BEFORE turning out.
ASB Card/Pay to Participate: Each participant must purchase an Associated Student Body card and Pay to Participate fee before the first contest. The ASB card is $20, Pay to Participate is $50 per sport ($100 maximum per year; Free/Reduced options for those who qualify).
Inclement Weather Reminder
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.
Week of 11/21 through 11/25
Monday:
Regular Schedule
Advisory SEL lesson (Crysty & Cherae)
Basketball @ Cascade MS
Tuesday:
Regular Schedule
Advisory Academic Support
Wednesday:
*Spirit Day (see below)
White Wednesday (7:40 - 10:40am)
Period 1 7:40-8:12
Period 2 8:15-8:42
Period 3 8:45-9:12
Period 4 9:15-9:42
Period 5 9:45-10:12
Period 6 10:15-10:40
Thursday:
No School
Friday:
No School
Linked below are previous communications. Please continue to reach out with any questions you have. You can email me directly (calmanza@stanwood.wednet.edu) or call our office at 360.629.1360
Have a question? Please reach out...
Cherae Almanza, Principal calmanza@stanwood.wednet.edu
Crysty Auckland, Assistant Principal/Athletic Director cauckland@stanwood.wednet.edu
Teacher Emails
Dave Austin (6-8 Fitness & 6 Leadership) daustin@stanwood.wednet.edu
Jonathan Bletscher (6-8 Band) jbletscher@stanwood.wednet.edu
Joan Campbell (6-7 Math) jcampbell@stanwood.wednet.edu
Tamara Pedersen (6-7 Math) tpedersen@stanwood.wednet.edu
Lori Stunz (7 ELA & 6-8 Art) lstunz@stanwood.wednet.edu
Grace Gale (6 Science & 6-8 STEM/Robotics) GGale@stanwood.wednet.edu
Sub for Grace Gale is Jeffrey Trammell jtrammell2@stanwood.wednet.edu
Chelsea Hanson (6-8 ELA/Humanities) CHanson@stanwood.wednet.edu
Nate Hanson (6-8 Computers/Digital Effects) nhanson@stanwood.wednet.edu
Audrie Harrington (6/7 ELA & 7/8 Leadership) aharrington@stanwood.wednet.edu
Joshua Keaton (7/8 History) jkeaton@stanwood.wednet.edu
Seth Hills (6 Social Studies) shills@stanwood.wednet.edu
Lori Johnson (6-8 Assist) ljohnson@stanwood.wednet.edu
Wade Johnson (7/8 Science) wjohnson@stanwood.wednet.edu
Rebecca Klein (6/7 Science) rklein@stanwood.wednet.edu
Meghan Lawrence (6-8 PBS) mlawrence@stanwood.wednet.edu
Ellianna Martin (6-8 Math) emartin@stanwood.wednet.edu>,
Daniel Mccrumb (6 Math/Science & 7/8 Outdoor Ed) DMccrumb@stanwood.wednet.edu
Sarah Oldow (6 ELA/Social Studies) soldow@stanwood.wednet.edu
Catherine Perry (6-8 EL) cperry@stanwood.wednet.edu
Tracy Riley (6-8 ELA) TRiley@stanwood.wednet.edu
Kelcie Rocha (7/8 Math) krocha@stanwood.wednet.edu
Brad Rochon (7/8 Science) brochon@stanwood.wednet.edu
Connie Schmidt (6-8 Health) cschmidt@stanwood.wednet.edu
Sheri Schroeder (8 History & ELA) sleeschroeder@stanwood.wednet.edu
Kym Shoemaker (7/8 Math) kshoemaker@stanwood.wednet.edu
Crystal Titus (6-8 Fitness) ctitus@stanwood.wednet.edu
Kayte White (8 ELA & 6 Cultures) kwhite@stanwood.wednet.edu
Julia Zurcher (7 History & 7/8 Home Ec) jzurcher@stanwood.wednet.edu
Office Support
Jayde Piggot (6 Counselor) jpiggott@stanwood.wednet.edu
Keli Niegemann (7/8 Counselor) kniegemann@stanwood.wednet.edu
Emily Bowne (School Psychologist) ebowne@stanwood.wednet.edu
Kandyce Hansen (Speech Language Pathologist) khansen@stanwood.wednet.edu
Sara Harlan (Librarian) sharlan@stanwood.wednet.edu
Amy Hart (Student Support Advocate) ahart@stanwood.wednet.edu
Taylor Little (Mental Health Therapist) tlittle@stanwood.wednet.edu
The Stanwood-Camano School District does not discriminate in employment, programs, or activities on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. Inquiries regarding compliance and/or grievance procedures may be directed to the District's Title IX/Affirmative Action Officer and Civil Rights Compliance Coordinator, Maurene Stanton (mstanton@stanwood.wednet.edu), or the Section 504/American Disabilities Act Coordinator, Robert Hascall (rhascall@stanwood.wednet.edu) Stanwood-Camano School District, 26920 Pioneer Hwy, Stanwood, WA 98292. Telephone: (360) 629-1200.