Updates for Families

En el lado derecho del boletín, aparecerá una barra con las funciones de ADA y Traducción. Esta función le permite traducir este boletín al idioma que desee.

Elementary school conferences will be from March 27 to March 31, with early release at 12:00 PM. Middle and high school conferences will be from March 29 to March 31, with early release at 11:15 AM. Please contact your child's teacher for more information.

Join us for our Spring Resource Fair on Wednesday, March 22nd from 5:30 PM - 7:30 PM at Stanton Academy (802 River Rd. Yakima, WA 98902). The event is for ALL YSD FAMILIES and will feature information and resources from local community partners.

• Medical, dental, & behavioral health
• Voter education & registration
• Scholarships & higher education
• Life insurance & retirement accounts
• Healthy relationships & domestic violence

Enjoy a variety of small bites prepared by the Phoenix Culinary Arts students, a student art exhibit, and activities for children.

The Yakima School District, Crystal Apple Committee, and the Yakima Schools Foundation are proud to join together to bring the Excellence in Education awards. Yakima School District employees can be nominated for an Excellence in Education award. Employees need to have served two years in a full-time position. Community members can be nominated for the Yakima Schools Foundation's Champion of Youth award.

Nominations can be made by students, former students, parents, community members, teachers, administrators, or school-related groups. Nomination packets are due April 10, 2023, at 4:00 pm.

The Yakima School District's K-5 Elementary English & Spanish Language Arts (ELA/SLA) Adoption Committee has completed its review of curriculum materials and has recommended a program for adoption, with implementation in the 2023-2024 school year.

Staff, parents, caregivers, & community members & are invited to preview the recommended materials at a staff & community open house. The open house provides an opportunity to preview teacher & student materials, unit topics, and grade level scope & sequence for each grade level, kindergarten through fifth grade of the recommended programs:

• K-5 English Language Arts: CKLA (Core Knowledge Language Arts), Amplify
• K-5 Spanish Language Arts: Caminos, Amplify

The staff & community open house will be March 27 and 28, 2023 from 4:00 PM to 6:00 PM at the Professional Development Center located at 101 S 6th Ave, Yakima, WA 98902.

For any questions please reach out to Veronica Mercado, Program Specialist at 509-573-1071, or Erin Chaplin, Director of Instruction, at 509-573-1070.

Kinder Enrollment will begin on March 1st, 2023! To register your child, contact your neighborhood boundary school. You can learn more about your boundary school HERE. To enroll your child, you must complete the following.

Four Steps To Registration

1. Complete enrollment packet

The packet can be picked up at any school or the Student & Family Center (105 N 4th Ave)

2. Submit proof of address

A utility bill within one month (cable, internet, water/sewer/garbage, lease agreement, gas, power)

3. Provide age documentation

Birth certificate or hospital/physicians certificate

4. Submit immunization records

Medically verified immunization record printed from doctor's office

We are thrilled that the tradition of the Japanese Exchange can resume! From April 14-28, 2023, you will be their family and do everything that a parent and family would do for their own child, including reaping the rewards of a friendship for a lifetime.

Please apply using the button below. We will contact you with confirmation of your hosting arrangement asap! For more details, please go to www.ysd7.org/YamateExchange.

For further questions, please contact Kirsten Fitterer, Chief Communications Officer, Yakima School District at fitterer.kirsten@ysd7.org or 509-573-7007.

These resources are presented solely for information purposes for students. The Yakima School District does not sponsor the websites or scholarships listed.

Please Note: Many scholarships require a counselor's and/or teacher's recommendation and signature. Please allow them at least one week, prior to the deadline, to complete your request. You may request an official transcript from your school Registrar's Office.

ATTENDANCE IS IMPORTANT! Studies have shown that attendance is one of the highest impacting factors for student success. When a student has an unexcused absence early in the year, it tends to accelerate levels of truancy later in the year and negatively impact future grades.

In the new district wall hanging calendar (mailed to your home), we have added learning days displayed at the top of every month to help you keep track of your student(s) attendance success. We also have a digital version that can be accessed at https://bit.ly/3pUgw7a.

Did you know that working at the Yakima School District provides you an opportunity to work a similar schedule to your child? Did you know that we offer both full or part-time positions? Did you know that there are a variety of workplace settings to fit what you're looking for?

The Yakima School District is looking for applicants that are dedicated to providing a safe, positive learning environment in which every student shall be valued, challenged, encouraged and have the opportunity to become a productive citizen.

Our Applications Specialist, Jennifer Menieur-Gonzalez, is more than happy to help answer your questions! Please contact her at menieur-gonzalez.jennifer@ysd7.org or 509-573-7062.

The Yakima School District is now using the ParentSquare platform for the district, school, and classroom communications, primarily with email, text, and app notifications. ParentSquare automatically generates an account for each parent/guardian, using their email address and/or phone number (use the email and phone number that you have provided to your school and is in our Skyward Student Information System).

How To Sign Up

• Go to www.parentsquare.com/districts/1061. You can also install the ParentSquare app on your smartphone and follow the prompts to sign up.

• Tip! If your contact details aren't recognized, contact your school to get them added. After they update your information in their database, the new contact details will appear in ParentSquare after the next daily sync, and you will be able to create an account.

• Tip! Use your email or the phone number that you have provided to your school and is in our Skyward Student Information System to set up your account otherwise ParentSquare will not be able to link your account to your student's information. Your email/phone number must match contact details in the school's database for this to work.

Howie, the border collie, would like to welcome Yakima School District families to the new Health and Wellness Education (HWE) Center!

The center is located at 331 N. First Street in Yakima. The mission of HWE is to provide YSD families with the health guidance and support needed for the educational success of students. Some of the resources HWE will offer include:

• Physical and mental health care
• Case management
• Disease prevention
• Educational opportunities

Look for Howie to find health-related information throughout the school year! For more information, visit the HWE webpage at www.ysd7.org/hwe.

The Yakima School District COVID-19 testing site is open from 1:00 PM - 4:00 PM at the Health and Wellness Education Center, 331 N. 1st St. Testing is available for Yakima School District staff, students. For more information, visit ysd7.org/covid.

Yakima School District does not discriminate in any 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.

The following employees at 104 N. 4th Ave. Yakima WA 98902 have been designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged discrimination:

• (Non-Students) Title IX/ADA: Robert Noe, Chief Legal Counsel, (509) 573-7039 noe.robert@ysd7.org;
• (Adult) ADA/504 Compliance Coordinator: Chris Miller, Human Resources Director, (509) 573-7066 miller.christopher@ysd7.org;
• (Students) Title IX/ADA/Section 504: Omar Santoy, Director of Student Services, (509) 573-7004 santoy.omar@ysd7.org.

Individuals with disabilities who require assistance or special arrangements to attend a program or activity sponsored by the Yakima School District should contact one of the ADA Coordinators 24 hours in advance of the event to inquire about reasonable accommodation. Deaf, deaf-blind, hard of hearing, and/or speech impaired individuals may access Washington Relay Services by calling 7-1-1- or 1-800-833-6388.