District Update
February 4, 2022
On Gratitude
"Piglet noticed that even though he had a very small heart, it could hold a rather large amount of gratitude." From Winnie-the-Pooh (A.A. Milne)
At 4'11" and "less than 100 lbs. soaking wet," as one person aptly put it, I can relate to Piglet's remark about his small heart. My heart, I am certain, is tiny, too. Thank goodness, however, that even small hearts can contain a great deal of gratitude!
Gratitude helped me appreciate my home and childhood in the Philippines despite living in poverty. It has helped me put things in perspective and direct my energy toward what is good, beautiful, and uplifting. It has helped me face life's storms with the conviction that I would prevail in the end. As long as I am capable of gratitude, there is hope, no matter what dire circumstance I find myself in.
Reflecting on my first half of the school year as Superintendent, I recognize that the list of challenges is long as is often the case in education. However, the list of things to be grateful for is beautifully longer, and it is both energizing and restorative.
One of the things that I am grateful for is the beauty of our region. It evokes a sense of calm, and it offers the prized gift of healing for the heart and soul. The amateur photos (below) that I took and share here do not do the beauty of this place justice.
I am also grateful for all of our staff. They bring their whole self to work every single day. Seeing them work very hard to be effective at what they do on behalf our our kids inspires me.
I am deeply grateful for our families and our community. I come from school districts (Clover Park, Lake Washington, Edmonds, and Snohomish) where I saw first hand how community members valued education as an integral part of their community and how they took pride in supporting their schools. The Sedro-Woolley community rivals, even surpasses, these districts' commitment to students and schools. My interactions with parents, families, PTOs, and service organizations offer plenty of compelling evidence backing this claim.
As a community, we have been hit hard with one spirit-sagging hardship after another, in close succession with little time in between to recover and regroup. We are exhausted. We feel depleted. And yet, we continue to rally behind our students and each other, especially during the toughest of times. We bend, but we do not break because we stand strong - together.
Healing, recovery, and renewal are neither linear nor time-bound. I ask, therefore, that we not cease to be guided by our "why," to remember the children who need us to be hopeful, creative, and energetic on their behalf, to be kind to others and to self, and above all, to be grateful.
And so I say, thank you, Sedro-Woolley! Thank you for supporting our schools and prioritizing the needs of our children above all else. I have been in four other districts prior to coming here, and I can say with confidence that this is the best district I have been a part of. There is nowhere else I'd rather be.
CMS sees huge turnout for volleyball
The school is providing intramural games on a weekly basis in addition to the games with neighboring schools.
Foundations K First Day of School
State Street High School Talent Show
Livestream event transports Samish students
Contributed by Samish Principal Mischelle Darragh
As I walked by each class Wednesday afternoon, I heard the beautiful and powerful music streaming live from every classroom as our Samish Elementary Students participated in a free "teleportation education livestream event" put on by Mount Baker Theater and the Wade King Foundation.
Students were highly engaged in listening and viewing Small Island Big Song, a collective of musicians from 16 island countries, representing 35 indigenous nations of the Pacific and Indian Oceans.
The presentation brought performers together across languages, musical traditions, and cultures to honor their shared relationship to the world’s water.
Small Island Big Song improvises new and unique combinations to create a moving communal tribute to nature’s gifts.
“The knowledge and values in the songs are in more than the words. They are in the tempo and the melody. They are in the vibration.”
—Alena Murang, Kelabit-Borneo
Educational Programs & Operations Levy
By now, you may have received your ballot for the special election in the mail.
The Educational Programs & Operations Replacement Levy helps fund school nurses, athletics, arts and music, Highly Capable programs, school safety, special education, transportation and other crucial services for student success that are not covered by state or federal funding.
Please remember to vote by February 8.
Grant to pay for outdoor adventures
More information about the trips' dates and protocols will soon be shared with fifth and sixth grade families. We are very excited about this opportunity to ease the financial burden for our families!
Child Tax Credit information
You could receive up to $3,600 per child from the expanded Child Tax Credit and not realize it. Don’t miss out!
Visit GetYourRefund.org to find out more about how to get your credit this year.Fair Start for Kids Act Information
If you weren’t eligible for child care benefits in the past, you could be now!
A family of four whose income is less than $5,086 per month can get child care benefits. A family of three whose income is less than $4,275 per month will pay no more than $115 per month for child care. Full-time student parents can receive child care assistance without working.
To see if you qualify, go to washingtonconnection.org or call 1-800-446-1114.
Art Show accepting entries
NWESD 2022 Regional High School Art Show Accepting Entries (March 1 entry deadline)
Each spring the NWESD hosts a Regional High School Art Show with submissions from schools around our region. The finalists from the regional ESD shows are invited to participate in the Superintendent’s High School Art Show an annual event co-hosted by OSPI and the Washington Art Education Association (WAEA). High school students from all nine of the state’s educational service districts (ESDs) participate in this artistic celebration each year.
The 2022 NWESD High School Art Show will be exhibited online only.
The deadline to submit artwork is March 1, 2022. More details about the show and submission process can be found in the Teacher Guidelines document.
Nominations open for state awards
Nominate your favorite educator today!
Replacement Levy Information
Levy-funded costs
This brief list gives an example of what some of our current levy dollars pay for in the Sedro-Woolley School District.
What happens if voters don't approve the measure?
If the Feb. 8th levy fails to garner the required 50% vote to approve, two things will happen concurrently: The school board will have to decide whether or not to run the levy again in the April 26th special election and at the same time decide how to substantially reduce programs and services to balance the 2022-2023 budget. The district would have to identify the programs/positions to be reduced/eliminated before the April 26th levy results are known/certified in order to notify staff.
Federal funds helps carry district through COVID
Sedro-Woolley School District most recently received about $5 million through the Elementary & Secondary School Emergency Relief (ESSER) III funding from the federal government to address learning gaps and pandemic-related costs.
As per the federal mandate, twenty percent of the money has been dedicated toward learning loss — the district dramatically expanded its summer school offerings. This portion of the money will also be used for before- and after-school tutoring for students who need additional support, along with I-Ready personalized instruction. The district is also using the money to fund the Sedro-Woolley Virtual Learning Academy for students who do not yet feel ready to return to in-person learning.
The other 80 percent of the expenditures will be spent on curriculum, supplies, additional staffing hours, interpretation services, additional chromebooks as well as PPE and other supplies necessary because of COVID-19.
Unlike state and local levy funding, ESSER funding is one-time money provided by the federal government to help tide districts over until the pandemic ends and school districts can overcome losses in revenue from state funding due to lower enrollment. ESSER funding is on a reimbursement basis, the district has to make a grant application with OSPI, and then must extend its own current resources before ESSER funds can be received. Districts go through a claims process to be reimbursed.
Sedro-Woolley used the Cares Act funding ($647,000), for personal protective equipment and food service.
The district received $2,225,770 as part of ESSER II, using the funds for the 2021 summer school to address learning loss, preparing the schools for reopening, buying student laptops, providing hotspots.
Levy is capped
If property values go up, local schools will not receive more funding. While property taxes may fluctuate, the district only collects the total amount approved by voters as part of the capped amounts.
Property values may rise or fall, but according to state law, schools collect no more than the total dollar amount voters approve. SWSD's replacement levy will continue to collect $2.50 per $1,000 of assessed property value. The proposed replacement levy will collect $11,919,069 in 2023, $12,515,023 in 2024, $13,140,774 in 2025 and $13,797,813 in 2026. These are the capped amounts or lids based on a 5% growth projection per year of the community’s assessed value.
When property values rise then the levy rate of $2.50 per $1,000 decreases. Conversely, if property values fall, the levy rate could only rise to the lid of $2.50 per $1,000.
Dear Parents and Guardians,
I’m really excited to tell you about our new tutoring services for students in grades 7-12, provided by Paper.
Paper is a secure, online tutoring service that provides students with unlimited, 24/7 academic support. Whether they’re stuck on homework, studying for a test, or need someone to read and make suggestions to their essays, there will always be experts available online to assist students in over 200 subjects and more than 4 languages.
Paper tutors have been specially trained to conduct expert, academic support in a secure, chat-based platform. With a commitment to helping students learn, they’ll never give students answers, but rather interact with them in an encouraging tone to lead them forward.
This is a free service that we’re providing (paid for with ESSER funds), so students are encouraged to use it as much as they need, whenever they need. Our teachers also have accounts and will be able to review all student activity to see what they’re working on and provide more targeted instruction as needed.
If you’d like to learn more about Paper you can sign up for a Paper hosted Parent Info Session, available in both English and Spanish. Or if you’d like to speak to a member of the Paper team directly, you can reach them at parents@paper.co.
To see Paper and the help it offers firsthand, we encourage you to login with your students. To get started, simply visit PAPER’s student login page, type your school’s name, and login via Google using your school credentials
We’re thrilled to offer our students the unlimited, 24/7 support that Paper provides and we can’t wait to see what we’re able to accomplish together.
These Tutorial Videos are also helpful for students and families!
Sincerely,
Mike Olson
Assistant Superintendent
Updated COVID-19 Flowchart and Instructions
Extended Testing Hours at the Fairgrounds
Skagit County Public Health announced that hours of operation for COVID-19 testing at the Skagit County Fairgrounds will be extended. The site will now be open to testing every Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday from noon to 7 p.m.
Public Health put the call out for volunteers on Friday afternoon and residents answered with more than 50 individuals reached out to our Volunteer Coordinator about assisting at the site.
“The response from the community was incredible,” said Jennifer Johnson, Skagit County Public Health. “With your help, we have been able to extend our hours at the site, potentially doubling the number of people we can test each day.”
Rapid antigen testing is provided for free and is available to anyone 5 years and older who lives, works, or goes to school in Skagit County. Individuals must be symptomatic or have had recent exposure to COVID-19 to qualify for service at the site.
For testing, please come to the South Gate entrance at 501 Taylor Street in Mount Vernon. Note that gates open at 11:30 am, with services starting at noon. Even with the new extended hours, please expect long wait times. Please do not block public or private driveways and be mindful of pedestrians.
For a full list of other testing providers in the region, go to https://www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/COVID19/TestingforCOVID19/TestingLocations.
Vaccinations at the Fairgrounds will continue to be offered weekly from 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. Both pediatric vaccines and boosters are available by appointment only. To make an appointment, go to www.skagitcounty.net/COVIDvaccine. Please come to the North Gate entrance for vaccinations at 1409 Virginia Street in Mount Vernon.
Boosters are also available at the downtown Public Health office at 700 S 2nd Street (3rd floor) in Mount Vernon—by appointment only. For appointments, go to www.skagitcounty.net/COVIDvaccine.
For more information about Public Health’s testing and vaccination services, go to www.skagitcounty.net/coronavirus or call (360) 416-1500.
At-home COVID-19 Testing Options
The federal government has officially launched its online ordering portal. Residential households in the U.S. can now order one set of 4 free at-home tests. Here’s what you need to know about your order:
- Limited to one order per residential address
- One order includes 4 individual rapid antigen COVID-19 tests
- Orders will ship free starting in late January and will take 7-12 days to ship.
As of Wednesday, Jan. 19, Skagit County Public Health was out of at-home testing kits.
If testing at home and you receive a positive test result, please call the state’s COVID-19 Hotline as soon as possible at 1–800–525–0127 or the Skagit County Public Health office at (360) 416-1500.
At present, testing demand is far exceeding availability throughout our state. If you cannot get access to testing, please refer to the CDC's Isolation and Quarantine Guidance found here: https://bit.ly/3JQLIwF
- IF YOU HAVE SYMPTOMS but do not need medical care and can't get a test, you might have COVID-19 and you should isolate for at least 5 days to keep from spreading the virus to others. Monitor your symptoms.
- IF YOU WERE EXPOSED to someone with COVID-19 and need to quarantine and are unable to get a test 5 days after your last close contact, you can leave your home after day 5 if you have not had symptoms; wear a mask for 10 days after last contact.
COVID-19 Information
The district nursing staff is in constant communication with the Skagit County Public Health regarding COVID-19 cases in our schools. Decisions on who needs to quarantine is made by the county in coordination with the district.
The health, safety, and well-being of our school community remains our top priority. We are following sound protocols aligned with Skagit Public Health guidance to ensure we are doing everything we can to protect the health or our school community. We also want to take this opportunity to remind everyone of the importance of wearing masks, physically distancing from others, and regularly washing your hands.
The primary symptoms of COVID-19 are:
• Fever (defined as subjective or 100.4°F or higher)
• Cough
• Loss of sense of taste and/or smell
• Shortness of breath
• Fatigue
• Headache
• Muscle or body aches
• Sore throat
• Congestion or runny nose
• Nausea or vomiting
• Diarrhea (defined as two or more loose stools in 24 hours)
If your child or anyone in your household develop(s) any of the above symptoms, all unvaccinated household members should stay home, contact a provider for medical evaluation and testing, and notify childcare/school/work/etc. Additionally, if you're awaiting test results for COVID-19, do not come to school until you have received confirmation of a negative test. Staying home when experiencing symptoms also helps our schools' close contacts and quarantine numbers. Following these everyday preventative actions helps reduce the spread of COVID-19 and other communicable diseases.
We sincerely appreciate all your help and support as we work together to mitigate risks and ensure the learning process continues in our school community.
For more information about COVID-19 protocols in the district, including the district dashboard, please visit our COVID-19 Information website.
Email: covidquestions@swsdonline.com
Phone: (360) 855-3841