Education Insider
Anacortes School District News & Events - 12/17/21
Welcome to the district's bi-monthly newsletter! At the bottom of this newsletter, you'll find a link to the
Community Bulletin Board.
Wishing you joyful and restful holidays!
Dear Families,
Happy holidays to all of you! Enjoy the festivities and quality time with your families and friends.
Sincerely,
Justin
Farnsworth, McIlmoyle sworn in to School Board
Diana Farnsworth and Meredith McIlmoyle were sworn in as newly elected school board members on Thursday, December 16, 2021.
McIlmoyle replaces retiring Board President Bobbilyn Hogge, who has served since 2011. Farnsworth replaces retiring Board Director Erin Rieger, who has served since 2013. Hogge and Rieger were both recognized for their tremendous contributions to the board.
“Bobbilyn and Erin are outstanding supporters of our district,” said Superintendent Justin Irish. “Their dedication to our students, staff, and families has been incredible. I will miss their leadership, mentorship and support, but I am also excited to welcome Diana and Meredith to our team.”
Farnsworth is a librarian at the Anacortes Public Library. McIlmoyle is the executive director of the Anacortes Arts Festival. Both have served as volunteers for the district. Both say they are looking forward to getting to know better how the district functions, and leading the strategic direction of the district.
Questions? Contact the Superintendent’s Office: Torhil Ramsay, tramsay@asd103.org or (360) 503-1211
Impact Aid - Surveys Open
Please refer to our
Strategic Plan and the actions we are taking this school year to reach our goals.
The Anacortes School Board approved two resolutions on November 18, 2021, placing two ballot measures before voters for the February 8, 2022 election.
More information can be found on our website: http://www.asd103.org/2022_election
Save the Date: Signs of Suicide Info Night
Signs of Suicide (SOS) Information Night for middle school and high school families. This information night will be held at AHS commons on Thursday, January 13th from 6-7pm. Signs of Suicide (SOS) is a district adopted program for middle and high school students. It is implemented annually. This year it will be implemented mid-January through February. More information will be shared by the school leadership when we return from the break.
Assessment
Our teachers and administrators have been working to assess student learning since fall. They use data to help identify intervention and acceleration strategies as needed. The state is continuing to process the SBA test data, and we should have results in January.
Questions? Contact Brandon Lagerquist, blagerquist@asd103.org or (360) 503-1208
Updated guidance for school athletics
We greatly value our student athletes and their ability to continue competing while we continue to face challenges posed by the current pandemic. Based on new guidance from the Skagit County Health Department, we will be adhering to stricter masking standards at all athletic events and postponing concessions until further notice. ASD has not been doing concessions this year.
We are also required to provide COVID testing for all athletes, coaches, trainers, and supporting personnel in high-risk indoor sports activities (currently basketball, wrestling, and cheer), regardless of vaccination status. We also must increase testing frequency to 3 times weekly. Among those screening tests, at least one must occur no sooner than the day before the competition, ideally and whenever possible, the day of the event.
The district is also hiring a COVID coordinator; this person will help implement a “test-to-stay” program to help keep more of our students in classrooms when they have deemed a close contact with someone who tested positive.
We all want to keep our student athletes on the fields, courts, and lanes.
Resources:
Skagit County Health Department
WIAA Covid Guidance - 12/17/21 Update
Questions? Contact Erik Titus, Athletics & Activities Director, (360) 503-1305 or etitus@asd103.org
Online Safety Over the Holidays
With the Winter Break and cold weather preventing some outdoor activities, your children may be enticed to spend some of their free-time on screen-time. To help you navigate their activities and reinforce good online safety habits, we invite you to review our digital citizenship resources. You'll find tips and tricks on setting boundaries, information on our web filtering policy, and resources for raising responsible digital citizens. https://bit.ly/SafeInASD
GoGuardian Parent App
ASD parents have access to GoGuardian Parent, a mobile app that provides a snapshot of your children's browsing activity on an ASD-issued Chromebook. By having your children's browsing history, you'll be able to know what they are exploring in school and ask them questions about what they are learning. At the same time parents will have the information they need to monitor browsing at home. A new feature of the app gives parents the power to limit websites and internet access during bedtime hours. You can learn more about installing and using the app on our website. https://bit.ly/GGParentApp
Expanded Public Hours at Rice Field
We recently expanded the public hours at Rice Field. The field will be open to the public:
Monday-Friday, 5:30-7:30 a.m. and 5-8 p.m.
Please observe all posted rules. Groups with approved reservations have priority. All other use is first come, first served. Restrooms are not open during these times.
We continue to recruit for paras, subs in all positions, and coaches. We are also going to hire permanent subs that will be able to rotate buildings and positions, and fill in as needed. Please refer to our HR page for openings:
https://anacortesjobs.hrmplus.net/JobOpenings.aspx - Dec 20 - 31: Winter Break (District Office closed/ No tech support)
- Jan 3: Back to School
- Jan 14: No School; Staff Professional Development Day
- Jan 17: No School: Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
- Jan 20: School Board Meeting
Click the link below to find items submitted for our community bulletin board:
