Friday Family Message
Hello Families
Winter break is right around the corner! And we are grateful for all our staff and families have done to support the first half of our school year.
This week was full of concerts, celebrations, holiday artwork, and more! It was great to see so many of you in attendance at our schools this week for band concerts. I would invite you to consider attending SHS’s winter choir concert at 7 p.m. Monday, Dec. 18, in the Stanwood High PAC. It's sure to be a wonderful way to transition into Winter Break.
The goals outlined in our District Strategic Plan — early learning, engagement, achievement, and future-ready graduates — guide the work we do each and every day.
Over the course of the school year, we will be reporting out on our progress toward these goals. The first round of data to demonstrate our progress in each goal is now available on our Strategic Plan webpage under the "Goal" tabs toward the bottom of the page. These data will grow and become more robust over the life of our strategic plan!
ShakeAlert activation
While restarting equipment controlling districtwide infrastructure early Thursday afternoon, our ShakeAlert earthquake warning system activated in error.
Thank you to our staff and students who practiced the protocol when they heard the message.
The district deployed the earthquake early warning system in 2019 — the first school in the state to connect to the USGS’s ShakeAlert system. All district buildings are connected to the system through a centralized intercom that is automatically activated by a seismic event.
The warning to seek shelter can come up to a minute before the earth starts to shake, depending on the location of the quake’s epicenter, allowing time for students and staff to seek shelter.
You can read more about our ShakeAlert system on our Safety and Wellness website at www.stanwood.wednet.edu/safety
Fill the Bus was a success!
Thank you to our generous community for the MANY donations of money and food last Saturday at our annual Fill the Bus drive at three area grocery stores.
In total, you helped donate 4,280 pounds of food and $1,253.18 to the Stanwood Camano Food Bank that will help make sure children and their families get emergency food assistance when they need it.
Thank you!
Winter Break hours
The last full day of school before Winter Break is Tuesday, Dec. 19. It will be a regular schedule, no early release.
Winter Break runs from Wednesday, Dec. 20, through Tuesday, Jan. 2. School resumes Wednesday, Jan. 3, on a normal late-start Wednesday schedule. School buildings will be closed during Winter Break.
The school district office will be closed to the public from Dec. 20 through Jan. 2. Regular office hours will resume on Jan. 3 (8 a.m. to 4 p.m. and closed 12-1 p.m. daily).
Please note: Many of our community partners, such as the Stanwood Camano YMCA, align schedules for student programming. As such, please be aware that YMCA's student programs — including the Leaders Club, Youth & Government, My Achievers Program, and the Teen Center — will not be running during Winter Break.
New public art installed at Church Creek Campus
Scott Fife’s latest creations are now perched in front of Lincoln Hill High and Saratoga School at the district’s new Church Creek Campus.
Fife, a sculpture artist from Vashon Island, was commissioned to craft a larger-than-life bronze eagle and a pair of smaller eagles as part of the construction process for the new building.
The state Legislature has prioritized art in public places. When the state constructs a building, one-half of 1% of the cost goes to public art, according to the state Arts Commission. However, per state law, this money cannot be used for clock towers, electrically powered water features, memorials, logos, signage, or the depiction of school mascots.
During the construction phase of the Church Creek Campus, a local art committee made up of parents, staff, and community members formed to examine options for public art and ultimately select Fife’s work.
Read more about the art on our website here.
Congratulations to our November employees of the month
Congratulations to our November Classified and Certified Employees of the Month!
Jason Harris, a bus driver in our Transportation department, was honored as the Classified Employee of the Month. He was nominated by a parent for always going above and beyond for all children. “Last summer he threw a BBQ for all the kids at the end of the school year. The kids had a blast! When my daughter gets on the bus she’s welcomed with so much kindness and caring,” the parent wrote in the nomination form. “He treats the kids as if they were his own. He truly is the best bus driver ever.” Congrats!
Stanwood Middle School teacher Shannon Austin earned the Certificated Employee of the Month award. She was nominated by a coworker for the kindness and respect she shows to each student. “She listens with patience and allows each student to have a voice,” the staff member wrote. Congrats!
Read more about our Employee Recognition efforts on our Get Involved webpage HERE
If there is a staff member you would like to nominate for an award, click HERE
Thank you for learning about our levy
It is vital for our community to have all the facts and information about the details of this levy.
So please check out www.stanwood.wednet.edu/levy — and please share the information (or how to access this information) with others in our community!
And if you missed it, you can watch Superintendent Deborah Rumbaugh and Director of Communications Evan Caldwell's Facebook Live conversation from Dec. 14 about common topics in the community about the levy and school operations. See the video below.
School Board update
A few reminders
Get social with us!
Please remember to follow the Stanwood-Camano School District on Facebook, Instagram, Nextdoor, and Twitter, and follow my tweets @rumbaughsupt.