Tonasket School District

Weekly Update ~ 11/30/2018

"Focused on Learning and Linking Learning to Life"

One School

One Team

One Purpose - Student Success

I hope everyone had a restful and rejuvenating Thanksgiving break. My break ended up being longer than anticipated because of the illness I came down with the week before. I was able to rest and regain my strength and do some work from home because of the awesome staff members we have throughout the district. You know your jobs and you do them well. I am thankful for each of you!

SCHOOL DISTRICT GOALS:

Powerful Teaching and Learning

  • For the emergency drill this month, each of the buildings participated in a tabletop training with staff and students. Trainings as compared to drills, allow for discussions to take place among staff and students, giving them the opportunity to become familiar with what each person must do to respond to an incident with protective and potentially life-saving actions. The focus of the discussion was on lockdowns.

  • On Thursday our administration team met with Bill Eagle from our ESD. He worked with us on our knowledge of and skills in implementing the TPEP process. Bill will continue to work with us this year as we strive to grow instructional skills throughout the organization.

Stewardship

    • The district and community EOP meeting was held November 19th. The next meeting is scheduled for Wednesday, December 5th

    • On Tuesday, I had six ES students, three from the 4th grade and three from the 5th grade, come and have lunch with me in my office. I thoroughly enjoyed the conversation with them and look forward to meeting with a high school group next.

    • The next PSE mediation will be Tuesday, December 4.

    • We received a Healthy Kids Grant in the amount of $4,800 for additional water bottle filling stations. Two water bottle filling stations will be installed in the ES and one in the district office. There are no drinking fountains in the portables by the district office, so we were approved to change out the drinking fountain for a water bottle filling station in the DO because of the close proximity to the portables making it convenient for the students to access water.

    • With the passing of the Capital Projects Levy, the next steps are to determine project timelines and more specific funding needs and facility specifications. I will be including periodic updates on these projects in my weekly update.

    District Culture and Climate

    • On Wednesday, November 20th we ran a drug detection dog through the MS and HS buildings. We will continue this practice on a periodic basis.

    Parent and Community Engagement

    • The monthly Migrant meeting was held this Wednesday in the high school commons. The focus of the meeting was on teenage drug use awareness and prevention. A number of staff members helped make the evening a successful night. A Thanksgiving dinner was prepared and served by staff. Comments were heard that this was the first “real” Thanksgiving some of the families had ever experienced. Thank you, Migrant Team, for providing worthwhile meetings every month. The next meeting will be on December 19 in the ES and the focus will be on reading.
    • Debby Green has been organizing and managing the ES Book Fairs for the past 17 years! She does two fairs a year. Thank you, Debby, for the many, many hours you have volunteered. At this book fair, every elementary-aged student, including the preschool and Outreach, had the opportunity to choose a book to take home. This was funded through the proceeds from the previous book fair. Additionally, almost $200 was raised for the Tonasket Co-op Preschool. The next book fair will be held the last week of March.

    Staff Updates

    • At the November 28 board meeting, the following staff were hired. I’m happy to share that we have all our positions filled and have no openings right now. This hasn’t happened for a couple of years. Welcome to our staff, Dyann and Maribel!
      1. Dyann Murphy - Custodian

      2. Maribel Pio - MEP Migrant Student Advocate

    Other

    • Sometimes we get so busy and caught up in our lives, we take for granted many things without giving much thought to what we have. To help us to be reminded of and to be thankful for these gifts, click on the link for a fun video:

    • Board Policy Updates. You can click on this link to view the policy and procedure updates:
      1. 1400 BP Meeting Conduct, Order of Business and Quorum

      2. 2029 BP Animals as Part of the Instructional Program

      3. 3122 BP and Procedure Excused and Unexcused Absences

      4. 3143 BP District Notification of Juvenile Offenders

      5. 3144 BP and Procedure Release of Information Concerning Student Sex and Kidnapping Offenders

      6. 3241 BP and Procedure Classroom Management, Discipline and Corrective Action

      7. 3413 BP and Procedure Student Immunization and Life-Threatening Health Conditions

      8. 3414 Procedure Infectious Diseases

      9. 3416 BP Medication at School

      10. 3420 BP and Procedure Anaphylaxis Prevention and Response

    What Every Employee Needs to Know - Reminders

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    Link to What Every Employee Must Know: