It is officially Spring! The Pirate Staff hopes our students and families will enjoy a safe and healthy Spring vacation. Since we are in the final trimester of the school year it is imperative that students stay on top of their studies. To support good grades, we are offering highly qualified tutors that stay after school every Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday. We hope families will encourage students to take advantage of this extra help!

We have two new staff members to introduce you to:

Sofia Hansen is new to NKN filling an Instructional Assistant position. She is one of our highly qualified tutors able to support students in all classes but particularly in science and mathematics.

Shawn Lehr has been hired as our new Gear-Up Coordinator. His primary focus will be to support students with their college going plans. He will coordinate visitations, support families with applications and financial aid, he will check in with students to make sure they are taking courses that will meet program criteria and more! We are very excited to have received the Gear-Up grant which will pay for this position and the programs we put in place to support a college going culture.

Upcoming health and safety programs:

NKN district staff will participate in Alice Training on May 1st- a no school day for students. This helps school staff know how to respond in the event we have a critical incident occur. NKN partners with the Tillamook County Sheriff's Department who will provide this training. Every month NKN HS holds practice safety drills for students that include fire drills, earthquake and tsunami drills, and lockout/lock down drills so that students know what to do in case of an emergency.

Soon we will also have a student assembly and host a parent event that is intended to promote healthy choices for students and provide information that we hope will prevent unhealthy choices. Thanks to Mr. Douma and his health classes, we recently held a health fair in our lower gym. Students did an incredible job researching many issues related to good health and nutrition- they shared this information with our High School students and the Middle Schoolers. We would like to thank the members of our community that contributed prizes and information or who participated by hosting booths!

One of the prevention measures we will be taking here at the High School will be the installation of new smoke/vape detectors in restrooms and locker rooms. We recommend all parents candidly discuss the dangers of smoking and vaping with their children and encourage responsible healthy behaviors.

During the third trimester we have many college and career activities and field trips planned. Parents and students should know that in order to participate, students must be in good standing with attendance, academics and behaviors. Please monitor the daily announcements for more information about these opportunities!

Finally, this is a reminder for our seniors...our community is amazing and provides many scholarships and awards each year. There have been years where our graduating classes were able to secure over half a million dollars in scholarships and awards. Scholarships are available for students headed to trade schools, community colleges and 4 year programs. Please check out our school district's website for more scholarship information or just ask Esther!

-Dr. Buckmaster

Spring Break is next week, March 27th-31st. Hope everyone has a restful week as we gear up to end the school year with great success!

A Senior newsletter will be mailed home mid-April. Some important dates to put on your calendar:

• May 18th-ALL SENIORS must be passing ALL required classes to meet graduation requirements. Parents can monitor grades on ParentVUE. If you need an activation code, contact Delpha Corwin by email at delphac@nknsd.org or call 503-355-3553.

• Three and nine week progress reports are mailed to parents of students with an F or NP. At six weeks, all parents are mailed a progress a report. If you have questions about your senior's graduation status, please don't hesitate to contact Esther Troyer, counselor, or contact the high school office. Dr. Buckmaster will be in touch with those seniors in jeopardy and their parents after reviewing the nine week grades. Please remember after school tutoring continues to be offered. More detailed information and important reminders will be in the Senior Newsletter.

• May 23rd at 7:00 PM-Senior Awards Night. This is a night of awarding academic and athletic honors as well as many scholarships. Plan to celebrate with your student, community members and NKN Staff!

• June 1st is Graduation Practice from 1:00-2:00 PM. This is a MANDATORY.

• June 2nd at 7:00 PM-GRADUATION! No tickets are required to attend.

Student Council just finished Spring Fling Week, hosted by the Senior Class, and is amping up for PROM WEEK! In April, there will be Student Council Elections; and in May, Prom Week will begin! Stay tuned for more information. Don't forget to follow the Neahkahnieasb instagram page for the latest news! https://instagram.com/neahkahnieasb?igshid=YmMyMTA2M2Y=

The Speech and Debate team is going to Districts! We will be bringing three competitors who will be vying for the chance to qualify for the state tournament. Districts will be held on Saturday April 8th, at McMinnville, HS.

Spring Sports are HERE and the excitement is everywhere! Thanks to all the parents who took the time to get physicals, filled out Family ID and prepared their athletes for a great season. Baseball is heading to Arizona over Spring Break and track, softball and golf are getting their first events under way. Please come out and cheer your Pirate Athletes on as they work hard to make this season an incredible one. Check out the schedules for different sports at https://www.osaa.org/schools/255

The track schedule is linked below!

GO PIRATES

Please congratulate the following students in their forestry skills competition at Waldport High School!

Aidan Kallas 3rd place in prepared speech

Rylee Neimi 4th place plant identification

Trask Zink 4th place arbor climb

Nick Jones 3rd place Log scaling

Tanner Hall and Ryder Alm 4th place cross-cut

Ryder Alm 3rd place Compass and pacing and Choker set.

The "Pirate Players" have returned, and will be presenting the play "Radium Girls" with a cast and crew of High School and Middle School students. Performances are currently scheduled for May 18th, 19th and 20th on the newly renovated stage in the Upper Gym. If you're interested in helping out with this ambitious project, or have any questions, please contact Stephen Jackson-Clark @ stephenjc@nksd.org.

The annual NKN Change the World 3D modeling Challenge has begun!

We once again have a 3D printer to give as a prize for the best student designed 3D model using Onshape to Change the World. Due May 6th - see Ms. Harmon for more information.

Juntos will be hosting a Family Day on Sunday March 26th with Latino Outdoors and North Coast Land Conservancy at the Garibaldi Boathouse. This will be a fun event for students and adults with free food, music, fishing, birding, art, and other activities. If you have any questions or concerns, contact Nat Macias at 503-842-3433.

YThe Eugene Schmuck Foundation is proud to announce that we will host the Manzanita Open this spring - May 19, 20, & 21, 2023.

To our Golfers - We encourage you to plan on attending the Open to play or just have fun and support the community. The Open is a four-person, 9-hole scramble, $50 per player. Organize your teams of 4 and go to our website to reserve your spot and pay. Our website www.eugeneschmuckfoundation.org will have details and rules for the tournament. You'll get a phone call, text or email to confirm your spot.

To our Sponsors - You are the reason we can do so much good in our community; you are the fundamental reason we touch the lives of so many! Thank you for your continued donations and support.

As we move into 2023, we are thankful for our blessings, but aware that there are so many folks who count on us. We are reaching out again to ask for your support through a sponsorship. Information packets have been dropped into the mail as well. Our website offers credit card payments for both sponsorships and tee times.

If you are a business owner, we again offer the "Diamond Plus" sponsorship level which displays your name on our Sponsor board, a Tee sign on the course, and your logo/link to your own site displayed on our ESF website for the entire year.

To our Volunteers - We love you, and the Manzanita Open just would be impossible without your help! If you are interested in volunteering during the Open, please let us know. Check the website for details and drop us an email with your interest and contact information.

To All in Our ESF Family - Thank You from our hearts. Your faith and trust make us strong. The Manzanita Open has always been a way to help others and we appreciate your support!

Sincerely,

Troy Bowers, Board President

NKN participates in many activities to prepare our students for success on the required state assessments in science, math and language arts. At the high school state testing occurs in 11th grade starting in April.

Not only are the results an important indicator of a student's knowledge and skills, we use consolidated data to help us evaluate the effectiveness of our programs.

All students will participate in state assessment unless there is an opt out form signed by parents prior to the testing window. For science, there is no opt out option, however there is an exemption form. All forms are available on the school district website under parent resources.

https://nknsd.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Opt-Out_Form_English.pdf

https://nknsd.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/Opt-Out_Form_Spanish.pdf

https://nknsd.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/01/OSAS-Science-Exemption-Form.pdf

The Oregon Treasury Savings Network (OTSN) want to make sure parents are aware of the benefits the Oregon College Savings Plan (OCSP) can provide in helping offset some of the costs associated with attending a post-secondary institution. Whether a child is starting their academic career in kindergarten, or getting ready to graduate high school as a senior, we believe having an OCSP account can help.

You can learn more by visiting Oregon College Savings Plan at https://www.oregoncollegesavings.com/

If you have any needs such as school supplies, backpacks, PE shoes etc... Or for students who would like to receive a weekend food bag, please contact Jen Hopkins, Family Resource Coordinator at hopkinsj@nknsd.org or at (503)355-3607. You can also catch her at school in her room between the Library and the art room.

Free and Reduced Price Meal Income Guidelines Announced for 2022-23 School Year

If you have not already completed your 2021-2022 Meal Time application for free and reduced lunches it is important that you do so now. By completing this now will give you a 30 day grace period in the till October 17. Otherwise, you will need to be prepared to pay full price for all breakfast and lunches until your 2022-2023 application is approved in the fall.

For the 2022-2023 school year there will no longer be free meals for all as we have had the last couple years with COVID.

If you need help or need to know the income qualifications for Free and Reduced Lunches please reach out to the office.

PLEASE CHECK YOUR STUDENTS MEAL TIME BALANCES!!

Meal Time application is below \/

Beginning with the 2020-21 school year, Neah-Kah-Nie School District has contracted with ESS for our substitute services. To become a substitute for the District please go to ESS.com, click on the Job Seeker tab and type in Neah-Kah-Nie School District to begin the application process.

If you have questions about the application process, or becoming a substitute, please contact ABrueske@ess.com or our Human Resources office at 503-355-3506.