Grizzly Gazette
September 11th, 2021
Principal's Message
We welcomed back our kindergarten students this week. They are awesome! These little ones have hit the ground running! They really add another wonderful dimension to our school. Thank you for sharing your kindergartners and all your students with us. Educating children is a unique and wonderful experience.
9/11 Remembrance
This year, to avoid gathering as a large crowd, we took time during our morning announcements to honor those who lost their lives on that day, our military men and women whom keep us safe and our first responders who are there for us any time we call. We understand that you, as parents were quite young when 9/11 took place, and that your children were not born yet. But we feel it is a part of history that our students will learn about as they continue their education. For the remembrance, I said a few words and then we had a moment of silence. I still get emotional when we take time to do this each year. It's just a small way to honor and respect all who were tragically affected that day and the heroes who rushed in to help save people. We never want to forget.
Dr. Rumbaugh's 9-10-21 Family Message
Hello Families,
We sent a message to Families, Staff and Community Members this week. We intend to be transparent with you about our process for managing COVID cases and our district COVID case rate. You can check this link to review COVID cases county by county and within our district. Both of these dashboards are updated weekly. We will use both of these data points to make decisions about safety and the addition or removal of safety measures in our schools.
Given the increasing rate of case counts in Snohomish County, we are reiterating the importance for students and staff to wear masks while on campus, per our previous communication. Additionally, an emphasis on social distancing is needed. As students return to school and move across campus in groups, we will be diligent in reminding students to maintain a social distance of 3 ft. from each other.
Back-to-School Celebrations
Thank you for your patience as we navigated the first several days of school. As we instituted bus routes, new lunch routines and ways to move around campus, we learned a lot! This year’s start of school has brought with it the need to re-think our typical routines and structures.
That said, we saw some BIG things to celebrate! We watched 1st graders navigating their first “real” school lunchtime at Twin City Elementary. First graders were learning how to line up, choose white or chocolate milk, and sit distanced at their assigned lunch tables. There was a lot of curiosity and excitement during the first week of lunch for these students. Middle school students spent a lot of time outside these past few days. We saw school tours, advisory classes and mask breaks that allowed students to enjoy learning in the sun and get to know their classmates while outdoors. Finally, drop off and pick up at the high school is improving. If you were there the first day of school, you know what a BIG feat it was to manage the arrival of students by bus and car. This is the first time the high school had ALL students arrive for school at the same time.
Chromebooks
If your student still has a Chromebook at home from last year, we ask that they return it to their current school as soon as possible. Chromebooks that have not been turned in have been disabled and are not operational. We would like to refresh these devices and reissue an updated Chromebook to your student.
Bus Passes
We are postponing the practice of bus passes for the time being. Every effort is being made to ensure buses are safe and not overcrowded for students assigned to them.
Seeking Bus Drivers!
We need you! The district is seeking outstanding applicants to fill new and existing positions in the district. We would love our families and community members to consider applying for jobs in the Stanwood-Camano School District. We would like to highlight the need for bus drivers! Our transportation team provides all of the necessary training and certifications to become a bus driver. If you are interested please contact Lisa Orton at LOrton@stanwood.wednet.edu. The District provides competitive wages and benefits packages for positions over 630 hours per year. Please go to the district’s employment page to apply.
Please contact the district human resources department at 360-629-1200 for help with the application process.
Stanwood-Camano Connectivity Survey
Masking News
Dear Families,
At the end of each school day, with all students and staff outside the building at the same time, we have well over 500 people in the front of our campus. This meets the new threshold for outdoor masking that goes into effect on the 13th. Starting Monday, not only will our students and staff be masked outdoors at pick-up, parents and siblings over 5 years old, outside of cars, will need to be masked as well. We will have extra masks on hand, if you need one.
As a reminder, this new regulation does not apply to students maintaining 6 feet at recess, which is still considered a mask break time. Thanks for your help with this new safety measure. Mary Hoffman Stanwood Camano School District Assistant Director of COVID-related Safety and Health Services
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