Blue Heron Herald
October 18, 2021
About Blue Heron Middle School
Blue Heron Middle School attendance phone 360-379-4540, x. 8110
Website: https://blueheron.ptschools.org/
Location: 3939 San Juan Ave, Port Townsend, WA 98368, USA
Phone: 3603794540
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/BlueHeronSchool/
Principal Update
by Victoria Kalscheuer
Blue Heron students have participated in the SBAC assessments. Students were concentrating and focused throughout testing. Any students who have portions of the SBAC to finalize or who were absent during testing will finish in the coming days. Results will be released to families soon.
Community Wellness Project
A fundraiser to purchase locally grown food for school meals in Chimacum, Quilcene, and Port Townsend. Join us October 28th, 5:30 pm, at the Wheel-In Motor Movie. Learn more & purchase tickets here!
Student Support Partnerships with School and Families
Over the course of the past year and a half, our youth have experienced stresses to their social and emotional development. These stresses require support in various ways. Some of these supports are expected and some are not. We planned intentional supports for our students by using various social and emotional learning tools, including Second Step and kindness curricula during WIN and ASC classes. We have many professionals here to support groups and individuals: a school counselor, a school psychologist, a Student Assistance program professional, and an outside mental health counselor who sees children at school.
What we didn’t expect are some differences in social and emotional development that our children are exhibiting. These differences are nothing to be concerned about at this time as all students will continue to have positive supports in place and opportunities to grow. Our children need to relearn how to be engaged at school and how to be positive contributing members of a school community. To support all of our learners, we will have staff trained in DBT for schools to support our children with developing skills in coping with stress, managing conflict and decision making. We will also be teaching our children how to go from bystanders to allies through the use of strategic lessons. Through the coming months, we will regularly reassess our school-level data, survey results and other information pathways to identify our children’s progress and continued needs. We are confident that by pairing social emotional learning with continued partnerships with our children, families, and community we will see positive outcomes for all at Blue Heron.
Academic Interventions
Throughout the course of each school year, we analyze student growth and achievement through multiple formal and informal assessment measures. As part of our Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS), students who are not showing growth or have achievement gaps identified will receive reading and/or math interventions from a Title 1 interventionist or Title 1 support personnel. Students who have other identified needs will also receive supports from interventionists or support staff. If your child was previously identified as needing a boost in academic skills, you have received a letter outlining when we would like to provide this specialized instruction. If we do not receive parent permission for services within 10 days, we will accept non-response as permission at this time.
TikTok Challenges Update
As you may know, TikTok challenges can impact our children’s health and safety. They can also impact the school environment in negative ways resulting in various types of school-based consequences for our youth. Throughout this school year, we encourage you to monitor and have age appropriate conversations with your child(ren) about the negative impact of following influencers such as this. TikTok challenges are outlined for the year in an article here, and one TikTok video recently outlined for children how to cheat in school. Through monitoring and communication we can help our children grow into healthy young adults.
Important Dates
10/21/2021 -- Vision and Hearing screening for 7th grade
10/28/2021 -- Picture retakes at Blue Heron Middle School
11/9/2021 -- Principal Forum with Literacy focus, 5:30-7:00pm, more information to follow
11/11/2021 -- No school, Veteran’s Day
11/18/2021 & 11/19/2021 -- 3 hr. Early release; Conferences, more information coming soon
Other Important Resources or Information
If you have not yet turned in your child’s field trip form you can find that form attached to this communication.
If you could not attend curriculum night in October, you can find the presentations on our school website.
Brian and I have been exploring areas around Port Townsend over the past few weeks. On Friday evening, Brian was able to experience Elevated Ice Cream shop for the first time. Last weekend we went to our first Seattle Sounders game. What fun this new adventure has been so far!
Please contact me with any questions or concerns.
Take care,
Tori
360-379-4540
Athletics and Activities
Blue Heron was fortunate to be able to field teams in all three sports (cross country, football and volleyball) this fall with minimal disruptions on our end. Several other schools in the North Olympic Middle School league had challenges and sometimes those affected our games, but we all did all we could to get kids playing as often as possible. Thank you to parents, kids, coaches and the community to make this very different year possible. The first day of boys basketball is Monday October 25. If you have not yet done so, please register your student-athlete in Final Forms - https://blueheron.ptschools.org/cms/One.aspx?portalId=155301&pageId=47419746 Football players will be able to play basketball despite that their last game is October 28. Girls basketball first practice will be on January 3, and wrestling will begin on February 7. Sometimes, transportation for our athletes is a challenge. If you’re interested in being a volunteer driver, please see the following. 1) Must have a BIB clearance the same as other volunteers. 2) Complete the Volunteer Driver Application and submit it to me at the District Office along with their Driver License and DOL driver abstract (Full Record). The DOL information/link is on the application. Once I have received their Driver's License & DOL Abstract, I will assign them the (6) Vector Solutions online courses to complete. 3) To drive students in personal cars, they will need to complete the Volunteer Driver - Personal Vehicle Approval Form AND submit with a complete copy of the Insurance Policy for each vehicle that they are transporting students in. Insurance cards are not acceptable - must be the policy that states their limit amounts. **This is also noted on the form. And they will need to complete the vehicle inspection form as part of this form for each vehicle.
School Counseling News
by Eliza Farrell
This week our 6th and 8th grade students will participate in the Healthy Youth Survey. We encourage all students to participate as this survey is anonymous and the answers that are collected can help direct our efforts for prevention and support in our community. The survey consists of questions related to unintentional and intentional injuries; physical activity and dietary behaviors; alcohol, tobacco, and other drug use; and related risk and protective factors. The survey is voluntary and parents can opt-out their students by filling out this form by Monday, Oct. 18th at 4:00pm. Students can also choose not to answer specific questions or may opt out of the survey. Any students who are not participating will be offered an alternative activity. We hope that you will support us by encouraging your students to participate, giving us valuable information as we continue to support your students and help them with growth.
Thank you!
Library News
by Joy Wentzel
I had a fun afternoon this week setting up the new story walk with my Port Townsend Public Library librarian friends at the Kah Tai Lagoon. The book is The Cool Bean by Jory John and Pete Oswald. If you have not read this book (or have not read The Bad Seed) it is a goodie! The story is delightful, has a wonderful message about kindness and inclusion, and has fun illustrations. Click here to see info on the ribbon-cutting ceremony
Student Assistance Program
by Holly McIlvaine
Welcome Blue Heron Parents!! My name is Holly McIlvaine, the Student Assistant Professional here at BH. My role here is to help support our students in every way possible, including educating them on ways to maintain their mental health and to avoid engaging in risky behavior such as substance use.
Adolescence is a wonderful time for our young people to have a healthy start in life. Your child is also in a very busy time of life, especially during middle school. Many psychologists call this time the “middle school construction project”, where they are busy building their adult brain, developing an adult body and forming an adult identity. Along with these aspects of development, are the increase of hormones and friendship challenges. All of these dynamics can take a toll on both your child and you as parents. It is extra important to pay attention to your child’s mental health during these transitional times.
It’s normal for teens to have low moods, poor motivation or trouble sleeping. However, the number of adolescents reporting poor mental health is increasing. According to data from the Center for Disease Control in 2019, 37% of teenagers experienced persistent feelings of hopelessness or sadness almost every day for two weeks or more in a row. These teens also stopped their involvement in their usual activities. If you notice a pattern, that’s when you should seek professional guidance. Talk to your child and his/her doctor if you notice the following signs for more than 2 weeks:
seeming down, feeling things are hopeless, being tearful or lacking motivation
having trouble coping with everyday activities
showing sudden changes in behaviour, often for no obvious reason
having trouble eating or sleeping
doing less well at school, or suddenly refusing to go to school
avoiding friends or social contact
saying they have physical pain – for example, headache, stomach ache or backache
being aggressive or antisocial – for example, missing school, getting into trouble with the police, fighting or stealing
being very anxious about weight or physical appearance, losing weight or failing to gain weight as they grow
It is expected for teens to be moody at times. Their bodies are undergoing intense changes as puberty continues to play a role in their development. These changes tends to occur in a window of time between ages 8-14 for girls and ages 9-15 for boys. If your teen has periodic episodes of moodiness, it’s probably not a reason to be concerned. However, if you notice a pattern of moodiness in addition to other unusual symptoms, talk to their doctor for guidance.
While the data can be alarming, schools and parents can help our youth manage their mental health and lead healthy, productive lives. Building strong bonds and connecting to our youth can protect their mental health. The following can also help build strong mental health resilience and skills:
Show love, affection and care for your child.
Encourage regular physical activity.
Provide a balance of nutrition and encourage regular meals.
Show that you’re interested in what’s happening in your child’s life. Praise your child’s efforts as well as their good points and achievements. Value your child’s ideas and opinions.
Enjoy spending 1:1 time with each other.
Encourage your child to talk about feelings with you. It’s important for your child to feel they don’t have to go through things on their own and that you can work together to find solutions.
Deal with problems as they arise, rather than letting them build up.
Talk to trusted family members, friends, other parents or teachers if you have any concerns. If you feel you need more help, speak to your child’s doctor or another health professional.
*Information gathered from DASH (Division of Adolescent and School Health)
Please communicate with support staff here at Blue Heron if you are in need of additional support, resources, and/or further guidance.
All the best,
Holly McIlvaine
Student Assistant Professional at Blue Heron
360-379-3027
Non-discrimination statement
Port Townsend School District No. 50 does not discriminate in any programs or activities on the basis of race, creed, religion, color, immigration status, national origin, age, honorably-discharged veteran or military status, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, marital status, the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability. The district provides equal access to the Boy Scouts of America and all other designated youth groups listed in Title 36 of the United States Code as a patriotic society. The following employees have been designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged discrimination:
Civil Rights Compliance Coordinator for State Law (RCW 28A.640/28A.642): Amy Khile, 1610 Blaine Street , (360) 379-4603, akhile@ptschools.org
Title IX Officer: Laurie McGinnis, 1610 Blaine Street, (360) 379-4602, lmcginnis@ptschools.org
Section 504/ADA Coordinator: Shelby MacMeekin, 1610 Blaine Street, (360) 379-4366, smacmeekin@ptschools.org