Friday Family Message
Hello Families
While it is not technically spring yet, our spring events are in full bloom!
Take careful note of your school’s newsletters over the course of this month. In March alone, we have sports, academic nights, spring concerts, plays, and more! Most of these events are on our district calendar.
On a more serious note, we are hosting a Fentanyl/Opioid Awareness Night next week. We will meet at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 12, in the SHS Performing Arts Center. The purpose of this event is to provide families and community members with information and resources to address the fentanyl/opioid epidemic. We thank you for your attendance.
Lastly, we are just a few weeks away from Spring Break — April 1-5. Please know that our staff, administrators, and others are available to support you and your student during the stretch of Spring Break.
Join us in celebrating our classified staff members
All next week we will be celebrating our Education Support Professionals!
From our paraprofessionals and clerical staff to our custodians, bus drivers, and food service workers, our classified staff members play a critical role in creating a supportive and successful learning environment for everyone.
We want to take this opportunity during the statewide Education Support Professionals Appreciation Week to celebrate our amazing team for their vital contributions to our schools and the positive impact they have on our students.
We appreciate all you do! Thank you for your dedication, hard work, and passion for our students, our schools, and our entire community.
Take and share the annual community survey!
So far, about 300 community members have taken our annual Community Survey. The feedback is a crucial ingredient in helping us plan for and prioritize for the years ahead.
Last year, more than 1,300 responses came in and helped us adjust our practices in several ways. The survey should take about 10 minutes, and all results will be anonymous.
Legislative session ends
The Washington state legislative session wrapped up this week — and there were several developments for school districts across the state.
One such development is that some school districts will receive an increase in funding to support students with special needs, but Stanwood-Camano School District is not currently one of them because the percentage of students that we serve does not exceed the limits set in the legislation.
It appears that we may receive some additional funding to support staffing costs and non-staffing costs. However, the final budgets don't appear to provide the level of overall K-12 funding increases education experts were hoping to see after the 60-day session.
The campaign for adequate school funding is ongoing and we remain hopeful for positive developments in the future.
Don't forget about daylight savings time
Please make sure your clocks spring forward Sunday! Daylight Saving Time begins at 2 a.m. March 10.
Plan ahead to log a sufficient amount of sleep as your body adjusts get enough rest.
A few quick reminders ...
- Our community safety forum — Fentanyl Awareness Night — that will take place at 6 p.m. Tuesday, March 12, at Stanwood High School. Learn more about Fentanyl Awareness Night on our website.
- The Stanwood High spring musical — Rodgers and Hammerstein's "Cinderella" — is going on now! The play is presented at 7 p.m. on March 8, 9, 15, and 16. Tickets are $10 for adults and $8 for students — can be purchased at the box office or online via GoFan.
- Transitional Kindergarten (TK) applications are now being accepted for 2024-25 school year. Visit our Transitional Kindergarten webpage to learn more and to apply.
- The school district is now accepting students for our inclusive preschool programs at Stanwood Elementary or Utsalady Elementary for next school year. Contact Janette Marx at jmarx@stanwood.wednet.edu or 360-629-1250 for further information.
School Board update
The Stanwood-Camano School Board heard updates on district and school initiatives during its regular board meeting on Tuesday, March 5.
Church Creek Campus principal Ryan Pike provided an update on its School Improvement and Annual Action Plan. He will present the schools’ Shining Star Awards at a later meeting.
The board also heard the January Financial Report and a Replacement Levy Wrap-up Report.
In addition, the school board voted Director Charlotte Murry as the Interim Legislative Representative.
The school board then accepted two donations:
$548.58 in school rebates from Firefly Images for Twin City Elementary School
$1,000 from the Stanwood-Camano Area Foundation through a grant received by the RE/MAX Community Chest Grant to cover the costs of the Amplify Core Knowledge Language Arts Supplemental Books for the school.
For more information about the meeting, see the agenda or watch a video recording of a meeting.
The school board will next host its regular meeting at 6 p.m. March 19. Meetings are in the boardroom at the Stanwood-Camano School District Administration & Resource Center at 26920 Pioneer Highway in Stanwood. Sign up for public comment HERE.
For more about the School Board, click HERE.