Tonasket School District
Weekly Update ~ 9/4/2020
"Focused on Learning and Linking Learning to Life"
Be Positive, Be Grateful, Be Involved, Be Flexible
Enrollment
Preliminary enrollment numbers are 1,029.77. As we are able to bring more students on campus, I am hopeful that this number will increase, but with our budget set at 1,040 students, we will need to find some ways to trim expenses again this year. Shared work plans as well as our ability to receive full funding for our ALE students in Outreach will be a big help in staying financially healthy. Thanks to all of you working on these issues! This will be a challenging year in many areas, but I am confident that working together, we will ensure a successful educational experience for all of our students while continuing to provide staff the resources they need to continue their excellent work!
COVID and Labor Day
Our health department is reminding us that our summer spike in COVID was partially to blame on gatherings on the 4th of July, and they are concerned about a similar spike in cases after Labor Day.
As we approach Labor Day Weekend, please consider limiting your travel, limiting participation in large group gatherings, practicing social distancing, and wearing your mask in public.
Remember,
schools don’t open schools; communities open schools, and when we open we will only be successful in staying open if our community rates of COVID-19 are low.
COVID Updates
Our exemption request to allow us to start serving students on campus in small groups was approved. We are planning to start bringing groups of up to 5 students with a maximum of 5% of our student body on campus at one time; focusing first on those students with the highest need. We are planning on starting this on Sept. 14th, but our ability to bring small groups and eventually move to a hybrid model is contingent on our community COVID cases continuing to trend downward.
Capital Project Update
The security entryways should be finishing up next week. CompuNet has been here this week installing the wiring for the Access Control system.
Powerful Teaching and Learning
- Wednesday night, our nightly load into Google had an error causing Google to think that we had no students. This caused all of our student accounts to become inactive. The tech office was scrambling first thing Thursday morning by going into each student account throughout the entire district reactivating each one. With some extra help, it was accomplished in record time, and in time for the first online learning class to begin at 9:00 AM!
- Anitra is working on creating on our district website a parent link to helping their child with remote learning. If you have created a video for your class or have helpful tips that you are willing to share please let Anitra know.
Stewardship
The first days of school were parent-teacher conferences where students and parents were able to meet together, receive their iPad or Chromebook, and a brief overview of the online learning with the schedule. We averaged about 96% attendance. This was a great informative relationship-building experience; so good that I have heard from some staff that they would like to start every year this way.
District Culture and Climate
In times of change and difficulty, it is wonderful to work with a group of Tonasket staff and students that approach these challenges with a positive attitude and grace for each other. Keep that light shining Tigers!
Parent and Community Engagement
The Incident Commander of our recent fire camp sent a letter thanking all of us for helping to make their stay on our campus a very positive experience. He especially singled out Kristi Krieg, Cheri Wahl, Mike Larson, and Dean Manring for going the extra mile in making their stay successful. Great job team!
Other
- This week Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction Chris Reykdal announced that the USDA (United States Department of Agriculture) extended the waivers that allow children to receive breakfast and lunch at no cost through the end of December 2020. Starting next Tuesday, September 8, 2020, Tonasket School District will be serving free meals for children ages 1 to 18.
- The Grab and Go meal station at the High School in the evenings are no longer available from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. because we were not having anyone show up.
The Grab and Go at the High School from 7:30 a.m. to 11:00 a.m. are still available.
- I want to thank Jack and the transportation department on how well they keep our buses maintained. This came in a letter from Chris Reykdal, Superintendent of Public Instruction:
“After reviewing the results of the recent Washington State Patrol annual inspection, we recognize that your school district has again completed the inspection of school buses with exceptional results. For the past two years, the results in your district have been outstanding.
“We congratulate you, your administration, and the staff of your transportation department for these outstanding school bus inspection results. We look forward to your continued support of student transportation safety.
“Keep up the fantastic work.”
What Every Employee Needs to Know Reminders
You can find these recently approved board policies and all board policies and procedures on the district’s website by clicking the link below.
- 2004 Board Policy - Accountability Goals
- 6106 Board Policy - Allowable Costs for Federal Programs
Superintendent Steve McCullough
