PASD Staff Newsletter
NEWS & NOTES November 4, 2022
Marty's Minute
Welcome to November, the month of gratitude. I am incredibly grateful to our district and community partners for the important work we all do for our students daily.
On another topic of important work, I am excited to announce that our district has chosen Vanir, a construction management company that will oversee the building of Monroe Athletic Field and the remodel and expansion of Stevens Middle School. In 2020, our community voted on a capital levy that approved the work of these two great projects.
We are done with the design phase of the field, which includes a quality synthetic turf field for soccer, football, and fastpitch. This project will also feature a quarter-mile walking path the public can use. High-performance athletic fields are a part of the necessary infrastructure in a high-quality district like Port Angeles, and I can't wait to see our student-athletes in action! The next step in this process is to put the project out to bid after the first of the year. We will break down the project into two bids:
1. Site Work - We hope to hire a local company to do the ground/site work at Monroe Field. It is important to us to keep as many jobs local to support our community!
2. Turf Work - We will hire a contracted synthetic turf company to install the field.
The anticipated completion date for the field is in the fall of 2023. If all goes to plan, this time next year, our community will have another quality athletic field! Stay tuned as we will provide more updates as things progress. This is an exciting time for our school district!
November is Native American Heritage Month
Port Angeles School District recognizes the importance of honoring the indigenous history, traditions, languages, and cultures of Indigenous people in the district, local area, State of Washington, United States, and worldwide. We acknowledge that we are on the indigenous lands of Coast Salish people, who have reserved territory rights to this land, specifically the Klallam Tribes. We thank these caretakers of this land, who have lived and continue to live here since Time Immemorial.
Please join us in recognizing the importance of Indigenous Peoples, history, traditions, cultures, and languages. To learn more about PASD's commitment and partnership with the Lower Elwha Klallam Tribe, click here.
This mural artfully illustrates and recreates the early days of the Port Angeles waterfront in 1750 (Klallam tribal village). The artist is Cory Ench, an internationally known artist who now lives in nearby Joyce.
Supporting Students, One Frugal Burger at a Time
Thank you to Frugals Port Angeles for choosing Lincoln High School as the recipient of their September fundraiser!
With the support of our amazing community, Frugals donated $1,070. Students will decide together how to use these donated funds!
Pictured: Principal Mace Gratz, Kalika Nicolaysen, Theresa Beausoleil with Frugals, Meadow Robinson, Jolie Creech, and Sonni Creech
Staff Spotlight - Angela Loushin
Where are you from? Port Angeles
What is your favorite thing about your job? Adjusting to various school environments allows me to connect with a variety of educators and students and learn various strategies used for each subject.
Anything you'd like to share about your family? My family has been very supportive on my journey to be an educator.
Do you have any hobbies? Playing soccer, playing the piano, listening to music, and watching movies. I enjoy writing, reading, drawing, crafting, and coloring in my free time.
If you could choose to do anything for a day, what would it be? I would stay in a cabin in the woods and write a book. With complete silence except for the sounds of a fireplace going.
What is your goal for this year? Finish my subtests so I can officially have my teaching degree.
Where do you see yourself in 10 years? I see myself as a fulltime teacher or fulltime sub to a specific school, so I can connect with the students more.
One fun fact that most people don’t know about you: I dreamt of being on the stage one day. People knew i wanted to be a dancer or actor, but I also wanted to be a comedian. I like to be silly and have been a jokester since I can remember. My main point is I like to entertain and make people laugh.
Anything else you'd like to share with your co-workers? I appreciate how welcoming a lot of the staff has been throughout my first year as a sub.
****Would you like to be our next staff spotlight? If so, click the link below and tell us a bit about yourself! 😊 https://forms.gle/H5fmTgA4tMmZf6786
Foster Care Awareness Night
Clallam County is in critical need of foster families. Recently passed and adopted legislation states that if there is no available foster home in a county where a child is requested to be brought into care, the judge may keep that child in the home they're requesting to be removed from.
Clallam County needs 15 more foster families to end our critical need. To create a supportive community, we need closer to 50 foster homes.
To support this endeavor, YOU are invited to attend a “Foster Care Awareness Night”! During this time, you can learn different ways to be involved and what the process looks like if you want to help answer this call.
Teacher Grants for the 2022-23 School Year
Clallam County School Retirees Association - Due December 1st
- CTE Science Equipment Grant
- Teacher/Classroom Mini-Grants
New Grant!
Peninsula Credit Grant: 2022 Peninsula Education Grant (P.E.G.) program. P.E.G. was developed to provide charitable grants to fund programs, materials, and related financial resources for educators to assist in providing learning and growing opportunities for their students. This is one way Peninsula Credit Union is giving back to the communities we serve.
The grants are available to educators in all primary or secondary classes for public and accredited private schools.
Grants will be awarded up to $500.00 for the implementation of new programs and continuation of existing programs, materials, equipment, or supplies. For more information about the Grant Program and how to apply, check out the application HERE.
Please read the grant application materials thoroughly and submit all requested items postmarked by November 18, 2022. All applicants are encouraged to be individual members of Peninsula Credit Union (with their own member number), but it is NOT a requirement. Please see our website (www.pcfcu.org) for more details about the Credit Union and the advantages of becoming a member. Grant recipients will be notified by December 31, 2022, and funds distributed to the respective School Districts for allocation to the educator. Incomplete or late applications will be disqualified.
If you have questions about Peninsula Credit Union or the education grant program, stop by your nearest Peninsula Credit Union branch, call 800-426-1601 or visit online at www.pcfcu.org.
If so, fill out this communications request form ahead of time, and let's celebrate!
Upcoming District Dates
- November 10: School Board Meeting - 6pm, Elwha Klallam Heritage Center
- November 11: Veterans Day (No School)
- November 23: 1/2 day for students - NO LATE START. Regular work day for all staff.
- November 24 & 25: Thanksgiving Holiday