Federal Way Public Schools News
October 1, 2021
Hello Staff, Families, and Community,
Over this first full month of the school year, I’ve enjoyed being out in buildings, seeing our staff delivering engaging and inspiring lessons and our scholars focused on their learning. I also recognize that many are still adjusting to being back-to-school, in-person, full-time, while still in the middle of the COVID-19 pandemic. Over the last two weeks, we held Virtual School Open House Nights across the district, where school principals and staff shared important information for the school year, including what your child will be learning and behavior expectations for our scholars. If you missed your child’s open house night, you can view a video on their school website.
I’m excited to announce that beginning October 5, FWPS scholars ages 13 and up, as well as FWPS staff and their dependents, will have access to mental health services through Talkspace, which offers two virtual video therapy sessions per month, as well as unlimited, 24/7 text-based counseling. The pandemic has taken a toll on our community, including our scholars. This service will provide valuable social and emotional support as scholars navigate the transition to being back in our school buildings full-time. More information, including how to access Talkspace, is included in the e-newsletter below. Information regarding additional mental health supports and our partnership with Valley Cities will be announced soon.
Throughout October and the rest of the year, we will continue to reteach the expected school behaviors and provide the necessary supports to help our scholars contribute to a positive learning environment. As we engage in this continued teaching, we ask that you partner with us to reinforce positive and appropriate behavior in our schools by talking with your child about being a positive member of their school community.
To support these conversations, each school uses the Positive Behavior Intervention and Supports (PBIS) framework to share the expectations for student behavior. These expectations are posted and presented throughout the school and are referenced during class meetings and advisory periods. Additionally, each year, scholars and families receive and review our Rights and Responsibilities handbook, which outlines appropriate behaviors and consequences.
Many of our scholars and families are already doing this work and are partnering with staff to build positive school communities across the district. I want to acknowledge the positive impact they have in our schools.
Schools can’t do it alone. We appreciate your partnership in making this school year successful for our scholars.
Sincerely,
Dr. Dani Pfeiffer, Superintendent
Shout-out to our dedicated principals!
October is National Principals Month - Thank you to all our amazing principals for their dedication and leadership. Send us photos with your child holding a thank you sign for their principal by Oct. 15 to socialmedia@fwps.org to continue the celebration of our principals via social media posts!
Thank you to our school Physical Therapists
It’s National Physical Therapist Month! They support our scholars in increasing mobility and physical strength which helps participation in learning. Thank you for the positive impact you have on our scholars.
We have amazing custodial staff who keep all sites clean and safe - thank you!
In observation of National Custodial Appreciation Day, we'd like to recognize our fantastic custodial staff. Now more than ever their work matters: deep cleaning entire buildings from floor to ceiling, continually sanitizing and disinfecting hard surfaces and touch points, outdoor work, completing maintenance projects like painting, clearing out surplus supplies, and more - Thank You!
EARLY RELEASE: October 6
No School Friday, October 8 due to State Teacher In Service Day
Schools will resume normal hours on Monday, October 11. Thank you for your support of this important professional development time for our staff.
SCHOLARS CAN RECEIVE MENTAL HEALTH SUPPORT THROUGH TALKSPACE Starting October 5
Federal Way Public Schools is proud to introduce Talkspace to all scholars ages 13 and over to support social and emotional health. The district takes the mental health of our scholars seriously and is committed to finding new ways to increase resources for our scholars and families.
Talkspace is a HIPAA-certified virtual therapy service where users can access 24/7 text-to-chat therapy from licensed clinicians. Additionally, registered users may schedule up to two live virtual therapy sessions per month. The service is completely confidential. We won’t and can’t track who accesses the service which means discussions between scholars and therapists remain private. Simply register with your school or district email address, take a needs assessment, then you will be able to choose your therapist from a wide selection of caring providers. The best part: they are available to you 24/7!
To get started, visit www.talkspace.com/fwps beginning Tuesday, October 5, 2021.
JOIN OUR TEAM OF SCHOOL BUS DRIVERS!
Our bus drivers are committed to safety, customer service, equity, and genuinely care about our diverse student population.
- Paid training at $22/hr
- $250 paid immediately after passing the CDL road test
- Additional $250 paid after completing 45 workdays with Federal Way Public Schools
Covid Update
Governor Jay Inslee announced an additional safety measure for schools - all school district staff are required to be fully vaccinated or submit a medical or religious exemption by October 18, 2021. This requirement does not apply to students. We will continue to support staff as we adjust to this new requirement.
To view the latest COVID-19 data on the King County dashboard click here:
https://kingcounty.gov/depts/health/covid-19/data/key-indicators.aspx
We will continue to closely monitor the rate of COVID-19 infection and follow the health and safety guidance of the Washington State Department of Health as we welcome students back to in-person learning.
Federal Way Public Schools
Email: comments@fwps.org
Website: www.fwps.org
Location: 33330 8th Avenue South, Federal Way, WA, USA
Phone: 253-945-2000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fwps210/
Twitter: @FWPS210