One School

One Team

One Purpose - Student Success

• At our weekly administration meeting we started reading the book, Transforming Schools Through Systems Change by Charles Salina. The book is about making positive changes in schools through a focus on relational trust, academic press, and social support.
  
  
• We also reviewed two new Annexes (Emergency Flip Chart Items) for Fire and Lockdown. You should be seeing these at a staff meeting soon.
  
  
• The State of Washington changed some of our discipline laws last year and administration is working with colleagues, the ESD and our lawyers to get clarity on these new rules. Policy and procedure will be updated in the coming months and then communicated to staff, students and parents.
  

• The district has put out a legal ad requesting statements of qualifications from architectural firms and consultant teams for capital project design work on remodeling the three school entrances for safety and security and expanding our shop facility. On January 23 we’ll be looking at the submissions and hope to make a decision on a firm to start working on the plans with.
  
  
• On Thursday at noon, the school board met to pay the bills for the month, and they also approved the contract changes negotiated with the PSE. Retroactive pay for PSE members will be paid in January.
  
  
• This week, we had a surprise WSP inspection on six of our school buses. We passed with flying colors. Kudos to our transportation department for keeping our buses in good working condition.

• Blaire Sant and her 3rd-grade class came to the district office this week to sing a carol and give us handmade Christmas cards, it was so much fun. Thanks for bringing Christmas cheer to our office!
  
  
• Chelsea Freeman delivered a handmade Christmas card from the Choice High School students. I appreciate their creativity and thoughtfulness.
  

• The monthly migrant meeting was held on Wednesday. The topic was on reading. Megan Huckaby, Michele Fancher, and Stirling Headridge provided activities and information on how parents can help their children become better readers at home. The efforts of the school staff and parents involved in this meeting each month are appreciated. Posole was served this month and was prepared by a couple of our PAC parents. The food served is always delicious!
  

• Michele Fancher used an organization called Donors Choose to purchase supplies for a string art project in her Artistic Poetry class. They created their own individual projects as well as pairing up with Patricia Dagnon’s kindergarten art classes. The results are fantastic.
  

• HS and MS music concert and HS art show was a wonderful collaboration of the arts! I hope you had a chance to see the beautiful projects the HS art class showcased and to attend the concert to hear our Tonasket artists.
  
  
• The 4th grade took the annual field trip to the Winthrop Ice Rink. They got a quick lesson then they took to the ice. The students also received a free access pass to the rink for the rest of this year.