Superintendent's Update
January 2022
Happy New Year ESD Parents and Staff!
As I look to the new year, I am grateful for :
- Our dedicated teachers and staff who continue to persevere in these uncertain and often difficult times.
- Our parents and families who continue to work in partnership to ensure that our students have the best educational experience possible.
- Our community partners and organizations who support ESD and student success.
- Our students, who are bright, inquisitive and ready to learn.
Here in ESD we are committed to doing everything within our power to ensure that students experience a safe, in-person, quality education. We are staying consistent with implementing the ESD Health and Safety Plan which is aligned with the current Department of Health COVID-19 K-12 Requirements. We also adopted the "Test to Stay" program which has allowed ESD to offer testing, with parent permission, to students who are close contacts. This program allows students to continue with in-person instruction in classrooms assuming that their tests are negative. If you have not signed your child up for this program and would like to, please visit the "Test to Stay" link on the front page of your school's website.
Additionally, we continue to work in close partnership with Kittitas County Public Health. We will continue to implement risk mitigation measures such as masking and social distancing while indoors at school. There has been no recommendation from Kittitas County Public Health to close our schools. The Ellensburg School District website contains the ESD dashboard, if you click on the COVID 19 section on the front page. Finalsite, the software company that runs our website, is currently down, but they anticipate being up and running by tomorrow. Our COVID numbers for yesterday were:
EHS - 3 (students)
MMS - 2 (students)
LES - 2 (students)
Again, we track the number of positive cases who were at school when they were positive. We are waiting to get the numbers for today.
Here are two major occurrences that would require ESD to move from in-person instruction to virtual:
- A mandate from Kittitas County Public Health to close a school, classrooms or the District.
- Lack of staff or personal protection equipment to continue safe operations or ongoing education for students.
We have worked exceptionally well as a team since the beginning of the pandemic, and I am confident that we will continue to have a successful 2021-2022 school year. Keeping the needs of our students (academic, social-emotional, and physical/nutritional) as our truth-north will guide us to effective decision making moving forward.
Sincerely,
Jinger Haberer, Superintendent
Information
New Schools
Attendance Zone Committee
Levy 2022
Brene Brown Book Study for Staff
Celebrations
Birding at Lincoln
Board Recognition Month
FBLA
Amazing Amazon Opportunity
A Holiday Memory from the Orchestra
Innovative Learning Spaces for Students!
We were thrilled to invite community members to a tour of Mt. Stuart in October and will be hosting tours of Ida Nason Aronica at 6 p.m. on January 25th.
Kudos to our Lincoln Elementary staff who made a quick and unprecedented move just a few weeks into the school year. It was a huge job, but our students would have never known it. When school resumed at Ida, Lincoln students were welcomed into familiar classroom settings with the same dedicated and caring teachers and staff.
In Fall 2022, Ellensburg will have four elementary schools in operation, and we look forward to having our students move out of the portables and into brick and mortar beautiful buildings.
Mt. Stuart Elementary
Ida Nason Aronica Elementary
Mural at Mt. Stuart
Attendance Zone Committee
Having four schools instead of three necessitates the continuance of the tiered bus system and attendance zones. The Committee is currently researching how other districts implement choice processes, and what exemptions (if any) could be honored. Also, the committee brainstormed potential criteria that could be used if a choice process was implemented for parents who want their child to attend a school outside of their designated attendance zone. A parent who received this type of an exemption would have to provide their own transportation.
Additionally, demographic data gathered by BERK Consulting Firm was analyzed at a December 16 meeting. The next meeting of the attendance zone committee will be January 13. Once the committee reaches consensus regarding the drafted attendance zones, these attendance zones will be shared with parents, no later than the beginning of February.
In February, the District will conduct a survey with parents to gather feedback and will host listening sessions throughout February to gain additional insight and information.
The Committee will present all of the research and summary of parent feedback, as well as their recommendations, to the Board members in early March. The Board will make the final decisions regarding attendance zones.
You can read the minutes from Attendance Zone Committee meetings here.
Bonds are for Building, Levies are for Learning
On February 8, 2022 Ellensburg School District will run an Educational Programs & Operations Levy and a Technology Levy. These levies are not new taxes, but a replacement of the levies expiring December 2022. The levies renew an expiring tax that provides local funding for items like safety, extra-curricular activities, staffing, and technology not funded or fully funded by the state.
Levies support all Ellensburg students.
In the coming weeks we will be offering information sessions for staff, parents, and community organizations. If you would like to schedule an information session for your group or organization, please let us know at (509) 925-8010 or by emailing leslee.caul@esd401.org.
You can also view levy information on our website at www.esd401.org/about-us/levy-information.
The District will also host a public information session on Jan. 24 at 7 p.m. in the Morgan Middle School Library. Please join us if you have questions or would like to learn more about the levies.
New Brene Brown Book Club for Staff; Clock Hours for Certified Staff
ESD is excited to offer another learning opportunity for teachers and administrators with a study of the book, “The Gifts of Imperfection: Let Go of Who You Think You're Supposed to Be and Embrace Who You Are,” by Brené Brown.
The three gifts of imperfection Brown examines in her book are courage, compassion and connection. This course will help educators increase their ability to become more self-aware of their own emotions. They will also learn to implement practices that will help them to manage stress and overall mental health well-being and support their students with similar strategies. Participants will use discussion, journaling, and self-reflection to gain larger insights.
Jinger Haberer and Kevin Dwight will facilitate this book study. Study session will be conducted on Zoom, and clock hours are available for certified staff for a nominal fee. Books will be provided to all participants. Study sessions will be held Jan. 27, Feb. 10 and 24, and March 10 and 31. All sessions are 4:15-5:45 p.m. The registration deadline for this book study is Monday, Jan. 24.
ESD staff members who would like to participate in this book study can sign up here (for a book count) and sign up for clock hours here https://www.pdenroller.org/ellensburg/catalog/138994.
Recess is for the Birds at Lincoln
During 5th grade lunch, students interested in learning about different kinds of birds and birding habitat use binoculars to observe and study the birds around Ida Nason Aronica Elementary, which is the current home of the Lincoln Bullpups.
Principal JoAnne Duncan reports that, "Cedar and his mom lead great birding discussions with students. It is a great location for students to be outside observing the habitat surrounding Ida Nason Aronica."
Celebrating Our School Board
C. Jason White
When he is not serving as the Chair of the ESD Board of Directors, C. Jason White is working to keep Central Washington University students on track as the Advising Director for the College of Education and Professional Studies. He is the father of an EHS graduate.
Tosha Woods
Tosha Woods began her career in education as a high school teacher and taught high school with Los Angeles Unified School District for five years. She was also one of the founders of Ellensburg’s Discovery Lab, a private school with an emphasis on project-based learning. Woods previously served as Chair of the ESD Board and is currently the Vice Chair. She has four children who attend local schools.
Meg Ludlum
Meg Ludlum spent her professional career working as an economist, the field in which she earned her Ph.D. After retiring from her career with the City of Seattle, Ludlum moved to Ellensburg to help care for her grandchildren, but quickly became involved in a variety of local non-profit organizations and the school board. Ludlum’s grandchildren are graduates of Ellensburg High School.
Jonathon Henderson
Jonathon Henderson serves as the Associate Director of Research in the Institutional Effectiveness Department at Central Washington University. Henderson serves on the CWU Workforce Diversity Council and has worked closely with Student Success and the College Assistance Migrant Program (CAMP). Henderson has two children, and the oldest began kindergarten this year.
Mike Rowley
Inspired by his parent’s involvement in his own education, Mike Rowley joined the ESD Board in December 2021. He is the third-generation family owner of the Thorp Fruit and Antique Mall. Rowley has three children who attend Ellensburg schools.
THANK YOU!!
EHS FBLA Students Prep for January Competitions
On Nov. 30 our own Ellensburg FBLA chapter was in Yakima for LeaderCon Live, a state sponsored event with more than 800 students in attendance. Student Mac Steele, shares what he took away from the conference stating, “We learned that it is very important to set goals. We need to set daily goals, weekly goals, monthly and yearly goals in order to succeed. We also need to have a compelling vision for the future, communicate the vision, involve others, and have determination. You need to get the help that you need to be the best you can be.”
Under the guidance of teachers Marcy Matthews and Alayna Coldiron, FBLA members are currently setting their events and preparing for competition Jan. 19-22, with projects ranging from from Hospitality Management to Business Law. Regional finals are slated for Jan. 29 at East Wenatchee High School, where students will give live presentations on their events.
AWS Plus Amazing Teacher Equals Competitive Edge for Students
Ellensburg High School Computer Science teacher Tiffany Price has her head in the clouds, and her students will soon reap the benefits.
Price was among a handful of guests invited to the launch of Amazon Web Services (AWS) new initiative to partner with Washington schools. AWS has set a goal to train and certify 2,500 high school students in cloud computing within the next three years.
For Price, the program will begin in January, when AWS will introduce the curriculum to teachers. The program will officially begin in schools next year, but Price will be working the content into her own lesson plans as the knowledge becomes available. “I have students who can benefit from this instruction right now,” says Price. “We officially launch in the fall, but I have seniors who can benefit now.”
The urgency in her mission reflects the ever-changing landscape of technology. “We have no idea what the future of technology might be in five years,” says Price, “but we do know that in just the past two years cloud computing has become an essential part of the workforce. When people were working at home during the pandemic, it was cloud computing that kept us going, and kept many businesses moving in the right direction.”
It is Price’s goal to keep Ellensburg students moving in the right direction as well. “Learning this information and taking a certification test will give our students a competitive edge when they are moving into trade schools, college, or the professional workforce. By entering into this program, we will level the playing field and prepare our students for greater opportunities after high school.”
Although the EHS Computer Science program is only in its fourth year, students are already gaining the skills they need to move into the job market of the next generation. “Right now when our students go to the Technology Student Association conferences, we are competing with private STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Math) schools on the Westside, and we are finding that our program is just as rigorous,” says Price.
Recent EHS graduates are pursuing advanced degrees in computer science and cyber security, and their opportunities will only expand with the AWS partnership. “It is exciting to hear that the work we are doing is already benefitting students, because that’s what it’s really all about,” she says.
Tiffany Price may have her head in the clouds, but her heart is planted firmly on the mission of preparing students for success.
Holiday Memories from the Orchestra
Orchestra teacher Kara Hunnicutt recently shared this memory with us:
In 2017 this lovely lady, Mrs. Nora Rowe, donated her violin to the Ellensburg School District’s orchestra program, with the assistance of her daughter Barb Goosman, a retired Ellensburg teacher.
In 2017 EHS senior Taryn Weber played “What Child Is This” for Mrs. Rowe at the orchestra’s annual retirement home visit. Mrs. Rowe’s grandfather made the violin, and she said when she heard its voice she was transported back to the kitchen where she and her grandfather would play duets.
Mrs. Rowe passed away in 2019 at the age of 98, but the violin she played with her grandfather is still making music, and is now being used by a junior at the high school.
Thank you to Kara for sharing this story and for her dedication to creating beautiful music with Ellensburg students.
Looking Ahead
Sincerely,
Jinger Haberer, ESD Superintendent