LINCOLN HILL H.S. & LINCOLN ACADEMY
FAMILY UPDATE FOR WEEK OF OCTOBER 4, 2021
Social Media Update - Your Help is Needed!
As you know, social media can be a great communication tool. However, sometimes information that is posted on social media accounts can be destructive and/or harmful.
Recently people have posted school challenges on social media, such as on TikTok. These challenges have spiraled into very destructive "games". For the month of September, the challenge was to mess up a toilet and vandalize bathrooms in schools. Unfortunately, last week, we had a toilet that needed to be repaired in one of our restrooms. These social media "challenges" are costly and create an unsafe environment for our students and staff.
We would like to keep our building looking brand new and our safety of our students and staff are at the highest priority. Please talk with your children about the importance of respecting property and individuals by NOT participating in these social media challenges.
Here are other challenges we have become aware of:
October - Smack a staff member on the back side
November - Kiss your friend's girlfriend at school
December - Deck the halls and show your boobs or butt in school halls
January - Jab a breast
February - Mess up school signs
March - Make a mess in the courtyard or cafeteria
April - Grab some "eggs" - theft challenge
May - Ditch Day
June - Flip off the office staff
SCHOOL CHARTER
This month during advisory, students participated in developing a School Charter for LHHS/LA. The School Charter is included in this newsletter. By following the school charter our students have developed, we can continue having a safe leaning environment for all students and staff to learn and grow in.
NATIONAL CUSTODIAN DAY OCTOBER 2ND
Grading Period 1 Ends October 5th
FINANCIAL AID INFORMATION FOR SENIORS AND FAMILIES
Chromebooks
This is a reminder that it is important students bring their Chromebooks to school everyday. Students need to charge their Chromebooks every night to make sure they are fully charged for school the following day to support students in their learning.
Our school is participating in the Washington State Healthy Youth Survey on October 12th. The survey will be given to our students in Grades 8, 10 and 12. All remote students are invited to take the survey as well. Please to the survey schedule below.
The Healthy Youth survey includes questions related to physical activity and diet, unintentional and intentional injury, substance use, sexual behaviors, abuse, risk and protective factors, and access to school-based services. Survey results are used by schools, communities and state agencies to plan programs to support our youth and reduce their risks.
Information about the Healthy Youth Survey was emailed to all 8th, 10th, and 12th grade families. Information is also posted in our gym and commons area for students to review. Links to Information: English / Spanish
Participation in the survey is voluntary and the students’ answers are anonymous. Students or parents/guardians wanting to opt out of the survey, please contact our office.
October 12th Healthy Youth Survey Schedule (Remote students invited to attend at their grade level scheduled time):
- 8th Grade: 7:45 - 8:30 AM
- 10th Grade: 8:45 - 9:30 AM
- 12th Grade: 9:45 - 10:30 AM
If you have any questions, please contact our office at 360-629-1340.
Smarter Balanced Assessment
Fall SBA Schedule
ELA: October 18th - 19th (Grades 7, 8, 9, 11, 12)
Math: October 21st - 22nd (Grades 7, 8, 9, 11, 12)
Science: October 25th - 26th (Grades 9, 12)
- Students will take these tests in their Math, English, and Science tests.
- Remote students will be given specific times to attend school on the testing dates above from their remote teacher:
Letters were e-mailed home last Friday and will also be mailed home this week with specific information regarding the tests.
If you have any questions, please contact our office at 360-629-1340.
ADVISORY FOR OCTOBER 8TH
On Friday, October 8th, we will hold a shelter in place drill during advisory.
The advisory session is held in between 2nd and 3rd periods on Fridays 9:30 - 9:55 a.m.
MESSAGE FROM THE NURSE
Families,
We are constantly analyzing how we are handling our COVID response, and our district has made a couple of changes lately that we hope will enable us to keep more students in class, and return those who are out a little sooner.
First, it can appear that students are being singled out for quarantine when the rest of their class is not, but this is intentional. We have learned from our experience already this year that if our students sit in class, eat lunch, and have their specialist seating near the same group of students we can be much more specific in determining close contacts for any potential quarantine. We hope to be able to do more precise quarantines with smaller groups going forward.
Secondly, as you heard from the family message on Monday, we have been given the go-ahead by the Health District to decrease our quarantine times from 14 days to 10 days. This will allow us to have an in-person "pause" for those students and staff who were determined to be close contacts, and get them back a little more quickly.
WARM COATS FOR KIDS
October 1, 2021
Hello Families,
It is hard to believe October is already here! This has been a challenging and rewarding start to the school year. We are hopeful that our schools may return to a more “normal” routine as we see COVID case rates slowly starting to decline in Snohomish County. Districts in our region meet weekly with the Department of Health to review current case rates, listen to medical experts and plan our next steps.
A recent outcome of these meetings was our ability to lower our standard quarantine period from 14 days to 10 days. This means, if your student(s) tests positive for COVID, or is a close contact to someone that tested positive for COVID, the quarantine period is now 10 days. Please connect with your school nurse if you have any questions about close contacts, tertiary contacts or have questions about your student(s) circumstances. Please see this infographic from the Department of Health that describes how we determine close contacts in schools.
Listening Sessions with the Superintendent
During Tuesday night’s virtual listening session, families had the opportunity to share celebrations and needs that they and their students are experiencing. 20 families joined in this one hour session; some of the topics that were discussed included:
- Ensuring schools provide adequate time for meals and snack
- Appreciation for school newsletters and Friday Family Messages
- Clarifying the amount of quarantine days and procedures
- Addressing class size and enrollment at Cedarhome Elementary School
Our team will use these topics as opportunities to improve our practices and procedures. We sincerely appreciate the time our families took in giving us feedback. Our next listening session will be on Tuesday, November 30, 2021. Please check the District Calendar for details.
Change in Days Required for Quarantine (additional detail)
At the guidance of both Snohomish and Island County health districts, we will be shortening our close contact quarantine period to 10 days. Beginning Monday, September 27, any student or staff member who is determined to be a close contact to someone who is COVID positive will need to be quarantined for 10 calendar days. As before, a quarantine restriction does not affect other family members who are not determined to be close contacts. Students and staff who are quarantined are expected to remain home, avoiding contact with anyone outside their household, during this 10-day period (e.g., extracurricular activities, etc.)
This decision was made, along with several other districts in our area, in order to return our staff and students back to school as quickly as possible without sacrificing safety. This move is being made with the guidance of our local health departments; it may be rescinded by local health departments, if circumstances dictate a change back to a more conservative timeline.
Finally, thank you for your patience and understanding as we navigate another unusual school year. We strive daily to ensure your children receive the best possible education. We know that safety protocols can be stressful for students and families, but we are committed to keeping COVID cases low, students and staff in school and learning a priority!
Thank you for your partnership in this important work.
Student Calendar
DISTRICT NON DISCRIMINATION STATEMENT
The Stanwood-Camano School District does not discriminate in employment, programs, or activities on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. Inquiries regarding compliance and/or grievance procedures may be directed to the District's Title IX/Affirmative Action Officer and Civil Rights Compliance Coordinator, Maurene Stanton (mstanton@stanwood.wednet.edu), or the Section 504/American Disabilities Act Coordinator, Robert Hascall (rhascall@stanwood.wednet.edu) Stanwood-Camano School District, 26920 Pioneer Hwy, Stanwood, WA 98292. Telephone: (360) 629-1200.
El Distrito Escolar de Stanwood-Camano School District no discrimina en sus programas o actividades por motivos de sexo, raza, credo, religión, color, origen nacional, edad, condición de veterano de guerra o grado militar, orientación sexual, expresión de género o identidad, discapacidad o uso de perro guía entrenado o animal de servicio, y ofrece igualdad de acceso a los Boy Scouts y a otros grupos de jóvenes especificados. El empleado mencionado a continuación ha sido designado para atender consultas y quejas de supuesta discriminación: Título IX / Oficial de Acción Afirmativa y Coordinador de Cumplimiento de Derechos Civiles, Maurene Stanton (mstanton@stanwood.wednet.edu), o la Sección 504 / Coordinador de la Ley de Discapacidades Estadounidenses, Robert Hascall (rhascall@stanwood.wednet.edu), Distrito Escolar Stanwood-Camano, 26920 Pioneer Hwy, Stanwood, WA 98292. Teléfono: (360) 629- 1200.