PRIDE!
Tonasket Schools Newsletter
FOCUSED ON LEARNING AND LINKING LEARNING TO LIFE
Superintendent’s Message
As we wrap up the 2017-18 school year I want to take a moment to thank all of our Tonasket school community (staff, students, parents, school board, and community) for their contributions to the success of our students. My theme for the year was “One School, One Team, One Purpose – Student Success,” and as we move into the 2018-19 school year we will continue going forward with a focus on every student’s success.
I know that school safety is on many of our minds. Our school is doing several things in this area that might interest you. This summer, several members of the administrative team are traveling to Maryland for FEMA training on managing incidents (paid for by FEMA). We will use what we learn to build a new emergency plan next year. Also, we are devoting our all staff day to trainings relating to student safety. Part of the training will be on ACES (Adverse Childhood Experiences) and how to deal with children with trauma-impacted brains. The other part will be training in active shooter situations. All of our staff will be part of these trainings.
Finally, our education system is in a state of phenomenal change with impacts coming from new state and federal legislation, societal changes, funding structure changes, brain research, labor market impacts, and more. I ran into a wonderful anonymous quote today that is going to be my mantra as I work to manage that change, and I encourage you to do the same as you deal with what life brings you. The quote states, “Life is not about waiting for the storm to pass but learning to dance in the rain.” I wish you great dancing in the days to come!
English and Spanish Language Documents
From time to time I get questions on why our district produces letters, the newsletter, and other documents in English and in Spanish. We do this for two main reasons.
First, many of these documents are intended for parents.
Our English as a second language population in our schools is only around 10%, but many more of our students have parents that still struggle with communicating in English. Research is clear that parent engagement is vital to student success. We send this information to our parents in their native language so that they can be better informed and more engaged in the education of their children.
We have very strong programs to teach our second language learners English, and we do a good job of preparing them to read, write, and communicate in English. Our consistent over 90% graduation rate is evidence of this success.
Second, Washington State law requires us to send information to parents in their native language.
WAC 162-28-040 states the following: “School districts have the responsibility to adequately notify parents, regardless of their national origin, of school activities which are called to the attention of other parents. In order to be adequate, such notice may have to be provided in a language other than English.”
By sending documents like our newsletter in English and Spanish we are attempting to follow the laws and rules set forth by our state government and other governing bodies.
If you have any questions about this issue please send me an email at smccullough@tonasket.wednet.edu.
~ Steve McCullough, Superintendent
HS/MS Staff and students
Elementary staff and students
4th grade students
Elementary School News
Thank You Tonasket for being an Incredible Community
It is with mixed emotion that I am writing this last letter to the community of Tonasket. This career transition is an exciting opportunity for my future that wouldn’t have been possible without the amazing students, staff and community that my family and I have been blessed to be a part of for the past 6 years. Tonasket Elementary has been an exceptional building to work in and has fostered my growth as a leader. The staff is highly invested and passionate about teaching, learning, and doing what is best for kids. Our students know that “they are made to be awesome” and have demonstrated that over the years both in academics and in leadership.
Our PTO is amazing and very supportive of our school and their students bringing many great family events and opportunities for everyone. I have greatly appreciated our Tonasket families’ investment in education and challenge everyone to continue on each individuals path towards excellence. I am proud of the amazing work that we have done together and will sincerely miss each and every one!
Thank you, Tonasket for being an incredible community to help raise our kids in as well. Your support over the years has been an amazing blessing.
~ Jeremy Clark, Elementary School Principal
Website: http://es.tonasket.wednet.edu/
Welcome Lilly Martin, our new Elementary School Principal
Lilly has accepted the invitation to work with us and is excited to be a part of our team in Tonasket. She brings a wealth of knowledge and experience in curriculum and instruction.
Middle School News
Thank You For A Great Year
As the school comes to a close this year I would like to thank everyone at Tonasket Middle School for a great year, and that includes students, staff, parents and community members. We are all in this journey together, helping students grow into successful citizens.
As my second year comes to a close here in Tonasket I am proud of the growth I have seen from students, and the dedication I see in our staff members. As we venture into the summer, I'd like to remind families of the importance of continuing to read over the summer. This continued reading will help prevent any loss of growth over the summer months.
Students in our Math Minds classes will be receiving a Math Summer practice bag with lots of activities and materials to continue the hard work they have done this year. They are encouraged to play the games with siblings, family, and friends, track the time they play and bring it back to school with them for rewards for their hard work and dedication. Thank you again, families, for sharing your wonderful children with us here at Tonasket Middle School, we look forward to seeing you in the fall.
~ Kristi Krieg, MS Principal
Website: http://ms.tonasket.wednet.edu/
High School News
Spring greetings from Tonasket High School
We are getting ready to wrap up another great year at Tonasket High School. Our kids do amazing things all year long. As I worked with students off and on for the last two weeks sandbagging, it struck me how proud I am of the work ethic and sense of community pride our students have. Those instincts don’t happen by accident. It’s because we have a great community that has shown our kids how to come together in a time of need.
Speaking of great kids, Tonasket High School graduated another class of Seniors on June 2nd at 2:00 p.m. in the HS gym. This class graduated four students with perfect 4.0 grade point averages. We have students that will go on to college, military and straight into work. This is one of our smaller classes, but a really great group of kids. There will be a big sigh of relief in my house. Our second daughter is in this class. We are very thankful that she has been able to be a Tiger for the last two years.
Choice High School had a graduation recognition of their own on June 1st at 2 pm. The gathering was in front of the Choice School. There are 16 Seniors in Choice High School this year. Teachers and students requested a celebration for this large group. They will be saying goodbye to the Seniors and goodbye to the old classrooms. These students also had the choice to participate in the Saturday commencement.
We also have a group of students that will graduate from their CNA course at the hospital on June 7th at 2:15 pm. These students have been studying and taking classes during the week and doing their clinicals since the beginning of the second semester. This is a great opportunity for our kids and partnership with our hospital. This program is a great example of growing our own to fill a need for quality employees at the hospital.
Our kids are finishing up the assessment season and all of the other activities that happen at the end of the year. The Spring sports season brought more successful teams heading to postseason play and State qualifications. All three of our sports season had teams that represented Tonasket at the State level. Students in FFA had another successful trip to State convention with our own Seth Smith retiring as the FFA State President. Our FBLA team made it to Nationals in Parliamentary Procedure and Nicole Juarez retired as the State FBLA Parliamentarian. Students are still participating in parades, plays, dance recitals and rodeos and more! Our kids do it all. Tonasket is a great place to live and learn. It truly is great to be a Tiger. Thank you, Tonasket for supporting and raising great kids.
Sincerely,
Brian Ellis
Principal, Tonasket High School
Website: http://hs.tonasket.wednet.edu/
Happy retirement and Thank you for your service!
Fay Aitcheson, 4th Grade Teacher
Jay Aitcheson, 5th Grade Teacher
Barb Warfield, School Nurse
Barb Calus, Elementary School Custodian
Vivian Bradbury, Elementary School Custodian
Andy Jones, Outreach Teacher & Program Director
*Not Pictured
Steve Bradbury, Middle School Custodian
10 years
"We make a living by what we get, but we make a life by what we give" ~ Winston Churchill
Appreciation Station
Jay Aitcheson, 5th Grade Teacher
~ Jackie Gliddon, 6th Grade Science/Elective Teacher
Students and Staff
Shout out to Jack Denison for organizing the sandbagging operations.
Thanks,
Brian Ellis, HS Principal
2018 Seniors
~Brian Ellis, HS Principal
Jeremy Clark, ES Principal
Andy Jones. Outreach Teacher & Program Director
We would like to give a huge thank you to Andy Jones, for his constant cheeriness, his steady patience and his leadership of the Outreach Program for the last three years. He's touched a lot of lives and made Outreach a place where people of all ages and backgrounds can learn and grow. We will miss him next year!
-Mary Engel, Cicely Amato, Bob Ashmore, Sonja Bickel, Jen Weddle
Dahana, HS Student
Dawn Garton, ES Cook
We would like to show appreciation for our Awesome Elementary School Cook, Dawn Garton! She has such a heart for the kids, and her sincere desire to do her best for them is so evident in that smiling face we see every day! We so appreciate you, Dawn!
Suzette Ellis & Leann Bevier, ES Secretaries
With Love, Mrs. Clark and Mrs. Dagnon
Elementary Specialist Team
Thank you for bringing joy through music, art, physical education, and the love of reading to our elementary students.
~ From the 3rd Grade Team
TES 4th Grade and Head Start/ECEAP partnership
~ Carlene Denison, Head Start Teacher
Annual Child Find Notice for children ages Birth to 21 years of age:
If you reside within the Tonasket School District boundaries and have concerns regarding your child’s growth and development or their success in school, contact the school at 509-486-4933. Screenings, assessments, and services may be available to support your child. For families experiencing homelessness who have preschool age children, contact the school district homeless liaison at 509-486-4933 for more information on community supports and local preschool programs.
Children from BIRTH TO 6 YEARS of age:
Developmental screenings will be provided at no cost for children from birth through 6 years of age who live within or are homeless within the Tonasket School District boundaries. For more information on local preschool programs or to schedule an early childhood screening, contact Brenda at Tonasket Elementary School, 509-486-4933 during school hours.
Citizen Complaint Process:
A citizen complaint is a written statement that alleges a violation of a federal rule, law or regulation or state regulation that applies to a federal program.
Anyone can file a citizen complaint.
There is no special form.
There is no need to know the law that governs a federal program to file a complaint.
Information on the process to file a complaint is available on the Title I page of the school website http://www.tonasket.wednet.edu/pages/tonasketSD/Programs/Title_I
2018 - 2019 School Year Calendar
Pride!
Published by the
Tonasket School District
Steve McCullough, Superintendent
Editor/Layout: Anitra Atchison
Board of Directors:
Jerry Asmussen, Clint Duchow, Ernesto Cerrillo, Joyce Fancher, and Sharron Cox
Tonasket School District complies with all state and federal rules and regulations and does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, families with children, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, age, or the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a disabled person in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. This holds true for all district employment and opportunities. Inquiries regarding compliance and/or grievance procedures may be directed to the school district: Title IX/Chapter 28A.640 RCW Officer: Steve McCullough, 35 DO HWY 20 E, Tonasket, WA 98855, 509-486-2126 or Section 504/ADA Coordinator: Kristi Krieg, 35 MS HWY 20 E, Tonasket, WA 98855, 509-486-2147.
Website: www.tonasket.wednet.edu
Location: 35 Highway 20, Tonasket, WA, USA
Phone: (509) 486-2126
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/tonasketschooldistrict/