Friday Family Message
Hello Families
Teacher appreciation week is here! We are grateful for our teachers and for the many groups that took time to celebrate all of our wonderful teachers this week. Please look on our district website to swipe through some of the many great things said about our teachers by students in the district.
We also celebrated our school nurses this week! Wednesday was National School Nurses Day. Thank you to our voters for ensuring we have the funds to have quality nursing staff at our schools. Our nursing staff is one of the many things we fund through our existing, local Education Programs and Operations Levy.
It is critical families understand the dangers of fentanyl, a synthetic opioid that is up to 100 times more potent than morphine.
Authorities are increasingly seeing a wide variety of drugs being laced with fentanyl — such as traditional prescription opioids such as oxycodone and hydrocodone or illegal opioids like heroin.
U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration lab testing shows that six out of 10 pills bought from illegitimate sources contain lethal doses of fentanyl. What’s a lethal dose? A lethal dose may be less than 2 milligrams, the size of four grains of salt.
Fentanyl overdose deaths are skyrocketing. In 2021, there were more fentanyl overdose deaths than all other drug overdose deaths combined, according to the CDC. Synthetic opioids — mostly fentanyl — now kill more Americans every year than died in the Vietnam, Iraq, and Afghanistan wars combined.
But with its high death rate, why would dealers lace their drugs with fentanyl, effectively killing potential customers?
Experts with the DEA and CDC say it is largely because it’s so incredibly cheap to mass produce and requires such small amounts when selling the drug.
Fentanyl is most commonly used in fake prescription pills that are often sold via social media and marketed toward minors. Many fake pills are made to look like prescription medications such as oxycodone, hydrocodone, alprazolam, and amphetamines.
The only safe medications are ones that come from licensed and accredited medical professionals. Pills purchased outside of a licensed pharmacy are illegal, dangerous, and potentially lethal.
Talking with youth about drugs - Snohomish County
Snohomish County Overdose prevention Fentanyl
Stanwood-Camano YMCA child care survey
Our local YMCA is planning to open an additional School Aged Child Care site this fall. They want your help to determine where to locate the site in order to best serve area families.
Please take a moment to fill out this Family Needs Assessment for the YMCA.
TK applications opening May 17
After a successful launch of our new Transitional Kindergarten program in January 2023, we are proud to continue the program into the 2023-24 school year.
Transitional Kindergarten (TK) is a free, full-day early entrance kindergarten program for children who will be 4 years old as of September 1, 2023.
Students are eligible for the program if they have not had prior access to early learning experiences and/or have been identified through a screening process as being in need of additional preparation based on academic or social-emotional deficits to be successful in kindergarten in the following year.
The program will begin in October, though the applications are being accepted starting May 17 on our TK website. Classes are taught by highly qualified teachers, and transportation will be provided. Space is limited.
Our goal is to provide families with the opportunity to ensure their students begin their school careers ready for kindergarten.
Tour the world at Culture Night
Stanwood High School is hosting a Culture Night from 6-7:30 p.m. May 23 in the SHS Commons.
This joyous event is jam-packed with colorful dances, significant songs, hands-on demonstrations, informative presentations, and tasty food samples representing various cultures.
The fourth annual event, organized by the school’s Spanish and German Clubs, is free and open to everyone in the community!
Get social with us!
Please remember to follow the Stanwood-Camano School District on Facebook, Instagram, Nextdoor, and Twitter, and follow my tweets @rumbaughsupt.