Kiona-Benton City Schools

Transcription

1 Spring 2015 Newsletter Kiona-Benton City Schools 1105 Dale Ave., Benton City, WA T: Then Superintendent s Message Dear Readers, I am pleased to welcome you to the first of what we hope to be a regular newsletter printed three times a year. We are proud of our schools and the amazing students that we teach. Did you know that over the last 30 years, students who have graduated from our schools have gone on to be doctors, attorneys, teachers, pharmacists, engineers, college professors, firemen, law enforcement officers, businessmen and women, professional athletes, and musicians as well as many skilled craftsmen and successful ranchers and farmers? In fact, there is no limit to the possibilities that our students can achieve. We sometimes get negative press about our schools and community but we can tell you that we are optimistic about our students and what they can do. Parents send us their very best and we feel that our students can do as well or better than any other students in the state. In this Issue Now Retirements Student Art Awards Student Immunizations Summer School School Happenings Classroom Shortages State-Required Testing Parking and Student Drop Off We hope you will take a few moments to read the articles and information from our schools so that you will get first-hand information from us not just what is written about us by somebody else. We are excited to partner with you in your child s learning. Sincerely, Wade Haun Superintendent Page 1 of 8

2 Staff Retirements Harlan Pumroy On March 9, 2015 the Kiona-Benton City School District Board of Education accepted Harlan Pumroy s retirement. Harlan has worked for the school district since 1986 when he was hired as bus mechanic. Since that time he has also served as maintenance technician servicing the district s heating and air conditioning systems and other mechanical systems. Harlan was known for his great sense of humor, his hard work ethic, and unique personality. He is one-of-a kind and will be greatly missed at our schools. Linda Newby Teachers may not make as much money as other professions but they do make a difference! Linda Newby has served as the high school librarian at Kiona- Benton City High School since She worked previously as the librarian at Grandview High School and substituted for our school district for many years previously to her appointment in Grandview. Linda is kind and affable to students and has taken many of them under her wing during her time here. She coordinated the Poetry Out Loud contest every year as well as the required service projects of the graduating seniors. We will miss this classy lady at our school. Ann Ulk Ann Ulk has worked officially for the school district since 2001 but was a substitute in our district for many years before. She is currently serving as the intermediate special education teacher. Her students frequently include those with special needs and they found an instant friend and advocate in Mrs. Ulk. She will leave a hole in many hearts as she leaves us. "And in the end it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years." Abraham Lincoln Page 2 of 8

3 Student Art Awards Students Win Regional Art Awards Maria Enriquez poses with Superintendent Wade Haun with her Award for Basket of Apples Maria Enriquez s work Basket of Apples is currently being judged at the State Superintendent s High School Art Show as a finalist from one of the nine educational service districts in the state. Jennette Enriquez received two awards at the Regional ESD 123 Art Show for her glass piece submission Submitted by Donna Baumgartner, Art Teacher Art washes away from the soul the dust of everyday life. Pablo Picasso Page 3 of 8

4 Student Immunizations Children are required by state law (RCW 28A ) to get certain vaccines to enter school and/or preschool. According to the Washington Administrative Code (WAC) , Any child attending school, preschool, or child care in Washington State is required by law to be fully immunized at the ages and intervals consistent with the national immunization guidelines for their age/grade against the following diseases: (A) Diphtheria (B) Tetanus (C) Pertussis (whooping cough) (D) Poliomyelitis (polio) (E) Measles (rubeola) (F) Mumps (G) Rubella (German measles) (H) Hepatitis B (I) Haemophilus influenzae type b (Hib disease) (J) Pneumococcal (K) Varicella The students at Kiona-Benton City grades Pre-K 12 must meet the immunization requirements for entry into school. The building principal, by law, excludes children from school or preschool if they do not meet immunization requirements. Page 4 of 8

5 We will be holding summer school this year! A limited number of openings will be available at the elementary level in Kindergarten through 5 th grade. We plan to hold ½ day sessions from 8:00 11:00 AM with children invited to eat lunch afterwards at our summer lunch program. These sessions are planned July 20 Aug. 6. We will be inviting specific students to attend but should have a few extra openings for students whose parents wish them to attend. The focus this summer will be on Mathematics and Reading The high school will also be holding summer school sessions to allow students to do credit retrieval online classes. These sessions will be held from June 22 July 3. For specific questions about summer school please call your child s school office: Elementary Office: Middle School Office: High School Office: It has been a great year here at KiBe High School! I want to thank the school board, fellow administrators, teachers, students and the community for hiring and accepting Mr. Den Boer and me into this great community. I would also like to congratulate our students, staff and parents because Kiona- Benton City High School is a recipient of the 2014 Washington Achievement Award for READING GROWTH from our state education office (OSPI). Congratulations and It s a GREAT Day to be a KiBe Bear! Clay Henry, High School Principal Our Middle School students have been working hard this year. Our focus continues to be Everyone Learns, meaning that all of us, (Principals, Teachers, and Students) have the ability to improve. We also emphasize teamwork and cooperation through our Cave program. Kiona-Benton Middle School is a great place to grow and learn. Chuck Feth, Middle School Principal I want to first and foremost thank you for sharing your children with us. We love them and work hard every day to provide them with the best education possible. Spring has sprung and we are as busy as bees with all that the season brings with it. Please continue to support and encourage our 3 rd, 4 th and 5 th grade students that are involved in the required state testing here in April and May. Kindergarten registration is now open. If you have or know of someone in our community that will have a child entering kindergarten, please come and register them at the elementary office between 7:30 AM and 4:00 PM Monday Friday. Bernardo Castillo, Elementary Principal Page 5 of 8 Upcoming Events: Teacher Appreciation Week May 4-8 ES/MS BBQ May 8 Multi-Cultural Pot Luck (MS MP Room) May 18 Band Concert (HS PAC) May 19 Choir Concert (HS PAC) May 20 Early Release May 22 MS Sports Awards May 27 Senior Finals and check out of school June 1-3 Senior Breakfast & Recognition Assembly June 5 Camp Wooten (6 th Grade) June 1-5 HS Graduation June 6 HS/MS Finals June 8-9 Kindergarten Graduation June 9 5 th Grade Graduation June 9 8 th Grade Promotion Ceremony (HS Gym) June 9 Last Day of School June 10

6 The Kiona-Benton City School District s requested voters to approve a property tax measure for $750,000 in February to purchase more portable classrooms for the Elementary school but the measure failed to receive the required 50% vote. We are grateful for the support of those who voted in favor of the measure. This does leave us short on classroom space however. The funds would have been used to purchase up to 5 new portable double classrooms to replace the portable classrooms that have become unusable. Without the use of our old portables, we are concerned that even with a normal-sized Kindergarten class that we will be two classrooms short for next year. If our enrollment numbers are steady, we will need to add a new 1 st Grade and 3 rd Grade classroom for the students that we just have now. We do not have any empty classrooms in our building this current year. At their February 23 rd, 2015 board meeting, the Board approved the use of School District s reserves to purchase just one new double portable classroom to meet this need. Unfortunately, this will just get us by for one year. We have discontinued the use of the remaining portables because of their aging state. We simply are running out of usable space. The state has informed us that we cannot run a bond for another new building for around 10 years (2025) and need to make due with other measures such as moving in portable classrooms until then. We will continue to keep the public informed on this issue. We appreciate the teachers and parents that labor so diligently to make learning possible at our schools while we work on this matter. Joe Lloyd Assistant Superintendent of Federal & Online Programs Old Portables 8 11 Double Portable South of Elementary School An investment in knowledge pays the best interest. Benjamin Franklin Elementary School Reconfiguration With the addition of our preschool and the increased enrollment of this year s kindergarten class, the District is designating a Pre-K 2 nd grade school (Primary) and a 3 rd 5 th grade school (Intermediate) for this coming year with separate principals for each school. This will give easier access to parents, students, and teachers to administrative services. Page 6 of 8

7 The state testing is on the home stretch for this year with some of the elementary and middle school testing finishing in the month of May. We are required to administer the following tests by the state: K-12 Bilingual testing Washington English Language Proficiency Assessment (WELPA) administered to all eligible students. High School Testing - Smarter Balanced Assessment (English Language Arts and Mathematics for Grade 11) - End of Course Exams (Mathematics and Science for Grades 9-12 [Grade 8 If Enrolled]) - English Language Arts Exit Exam for Grade 10 - High School Proficiency Exams (HSPE) for Grades 11 & 12 (If Not Previously Passed) Middle School Testing - Smarter Balanced Assessment (English Language Arts and Mathematics for Grades 6-8) - Measurements of Student Progress Exam in Science for Grade 8 Elementary School Testing - Smarter Balanced Assessment (English Language Arts and Mathematics for Grades 3-5) - Measurements of Student Progress Exam in Science for Grade 5 Most of these exams are now administered online. Like many schools in the state, this presents a scheduling challenge with the classroom sets of computers and impacts the use of computer lab time during testing. These test scores let us know where we need to focus on improvement and inform our staff of teaching decisions. This is a transition year for the high school testing. The 10 th Grade English Language Arts Exit Exam will not be given next year as they transition over to the Smarter Balanced Assessments. The difference between school and life? In school, you re taught a lesson and then given a test. In life, you re given a test that teaches you a lesson. Tom Bodett For more results, go to our State Report Card at : Families and schools deserve to know if students are on a path to success after high school... students need extra support when they aren t. If they don t test, it s more difficult to identify what skills they lack and how best to help them. Students who don't test will be disadvantaged versus those who do. Randy Dorn Washington State Superintendent of Public Instruction Page 7 of 8

8 Parking at the Middle and Elementary Schools Safety doesn't happen by accident. ~Author Unknown Page 8 of 8