Squalicum High School

Storm Forecast for December 18 - January 4

MESSAGE FROM PRINCIPAL

Happy Friday SQHS Family Community!!

We made it!!! I know it has been a challenging year and if I said anything otherwise, I simply would not be truthful. Thank you all for the resilience, grit, and grace to make it to the break!

From our SQHS Staff to you, we thank you all for your support, understanding, grace, hard work and in many capacities being an educator at home.

We know the long breaks and holiday season can be both amazing and challenging for some families. We are thinking about all of our families during this time. If there is anything families may need or want more updates on schools, please visit our district reconnect page here.

If you were able to hear any recent updates to school reopening, I am including a couple links here.

Gov. Inslee’s Press Conference this - here.

We still face a journey to go to get back to ‘normal’ or what a new ‘normal’ may look like. However, at least we are now in the mode of moving forward versus holding fast.

Our district teams continue to work hard with reflecting and looking to modify practices based on student, staff, and community feedback. We are fortunate enough to have many of our very SQHS staff on several of those work groups and committees. Our staff has truly gone above and beyond in many ways.

Please join me in looking forward to a NEW YEAR!!! The year 2021 will be better! I am looking forward to a fresh start to the year. Let us hope that 2021 brings a decrease in Covid cases, a new level of responsibility in our communities, vaccinations are systemic and accessible to all, and we continue to charge forward and leave the pandemic and injustice behind us.

Positive vibes for 2021!!!!

MENSAJE DEL DIRECTOR

¡¡Feliz viernes a nuestra comunidad de SQHS!!

¡¡Lo logramos!! Sé que ha sido un año difícil y si dijera algo diferente, simplemente no sería sincero. ¡Gracias a todos por la resistencia, coraje y gracia para llegar a el descanso de invierno!

Todo nuestro personal de SQHS a ustedes, les agradecemos a todos su apoyo, comprensión, gracia, trabajo duro y en muchas capacidades ser un educador en casa.

Sabemos que los largos descansos y las vacaciones pueden ser sorprendentes y desafiantes para algunas familias. Estamos pensando en todas nuestras familias durante este tiempo. Si hay algo que las familias necesiten o quieran más información sobre las escuelas, por favor visiten nuestra página de reconexión del distrito (here)

Si pudieron escuchar cualquier actualización reciente de la reapertura de las escuelas, estoy incluyendo un par de enlaces here.

La conferencia de prensa del Gobernador Inslee, (here).

Todavía nos enfrentamos a un viaje para volver a la "normalidad" o a lo que una nueva "normalidad" puede parecer. Sin embargo, al menos ahora estamos en el modo de avanzar en lugar de mantenernos firmes.

Nuestros equipos de distrito continúan trabajando duro con la reflexión y buscando modificar las prácticas basadas en la retroalimentación de los estudiantes, el personal y la comunidad. Tenemos la suerte de tener a muchos de nuestros empleados de SQHS en varios de esos grupos de trabajo y comités. Nuestro personal realmente ha ido más allá de nuestra capacidad.

Por favor, únanse a mí en la espera de un AÑO NUEVO!!! ¡El año 2021 será mejor! Estoy esperando un nuevo comienzo de año. Esperemos que el 2021 traiga una disminución de los casos de Covid, un nuevo nivel de responsabilidad en nuestras comunidades, que las vacunaciones sean sistemáticas y accesibles para todos, y continuemos luchando hacia adelante y dejando la pandemia y la injusticia atrás.

Vibraciones positivas para 2021!!!!

Su director, Miguel Perez

classes resume on January 4th, 2021

Recent message from Dr. Baker

Dear staff, students, families and community,

Winter Break 2020 is upon us. In regular school years, this is a much anticipated break, and this year it seems particularly needed.

I want to express my deep appreciation for each of you. Our staff, students, families and community partners have worked through many challenges and hardships that this year brought. I am proud of how you have all hung in there and fulfilled what was asked of you, whether it was learning new technology on the fly, teaching and learning via little video squares on a screen, putting together meals for our students or supporting your child at home.

Gift of time

Over the next couple weeks, I hope each and every one of you can find some time to relax, breathe and take care of yourself. Please use this gift of time to unplug from technology and spend time fully with yourself and those in your household. While distancing from others may be hard, we know that it is the right thing to do big picture. Please stay safe as we move into 2021 where a vaccine against the coronavirus is just around the corner.

One Schoolhouse Award

I want to turn to some important work in our district that brought joy to many; those giving and those receiving. The One Schoolhouse Approach of The Bellingham Promise focuses on the sharing of resources and distributing them equitably among schools and families. This approach helps us figure out where the need is greatest and to do our best to fill these needs the best we can. As we end this unprecedented year, I think it is appropriate, if not perfect, to premiere our video on the 2020 One Schoolhouse Award. The important work of our food services team and many other staff and volunteers feeding kids has been a constant all through the pandemic, week in and week out.

Here is a video summarizing the One Schoolhouse Approach of Food Services and what this means for equity and filling the need in our community.

Be safe, and we’ll see you in 2021!

Greg

p.s. I wanted to share an op-ed by Chef Jose Andres of the World Central Kitchen where he was calling upon our country to name a Secretary of Food to the presidential cabinet, underscoring how important food security is to the health and safety of our country, but the New York Times only allows you to read a few of its articles a month for free. If you do not have a subscription and have reached your limit, you may need to wait to read this until the New Year. Despite the paywall, I thought it was a fitting article given our recognition of food services! I am sure our team members could fill that future cabinet position.

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Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Newsletter

THE PEER CENTERED OUTREACH

A message from our newest staff member: Stevona Burks

I am happy to be here and hope to establish a supportive environment for students' emotional, mental, and physical health. I will be starting two groups, Peer Centered Outreach (PCO) group and Peer Centered Support group (PCS), beginning the week of November 30, 2020. All students are welcome to join me!

The Peer Centered Outreach:

We will explore important information related to social-emotional issues, substance use prevention, mental health, wellbeing, safe and healthy relationships and more. You can participate in outreach efforts to bring awareness and overcome stigma in the school and/or district wide.

Tuesdays from 3:00-4:00pm. Please send me an email to request the link to join this group.

The Peer Centered Support:

An open discussion space for you to express yourself and support each other in a non-judgmental and inclusive environment. All are welcome!

Thursdays from 3:00-4:00pm. Please send me an email to request the link to join this group.

If you are interested in joining a topic-specific support group around one of the following, please email so I can get you connected into a private group.

Small group topics:

Stress

Anxiety

Etc.

I am also always available to meet with you individually. Simply send me an email or message me on Teams and we can get something scheduled.

Warmly,

Stevona Burks, M.Ed., SUDP

Squalicum High School

Prevention/Intervention Specialist

Email: stevona.burks@bellinghamschools.org

Work Phone (360)-746-5343

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SCHOLARSHIP SITES

FOR SENIORS: Scholarship season is upon us!

Please continue to check the scholarship bulletin on the school website Plan on attending a Scholarship Help Session with Mrs. O’Brien on January 13th.

Check out these Scholarship websites: