Welcome to the district's bi-monthly newsletter! At the bottom of this newsletter, you'll find a link to the Community Bulletin Board.

• May 23, 5:30 p.m. - AHS Principal Candidate Forum
• May 27: K-12 Half Day
  
• May 30: Memorial Day/ No School
• May 31, 5:30 p.m. - AMS Principal Candidate Forum

An updated school calendar is on our website. May 31, which was reserved for a snow day, will now be a regular school day.

Join us in celebrating and recognizing the following causes for the month of May:

- Mental Health Awareness Month

- Asian/ Pacific American Heritage Month

- Better Speech and Hearing Month

We are currently recruiting for the next principal at Anacortes Middle School. Current principal Patrick Harrington, is taking a leadership role with the Oak Harbor School District next year.

We will hold a public community forum with top principal candidates on Tuesday, May 31 from 5:30-7 p.m. at the Anacortes High School Library. Families, staff, students, and community members are invited to hear from the top candidates and ask questions. This forum will also be live-streamed (youtube.com/ahslive)

Feedback on the candidates will be collected both in-person and electronically, although only in-person audience members will be able to ask questions of the candidates.

Dr. Erin Duez and Dr. Brian Hanrahan have been named as finalists for the principal position at Anacortes High School. Staff, families, students, and community members are invited to a public forum on Monday, May 23, 2022, 5:30 - 7:30 p.m. at Brodniak Auditorium at Anacortes High School to hear a brief presentation from each candidate and engage in an audience Q&A. This presentation will also be live-streamed (https://youtu.be/yNjsK708tgw). Feedback will be collected both in-person and electronically, although only in-person audience members will be able to ask questions of the candidates.

These finalists will also take part in a multi-part interview panel at Anacortes High School next week, which will include meeting with students and staff, a building tour, and a performance exercise.

Duez currently serves as Principal at Cap Sante High School and Assistant Principal at Anacortes High School. Hanrahan currently serves as Principal at Island View Elementary in Anacortes.

“This process has multiple facets to ensure that the successful candidate is able to navigate all aspects of the job,” said Superintendent Justin Irish. “We want to see how they engage with students, staff, and families. We also want to understand how they use decision-making processes to design rigorous learning opportunities for students.”

The finalists were selected from a well-qualified pool of applicants following a comprehensive search for the next leader of Anacortes High School. An interview panel, composed of high school staff, student representatives, district administrators, and the superintendent chose the finalists for their background and experience leading schools and establishing a positive school culture.

The principal at Anacortes High School oversees approximately 80 certificated and classified staff, and a student body of approximately 700 students. The high school has been recognized in the past for its high graduation rates, and achievement of students in academics, arts, and extracurricular activities. The principal serves on the District’s Leadership Team and helps guide the district’s focus on developing rigorous learning opportunities for all students.

Questions? Superintendent Justin Irish, jirish@asd103.org or (360) 503-1211

We are resuming field trips at last! Field trips will now be allowed to take place, depending on building needs, schedules, and funding.

Field trip volunteers also must be cleared through our annual volunteer clearance process. If you haven't been cleared yet, please start the process: http://www.asd103.org/for_community/volunteer_services

Enrollment is now open for all incoming kindergartners for the 2022-23 school year. Children entering kindergarten must be age 5 on or before August 31, 2022, in order to register. We urge families to enroll early to support our placement process, and help us ensure that siblings can be placed at the same school. Anacortes is a non-boundary district; students are placed following certain criteria and guidelines, per board policy 3131. Priority is given to families who enroll prior to May 15.

More information can be found in our Kindergarten Registration Packet.

Questions?

Contact Anne Berard, Elementary Registrar: (360) 503-1212 or aberard@asd103.org

Enrollment is now Open! Check out this flyer with links to each program's application.

Summer Session Flyer with Registration Links

Want to try out Northwest Career & Technical Academy? Join one of our Summer Sessions for a three-week immersion into our hands-on interactive courses!

The Anacortes High School Science department and administration have selected new Biology curriculum materials that will be reviewed by an Instructional Materials Committee and then likely recommended to School Board Directors for adoption. A public meeting will be held for students, families, and community members interested in learning about materials and providing their feedback.

The meeting will be held in the Anacortes High School Library on Tuesday, June 2 from 5:00 - 6:00. Current AHS Biology teachers will be on hand to speak about the materials and answer questions.

Please reach out to Angie Miller, Director of Teaching and Learning, with questions, amiller@asd103.org, (360) 503-1224

As recommended by the secondary math pathways committee work this year, students going into grades 6, 7, and 8 in the 2022-2023 school year can be considered for moving one grade level above their current math placement. Those interested will take a math placement test during the school day in June encompassing math standards for the grade level they would miss. Upon completion, the middle school administrators, counselors, Director of Teaching and Learning, and Director of Assessment will review the placement test results, additional state and district math achievement data, and a teacher recommendation form to determine eligibility. If you would like your current 5th, 6th, or 7th-grade student to participate in this process, please fill out this form by June 3rd.

Additional opportunities also will be available beginning in the 2022-2023 school year for all students to accelerate to AP Calculus or other advanced math courses at Anacortes High School if they wish, regardless of placement in middle school math.

Please reach out to Angie Miller, Director of Teaching and Learning, with questions: amiller@asd103.org, (360) 503-1224

The return of the spring state assessments is well underway in all of our schools. Nearly 90% of state testing has been completed in the English language arts content area, over 50% of state testing in mathematics has been completed, and nearly 70% of the required testing has been completed in science. The state-wide testing window ends on June 10. This is the first time that state assessments have been administered in the spring since 2019, due to the pandemic. School district staff look forward to reviewing the results in order to gain more insight into how much students have grown academically this school year and insight into what the ongoing impacts of the pandemic have been. Preliminary results from state testing will be posted in Skyward toward the end of June and final results with official score reports will be available in Fall 2022.

The Inclusive Services Department, in collaboration with parents and community members, held their second meeting to review current practices and provide recommendations for the district's Special Education programs. Our second session examined current programs and discussed strategies to provide more inclusive opportunities for students and families in Anacortes. You can view notes from our meetings here.

We are hiring for subs in all areas: bus drivers, custodians, paras, and more!

Custodial substitutes can earn at least $25/hour.

Please refer to our HR page for openings: https://anacortesjobs.hrmplus.net/JobOpenings.aspx

We are now allowing more volunteers in our buildings! If you haven't yet been cleared as a volunteer for this school year, please start the process now: http://www.asd103.org/for_community/volunteer_services

Please contact either Laura Dennis at 360-503-1223, or Shelby VanderKooy at 360-503-1203 in Human Resources with any additional questions, or concerns.

Click the link below to find items submitted for our community bulletin board: