Education Insider

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 9: Kindergarten Family Welcome Night - 5:30 - 7 p.m., AHS Commons
• May 10: Inclusive Services Input Session - 5-5:45 p.m., AHS Library
• May 10: National School Nurse Day
  
• May 11: Java with Justin - 5:15 p.m.
• May 26: K-12 Half Day (students and staff); No Pre-K
• May 29: No School: Memorial Day
• May 30: No School: Emergency Closure Makeup Day
  

A district-wide event calendar is available on our website.

Visit our Human Resources website for more information on current vacancies: https://anacortesjobs.hrmplus.net/

We are always actively recruiting new substitutes for a variety of positions, including food services, transportation, custodial, paraprofessionals, and classroom teachers. If you are interested in subbing for the Anacortes School District, please reach out to Shelby Vander Kooy @ 360-503-1203, or please click here.

The 2023 recipient of the Walter A. Brodniak Cultural Education Award is AMS/AHS band director Christopher Dyel. Parent Shannon Westerman nominated Dyel “because he is a rare type of teacher who has both an expertise and talent in his area of teaching (music/band), as well as the ability to teach, inspire and lead.”

Fidalgo music teacher and former Brodniak Award recipient Tina Martin said the value of music education cannot be understated, and thanks to dedicated professionals like Dyel, the district continues to excel and create.

“Chris gives our students unique opportunities to express themselves creatively and builds their confidence in a ripple effect across our community,” Martin said. “Often he goes from one event/performance to another with no down time. Teaching students and the community on the importance of music never stops.”

The Walter A. Brodniak Cultural Education Award was created in 1977, upon Mr. Brodniak's retirement as Superintendent of the Anacortes School District, "to foster growth of the cultural arts in the District." The award is given each spring to a student, faculty member, administrator, school director, community member or community organization that has made an outstanding contribution to the cultural arts in the Anacortes School District during the current school year.

Dyel, who is completing his 6th year in the district, said he’s both flattered and deeply grateful to have been selected for the Brodniak Award.

“It shows how much the Anacortes community appreciates the arts as a whole, and specifically in my case, the incomparable quality of life that instrumental music education brings to kids,” Dyel said.

Dyel will be recognized at the school board meeting on May 18th at 6:15 in the AHS library.

Questions? Contact the Superintendent’s Office (360) 503-1211 or tramsay@asd103.org

The Anacortes School District is seeking feedback on draft updates to its facilities rental policy, procedure, and fee schedule.

The proposed changes allow the district to collect fees that are cost neutral with the facility use, and also further clarify who has priority to use district spaces. The proposed update to the policy is intended to ensure that funds for education are not used for other purposes.

Proposed changes include:

• New user classification, which separates district use from other groups
• An annual registration charge for most groups, rather than a per-sport or per-event registration charge
• Better alignment with incurred costs such as utilities, consumables, custodial, food services staff, and administrative staff as needed
• Facilities will be available one hour after end of school day

“We know that our facilities are a community-supported asset, and we want to make them available for the community to use,” said Superintendent Justin Irish. “We also need to make sure that we are not losing money, or unable to recoup costs due to facility use. These proposed changes help offset some of our budget challenges, but also provide better transparency and predictability for groups using our spaces.”

The district is gathering feedback currently on the proposed changes. Comments and questions can be submitted to Mike Sullivan, Executive Director of Finance & Operations: (360) 503-1213 or masullivan@asd103.org. Comments must be provided by May 5, 2023.

The proposed changes are scheduled to go to the school board on May 18th for a first reading, and final approval is scheduled for June 15.

Questions? Mike Sullivan, Executive Director of Finance & Operations: (360) 503-1213 or masullivan@asd103.org

The dates for the 2023-24 school year are set.

Updates to 2023-24

Additional half days have been added for grades 6-8 for staff work time:

• 9/22: K-8 Half Day
• 2/16: K-8 Half Day
• 3/14: K-8 Half Day

Back to School Dates:

• Aug. 19: Ready to Learn Fair – 9 a.m. – noon at AHS
• Aug. 24: AMS Hawk Startup
• Aug. 24-25: AHS Seahawk Startup
• Aug. 31: Elementary Meet & Greets – 3:30 – 5:30 p.m.
  
• Wednesday, Sept 6: First Day of School (1st-12th grades)
• Sept 11: First Kindergarten & Pre-K Day

The full calendar, is posted on our website.

Enrollment is now open for the 2023-24 school year, including for all incoming kindergartners. Children entering kindergarten must be age 5 on or before August 31, 2023, 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 our placement policy. Priority is given to families who enroll prior to May 15.

Information for incoming kindergartners can be found in our Kindergarten Enrollment Packet.

Register your student online. Before you register, you’ll need:

• Child’s birth certificate, passport, or other age verification document

• Completed Certificate of Immunization Status (CIS) form (https://wa.myir.net)

• If applicable, parenting plan/court order and/or proof of guardianship
• Address verification document (utility bill, mortgage statement, or lease or rental agreement)

Important upcoming dates:

• Tuesday, May 9, 5:30 - 7 p.m. - Kindergarten Welcome Night at AHS Commons (1600 20th Street)

Don’t have access to a computer for registration? No problem! Contact the district office to schedule an appointment: (360) 503-1212 or aberard@asd103.org

Placement Overview

Per state law, students must be 5 years of age on or before August 31, 2023 to enter kindergarten. Students must be 6 years of age on or before August 31, 2023 to enter first grade.

The district can help provide screening questions to determine your child’s best developmental placement. If you have questions about your child’s development, please contact our Teaching, Learning and Inclusive Services Department at (360) 503-1212 or aberard@asd103.org

Assignment Timeline

Families will receive their elementary assignment by email in mid-August.

Questions?

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

The Anacortes High School science and math departments and administration have selected new AP Physics, Math, and Spanish 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 Monday, May 22nd from 5:00-7:00 pm. Staff will be on hand to speak about the materials and answer questions.

Please reach out to Heather Paddock, Director of Teaching and Learning, with questions, hpaddock@asd103.org (360) 503-1224

As recommended by the secondary math pathways committee during the 2021-22 school year, students going into grades 6, 7, and 8 in the 2023-24 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, which will encompass 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. Families are strongly encouraged to discuss math placement options with your child’s teacher in order to make an informed decision. If you would like your current 5th, 6th, or 7th-grade student to participate in this process, please fill out this form by May 15.

Please reach out to Heather Paddock, Director of Teaching and Learning, with questions: hpaddock@asd103.org (360) 503-1224

Information, updates, presentations, and a list of current reductions is available on our website: https://www.asd103.org/District/Department/26-Finance/1177-Untitled.html

Superintendent Justin Irish is launching listening sessions this year to engage with our community, answer questions, provide district updates, and hear feedback. Sessions are open to anyone: students, families, staff, and community members.

• Thursday, May 11, 5:15-6:15 p.m
  

Please pre-register: https://bit.ly/Javawithjustin

Each session has 20 slots available.

All sessions are held at the Whitney Early Childhood Education Center Library: 1200 M Avenue

Questions? Contact the Superintendent's Office at (360) 503-1211 or tramsay@asd103.org

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

https://www.smore.com/76mc8