• April is Volunteer Appreciation Month!
• April is Month of the Military Child and Friday, April 14 is "Purple Up" day!

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Reanne Rossi, kindergarten teacher at West Hills STEM Academy, and two other OC graduates, Lourdes Andrews and Gabreiel Outlaw-Spencer, presented at the National Council Teachers of English Annual Conference in Anaheim, California in November.

In their presentation, entitled “We Begin Here: Exploring Literacies and Land in Early Elementary Classrooms,” they described three lessons they had designed to teach young children about Indigenous sovereignty. Read more here!

Photo: Reanne is on the far left.

Compiled by Ioanna Cossack

POLICY NEWS:

Revised Policy 3122, Excused & Unexcused Absences, was adopted by the Board. The also took their first look at revised Policy 6000, Program Planning, Budget Preparation, Adoption and Implementation. This will come back to the Board in April for second review and hopefully adoption.

• Policy 4200; Parent Access and Safe and Orderly Learning Environment
• Policy 5004; Infection Control Program
• New Procedure: 0300P, Agenda Planning Calendar

The Board heard highlights of the winter sports (see video below) from BHS Athletic Director Amber Plummer. As it was Education Support Professionals Week, they also took time to honor many classified staff who had reached 5, 10, 15, 20, 25, 30, 35, and 40-year milestones in the District.

The Board voted to award a contract to Andersen Construction Co. of WA, for pre-construction and architectural design services for the West Sound Technical Skills Center Improvement Project.

Following up on the Board's March 3rd selection of Dr. James Crawford to serve as the District's next Superintendent, the Board voted to approve a 3-year contract with Dr. James Crawford commencing on July 1, 2023.

Other items attended to by the Board were approving two settlement agreements: 1) Government Entity Settlement Agreement with Juul Labs, Inc.; and 2) Kennedy vs Bremerton School District.

LONG-RANGE FACILITIES MASTER PLAN UPDATE

For more information on the District’s Long-Range Facilities Master Plan (LRFMP), click here. The Board is represented on the Steering Committee by Director Dubos and Director Hurley.

We only have one board meeting in April. Join us in-person or online! BremertonSchools.org/SchoolBoard

Tulip Carter, Johnny Gaspar, S’kyra Anderson, and Neveah Armstead (AVID Seniors) are doing an AVID Legacy Project for this school year. Their plan is to host a period product drive from March 15- March 29.There will be a red cardboard box in the BHS front office and at the District Office where they will be collecting the donations.

This group is hoping to collect pads and tampons so that they can make bins that they will place in all the classrooms. Please consider donating products as this is an important project!

AVID Seniors give back to their community, district, and school that helped support them in school through their AVID Legacy Projects. These projects are the ideas of students as the way they want to be remembered after graduation. Each project then is passed to the next AVID seniors to either continue or complete, making a project that goes through their AVID "family."

The period project was originally started by Caydence Hesch and Brianne Salgado (class of 2022).

If you'd rather donate funds for the project, you can send a check through District mail to Briana Faxon with Bremerton High School as the "to" on the check. You'll be provided with a tax receipt.

Questions? Contact Briana Faxon at briana.faxon@bremertonschools.org.

The Bremerton Knights track & field team is selling popcorn to help raise money and to ensure we have a successful season. The funds will be used for uniforms, travel costs, entry fees, and equipment. Please visit the online store and help us by purchasing popcorn items so we may reach our goal. All items will be shipped directly to you.

Please help us get the word out to families with children who will be starting kindergarten next fall! The graphic is available by right-clicking the image below or downloading from the District shared communication resources folder.

This year's retiree celebration will be during the May 18 School Board Meeting.

As you know, we have a number of positions open in the District, and we also need substitutes. Please consider sharing the flyers below to help us get the word out! Flyers can be downloaded here.

Click the graphics below to access graphics in English/Spanish to post in your Google Classroom or Google Site! Download any of these graphics from the District Communications Resources folder!

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Locally-owned Harvey's Toffee Popcorn is trying to make the finals in Bartell Drug' Battle of the Local Brands contest!

Bremerton business Harvey's Hot Buttered Rum, located a few blocks from West Hills STEM Academy, is owned and operated by Bremerton High School graduates. Stacy Ryan (BHS Class of 1980) and her husband Scott McBride (BHS Class of 1979) along with Stacy’s sister Robin Gardner (West High School Class of 1977) all work together to produce a variety of delicious quality products.

Stacy and Robin’s father Field Ryan graduated from the original Bremerton High School. After graduating he came back to the district and taught math at West High School. He also coached gymnastics, basketball, track and field at West from 1965-1969. In 1970 Mr. Ryan transferred to the District Office where he took over the position of Director of Finance and Operations. He did so much for the district. The accomplishment in the district that he was most proud of was the Performing Arts Center (PAC).

Stacy's mom, Mrs. Ryan has volunteered for the district for years and is currently she is a regular volunteer at Naval Avenue Elementary with the Bremerton Backpack Brigade.

Please support these Bremerton alumni and and local business (that makes very delicious products including Harvey’s Butter Rum Batter, hot chocolate mix, and a variety of toffee popcorn flavors) by voting for Harvey’s in the Bartell Drug' Battle of the Local Brands contest by end of day today (Wednesday, 3/22). The next round of voting begins Monday March 27th. Anyone in Washington state can vote, and you'll be entered in a drawing to win a gift card if you vote!

Learn more about all of their delicious products at https://harveysbrb.com/.

April is Volunteer Appreciation Month and Bremerton School District volunteers will receive a gift bag when they check in at a school to volunteer in April. Included in the gift bags: A bag of Harvey's popcorn.

Applications are now being accepted for the “Ellison Education Grants”. Grants are for K-12 public school teachers in Washington State. Over the past six years, the Ellison foundation has awarded 83 grants and $831,000 to Washington State teachers.

The Ellison Foundation will award grants ranging from $1,000 to $10,000 in the spring of 2023 (for use during the 2023-2024 school year). Applications must be submitted by April 1, 2023.

To learn more about the “Ellison Education Grants” please visit:

http://ellison-foundation.org/ellison-education

Bremerton School District

Email: communications@bremertonschools.org
Website: www.BremertonSchools.org
Phone: 360-473-1000
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The Bremerton School District does not discriminate in any programs or activities on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following employee(s) has been designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged discrimination Garth Steedman at Garth.Steedman@BremertonSchools.org or 360.473.1031 or the Section 504 Coordinator, John Welsh at John.Welsh@BremertonSchools.org or 360.473.1012. Mailing address: 134 Marion Avenue North, Bremerton, WA 98312.