Wednesday mornings outside of Sandpoint Middle School are busy and full of excitement! All of the students who have met the school’s “Ski and Ride” eligibility requirements are loading into buses and departing for a memorable day on Schweitzer Mountain. They’ll spend countless hours with instructors, parent volunteers, teachers, and peers growing in abilities as a skier or snowboarder.

The idea for the Ski and Ride Program was conceived by the Sandpoint Middle School PE department, with teacher Adam Tajan leading the initiative. It serves as an incentive program, motivating students to attend school, complete assignments, and follow expectations. The school’s overwhelming support has made it a well-known and well-loved program with tremendous buy-in from staff, students and parents. This year, the program has 138 participants - including a large percentage of novice skiers and snowboarders. Since its inception in 2019 the program has received numerous accolades, including being honored by the LPOSD Board of Trustees as an outstanding new program in 2022.

The Sandpoint Middle School Ski and Ride program is about to wrap up for the winter, after spending 8 Wednesdays on the mountain. Over the years, the middle school program has given hundreds of kids in Bonner County an opportunity to experience Schweitzer. They’ve witnessed firsthand the positive impact that skiing and snowboarding can provide. LPOSD loves giving students a chance to connect with the mountain and experience the outstanding outdoor recreation available to us in Sandpoint. As educators, we know that being in nature has cognitive, social and emotional, and physical benefits for all of our students!

Pictured below is Hope Elementary's "Share your Heart" event. Students raised 904 pounds of food and toiletries during a school-wide food drive. Then, students delivered the items during a field trip to the Clark Fork/Hope Food Bank on February 14th. What a beautiful way to celebrate love for others!

13 classes at Farmin Stidwell Elementary School participated in the Blankets of Hope service project and Kindness Workshop. The school had materials for the blankets donated. Then, participating classes in 1st-6th grade made 210 blankets for the homeless population in our region! 100 of their blankets were donated to Kinderhaven, while others were distributed to various food banks. Thank you to Farmin Stidwell teachers for organizing this project! These students are spreading warmth and cheer through their service to others!

Superintendent Dr. Becky Meyer is bringing back Coffee Klatches. She utilized these regular meetings during her principalship at Sandpoint High to connect with parents and community members. If you are free and would like to stop by Starbucks sometime between 9:30 and 10:30 am, we would love to connect with you! Drip coffee will be hot and free, thanks to the generosity of the Starbucks in Ponderay. Hope to see you there!

We want to recognize Matt Diel (LPOSD Director of Facilities) and Matt Brass (LPOSD Director of Technology). These leaders and their teams have worked seamlessly together in order to benefit our district during recent school safety installations and improvements. Their collaboration has saved the district a great deal of taxpayer dollars, and has sped up the process of creating controlled access at every school in the district. Dr. Meyer reports that "rough wiring for the remaining 5 schools has been completed by district staff (saving money) and the parts are ordered." A project that was anticipated to take years, is nearly finished after beginning this fall under the direction of the District Safety Taskforce.

Matt Brass says of the Facilities Department: "Matt's team at Facilities are professional, thorough and extremely competent. They do a great job planning out projects, estimating delivery times, and communicating during joint projects like these where we each have responsibilities. We are very lucky to have their expertise and work ethic in our District."

Matt Diel says of the Technology Department: "The Technology Team plays an integral role in many of the 21st century building systems that improve school safety. It is always a pleasure to work with such a talented and forward-looking group of professionals."

Thanks so much to both departments for embracing challenging tasks with such a positive perspective. We are so appreciative of your time, energy, and expertise!

More information will be presented by Teaching and Learning Directors - Andra Murray & Casey McLaughlin - at the March board meeting. Please join us for the presentation!

The IRI is an early reading screener and diagnostic assessment administered to all K-3 public school students. The screener is mandatory for Idaho public school students in the Fall and Spring, with optional winter administration.

In September of 2022, LPOSD students in grades K-3 entered the school year with only 56% reading at grade level. However, by January of 2023, we are closing the gap with over 68% of students now reading at a proficient level. This is incredible growth and we are excited to see our students make additional gains before the official state assessment in May!

Click the picture to read an article by the CDA Press about their first ever State Championship win!

- Photo by Loren Orr -

A local parent of LPOSD students, Jed Stephensen, is participating in this year's Iditarod Trail Dog Sled Race taking place next week! He's a rookie in the race, but it's been his lifelong dream to compete. Students at Northside Elementary and Sagle Elementary were fortunate enough to have him as a guest speaker at their schools, where Jed shared about his upcoming race. His story is one of grit and determination, sharing with students that "no dream is too big."

The race begins on March 4th in Anchorage, Alaska and it is the 51st anniversary of the "Last Great Race." Some LPOSD students will be following along as the mushers and dogs compete! Third grade students at Sagle Elementary have recently read two books set in Alaska, including Stone Fox - an award winning book about dogsledding. Teacher Deanna Giard says, "We will put a big map up in the foyer of the school and each day we will track the progress of Jed and the other mushers." What a fun enhanced learning opportunity for these students!

We are rooting for you, Jed! Thanks for sharing your knowledge and passion with local students!

Thank you to SOLE for providing 5th graders across the district the opportunity to learn at SnowSchool! These students love conducting experiments in the field! February is STEM Matters Month, and we are grateful for the decade of learning at SnowSchool...where students get hands-on education in our winter wildlands. We also appreciate the organizations who help fund these experiences for students, including Panhandle Alliance for Education!

Photographs courtesy of SOLE.

Pictured: Kootenai Elementary students

in Mrs. Leisy's 5th grade class during their recent SnowSchool fieldwork.

94% of parents who participated in the survey selected "I support moving to early release Fridays beginning in the 2023-24 school year." Based on the overwhelming parent support, LPOSD will move forward with the schedule change for next year! Thank you for your feedback and participation.

As we celebrate LOVE this month, we want to say "thank you" to Litehouse for loving the community well! Most recently, Litehouse provided hundreds of gifts for children in LPOSD and neighboring schools during the holiday season.

Thanks to Sandpoint High School student Kayla Beers, for creating this video. It highlights aspects of the thriving Health Occupations Program at Sandpoint High School. These students gain valuable experience in the field, providing career-readiness in the healthcare industry. Additionally, a new group called CODE Team has been developed this year. Trained students are able to respond to health or injury-related issues on campus, helping to provide immediate medical attention. What an outstanding program!

Parents! We encourage you all to attend Next Steps Night with your student(s)! The event will be held from 5:00-7:00 pm on Tuesday, March 14 at Sandpoint High School. It is open to all students in both Bonner and Boundary counties, grades 8-12. Over 30 area businesses, 15 area higher education institutions and 6 military representatives will be present! You don't want to miss it!

“The more we can do to connect our students with actual jobs and career paths, the better. We want students who graduate from SHS to be ready and excited to take on the world, whether that means going straight into the workforce or continuing on to higher education. Connecting them to our community will be a valuable key to their success."

-Jeralyn Mire, Post-Secondary Transition Counselor.

Mary Imaz holds a sign while celebrating Random Acts of Kindness Day with student leaders.