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.

• April 25, 5:30-7: Budget Advisory Council
  
• April 26: Administrative Professionals Day
• April 27, 5:30 - 7 Budget Town Hall, AHS Commons
• May 1: National Principals Day
• May 1-5: Teacher Appreciation Week
• May 10: National School Nurse Day
• 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.

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.

The latest issue of the Anacortes Pride, our quarterly newsletter, is out now! This issue includes stories about:

• the social services team at AMS
• Spring sports
• English Language Arts curriculum at elementaries,
• your Shout Outs & more!

For questions, comments, corrections, or additional copies, please contact Torhil Ramsay in the Superintendent's Office: (360) 503-1211 or tramsay@asd103.org

We are currently accepting applications for student board representatives to the Anacortes School Board. Two incoming juniors will serve along two rising seniors. This is a two-year commitment, beginning with the 2023-24 school year.

Student board reps have an opportunity to gain real-life experience serving alongside the elected members of the school board.

To be eligible, you must currently be in your sophomore year in the Anacortes School District, be in good academic standing, and be registered at least 80% of your schedule on an ASD campus (either at AHS or Cap Sante). This means that Running Start students are generally not eligible.

Expectations and Benefits:

• Student reps are expected to attend all school board meetings and site visits (twice a month)
• Annual Research Project
• Attend conferences
• Leadership Skills
• Communications Skills
• And more!

To apply, please submit an application online by 5 p.m. on Friday, April 28, 2023

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

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

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

Families and staff can access our weekly Covid dashboard on our website: https://www.asd103.org/District/Department/52-Health-Services/601-COVID-Testing.html

The online dashboard will take the place of the emails that families received last year when we had a positive case within our buildings. We encourage anyone with concerns, especially high risk individuals, to check the website on a regular basis.

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.

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

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