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.

• AMS Moving Up - June 17 - 6:30 p.m.
  
• Last Day of School - June 21 (Half Day)

Join the Anacortes School District in recognizing Juneteenth on Sunday, June 19 - commemorating the official end of slavery in the United States in 1865. The district is committed to combat racism, bias, and hate.

We invite you to join us in learning more. Please check out the following resources:

Developing Racial Awareness for Educators

21-day Racial Equity Challenge

Being Antiracist

*The Washington State legislature made this an official school holiday effective July 1, 2022, which will be in effect for future school years.

• August 25-26: AHS Seahawk Startup
• August 25: AMS Hawk Startup
• September 1: Elementary Meet & Greets
• September 5: No School; Labor Day
• September 6: First Day of School (1st - 12th Grades)
• September 9: First Kindergarten Day
• September 15: First Pre-K Day

Updated student and staff calendars for the 2022-23 school year have been posted to our website:

• Student Calendar
• Staff Calendar

Dear ASD families:

Whew. I think we can all breathe a collective sigh as we come to the close of another school year. It’s a sigh of gratitude, relief, and hope for the future. I cannot thank everyone enough for weathering the past few school years with us. As we hopefully emerge out of the pandemic, we will continue our commitment to inspiring every student every day with quality instruction that promotes creativity, growth, character, individual strengths, and a lifelong love of learning. We have learned new ways to educate our students. We continue to embrace the whole child and celebrate the strengths in all of them.

We just celebrated the graduation of 157 of our students. Every year, I am more and more impressed with how our community comes together to recognize and celebrate our graduates - parties, parades, awards ceremonies, scholarships, and more. We are excited to see where the future takes these bright young scholars.

Over the summer, we will continue to refine our work plans. In August, we will launch our next 5-year strategic plan. The new plan will be based largely on the existing Strategic Plan that was developed five years ago with robust community input.

The district office remains open throughout the summer (M-R, 8 a.m. - 4 p.m.). Reach out if you need anything: (360) 503-1200 or information@asd103.org

I hope you all enjoy your summer and get to take advantage of the natural beauty all around us. Every summer, I am more convinced that we live in one of the best places on earth. Enjoy it.

Sincerely,

Superintendent Irish

School safety is once again top of mind for all of us, due to the recent school shooting in Texas, and the seemingly constant threat of gun violence in our country.

We continually manage our safety plans, drilling and training students and staff how to respond in a crisis. This past year, we revised our safety plan, and will continue training our administrators over the summer. We have tightened up our procedures and communication protocols. All school buildings are locked, except for arrival and dismissal times. We are continuing to review visitor protocols. We are also working with local law enforcement on our plans, and developing reunification sites, in the event of an emergency. If you have any questions or concerns about school safety, please reach out to your principal, or district office. We are committed to the safety of our students and staff and welcome your input.

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

The Anacortes School District currently provides Chromebooks to each student throughout the school year through our Chromebook program.

Starting in the summer of 2022, in grades 3-11, the Anacortes School District will permit students to retain their Chromebook for use over the summer break. This change will allow us to continue to provide all students with a device that will give them safe access to the internet so they may continue using internet-based education resources throughout the summer. We have taken into consideration that there may be situations over the summer where the devices may be at higher risk of physical damage, but the ability for us to continue to provide equitable access to technology at home is worth the increased risk of damage to the devices.

As we come to the end of the school year, we encourage all parents to have a conversation with your children about what the device expectations will be in your household this summer. Students should remember that the Chromebooks are still the property of the Anacortes School District and are intended for educational use by the student only.

The "Electronic Resources and Internet Safety" policies and procedures remain in full effect over the summer, and students are responsible for all content and activity on their device. We suggest you review the policy and procedures with your child before they begin their summer device use.

As a parent, we want to be sure that you still have control of your child's screen-time and device usage throughout the summer. To that end, below you will find some options that are available regarding parental oversight and control.

1. You have complete control of your child's access to the device throughout the summer. There is no district requirement that the students have access to the device. They are simply provided to give our students convenient access to learning resources over the summer.

2. The Chromebooks do not include their own internet connection. Since Chromebooks require internet access to operate, your child cannot use the device without your permission to access your home internet connection.

1. Low-cost options for internet access at the home are available on our website at https://sites.google.com/asd103.org/tech-handbook/chromebook/internet-service

3. If you choose to allow your child time on the school-issued device, it is important to note that these devices will also continue to have their internet access filtered - even when they are off campus. This ensures that they have a safe browsing experience, even throughout the summer.

1. Parents are provided with access to the Parent Portal in our web-filtering software "Go-Guardian". This portal will allow you to monitor the device usage throughout the summer. It is important to note that no web-filtering solution is a perfect system. Parents are encouraged to provide guidance and set limits that work best for your household over the summer. More information on this app can be found here: https://sites.google.com/asd103.org/tech-handbook/parenting/goguardian-app

4. Some internet providers also have parental controls built into their home internet connections. As a courtesy, here are links to some information from local internet providers:

1. Xfinity info: https://www.xfinity.com/support/articles/set-up-parental-controls-with-comcast-networking

2. ATT: https://www.att.com/techbuzz/buying-guides/how-to-set-parental-controls-on-att-internet/

3. Astound/Wave: https://help.astound.com/portal/articles/8371?_ga=2.47150819.531491703.1654710451-216620554.1654710451

4. Ziply Fiber: https://ziplyfiber.com/helpcenter/categories/privacy-suite/ziply-device-safety/configure-parental-controls

5. A simple non-technical method to aid in controlling screen time is to set up the device charger in a designated area of your home. This will provide you with the ability to control the time spent using the device, and will ensure that the device is out of sight during the times you do not wish to allow your child to use the device.

6. Some of the internet resources that our students have access to also have content filters built in. For example, Libby, Hoopla, and Washington Anytime Library, (all resources that are available through the Anacortes Public Library) include a Kids or Youth mode to filter content.

Your student will need to bring their device, fully charged, to the first day of school.

If you have any additional questions about this change or the technology resources that are provided to students, please feel free to reach out to our team at disttech@asd103.org.

AHS sophomore Wesley Hunter and Cap Sante sophomore Reagan Lee were sworn in as student board representatives to the Anacortes School Board on Thursday, June 16.

Student board representatives serve a two-year commitment during their junior and senior years. They are expected to attend all regular board meetings and site visits, occasional special events and conferences, and also have opportunities to meet other leaders and elected officials throughout their term. While the student representatives don’t have official voting authority, student voice is an important and an integral part of the board’s deliberations.

“Our student representatives help us better understand how our decisions directly impact our students,” said Jennie Beltramini, school board president. “Their input is invaluable, and we appreciate the time and commitment they bring to their role.”

Hunter and Lee were chosen from a well-qualified and diverse group of student applicants.

Superintendent Justin Irish noted how impressed he was with all of the applicants for the positions.

“We had a tough decision to make, but I believe that Wesley and Reagan will bring their own unique strengths and voice to the board,” said Irish. “Our student board reps learn a tremendous amount about how a school district works, and the board benefits from their perspective.”

Hunter and Lee join continuing student representatives Annaly Ellis and Brady Graham. Graduating seniors Chloe Chambers and Cassius Tossavainen have completed their two-year terms.

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!

Beginning in September 2022, the Child Nutrition Department will return to the way it operated before March 2020. What does this mean for you?

Breakfast and lunch will still be available to all students; however, they will not be free of charge for all students. Families will need to complete a Free/Reduced-price application to qualify for free meals. Students who do not qualify for Free/Reduced meals will have to pay Full Price as follows:

Breakfast, K-5: $1.65

Lunch, K-5: $3

Breakfast, 6-12: $1.90

Lunch, 6-12: $3.25

There will be no charge for Free or Reduced-price meals

During these last 2 years, most all negative balances have been cleared due to generous donations from parents and community. Going forward, parents are responsible for any meal debt accrued by their student(s). Please keep your child’s account balance in the positive! Check on your student’s balance anytime at www.mymealtime.com or call 360-503-1377

All students will use their 7-digit ID number or scan their ID card when receiving a meal. Please help your student learn their 7-digit number before school starts. Student ID numbers can be found in SKYWARD or by calling 360-503-1377 or your school’s office.

For questions regarding school meals:

Paula Lindbo 360-503-1328 or email plindbo@asd103.org

For questions regarding Mealtime accounts or Free/Reduced eligibility:

Juanita Maltsberger 360-503-1377 or email jmaltsberger@asd103.org

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