The Weekly Update #4

It has been another busy month of teaching, learning and growing in the Ellensburg School District.

We've had a lot of fun activities this month. Students at Ida Nason Aronica planted a forest, students crunched on apples on Taste of Washington Day, and our Bulldogs scored a Homecoming victory. You can read about these and other student adventures in this issue.

We are also looking ahead for a busy and fulfilling November. Our schools will be honoring Veterans on Nov. 9 with assemblies, programs and even a parade. There is no school on Nov. 10 in observance of the holiday, which is Nov. 11.

We are also gearing up for fall conferences Nov. 13-17. K-5 students will be on Conference Early Release times on Monday, Nov. 13 and Tuesday, Nov. 14. All students K-12 are on the normal early release schedule Nov. 15-17. (See schedule below). This is a great opportunity to gain more understanding about your student's learning process and the progress they are making.

And it wouldn't be November without Thanksgiving. This year, students will also have the Wednesday prior to Thanksgiving off, with no school Nov. 22-24.

Your Partner in Education,

Superintendent Troy Tornow

There aren’t too many organizations in which the manager says, “If you meet the stated goals, then you can duct tape me to the wall,” but being a school principal isn’t your average management gig.

We are delighted to honor Ellensburg’s outstanding principals during National Principal Month. Their days start early and often end late. They are responsible for everyone in the building, from teachers and staff to students of different ages who are in various stages of development and learning. And in addition to normal managerial tasks like keeping the bills paid, following a strict budget, and managing personnel, principals routinely volunteer to go above and beyond to encourage, and even entertain, the students under their watch.

Our awesome principals have proven, time after time, that there isn’t much they won’t do to help their students succeed, proving that there is no principal without PAL. Here are a few photos of our Principal Heroes at work!

The Ellensburg School Board meets the second and fourth Wednesday of the month at 5:30 p.m. at Ida Nason Aronica Elementary, 2100 N. Cora St., Ellensburg, WA 98926. Meetings are also broadcast live via Zoom.

It is the practice of the Board to cancel or reschedule Board Meetings that conflict with the Thanksgiving holiday and the District's winter and spring breaks. The full calendar of Board meetings can be found here.

The first meeting of the month is a Study Session, where Board members have an opportunity to gain in-depth information on a variety of topics. The second meeting of the month is a Regular Meeting, where members take action on agenda items. There is opportunity for Public Comment at both meetings each month in-person and via Zoom.

Links for the meetings can be found on the ESD website (esd401.org) under Board Announcements, and on the front page of the District website under News and in the Calendar listing for the meeting.

The Ellensburg School District Board of Directors utilizes BoardDocs for policy and procedure management. Please view Agendas and Minutes. Recorded Meetings can be found on our Youtube Channel.

If you are unable to attend a Board meeting but would like to communicate with the Board, you can reach all five members at board@esd401.org.

While students all over the District were enjoying fresh produce, locally-sourced meats and Washington-grown apples on Taste of Washington Day, ESD Child Nutrition Director Alexandra Epstein-Solfield and ESD Nutritionist Charlotte Green were entertaining guests from the Washington State Department of Agriculture.

After learning more about our farm-to-school and scratch cooking programs, as well as the grants that support those efforts, our special guests toured the ESD central kitchen at Ellensburg High School. After the tour they had a moment to speak with EHS students Mac Steele, Averie Nemrow, and Haley Wallace to get a student-perspective on school meals.

The group then moved to Mt. Stuart Elementary to enjoy Green Bow beef burgers, fruits and vegetables from Dagdagan Produce and apples from Chelan Fresh. They started lunch with the 2nd grade, but it was the 3rd graders who got to enjoy “crunch time” with our guests as everyone bit into a fresh Washington apple.

Thank you to our guests from WSDA and to our awesome Child Nutrition Team!

When students at Ida Nason Aronica Elementary want to explore the forest, they won't have to go any further than their own playground thanks to a generous grant from SUGi.

Since May 2019, 142 Miyawaki or pocket forests have been planted by SUGi forest makers around the world. These forests have been planted in 21 different countries globally, in climates that range from humid tropical, to semi-arid, temperate oceanic to Mediterranean.

On October 20 SUGi Forest Maker Ethan Bryson and the SUGi team helped students plant 1,400 native plants and trees that will become the Ida Nason Aronica forest.

A ceremony was held prior to the planting with members of the Yakama Nation, Pacific Education Institute, SUGi Forest Makers and Ida Nason Aronica students and staff. Ida's son Allen Aronica planted the first plant, a serviceberry bush that held an emotional connection to his mother. Students reported to the forest grade by grade, where every student had a chance to plant a piece of the forest.

ESD would like to thank SUGi for this generous no-strings grant. Under the terns of the agreement, the Ida Nason Aronica community promises to keep the forest alive for at least three years. But based on the enthusiasm of student forest makers, this living laboratory will serve many generations to come.

If you would like to learn more about this forest and other SUGi projects visit https://www.sugiproject.com/forests/Ida-Nason-Aronica-Forest

Instead of heading home to relax at the end of a long Monday, Morgan teachers and administrators reported to work at McDonald's on Oct. 23 for McTeacher Night. The popular fundraising event puts teachers to work with a portion of the proceeds from the shift going to the school.

Morgan's McTeacher Night was organized by teacher Carly Clark, who is also the president of the Morgan Parent Group this year. Teacher's worked the cash register, sold cookies, cleaned up, delivered food and worked the drive through.

So far this year Morgan Parent Group has:

• Donated $1,600 worth of new, library-bound fiction and non-fiction books to the MMS library collection and has allocated $2000+ more for additional books to further update the collection

• Paid 50% of the SWANK license to host Free Family Movie Nights at MMS for 1 year

• Purchased popcorn for First Friday Popcorn at MMS lunches for student PBIS incentives

• Purchased popcorn, drinks, and treats for VIP assembly section for student PBIS incentives

• Purchased POWER store prizes for student PBIS incentives

• Organized and hosted Free Family Movie Night, 10/12, for family engagement

• Organized Free Family STEM Night, 11/1, for family engagement

• Purchased candy for the POWER Wheel for student PBIS incentives

If you missed McTeacher Night and would like to contribute to the Parent Group to help these ongoing efforts, you can email morganparentgroup@gmail.com or drop by the MMS office.

You can also support Morgan students by purchasing something from Morgan's Amazon Wishlist or link your Fred Meyer Rewards to the Morgan Parent Group.

Homecoming is always a good time, but this year a Bulldog win on the field only made it sweeter.

The K9 Unit was out in full force and sporting pink in support of Breast Cancer month. The cheer squad had special pink shirts and the players wore pink socks. As the sun was setting on a relatively warm evening, students, parents, alumni, teachers, staff and community members filled the stands.

At halftime Homecoming princesses were driven out in snazzy convertibles to meet their princes. Mac Steel and Avrie Nemrow were named King and Queen. An extensive fireworks display was enjoyed by all before the game resumed to finish in an EHS victory.

Ellensburg is great at making Halloween fun, and this year is no exception. Here are the fun, free, and family friendly events on Halloween:

Trick or Treat at the Kittitas County Courthouse, 205 W. 5th Ave., 3-5 p.m.

Trick or Treat at the Kittitas Permit Center, 411 N Ruby St., 3-5 p.m.

Trick or Treat at the Kittitas County Health Department, 507 Nanum St., 3-5 p.m.

Ellensburg Downtown Association Harvest Fest at Rotary Pavilion and local downtown businesses, 4:30-7 p.m.

Safe and fun trick-or-treating at participating Downtown merchants. Halloween-themed activities for all ages. Live entertainment including the Ellensburg Dancing Witches, a “Thriller” Flash Mob brought to you by The Studio, Ellensburg Community Radio Spooky music show from the rooftops, and more.

Boo Central at the SURC at Central Washington University, 5-7 p.m.

Trick or treat, photo booth. Free for elementary students accompanied by an adult.

Families can also take the Haunted House Driving Tour Oct. 27-31. Click here to see a list and map of participating homes.

Thank you to these great community partners and neighbors for providing safe and fun activities for families!

Ellensburg High School Fall Play presents “Play On!” by Rick Abbot, directed by Jim Denison. The play follows a theatre troupe trying to stage a play while the author keeps revising the script. From the disastrous rehearsals to the final performance audiences will enjoy one laugh after another in this comedy where anything that can go wrong does. Performances are Nov. 10, 11, 16, 17 and 18 at 7 p.m. and Nov. 11 and 18 at 2 p.m. All performances are at Morgan Performing Arts Center, located at 400 E 1st Ave. Tickets are available for purchase at https://ellensburg.hometownticketing.com/embed/all

Students throughout the District will be honoring our community's Veterans with assemblies, receptions and even a parade. All programs and events will be held on Nov. 9. Here's the full schedule:

• Ida Nason Aronica Elementary Veterans Assembly at 10 a.m., with reception to follow.
• Lincoln Elementary Veterans Parade at 9:40 a.m. and Veterans Assembly at 10 a.m.
• Parade begins by the playground on Walnut St. traveling south to Tacoma Ave, then up Sampson to 1st Ave, and finally back to Walnut and the school.
• Mt. Stuart Elementary Veterans Assembly at 2:50 p.m.
• Valley View Elementary Breakfast for Veterans at 8:45a.m., Assembly at 9:30 a.m.

• Morgan Middle School Veterans Assembly at 8:45 a.m.
• Ellensburg High School Assembly at 9:30 a.m. with brunch for Veterans to follow.