The Falcon Flash

Dear Skamania School Families,

We hope this newsletter finds you well and enjoying the vibrant colors and crisp air of the fall season. As we reflect on the first month of the new academic year, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to each and every one of you. Your support, patience, and dedication have been instrumental in ensuring a strong and successful start to the school year.

We are incredibly proud of our students who have shown resilience, adaptability, and a thirst for learning in the first month of the school year. We also want to acknowledge our dedicated staff who have worked tirelessly to create a safe, engaging, and nurturing environment for our students.

As we move forward, we are excited to announce a series of upcoming events that will further enrich our school community. We warmly invite all families to participate and engage in these activities. These events are not only a great way to foster a sense of community, but they also provide an opportunity for our students to engage and interact outside of school hours.

We look forward to seeing you at these events and continuing our journey together in this academic year. Thank you once again for your unwavering support and commitment to our school community.

Warm Regards,

Katie Chavarria

Head Teacher

kchavarria@skamania.k12.wa.us

Guess what? October is Bullying Prevention Month!

Honestly, our kids could use bullying prevention support all year long, right?!

Bullying can happen anywhere from the market to the neighborhood, from the bus to the soccer field. I’m going to address ways you can help your kids understand what it means to bully, so we can work to prevent it from happening ANYWHERE..

One of the most common questions I get with regards to bullying is, “What exactly IS bullying?” Let’s make this simple, below is an infographic I share that really breaks it down simply.

Now that we got that question answered, I want to get into ways we can prevent bullying from happening. Creating a culture of kindness is the best way to prevent bullying and general bad behavior from occurring on campus.

Parents, school staff, and other caring adults have a role to play in preventing bullying. They can:

• Help kids understand bullying. Talk about what bullying is and how to stand up to it safely. Tell kids bullying is unacceptable. Make sure kids know how to get help.

• Keep the lines of communication open. Check in with kids often. Listen to them. Know their friends, ask about school, and understand their concerns. Research tells us that children really do look to parents and caregivers for advice and help on tough decisions. Sometimes spending 15 minutes a day talking can reassure kids that they can talk to their parents if they have a problem. Start conversations about daily life and feelings with questions like:

• What was one good thing that happened today? Any bad things?

• What is lunch time like at your school? Who do you sit with? What do you talk about?

• What is it like to ride the school bus?

• What are you good at? What do you like best about yourself?

• Encourage kids to do what they love. Special activities, interests, and hobbies can boost confidence, help kids make friends, and protect them from bullying behavior.

• Model how to treat others with kindness and respect.

Talking about bullying directly is an important step in understanding how the issue might be affecting kids. Ask questions such as:

• What does “bullying” mean to you?

• Describe what kids who bully are like. Why do you think people bully?

• Who are the adults you trust most when it comes to things like bullying?

• Have you ever felt scared to go to school because you were afraid of bullying? What ways have you tried to change it?

Cite *https://www.stopbullying.gov/prevention/how-to-prevent-bullying

Having conversations with your kids, asking questions about their day, opening lines of communication, and just being curious is a great way to be proactive and ensure that bullying behavior is prevented.

Moore SE, Norman RE, Suetani S, Thomas HJ, Sly PD, Scott JG. Consequences of bullying victimization in childhood and adolescence: a systematic review and meta-analysis. World J Psychiatry. 2017;7(1):60–76. https://doi.org/10.5498/wjp.v7.i1.60.

Week of October 23

Highly Capable Screening

All 2nd/5th grade students, and others who were referred by parents and teachers.

October 28

Annual Trunk or Treat

October 30 - November 3

Parent Conference Week

12:30 Dismissal Each Day

October 30 - November 3

Spirit Week

November 1-17

Clash of the Cash

Class that collects the most cash will win a prize!

Funds will be used to purchase Thanksgiving baskets for members of our Skamania family.

November 8

9:00 am

Veterans' Day Assembly

We invite all veterans in our community to join us for a brief tribute from our students.

November 10

Veterans' Day

NO SCHOOL

November 14

6:00 pm

Parent Workshop with Karen Douglass

"Calm the Chaos"

November 22-24

Thanksgiving Break

NO SCHOOL

December 2 (Saturday)

4:00 pm

Student musical performance at Skamania Lodge

December 5

6:30 pm

Holiday Concert TK-8

Skamania School is excited to collaborate with One Prevention Alliance to offer a workshop on Tuesday, November 14th, beginning at 6:00 pm. This "Strategy Workshop" is intended to give you a few more tools for your parenting toolbelt to reduce chaos and increase peace. Our presenter, Karen Douglass, will bring several ideas for your consideration. She has also promised chocolate and prizes. Skamania School will provide a safe place for your children, so please use this link and RSVP so we can plan on your participation: https://forms.gle/8cSGKLzJfwAtUKZSA

• We are interested in hearing your thoughts on the after school program we have been working toward. Please fill out this brief survey to let us know your thoughts. Thank you! https://forms.gle/Ebz2ti1vaDSmN1h39
  

• Winter is coming! If we have inclement weather delays or closures, we will send messages through our alert system to ALL phone numbers/emails on file. If you do not want so many messages, please stop by or call the office to update your contact information to only the methods you prefer.

• Students have PE every day but Wednesday. Please ensure they wear shoes that will be safe for PE (no sandals, etc.).

• Please contact the office if your child is supposed to ride the bus home with another student or get off at another student's stop. Sometimes there may not be extra room on the bus for additional riders. We also like to hear from a parent on both sides to make sure everyone is on the same page.

• If you need to make an afternoon transportation change, please contact the office before 2 pm (12 pm on Wednesdays).

• Cell phones must remain in backpacks during the school day. Phones that are taken out will be held in the office until the end of the day.

• Gum is not allowed at school. Please help to remind your child of this policy.

• During school hours, please avoid parking in the staff parking lot on the side of the building.

• If your child arrives after 8:00, an adult must walk him or her into the office and sign in.

• If your child will be absent, please call or email the school to let us know.

We are pleased to announce that Skamania School's meal program will be supplemented by Meals for Washington Students funds for the 2023-24 school year. Meals for Washington Students funds are available to select WA schools participating in the National School Lunch and School Breakfast Programs.

What does this mean for your student(s)?

In schools supplemented by Meals for Washington Students funds, all students receive a nutritious breakfast and lunch and no cost, regardless of family income.

Will Free and Reduced Meal Applications still be required?

Yes. The information you provide by returning the free and reduced-price meal application impacts the funding that each school receives from the federal and state government. The Meal Application is used to capture information and ensure the Skamania School District receives all of the funding it is entitled to for federal meal programs and state educational programs.

What do you need to do?

If you haven't already, please complete and return the free and reduced-price application to Amber Warren in the school office. Your assistance in helping us maintain our current funding levels is greatly appreciated.

If you have any questions, please contact Amber at 509-427-8239.

Thank you!

We are happy to announce that we are able to partner again with Youth BH Connect! YouthBHConnect uses video conferencing to provide students access to behavioral and mental health therapists along with connecting families to important community services such as housing, food access, transportation as needed. The program extends school structure and behavioral health programs (MTSS or similar) into the home by providing much needed support for after school, weekends, holidays, and summer break. This allows teachers, counselors, and support personnel to focus on students’ school time activities, knowing that there is an important “community hub of support” keeping the student/family engaged and on plan to grow their student’s socialization, education, and health skills.Students enter the program through recommendation of school/health counselor and completion of a Student Engagement Plan (signed by parents/guardians). Please contact Ms. Heather with questions or for more information.

We would love to have as many volunteers as possible to come and host a trunk or a game for the fall festival.

Here is the link to sign up for trunk or treat (we need more trunks!!)

https://forms.gle/9MvmWoB2kDorPFrV6

Also, we will be collecting bags of unopened candy if you would like to donate for the event!

A BIG thank you to the parents who have been able to attend the first couple of PTO meetings!

If you are unable to attend but still want to help or volunteer please contact Michelle or Liz.