Superintendent Newsletter

Dear Eatonville Students, Parents and Community,

We look at these smiling girls playing on the swings and we welcome the month of May. Just a small amount of sun brings out the need to be outside and swing a little.

We will be welcoming a new superintendent on July 1. Jay Brower is coming to us from the Bethel School District. His many educational experiences have been listed on other emails. We look forward to his leadership next year as he works with the community to build a new Strategic Plan and pass a Maintenance and Operation Levy so that the programs we have can be continued. Capital projects may also be on the horizon. It is a big job as it affects the future of over 1800 children and we will want to give him the support needed as he supports our children.

Spring break projects completed by our maintenance staff included some ADA access projects so our students can enjoy being outside with their peers. New cameras and Vape detectors are being installed. EMS is our first school to have the new entry procedures and protocols. Prep work is being done so the deck portion of the swimming pool can be resurfaced. The custodians put a new shine on our floors and got to some deep clean projects. With so many people using our facilities it takes lots of work to keep up with the daily use.

The School Board Meeting was held at Columbia Crest. Highlights included: presentations from the After School Art Club, Third Grade teacher Rachel Hight and her math students sharing strategies, news about the Transitional Kindergarten opening in the fall and Principal Allison Burslem sharing her School Improvement Plan. We also learned about a grant we received from Lewis County PUD for about $42,000 for HVAC and $30,000 for LIghting upgrades. The new LED lights will save us money in the future. Lewis County is paying 100% of the project so this is such a win, win for us. Thanks to Brandon Jumper and Allison Burslem for the work on this project. It took months and diligence to collect all the bids and put the grant together.

Thank you to all of our Administrative Professionals, not just April 26, but everyday they greet our children, work with our parents and generally keep our world spinning in the right direction.

Community Day offers an opportunity for the school and community to enjoy our students and our town. Community Day got its start in 1913, Having a royal court started in 1926. The coronation was celebrated with a program that featured student performances to honor the king and queen. Each year one of our three elementary schools learns the Maypole dance as an addition to the program. Everyone is invited to the EHS campus to enjoy the one o’clock program and visit the booths of both information and fundraising for both school and community. The program is organized each year by community members Julie Clark and Alyssa Wood. This is a great opportunity to visit our EHS campus and enjoy a great program.

The Ohop Grange continues to honor our third grade students with dictionaries. Please check out the pictures attached to this letter. This is another of the special traditions in Eatonville.

We welcome a new bus driver to the district - Amanda Thorlacius has joined our team!!

It has been such a pleasure to get to know the people in our community who provide safety and security for us. Beginning in January, a committee of law enforcement, fire department, school safety school board, maintenance and administration have met regularly to update our security and safety plans. We now have all the windows numbered on the outside of our buildings for communication with our support people in the event of an emergency. We are updating maps, exits, cameras and new entrance and exit procedures with updated key systems. Our Police Department is getting increased training and will be training all staff in August. We have plans in place now but they will be improved and everyone will be brought up to speed. This combined effort has made us “better together”.

Find that swing, may your toes touch the sky!

Lucy Fountain, Interim Superintendent

We are pleased to announce the details of our long-held tradition of Community Day on Friday, May 5th, 2023. The program will be held in the large gym at Eatonville High School from 1:00-3:00pm. All schools will release three hours earlier than normal on a half day schedule.

There will be various vendors located in the front of the high school outdoors as well as in the commons and the small gym. We hope you join us in celebrating the 107th Annual Community Day, and we hope you enjoy the crowning of our 95th Queen.

Former EHS students return to share their first year experiences at college with current college bound seniors. Gavin (WWU/CPTC), Ryan (WWU), Emma (WWU), and Brandon (SU) shared information and answered these questions:

Emotional

• In the first month, what were some things you missed from home?
• Where could you go to decompress and recenter yourself?
• What do you do for self-care?

Social

• What were some of the challenges socially? Did you find your “crowd” right away? Were you able to initiate conversations to start friendships?
• How safe do you feel on your campus? What precautions do you feel you need to take?
• Did you take a car?
• What is something new that you experienced at college?

Physical

• What are some options on campus if you were ill?
• Did your eating or sleeping habits change?

Intellectual

• Which classes had unexpected rigor?
• How often a week did you meet with: A professor? A study group? A tutor?
• How often did you email a professor? For which reasons?
• Did you have to drop a class or change your class schedule?
• Talk about the challenges of taking a college math class.
• What are some new habits of studying that you now have?
• How important is managing your time?
• What are your top best tips to give future college students?

Hallie Ames

Family, friends, colleagues and students are cordially invited to celebrate this year's retirees. The three retirees have a combined total of 55 years of service within Eatonville School District.

We would like to honor this year's retirees. If you would like, please drop a little note or story about Laurie Elliff, secretary at Eatonville Elementary, Daniel Doohan, bus driver and Pam Green, bus driver. If you have any pictures of any of them throughout their careers, you can upload them here at the bottom of the form or you can email them to Kim Henley at k.henley@eatonville.wednet.edu. We are hoping to create a slideshow for them to have as well as to show at the retirement reception.

We are excited to share information regarding the upcoming strategic planning renewal process. Since its creation in 2017, our initial strategic plan has guided our work. While that plan has reflected our beliefs, we are eager to update to ensure that it continues to drive us forward.

Strategic planning is the process of creating a mission, vision and values, setting goals, determining actions to achieve those goals, and mobilizing the necessary resources. A strategic plan describes how goals will be achieved.

This work will be accomplished through the contributions of members of our schools and community. A strategic planning steering team made up of students, parents, board of education members, instructional and non-instructional staff, and building and district leadership will convene in August to officially kick off the planning process. All stakeholders will be involved through the survey process. Please take time to engage with us in this meaningful partnership.

As a first step in this process, we are launching an online survey to gather feedback around communication, curriculum, safety, belonging, and more. Other opportunities to engage will also be available in the coming months, so feel free to reach out to Sally Keeley, Director of Teaching and Learning at s.keeley@eatonville.wednet.edu with any questions you may have.

Thank you for your partnership. We look forward to engaging with you in this exciting and most important work and will continue to share information and progress throughout the coming months.

Sincerely,

Lucy Fountain

Interim Superintendent

Sally Keeley

Director Teaching and Learning

Mr. Jay Brower

Incoming Superintendent

The top two teams from each elementary school will compete against each other in a Battle of the Books competition held at the North Hall Auditorium. We ask all participants to please check in with event volunteers in the band room 15 minutes before the competition. Families will be escorted to the auditorium to watch the competition.

Applications for the 2023 - 2024 6th-11th grade McTee Music Lesson Scholarships are now open. The scholarships range in value from $400 - $800. Deadline for the student applications and teacher recommendation forms is Community Day, May 5, 2023.

Here is the scholarship announcement with links for the student information sheet, application form and teacher recommendation form: McTee Lesson Scholarship Announcement

We are pleased to announce we are offering a new incentive for new bus drivers:

• New applicants who come to the District already holding a CDL with all required school bus endorsements who are recommended for a bus driver position are eligible for a one-time $3,000 salary bonus, once their hire is approved by the school board.
• The $3,000 salary bonus will apply only to drivers who would not need to go through a driver training program in Eatonville.
• New applicants who come to the District, complete the District’s CDL training program, and are recommended for a bus driver position, are eligible for a one-time $2,500 salary bonus, once their hire is approved by the school board.

Will your child be 3 years old by August 31st, 2023? If so, please register for Preschool to secure your child's placement as space is limited. Once we reach our capacity registration will close for next school year.

Do you have a child who will be 5 years old by August 31st, 2023? If so, please consider registering him or her for kindergarten.

Eatonville School District #404 will provide equal educational opportunity and treatment for all students in all aspects of the academic and activities program without discrimination based on race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, honorably discharged, veteran or military status, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, marital status, the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability.

The district will provide equal access to school facilities to the Boy Scouts of America and all other designated youth groups listed in Title 36 of the United States Code as a patriotic society. District programs shall be free from sexual harassment. Auxiliary aids and services will be provided upon request to individuals with disabilities.

Address: 200 Lynch St. W., Eatonville, WA 98328; Telephone: 360-879-1000

Title IX Coordinator, Section 504/ADA Coordinator & Civil Rights Compliance Coordinator: Cristin Blaskowitz, Executive Student Services. Email: c.blaskowitz@eatonvilleschools.org

Superintendent: Mrs. Lucy Fountain

Executive Assistant: Mrs. Ashley Farrens

District Office Hours: 7:30 a.m. – 4:00 p.m.

Mrs. Fountain was selected as the Interim Superintendent of Eatonville School District in January 2023.

Email: communications@eatonvilleschools.org
Website: https://www.eatonville.wednet.edu
Location: 200 Lynch Street West, Eatonville, WA, USA
Phone: 360-879-1000
Facebook: facebook.com/eatonville.school.district
Twitter: @EatonvilleSD