From the Principals
Dear Students, Parents, and Guardians,
Welcome to Steilacoom High School! We eagerly look forward to the start of the new academic year. We are excited to welcome all our students, especially our incoming first-year students, to our school community. The admin team of Steilacoom High School extends our warmest greetings to our new and returning students and our dedicated staff and faculty.
Parents and guardians, we understand that the start of the school year can be exciting and challenging for students and families. We are committed to supporting our students throughout their high school journey and are here to address any questions or concerns you may have.
As we approach the start of the school year, please take a moment to review the updated school policies, schedules, and any additional information available on our school website and social media platforms.
This newsletter lists essential back-to-school information, including Sentinel Day, Sports Information, and New Student & Freshman Orientation Night.
Once again, we warmly welcome all students and families at Steilacoom High School. Let's make this academic year remarkable, filled with growth, learning, and unforgettable experiences.
Jake Tyrrell
Mr. Tyrrell is not a stranger to SHS. He served as the Assistant Principal from 2015-2020 before heading to Olympia High School for two years. He returned in 2022 as Director of Secondary School and this year as Principal of Steilacoom High School. Before Steilacoom, Mr. Tyrrell taught English in the Franklin Pierce School District. He holds a Master's degree from St. Martin's University and Bachelor's degree from Washington State University.
Tracy Garza
Mrs. Garza comes to us with more than 13 years of experience in education with Tukwila SD and Kent SD. In her most recent position, she was an Assistant Principal at Kentwood High School. She
holds a Principal certificate as well as teaching certificate with ELA, Middle Level-Humanities, and Social Studies endorsements. She holds a Master’s degree from Seattle University and a Bachelor’s degree from Pacific Lutheran University.
Charlie Hilen
Mr. Hilen comes to us with 12 years of experience in education with Mercer Island SD and Sumner-Bonney Lake SD. In his most recent position, he was an Associate Administrator at Bethel Middle
School. He holds a Principal certificate and multiple CTE endorsements. He holds a Master’s degree from Eastern Washington University and a Bachelor’s degree from Washington State University.
Sentinel Day
Sentinel Day will be on Tuesday, August 22, 2023.
It’s our yearly kickoff event. Students will take their school pictures and receive their ID Card. Families can pay fees for the 23-24 school year. Associated Student Body (ASB) stickers will be available for purchase. Vehicle registration for parking passes will open. Students can sign up for after-school clubs and learn more about our co-curricular offerings. Class schedules will become viewable on Skyward so students can walk our campus to find their classrooms. Walk-in appointments with counselors are available for academic misplacement and scheduling holes. It’s a wonderful way to start the year!
Students should come during their grade level assigned time.
Seniors 8:00 AM – 9:00 AM
Juniors 9:00 AM – 10:00 AM
Sophomores 10:00 AM – 11:00 AM
Freshmen 12:30 PM – 2:00 PM
To purchase pictures click here for more information.
New Student Orientation & Freshman Orientation
Wednesday, August 23, 2023
5:30 PM – 6:30 PM
New Student Orientation is for any families and students who are new to SHSD. Freshman Orientation is designed for families and students of 9th graders. The purpose of both events is to share details about our school systems and campus with our newest Sentinels.
Athletics and Fall Sports Registration
To register for Fall Sports Season, click here. All paperwork and a current physical must be complete before you can practice.
Football
Practice Starts Wednesday, August 16, 2023 at 2:00 PM
Volleyball
Open Gyms:
Tuesday-Thursday August 8/15-8/17: 5:30-7:30pm
Tryouts:
Monday 8/21: 11am-1pm
Tuesday-Wednesday 8/22-8/23: 5:30-7:30pm
Thursday 8/24: 1pm-3pm
Practices:
Friday 8/25: 12pm-2pm
Monday 8/28-End of season: 3:15pm-5:15pm
*If you played last year and purchased a jersey, please bring jerseys to open gym so we can get a count*
Girls Soccer
Tryouts:
Monday 8/21 10:30-12:15
Tuesday 8/22 2:30-4:15
Practices:
Wednesday-Friday 8/23-25 10:30-12:15 PM
Monday 8/28-end of season 2:30-4:15 PM
Wear black, dress for soccer and bring tennis shoes
Girls Swim
More Information will be coming soon.
Cross Country
First Practice Monday 8/21 -2:30 PM @ High School
Skyward - Update your Profile
Before the school year starts, please log into Skyward and verify all of your information is correct, including your primary email address, so we can ensure you are receiving important communication throughout the year. Skyward provides parents with near real-time information on many important areas of their student's education, including attendance, schedules, and grades.
Parent Square-Stay Connected
Steilacoom Historical School District uses ParentSquare for school communication, primarily with email, text and app notifications. ParentSquare automatically generates an account for each parent, using their preferred email address and phone number. We encourage parents to access their accounts so they can download the mobile app and update their preferences on when and how they are notified.
Here’s what you can do with ParentSquare:
- Receive messages from the school via email, text or app notification
- Choose to receive information as it comes or all at once at 6pm daily
- Communicate in your preferred language
- Comment on school postings to engage in your school community
- Direct message teachers, staff and other parents
- Participate in group messages
- Sign up for parent-teacher conferences with smart online technology
- Sign forms & permission slips, receive report cards, sign up to volunteer and more all from your phone or web portal
Download the app for the easiest way to receive all ParentSquare communication!
You can find instructions for downloading the app here.
Additional ParentSquare resources/help documents are available here.
Apply for School Meal Benefits
A reminder from our Food Services team:
Applications for Free and Reduced Lunch are available now in Skyward Family Access.
Once approved, your eligibility entitles your student to one free/reduced breakfast and lunch each day. Any items over the first meal will be charged at the a la carte rate.
We encourage all eligible families to apply in the Food Services tab in Skyward, as an approval can provide additional benefits such as waived extracurricular ASB activity fees and AP testing fees.
Bus Transportation
Find your student's pick up/drop off times and stop location information:
By entering your home address into VersaTrans
By logging into Skyward Family Access > Busing Tab.
Need help logging into Skyward Family Access? Login instructions can be found here.
Have you signed up for the Durham Bus Tracker? Your student, your bus, at your fingertips.
If you have any questions, contact the Durham Student Transportation Department at transportation@steilacoom.k12.wa.us or (253) 584-1365.
First Day of School
Attendance
Our district is committed to providing safe, healthy environments in which all students can learn and thrive. We will do our best to listen and partner with you so that our children have a successful year. Information and resources for families related to absences can be found on our district website. Here is a brief summary from our family and student handbook:
Regular school attendance is necessary for mastery of the educational program provided to students of the District. Students are expected to attend all assigned classes each day. School staff will keep a record of absence and tardiness, including a call log and/or a record of excuse statements submitted by a parent/guardian or, in certain cases, students, to document a student’s excused absences.
In case of absences, parents are required to notify the school office and provide the student's name and reason for absence. The student is responsible for completing missed work. Students should notify their teacher(s) if they have a planned absence to arrange for the make-up of any lessons or assigned work that day.
No School Monday, September 4, 2023
About Us
Email: steilacoomhsoffice@steilacoom.k12.wa.us
Website: www.steilacoom.k12.wa.us
Location: 54 Sentinel Drive, Steilacoom, WA, USA
Phone: 253-983-2300
Twitter: @bigsteilly