Reardan Weekly

Cold Weather

As the weather continues to change, please remember to dress your child in layers to keep them comfortable throughout the day. Mornings can be chilly, but temperatures often rise by the afternoon, so layers are a great way to keep kids cozy and ready for anything! Writing your child’s name on sweatshirts and jackets helps us return items to their owners. Otherwise, they end up in our overflowing lost and found!

Chronic Absenteeism

In Washington State, a student is considered chronically absent if they miss 10% or more of the school year—about 18 days or two days per month, regardless of whether the absences are excused or unexcused.

Why This Matters

For elementary students, regular attendance is essential for building a strong educational foundation. When a student is chronically absent, they miss critical classroom instruction and activities, which can lead to gaps in learning. Research shows that chronic absenteeism in elementary school can lead to struggles with reading, math, and social skills, affecting a child’s success in later grades.

Implications in Washington State

In Washington, schools monitor attendance closely and may reach out to families if a student shows a pattern of chronic absenteeism. Our goal is to work together to support consistent attendance and address any barriers that might be keeping a child from attending school regularly. This could involve identifying resources or supports, like school transportation assistance or additional academic help, to make regular attendance easier.

Please feel free to reach out to us with any questions or concerns. Your child’s success starts with being here, every day!

Thank you to Ralene Brugh for donating pumpkins to our school! Our TK students were excited to continue their pumpkin investigations with your generous contribution.

Fall Festival on Thursday from 1:00-2:30

We’re excited to announce our first Fall Festival, happening next Thursday, October 31st, from 1:00 to 2:30 PM! This event will replace traditional classroom parties, as students will move from room to room, enjoying games and activities. This is a food-free event, and students will have the chance to earn non-food prizes.

Students are welcome to wear costumes to school as long as they don’t cause distractions in the classroom. Please remember that masks, weapons (real or fake), and costumes that are inappropriate or disparage any group are not allowed.

Parents are invited to join in on the fun! To participate, please submit your volunteer application by Monday. For more information about volunteering, contact beylar@reardansd.net.

We look forward to a fantastic celebration with everyone!

Upcoming Dates:

Friday, November 1st: Early release @11:30

Friday, November 8th: Veterans Day Assembly @9:00 in the high school gym

Monday, November 11th: No school in observance of Veterans Day

We had a great time at the Reardan PIE Trunk or Treat last Friday! The weather was beautiful and the candy was plentiful! Students loved dressing up in costumes and visiting the decorated trunks. This is a growing tradition that we really enjoyed, and this year PIE made it even more spectacular with the revival of the school carnival. Students played games for prizes, got their faces painted by Reardan Middle School ASB students, and enjoyed hot dogs for dinner.

Keep checking the Reardan Weekly for PIE updates. Saturday, November 2nd is their first TEEN activity night from 5-7 pm in the commons. Join the fun!

Middle School students with no office referrals and no missing assignments will celebrate the end of October on Thursday, October 31st with a video, board and card games activity in the commons that includes music and snacks. We are excited to encourage students to be responsible and turn in all of their work. First quarter ends on Friday, November 1, and we will have an early release that day at 11:30. Teachers will have grades finalized by November 7th, and we will be reaching out to schedule conferences soon. If you know you’d like a specific time slot for November conferences on either Monday, 11/25 or Tuesday, 11/26, please email Principal Newsum: dnewsum@reardansd.net

November’s focus will be on attendance: Did you know that positive school attendance is one of the most important factors in predicting student success and on time graduation? Students who are chronically absent, 10% or more of the time are missing valuable connection and instructional time. We appreciate your encouragement of student attendance, scheduling of appointments outside the school day when possible, and your communication with us when your child is absent. The easiest way to do that is by calling our attendance line at 509.381.1312 and leaving a message.

We finished up middle school fall sports this week and would like to thank our parents for supporting these activities. Participating in a sport builds courage, commitment, and confidence as well as the benefits of increased activity. Through sports we learn how to overcome adversity and solve problems together. Our amazing coaches are role models, and give our students experience that will be incredibly valuable in the future. We are proud of our athletes in middle school sports, and those who are competing in Cross Country and Soccer at the high school level.

GO SCREAMING EAGLES!

Reardan MS is excited to welcome the expansion of our parent group, PIE to the secondary level. Taking the lead on this are Rose Krauss, Becca Robson, and Tawnja Monek. They are planning TEEN (middle school and high school) activities the first Saturday of each month (except January and April) and would love to have parents volunteer to join in the fun. Their first gathering is set for Saturday, November 2 in the Reardan Commons from 5-7 pm. This night will be a game night that features video games, poker, and board games. There will be food for sale as well. Please contact Tawnja at 509.220.7553 or Tawnja.Monek@gmail.com for questions or to volunteer. We hope to see you there on Saturday!

We’re excited to announce that Reardan High School has earned the "School on the Rise" award from the Association of Washington School Principals! This recognition highlights our commitment to increasing student voice in all aspects of school life. From the listening work we are doing with students to having them serve on hiring committees, principal advisory groups, and even participating in strategic planning, our students are shaping the future of our school.

Congratulations to all of our Reardan High School students for making their voices heard and helping us achieve this honor!

Congratulations to the Reardan FFA AG Issues team 4th in the NATION, Advisors: Rick Perleberg, Dan'a Borland, Team Members: Amelia Ray, Aiden Chilson, Rysen Soliday and Bryson Flaa -

Reardan is so proud of you.

Student practicing his baking skills in "No Bake Creations"

Option Program Highlights:

Fun Fact: Did you know that our consultants (Amber Whitman and Sarah Neumann) meet with each student and parent every month, September through June, to discuss progress, develop goals and celebrate successes?

The Options Program is ramping up for 2nd quarter Enrichment Classes that start on November 12, 2024 and we can not tell you how excited we are about the line up of classes and teachers we will have! If you haven't already signed up here is the sign up form. You can use the QR code on the form to see the descriptions of the classes that will be taught for each grade band.

Reminders:

• Star Testing: If you have not taken the Star Assessment yet and you are in grades K-8, please take time to do so. We would like to discuss the results of the assessment plus its partner program - Freckle at your MPR meetings.

• Parent Square: Please remember to sign up for Parent Square so you don't miss out on the happenings in our program. It is an important communication tool for us to use. We've already been sending out messages through this platform and it's a really great tool!

• Weather: It's getting chilly out there! Please make sure your child is dressed for the fluctuations in weather throughout the day.

If you are not be able to make the trip to Newport tonight for the varsity football game, there will be full live broadcast of all of the game through Newport's Media/Sports Broadcasting class. You can easily log on and watch or listen to the game.

Last weekend our runners ran great at the league cross-country meet.

Gabe Branstetter - Reardan All League

We celebrated these 6 seniors for their last home soccer game last night; Noelle Racyzkowski, Elise Cox, MacKenzie Bjornberg, Ally Burtenshaw, Reagan Board, and Lucy Smith. We will miss you ladies both on and off the field!

Please donate to help students in our school this winter stay warm!

Today was the big day! Our first Farm to Table lunch service. It was very successful. The Elementary students enjoyed seeing all of the different shaped potatoes, choosing a coloring page, and receiving a sticker. Kendall Dean, Abby Miller, and David Walter were fantastic with the students and all their questions.

The High School students were served out of the concession stand Board member Tessa Wicks and her husband Anthony, along with JoLynn Ray (High School Principal).

The Transportation Department is working this year to implement the PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention Support) on the buses. One way that we are doing this is by our Rider of the Week program. We have changed things this year so that the certificate is being given to the student by the driver. We have already received some wonderful feedback from the drivers about how this is going. This is what one driver has to say:

"My name is Anne King and I'm a bus driver for Reardan school district. This year we started a new way of giving out Rider of the Week certificates. We, as bus drivers, stand in front of the bus and explain why we gave a certain student bus rider of the week. If a students has been listening and sitting in their seats. Did they help quiet the other students during a rail road crossing or pick up something that belong to another student? I noticed as I handed out this certificate for Rider of the Week, other students would clap and cheer for this student, then they would ask how they could get Rider of the Week. I would explain that I was looking for students being safe and helpful. One student took notice and changed their behavior. They started to sit in their seat and ask how they were doing once they got off the bus. Little changes in the students made a big impact on the bus and how our route ran."

Picture of bus driver Stacy Burtenshaw handing out a certificate to Sophie Burtenshaw

Professional Learning on Late Start Mondays

We are excited to share the meaningful work our teachers have been engaged in during our Monday morning late starts. This week, our educators focused on sharing the progress they've made this fall in refining their understanding and application of learning standards. These collaborative sessions are essential for ensuring high-quality instruction that meets the diverse needs of our students.

Over the past three years, approximately two-thirds of our staff have attended Professional Learning Communities (PLC) conferences during the summer, and we are already seeing the positive impact of that work in our classrooms. These conferences have empowered our teachers with tools and strategies to enhance collaboration, focus on student learning outcomes, and improve instructional practices.

To further support this initiative, we have partnered with Amber Birks, a curriculum director from Wenatchee. Amber provided valuable guidance during our before-school professional development days and will continue working with us throughout the year. Her focus is on helping our teachers align their lessons with learning standards, create effective assessments, and develop individualized instructional plans to ensure that every student can succeed. This week she worked with our teachers during our large group meeting and then met individually with them throughout the day to support them in creating their individual plans.

We are proud of the dedication our teachers have shown in continually improving their practice. Their commitment to professional growth directly translates to better learning experiences for all students. Thank you for your ongoing support as we continue this journey toward excellence in education.

This month members of our Lincoln County k12 School Emergency Preparedness met. This meeting is now going on its 3rd year bringing together members Lincoln County Sheriff's Office, Reardan Fire, Reardan Police Department, Davenport Fire and EMS, Lincoln County Public Works, ESD 101 Safety Coordinator, ESD 101 Threat Assessment Coordinator, ESD 101 Public Health, Lincoln County Public Health, Washington State Patrol, Davenport School District, Sprague Schools, Harrington School District, Wilbur-Creston School District, and more.

The mission of this group is:

• Lincoln County Schools and all community partners will come together to better prepare for any and all community emergency responses in order to provide a highly trained and cohesive multi-disciplinary team that strives towards a common goal of a safe community. The team will utilize collaborative discussions and training to ensure readiness, and the capacity to provide for needs through recovery.

This group covers everything for emergency preparedness, crisis response, cooperative training, school security, public health for schools, and more. These group members offer up their valuable time to come together to create a safer, more prepared environment for all Lincoln County Schools and communities.

Remember if you see someone from these departments thank them for their service to this community. Lincoln County prioritizes school safety and is always working to improve.

Officer Brad