LISD School Newsletter

Dear LISD Families,

LISD is beginning the process of creating a Portrait of a Graduate. The result will be an inspiring list of the skills and attributes our students will need to be successful in college, career, and life after high school. Once we have created this list, our work as educators is to create a detailed plan tor teaching these skills and attributes in our classes, and to develop learning outcomes that incorporate our Portrait of a Graduate as well as state standards for every discipline.

This is a BIG project, and our LISD Mastery Based Learning Team has already begun. We are asking our students (K-12) about their hopes and dreams for the future and how school should prepare them. That conversation is happening in age appropriate ways for kindergarteners, high school seniors, and every development level in between, and we have gone through the process with our instructional staff too. The next step is to host community focus groups of parents/guardians, employers, former LISD graduates, and other community members. That's where we need YOUR help!

Below, you'll see an invitation to focus groups on January 8 from 5:30-6:30. We will feed you awesome snacks, offer childcare and Spanish interpretation, and only take one hour of your time. Please mark your calendars for January 8 and join us for focus groups!

Have a lovely weekend. I hope to see you at the MPPACT performance at Little Winter Market on Saturday and the L.I.F.E. program potluck and games night on Saturday night.

All my best,

Martha

• December 14: MPPACT at Little Winter Market, 11 am

• December 14: LIFE Board Games & Potluck, 4 - 7 pm, MPR

• December 15: Christmas Ship (Odlin Park) 4pm

• December 18: School Board Mtg 6 pm, LMC

• December 19: HS Basketball -- Girls at 4pm, Boys at 5:30 pm

• December 20: Semester 1 ends, 2 pm release

• January 6, 2025: Semester 2 begins

One final MPPACT holiday performance is coming up on Saturday, December 14 at the Little Winter Market at Sunnyfield Farm. Music starts at 11.

The Christmas Ship is coming! This Sunday, 12/15 at 4pm at Odlin Park. LISD in collaboration with the Lopez Children’s Center is hosting the Christmas Ship. Goodies for all, Santa and Mrs. Claus, gifts for children, elves and pirates and clowns and good cheer! Bring the family!

Lopez School has a long tradition of hosting exchange students and we hope to re-start that tradition!

We are currently seeking families or individuals who may be interested in hosting an exchange student arriving in January for the second semester. Being a host family is an incredible opportunity to gain a new family member across the globe and make the world feel a little bit smaller. Host families provide a loving home with a bedroom (though one can be shared with the same gender) and meals within the home (students can eat lunch at school). Exchange students speak good English and have their own spending money to cover their personal expenses. They also come with medical insurance and 24/hr support through our organization.

Host families do not need to have children in the home - older couples can host as long as they have an available bedroom. Please consider serving as a host this spring term!

The one student still seeking placement for January to June is:
Alberto 16- Male from Italy- “My name is Alberto, I am a seventeen year old boy who lives in a city in northern Italy where they produce one of the famous Italian cheese known throughout the world! I write this letter excited to find a second family that will help me realize my dream of becoming an American boy, at least for a while. I am a fun and active guy, sensitive and compassionate towards others, I like to help and share to have good moments together. During my free time I'm always with someone to talk and play, I love playing sports; in America I would like to try playing volleyball because it's a pretty lively sport, just like me :)”

This year, music is filling the halls of the secondary school as music teacher Naomi Vliet brings her violin to Room 4 for an extra special music class. The students in Room 4 love the feel and sound of the instruments, and use music to express themselves. They each get personal attention as well as group instruction as they rock out to some modern music alongside some age old classical music--Some of their favorites include Metallica and the Mystery Skulls, Irish Washer Woman, Humouresque, and the Gummy Bear Song. Any and all music is welcome and our students are making sure the teachers and paraprofessionals develop an eclectic musical pallet.

Life in the library is busy! All elementary classes participate in read aloud time and book checkout throughout the week. Ms. Deirdre just finished reading James and the Giant Peach by Roald Dahl to the third/fourth grade class; they are now onto Wishtree by Katherine Applegate. The 5th graders recently started The Honest Truth by Dan Gemenhart after finishing the fantasy Varjak Paw by SF Said. The Liberation of Gabriel King by K.L. Going is an open window to other parts of the country for our 6th graders.

The library is open for students before school. Middle and high school students can always find a comfortable area for study and relaxation as well.

Brady Smith, Superintendent

Martha Martin, K-12 Principal

The Lopez Island School District does not discriminate in any programs or activities on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following employee(s) has been designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged discrimination: Civil Rights Compliance Coordinator, and Title IX Coordinator Brady Smith, HR Specialist ; Section 504, Steven Dahl. OR contact by phone, 360-468-2202, OR mail to 86 School Rd, Lopez Island, WA 98261.