Superintendent Brower Newsletter
September 2024
Dear Eatonville Staff, Parents, and Community Members,
As we embark on another exciting school year, I want to begin by expressing my deepest gratitude and admiration for our tremendously dedicated staff. This summer, they worked tirelessly to prepare for the nearly 2,000 students who will walk through our doors. In addition to their summer preparations, our staff devoted the past week to professional development and team collaboration, ensuring that they continue to grow professionally and are ready to support our students' achievement. I couldn’t be more proud of our 260+ staff members, who embody the spirit of excellence and dedication.
Equally impressive are our students, who are second to none in their desire to serve others and achieve academic excellence and lifelong success. I want to highlight Bailey Andersen, our Senior School Board Student Representative, who spent several hours this past week helping to build safety buckets for each classroom in our district. These buckets are crucial for ensuring the safety of our students and staff in emergencies. Bailey’s actions are just one example of how our students are always ready to support others and our community.
This year, academic success and wellness remain at the forefront of our efforts. We will be guided by our strategic plan, which reflects the voices of nearly 1,500 students, parents, staff, and community members. Our collective vision is clear: “Together with our families and community, Eatonville schools will empower students to achieve excellence in education and future success.” You’ll see this vision proudly displayed on the Eatonville Strong tee shirts worn by our staff, a constant reminder of our shared commitment to our students' futures.
One of the strongest indicators of student success is simply showing up to school each day and doing our best. Years ago, I asked a high school valedictorian what his secret was to achieving such academic success. His answer surprised me: “Well, Mr. Brower, what I figured out is if you show up and kind of pay attention, you will probably do pretty good.” This simple but powerful truth will guide us as we encourage regular attendance. With our exceptional teachers and staff, we are ready to support our students every step of the way on their academic journey.
Lastly, I want to extend my heartfelt thanks to our community for placing their trust in us by approving a replacement levy and a capital projects levy. Your support is vital to ensuring the success of our students, and we are committed to honoring that trust by doing all we can to help every student achieve academic success.
Together, we are Eatonville Strong!
Sincerely,
Superintendent Brower
the Graham Frederickson Eatonville Rotary Club generously donated $500 to support our Eatonville Family Agency. We're incredibly grateful for their continued commitment to our community!
14 of our dedicated EHS leaders attended the Association of Washington School Principals’ student leadership camp (AWSL - Association of Washington Student Leaders). They’re going to return full of energy and lots of fresh ideas!
Congratulations to Erik Danielson, our incredible PE teacher at Eatonville Middle School, for being awarded Teacher of the Year by the Geneal Palmer and the Ohop Grange! Erik has truly gone above and beyond in his role, especially by starting a PE class tailored for our self-contained SpEd students.
His dedication to bringing new and engaging units into the classroom is inspiring, and we are so proud of the impact he has made on our students. Thank you, Erik, for your commitment to our school and for always going the extra mile!
On August 27 over 250 dedicated teachers, para educators and administrators, and leaders from every school and department in our district gathered for our welcome back and professional learning day. By investing in our educators' growth, we are committed to creating the best learning environment possible for our students. After all, when we learn and grow, our students do too!
Welcome to a new school year! We are excited to kick off a year filled with learning, growth, and collaboration. Our commitment to providing a nurturing and effective educational environment for your children is stronger than ever.
With emphasis on Student Academic Success. We are committed to tailoring our instructional approaches to meet the varied needs of all students. You will continue to see project-based learning, collaborative group work, and differentiated instruction in your child’s classroom.
1. New Secondary Social Studies/History Teaching Materials:
We are happy to introduce new teaching materials for our secondary Social Studies and History classes from TCI (Teachers’ Curriculum Institute) for our middle school students and high school Savvas Learning materials. These resources promote inquiry-based learning and critical thinking skills, encouraging students to engage deeply with historical events and social issues.
TCI Materials: TCI’s interactive curriculum incorporates hands-on activities and multimedia presentations. Discover TCI resources here.
Savvas Learning Materials: Savvas provides a comprehensive suite of Social Studies materials, including interactive textbooks and assessment tools. Explore Savvas Learning resources here.
2. Professional Learning Days for Staff:
To ensure our educators are supported, our teachers were involved in three Professional Learning Days this summer. These days were focused on enhancing instructional practices and exploring new teaching materials. We believe that investing in our staff translates to a richer learning experience for your children.
3. New Magnetic Reading Program for K-5:
We are excited to announce the introduction of the Magnetic Reading Program for our K-5 students. This program aims to foster a love of reading and improve literacy skills through engaging texts and interactive activities. With a focus on phonics and comprehension, we are dedicated to creating confident and capable readers. Learn more about our Magnetic Reading Program here.
4. Incorporating Social-Emotional Learning (SEL):
Staff continue to integrate social-emotional learning practices into our curriculum. By fostering a supportive atmosphere, we aim to help students develop essential skills such as resilience, empathy, and self-regulation.
5. Assessment Updates:
What is iReady?
iReady is an online program that will help us determine your child’s strengths and areas for growth, personalize their learning, and monitor their progress throughout the school year. iReady allows us to meet your child where they are and provides us with data to inform instruction in math and reading.
The iReady Diagnostic is an adaptive assessment that adjusts its questions to suit your child’s needs. Each item a student receives is based on their answer to the previous question. For example, a series of correct answers will result in slightly harder questions, while a series of incorrect answers will yield slightly easier ones. Beginning September 11th, students will be taking the iReady Assessment.
The purpose of this is not to give your child a score or grade but to determine how to best support their learning. Please encourage them to do their best.
Students in grades K-8 will use iReady. Kindergarten students will begin mid year with the winter assessment.
6. Parent and Community Involvement:
We believe that parent and community involvement is vital for a successful school year. Join us for back-to-school nights and other events to foster collaboration between home and school. Your engagement makes a difference! We welcome your participation through volunteering, attending meetings, and maintaining open communication with teachers.
As we begin this exciting new school year, let’s work together to create an enriching educational experience for our students. With your support and collaboration, we can ensure that every child has the opportunity to thrive.
Sally
The Eatonville School District staff is committed to improving our district's attendance rates. While we understand that illnesses can significantly impact attendance and are sometimes unavoidable, we ask for your support in this effort by scheduling appointments on non-school days.
Below is a quick reference list of dates when school is not in session, making them ideal for appointments:
September 2, 2024 - Labor Day
October 24-25, 2024 - Conferences
November 8, 2024 - ½ day early release
November 11, 2024 - Veterans Day
November 27-29, 2024 - Thanksgiving Break
December 23-31, 2024 Winter Break
January 1-3, 2025 - Winter Break
January 20, 2025 - Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
January 31 - ½ day early release
February 17, 2025 - President’s Day
March 7, 2025 - Spring Conference
March 10, 2025 - Snow Make Up Day
April 7-11, 2025 - Spring Break
April 18 - ½ day early release
May 2, 2025 - Community Day, ½ day early release
May 26, 2025 - Memorial Day
June 12 - ½ day early release
June 13 - ½ day early release
If a school day appointment is unavoidable, we kindly ask that you try to schedule an appointment either early in the morning, late in the afternoon, or during the one-hour weekly Wednesday late start to minimize the amount of school time missed.
On August 28 our educators spent the day engaging in meaningful learning and professional growth during our district-wide professional development session. The dedication and enthusiasm from everyone were truly inspiring!
But the highlight of our day? The lunch break! We were incredibly fortunate to enjoy a delicious meal provided by Kumar from Karama Indian Restaurant. His generous donation was just what our teachers needed to recharge and continue their learning with full hearts (and stomachs!). Kumar’s kindness and generosity are deeply appreciated, and we are so grateful to have such a wonderful community partner.
Thank you, Ramesh, for nourishing our bodies and spirits!
Connect with Eatonville School District
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
