Washington Central Connection

Dear Washington Central,

I can hardly believe that it is already November. As your new superintendent, I have found great joy in visiting our schools, meeting parents at open houses, and working with our Board on challenging issues. We are now entering the heart of our budgeting process and we continue to face challenges. I am reminded that we have faced these challenges in the past and worked together as a community to find solutions and support education. One of the reasons that I sought and accepted the superintendency was because of the support that is shown for our schools. It makes it much easier to do my job when I know that so many others value education.

As I mentioned above, the Administrative Team, along with our staff and Board, are working on a budget that upholds our core beliefs and meets the educational and financial sustainability goals. The work we have done in our configuration discussions has helped us build a better vision of what our community wants for our students and the ways in which we can get there.

I hope that throughout our budget discussions this year, we can create a clear framework for how we educate students, support student needs, and provide an enriching environment for our whole community of learners. The Board and I are working on ways in which we can both share the vision and hear from our communities as we develop a budget that supports our goals and is financially sustainable. Please join us for the upcoming meetings so you can see how you can support our schools.

Sincerely,

Steven Dellinger-Pate

Words, words, words. I’ve been having many conversations about words with administrators,

board members, teachers, and guidance folks. Words that heal, words that harm, words of hate, words of curiosity, words kids say but don’t know what they mean.

The WCUUSD Board of Directors adopted the resolution Creating Learning Environments to Engage in Civil Discourse. The first line reads, “The Washington Central Unified Union School District respects the power of public education that stresses the free exchange of ideas as a vital element of our democracy.” This is a timely resolution that encourages courage and civility in our classrooms and communities.

I was in a class of fifth and sixth grade students last week talking about empathy. We watched a very short film to navigate the difference between empathy and sympathy.

Just about every student had a handle on empathy as they shared examples of neighbors, friends, or family for whom they expressed enormous empathy. This is such a good place to start lifelong conversations. We are humans; therefore, we are always in some kind of new situation, some kind of growing awareness about ourselves and the experiences of others.

This is where words come in. Language is live action, always changing as technology and popular culture influence us. As our knowledge and awareness expands, especially as we learn the histories and experiences of others, we hear and sometimes speak words that denigrate and harm, as well as words that lift up and honor. Our students - and all the adults who care about them - are learning the language of civility, and striving to keep up with the ever-changing words best to use.

We are raising the next generation of neighbors. That’s really the point of the long title of the new resolution. Engaging in civil discourse may not always need lots of words. It means we are raising the next generation of kind and caring people who will feed the cat while we are away or get us out of a snow drift.

Realizing we are all in this together is, after all, a social responsibility that brings us together in tough times and allows us to create well-being and joy in our communities.

Memoirist, poet, activist Maya Angelou (1928-2014), advises:

“The thing to do, it seems to me, is to prepare yourself so you

can be a rainbow in somebody else's cloud. Somebody who may

not look like you. … I may not dance your dances or speak your language.

But be a blessing to somebody. That's what I think.”

Courageously Kindly yours,
Shelley Vermilya

Equity scholar in residence

• November 6th: Ed Quality Committee Meeting 5:00 PM @Doty Memorial School
• November 6th: WCUUSD Community Forum 6:15 PM @Doty Memorial School
• November 9th: U-32 Craft Fair 9:00-3:00 PM
• November 11th: Veteran's Day & Parent/Teacher Conferences ( No school for students)
• November 12th: Finance Committee Meeting 8:30 AM Virtual
• November 13th: Policy Committee Meeting 5:15 PM Virtual
• November 15th: U-32 French Trip Bingo Night @ Calais Elementary 5:00-8:00 PM
• November 20th: WCUUSD School Board Meeting @ U-32 6:15 PM
• November 25th-29th: Thanksgiving Break