Community Letter

Hello LISD Families,

We are pleased to announce six new paraeducators to join the LISD staff:

• Arika Rapson

• Brad Kraushaar

• Rose Prust

• Sara De Roy

• Noreene Ignelzi

• Courtney Cronin

This is the end of staff start-up week, and we've had such meaningful and productive time together. All LISD staff members have been working hard to ensure that we are ready to roll on the first day of school. We ended the week at Odlin Park, discussing staff culture and equity for students and families in our schools.

One important thing to know about this year is Canvas, our new learning management system that every LISD teacher will be using. We have heard your concerns about different learning platforms used throughout the school, and we are confident that this will bring K-12 continuity for staff, students, and families. That said, this is new for many of us, so thank you in advance for your patience. We will be training students in the use of the Canvas platform, and will also be offering training for families. You'll learn how to find grades, information on assignments, course syllabi (for secondary), and other important classroom information.

Our very best to you and your family,

Mary and Martha

New bus routes have been posted on our school website. You can find that information here: Bus Routes. The routes are very different from past years due to new stops and safety issues. Please look at the route sheets before Tuesday so your child does not miss the bus.

Parent drop off / pick up will be on the secondary side of the school, near Center Rd. Only buses will be using the elementary parking lot during student arrival and departure times of the day. See the attached map for traffic direction flow.

DROP OFF

• Enter the secondary parking lot at the entrance closest to the track.

• Follow the road to the secondary main entry.

• Exit the parking lot at the exit nearest to the drop off location.

PICK UP

• Enter and exit the secondary parking lot the same as Drop Off.

• Pull all the way through to the secondary main entry or to the back of the line.

• Teachers and students will be waiting at the main secondary entrance.

We have some great news. The USDA waiver continues, so LISD will continue to offer our delicious homemade meals for free to all students! When possible, our lunches include produce from our production garden that our garden staff and kitchen staff have lovingly processed and prepared.

A revised Safe Return to School plan has been posted on the school website in both English and Spanish.

Here are some important things to know:

• All adults and children must wear masks in the building unless they are eating lunch.
• Everyone is encouraged but not required to wear masks outside.
• All classrooms have HEPA filters, wipes, and hand sanitizer on hand.
• Both elementary and secondary offices have masks for anyone who doesn't bring one to school.
• Families are not required to complete attestations this year, but please do not send your child to school if they have any of the following Covid-19 symptoms: temp of 100.4 or higher, sore throat, uncontrolled cough and/or difficulty breathing, diarrhea or vomiting, severe headache, or loss of sense of smell or taste.
• If you child has asthma or allergies and they are exhibiting what you know to be normal symptoms for those health conditions, you can send them to school. Please contact Karen Hattman, our school nurse, if you have questions.
• Visitors will be required to complete an attestation (Covid screening) form when they check in at the office.

Hello Secondary Families,

Thanks to the 6th and 7th grade families and new families who came to Back to School Night. It was so wonderful to see all of you!

Individual student schedules are available in Qmlativ Family Access in the schedule tile. At the top left of the screen, set the VIEW to Weekly Schedule, the MONTH to September, and the WEEK to 9/07/2021 for Semester 1 classes. We will also have printed copies available on the first day of school. If you need help getting into Qmlativ, please call Ronda in the secondary office or send her an email (rberg@lopezislandschool.org).

Any student wishing to request a change to their schedule may do so during the first week of school. They will come to the student desk in the secondary office, complete a purple form, and wait to hear if the request was approved. In the meantime, the student should continue attending the course listed on their schedule.

You'll see Advisory and Learning Labs on the course schedule. Advisory will be mixed grade groups of middle school students and mixed grade groups of high school students that meet once a week for the purpose of building a strong inclusive culture in both middle and high school. Learning Labs will be for the purpose of supporting students academically in the disciplines of math and English language arts. Each student will be in a math Learning Lab two days a week and an ELA Learning Lab two days a week. In Learning Lab, students will work on homework and class assignments, receive tutoring if necessary, and learn important organization and study skills. Both Advisory and Learning Labs are required for students who attend classes on campus as they are part of the instructional minutes required by the state. Some exceptions will be made for part time parent partner students depending on whether their parent partner classes are on or off campus.

On the first day of school, students will follow their Tuesday schedule in the matrix below. They'll begin the day in F period, then go to Advisory, G period. have lunch, and finish the day in E period.

Lockers will be assigned the first few days of school. Thanks to Debbie Tetu for making this happen.

To reduce the number of students in the lunchroom at one time, we will need to divide our 40 minute lunch period into two 20 minute sections, one for middle school and one for high school. Middle schoolers will eat first and high school students will go outside for some fresh air. Then the groups will switch. This means that students will need to move through the lunch line quickly and eat with a sense of purpose. It's not ideal, but it's what we have to do to in an effort to keep students safe and healthy.

Student planners will be available again this year and we will distribute those during the first couple days of school.

All my best,

Martha

Dear Family Lopez Lobos,

The elementary team has been working like busy little bees in setting up their classrooms, developing lessons, and creating fun activities for students this year. The team is buzzing with excitement for Tuesday’s first day of school.

We were overjoyed by the many families that participated in the Back to School Night event on Thursday, September 2nd. It was wonderful to see so many students meeting their new teachers and families connecting with one another. Thank you to families and staff that made this a great event.

Here are a few items to highlight for the first day of school:

• Masks at Recess: Masks are strongly recommended during recess activities, especially when playing within the six foot distance guideline.

• Lunch: Students will be eating in the lunchroom, two grade levels at one time. K/1, 2/3, and 4/5. Students will be able to choose their seat from designated spots that are measured six feet apart.

• Early Dismissal Tuesdays: Every Tuesday is an early dismissal at 2:00 p.m. This includes the first day of school. Please be prepared to either pick-up your child(ren) from school or at the bus stop at 2:00 p.m.

We are looking forward to everyone on Tuesday!

Sincerely,

Mary

Ed Murray, Superintendent

Martha Martin, Secondary Principal

Mary Fordham, Elementary 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, Ed Murray – emurray@lopezislandschool.org; Title IX Coordinator, HR Specialist, Renee Koplan – rkoplan@lopezislandschool.org; Section 504, Mary Fordham – mfordham@lopezislandschool.org; OR contact by phone, 360-468-2202, OR mail to 86 School Rd, Lopez Island, WA 98261.

Email: mmartin@lopezislandschool.org
Website: lopezislandschool.org
Location: 86 School Road, Lopez Island, WA, USA
Phone: (360) 468-2202
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Lopez-Island-School-District-500747673389618