Community Letter

Hello LISD Families,

Welcome to 2022! Between our cold and snowy weather, the uptick of COVID-19 cases in our county, the start of the school year has been nothing short of interesting. The silver lining is that all this is keeping us on our toes and energized! We continue to follow our COVID-19 safety protocols and keep a close watch on weather to make sure that our students are safe getting to and from school.

During the fall, we focused on three of our four habits of character: Belonging in September, Ownership in October, and Kindness in November. In January, we are now focusing on our fourth habit of character: Perseverance. Perseverance, sometimes called grit, is the ability to work toward and maintain enthusiasm for a long-term goal, even in the face of obstacles, setbacks, and disappointments. .

Here are some ways to help your child or teenager build perseverance at both home and school:

1. Appreciate Them For Who They Are - Children feel safe enough to go outside their comfort zone when they feel accepted for their own individual differences.

2. Focus on Their Strengths - Some things are challenging for all of us and it can be helpful to sometimes acknowledge those things that are easy and enjoyable for us.

3. Quick and Sincere Praise that Is Based on Effort - Children will always remember how we made them feel.

4. Find the Lesson - Encourage your child to see challenges and setbacks at learning opportunities. Living through failure and learning from it is perseverance at its essence.

5. Show Them How to Plan Ahead - Rushing through assignments and projects is stressful; breaking big projects into small tasks and working through them step-by-step is helpful.

6. Guide Them to Help Others - Children don’t need to feel the weight of the world on their shoulders, but it builds perseverance to accomplish a task that helps others.

7. Celebrate Growth - Help your child see their own growth and how much their hard work is paying off. That will give them the extra boost to persevere.

All our best to you and your family,

Mary and Martha

Melissa is new to Lopez Island, and we are so excited to have her join our team. Melissa is an easy going introvert, but really an extrovert around her tribe. Melissa loves to spend time with family and friends and is looking forward to adding new friends to her tribe. She loves animals, nature hikes, and going to the beach. She speaks English, Spanish, and Portuguese, and she has lived in Mexico and Brazil for a couple months. Her hobbies are dancing, yoga, meditation, and creating expressive art. Melissa is a lover of food and would never turn down an ice cream cone if offered. We are so lucky to have her. Please giver her a warm Lopez Welcome.

Our dear Ms. S is embarking on a great big bike adventure trip. Amy will be taking a leave of absence in March and won't be back until next school year. We all wish Amy a safe and wonderful trip and we can't wait to see the photos. LISD is now accepting applications for a long term sub for Amy's leave.

This week, only one game has been played. The boys had a game against Providence on Tuesday, January 4. The LOBO boys worked hard to keep the lead through the whole game to put another "W" in the books for the 2021-2022 season. The LOBO boys and girls were supposed to play on Thursday, January 6, but because of lack of COVID testing supplies, the opposing team had to forfeit. With another game canceled on Monday, January 10 against Tulalip, the boys' and girls' next game scheduled will be Thursday January 13 at home against Grace with the girls starting at 4:30 and the boys scheduled for 5:00. Go LOBOS!

Nurse Karen has been very busy trying to keep our little school safe. We offered a clinic on Sunday January 2 for anyone that had been traveling during the holiday break. She has been testing students and members of our community all week, even on her days off, to stay ahead of COVID. Nurse Karen, you are a rock star!

Burst water pipes, snow, the Omicron variant, and other factors are challenges we face as we start a new calendar year. It certainly isn’t how we wanted to start the new year, but as we talk with students about perseverance this month, it allows us to model that character trait. An essential part of perseverance is staying focused on your ultimate goals and making sure decisions are tailored toward achieving those goals. The strategic planning process we are beginning this month will help us clarify our goals as a district and a community. We hope everyone will take advantage of opportunities to make their voices heard as we progress through the various stages of the strategic planning process.

In addition to the notes above, I want to wish everyone a Happy New Year! I am looking forward to the work ahead and the opportunity to meet more parents and community members in person as we advance through 2022.

It is cold and wet outside. Please send your students to school with appropriate winter wear and even a change of clothes just in case they get wet or muddy. If you are in need of any winter items for your student, please let us know. There are donations available for this.

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