LISD School Newsletter

Dear LISD Families,

I'm so happy to share some exciting academic changes with you.

• 3rd-8th grade math teachers are using a program called Building Thinking Classrooms (BTC) in Mathematics in tandem with our math curriculum. BTC is a set of 14 optimal practices designed to help students become mathematical thinkers and to increase the amount of time students spend thinking. Our 3rd-6th grade teachers and middle school math teacher recently participated in a BTC workshop and they all came back inspired! New practices are integrated slowly and deliberately, but we are very excited about mathematics thinking around here!
• The elementary staff has collaboratively created a new mastery-based report card that we hope will be ready by our first reporting period. We are getting help from the Northwest Regional Data Center (NWRDC), the folks who support student data information systems in the state of Washington, to build the new report card in our Qmlativ system.
• For the third year in a row, secondary students will have an opportunity to earn a seal of biliteracy on their diploma. Students working towards this distinction must meet English graduation requirements and pass an OSPI approved assessment in a world language. They can take this assessment anytime from 9th-12th grade, and they have multiple opportunities to pass it. So far, our students earning the seal of biliteracy have taken the state assessment in Spanish, but we are beginning to offer more choices since we have high school students who are fluent in or have been studying other world languages.
• We have begun to work on a Portrait of a Graduate, which is a consolidated list of the skills and attributes all LISD students will have to be prepared for college, career, and life. We interviewed focus groups of middle and high school students to ask them about their hopes and dreams after graduation and what skills and attributes they think they will need. We asked the LISD staff what their hopes and dreams are for our students and what students will need to learn and we will soon be inviting parents and community members to participate in focus groups to answer the same questions. The real work will begin when we intentionally embed these skills and attributes in our programs and classes, from kindergarten through 12th grade. Be sure to watch for an invitation to be part of a focus group. We want your input!
  
  

I hope you have a great weekend!

All my best,

Martha

• October 19: Homecoming Dance, 8 pm, Lopez Island Grange
  

• October 21: HS Volleyball 4 pm

• October 22: HS Boys Soccer, 3 pm

• October 22: HS Volleyball, 6:15 pm

• October 23: HS Volleyball, 4 pm

• October 23: School Board Meeting, 6 pm, LMC

• October 25: NO SCHOOL

• October 28: HS Girls Soccer, 2:30 pm

• October 28: Family Pumpkin Carving Night presented by LIPTSA, 4 pm

• October 29: HS Boys soccer, 2:15 pm

• October 29: HS Volleyball, 4 pm

• October 30: HS Girls Soccer, 3 pm

• October 31: Trunk or Treat in the Village, MPPACT playing at 6 pm

• November 1: HS Boys Soccer, 4 pm
  
  

Upcoming home games for all sports teams will be featured in this list each week. The sports calendar on our website has complete details on ALL games - home and away.

Superintendent Brady Smith sent out an LISD update via Parent Square on Wednesday. He touched on school sports, the school board vacancy, the school budget, recent advocacy work focused on education funding from the state, and more. His entire message is here. All of his previous messages are all posted on the Superintendent's page on our website.

LISD is in need of more substitute teachers to call on when the need arises. Our current substitute teacher list is at a critical low. If you have a college degree and a flexible schedule, please consider applying to be a substitute teacher. No teaching experience needed. Lesson plans are provided for subs and the pay is $225 a day (or $112 for half a day). Contact LISD Human Resources for more info.

All families should have received a Parent Square message from their student's teacher(s) about school conferences. Please sign up.

Elementary students will be dismissed at noon for the week of October 28 - November 1. Secondary students will be dismissed at noon from October 30 - November 1 (Wed - Fri).

Here is the the bell schedule for the secondary noon dismissals on October 30, 31, and November 1:

8:30-9:15 - Period 1 or 5

9:20-10:05 - Period 2 or 6

10:05-10:25 - Nutrition Break

10:25-11:10 - Period 3 or 7

11:15-noon - Period 4 or 8

First and Second graders studied the life cycle of Painted Lady Butterflies. We released them into the wilds of Lopez. If you see a butterfly, it might be one of ours!

Community folks - can you commit to one hour a week to help out at the school? We are seeking adult volunteers to monitor elementary recess at 10 am every day of the week. Ideally, we would love up to 5 adults to be able commit consistently to come each week on their chosen day. This would be a huge help for our elementary staff who are currently juggling this duty. Please email Brady Smith, Superintendent, bsmith@lopezislandschool.org, if this is something you can do.

Happy fall! The Lopez Island School District board has been hard at work this fall establishing priorities for the coming school year. Visit our website here to learn more about specific metrics and how these goals align to our four-year strategic plan.

District Strategic Priorities for 24-25 School Year

1. Increase quality of instruction and academic rigor to strengthen student engagement and performance and increase enrollment.

2. Reduce bullying and improve social dynamics to strengthen belonging and improve attendance.

3. Create a sustainable fiscal plan that maintains the financial viability of the school district.

Board Goals for 24-25 School Year

1. Review data more regularly to hold the school district accountable for meeting student learning expectations.

2. Strengthen communication within the board and with the community.

3. Engage in board education and professional development to improve workings of board.

LISD Legislative Priorities for 2025 Legislative Session

1. Increase LISD’s regionalization rate from 12% to 18%.

2. Remove the cap on special education funding.

3. Provide full, ample, and sustainable funding for supplies and materials (MSOC) costs.

And finally, we still have a vacancy on the board. Please consider joining this dedicated group of community members who are committed to making LISD an amazing learning community. More info here.

Follow this space for a monthly update from the board. We also invite all community members to join our meetings at 6pm on the 4th Wednesday of each month in the LMC!

The After-School Program for 5-8th graders is starting back up next week with the Dungeons & Dragons Club (Thursdays) and a Mask Making workshop. Please stay tuned for more fun activities as we expand the 5-8th grade program in the next weeks. Register here: https://lifrc.org/after-school-program/

We will also start the K-4th grade after-school program soon - will update once all details are finalized.

Elementary Cheer is back for their 3rd year selling poinsettias. This fundraiser supports scholarships and other cheer needs! NEW this year are wreaths. Find a cheerleader to order from in person or order from the link below. There are lots of options to choose from. This is a pre-order. Plants will be picked up from Island Creative Design November 23. Orders taken until November 4th. Order here.

There will be a Field Skills Evaluation for the On-line Hunter Education Class on Lopez November 09, 2024. Time: 9 AM-2 PM.Location: Fellowship Hall, Lopez Community Church. All students must pre-register to take the class.

Please note: All Lopez students will be guaranteed a spot in the class. When you register, you may see that the class is full. Register on the waiting list and I will move you to the class if you are a Lopez resident. The web link for the class registration is: https://www.register-ed.com/events/view/218149

Part 1: You must successfully complete the online portion of the class
https://www.hunter-ed.com/washington/
Part 2: Attend a Field Skills Class. https://www.register-ed.com/events/view/218149

Both part 1 and part 2 are required to receive your Hunter Ed Card needed to purchase a hunting license. Students must bring a copy of their on-line completion certificate and a COMPLETED big game regulations worksheet to the Field Skills Class. Any student under 18 years of age also must bring a signed parent agreement form. The online class is $25. The Lopez Class is Free.

If you have any questions, contact Instructor, Liz Scranton: cwflizscranton@gmail.com

If you know a veteran who needs an individual invitation, please submit their name and contact information in this form. We will reach out to them to extend the invitation on or before November 1st. Thank you!

The L.I.F.E. Garden-to-Cafeteria team came together with the Lopez Island Locavores, the SJC Ag Guild and island farmers to celebrate Lopez Food Heroes at a sold out community dinner last Saturday. The Locavores served appetizers and drinks to guests as they were given a tour of the school gardens and orchard. A showing of the new Island Grown video featuring local farmers was done before dinner of lamb or lentil kofta with sprouted wheat tabbouleh, roasted vegetables and a garden salad. Barn Owl Bakery provided a blueberry pear galette for dessert. Dinner service was provided by the Spanish Club. Proceeds from the dinner supported the L.I.F.E Program. Thanks to all who helped out with this great event and to those who bought tickets! Stay tuned for more local food focused events at the school.

USDA has released the ⁠2023 Farm to School Census data and Final Report. Here is a snapshot of data for ⁠Farm to School in Washington State:

• 71% of respondents are serving local foods
• 18% of the total food cost were from local foods, 10% minus milk
• 47.7% of respondents are providing some kind of food, nutrition or agricultural education
• 12.1% of respondents have edible gardens
  

Full details in the report.

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, Mary Fordham. OR contact by phone, 360-468-2202, OR mail to 86 School Rd, Lopez Island, WA 98261.