Aberdeen Schools

For the students in Ashley Emmett’s Intro to Business Class at Miller Junior High School, the end of the semester this week meant turning the library into a food court and showcasing their food truck proposals.

Students spent all month working on the entrepreneurial assignment, which involved developing a business plan, a marketing plan, a menu – all backed up with a spreadsheet of research showing operating costs and pricing for their menu items. They even developed graphics for their logo and a customized truck.

Making the pitch

For their final exam, the young entrepreneurs presented their business proposal to Ms. Emmett, and also to fellow students and teachers who then “voted” before leaving the library on which food truck would have won their business.

As patrons strolled by businesses with street food names like The Grizz Burger, Bings Wings, Lightning Dogs, Scream (ice cream treats), Sip ‘n’ Sit and Blend Blast, it wasn’t hard to imagine the food smells, the energy and the thrum of a real food truck court. Too bad the "No Food or Drink" signs in the library were for real.

And customers chose ...

Congratulations to the students pictured above -- second period winner Nizhoni Chambers, founder of Bread on Wheels, and first period winner Aden Kincaid, founder of Brisket Boss Barbecue.

A new process for admitting visitors to school grounds will soon be in place at all of our schools to enhance the safety and security of students and staff.

The Navigate360 Visitor Management System is currently being installed and should be fully operational in February.

How will it work?

All visitors will continue to report to the school office. The additional layer of security involves a check-in kiosk and will apply to any visitors – parents, contractors, guest speakers, etc. – who need access to school grounds beyond the office during the school day.

Visitors will have their photo taken and be asked to provide a valid photo ID, which will be scanned and checked against the National Sex Offender Registry. If there are no flags, the check-in kiosk will generate a visitor badge, which must be worn while on school grounds.

Will also help in emergencies

Co-Superintendent Traci Sandstrom, who also serves as the district’s technology director, said that the system also has an emergency management component. “In the event of an emergency, we can quickly identify who is on school grounds, ensuring a more efficient and effective response,” she said. “The system will maintain records of visitor activity, helping us monitor and manage school access more effectively.”

The Visitor Management System is the first of several safety enhancements the district is implementing. The next phase will improve emergency communications within each school.

Summary of the Jan. 14 meeting

The next regular meeting of the School Board is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, February 4, in the Community Room at Aberdeen High School.

Those who attend regular meetings are welcome to sign up at the meeting to provide public comment on agenda items. Written public comment for the record can also be submitted up to noon the day of the meeting by writing to schoolboard@asd5.org. Comments or concerns not on the agenda can be brought to the attention of the district by contacting the Superintendent's Office or by contacting individual board members.

The Great Shakeout is a great time to make sure your FlashAlert account is up to date.

In the 40-plus years since FlashAlert was created, we have begun to use other platforms such as social media and robocalling to parents to ensure the broadest possible coverage of emergency messages.

However, FlashAlert is the most reliable method for ASD5 emergency news to land in your InBox or pop up on your phone. It's free and anyone can subscribe.

Install the FlashAlert app on your phone.

You can also sign up to receive FlashAlert via email. This method must be renewed annually. If you already have an account, this time of year is an excellent time to refresh.

• Co-Superintendent Lynn Green, lgreen@asd5.org
  Co-Superintendent Traci Sandstrom, tsandstrom@asd5.org

• Business Office, Elyssa Louderback, elouderback@asd5.org
• Human Resources, Christi Clinkingbeard, cclinkingbeard@asd5.org
• Special Education, Rick Bates, rbates@asd5.org
  
• Career & Technical Education, Lynn Green, lgreen@asd5.org
• Teaching, Learning & Technology, Traci Sandstrom, tsandstrom@asd5.org
• Food Services, Jaime Matisons, jmatisons@asd5.org

A.J. West Elementary School

• Office Hours: 7:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.
• (360) 538-2130 / Principal Nani Villarreal

Central Park Elementary School

• Office Hours: 8:15 a.m. - 4 p.m.
• (360) 538-2170 / Principal Ruth Erwin-Svoboda

McDermoth Elementary School

• Office Hours: 8 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
• (360) 538-2120 / Principal Mindi Hammill

Robert Gray Elementary School

• Office Hours: 8:30 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
• (360) 538-2140 / Principal Daniel Olson

Stevens Elementary School

• Office Hours: 7:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.
• (360) 538-2150 / Principal Tosha Love

Harbor Learning Center

• Office Hours: 7:30 a.m. - 3 p.m.
• (360) 538-2180 / Principal Lisa Griebel

Hopkins Preschool

• Office Hours: 8 a.m. - 3:30 p.m.
• (360) 538-2190 / Principal Darby Carroll

Miller Junior High School

• Office Hours: 8 a.m. - 3 p.m.
• (360) 538-2100 / Principal John Meers

Aberdeen High School

• Office Hours: 7:30 a.m. - 4 p.m.
• (360) 538-2040 General / Principal Aaron Roiko
• (360) 538-2060 Attendance Line

Columbia Wellness, a behavioral health agency serving Grays Harbor and Cowlitz counties, has launched a Youth and Family Mobile Crisis Team on Grays Harbor. A PowerPoint presentation explaining Columbia Wellness and how you can access services in a crisis is posted on the ASD5 website. Visit the Columbia Wellness site here.

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The Aberdeen 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 employees have been designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged discrimination: Christi Clinkingbeard, Title IX Coordinator and Civil rights Compliance Coordinator, 216 North G St., Aberdeen, WA 98520; (360) 538-2222; cclinkingbeard@asd5.org; Dr. Richard Bates, Section 504/ADA Coordinator, 216 North G St., Aberdeen, WA 98520; (360) 538-2017; rbates@asd5.org.