Mount Baker Monthly Update

Hello Mount Baker Families,

I hope this message finds you well as we settle into the beautiful fall season! The cooler weather is certainly making it feel more like autumn around the District. It’s hard to believe we're already 20% of the way through the school year. Time has flown by, and we're all aware of the hard work it’s taken to get here. I want to take a moment to acknowledge the tremendous efforts of our families in supporting their students, as well as the dedication and hard work of our district staff.

Principal Appreciation Month

As we reflect on the efforts made by everyone, it’s also important to recognize our fantastic principals. October is Principal Appreciation Month, so please join me in shining a light on these five outstanding individuals. Our building principals work tirelessly to ensure that all Mount Baker schools are supportive, nurturing learning environments.

I could not think of a greater group to lead our schools. Thank you, Mr. Durand, Mr. Mathews, Ms. Rasmussen, Mr. Remien, and Mr. Wright! Mount Baker is fortunate to have you guiding us.

Community Connects

In last month’s message, I shared information about Community Connects, a series of meetings designed to gather input and feedback from our community. The first meeting was held last week at Harmony, where I had the pleasure of hearing from many of our community members.

The next session will take place tomorrow evening at 5:30 PM on the Secondary Campus in the Food Science Room. I encourage you to attend and share your thoughts with us. The final two sessions will be held at Acme and Kendall, and we’ll send out reminders as those dates approach. Your input is incredibly valuable to us, and we look forward to hearing from you.

Thank you again for your continued support, and I wish you all a wonderful October!

Sincerely,
Nick Perigo
Interim Superintendent

Fall Conferences

Fall conferences are a valuable time for teachers and families to connect and support student success. These meetings help us:

• Build Connections: Strengthen relationships between home and school.
• Celebrate Strengths: Acknowledge student achievements and areas of confidence.
• Set Goals: Identify areas for improvement and create actionable goals.
• Collaborate for Success: Develop a plan to support learning at school and home.

Your participation is key to ensuring that students are well-supported. We look forward to meeting with you and working together!

The specific schedules of conference dates can be found in the "Upcoming Dates" section.

This section of the monthly update highlights many of the great co-curricular activities going on around the Mount Baker School District.

Congratulations to the Mount Baker Marching band for taking first place amongst the 1A schools in Leavenworth's 2024 Autumn Leaf Parade on September 28! Below are a couple pictures of the band in Leavenworth.

As winter approaches, we want to take this opportunity to explain how the decision is made to hold school as normal, use snow routes, delay the opening, or cancel school entirely.

When temperatures drop below freezing and/or snow is forecasted, our dedicated transportation team heads out as early as 4:30 AM to assess road conditions. They check various routes across the District and report their findings to the Transportation Supervisor, Suzanne Woodin. Suzanne then collaborates with District administration to determine the safest course of action for the day. The final decision is made by the Interim Superintendent.

The Mount Baker School District covers 649 square miles, which means weather conditions can vary significantly across the region. For example, while the Maple Falls area may experience snow and icy roads, families in Harmony may encounter only wet pavement. However, because these decisions affect the entire community, any weather-related closures or delays must apply District-wide.

While delays and closures affect the whole District, snow routes can be implemented in specific regions. Additionally, if there is an issue at a particular campus (such as a power outage), that campus may close for the day while others remain open. This flexibility allows us to respond to localized issues while keeping as much of the District operational as possible.

For detailed weather delay and closure information, please visit the District website and click on the “School Closures” button located at the top of the homepage. Please find the 'Flash Alert' tool there and ensure that yourcontact information is up to date. That is the best way to receive up-to-date information about school closures or delays.

• Thursday, October 17: Community Connects Session 2 at JH/HS (in the food science room) at 5:30p.
  
• Thursday, October 17: JH/HS evening conferences.
• Friday, October 18: JH/HS early release at 12:00p for conferences. Regular dismissal times for elementary.
• Tuesday, October 22 through Friday, October 25: Elementary early release at 1:00pm for conferences. Regular dismissal time for JH/HS.
• Wednesday, October 23: No late arrival. Because of elementary conference early release, all schools will begin at their regular time.
• Thursday, October 24: School Board meeting at 6:00p.
• Thursday, October 24: Elementary evening conferences.
• Monday, November 11: Veterans Day, no school
• Wednesday, November 13: Community Connects Session 3 at Acme at 5:30p.
• Thursday, November 14: School Board meeting at 6:00p.
• Monday, November 18: Community Connects Session 4 at Kendall at 5:30p.
• Friday, November 22: Staff non-contract day, no school
• All athletic schedules can be found on GoBakerAthletics.com.