Lakewood's Going Places
September 2024
Greetings,
The start of the 2024-25 school year is officially underway and off to a great start. It has been wonderful to watch the excitement and anticipation in our students as they returned to school over the last week. We are grateful to our families for your support in this strong start to the school year and look forward to working together with you to ensure high levels of learning and growth for your student and each student in Lakewood.
As we look back over the past couple of weeks, I want to recognize some of the events or activities that took place in preparation for the start of the school year. Over the past couple of months, our district maintenance, grounds, and custodial teams have been hard at work painting, completing numerous projects, assisting in the installation of our new fencing and cleaning our facilities in preparation to welcome back students, staff, and families. In addition, members of our Food Services department worked through the summer to provide breakfast and lunch, Monday through Thursday, from late June through July as part of the USDA Summer Meals program. Through this program, we were able to provide 2,275 nutritious meals to children in our community over the summer. The district also provided additional opportunities for enrichment and learning. There were 194 students who participated in Lakewood Summer Academy, ESY, or our credit recovery program. We are grateful to our staff and the students who continue to make these programs a success.
I would also like to highlight a new event that took place on August 21. Our first (and hopefully annual) Family Resource and Wellness Fair. This successful event was the result of a collaborative partnership between Lakewood School District, Lakewood Coalition, and LINC NW in an effort to provide families in our community with a fun evening in which they could enjoy food, games, connect with local organizations (Marysville Fire District, Community Transit, etc.) and access back-to-school resources (backpacks, clothing, etc.). The event was a resounding success with 395 students receiving support (the majority of which attend Lakewood). Thank you to all of our staff who played a part in planning and implementing this event for our community.
I also wanted to take this opportunity to provide you with one final summer update. During its regular meeting in June, the school board reviewed potential taxpayer savings if the district refinanced its 2015 bonds. In a process similar to that of the 2014 refinancing last spring, the district worked with Piper Sandler to bring our 2015 bonds to market on August 14, with the sale closing on September 4. Our district continues to work to be strong stewards of taxpayer dollars, and I am pleased to share that this will both reduce the district’s existing debt and save taxpayers $2.1 million over the next ten years. The first bond sale of 2024, completed in February to refinance the District’s 2014 Bonds, reduced existing debt by $4.6 million. These two actions will save district taxpayers a total of $6.7 million.
While we are only a week into the school year, activities are in full swing. I want to thank all of our staff who support our students in learning both inside and outside of the classroom. We are also quickly approaching the launch of our stakeholder survey on our district priorities. The priorities that you identify will serve as the foundational building blocks for our district strategic planning process. The survey will launch on September 16 and run through October 4. –please take 3-5 minutes to share your thoughts on the priorities that you feel should guide our district for the next five years. In addition, at the end of this month an email will be sent out seeking interested staff, secondary students, family and community members to volunteer to serve on one of our strategic planning committees. This is a five-meeting commitment with meetings taking place from 5:30-7pm at Lakewood High School on the following dates: 10/29, 11/19, 1/14, 2/4, and 2/25. Please consider volunteering and helping to guide this important work.
Wishing you and your family a wonderful start to the school year.
All my best,
Erin
Dr. Erin Murphy,
Superintendent
Lakewood School District is embarking on a yearlong strategic planning process. We invite you to take a brief survey between September 16 and October 4 to share your thoughts as this will help shape the next phase of our work together.
Watch for more information at the end of this month about volunteering on our strategic planning committee.
The U.S. Constitution was signed on September 17, 1787. We recognize this momentous occasion with Constitution and Citizenship Week. Are you registered to vote? Take a few minutes to register or update your voter registration today at VoteWa.gov.
You can also pick up a voter registration form at your school, library or post office. Make sure your voice is heard!
We are excited to announce the launch of our new website. Please excuse our dust as we continue to make tweaks and updates. Last year, our website and mass notifications provider, Blackboard, was acquired by the company Finalsite. As part of this transition, Lakewood's website was migrated to the new platform over the summer.
You might notice that our Translation button has moved. It is now in the top left of the website on both computers and mobile devices. Have feedback about the new website? Please email webmaster@lwsd.wednet.edu.
As we welcome students and staff back to school, we extend a heartfelt thank you to our dedicated facilities and custodial staff. Their hard work over the summer has created a welcoming environment for everyone returning to our district.
The summer break allowed district facilities staff and custodians to focus on essential maintenance and improvement projects, many made possible thanks to the community’s support of the Capital Improvements and Safety Levy. These projects included significant upgrades to enhance security at schools, with new fencing installed around Lakewood Elementary and English Crossing. Importantly, fields and playgrounds will remain open to the public when students are not in session.
In addition, the facilities team worked on summer projects, including painting classrooms, restriping parking lots, waxing floors, mowing fields, pruning trees, and servicing heating and cooling systems.
Maintaining our older facilities presents unique challenges, but with the ongoing support of the community and voter-approved levies, we are committed to addressing the district’s needs, ensuring our schools remain safe, functional, and inviting spaces for years to come.
Welcome, new teachers! Superintendent Dr. Erin Murphy and other district leaders had the pleasure of meeting with our five new certificated staff during new teacher orientation in August.
Lakewood teachers and staff kicked off the school year with a day full of learning and team-building on Aug. 27. The morning started with a burst of energy, thanks to our high school cheerleaders and musicians.
Dr. Murphy emphasized the power of collaboration and strong relationships to create an environment where our students can truly thrive. School Board members also joined the opening events, with President Sandy Gotts expressing heartfelt gratitude to our dedicated staff for their commitment to students and families.
The rest of the morning was spent learning in breakout sessions led by district administrators and specialists. In the afternoon, learning and professional development continued at each school, setting the stage for an incredible year ahead.
New deans at CCE and LES
Please give a warm welcome to our new deans at Cougar Creek Elementary and Lakewood Elementary:
Kari Hollands, Lakewood Elementary
Kari Hollands is excited to join the Lakewood Elementary community, coming from Marysville Middle School, where she worked for two years in administration. Before that, she was a school counselor at Sedro-Woolley High School for four years and worked at Burlington-Edison High School as both a teacher and a school counselor. Education is Kari’s second career, as she spent 20 years in finance before becoming an educator. She is married, has four children, and outside of work, enjoys spending time with family and playing golf. Her family recently welcomed a puppy named Tilly, who is both sweet and a lot of fun. Kari is looking forward to a fantastic year ahead.
Ian Miller, Cougar Creek Elementary
Ian Miller has been in education for more than 20 years. He has served in various positions as a paraeducator, teacher (Spanish and life science), and administrator in the Sultan, Blaine, and Everett school districts. Fifteen of those years were at the middle school level, and the last five have been at an elementary school. He moved to Lakewood with his wife and two teenage sons about 2 ½ years ago from the Maltby area of Snohomish with the purpose of having some space, but also great schools. His family enjoys playing games, jigsaw puzzles, riding quads and dirt bikes, and their newest hobby of keeping chickens. He is excited to be able to serve at Cougar Creek, his neighborhood school, and is looking forward to building relationships that will continue to make Lakewood a source of pride for our community.
- LHS receives “Washington Schools on the Rise” award
- Two schools receive Washington School Recognition Awards
- AA3 bond rating conveys confidence
- Timeline of projects for Capital Improvements and Safety Levy
- Congratulations to our Heart of Lakewood recipients
Our schools are participating in Socktoberfest with LINC NW! We are collecting new packs of socks and underwear to support families in our community from now until Oct. 26. All sizes are welcome and can be dropped off in the bin located at each school. Donations will allow LINC NW and the Marysville Cold Weather Shelter to help people in our community this winter.
Learn and share the warning signs of youth suicide during Suicide Prevention Month. If someone is showing any of the warning signs, urge them to contact a mental health professional or the 988 Suicide and Crisis Lifeline.
It’s time to take action if you notice these signs in family or friends:
- Talking about or making plans for suicide.
- Expressing hopelessness about the future.
- Displaying severe/overwhelming emotional pain or distress.
- Showing worrisome changes in behavior, particularly in combination with the warning signs above, including significant:
- Withdrawal from or changing social connections/situations
- Changes in sleep (increased or decreased)
- Anger or hostility that seems out of character or out of context
- Recent increased agitation or irritability
Thank you to everyone who participated, either as an attendee or a volunteer, to make our Back to School Resource & Wellness Fair a success last week!
The rain stayed away, but we still had a rainbow at the end of the day. Thanks to our amazing volunteers (special shout-out to the volleyball team!) and generous donors, we were able to provide 395 students with backpacks and essential supplies. Community partners brought activities such as a climbing wall, firefighter gear to try on, hula hoops and other games and activities.
Jon Nauert has participated in the Seattle Walk to Defeat ALS almost every year since 2011, after his brother, Paul, was diagnosed with the neuromuscular disease in 2009, which he lived with until his death in 2019.
In the last 15 years, the team has grown with both Lakewood staff, alumni, and friends participating. This year, the Lakewood High School teacher is changing the name from “Walking for Paul” to “Lakewood Cougars Against ALS” in recognition of the Lakewood staff who have lost loved ones to ALS in the last year.
The walk takes place on Saturday, Sept. 28, at Marymoor Park in Redmond.
There is currently no known cause of ALS (amyotrophic lateral sclerosis). The Walk to Defeat ALS raises money to provide resources and services to families and find treatments and a cure. Learn how to help the team reach their fundraising goal on the Lakewood Cougars Against ALS page.
Finding your way in the wild can be tricky, but a compass is a trusty tool that works in any weather or without a GPS signal. In the Learning in Nature class at Lakewood Summer Academy, students discovered different wayfinding techniques, including using the sun’s position and finding magnetic north with a compass. Each day, they explored a new nature topic and got to experience the beauty of Lakewood's cross country nature trail near English Crossing Elementary.
While discussing natural disasters, students learned about landslides, earthquakes, volcanoes, tsunamis, and more. Pop quiz: Can you name all five active volcanoes in Washington?
Student Assistance Professional
If you have a heart for students and want to help break down challenges and support substance use reduction there's a great role for you. Apply today as a student assistance professional and help students in Lakewood School District to thrive!