Community Letter

Hello LISD Families,

January is School Board Appreciation Month, and we want to take this opportunity to recognize and thank the wonderful members of our community who generously spend their time and energy to serve the children and families of Lopez Island in this very important way. Too often, the efforts of school board members go unrecognized and unrewarded. They do so much behind-the-scenes work to ensure that our district is able to provide a safe, equitable, and quality education for our students.

Leadership is scarce because few people are willing to go through the discomfort required to lead. This scarcity makes leadership valuable...It's uncomfortable to stand up in front of people. It's uncomfortable to propose an idea that might fail. It's uncomfortable to challenge the status quo. It's uncomfortable to resist the urge to settle. When you identify the discomfort, you've found the place where a leader is needed. -Seth Godin

Jenny, Del, Kelli, Sarah, and Kirm, we appreciate you so very much!

Families, please join us in offering gratitude to our school board members.

All our best,

Mary and Martha

Tomato Orange Soup a la Elephant's Deli

The tomato soup that we served this week was inspired by a soup that I had many times growing up in Portland. The Elephant's Deli soup was creamy, luscious, smooth and super tasty. Turns out the secret is a little orange juice to give it a floral sweetness.

Ingredients:

1/2 cup butter

1 medium onion, diced

1 bell pepper, diced

2 cans diced tomatoes or about 30 oz. diced fresh tomatoes

1/2 tsp black pepper

salt to taste

1 tsp dried thyme

1 tsp dried rosemary (optional)

2 cloves of garlic, minced

2 cups OJ

1/2 cup milk or cream

Steps:

1. Melt about half the butter and sauté onions until translucent

2. Add the peppers and cook until soft

3. Add the spices and let them toast for a minute

4. Add the tomatoes and their juices, cook

5. Add the orange juice and let it warm through

6. Take the soup off heat and blend in the cream and remaining butter

7. Continue to blend until smooth

8. Serve and enjoy

From now until the end of the year, we will be featuring an interview with one member of our graduation class. This week, we shine the light on our ASB President, Isara Greacen, who has been a Lopez Lobo since kindergarten!

Which clubs, sports, or other extracurricular activities have you participated in? I've been an ASB officer for three years, I sing and play piano in MPPACT, I played volleyball this year, and I ran track in the past.

What is one positive memory from your time here that you’ll carry with you forever? Going to state for track in my freshman year! Such a fun experience to take the trip and compete with my team.

What is the best piece of advice you have received from a teacher? I really like this poster in Mr. Platter’s room. It says, "Mistakes are proof that you are trying." It's just a good reminder to not be afraid to make mistakes.

Please finish this sentence: “I cannot live without…….”: Water …because I lug around this very large water bottle everywhere. I don't always drink it, but it's always with me.

What is the most creative excuse you have ever used to get out of school work? Since I sometimes don’t have internet service when traveling, I have used snorkeling and hiking as excuses.

What is one piece of advice for incoming high school students? Get the hard work out of the way as soon as you can. Take hard classes early, so during your senior year you can have a good time and be less worried.

What is the most meaningful assignment ever given to you by a teacher? In Ms. S’s class, we gave something up or tried to live in someone else’s shoes for a month after reading Nickel and Dimed. I practiced praying 5 times a day and following the Quran for a month, and I enjoyed listening to what everyone else was doing. We were all doing different things but doing it together.

What’s the most important quality in a friendship...and why? Trust. When you trust someone, you can be honest with them and feel comfortable with them. It’s the foundation of a good friendship.

Please finish this sentence, "In 10 years, I will be…:" 27! Hopefully, I will be happy….and driving a Tesla.

Who/what do you find inspiring? Studio Ghibli movies....in particular the character Nausicaa from Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind. I love the art style and the esthetic of the movies. Most have a strong and courageous young girl as the protagonist. Nausicaa is fearless!

What are your plans after high school?: I will probably take a gap year and I have a plan to do a pilgrimage hike with my parents...from England through Switzerland and France, ending up in Italy. I may try to stay in France and work there. After my gap year, I'll go to college, maybe in California.

On Monday, 3rd Graders practiced with sand using teaspoons, tablespoons, 1/4 cups, 1/2 cups, and whole cups to get familiar with measuring to follow a recipe.

On Tuesday, we made FRACTION flavored ice cream (chocolate and vanilla). Math was very tasty on Tuesday!

Once we got our ingredients to freeze with a neat science trick of salting the ice, we took our treats and ate ice cream on the sunny hillside together.

Chocolate and vanilla flavored math is our favorite kind of math :-)

Mr. B

Here is a follow up from the rock collection Ms. Tuoya was asking for last week. Our students did not disappoint with all their creative ideas. It was quite a fun project for all involved. Rocks will get a waterproof spray and dry this week. Students will be allowed to bring them home next week.

Hello families! It’s still a great time to join the LIPTSA and have an active voice in decisions that impact students’ health, safety and quality of education.

To join, go to lopezislandptsa82100.memberplanet.com and click the Join the LIPTSA button, OR, you can fill out the form attached to this newsletter, or email us at lopezislandptsa@gmail.com, and request a membership link be sent to you.

Becoming a member does not mean that you are obligated to participate any more than you want to. You can do as much or as little as you like. We appreciate your support however you'd like to show it!

We invite you to join because we can do more together! Thank you!

Malia Sanford

VP Communications & Membership

Lopez Island PTSA – PO Box 591, Lopez Island, WA 98261

https://www.facebook.com/LopezIslandPTSA/

https://lopezislandptsa82100.memberplanet.com/

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We have two more games on the schedule, both at home. Saturday January 29, we will be hosting Grace for an afternoon game, girls starting at 2:30 and boys at 4:00. The boys and girls basketball teams will play their last game before post season on Monday January 31 against CPC. This being their last home game, we will be celebrating our 12th graders with Senior Night. Girls will have a 4:30 start and boys game will be starting at 6:00. The gym will continue to be closed to spectators. Only parents of 12th grade athletes will be allowed to watch. Please use COVID protocol by wearing masks and social distancing.

Many changes are occurring daily with the CDC guidelines. San Juan County assesses the changes and then releases them to the school districts. We are doing our very best to keep up with these guidelines to continue to keep our school safe. Your continued patience is appreciated. Mask wearing is a huge part of staying safe. Please continue wearing masks, preferably KN95, and social distancing.

*We are testing our basketball teams and coaches before each game so that we can keep our athletes on the court. A big thank you to all that have helped make sure the students are here on time, and to the athletes for their continued patience through this process.

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.

Website: lopezislandschool.org
Location: 96 School Road, Lopez Island, WA, USA
Phone: 360-468-2202