LISD School Newsletter

Dear LISD Families,

This has been a fun week of home games in the secondary school...girls varsity volleyball and soccer, boys varsity soccer, and middle school co-ed soccer. Seeing the joy and team spirit in our students, whether they win or lose, just reminds me of the power of being part of something larger than self. Extracurricular activities, like sports, can be such an important part of the school experience for many students. My own experience as an educator, as well as a number of articles on the subject, indicate that students who participate in extracurricular activities are often more engaged in school, earn higher grades, and feel a deeper sense of belonging than students who don't.

At LISD, we have a number of sports, clubs, and other extracurricular opportunities for students.

Elementary:

• Archery Club
• 6th Graders in Middle School Sports
• Cheer (sponsored by The Pack)
• Youth Soccer (sponsored by The Pack)

Secondary:

• Middle and High School Sports - volleyball, soccer, basketball, golf, and track
• MPPACT (Music Production and Performance Artist Collective for Teens)
• Yearbook Club
• Spanish Club
• GSA (Gay-Straight Alliance)
• Drama Club
• Journalism Club
• ASB (Associated Student Body)

In the secondary wing, most clubs meet during the week during advisory, and some also have meetings/practices outside of the school day.

LISD also has strong partnerships with the Lopez Island Family Resource Center and the Lopez Island Library, both of which offer a wide range of activities for children, tweens, and teens during the school year and summer; and the Youth Conservation Corps, which offers conservation and stewardship opportunities for 12-18 year olds.

In addition to ALL of that, there are special events to attend. In October, there will be a pumpkin carving event hosted by the LIPTSA, a Halloween party in the village with trunk-or-treat and music from MPPACT, dances for secondary students, and home volleyball and soccer games (elementary students get in for free!).

Our community is small, but we are all doing our best to offer a wide range of activities to capture the interest of Lopez kids, and we are always open to new ideas too! Some kids want to jump into everything and parents have to help them make choices. Some kids need a nudge to get involved and try something new. When you read about opportunities in the newsletter or Parent Square, that's the perfect time to have a conversation with your child or teen to find out if there is a spark of interest.

I hope you all have a really wonderful weekend.

All my best,

Martha

• October 9: School Picture Day
• October 9: School Board Work Session, 4 pm
• October 9: HS Volleyball, 4 pm
• October 10: MS Soccer, 2:30 pm
• October 11: In Service Day for Staff - NO SCHOOL

• October 12: HS Volleyball, 2 pm

• October 12: Special Dinner Event , 3:30 - 7 pm, School LIFE Program & Partners (see article below)

• October 14: HS Girls Soccer, 2:30 & HS Boys Soccer, 4:30 pm. HS Volleyball, 4:30 pm

• October 15: MS Soccer, 4 pm

• October 17: MS Soccer, 4 pm (Last game for MS Soccer)

• October 17: Vaccine clinic, 3 - 6 pm, MPR

• October 19: Homecoming Dance, 8 pm, location TBD

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.

We are pleased to introduce Steven Dahl as the new Director of Special Programs in the Lopez Island School District. With over 20 years of experience in the Pacific Northwest, Steven has served as a Para-Educator, a Special Education Teacher, and Special Programs Administrator (14 years) including at the Northwest ESD in Anacortes. He is a proud graduate of Western Washington University's (WWU) teaching and administrator certification programs and has also been an Adjunct Faculty member at WWU’s Woodring College of Education. About joining our district, Steven shared, “I am grateful for the opportunity to join Team Lopez. I've already been warmly welcomed by staff and look forward to serving the needs of students and families." When not working, Steven enjoys spending time with his family, rooting for the Seahawks, 'hiking' low incline trails, and catching sunsets.

Please join us in welcoming Steven as he looks forward to partnering with our community for student success!

Ruby Ervin-McLean and Anna Fuller have been named Commended Students in the National Merit Scholarship Program. About 1.3 million students took the test in 2023. 34,000 earned the Commended distinction, and 16,000 will go on to compete for the 2025 National Merit Scholarship Awards. A Commended Student award means that Anna and Ruby both scored in the top 3.8% of students who took the test nationally.

Congratulations to these two outstanding seniors!

As noted before, all home varsity sports game now have an entry fee of $5 per adult. (Seniors, youth, and ASB members are free). In order to make things easier for you and your family to come support our teams, LISD is now offering a family pass that you can purchase per sport season or for the whole year. The pass allows everyone in your household to attend the games. Cost is $50 per season or $100 for the whole year. You can download the form and bring it with a check to the next game you want to attend or turn it in to the district office at any time.

Family Athletic Pass Form

Now you can cheer for our fantastic high school athletes even if you can't make it to the game! (But we still want you to come to the games!). Sign up here.

LIFRC is seeking a professional team member in youth development to join the After-School Program and Summer Camp staff as Lead Instructor for grades K-4. Do you enjoy working with youth and creating safe, supportive, engaging, and interactive learning environments? Apply now!

Autumn explorations of flower parts and creative things to do with apples made this quite a hands-on time in garden enrichment.

Want to support our school? Join the Lopez Island Parent Teacher Student Association (LIPTSA)! The greater our membership, the stronger we are! Memberships are only valid for 1 year - so please RENEW or JOIN using this link. It's only $15, or there are free memberships available as well.

Our PTSA supports ADVOCACY! We are working on immediate issues as well as long-term goals, like fully funding Special Education which the WAPTA began working on in the 1980's. It is still one of the top priorities. https://www.wastatepta.org/special-education/.

We are not alone and because we voted to be a part of the PTA, we can work as a unified voice in Olympia and DC. Learn more here.

Kinship is the raising of children by grandparents, other extended family members, and adults with whom they have a close family-like relationship such as godparents and close family friends because biological parents are unable to do so for whatever reason. Services available:

• Kinship Navigation – Offers Navigators whose job it to help you ‘navigate’ through the system.They will talk with you and help you find local services and programs.
• Kinship Caregiver Support Program (KCSP) – Funds are available to support kinship caregivers (grandparents and other relatives) statewide who are at great risk of being unable to maintain the caregiving role without additional financial support.

Contact: kinship@oppco.org; or 360-734-5121 x1455

Lopez ALIGN and the LIFRC are hosting a IEP Informational Conversation in the LISD Library on October 8 from 4 - 6 pm. Light snacks provided.

More info about all the Lopez Island events here.

Special event on October 12 at the Lopez Island School:

Enjoy a school garden story tour and appetizers at 3:30pm, followed by a showing of the new Island Grown Film. Island foods community meal at 5pm includes special guest speaker from PNW Slow Foods honoring Barn Owl Farm and Bakery. A collaboration of the Lopez Island Locavores, LIFE School Garden, Island Grown, SJI Makers Guild, and Slow Foods. Advance tickets required as a LIFE Garden fundraiser $65. Registration and tickets: Vegetarian Dinner or Non-Vegetarian Dinner

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!

If your student has food allergies or dietary concerns, please reach out to school chef John Shaw to discuss accommodations. jshaw@lopezislandschool.org

School chef John Shaw is offering knife sharpening service again on Fridays. This service is a fundraiser for the school's LIFE (Lopez Island Farm Education) program. The cost is $10 per person +$2/in per knife. So if you bring in three knives that are 6in long it would be $46 total.

Sharpening happens on Fridays, ideally you would drop them off in the morning and then John will have them done before 3pm. Email jshaw@lopezislandschool.org to book a slot.

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.