LISD School Newsletter
Hello LISD Families,
We recognize that professional development days (PD) for staff, when students are not in school, can be an extra burden for parents and guardians, especially for families needing childcare. Tomorrow is one of those days, and I want to let you know how we will be spending our time as a staff. We get very little time to learn and collaborate as an entire staff so we really appreciate the much needed spaciousness of PD days.
We will begin bright and early on Friday morning with some fresh coffee and an opening circle to connect with one another and review the agenda for the day. Mary Fordham and Al Torres will be facilitating a session on SIOP strategies. SIOP (Sheltered English Observation Protocol) is a set of instruction strategies and practices for multilingual learners. These strategies, based on eight principles of lesson design and delivery, are great for ALL learners!
We will also be kicking off a book study on standards based grading. The book, Grading from the Inside Out, was recommended to us by Tovah Denaro, a professional development specialist working with us this year. These books were generously paid for by ALIGN (Advocates of Lopez Island Gathering for Neurodiversity). Standards based planning is based on designing instruction around specific standards and learning targets, and standards based grading is the practice of measuring a student's mastery of those targets so a teacher can evaluate the effectiveness of their instruction.
Engaging instructional strategies and standards based grading practices go hand in hand, AND they are both included in our district's strategic plan. We are so happy to have the day to learn more about and discuss both topics as well as get ready for student-parent-teacher conferences.
We hope you all have a fantastic weekend!
All my best,
Martha
Elementary students will be dismissed at noon every day during conference week. Secondary students are dismissed at noon Wed, Thurs, and Friday that week. Regular hours for secondary on Monday and Tuesday.
You will receive information through Parent Square about signing up for conferences. There are enough conference slots for all elementary families. For secondary families, we encourage you to sign up for a conference with any of your child's teachers, and we hope we have created enough slots. If you want to talk to a teacher and you find that no slots are left, please reach out to that teacher to schedule a meeting at another time.
For both elementary and secondary families, please bring your child/teen to the conference. We are talking about their school experience and progress, so having them at the table, participating in the conversation, is very important. This is true for students at every age if we are to help children, tweens, and teens become leaders of their own learning.
For Secondary Families
Friday, October 27 marks the end of the first quarter, Term 1. This means that students need to have all their assignments turned in by this date. Teachers will have grades posted in Qmlativ by midnight on the following Tuesday, November 1.
The Superintendent Search Committee is preparing for our Focus Groups for next Tuesday, 10/17. All community members are welcome to participate. The originally announced time has been changed to accommodate both staff and families' schedules and the focus groups will now be from 5:30 - 6:30 p.m.
Details for the Focus Groups on October 17:
Everyone will begin in the multi-purpose room in the elementary building and then break out into small focus groups. You may plan on the following:
- Childcare provided
- Spanish Interpreter
- Pizza provided
Please let us know if you will be participating by filling out this form.
Lopez Island Elementary Cheer is holding its second annual Poinsettia sale! All proceeds go towards Lopez Island Cheer program, ran by The Pack. Buying poinsettias helps fund our kids' sports, a mission we feel is extremely important to not only the students, but the island as a whole. Pick up will be mid-November. We had lots of compliments on the plants last year. ORDER HERE.
Our sustainable agriculture class got out in the garden this past week - prepping garden beds and making cider! Brett Jensen, our school gardener, has stepped up and is doing a great job with the Sustainable Agriculture class. This program is one of the unique class experiences that makes Lopez High School so special!
Mira Velo is our artist in the spotlight. Mira started drawing and painting during the pandemic and is self taught. She primarily uses acrylics, and is inspired by Frida Khalo's work. As a Junior this year, she is taking AP Art with Jaimie Terada as her teacher. Of note, she built a wooden easel in woodshop class; she uses it exclusively while painting at home. One of her works will be shown in the Inter-island High School Arts Show, sponsored by the San Juan County Art Council. This show is currently running at the Lopez Community Center, through October 27. Congratulations, Mira!
School Chef John Shaw is offering knife sharpening service on Fridays. This is service is a fundraiser for the school's LIFE (Lopez Island Farm Education) program.
The cost will be a $10 flat rate + $2/inch of knife. John will be sharpening every Friday. You can drop off your knives in morning for same day service. Please email John at least one day ahead of time so he can plan accordingly.
Lopez Island School District
Martha Martin, Interim Superintendent & 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 Martha Martin; HR Specialist, Beth Stanford; Section 504, Mary Fordham. OR contact by phone, 360-468-2202, OR mail to 86 School Rd, Lopez Island, WA 98261.