January 2015 Pride on the Rise Tonasket School District 1 Pride on the Rise Tonasket Schools www.tonasket.wednet.edu JANUARY 2015 Community Support for Education is High Priority By Paul Turner, Superintendent Looking at the future of the Tonasket School District tugs on some inner strings for me personally. Six years ago I moved to Tonasket with my wife and son wanting to make a difference in the educational opportunities available to the students. Enhancing programs while addressing the districts basic needs during a time of financial uncertainty was the biggest challenge that needed to be addressed. Collaboratively, working with administrators, staff and community we met the challenge and instituted a more robust program district wide. Last year, patrons supported the need to increase the school day. Music, art and PE are now a major educational component for every elementary student. Elementary Our kindergarten preparing for the holiday music performance, what a show it was! students are also able to advance their knowledge in the sciences priority. I applaud you for that. Tonasket is gym expansion will eliminate potential with Lego robotics and the school garden. known as a top K-12 educational institution liability issues with the present bleacher Likewise, new enrichment opportunities and will continue to lead the way in education. situation. The bottom line, educating have been instituted in both middle and high As we move forward we need to keep it that children in a safe and secure environment is way. paramount. In February, you will be asked to support After the bond, you will again be asked Music, Art and PE are now a a bond to address safety and security, to participate in an educational decision. As major educational component accessibility, and space concerns. Having for every elementary student. sought input from the community, the facilities committee addressed the concerns Every member of this brought forth. Safety and security were a community should be proud of school. The vocational program was also common theme throughout the proposed your school district. Support for expanded to allow flexibility with high school construction plan. Access to outdoor athletic education has and continues to course scheduling and cross crediting. events will be safer for disabled and elderly be a high priority. Every member of this community should patrons. Door lock and camera systems will be proud of your school district. Support for be installed throughout the campus for better you may or may not know, I will be leaving education has and continues to be a high monitoring and access control. Additional at the end of this year. There will be new Ag shop space adventures for the Turner family. It has been will allow a blessing to serve this community the past students to use the six years as well as partnering with the high equipment safely. quality staff who work with your children on Residential Customer Residential Alternative a daily basis. l e a r n i n g Permit Number 241 Number Permit Over the next few months, I encourage ECRWSS Wenatchee, WA Wenatchee, programs will you to really consider the opportunities you PAID have a functional have to support the education of Tonasket US Postage US educational space students - supporting the bond and hiring a Non-Profit for learning. The new superintendent. middle school January 2015 2 Tonasket School District Pr Pride on the Rise ROUND OF APPLAUSE School hero Completely committed to famillies Employee steps-up to help On November 19, 2014 some men visited Tonasket Elementary School Martha Wisdom is completely I would like to send out “A to promote the local Cub Scouts to committed to our families. She is one of BIG ROUND OF APPLAUSE’ to an our elementary students. They came the hardest working people I’ve ever met. amazing employee in the transportation during lunchtime and visited with our Her compassion department. Our supervisor needed to students telling them about being a cub and genuine have open heart surgery late last summer, love for those we had a new mechanic just starting scout. John Neal, District Executive of and many new regulations regarding our the Wenatchee area was one of those around her is unparalleled. department. This is a very important and gentlemen present. extremely busy time of the year. John sat down at a table of first Thank you Martha. It’s an Christina Silverthorn our graders to visit about what it is all driver trainer (of about to be a cub scout. The young honor to work which is a new boy sitting next to him tapped him on with you. job position for the shoulder to get his attention. The Christina) and boy was holding his hands around his Staphanie also a bus driver throat. John recognized the universal Vassar with her own sign for choking and could see that Martha Wisdom Technology route, president the young boy was in distress. He Secretary of our union, a asked him if he was okay. When the mother, a parent boy couldn’t respond and there was support to our no sound of coughing or breathing he school etc. immediately did the Heimlich maneuver Wonderful performance stepped up and and dislodged the round peppermint took over for our candy that was blocking his airway. Our Christina Silverthorn supervisor in his student was then able to start breathing. A round absence. I am writing to declare that John of applause to Christina handled all new Neal was our school hero that day. In Gail Morris bus students’ arrival to the district, all our busy lunchroom he was willing for organizing bus routes which included changes, to jump in and help during a time of a wonderful scheduling of extra trip transportation urgency to assist our young student. We Christmas for our students, parents and their are truly thankful for John Neal. performance for concerns, drivers and their needs, did our students and our seven-hour training class to get us Barb Warfield community! legally prepared to start our year, did School Nurse the state required training class that Lara Owsley we are required to have, and I could Gail Morris Elementary go on and on. Christina did this with Teacher professionalism, a smile on her face, and was always there and had a minute for Values students us to help and support our needs as bus drivers. Christina you are amazing! Anita Asmussen unswervingly GREAT JOB! Thank You. goes above and beyond in every Elementary school food drive activity or production she is involved A round of applause for our Pat Stevens in. Homecoming and the Veteran’s Day elementary students for sharing many School Bus Driver assembly are only small examples. She food items in our canned food drive values our students with the highest in November. regard, and And a round of always has. She applause for Katie Veteran’s Day dancers was the catalyst Abrahamson for my husband’s and the ASB Thank you the dancers from LFW teaching elementary School of Dance who performed at the career. Thank representatives High School Veteran’s Day assembly and you Anita for for organizing performed to “Sousa” played by our High your consistent the drive and School band. It was a great tribute to our dedication and providing food Veteran’s. Dancers - Aspen Bosco, Janelle care! baskets to so Catone, Naomi Comstock, Megan Dykes, many local Emma Halpin, Rosemary Hickman, Daisy Staphanie Katie Abrahamson families. Ibarra, Haley Montowski and Morgan Anita Asmussen Vassar Tyus. Technology Lara Owsley Bobbi Catone Secretary Elementary Teacher Payroll/Personnel Clerk January 2015 Pride on the Rise Tonasket School District 3 Kindergarten Entry Greetings, Tiger Cub Families! Requirements ByJeremy Clark, Elementary School Principal All kindergarten students must be As I write this winter Every time I see our Thank you for providing age 5 by August 31 of the year they edition I am filled with the student’s singing, creating funding for this opportunity enter kindergarten. lingering joy and success of art, working hard in PE for our students! If your child turns 5 after this our holiday music program. or spending time with our This year Tonasket date and is significantly advanced Our students shinned and counselor, I am reminded School District will again as indicated in assessment data and our gym was filled to that without your support of be on the ballots as we run a you are considering having your capacity with proud parents, the levy last year this would bond to add the extra space child entered early into kindergarten, parents must meet with the building family and community. not be possible. that our students need. principal by May 1 prior to entry into kindergarten. These exceptions are not typical Did you know that here at the elementary we: and we encourage all families to follow the state kindergarten entry age • Have staff office space in former closets expectation. • Created a classroom in a hallway • Reduced our pre-school numbers to fit in the space we had left New Superintendent Search • Serve some students at the MS/HS because there was no room for their program The Tonasket School Board • Continue to have large numbers in grades 4th and 5th because of no room to is starting the process for the new superintendent search and is inviting the public to attend a meeting These are just some of the many to model it in school and in life. So far we with Doug Asbjornsen, the search difficulties that our staff and I work around have focused on Respect, Responsibility consultant, on Wednesday, January 21: while trying to guarantee the growth and and Honesty and Caring.