Ferndale, Lummi Island, Custer, Lummi Nation and North Bellingham

FERNDALE SCHOOLS

Inside this issue

1

6 Summer Learning7 Administrative Changes8 School Year Kick-off Events

Late Summer 2017

Welcome back to school!Building on Traditions of Pride

Celebrate Attendance Awareness Month!

#schooleveryday

SEPTEMBER

A message from Superintendent Dr. Linda Quinn

I want to welcome you to the 2017-2018 year in the Ferndale School District. Our theme for the year is Building on Traditions of Pride.

The summer months are busy for many members of our school staffs as they thor-oughly clean and make repairs in our buildings and buses, provide summer learning opportunities for more than 300 young people, hire new employees, participate in college classes and other trainings, and plan for the upcoming year.

For the School Board and central office staff, the summer months also provide opportunities to reflect on accomplishments, take stock of strengths and identify areas for improvement. In doing so this summer, we have once again realized that our greatest strengths are our wonderful teachers, our hard-working and dedicated sup-port staff, the invaluable resources available in our community, and the deep-rooted traditions of pride and excellence that have always been part of Ferndale. During 2017-2018, we hope you will help us shine a brighter light on these strengths while continuing to build the kind of school system that will prepare every learner for suc-cess in his or her future.

During the 2017-2018 school year, our primary areas of focus will be:• Providing safe schools for every student and employee. We are becoming

known in the region for our work on safety and emergency preparedness, which will continue. At the same time, we realize we have more to do to safeguard the emotional and social safety of all.

• Ensuring outstanding academic and extracurricular opportunities for stu-dents that ultimately result in their becoming college and career ready graduates. As good as they are, our teachers continue to work on improving their instruction. To focus our improvement work with students, we will continue to emphasize the ABC building blocks of success: excellent Attendance, productive Behavior’s and high quality Classwork.

see Superintendent’s Message page six

2 School Maintenance & Safety3 Business of the Year4 Back to School Information

Facilities Maintenance

The summer season provides our maintenance and custodial staff with time to address school maintenance projects. This year, even with the shorter summer break, our staff was able to com-plete important maintenance, cleaning and school improvement projects that included:

Ferndale High School•Varsity gym received a much-needed face lift with new paint and floor re-finish.•Junior and senior parking lots will be repainted before the first day of school.

Energy Improvements•Through help from a Puget Sound Energy grant, we have in-stalled new LED lights and sensors at Custer Elementary School and the maintenance shop, as well as new motion sensors at Eagleridge Elementary and the Vista Middle school gyms. This is all part of a larger project to continue making the district more energy efficient. •We did preventative maintenance and inspections on 27 boilers, 40 heating pumps, 385 air handling units, 530 motors, 54 air conditioning units and 48 refrigeration units. These all require some level of care including lubrication of moving parts, replacement of air filters and belt replacement where needed.

All Schools•We deep cleaned every square foot of all of our ten schools in the district. The summer deep clean includes cleaning all the carpets, stripping and waxing all floors, and stripping and re-fin-ishing all gym floors. Staff move furniture in and out of each classroom to clean and get our schools ready for the first day of the new school year.

Our grounds crew has been busy catching up after our wet spring. With over 250 acres to care for, our grounds crew has sites ready for the first day of school. All campuses have had bushes trimmed, weeds sprayed and

about 160 yards of bark mulch spread in beds. With 53 straight days of no precipitation, staff has been busy moving water reels and pipes around to get enough water on our athletic fields to provide our student-athletes with safe and green practice and game fields. They also have five football fields and four soccer fields to lay out and paint for the fall sports season.

Keeping our facilities maintained is an important part of sup-porting the student learning environment. A huge thank you to our crews for the tremendous work they did this summer and continue to do year-round, said Director of Maintenance Jamie Plenkovich.

To visit one of our school sites or for information about specific projects, contact our Maintenance Department at 360.383.9234.

We believe that investing in Ferndale students and providing safe, efficient well-maintained school buildings for our children is important for our

community and our children’s futures.

It’s no secret that Ferndale Schools has become a leader in pre-paring for school emergencies. This year will be no different.

On October 12, the district, in cooperation with the Fern-dale Police Department, Whatcom County Sheriff’s Office, Whatcom County Fire Department, and other partner agencies, will conduct a full scale emergency preparedness exercise at Vista Middle School.

This exercise is designed to build on the Teacher Initiated Care System (TICS) first aid training that the district conduct-ed with the Vista staff last year. Staff are trained in basic field trauma care, which can be used for victims of life-threatening illnesses or injuries until the victim can be given medical atten-tion by first responders and/or hospital medical professionals. It is part of the district’s ongoing commitment to provide the safest environment possible for our children and staff members.

In the spring of 2018, the district will conduct another exer-cise simulating an accident involving a school bus.

Emergency Preparedness —Operation Iron Viking

For more details on our emergency planning or any of our exercises, please visit our website at http://ferndalesd.org/com-munications-2/emergency-information or contact Assistant Superintendent for Business & Support Services Mark Deebach at 360.383.9203, mark.deebach@ferndalesd.org.

Strategic Commitment No. 6To Ensure the Safety of Each Student and Staff Member

We believe that safety is a basic need and fundamental right of every person. A sense of safety is critical for learning and development to occur. Therefore, ensuring the physical, social and emotional safety of all our stu-dents and staff is an essential priority within our school system.

SCHOOLSAFETY

2

ProBuild is the district’s Business of the Year

Probuild has been recognized as the district’s 2016-2017 Business of the Year!

With assistance from Probuild, Windward High School was able to build a garden and rehab an existing greenhouse on the school’s property. Probuild donated lumber and provided discounts on other building materi-als that were used to construct the new garden.

Over 40 Windward High School students participat-ed in this project. Students are growing vegetables which they plan to harvest and donate to the Ferndale Food Bank. Other funding for the project was provided by two grants from Points of Light.

A huge THANK YOU to Probuild and its General Manager Jeannie Frank for partnering with Windward High staff and students on this mission of community service.

Pictured: back row—Superintendent Dr. Linda Quinn, School Board Members Candice Wilson, Ellie Baader, Hugh Foulke and Dr. Kevin Erickson; front row—Windward High School Principal Kim Hawes, School Board Member Mason Waller, Windward High School Student Cass Reschke, ProBuild General Manager Jeannie Frank and Windward High School Teacher Chris Perkins

Thank You to our family of supporters who partner with us in educating our students: parents and families, community members, businesses, City of Ferndale, Ferndale Chamber of Commerce and non-profit agencies. The time and resources you provide are great investments in our children’s futures!

We appreciate our Ferndale Family!

3

September 4 Labor Day 5 First Day for Teachers 6 First Day of School 20 K-12 Early DismissalOctober 11 K-12 Early Dismissal 27 K-5 Early DismissalNovember 3, 6-9 K-5 Early Dismissal 10 Veteran’s Day Observed, No School 17, 20-21 6-12 Early Dismissal 22 K-12 Early Dismissal 23-24 Thanksgiving Break, No SchoolDecember/January 13 K-12 Early Dismissal 20-Jan 2 Winter Break, No SchoolJanuary 3 School Resumes 10 K-12 Early Dismissal 15 MLK, Jr., Day, No School 19 K-5 Early Dismissal 29 Teacher Work Day, No SchoolFebruary 16-19 President’s Day Weekend, No School 28 K-12 Early DismissalMarch 14 K-12 Early Dismissal 28 K-12 Early DismissalApril 2-6 Spring Break, No School 18 K-12 Early DismissalMay 9 K-12 Early Dismissal 23 K-12 Early Dismissal 28 Memorial Day, No SchoolJune 1 K-5 Early Dismissal 15 Last Day of School, K-12 Early Dismissal 18-22 Inclement Weather Make-up Days

Note: Early Dismissal days are used for teacher learn-ing. Teachers use this time to get better at what they do which leads to their students’ successes.

Back to School Information

For detailed calendar information, visit our website at ferndalesd.org

To find your child’s assigned school and to see if he/she will ride the bus or walk to and from home, visit our Infofinder at ferndalesd.org/transportation/bus-routes-and-inclement-weather.

•Enter your street address and zip code and select search.•See your child’s assigned school listed in the left-hand side of the page.•If your child is a bus rider, click on Stops to locate your child’s stop.If you are unable to locate your child’s information, please contact bus@ferndalesd.org or call 360.383.9236.

School begins Wednesday, September 6. Kindergartners and students new to the district should register for school directly at their neighborhood school between the hours of 8:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. weekdays. Elementary and middle schools open Wednesday, August 23. Ferndale High opens Monday, August 14 and Windward High opens Tuesday, August 22.

A reminder that kindergarten students must be five years prior to September 1. When regis-tering, remember to bring with you: child’s birth certificate; record of child’s immunizations (required prior to a child starting school); and, if new to the district, proof of residence (water or electric bill; rental or lease agreement) Registration forms are available at www.ferndalesd.org. For more information, contact 360.383.9210.

The district’s Food Service Program offers healthy, nutritious kid-friendly break-fast and lunch options for students.

With the start of school, it is time to complete a new Free and Reduced Meal Application for 2017-2018. Each school year the USDA requires that the dis-trict gather new information from Ferndale households in order to provide free or reduced priced breakfasts and lunches. If the district does not receive a new application, your child’s status will change to paid, and meal charges incurred will become the responsibility of the parent/guardian. The district cannot waive these charges. Parents have 30 days to get a new application turned in and approved. Pick up your Free and Reduced Meal Application for 2017-2018 at:• Online at mymealtime.com• District Office, 6041 Vista Drive• Your local school office• Food Service Office at Ferndale High School, 5830 Golden Eagle Drive

STUDENT MEAL PRICES

•Elementary Student Breakfast ......$1.50 •Elementary Student Lunch ...........$2.75•Middle and High School Student Breakfast ......................... $1.75 •Middle and High School Student Lunch ............................. $3.25•Reduced Lunch ............................ $ .40 MealTime Online is the gateway to your student’s school lunch account. Parents can make deposits into their child’s Meal-Time Point of Sale account, or simply view the account activity. Get started at www.mymealtime.com.

Cash or check may be sent to school to purchase meals as well.

For more information call: Director of Food Service, 360.383.9341

The district will provide all the supplies that students in grades preschool through five (and basic supplies for students in grades six through twelve who qualify for free or reduced meals) need in their classrooms for learning. This includes pens, pencils, paper, crayons, binders, tis-sue, erasers and much more. Supplies will be delivered to elementary classroom teachers and be ready for student use when they arrive on the first day of school.

Distribution to Students in Grades 6-12For students in grades 6-12 who qualify for free or reduced meals, supplies may be picked up at the supply distribution event Tuesday, August 29 at Vista Middle School’s Gymnasium (6051 Vista Drive). Hours are 3:00-6:00 p.m.

BackpacksShould your child need a backpack, please check with your child’s school office once school begins or contact our Family Support Coordinator at 360.383.2330 for assistance.

Parents/guardians are encouraged to stay updated on their student’s academic progress using Family Access in Skyward. In Family Access, parents/guardians can view their child’s schedules, grades, assignments, attendance history and test scores. Also, families can view a calendar with important information.

To get started, visit the district website at ferndalesd.org and click on the Skyward logo at the bottom of the page. Your login name contains the first five letters of your last name, with the first three letters of your first name and then three numbers. If you don’t know your login or password, use the “Forgot Login/Password?” link to have the system email your account infor-mation. If your email address is not found by the system, please contact your child’s school to have it updated. Download a free Skyward App for your smartphone or tablet through iTunes, Google Play or Amazon Appstore.

Register for School

School Supplies

Skyward Family Access

School Meals

School Assignments and TransportationCalendar at a Glance

School Immunizations

To ensure that children are protected against a number of childhood diseases, Washington law requires that all children admitted to public and private schools be immunized against diphtheria, tetanus, pertussis, polio, measles, mumps, rubella, chicken pox, Hib, PCV and hepatitis B as appropriate.

Consult your physician or visit Department of Health website for detailed information: http://www.doh.wa.gov/YouandYourFamily/Immunization

4 5

Summer learning opportunities prepare our students for success

While most students are taking a break from the school setting during the summer months, some are engaged in fun, activity-filled learning programs. This year the district offered five opportunities for students to hone their skills.

Credit Retrieval —Our High School Credit Retrieval program ran from early July until August 3. In addition to the 124 classes completed, four 2017 seniors were able to complete the credits they needed to graduate and earn their diplomas in 2017. Nearly 90 students were served through our credit retrieval program.

Summer Trek—Summer Trek is a four-week expand-ed learning program designed to engage middle school students as community problem-solvers. Through a series of personally motivating and dynamic project-based activities, youth become trekkers, developing and building upon their interests, skills, and expertise in the process of making positive contributions to their communities and to the world. Nearly 50 students were referred to our program and over 30 attended from July 6 to Aug 3. Their summer projects focused on water quality and community hunger.

Extended School Year—This program serves special education students in grades kindergarten through twelve that need continued learning support in order to maintain gains made during the school year. This year, 25 Ferndale students participated in Extended School Year.

Jump Start—This readiness program serves incoming kindergar-ten students who have had limited exposure to a formal school setting or need English Language support. Fifty-five new Ferndale students participated in Jump Start.

Elementary Summer Success Program—This program serves any student in grades kindergarten through four who needs addition-al support in reading or math. This year, 110 Ferndale students participated.

For information about these programs, contact our Teaching & Learning Department at 360.383.9210

Students in the Summer Trek Program collaborated with the City of Ferndale, Ferndale Food Bank, Ferndale Senior Center, Exact Scientific Services and RE Sources to keep our community healthy.

• Affording our students access to up-to-date tech-nology. For the first time in 2017-2018, every Ferndale student in grades 6-12 will have his/her own technology device to support learning. In partnership with Bellingham Technical College and What-com Community College, we will also be opening a Tech-nology Help Desk manned by students, the first of its kind in the state.

• Offering quality cus-tomer service and strength-

ening our partnerships with parents, businesses, and the community. We are seeking more input, listening more intention-ally, and working hard to respond to the needs and values of our community. For example, we have heard that some of our parents want a homeschool support option for their children, so we are planning to launch such a program in spring 2018.

• Working to address our on-going school facility needs. Thanks to the efforts of our custodial and maintenance staff, our buildings and grounds are well cared for. However, many of our facilities are aging and need more than annual upkeep. To address such needs, the School Board has decided to run a capital con-struction bond in November 2018. The district is in the process of convening a task force made up of community volunteers to determine the specific contents of the bond package.

Through all this work, we will be Building on Traditions of Pride. We want to continue to honor the best parts of our past. At the same time, we know these will be the good old days for our children. Together, we have the power to make them meaningful and memorable, to give our young people access to the knowledge and information they need to be competitive in the global 21st century economy, and to launch them into successful lives beyond their years in school.

Finally, as we celebrate another beginning and look forward to all the possibilities a new school year brings, I want to thank you on behalf of the School Board and the entire district staff for your continued support and the resources you provide.

With appreciation,Linda Quinn

Superintendent’s Message continued from page one

Superintendent Dr. Linda Quinn (center) with Student School Board Members Mason Waller and Ellie Baader (l to r)

6

Board of DirectorsDr. Kevin Erickson, President

Ms. Lee Anne RiddleMs. Candice Wilson

Mr. Andrew McLaurinMr. Hugh Foulke

Miss Mason WallerMiss Ellie Baader

FerndaleSchools

SuperintendentDr. Linda Quinn

Editor: Tammy BengenCirculation: 16,500

6041 Vista Drive • P.O. Box 698Ferndale, WA 98248

360.383.9207 www.ferndalesd.org

Ferndale School District is an equal opportunity em-ployer. The district is committed to providing equal opportunity for all persons without regard to gender, age, race, religion, creed, color, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation including gender expression or identity, the presence of any physical, sensory, and/or mental disability, or the use of a trained guide dog or service animal by a person with a disability, honorably-discharged veteran or military status or any other basis prohibited by law.

...Making a Difference

bit.ly/ferndalelinkedin

Public NoticesChild Find—Federal Public Law, Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), requires that disabled children in the Ferndale School District, ages birth to 21, be identified, located and evaluated. If anyone suspects that a child (age birth to 21) has a disabling condition, and if that child resides in the Ferndale School District, please refer the child to Director of Special Services, Ms. Rebecca Champagne, at 360.383.9231. Upon referral, the student services staff will make the appropriate follow-up.

State and Federal Rules—Ferndale School District complies with all state and federal rules and regulations and does not discriminate on the basis of gender, age, race, religion, creed, color, national origin, marital status, sexual orientation including gender expression or identity, the presence of any physical, sensory, and/or mental disability, or the use of a trained guide dog or service animal by a person with a disability, honorably-discharged veteran or military status or any other basis prohibited by law. The district will provide equal access to school facilities to the Boy Scouts of America and all other designated youth groups listed in Title 36 of the United States Code as a patriotic society. Inquiries regarding compliance and/or grievance procedures may be directed to the school district’s Title IX/RCW 28A.640 Officer Dr. Paul Douglas at 360.383.9206, and/or Section 504 ADA Coordinator Ms. Jill Iwasaki at 360.383.9221.

Public Participation—Any application and any required policies, procedures, evaluations, plans and reports are readily available to parents and other members of the public through the district’s special education office and the office of the superintendent. A notice regarding the availability of such documents will be placed on the district’s webpage and in the district’s newsletter. Please call the special services department at 360.383.9221 if you have questions or requests about this information.

Right to Request Teacher Qualifications—Ferndale School District receives federal funds for Title I programs that are part of the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001. You have the right to request information regarding the professional qualifications of your child’s classroom teacher(s). If you request this information, the district or school will provide you with the following as soon as possible: 1) if the teacher has met state licensing requirements for the grade level and subjects in which the teacher is providing instruction; 2) if state licensing requirements have been waived for the teacher on a temporary basis; 3) the type of college degree major of the teacher and the field of discipline for any graduate degree or certificate; and 4) if your child is receiving Title I services from paraprofessionals and, if so, his/her qualifications. To request this information or for inquiries please contact Executive Director of Human Resources, Dr. Paul Douglas, at 360.383.9206.

District administrative changes

Jeremy VincentFerndale High School Principal

Michael FreerDirector of Food Services

Jenifer RolieFerndale High School Assistant Principal

Joel FrancikVista Middle School Assistant Principal

Julia BesolaDirector of Teaching and Learning

David RodriguezFerndale High School Assistant Principal

Kelly JohnsonDirector of Transportation

Jamie PlenkovichDirector of Maintenance

@FerndaleSD_WA

7

Website Email Youtube Vimeo LinkedIn Facebook Twitter

SCHOOL KICK-OFF EVENTSSCHOOL BEGINS WEDNESDAY, SEPTEMBER 6

Beach Elementary School3786 Centerview Rd., Lummi IslandClass lists will be posted to the school’s front door the day prior to school starting

Cascadia Elementary School6175 Church Rd, FerndaleMeet and Greet Sept. 5, 5-6:00PMGr. K Parent Breakfast Sept. 13, 9-11:00AMGr. 2 Parent Night Sept. 14, 5:30-6:00PMGr. 1 Parent Night Sept. 19, 6:00-6:45PMGr. 3 Parent Night Sept. 21, 5:00-5:45PMGr. 5 Parent Night Sept. 26, 6:00-6:45PMGr. 4 Parent Night Oct. 5, 5:30-6:00PM

Central Elementary School5610 Second Avenue, FerndaleMeet and Greet Sept. 5, 5:30-6:30PMOpen House Sept. 21, 6:00-7:00PM

Custer Elementary School7660 Custer School Rd., CusterIce Cream Social Sept. 5, 4:30-5:30PMOpen House Sept. 21, 6:00-7:00PM

Eagleridge Elementary School2651 Thornton Rd., FerndaleMeet and Greet Sept. 5, 5:00-6:00PMOpen House Oct. 3, 5:30-6:30PM

Skyline Elementary School2225 Thornton Rd., FerndaleCookies and Classrooms Sept. 5, 5:00-6:00PMCurriculum Night Sept. 28, 5:30-6:30PM

Horizon Middle School2671 Thornton Rd., FerndaleGrade 6 & New Student Orientation Aug. 31, 5:00-6:30PM

Vista Middle School6051 Vista Dr., FerndaleStudent Orientation Aug. 31, 4:00-6:00PMOpen House Oct. 4, 6:00PM

Ferndale High School5830 Golden Eagle Dr., FerndaleMeet the Principal and Assistant Principals Aug. 28, 6:00-7:00PMFreshman Registration Aug. 29, 9:30AM-12:00PMUpper Classmen Registration Aug. 30, 8:00AM-1:00PMNew Student Registration Sept. 1, 8:00AM-3:00PM

Open House Oct. 12, 7:00-8:30PM

Windward High School5275 Northwest Ave., BellinghamOpen House Sept. 27, (time TBD)

Have you registered to vote in the state of Washington? Do you need to update your voter registration? It’s quick and simple at MyVote: sos.wa.gov. Or pick up a registration form at any school or district office.

U.S. POSTAGENon-Profit Org.

PAIDFerndale, WAPermit No. 5

P.O. Box 698Ferndale, WA 98248

...Making a Difference

8