Dear PSD Staff and Families:
We hope you had a good week while continuing to remain at home. Below, please see our latest updates.
What Will School Look Like in the Fall?
With so much uncertainty about the future of the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s hard to plan anything for next week, let alone for September. As a learning organization, we need to take what we’ve learned about our system since March and improve upon it to deliver the education our students deserve. Although we can’t plan definitely, we know school will most likely look vastly different from previous school years. District leadership is working now on plans to reopen school in the fall. Last week, we began by gathering feedback from grade-level administrators to develop guiding principles to assist in the planning. Last night, the school board heard about those guiding principles and the district’s initial work around creating a comprehensive reopening plan, accounting for all contingencies, which will be brought before the board on June 11.
The next step will be convening an advisory team with representatives from every corner of the district next Thursday to begin to oversee this work. After the advisory team has met, workgroups will convene to put together a detailed reopening plan for the fall of 2020 to take back to the advisory team to review. More information about the advisory team and associated workgroups on this topic will be forthcoming.
Stay Strong PSD - Virtual Art Exhibition
PSD is inviting all students to use creative expression and show what it means to Stay Strong PSD with our virtual art exhibition. Students may choose any medium for their artistic expression, including poetry, music, painting, 3D creation, photography, baking, woodworking, and more. Digital submissions are due by June 12, and we will share all entries virtually with our PSD community. For more information and to submit your work, go to psd401.net/staystrong. Outstanding Entries will be featured on social media in the last week of school.
Class of 2020 Cap and Gown Delivery Events
We loved seeing all our PHS and GHHS seniors at Cap and Gown pickups this week! Thank you to staff and student school leaders, Jostens, school board members, and everyone else who helped put these events together. View the photo galleries for PHS and GHHS. Henderson Bay High School Cap and Gown pickup will be Wednesday, May 20 at the school. Congratulations to the Class of 2020!
PSD Issued Devices - Summer Break
All students with school district devices, like Chromebooks, are instructed to keep them over the summer. If you have plans to leave the district before the fall, please return your device to your school before leaving the area. 9th-grade students will be getting new devices in the fall and will be expected to return their used devices at that time.
Staying Connected Video
Check out this week’s video featuring our amazing preschool teachers and students. Our video series, “Staying Connected - Continuous Learning in the Peninsula School District,” tells stories of what’s happening in the days and lives of our staff and students during Governor Inslee’s ‘Stay Home, Stay Safe’ directive. Look for more videos coming soon!
We Appreciate our Communities in Schools Partner!
The PSD Communities in Schools team has been working hard to provide the support our students and families deserve during this time of crisis. Read their story linked here. Thank you, Communities in Schools. We appreciate you!
PSD School Board Supports KMS and KPMS Modernizations
The Peninsula School District Board of Directors agreed that the district should move forward with the modernization and expansion of Kopachuck Middle School and Key Peninsula Middle School. At a board meeting in March, Superintendent Jarvis proposed a long term capital plan, which identified middle school overcrowding as the next most pressing need in our district.
Additional state funding was made available for Elementary School #9 because of the district’s sharp kindergarten enrollment increases, and the district is saving money on the four elementary school construction projects because of the accelerated construction schedule. The board reviewed the emergent needs at all the other schools and confirmed the maintenance budget in the general fund will continue to address critical systems until funds are available for major modernizations and replacements. The modernized middle schools are anticipated to be completed by the end of 2022.
PSD On the Move - Pioneer Elementary and Henderson Bay High School
To support a fall 2020 opening for Pioneer Elementary, and to ensure we relieve overcrowding in our elementary schools, district leaders decided that students at Pioneer Elementary School will use the Henderson Bay High School (HBH) building until construction is complete and the new building is ready for occupancy.
HBH, with its team teaching model and the pause on new enrollments, will be temporarily relocated in space at the district's Educational Services Center (ESC) campus. This temporary space will allow HBH students to continue their high school journey, full of personalized, competency-based learning, internships, and high-quality relationships with instructors.
Preschool programs previously housed at Pioneer will have a new permanent home at Purdy Elementary School.
District personnel displaced by HBH will temporarily move to a location in the community.
Welcome, New Kindergartners!
We are excited to welcome new kindergarten students to our district next year! To help welcome new students and families, each of our elementary schools will be hosting virtual orientations. Below is the schedule of events:
Artondale: May 21, 2020 - 5:00 p.m.
Discovery: TBD (Check the school's website often for update)
Evergreen: May 27, 2020 - 4:00 p.m.
Harbor Heights: May 19, 2020 -10:00 a.m.
Minter Creek: May 29, 2020 - 1:00 p.m.
Pioneer: TBD (Check the school's website often for update)
Purdy: May 19, 2020 - 6:00 p.m.
Vaughn: May 21, 2020 - 4:00 p.m.
Voyager: May 28, 2020 - 3:00 p.m.
Welcome events will be held online via Zoom. Schools will email links to families who have registered for kindergarten. We look forward to meeting you!
Grab and Go Meals - Plan for Memorial Day Weekend
Next Friday, May 22, students who pick up Grab and Go Meals will receive 4 days worth of meals (Friday, Saturday, Sunday and Monday) to accommodate the Memorial Day holiday on Monday, May 25.
We hope everyone enjoys the weekend. Stay safe, stay healthy!
