Friday, May 13, 2022
As Spring has quickly arrived, we have started to gear up for all the activities necessary to have a successful close to the 21-22 school year and plan for a successful start to the 22-23 school year. These activities include, but are not limited to, things like Kindergarten registration, Dual Language Program enrollment, creating class schedules, State testing, hiring new staff, graduation, planning summer programs for staff and students, and much, much more. However, with each of these activities, the focal point continues to be on doing everything possible to support each and every student in learning at high levels. Although Spring also brings the excitement for Summer, it is also the greatest time to continue to stress the importance of school so we can focus on the positive learning gains that often come in the last 3 months of the year.
With Spring, also comes the opportunity to recognize our staff through both classified (March) and certificated (May) staff appreciation weeks. Our amazing staff continues to dedicate themselves to support your children in a variety of ways to maximize their success. Please take a minute to thank our staff when you see them for all that they do to make your student’s school experience something that will have a positive impact on their lives for years to come.
In the previous newsletter, I stressed the importance of building and maintaining a strong home-school connection. With that in mind, this May we will begin our parent series, which will provide strategies to our families in supporting their student’s success at school. This is something that we will begin this Spring, but will continue over the Summer and through the next school year. We are excited to be able to provide this opportunity, and continue to build a stronger connection between home and school. The consistency created with this partnership, will greatly increase the likelihood of success, not only academically, but also behaviorally, socially, and emotionally.
Thank you for the trust you place in our district. I look forward to seeing you out in our schools and community, and having the chance to talk in person.
Russ Hill
Tuesday, January 4, 2022
A New Year
As we move out of the holiday season, it is amazing how quickly the first part of the school year has gone by. I continue to be impressed with the outstanding learning opportunities I see our teachers provide each and every day in our classrooms, the excitement of our students in the hallways and the classrooms, and the support of our families as we continue to regain the familiarity to a ‘normal’ school routine. After a year and a half of constant changes to those routines, it is taking time for many to become accustomed to the re-establishment of the expectations of a more structured environment.
With that in mind, our continued work together, as a school system and as a community, to establish clear routines, consistent expectations, and systems of support to address student needs, will ensure high levels of learning for ALL of our students. As we work together to create consistency between the school and home, this consistency greatly increases the likelihood of success, not only academically, but also behaviorally, socially, and emotionally. If you are unsure of what you can do to support your child, I encourage you to contact the school for more information.
Thank you for the trust you place in our district and all of your hard work in supporting your student(s). I look forward to seeing you out in our schools and community, and having the chance to talk in person.
Russ Hill
Monday, July 26, 2021
New Beginnings
I would like to start off by saying how excited I am to be the new Superintendent of the East Valley School District. With the outstanding staff, students, and community, I couldn’t ask for a better district to be a part of. I am looking forward to the opportunity to continue to build on all of the great things going on in our East Valley schools.
In order to continue moving forward in a positive direction, we must further the strong partnership between our schools and families to ensure continued growth for each and every one of our students. Through this partnership, we will work collaboratively to establish the support systems necessary to meet student needs, both at home and at school. I can’t stress enough how important it is for us all to communicate a consistent message to our students about the importance of a quality education, working hard every day, and doing your best in whatever it is that you do. This message, along with the life skills that come with it, will provide opportunities both now and in their future to become successful members of our community.
The East Valley School District is thrilled to welcome our students back for the 21-22 school year. Although safety guidelines continue to change, we do expect to be allowed to return in a traditional format. With a somewhat return to ‘normalcy’ after the COVID-19 pandemic, we are looking forward to having all of our students back in front of us all day, every day. The past year and a half has been tough on our families, our students, and our staff. Because of that, we know we are going to need to spend time rebuilding relationships, re-establishing routines, and supporting students in learning recovery. The good news is we learned a lot during the pandemic and are prepared, more than ever, to implement new and innovative ways of helping our students be successful. We are committed to ensuring that each classroom establishes a positive culture, focused on student learning and providing the support necessary to make that happen.
I look forward to seeing you out in our schools and our community and having the chance to talk in person.
Russ Hill
Tuesday, July 13, 2021
Congratulations Russ Hill on becoming the new Superintendent of the East Valley School District
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Wednesday, January 27, 2021
Retiring After 43 Years In Education
After 43 years in education, 19 of which have been spent here in East Valley, I’d like to share that I have submitted my retirement letter to our East Valley Board of Directors. I am excited to have more time to spend with my family, ride my horses, tend to my fields and reacquaint myself with lost hobbies. I know that I will miss the enormous feeling of satisfaction that I get from seeing the smiles of students and staff as I visit schools and various departments across the district.
Over the course of nearly two decades, I have had the privilege of providing leadership for this district as we have navigated challenges presented by the implementation of new policies, construction projects, state and federal initiatives and now a pandemic. Each time, coming through stronger than the last. I am proud of the accomplishments that have been made by our East Valley Schools during my tenure as your superintendent. This ongoing success is a testament to how well our leaders and staff members have worked together to create quality programs and services for our East Valley students and community.
East Valley is community like no other. I feel so fortunate to have been able to carry out so many years of my career in a district with a community that has continuously shown unwavering support for our schools and students through the years. It has truly been an honor to serve as your superintendent. I look forward to our continued work together as I complete the remaining months of my career in education.
What an incredible and rewarding experience this has been!
John Schieche
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Thursday, November 19, 2020
Safe Celebrations & Healthy Holidays
As we approach the holidays, we have a lot to be thankful for. Our students are beginning to return to our buildings and local schools that have opened have had a lot of success with keeping the spread of COVID-19 to a minimum. In fact, here in East Valley, none of our school cases can be attributed to spread happening in our buildings. Those few cases that we have seen have all been attributed to community-based spread, from people getting together at social gatherings with those outside their household.
We know that the success we have seen is a direct result of the precautionary measures we’re taking in our buildings like regular sanitizing, social distancing of students and staff, and proper mask wear and care by all who enter.
In Yakima County more than 90% of our confirmed cases are coming from community-based spread. We’re all in this together and we need your help to keep our students in school. As we approach Thanksgiving and winter break, we want to remind our families to take some of the same precautions we’re implementing in our schools at home:
· Stay home when you’re sick
· Limit social gatherings
· Wear masks and practice social distancing when you have to go out in public, and
· Practice healthy habits like regular hand washing and sanitation of high touch surfaces.
Wishing your safe celebrations and healthy holidays in 2020,
John Schieche
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Monday, November 16, 2020
COVID Update Following Governor Inslee's Press Release
In light of Governor Inslee’s latest press conference, we would like to remind you that we remain committed to providing the best learning opportunities we can, while also placing the health and safety of our students, staff, and community as our highest priority.
The Yakima Health District has issued new guidance for in-person instruction in local schools.
Click here to review that guidance. This new guidance will not impact our ability to serve students in grades preK-8; we will continue to offer hybrid, in-person instruction, at all 3 elementary schools and East Valley Central Middle School. We are currently working with the YHD to determine how this new guidance will affect the reopening of East Valley High School. More information will be forthcoming soon.
We appreciate your continued support and understanding as we navigate the challenges presented by this COVID-19 pandemic. We are in this, and will get through this, together. To help us keep our community healthy and keep our schools open, we need your help. As we approach the holiday season, we ask that you stay home when you’re sick, limit large social gatherings, wear masks when you’re in public, and practice healthy habits as outlined by the Yakima Health District.
I want to ensure you that we will remain committed to your student’s safety and education during these unprecedented times.
Stay healthy and safe,
John Schieche
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Tuesday, October 13, 2020
Hybrid Safe Return Plan Approved
Last March, we were directed to close our schools as a result of the COVID-19 pandemic. Every day since, we have missed seeing our students’ smiles and hearing their laughter in our halls. We are pleased to share that at last night’s school board meeting, our East Valley Board of Directors approved our finalized Hybrid Safe Return Plan. We are excited for the opportunity to welcome our students back to our buildings for this long-awaited return.
As a district, we are appreciative of the level of engagement we have experienced from both our staff and community members and greatly value all of the input that we received during our virtual forums last week.
(Click here to access a recording of these community forums.) Based on the feedback we gained during these events, we believe the Hybrid Safe Return Plan that was presented will allow our schools and teachers the best opportunity to provide consistency in instruction and rigorous instructional activities for all students. As such, no major changes were made in finalizing this draft plan.
Click here to review our final Hybrid Safe Return Plan.
Students who elect to return for in-person instruction will be divided by last name into two cohorts of students that attend classes in an AM/PM schedule. Schools will be communicating with families to finalize these assignments. Students that elect to participate in our hybrid safe return model, will be introduced in a staggered approach, as recommended by the Yakima Health District. These return dates are outlined below:
October 26th – All 3 Elementary Schools
November 16th – Middle School
December 7th – High School
Students who elect to continue to receive instruction in a 100% remote model, will attend their class(es) virtually during the time allotted for their cohort. More information will be provided as we approach our Hybrid Safe Return start dates.
In lieu of additional virtual forums, we are working on creating an online webpage dedicated to addressing the most commonly asked questions during last week’s forums. This Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ) page will be posted later this week. Once this page is live, we will send a follow-up communication with a direct link for your convenience.
As our schools approach their hybrid start date, families will be invited to attend hybrid learning conferences. During these conferences families will have an opportunity to walk through the specifics of the hybrid plan, as it relates to their child’s classroom and school. Teachers will be contacting families to schedule these meetings during the following dates:
October 20th-23rd – All 3 Elementary Schools
November 9-13th – Middle School
November 30th – December 4th – High School
We look forward to continuing to partner with our families as we navigate these unprecedented times. If you have any questions, please don’t hesitate to reach out to your child’s teacher or building principal.
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Tuesday, October 6, 2020
Hybrid Safe Return Plan Draft Released
Last week the Yakima County Health District issued revised guidance that allows us to bring students back to a hybrid learning environment through a ‘phase-in’ model organized by grade bands. Based on the continued decline of COVID-19 cases in Yakima County, the low number of positive cases of school aged children, as well as various other data points, the Yakima Health District has issued this new recommendation. It has been recommended that local schools reintroduce students to some level of face to face instruction beginning in the next couple of weeks. Requirements of this return include the ability of school districts to ensure a low risk, safe learning environment, with the system wide implementation of specific safety measures approved by the Yakima Health District.
Based on these recommendations, we are planning to open East Valley Schools in a hybrid model with the following phase in plan:
October 26th All Three Elementary Schools
November 16th Middle School
December 7th High School
Today, Tuesday, October 6th, we will conduct two community forums to provide an overview of the hybrid reopening plan, answer questions our parents and community members may have and to obtain input related to this plan. Based on the input from our staff and community, the hybrid plan will be finalized and presented to the East Valley School District Board of Directors for approval on October 12th. Review our Hybrid Safe Return Draft Plan at https://www.evsd90.org/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=1829586&type=d&pREC_ID=2088371
We appreciate the continued support of our families as we have navigated through the evolving dynamics this COVID-19 pandemic has presented.
Sincerely,
John Schieche
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Monday, September 28, 2020
A Hybrid Safe Return Coming Soon
Dear East Valley Families & Staff,
I want to start by thanking you for helping get the 2020-2021 school year off to a smooth start despite our continued challenges caused by the ongoing pandemic. Your efforts to engage with your students’ teachers during conferences the first week of school allowed for some critical conversations about expectations and engagement during this time of distance learning.
That being said, I am very excited to share that school districts in Yakima County received some exciting and long awaited news from the Yakima Health District. As you may have heard, earlier today the Yakima Health District released guidance indicating that schools could start bringing students back for in-person instruction as early as October 12th. This guidance calls for a staggered start and requires that we demonstrate the ability to maintain social distancing in our schools upon reopening. Based on this guidance, we have been drafting a plan for the reopening of our East Valley Schools. While the logistics of this plan are still being finalized, we can share some of the foundations that this plan is being drafted upon.
1. We will begin reopening our schools with a staggered approach where elementary students are the first to return, with middle school and high school students being brought back gradually over time. We are currently working on developing a tentative reopening timeline that aligns with guidance from the Yakima Health District. We plan to release a draft of this plan and tentative schedule early next week.
2. We will need to demonstrate the ability to maintain social distancing in our classrooms. Since we do not have enough physical classroom space to accommodate all students at the same time and comply with the requirements, we will need to implement a hybrid model of instruction. We will develop two groups of students, or cohorts, who will alternate reporting for in-person instruction. We are currently working with our distance learning team to design a weekly schedule that allows us to comply with these strict social distancing requirements in the classroom.
3. Families will have a choice. We also understand that some families will not be comfortable sending their students back into the classroom at all. We will be finalizing plans to offer 100% distance learning for those students.
4. Face Coverings will be required to be worn by staff and students at all times when in the building or on the bus. We have purchased two cloth masks for each staff member and student (one to wear and one to wash). If your children are not yet in the habit of wearing a face covering for a long period of time, it is advisable to start practicing at home. It is also advisable to purchase more masks for your students.
5. We will all need to do our part to keep each other healthy. While the number of confirmed positive cases of COVID-19 has dropped in recent weeks, COVID-19 is still affecting individuals in our community. We will all need to do our part to keep each other healthy once we reopen our schools. Families will be expected to attest to the health of their students at the start of each day. It is important for families to keep students home that are demonstrating any symptoms that could be attributed to COVID-19 or if they have been in close contact with someone with a confirmed or suspected case of COVID-19. For more information on this attestation, click here.
More communication about our Safe Return Hybrid Plan will be coming in the next 7-10 days. In the meantime we will continue to do our best using the distance learning model. Should the COVID-19 transmission rates increase over the next two weeks, we will reevaluate the situation.
Stay safe. Wear your mask, practice social distancing whenever possible and wash your hands frequently.
John Schieche, Superintendent
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Wednesday, September 2, 2020
Welcome Back to Distance Learning
As we quickly approach our first day of our return to distance learning on September 8th, I understand that many families may be experiencing anxiety about what to expect and how to manage all the different aspects of their lives as a result of this COVID-19 pandemic. I want you to know that we are here to support our students, staff and families through these challenging times.
As we prepare for a beginning like no other I have seen in the past, our focus will be to provide an enhanced distance learning experience that focuses on increased student engagement while providing increased support for our families. Our goal is to make sure that every child, in every virtual classroom, feels connected, challenged and supported every day.
I continue to be encouraged by the positivity and support we have received from our staff, students, families and community partners as we have embarked on this unique journey. We know that if our schools and families work together as a team, we can virtually accomplish anything!
Welcome back to the 2020-2021 school year!
John Schieche
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Tuesday, August 4, 2020
Virtual Learning to Start 2020-2021 School Year
Dear East Valley School District Families,
As we rapidly approach the end of summer break and the start of our 2020-2021 school year, we are faced with the realities that this very unusual year has created for us. As you may know from previous communications, we have been focused on preparing several options for our return to school. Although feedback from staff and families has been used to help shape many aspects of these plans, East Valley School District is required to follow the guidelines set forth by the Yakima County Health District and the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) in reopening our schools.
Like many things these days during this COVID-19 pandemic, our return to learning will be quite different this year than it has been in previous years. The health and safety of our students and staff remain our top priorities; however, we are equally committed to providing quality education for all of our students. With safety, security, and learning in mind, I’m pleased to share an update on our plans to deliver education this fall.
While the Yakima County Health District has continued to be encouraged by the decline in confirmed cases in our county, they have informed us that we would need to have 63 confirmed cases over the course of two weeks to be considered a low-risk community. With our daily numbers drastically higher than this average, the Yakima County Health District is recommending that East Valley School District and our neighboring districts move forward with distance learning at this time.
Given the guidelines and recommendations by our local health authorities, we will begin the 2020-2021 school year 100% virtual with students engaging in an upgraded fully-remote/distance learning model. This approach to distance learning will be a significantly enhanced version of the approach that we used in the spring of 2020. The district’s vision for this enhanced model of virtual learning will be focused on ensuring higher expectations and accountability for student engagement, while at the same time providing increased supports for families and students. We are prepared to remain in this model until at least October 30th, but are also prepared to transition to traditional in-person instruction if there are significant improvements in the health status of Yakima County.
To allow adequate time for our educators and support staff to collaborate and prepare for this enhanced virtual learning model, we have made the decision to push back our start date. Our first day of school for 2020-2021 will be Tuesday, September 8, 2020. Due to this delayed start, we will also push back our graduation and release dates. Please see our most current academic calendar online at https://www.evsd90.org/apps/pages/DistrictCalendar
We will continue to communicate updates as we work to finalize our plans over the course of the next few weeks.
Community members are invited to join us for one of our upcoming virtual reopening chats on Wednesday, August 19th, to address our reopening plans and answer any questions that you may still have. We will offer two chat sessions; one chat will be held at 9:00 a.m. and the other will take place at 6:00 p.m. Space for each session is limited to 250 attendees. Both sessions will be recorded and available online on our website.
To join us online, click the link or use the phone number below to call in.
https://meet.google.com/eji-feht-bbh Dial-in: (US) +1 619-784-8228 PIN: 602 205 725#
Please know that we miss our students and are doing our very best to plan with the goal of resuming face-to-face instruction as soon as possible. Thank you for your patience and understanding as we move forward in these unprecedented times.
Sincerely,
John Schieche, Superintendent
East Valley School District No.90
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Monday, July 6, 2020
Planning For Reopening
Dear Staff & Families,
As the school year closes, we want to thank you once again for all of the hard work you’ve put in these last few months to ensure continuous distance learning was possible for our East Valley students. We know that the uncertainty of what lies ahead for us in the fall can be frustrating to our students, staff and families. We recognize that our schools play a large role as families are scheduling and making arrangements for the year. We also understand that it can be equally frustrating to be given information and then have that information and guidance change after you’ve already begun to make your plans. With that in mind, we wanted to provide you with an update on our reopening planning for fall 2020, based on the guidance we have now and the current state of Yakima County.
Our planning is based on the Washington State Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction’s “Reopening Washington Schools 2020 District Planning Guide” and “Reopening Washington Schools Q&A”. We have been, and will continue to work throughout the next couple of months, to address all aspects of this reopening plan. We are also working on contingency plans for various levels of remote learning, should we not be able to return to a traditional setting in the fall. We have been very encouraged by the support of over 500 staff and community members who took our remote learning survey this month. We appreciate your suggestions and want you to know that we are using the feedback from your remote learning experiences this year. Data from this survey will be used throughout the planning process to ensure optimal learning environments for our students and staff that are physically, emotionally, and intellectually safe.
Based on the reopening phase of Yakima County and the Yakima Health District’s requirements for this phase of reopening, we will return in the fall in one of three ways:
· Students return 100% to a traditional in-person, face-to-face instruction model.
· Students participate in a hybrid learning model, including combinations of remote learning and in-person learning.With a hybrid model, only a certain percentage of students would be in the building at a given time, while others work remotely. These groups of students would alternate between remote learning and in-person instruction.
· Students participate in 100% remote learning.
District and school administrators, nursing staff, association leaders and building leaders have been convening virtually to assess needs and develop plans that address health and safety, teaching and learning, social-emotional learning, and the facilities aspects of our reopening plan. We will be continuing to periodically update families and seek your input on our reopening plans throughout the summer.
Based on feedback gathered in our remote learning survey, we feel it is important to highlight a few of the specific mandates from the Washington State Department of Health (DOH), which districts and schools are required to follow as a condition of their reopening plan.
1. All students, staff, volunteers and guests must wear face coverings in K-12 settings. Knowing this, we have already begun to acquire face coverings that we will distribute to each of our students and staff members at the start of the year. It would be advisable to try to secure additional face coverings for students to wear throughout the year.
2. Districts will be required to ensure social distancing to the maximum extent feasible. We are in the process of assessing our classroom and school spaces to determine how we will be able to meet these distancing requirements.
3. Students and staff will be required to be screened for signs of illness prior to entry each day. Staff and students with any illness MUST stay home. This means that we will be planning for how to monitor the temperature of each student before entry into our buildings. Students with a temperature above 100.4°F will not be allowed admittance. Families should plan to monitor students’ health and wellness. Students with symptoms, per CDC Guidance, within 72 hours must not attend school.
Please know that we miss our students and staff are doing our very best to plan with the goal of resuming face-to-face instruction as soon as possible, knowing that we must meet the requirements of the Yakima Health District as we reopen our schools. We plan to update families with a more in-depth reopening plan in mid-August.
We wish you and your family a happy, safe, and restful summer!
John Schieche
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Monday, May 4, 2020
Celebrating Our Certificated Staff
Dear Certificated Staff,
As you know this week is National Teacher Appreciation Week. Along with our state and country, we are pleased to take this opportunity to celebrate all that you do for our students, schools and community throughout the year.
We know that this year has been challenging, that you have been pushed to limits we never could have imagined, and that you have been asked to get out of your comfort zones in so many ways. In every tough situation, there is a silver lining. For me, the silver lining in all of this is seeing the innovative practices that you, our certificated staff, have implemented to reach kids where they are. Your ability to maintain the strong connections with students and parents you have worked so hard to create is encouraging and inspirational. Your innovation and hard work fills me with gratitude each and every day.
We asked our community to share one word with us to describe their teacher. They used words like amazing, caring, loving, kind, enthusiastic, challenging, helpful, funny, genuine and inspiring. As I read these words, I echo their sentiments. You are all of these and so much more. As you take on the last weeks of our school year, please remember who you are and how much you mean to our students and families. You are the glue that is holding our schools and community together through these tough times.
We want you to know that we recognize and appreciate all that you are doing to make a difference for our kids and families. Remember to take care of yourselves and your family during these unprecedented times and know that you are in my thoughts.
With my sincerest respect and admiration,
John Schieche
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Thursday, April 2, 2020
COVID Closure
Dear Families, Students and Staff,
In these last few weeks we have been faced with challenges unlike any of the others that I have witnessed in the 40 years that I have been in education. Never before have we been faced with a situation like the COVID-19 and the magnitude of the affects that it will have on the education of our children this year.
I can’t express how much I truly appreciate the hard work and perseverance of our administrators, certificated and classified staff members through this evolving international crisis. From our dedicated food services employees and bus drivers who are still coming into work each day to ensure that our East Valley kids have nutritional meals in these tough times, to our teachers who are out there implementing innovative strategies to reach our families and students remotely, I am so impressed with the dedication of each and every member of our team.
As this pandemic continues to evolve and affect the lives of our neighbors, country and friends across the world, I sincerely hope that our students, staff and East Valley community members stay safe and healthy through these very difficult times.
We anxiously await for conditions to improve so that we can welcome our students and staff back to our buildings. Together we will get through this with our collective commitment to serving each other by practicing social distancing to the best of our abilities. The sooner we can beat this, the sooner we can get back to our regular routines.
Stay Home. Stay Healthy.
John Schieche
Superintendent of East Valley Schools
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Thursday, March 5, 2020
Every January, in accordance with National School Board Directors Appreciation Month, we have the pleasure of honoring our five outstanding East Valley School Board Directors. Matthew Byers, Charlotte Layman, Seth Basford, Raymond Wiseman, and Eric Farmer. Our board members demonstrate constant dedication to our community through their service to our students and schools... They read, review and approve policy changes. They thoughtfully evaluate construction project reports and budgets to make sure East Valley schools are making fiscally responsible decisions. They give countless hours to ensuring that our decisions meet the needs and expectations of our citizens at bi-weekly board of director meetings and so much more. The work that they do to promote the future of our students will impact our community for generations. We ask that you join us in thanking our East Valley Board of Directors this month and throughout the school year!
We are a full month into our 2019-2020 school year and already reaping the benefits of our work. This year we have put a magnifying lens to our school and district culture in an effort to forge lasting connections with our students that positively impact academic success. We are thrilled to see so many of our educators taking this work to heart and maximizing this first month to build relationships with their students. We have already begun to see this work translate into fewer discipline issues in our buildings, in comparison to this same time last school year. As we work to strengthen community relations and foster positive relationships with our students, we will be asking you to provide feedback about your experiences, in our buildings and with our staff. Please be on the lookout for these culture surveys.
Graduation is a time of celebration for our district as we release a wonderful group of students out into the world that lies ahead of them. It is also a time of recognition and thanks to our employees and our families who have worked tirelessly over the years to invest in each and every one of them. It is your dedication and love that has empowered them to achieve their highest potential in life.
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