August 25 - 31, 2016 • thenorthernlight.com
Back to School
Blaine School District 2016-2017 Find the school district online at www.blainesd.org
Welcome Students, Staff, and Families to the 2016-17 School Year! As the first day of school, August 31, approaches, we look forward to a very productive and exciting school year in 2016-17. Over many years, we have consistently championed providing quality learning opportunities for students at all levels of the program. Blaine School District employs one of the most skilled and dedicated groups of professionals in the state of Washington. Teachers and support staff strongly desire to work in Blaine, and many choose to spend their entire career in our district. We see this as a clear tribute to the overall quality of the program, and the commitment that we make to supporting staff in their work with students. Improving student learning at every level of the system remains at the heart of our vision and mission. Our students consistently demonstrate strong academic performance, comparing favorably to other districts across the state. A substantially high number of students (9-12) participate in Advanced Placement (AP) courses, serving as evidence of a high level of academic rigor. In the Spring of 2014, Blaine High School was recognized as a High Achievement School by the State Board of Education and OSPI. A significant part of secondary (6-12) student success can be attributed to the strong foundation established in our K-5 program. We are privileged to
have excellent K-12 administrators, teachers and support personnel who demonstrate a consistent commitment to making a difference for young people. Over the past three years, teachers and administrators from across the state of Washington have taken on an unprecedented level of transition with respect to new learning standards (Common Core State Standards), a new performance evaluation system (TPEP), and a new state-level system for the evaluation of student academic performance (Smarter Balanced Assessment). These initiatives have placed a significant level of demand upon the overall system. As we enter into the new school year, there is evidence that the hard work of our staff is surfacing significant achievement results for students. Preliminary state assessment results, specifically in Math and Language Arts, indicate gains, year over year, at multiple grade levels. The staff, students, and families of Blaine School District remain deeply appreciative of the support that the community demonstrated in passing a $45 million Capital Facility Bond in February of 2015. Many great things are yet to come in the Blaine School District! If you have been on, or near, the campus over these three months, you will have noticed a number of facility upgrades coming to fruition. • We reached the final stages of project comple tion for the new addition at Blaine Primary School and, over the summer months, work has concluded on the existing roof, the new music room and enclosure of the play shed. • Blaine Elementary School is also on track to have new play
ground equipment installed as the new school year gets underway. • Finally, in July of this summer, SpeeWest started construction on Phase I of the three year Blaine High School Project. Excavation of the site for the new building should be complete in Septem ber, followed by construction of the building. The students and staff of Blaine School District recognize and appreciate the extensive level of community ownership and involvement that is in place at all levels of the program. The communities of Blaine, Point Roberts and Birch Bay take great pride in the learning that takes place in their schools and, most importantly, in the ongoing growth and success of students. Blaine School District employees realize how important it is to keep parents and patrons informed of key events and issues across all grade levels. To that end, we hope that you will find an opportunity to frequently visit blainesd.org. There you can learn more about opportunities to stay connected to activities involving our students. On behalf of the board of directors and the staff of the Blaine School District, I want to thank you for providing us with the opportunity to educate your child. There is not a more important responsibility that we could be charged with assuming. Thank you for choosing to enroll your students in the Blaine School District. It promises to be a great year!
Ronald C. Spanjer, Ed.D., Superintendent
2016-2017 Calendar Dates printed here are subject to change. An up-to-date calendar of events can be found on the district website at www.blainesd.org. AUGUST 25 HS fall sports parent meeting, 5:30 p.m., PAC 26 New staff day 29 All certificated staff day 29 Freshman orientation, 5 p.m., MS cafeteria or football field 30 All staff day 31 First day of school (except kindergarten), 8:20 a.m. 31 MS 1st sports season begins SEPTEMBER 5 Labor Day – no school 6 PS PTO Meeting, 6 p.m., PS library 14 HS open house, 6 p.m., PAC 15 6th grade band parent meeting, 7 p.m., MS cafeteria 19 Late start at 10:20 a.m. 21 ES curriculum night, 6 p.m., PAC 22 MS open house, 6 p.m., PAC 26 School board meeting, 7 p.m., district office 29 PS open house, 6 p.m. 30 MS academic assembly, 10:45 a.m., PAC OCTOBER 4 PS PTO meeting, 6 p.m., PS library 10 Late start at 10:20 a.m. 11 ES PTO meeting, 6 p.m., MS library 12–13 PS picture days 21 ES picture day 24 School board work session 5 p.m., School board meeting, 7 p.m., district office 27 PS PTO harvest festival, 5:30 p.m., MS cafeteria 31 Late start at 10:20 a.m. NOVEMBER 1 PS PTO Meeting, 6 p.m., PS library HS fall concert, 7 p.m., PAC 3 7th & 8th grade concert, 7 p.m., PAC 8 ES Veterans Day assembly, 2 p.m., PAC ES PTO meeting, 6 p.m., ES library
10 MS Veterans Day assembly, 9 a.m., PAC HS Veterans Day assembly, 10:30 a.m., PAC 11 Veterans Day – no school 14 Teacher workday – no school HS winter sports begin 16 PS picture retakes 17 HS winter sports parent meeting, 5:30 p.m., PAC 17 – 23 K-8 parent/teacher conferences – early dismissal at 12:50 p.m. 22 MS dance, 7 p.m., MS cafeteria 23 K-12 Early dismissal at 12:50 p.m. 24 – 25 Thanksgiving break – no school 28 School board meeting, 7 p.m., district office
DECEMBER 1 PS concert, 1 p.m., PAC 5 Late start at 10:20 a.m. 8 HS community concert, 7 p.m., PAC 13 ES PTO meeting, 6 p.m., ES library School board meeting, 12 p.m., district office 13 7th & 8th grade community concert, 7 p.m., PAC 14 MS academic assembly, 8:30 a.m., PAC 14 HS Roman banquet 19 – Jan 2 Winter break JANUARY 3 PS PTO Meeting, 6 p.m., PS library 5 – 7 HS drama performance, 7 p.m., PAC 9 Late start at 10:20 a.m. 10 PS Bedtime with Books, 6 p.m., MS cafeteria ES PTO meeting, 6 p.m., MS library 12 – 13 HS drama performance, 7 p.m., PAC 14 HS drama performance, 2 p.m., PAC 13 ES Martin Luther King Jr. assembly, 2 p.m., PAC 16 Martin Luther King Jr. Day – no school 19 6th grade concert, 7 p.m., PAC 23 School board meeting, 7 p.m., district office
28 HS math championships 30 Teacher workday – no school
FEBRUARY 4 Arts and Jazz festival, 7 p.m., MS Cafeteria 6 Late start at 10:20 a.m. 7 PS PTO Meeting, 6 p.m., PS library 14 ES PTO Meeting, 6 p.m., ES library 17–20 Mid-winter break – no school 25 Whatcom County math champs 27 Late start at 10:20 a.m. School board work session, 5 p.m., School board meeting, 7 p.m., district office HS spring sports begin 28 7th & 8th grade concert, 7 p.m., PAC MARCH 4 Pizza and Pizzazz, 5 p.m., MS cafeteria 6 – 10 K-8 parent/teacher conferences – Early dismissal at 12:50 p.m. 7 PS PTO meeting, 6 p.m., PS library 9 Kindergarten registration begins, 10 a.m., PS multipurpose room 14 ES PTO Meeting, 6 p.m., ES library 20 Late start at 10:20 a.m. 24 MS academic assembly, 8:30 a.m., PAC MS drama performance, 7 p.m., PAC 25 MS state math championships 27 School board meeting. 7 p.m., Point Roberts Primary School APRIL 3–7 Spring break – no school 11 PS PTO meeting, 6 p.m., PS library 14 MS spelling bee, 2 p.m., PAC 17 Late start at 10:20 a.m. 18 – 19 HS student led conferences, 1 p.m., MS cafeteria HS early dismissal at 11:50 a.m.
21 24 25
ES PTO Meeting, 6 p.m., ES library MS spring dance, 7 p.m., MS cafeteria School board meeting, 7 p.m., district office HS concert, 7 p.m., PAC
MAY 1 2 4–5 9 10 22 23–24 25 29
Learning improvement day – no school PS PTO meeting, 6 p.m., PS library HS drama performance, 7 p.m., PAC ES PTO meeting, 6 p.m., ES library PS concert, 1 p.m., PAC School board work session, 5 p.m., School board meeting, 7 p.m., district office HS senior boards HS early dismissal at 11:50 a.m. 6th grade spring concert, 7 p.m., PAC Memorial Day – no school
JUNE 1 Evening of the Arts, 6:30 p.m., PAC 5 HS all choral concert, 7 p.m., PAC 6 7th & 8th grade concert, 7 p.m., PAC 13 ES PTO meeting, 6 p.m., ES library 14 8th grade tea, 7 p.m., PAC 15 Last day of school – early dismissal at 12:50 p.m. 16, 19, 20 Closure make-up days 26 School board meeting, 7 p.m., district office
School starts Wednesday, August 31
Hot-N-Ready Cheese or Pepperoni Pizzas
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Dine-In & Carry Out • Blaine International Marketplace
332-1700 2-For Tuesday $
2 Hot-N-Ready Classic Pizzas
10
at 8:20 a.m.
9