Thu Feb 24 2022, 6:15pm
WHS Library and Zoom
Regular Meeting

REPORTS TO THE BOARD

Learning Supports and Alternatives Report

To: Michael Green

From: Jake Hall

Date: 2.18.22

Re: February 2022 Board Report

Family and Community Resource Center

Woodland Dutch Bros is doing a fundraiser for the FCRC food pantry on Friday, February 18th! The fundraiser is called Dutch Luv Day, and $1 from every drink purchase will go directly to our fund to stock each of our schools’ food pantries! Dutch Bros will present the donation to Gabby, our FCRC Coordinator, on Tuesday, February 22nd.

We were awarded the Homeless Student Stability Program/Homeless Student Stability Education Program (HSSP/HSSeP) grant a few years ago and have been using that funding for our district translator position. We are working on partnering with Coordinated Entry in Cowlitz County and Council for the Homeless in Clark County to apply jointly for the HSSP/HSSeP grant again. Our goal with the grant is to help provide services and materials to stabilize our Unaccompanied Homeless Youth. 

Highly Capable Program

We have a workshop for students identified as highly capable scheduled for February 24, 2022. Students will spend half of the day working on their own projects. Overall, we have some amazing project-based learning for our students identified as highly capable. 

  • 1st grade - Students work on problem solving within specific stories.
  • 2nd grade - Students are reading James and the Giant Peach.
  • 3rd grade - Genius Hour - Students pick a passion topic to research and present to the class.
  • 4th grade - Students are working with the Ozobots and coding.
  • 5th - 8th grades - Students identified as highly capable meet during SOAR time, 40 minutes each Tuesday - Friday. Students also participate in a workshop to work on their special projects.
  • 6th grade - Students just finished designing their own 3-D objects and printed them using the 3-D printer purchased with funding for Highly Capable. 

Lewis River Academy

We are proud of our many families who have developed strong at-home learning routines. We have heard from many families who were ill this past December and January, and we have worked with them to re-adjust learning goals as students and parents recover.  We have also welcomed several new families in the past month.

Across grade levels, we set up a variety of “Google Meet” virtual meetings to help students connect with their peers through games and learning topics. It is a joy to see students use those occasions to make new friends!

Special Services

Our entire special services department is going to have professional development on February 18, 2022. We will be discussing the requirements and guidelines for determining Recovery Services, and we will be exchanging best practices for IEP documentation and workflows.

Our Safety Net Team is in the middle of our work applying for Safety Net reimbursement for some of our students who have high costs for the services they need. Our goal is to submit our Safety Net documentation to OSPI by Wednesday, March 9, 2022. 

TEAM High School

TEAM has added a new math teacher, Erynne Cushing! Erynne completed her student teaching at WHS, and we are thrilled to have her join our TEAM Team! Erynne has already made a great impression on staff and students alike, with some students saying she is the best Math teacher they've ever had! 

TEAM has three seniors who are all done with their coursework! These students will complete their High School and Beyond Plans to meet all of the graduation requirements for Woodland School District and earn their diplomas. We are proud of these students; their hard work and dedication are an example for all of us!

Title 1 Program -- Woodland Middle School

Although we have been enduring a staffing shortage this school year, we have some good news to report this month. We recently hired two title paraprofessionals! We are grateful to have these positions filled by these top candidates.

Math Club adjusted to open up more spots for a second 5th grade group.  Kudos to Melyssa Johnson and Sarah Netland for their work with the students and for their flexibility to make WMS Math Club a reality!

We recently purchased a new curriculum that is "pre-Barton" for a student who has significant struggles in reading. We are excited to see how this phonemic awareness instruction benefits him. We want to thank Cindee Claycamp for learning and teaching this program.

All of the WMS teachers in their first three years of teaching have participated in “Learning Walks” where they have been able to learn from expert teachers in WMS. These Learning Walks proved to be inspiring for our new teachers as they learned from their colleagues.