Superintendent

Email Address: c.lanz@tlschool.net

Phone number: (509) 395-2571

 

Superintendent Newsletter                                                                              

December 2019

Dear Mustang Families, 

All of a sudden, it’s December. How did this happen? December can be a busy time for families.  With all the busyness that is associated with this time of year, please take some time for your family to relax and recharge, even if they are small moments here and there.  My wish for you is that every family's cup may overflow with rich and eternal blessings and that your family is able to connect with each other and recharge. Please take care of yourself during this busy time of year!

Breakfast & Books

Trout Lake Elementary (K-5) will be holding our annual Breakfast and Books reading event this Friday, December 6th from 8:30 a.m. to 9:30 a.m in the school lunchroom/MPR.  This is a fun time for K-5 students and their adult guests to spend about 30 minutes reading together, side by side with friends, families, and teachers. Books can be from home or from classroom collections. We will set-up lunchroom tables, floor mats, and a few folding chairs for guests. We invite you to bring pillows, chairs, blankets, etc. from home. We hope you can join us! 

Early Releases

Students will be released at 11:48 a.m. on Friday, December 6th and Friday, December 20th. Early releases allow the staff to engage in training as a team to best meet the needs of the students.  During the December 6th early release, staff will be training. The topic for our December training is “Making the Connection: Building Awareness of Trauma, Brain Development and Resiliency. 

First Lego League

Our First Lego League team will be competing in their qualifying tournament in Hood River on Saturday, December 7th at Hood River Middle School. We wish them luck as they compete against other FLL teams. 

Winter Concert

Please join us for our Winter Concert on Wednesday, December 11th at 6:00 PM.  The PreK-4th grade and 5-12 band and choir students will be performing. Please come enjoy the music stylings of our talented students.  

No School  - Winter Break

Winter break (no school) will take place December 23rd - January 3rd. We will resume school on Monday, January 6, 2020. 

School Communication

We are asking that parents/guardians please include first and last names on notes/communication to school. We have a few students with the same first names and we want to be sure to have everything as correct as we can. 

Happy Retirement Jo Ann

We would like to thank Jo Ann Poland for her many years of service to the Trout Lake School District. Jo Ann has served a substitute, a paraeducator, library assistant, advisor, administrative secretary, and transportation supervisor. Additionally, Jo Ann has been a part of the team that organized our Community Feast and lunch scholarship program along with doing many other duties to assist the school. Jo Ann has been an integral part of the Trout Lake School since 1995 when she first started as a substitute. We have been very fortunate to have Jo Ann as a part of our learning community. Thank you, Jo Ann! Happy Retirement!

K-12 School Secretary

With Jo Ann retiring, we have had the opportunity to hire a K-12 School Secretary. On December 9th, we will be welcoming Stephanie Rubesh to the position. We are very excited to have Stephanie join our team at the school. Please welcome Stephanie when you see her in the office this month. You can reach Stephanie at st.rubesh@tlschool.net. 

Absences & Homework

Please be sure to let the office and teachers know when your child will be absent from school. Depending on the length of absence and when you or your child is letting the teacher know, they may or may not receive their homework in advance. We have been having quite a few students request homework and then not complete it while they are gone or request it an hour before leaving. Additionally, it is very difficult for teachers to know exactly what will happen in their classes if there is an extended absence due to teachers being responsive to needs throughout the week. Therefore for most cases, your child will need to make up their missed assignments when they return from their absence. 

Outdoor Recess

Even in the cold winter months, we would love to continue to take your child outdoors for recess. We believe outdoor recess is an important and valuable part of the student’s day at Trout Lake School. With that in mind, we ask that you consider the temperature and weather conditions when sending your child off to school each morning. There may be times when the weather is deemed too cold or wet for outdoor recess. We make that determination on a daily basis, but please remember that on most days we will have outdoor recess. Winter coats, hats, gloves, boots, and long pants are most appropriate on these cold days.

We realize that temperatures in our building may vary, so dressing in layers…is a good practice. In addition, please consider labeling coats, gloves, hats, scarves, etc. as these items of clothing sometimes go missing. Take the time to check out the Lost and Found at our school, located in the MPR, multipurpose room, as it has a large number of items at this time of year. Thank you for your attention and continued support and stay warm!

Academics & End of First Semester

Please continue to check Skyward for information about your child’s grades and assignments (middle & high school), have your child show you their Google Classroom (middle and high school), and read communications home from classrooms (elementary). We appreciate all your support and time to reinforce learned classroom skills. The end of the first semester is Monday, January 27th. 

 

Sincerely, 

Crystal Lanz