Superintendent

Email Address: c.lanz@tlschool.net

Phone number: (509) 395-2571

 

Welcome to the 2019-2020 school year! I am privileged to have the opportunity to be your Superintendent/Principal at Trout Lake School. I feel honored to work with our highly qualified and dedicated staff, our wonderful students, all of the supportive families, and our generous community. I am a lifelong educator and am committed to students and families as well as a love for learning. I look forward to working with all of you to make this school year successful. The first day of school for our students is Wednesday, September 4th. School begins at 8:19 a.m.

Trout Lake School District Mission

Students, teachers, staff and parents work together supporting the educational process and forming relationships to optimize student growth. A breadth of experiences, programs, and opportunities beyond core academics are provided to students that help them become healthy, safe, engaged, supported and challenged.

As a District, we commit to:

• Providing a positive environment that supports the whole child.
• Preparing students through innovative programs.
• Hiring, retaining, and developing a staff committed to teamwork, collaboration and continual improvement.
• Responsibly managing school resources and taxpayer dollars.
• Building and maintaining positive relationships with the local community.

Home/School Success

We are looking forward to a productive partnership with you to ensure your children can achieve their highest potential. We recognize that in order to be successful in school, your children need support from both the home and school. We know a strong partnership with you will make a great difference in your child’s education. As partners, we share the responsibility for your child’s success and want you to know that we will do our very best to carry out our responsibilities. We ask that you guide and support your child’s learning by ensuring that they:

1. Attend school daily and arrive on time, ready for the day’s learning experience
2. Complete all homework assignments given by teachers
3. Read daily to develop a love for reading and to improve literacy skills
4. Share school experiences with you so that you are aware of their school life
5. Inform you if they need additional support in any area or subject
6. Know that you expect them to succeed in school and reach their potential

Home/school communication is vital and plays an integral role in each student’s success. Please do not hesitate to contact us if/when the need arises. We will do likewise. We want and encourage our parents to stay in the know about their child’s studies, assignments, assessments, and school activities, as well as other events and happenings.

Required paperwork

Required paperwork is being sent home today in your welcome packet. These include: student emergency information form, field trip permission form, the school calendar, other required forms and information paperwork.. We would appreciate receiving all paperwork by Friday, August 30th. You can also mail it to the school. Our address is PO Box 488, Trout Lake, WA 98650. In addition, FERPA information and our homeless policy are available in the student handbook, which is available on the school website. 

In accordance with Washington State law, medical information must be on file in the office prior to students beginning school. A student emergency form must be filled out for each child. Each year, a new medical release form is required as medical needs may change and we must update our records. If your family’s military status has changed, please notify the office. If your address or telephone number should change at any time during the year, please let Kristin Schmid, administrative secretary, know, so that we can update your child’s information. You may call the school at 509.395.2571 or email Kristin at: kr.schmid@tlschool.net ​if you need to make any changes. We need accurate information in the event we may need to contact you regarding your child. The number given to us is also the one, which is entered into the K­12 Alert system, which makes the calls on inclement weather days.

Athletics

All fall high school sports practices will begin on Monday, August 26th. Middle school volleyball practice (grades 5-8) will start on the first day of school. According to WIAA (Washington Interscholastic Athletic Association) rules, an athlete must have the following paperwork submitted before they may begin any practice: 

1. Current physical
2. Extra­curricular participation code
3. Concussion info sheet
4. Request for waiver of school insurance coverage 

All forms are available online or at the school office. 

Please call or email Steve Allaway, Athletic Director, if you have any questions concerning participation in athletics. Steve’s email is st.allaway@tlschool.net. Visit our website at  ​www.troutlake.k12.wa.us​ for updated sports schedules throughout the year.

Our coaches and contact info for fall sports are as follows: 

High School Soccer - Timmy Waller - t.waller@tlschool.net

High School Volleyball - Micah Anderson - m.anderson@tlschool.net

High School Cross Country - Marshall Harpe - harpemf@yahoo.com

Middle School Volleyball - Deanna Zalaznik - d.zalaznik@tlschool.net

Middle School Cross Country - Adam Peck - apecksintroutlake@gmail.com

Attendance ­Absences/Tardies

The following is a reminder of the Trout Lake School District attendance policy. We have a limited number of allowable absences each semester. High school students who are excessively absent from

school or a class for non-school related reasons (12 days per semester) may lose credit for the class. You may refer to the student handbook for the attendance policy.

Students are expected to attend and be punctual to regularly scheduled classes. ​A written note from parents stating the reason for the absence or verbal communication with the attendance secretary, Amber Basch - a.basch@tlschool.net, is required whenever a student is absent from school. ​Please make sure your child arrives at school on time each day. A late arrival to school results in a disruption to the classroom and missing out on already given instruction. All studies point to a direct correlation between attendance and success in school. When a child is absent, he/she will miss out on learning taking place through interactions with other students and instruction by the teacher. While we understand it is necessary for children to have dental/medical appointments, we would like to ask you to schedule these outside of the school day as much as possible. There are 12 early release days (11:48 a.m. release time) this year, in September, October, November, December, January, March, April, and May. These days would be ideal for scheduling appointments. The school wants to partner with you to help your child do the very best they can in school. Good attendance is an excellent start.

School Website & K12 Alerts

Please visit our website, https://www.troutlake.k12.wa.us/, as a resource tool for all upcoming events; Family Access; student/parent handbook; important reminders;  the Trout Lake Times daily bulletin; “The Laker”, our school publication; along with my monthly principal newsletters. 

We will continue to use K­12 alerts for reminders of upcoming events, inclement weather, important announcements, etc. Please make sure to update your information with the office to ensure you are receiving K12 announcements.  If you need assistance logging on to Family Access or K12 alerts, please let us know. 

Family Access is a part of Skyward that allows parents and guardians to access information about their students from any device with Internet access. Family Access allows parents to play a more involved role in their student’s education and improve communication with the school. With Family Access, you can view the records of all of your children within a single family, subscribe to email notifications on student’s attendance, lunch account balance and grades (secondary), and make updates to phone numbers and emails for families. 

Facebook

We have a Facebook page to better assist in relaying important messages and information home to our families and to share pictures of school events. Please like our Facebook page: Trout Lake School District.

Locker Sign­ups

Locker sign ups for grades 5­ - 12 will begin on Monday, August 26th and continue until the beginning of school on September 4th. Students may stop by the office Monday - Thursday from 8:00 - 2:00 p.m. until school begins to sign up for a locker. 

Chromebooks

Grades 7 - ­12 are a part of our 1:1 Chromebook initiative, which promotes a collaborative learning environment for all students. This environment will enable and support students and teachers to implement very tangible and transformative uses of technology while enhancing students’ engagement with content. The district believes that this program will promote the development of self directed and lifelong learners who know how to function in an increasingly digital world. Students and teachers will transition from consumers of information to creative problem solvers utilizing technology as an effective tool in the process.

All 7th grade and new 8th ­- 12th grade parents and students are encouraged to attend our Chromebook orientation on ​Wednesday, August 28th at 6 PM in Mr. Waller’s room.​ All 7th ­-12th grade students will receive their Chromebooks the first week of school as soon as their procedure and information guide and school network agreement is received by the school. We will not issue Chromebooks to returning 8th - 12th students before school begins. 

0 Period Classes

Due to ASB meetings being changed to lunch hour, we are going to change the 0 period class schedule. 0 period classes will be held on Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday this year from 7:13-8:16 a.m. Our 0 period classes are HS Band and Weightlifting. 

Open House

Join us for our all school Open House on Thursday, September 19th from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. We will have an ice cream social from 5:30 - 6:00 p.m. in the MPR (multi-purpose room) followed by staff introductions. After the social and introductions, you will have the opportunity to tour your child’s classroom and meet the teachers.

School Pictures

Hart’s Images will be in our school on Monday, September 16th to capture the beginning of the year portraits. Picture packets will be coming home in early September with your child.

Counselor

Mr. Walters, our school counselor, will be available on Wednesday, August 28th and Thursday, August 29th from 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m. each day to meet with interested parents and/or students. Returning students have already created their class schedules, so it is not necessary to meet about scheduling.

Outdoor School

The Trout Lake School District is excited to be able to offer Outdoor School for grades 7-12 again this year. Outdoor school will take place Wednesday, September 25th - Friday, September 27th. Seventh and eighth grade students will be attending an overnight Outdoor School at Camp Gray at the Coastal Discovery Center in Oregon. Ninth - twelfth grade students will be attending Outdoor School in the Gorge and will be completing their activities during the regular school day. Information letters for both Outdoor Schools will be sent home at the beginning of the school year. 

School Spirit

This school year, we will encourage our entire Trout Lake community to demonstrate their Mustang pride by wearing our school colors (blue, white, black) on Fridays! Spiritwear order forms are included in this packet for your convenience. Please return your Spiritwear order forms by Friday, September 20th, so we can place our first order of the year. We will place another order of Spiritwear in November. Throughout the school year, we will incorporate many other school spirit events. 

Lunch

We have a phenomenal lunch program run by our cook, Jennifer Fuentes. Each month you will find lunch menus posted to our website and on the Facebook page. Please find prices for lunch below:

K - 5 $3.00

6-12 $3.50

Adult $4.00

Side Salad $2.50

MMR Exemption Vaccine Law Change

As of July 28, 2019, a new state law removes the personal and philosophical option to exempt children from the MMR vaccine required for school and child care attendance. Medical and religious exemptions are not affected by this new law. Based on this new law, those who have personal or philosophical exemptions in place will need to provide updated immunization paperwork on or before the start of the 2019-2020 school year, which is September 4th. Find more information about the immunization requirements at www.doh.wa.gov/SCCI.

Find more information at the Washington State Department of Health exemption law change webpage, including frequently asked questions: www.doh.wa.gov/mmrexemption.

Staffing for the 2019-2020 School Year

This year, we have some staffing changes at the school. I have accepted the position of superintendent/principal for the 2019-2020 school year as Mr. Dearden retired at the end of June. Due to the transition of administration, we have hired an assistant principal. Mr. Beau Sawyer will be joining the Trout Lake School for the 2019-2020 school year. He will serve as an assistant principal for 5 periods a day and teacher for 2 periods a day (6th and 8th grade social studies). Mr. Sawyer has been in education for 13 years and has moved to Washington from Alaska. Additionally, Mrs. Michele Davis, our 5th grade teacher, will be taking a maternity leave of absence for the first term of the 2019-2020 school year and we will have Mrs. Sally Wells as a substitute for her maternity leave. We have also hired Mrs. Kristin Schmid to serve as administrative secretary. We look forward to getting to work with our new staff and serving the students, parents, and community in Trout Lake.

Dress Code

We have been working to revise our dress code at Trout Lake School. Below, please find the goals of our student dress code and the revised dress code. 

Goals of Our Student Dress Code

A student dress code should accomplish several goals: 

• Maintain a safe learning environment in classes where protective or supportive clothing is needed, such as chemistry/biology (eye or body protection), wood shop (eye or body protection), or PE (athletic attire/shoes). 
• Allow students to wear clothing of their choice that is comfortable.
• Allow students to wear clothing that expresses their self-identified gender.
• Allow students to wear religious attire without fear of discipline discrimination.
• Prevent students from wearing clothing with offensive images or language, including profanity, hate speech, and pornography.
• Prevent students from wearing clothing with images or language depicting or advocating violence or the use of alcohol or drugs.
• Ensure that all students are treated equitably regardless of gender/gender identification, sexual orientation, race, ethnicity, body type/size, religion, and personal style.

This student dress code is intended to preserve a beneficial learning environment and assure the safety and well-being of all students. 

The responsibility for the dress and grooming of a student rests primarily with the student and their parents or guardians. 

Allowable Dress & Grooming

• Students must wear a top (shirt, blouse, sweater, sweatshirt, tank, etc.), bottoms (pants, shorts, skirts, dresses, etc.), and footwear. 
• Shirts and dresses must have fabric in the front, back, and on the sides (under the arms and at least to the belly button).
• Clothing must cover undergarments (waistbands and straps excluded).
• Fabric covering private parts (nipples, genitals, buttocks) must be opaque (not able to be seen-through). 
• Hats and other headwear must allow the face to be visible to staff, and not interfere with the line of sight of any student or staff. Hoodies must allow the face to be visible to school staff.
• Clothing must be suitable for all scheduled classroom activities including physical education, science labs, wood shop, and other activities where unique hazards exist.
• Specialized courses or activities may require specialized attire, such as sports uniforms or safety gear.
• No exceptions to the dress code will be made for extra curricular clubs or activities. (School dances, clubs, or activities may be exempted with administrator approval.) 

Non-Allowable Dress & Grooming

• Clothing, jewelry, or personal items may not depict, advertise, or advocate the use of alcohol, tobacco, marijuana, or other controlled substances. 
• Clothing, jewelry, or personal items may not have weapons displayed. 
• Clothing, jewelry, or personal items may not depict pornography, nudity, or sexual acts. 
• Clothing, jewelry, or personal items may not use or depict hate speech targeting groups based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious affiliation, or any other protected groups
• Clothing, jewelry, or personal items may not threaten the health or safety of any other student or staff. 

Attire worn in observance of a student’s religion are not subject to this code. 

As with any policy, inclusion of all possible situations is difficult. Please remember, the Trout Lake Staff may sometimes have to use its discretion regarding student dress.

Contact

Please feel free to contact me with any questions, comments, suggestions and/or concerns. My email is c.lanz@tlschool.net​. I can also be reached by phone at 509.395.2571. I look forward to a productive and engaging school year. We appreciate being partners in your child’s education.

Crystal Lanz

Superintendent/Principal