by Eric Webb

Orcas Island School Superintendent

Fall is in the air, and September is here! I love September. The first day of school is on the horizon, and the learning and fun will once again commence!

Professional Learning Communities will continue to be a primary focus for the Orcas Island School District moving forward. This last year, we identified the need to create a dedicated time for teachers to work collaboratively on student learning and instructional practices in the form of Professional Learning Communities. This time was made possible by establishing early release Wednesdays. This early release time allows teachers to meet weekly for an hour in recurring cycles of collective inquiry and action research to achieve student success.

This school year, defining and identifying the Essential Standards will evolve into the formation of a written and viable curriculum to answer the first fundamental question of the PLC process, “What do we want the students to learn?” The curriculum scope and sequence will be posted on our website and eventually in the handbooks, so parents can follow and track what their students are learning!

Elementary school

Orcas Elementary School will have a new look this school year! Our amazing staff and students will welcome Lorena Stankevich as Interim Principal, Elyn Andersson in 1st/2nd grade (in Stankevich’s former position), Lisa Jenkins in 4th/5th grade, and Kimberly Malo in 4th/5th grade.

Andersson currently lives on Orcas Island and was a guest teacher for our district last school year. She holds an MAT degree from Seattle Pacific University, served as a preschool administrator in a Seattle Waldorf preschool, and completed her student teaching with Seattle Public Schools. She is very passionate about teaching and has experience in many facets of education from preschool to the university level.

Malo grew up on Orcas and has recently returned to the island with her husband to raise their children here. She was with the Nebo School District in Utah for four years as both a third grade teacher (three years) and fifth grade teacher (internship). She brings with her a strong foundation in PLCs, curriculum alignment, formative assessment, and data-driven instruction.

These openings were created by Bob Ingram’s request to teach in the OASIS program and Glenda Smith assuming the Title I Reading position created by Susan Stolmeier’s retirement.

Jenkins has been with the Tacoma School District for 19 years. She has served the Tacoma district in multiple schools and in many teacher leader positions in multiple elementary buildings. She has a strong understanding of teaching and learning and the current trends in education. Her current school utilizes project learning, co-teaching and maker spaces.

Instructional changes will also be taking place in the form of 4th and 5th grade blended classrooms. This concept allows students to experience success through varied instructional styles and targeted learning. The 4th and 5th grade blended classrooms will be similar to the 1st and 2nd graded blended classrooms (for those of already familiar with our primary grades), as well as align well with our two-year plan for transitioning 6th grade to the middle school. This year, sixth grade students will experience the first of the two-year plan for transitioning sixth grade to the middle school by experiencing instructional elements of both upper elementary school and middle school!

Our new look at the elementary school includes fresh paint in the entry and a new front office area that is more student/parent friendly. Thank you to the volunteers for painting the entry, Mark Padbury for the countertop in the front office, and Brook Meinhardt for the stenciling in the entry!

Middle School

Orcas Middle School students will once again enjoy the beautiful new facilities that were completed January 2015.

High School

Orcas High School’s schedule continues to evolve this year as we move forward in meeting the new graduation requirements of 24 credits and fulfilling student skills for the 21st century. The main changes to the schedule include extended time in Wednesday classes every other Wednesday and the creation of a Student Advisory period each Wednesday.

Liz Alperin joins our district to teach Biology, Chemistry, AP Biology and Environmental Science. Alperin is a molecular biologist by trade, and has served the Lebanon School District in Oregon as a school board director and administrator of the district’s volunteer program.

Her previous employers include the USDA and Oregon State University. She loves science and working with kids, which led her to recently complete her student teaching so she could continue to work with students as a teacher rather than a guest instructor. Her instructional style includes an inquiry-based, hands-on, and student-driven approach. She has had the opportunity to design and implement sciences lessons using Next Generation Science Standards.

Special education

The Orcas Island School District Special Education Department has added a new Special Education Director, Becky Bell. She joins us after serving the San Juan Island School District where she served as the Special Services Director. She has served public schools in the capacity of principal, Behavior Specialist, and program director of a variety of programs. She received her MEd from Lewis & Clark, and is currently working on her Doctorate.

Programmatic changes have been in the works with the Special Education Department in our district including Special Education review last school year with the support of an OSPI coach.

The “All in Group” (a district committee made up of general education teachers, special education teachers, and para-educators) has been formed over the summer and is in the process of developing a much-needed RtI (MTSS) system for the district under Bell’s leadership.

Jessie Staub will move to the high school, Nancy Walstrom will teach grades 5-8, and Suzanne McClure will teach grades k-4. The district will continue its SPED preschool program with instructor Tess White.

Campus

The Orcas School District pushes forward in its quest to modernize and improve infrastructure of buildings on campus in the form of a school bond entitled, Phase III Bond Initiative. Phase III will address needs in areas that were not addressed with the previous bonds. On Aug. 15 and 16, the district held the first of its public meetings to look at the Phase III School Bond Initiative. The Phase III bond follows the successful completion of the 2012 school bond, which was completed on time and on budget. The next public meeting overview of Phase III will be held on Tuesday, September 13 in the beautifully renovated Library/Culinary Arts/Cafeteria Complex in the district library. The district will host an evening of small group discussions on Wednesday, Sept. 21 in an effort to gain input from the community.

It is an honor to serve the staff at OISD, the wonderful students and their families, and our community!