Orcas Island School District

April 2, 2013
Principal Kyle Freeman
ORCAS ISLAND MIDDLE SCHOOL
Orcas Island
Dear Kyle:
Congratulations! ORCAS ISLAND MIDDLE SCHOOL is a recipient of the 2012 Washington Achievement Award.

Washington Achievement Award winners are selected using the Washington Accountability Index and criteria in the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA) Flexibility Waiver. The award is given to elementary, middle, high and comprehensive schools in seven categories: overall excellence, language arts, math, science, extended graduation rate (high and comprehensive schools only), closing achievement gaps and high progress (Title I eligible and participating schools only). ORCAS ISLAND MIDDLE SCHOOL is being recognized for: Overall Excellence in Math and Science. On April 30 we will celebrate your achievement at an awards ceremony hosted by Kentwood High School in Covington (invitation to follow). If you are unable to join us at Kentwood, you will receive your award from your local Educational Service District at a later date. We hope you will visit OSPI’s web site to learn more about the Washington Achievement Awards, including details on the Washington Achievement Index and the criteria for selection. OSPI’s Statewide Recognition Coordinator Hilary Seidel is organizing the awards ceremony in collaboration with the State Board. You will receive more details from her within the week, but feel free to contact Hilary at Hilary.Seidel@k12.wa.us if you have any questions about the award or the ceremony before then. Again, we congratulate you on this achievement. Your staff, students, parents and community can take pride in joining this distinguished group.

We hope to see you on April 30!

Randy I. Dorn, State Superintendent of Public Instruction and
Jeff Vincent, Washington State Board of Education

Please see the attached document for more information. Community Meeting Information

The Orcas Island community is invited to help craft a consensus as to what changes to local practices and attitudes we could make in order to lower the risk of a tragedy like Newtown (or Columbine) occurring on Orcas Island. Ideally, the group will include persons with special insight into our schools, local law enforcement, mental health, domestic violence, youth and senior services, and firearms used for hunting, sport, and self defense. I hope you find this topic sufficiently compelling for it to be worthy of your time.

-Fred Klein

Student and staff safety are a top priority for the Orcas Island School District. Our ongoing efforts to evaluate our school safety and security procedures have been given new importance in the wake of the tragic events in Newtown, Connecticut. We would like to thank Fred Klein for his efforts in bringing our community together to discuss a topic of the utmost importance to all of us. We welcome the opportunity to be active participants in the proposed community meetings and look forward to a constructive process that we hope will provide a chance to clearly define the role that we all can play in ensuring the safety of the most precious members of our community. The results of these meetings will play an important part in the re-evaluation of our current policies and procedures. We hope that you will join us in participating in this important discussion.

-Orcas Island School District

A common childhood illness, Hand, Foot, and Mouth Disease (HFMD) has been making the rounds in our community. This usually mild illness, caused by the Coxsackie virus, is spread through direct contact with nose and throat discharges or the stool of infected people.  The illness is most contagious during the first week, and symptoms usually appear 3-6 days after exposure. Fever often is the first symptom. Other typical symptoms include:

• Poor appetite
• Runny nose
• Fatigue
• Sore throat
• Blister-like rash on hands, feet, or in the mouth; usually develops 1 – 2 days after the first symptoms.

Please watch your child for the symptoms listed above; if they occur, call your child’s healthcare provider for guidance. Children with a rash and fever should not attend school.  Other ways to limit the spread of this virus is diligent handwashing and covering coughs and sneezes.

You can help prevent head lice by following these steps:

• Avoid sharing personal items such as hats, helmets, hoods, coats, brushes, combs, hair accessories (barrettes or scrunchies), and pillows.
• Do weekly head checks of everyone in your family to look for lice and nits; this is especially important if someone is scratching his/her head more than usual.
• Do not use head lice treatment products as a prevention method to avoid lice.

A statewide Pertussis (whooping cough) epidemic continues (the worst in 70 years).  More than 3,400 cases have been reported so far this year—12 times more than the number of cases reported at this time last year (287).

Whooping cough is highly contagious.  It causes cold-like symptoms, spreads by coughing and sneezing, and may last for many weeks.  The greatest risk is to babies who suffer more severe symptoms, and who usually get the disease from older children and adults.  Here’s what you can do to limit this epidemic:

• Be sure your children under age seven have had a series of five doses of the whooping cough vaccine called DTaP.
• Students in grade 6 need a “booster” called Tdap. Let the school know the date.
• Adults, especially school personnel, should get a whooping cough “booster” or Tdap shot to protect themselves and everyone else at school.

Bus Routes 2012-13

Click here to open: STUDENT MATERIALS HIGH SCHOOL

Click here to open: Orcas HIgh School Class Schedule 2012-13

From School Nurse Iris:
Whooping cough case count passes 1,000 cases in WA — epidemic continues.
Washington’s whooping cough epidemic continues on a record pace that has already surpassed all of 2011 and is the highest number of cases since 2005. Our state is on pace to reach more than 3,000 cases for the year; levels that haven’t been seen in more than six decades. While few cases have been diagnosed in San Juan County, rates in nearby Skagit County are very high.

“We’re very concerned about the risk to infants, especially because of how quickly whooping cough is spreading,” says Washington State Secretary of Health, Mary Selecky. “Whooping cough can be life threatening for infants, and they’re too young to get enough doses of vaccine to be protected. That’s why we want everyone else to make sure they’re vaccinated against whooping cough.”

Many cases are being reported in school age children. The vaccine that young children get wears off over time, so all children age 11-12 should get a whooping cough booster shot, called Tdap. Additionally, all teens and adults should check their immunization status. Many health care providers use the state’s immunization registry and can check which vaccines have been given. Most health insurance carriers cover the whooping cough vaccine; adults should double check with their health plan. Whooping cough vaccines are available to all Washington children under 19 years old through health care provider offices participating in the state’s Childhood Vaccine Program.

More information on whooping cough disease and who should be vaccinated is available on the Department of Health website (www.doh.wa.gov).

Welcome back from April Break!

Congratulations to the middle school for another very fine MS Spaghetti Dinner!! Once again, the community was both amazed and delighted at the great food and the excellent service they received.

Congratulations to the members of Point Blank for their presentation panel at the PTSA meeting. You did an excellent job with a difficult topic!

Notice the banners in place in the high school gym! Those banners were earned by lots of hard work on the part of our students. Congratulations to all!
This week another Washington State Achievement Award banner will be collected at the award ceremony on Wednesday. That will make five in that stack of banners.

Click here for more: April 22,2012 STUDENT ANNOUNCEMENTS

Power has been restored at school. We are hoping it stays on and we will have a regular day.

Currently the school buildings have minimal electricity (1 of 3 phases). We do have some lights, but not full power.