Harrah Campus Entrance – One small step for man, one giant leap for Mt. Adams School District – We have crossed the railroad tracks! If you get a chance, please drive by and take a look at our new asphalt driveway into the new school campus. This was quite a process, but the District prevailed and starting next week, we will be off of Field Road and on our own MASD Drive!
MASD Highly Capable Program for 2021-2022 is in the planning stages. Mr. Shawn Thurman reports that the Highly Capable grant application through OSPI was recently released and he and his team are working on program development. This year’s program promises to be the best yet as we continue to provide high levels of learning to meet the needs of our highly capable students.
School Nurse Update – School Nurse Update – The District has hired an independent contractor to help MASD create student health plans and to train and designate key staff to support the health needs of students in the District. We know of two nurses who may be interested in the full-time position and we will be interviewing in the next week for our new school nurse.
State Testing has returned… not once, but twice this year. The Fall Smarter Balance Testing will begin September 27th for grades 4th through 8th, 11th, and 12th. Subjects tested are English/Language Arts, Math, and Science (Science is only grades 6th, 8th, and 12th.). We understand that the testing will be repeated by the state in Spring 2022. Mr. Shawn Thurman is the District Assessment Coordinator and will ensure that we are following all state testing requirements.
COVID-19 Update Mr. McCracken reminds his staff, “As COVID cases start to hit close to home, please be aware of the following: Please be hyper-vigilant regarding 3 feet social distancing and mask wearing; We have been tasked with providing high levels of learning for all students regardless of in-person or online; We are in the process of acquiring testing kits. However, the kits are extremely back-ordered; Classroom teachers must have a plan in place to move to hybrid or full online and be ready to pivot to virtual at a moment’s notice!
The District is taking the following steps to be prepared for a virtual pivot: Every classroom teacher should be outfitted with all of the necessary equipment to go online; What equipment do teachers still need in order to provide successful learning to students? Classroom teachers need to be ready to provide packets to those students who do not have internet; Principals need to ascertain which students do not have internet access and who needs additional equipment.
Inclusion Update – The MASD team of special educators are out and about throughout the District. SPED teachers are conducting classroom and student observations who are currently on their caseloads. The teachers are gathering data on these students, identifying which students would benefit from in-class support, and creating a learning strategy to best benefit students who require pull-out services. Thank you to Mr. Thurman and building principals for creating a system that best meets the needs of all students.