January 2010

Dear Parents, Students, Staff and Community Members:

January was School Board Appreciation Month. This nationwide recognition honors and underscores the Board’s important role in promoting public education and student achievement. Board members are volunteers who provide a passionate voice of advocacy for public schools and the welfare of school children. During January, our Board was honored in many different ways throughout our schools and at school board meetings. We appreciate the Board’s dedication to the Peninsula School District. At the December meeting, new officers were elected. Jill Uddenberg is the current board president; Matt Wilkinson the vice president. Please join me in thanking Board members, past and present, for their service to the community.

As you know, our state projects a budget shortfall of about $3 billion which could significantly impact the amount of funding to schools. Governor Gregoire’s January supplemental operating budget would result in a deficit of approximately $2.3 million for the Peninsula School District. Specifically, the state proposed a reduction in Initiative 728, $1.2 million (class-size reduction), K-4 Enhanced Ratio, $1.1 million (class-size reduction), and one Learning Improvement Day eliminated.

Furthermore, Governor Gregoire’s proposed elimination of K-4 Enhanced Ratio and Initiative 728 would not only compromise our overall budgeting process but deliver a severe setback to our ability to maintain adequate class size throughout the district and, specifically, at the elementary grades. Please take a moment to review the following link, Pupil-Teacher Ratios, which provides detailed information on K-4 Enhanced Ratio (Pupil-Teacher Ratios) and Initiative 728. Please consider voicing your opinion to our state legislators and the Governor on the proposed K-12 budget reductions.

Much effort this fall has focused on our fiscal response to these challenging financial times and in preparing for the state’s anticipated reduction in the amount of funding to schools. Over the coming weeks and months, we will be asking for your input. We will continue to review reductions made during the 2009-2010 budgeting process and revisit results of last year’s survey of staff, parents and the community. In addition to the remaining three superintendent forums, we will offer budget meetings for staff, parents and community members, and finally, a public hearing. We encourage your thoughts, ideas and feedback, as well as your attendance, at one of the scheduled meetings so your voice is heard. Your opinions will be vital in preparing the 2010-2011 budget. Please check 2010-2011 Budget Calendar for time and location of budget meetings.

We will continue to work together to make the best out of a difficult situation. Most importantly, we will move forward remaining optimistic and maintain our focus on providing high levels of learning for each of our students.

In February, you will receive a hard copy of our newsletter in an effort to continue reaching out to those who have not had an opportunity to supply us with an email address. Thank you for your continued involvement, support and ideas.

Sincerely,

Terry Bouck
Superintendent

Superintendent Forums

I encourage you to attend one of the remaining Superintendent Forums. We welcome feedback and suggestions from our parents and community members. All meetings are at 6:30 p.m.

March 15, 2010:	Harbor Ridge Middle School Library
May 4, 2010:	Key Peninsula Middle School Library
June 1, 2010:	Kopachuck Middle School Library

Partners in Education

• Peninsula Hands on Art
  Created in 2003, Peninsula Hands on Art creates a community of young artists that embraces the artistic talents of each individual child. The vision is to provide an all-district elementary art program that educates and engages children in art history, mixed media and encourages the talents of each child. The students have the opportunity to work with local artists on a project all their own. Currently the program is conducted at Artondale, Harbor Heights, Vaughn, Voyager and Discovery elementary schools. This year, over 2500 students and 200 parent volunteers are participating in the Peninsula Hands on Art program.

• YMCA
  The Peninsula School District is fortunate to have a long standing and valued partnership with the YMCA. Both of our organizations are members of the Pierce County ACHIEVE committee which focuses on healthier communities and improving physical activity and healthy food choices for children. The YMCA also continues to provide before school supervision at each of the elementary schools for late-start Wednesdays FREE of charge. The one-hour program emphasizes health and wellness.

As part of its outreach effort to staff, parents and community members, the Peninsula School District will sponsor four Superintendent Forums open to the public, the first meeting was held January 21. Thank you to everyone in attendance for your thoughtful dialogue. These sessions will be unstructured and will allow community members to raise issues and ask questions pertinent to the Peninsula School District. The meetings will be held at school sites to afford community members the opportunity to visit their neighborhood schools and better understand their school system.

The evening will be hosted by Superintendent Terry Bouck and will rotate throughout the District’s four middle schools for maximum  participation. All meetings will begin at 6:30 p.m. and end by 8:00 p.m. at the following locations:

• January 21, 2010 Goodman Middle School
• March 15, 2010 Harbor Ridge Middle School
• May 4, 2010 Key Peninsula Middle School
• June 1, 2010 Kopachuck Middle School

• The ACT Explore Test will be given to all Peninsula School District eighth and ninth grade students this year.
• The PSAT is a testing option for students in their sophomore and junior years.
• The SAT is a national exam that is part of most colleges’ admissions process.
• The ACT is an exam that is part of most colleges’ admission process.
• My Road is also available for all students enrolled in SpringBoard language art courses.

Dear Parent/Guardian,

As a goal for the 2009-2010 school year the Peninsula School District is attempting to save money by moving many possible communications to a digital method rather than paper. This should help us to reduce administrative costs of paper, printing, and postage. To be successful in this endeavor, we need to make sure we have correct email addresses for all students/parents. Please review the steps below for updating your student's contact email address.