NEWS TO KNOW

School Board Appreciation Month (posted 1-9-2015)
January is School Board Appreciation Month in the State of Washington. Please join us in sharing appreciation for the great work that our Board Members Ron Dinius, Elaine Pfeifer, Karen Rubino, Teresa Lees, and Bruce Westfall perform in promoting student learning and guiding our school district.

Our board members will be recognized for their dedication and leadership at the January 13, 2015 school board meeting, and presented with a certificate from the Washington State School Directors Association.

School Board members are elected volunteers, serving the community through their work governing our educational system. The school board works with the superintendent to create a vision for high performing schools with a supportive, welcoming environment for student success. The school board also sets accountability standards and monitors student progress toward district goals, as well as establishing policies and budgets to implement the broader mission of the district. Thank you board members!

School Construction Bond on February 10, 2015 Ballot (posted 1-9-2015)
Washougal voters will be asked to cast ballots in the February 10, 2015 election on a general obligation capital bond. The bond will be $57,685,000, and would take care of critical facility needs for the school district, helping provide a safe, positive learning environment. The bond would replace Jemtegaard Middle School with a new, larger, and more secure facility, adding a K-5 school on this same site. The new schools would be two schools under one roof, similar to Cape Horn-Skye and Canyon Creek Middle School. The new school would let us get rid of all portables at Jemtegaard, and the added capacity in the new K-5 school would let us get rid of portables here at Gause.

The bond would also fund security upgrades in every school in the district, with redesigned foyers to provide additional security. Also included would be replacement of aging HVAC units here at Gause with commercial units with lower operating costs and longer life expectancies. It would also fund construction of a new Excelsior High School.

Please visit our Bond website for additional information, including a list of projects, video explaining the bond, property tax calculator, and answers to frequently asked questions.

Gause Boosters News for January/February 2015 (posted 1-20-2015)
Find out about the Winter Book Share & Ice Cream Social, Family Fitness night, the Weekend Backpack Program, 5th grade T-Shirts, and a new way you can support the Gause Boosters while shopping on Amazon.com. Read our newsletter to find out more about upcoming Booster events.

December/January Newsletter for Parents (posted 11-25-2014)
The Gause Newsletter for December and January is now ready. Please read this newsletter to find information about things going on in our great school.

2014-2015 School Improvement Plan (posted 11-19-2014)
Each year the Gause School staff gathers data about student achievement, analyzes it for areas of concerns, and builds a set of goals and strategies to help increase student learning. This year's School Improvement Plan, presented to and approved by the Washougal School Board on Nov 18, 2014, is available here.

Snow Makeup Days for November 13 and 14 (posted 11-14-2014)
Parents, guardians, and staff should note that Friday March 13, 2015, and Friday May 1, 2015, will now be regular attendance days per the school board adopted calendar. The next available makeup day is now after the end of the school year, June 16, with additional days added as we need them.

Building in snow makeup days helps our school comply with Washington State law, which requires that schools provide 180 calendar days of education for students.

Free Dental Care for Students (posted 9-19-2014)
Medical Teams International will provide a couple days of free on-site dental care to Washougal students this fall. Through this mobile service, a dentist and dental assistants will provide needed dental care for students who otherwise can't afford it. Parent do not need to be present during the treatment, however medical and permission forms must be completed in advance.

If your child has unmet dental needs, please contact your school's secretary to find out more, and to sign up for treatment. You may also download additional information about this free dental care in English or Spanish. This link includes the required medical forms.

Important - Changes to After School Pickup for Students (posted 9-15-2014)
In order to ensure a safe way for parents to pick up students after school that maintains student safety, we are changing the way that Kindergarten students are picked up in the afternoons. We are also asking parents of grades 1 - 5 students to review and follow the rules for picking up older students. Please read these letters: Kindergarten pick up letter | Grade 1-5 pick up letter

Gause Boosters needs Volunteers!
The Gause Boosters have many great activities for our students planned for the 2014-2015, and we look forward to these enrichment activities, which make our school a fun and exciting place for students! But to put all of these activities on, the Boosters need help! Parents, grandparents, or other guardians are asked to download this form, and let the Boosters know what activities you might be interested in helping with. Forms need to be turned in at least 2 weeks before you can volunteer, as all volunteers are run through the District background check process. Thanks for helping us provide these great activities for our students!

Parent/Student Handbook 2014-15 (posted 8-14-2014)
Please use this link to download the updated parent/student handbook for the 2014-2015 school year.

                             

Discipline Philosophy & Procedures - a Handbook for Parents (posted 8-9-2014)
Help us teach all of our students how to become a positive and productive citizen by becoming familiar with our easy to use Discipline Philosophy and Procedures - A Handbook for Parents. Its contents will provide you with important student expectations, which will help your child be more successful at school and in class.