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Camas Washougal Rotary Scholar Winner for February: Alexis Jensen (posted 2-10-2012)
Congratulations to Alexis Jensen, the Camas Washougal Rotary Scholar of the Month for February 2012. Alexis is a sophomore at Washougal High School, and has a 3.688 GPA. Jennifer Mahorney, her choir teacher, says "Alexis has been an outstanding contributor to the choir program at JMS and WHS." She notes that she "is a great role model for others when it comes to rehearsal discipline and commitment." Spanish teacher Rochelle Aiton describes Alexis as "cheerful, intelligent, and hardworking." To read more about Alexis, please visit the Student Success Blog.
Immunization Notice (posted 2-9-2012)
The Washougal School District is committed to providing a healthy, safe environment for all students. Immunization has proven to be one of the most effective ways to control the spread of preventable diseases. Washington state law (RCW 210.080) requires that all students be properly immunized in order to attend school and all students must have a signed Certificate of Immunization Status on file. Students who do not receive the required immunizations or provide exemption information will be excluded from school starting on October 15, 2012.

Parents of students with missing information will be notified by their school before February 15.

Immunizations are available at your doctor's office, local pharmacies, Sea Mar Community Health Center (accepts Medicare, Medicaid, call 360-896-5128 or 360-852-9070), and The Free Clinic of Southwest Washington (walk-in clinic available the first, second and third Wednesdays of each month from 5:30-7:30 p.m., 360-313-1390). To read which vaccines are required, please view this list. To read more about this change, please click here.
New Web Address for Canyon Creek Middle School (posted 2-6-2012)
Canyon Creek Middle School's website has moved! It's now at http://www.washougal.k12.wa.us/canyon/
Please bookmark the new page, and come back to check for updates.
Community Input Gathering for Strategic Planning Process (posted 2-1-2012)
The Washougal School District is in the process of developing a five to six year strategic plan to guide our district and school improvement work. As part of this process, we hope to gather input from a broad range of district constituents through several means. If you are interested in attending a community input session, one will be held in the Washougal High School Library on March 6, 2012 from 7:00 to 8:30 PM.

Community members who are parents can also give input through their school's parent advisory group. Meetings are being held at each school during the month of February to collect parent feedback. To view a list all meetings, please click here.

In addition to these input sessions, a short online survey is available to help guide our work around strategic priorities. You can take the survey by following this link. If you have other feedback you would like included as the new strategic plan is developed, please send us an e-mail at feedback@washougalsd.org.
WSD teachers earn National Board Certification (posted 1-25-2012)
Washougal School District teachers Marcia Hershaw and Lucia Willeman earned National Board certification this year. Marcia Hershaw is a Health and Fitness teacher at Hathaway Elementary. Lucia Willeman teaches third grade at Cape Horn-Skye Elementary. Certification is a one- to three-year-long introspective process that requires teachers to submit a four-part portfolio and a six-exercise content and pedagogy assessment. The four entries document a teacher’s success in the classroom as evidenced by his or her students’ learning. A national panel of peers then assesses the portfolio. “It was a highly reflective and analytical process that really helped me focus on the effect my instruction had on each child,” said Marcia Hershaw. “I assess student performance more frequently as a result, and shape future lessons to address areas that need to be strengthened.”

“Going through the National Board certification process was the most intense period of self-discovery and professional development that I have ever undergone,” said Lucie Willeman. “It was beneficial for not only myself, but my students as well as I have explored my own teaching practices and how they align with a set of stringent national teaching standards. This has helped refine my own classroom instruction and community building. Achieving the National Board Certification is definitely a life-time professional highlight.”

Considered the “gold standard” for teaching excellence, this year 6,200 teachers across the nation achieved this distinction. This brings the total number of board certified teachers in the U.S. to nearly 100,000.

A report by the National Research Council found that students who were taught by board certified teachers show higher gains on achievement tests than those taught by other teachers. National Board Certified Teachers must demonstrate advanced teaching knowledge, skills and practices. Completion of the certification process signifies that teachers have developed and demonstrated the skills required of an accomplished professional educator.

The two newly certificated teachers join several other Washougal School District teachers, including: Brian Amundson, Penny Andrews, Scott Rainey, Heather Santos, Chelsea Waldron, and Bryn Walker.
Rotary Scholar for January, Felicia Ray Harrison (posted 1-19-2012)
Felicia Ray Harrison was selected as the Camas Washougal Rotary Scholar of the Month for January 2012. Felicia is a sophomore at Washougal High School, and has a 3.758 GPA. WHS Honors Chemistry teacher Bruce Stanton says "Felicia is a hard worker and a very nice person." To read more, please visit the Student Success Blog.
Snow Makeup Days (posted 1-19-2012)
Due to inclement weather, Washougal schools were closed on January 17 and 18. Because January 18 was designated as an elementary early release day, students will make up these days as follows:
-March 16 (full day for all students)
-April 27 (elementary early release day, full day for grades 6-12).

For more information, please see the Calendar page.
Young Champions Student Athlete Heart Screenings (posted 1-10-2012)
Parent who are interested in having a heart screening for their student athlete, please check out the following website for more information. The Quinn Driscoll Foundation and PeaceHealth Southwest Medical Center have a screening event on Saturday, February 25.
Cape Horn-Skye Students Create Special Message From Home For Gorge Area Military Personnel (posted 12-28-2011)
Cape Horn-Skye Elementary students created more than 150 beautiful handmade cards for Gorge-area residents serving overseas in the U.S. military. The Happy New Year cards will be sent in January as part of a gift package through the Gorge Heroes Club.

Washougal resident Margie Coursey coordinated the cardmaking project after she heard about the Gorge Heroes Club and its efforts. Coursey gathered donations from friends and purchased supplies, which she delivered to Cape Horn-Skye Principal Mary Lou Woody. Cape Horn-Skye staff worked with students to create the beautiful, individual cards.

Coursey said she was thrilled with the result. "It was really fun," she said. "You wouldn't believe how cute the cards are." Cape Horn-Skye Elementary staff and students regularly work with Veteran's of Foreign Wars Post 122 on events throughout the year, such as canned food drives and essay contests.

"Our community really supports those who have served in the military," said Principal Mary Lou Woody. "We have many military families and showing our support through partnerships such as this one is an important part of our community," she said.

The Gorge Heroes Club is a non-profit based in Hood River, Ore. For more information on the Gorge Heroes Club, visit http://gorgeheroesclub.blogspot.com/ To see pictures of some of the cards students made, please visit our blog.
A Message from Superintendent Tarzian about the Winter Holiday and Inclement Weather Information (posted 12-16-2011)
On behalf of the staff of the Washougal School District I would like to wish you and your family a wonderful Winter Holiday. My first several months in the District have been exciting, both challenging and rewarding. I would like to thank those of you who have gone out of your way to introduce yourself to me. Many of you have shared what you feel are the strengths of the District, as well as areas where we need to continue our work to refine our programs.

The two-hour late start scheduled on Thursday, 12/15/11 is a reminder that the winter weather has just begun and careful attention must be given to safe travel to and from school. Two hour late starts are needed when hazardous road conditions exist. These conditions can be experienced District-wide or just in the higher elevations in the east part of the district.

Each year patrons ask why the District does not conduct late start at some schools while leaving others open. There are a number of reasons why this is not feasible. Our high school students come from all corners of the District, preventing safe travel for some students who need to be attending the same classes with students from lower elevation neighborhoods. In addition, many parents have tranfered their students from a “neighborhood” school to a different District school, requiring that their child be transported to or from an area affected by frosty weather. Our bus transportation system is also involved as our capacity to run routes at the regular start time and at late start time on the same day is very limited. For these reasons, the solution is to conduct a late start District-wide allowing county vehicles to plow roads, as well as time for temperatures to rise before putting school buses on the roads. We combine snow routes with a two-hour late start to allow safe bus travel on mornings where snow and ice create hazardous road conditions.

Please keep your phone charged and close during the coming months so that our automated phone system can keep you up-dated regarding changes to the school day due to weather conditions. The District will also post late opening or closure decisions with the local media – both radio and TV stations. To read more messages from the superintendent, please click here.
Stuff the Bus Raises 60,000 Pounds of Food for Local Charities (posted 12-12-2011)
Washougal School District students from all schools raised around 20,000 pounds of food to support the East County Family Resource Center, part of Children's Home Society, here in Washougal. Camas School District students raised nearly 40,000 pounds of food, and won the competition between the two schools. Congratulations to the Camas students, but the real winners are the local families in need! Thank you to all the generous students, families, and staff who helped make this year's Stuff the Bus event a success.
Rotary Scholar of the Month for November: Jared Anderson (posted 12-6-2011)
Congratulations to Jared Anderson, the Camas Washougal Rotary Scholar of the Month for November 2011. Jared is a sophomore at Washougal High School with a 3.929 GPA taking advanced placement and pre-calculus classes. His Spanish teacher Rochelle Aiton says, "Jared is both a gifted student and musician" and "he is the Vice-President of the Spanish Club." To read more about Jared, please visit our blog.
Get the Facts on the Flu and Vaccine (posted 11-28-2011)
Flu season is on the way. Get the latest information. Protect you, your loved ones, and your community by getting your flu shot now.
Fall 2011 District Newsletter Posted (posted 11-28-2011)
Please read the latest edition of the Washougal School District Newsletter. This quarter's newsletter talks about preschool programs, the Festival of Trees, a Fall 2011 wrap up from Athletic Director Doug Cox, deliberations about replacing the turf in Fishback Stadium, and a greeting from Superintendent Dawn Tarzian.
Wells Fargo Bank Donates $1000 to Hathaway Elementary School (posted 11-28-2011)
Wells Fargo’s Camas bank manager Cristian Dragos presents a $1,000 ceremonial check to Principal Laura Bolt of Hathaway Elementary School in Washougal. Wells Fargo supports its local schools both financially and by providing financial education (through its free, online Hands on Banking program). To read more about this donation, please visit our blog.
Camas Washougal Rotary Donates Dictionaries to 3rd Graders (posted 11-27-2011)
All third graders in Washougal School District received a dictionary this week, thanks to a partnership between Columbia Credit Union and the Camas Washougal Rotary Club. Shown in the photo are Superintendent Dawn Tarzian, presenting a dictionary to Cape Horn-Skye 3rd grader Emily Crabtree.
Snow Routes for Buses Updated (posted 11-15-2011)
With winter weather just around the corner, the Washougal School District Transportation Office has released updated Snow Routes for school buses that will be used during the 2011-2012 school year. Washougal Schools uses an auto-dialer system, which will notify parent/guardians and staff by phone in the event of a 2 hour late start or school closure. You may also check the FlashAlert.net website for up-to-date information on school closures. In the event of a school delay or closure, please check the Emergency Info page, linked in the upper right corner of all WSD web pages, for information about 2 hour late starts, bus schedules, impacts on before or after school programs, and links to the closure info.
Washougal School District considers options for turf replacement at Fishback Stadium (posted 10-10-2011)
The Washougal School District has begun the process of planning for the replacement of the turf field at Washougal High School's Fishback Stadium. At the October 4 School Board meeting, Superintendent Dawn Tarzian presented a plan in which the District would match each dollar raised in the community and invited local business leaders to do the same. Patrons attending the meeting offered support and suggestions for possible donors who might be willing to make substantial donations or front the money to the District for a low interest rate, to be paid back over the course of the life of the new field.

The School Board expressed support for the plan, including the recommendation from the Superintendent that the District implement a turf replacement savings plan to assure that resources exist to care for and replace the field in the future.

Fishback Stadium's current turf surface has been in place for 10 years (installed in 2001), with resources provided through the passage of the Capital Improvement Bond. It is estimated that the field is used by more than seven high school sports teams annually, including Varsity and JV girls and boys soccer, football, girls and boys track, and sometimes baseball. Washougal High School physical education classes use the field on a regular basis. In addition, many community education and youth recreation teams use the field as well. The District commissioned a study of the safety of the aging turf field in October of 2010. The consultant from BioMechanica said that the field was in good condition considering its age. The District has been performing maintenance on the field as needed to maintain a safe recreation area for students, but ultimately, the turf will need to be replaced. Studies also revealed that replacing the turf field with a natural grass field would cost the District more money and would not support the same level of use.

If you would like to get involved or make a contribution, please contact Superintendent Dawn Tarzian, 360-954-3001.
District Office Holiday Closures (posted 10-20-2011)
The Washougal School District Office will be closed closed for Winter Break between December 19, 2011 and January 2, 2012.
Click here to read archived news stories that were previously featured on this page