Indoor wheelchair gangball
Ferndale Food Bank receives helping hand
4-6 p.m. Mondays in Bellingham.
Accepts $10,000 T-Mobile Difference Maker award.
CALENDAR, A3
NEWS, A2
Ferndale holds off Mt. Baker Golden Eagles boys basketball wins 59-46. SPORTS, B2
DECEMBER 20, 2023
SINCE 1885
Ferndale School Board revisits ground rules
FERNDALE, WASHINGTON • $1.50
EDUCATION
Principal’s Advisory group gives Horizon students an influential voice
Hundreds of books and technology items are declared surplus; if wanted, claim now By Cal Bratt For the Record
FERNDALE — School board members will take another look at the wording of their social contract with each other, and they will also do a self-evaluation of how they stack up to some goals and standards. With two new members on board for only their second meeting, the Ferndale School Board took time on Dec. 12 to be sure about its mode of operation and ground rules. The so-called social contract policy hasn’t been revised since 2019. It speaks of being true to their purpose, communicating effectively, each carrying their weight, supporting each other and handling disagreements ... in certain ways. New member Nancy Button said she could do without some phrases, such as “encouraging one another’s hearts” and “listening with our hearts,” that reminded her of being in second grade, she said. Most of the language about respect, understanding, notifying, valuing and taking initiative seemed to pass scrutiny, however. Superintendent Kristi Dominguez will bring back the contract in January with some of the changes suggested. Likewise, a survey for self-evaluation provided by the Washington State School Directors Association hasn’t been used by Ferndale since 2016. So it will be sent to each board member individually to complete and then they will come together to discuss. One of five standards is: “Set and communicate high expectations for student learning with clear goals and plans for meeting those expectations.” Others are to create conditions for success and to engage the local community. In other action: • The board approved a change to the policy on distribution of materials, which gives Dominguez and her staff more uniformity for the whole district on what promotional materials are considered in alignment with the mission of schooling and learning. • A slew of school district books and written matter is declared surplus for reasons mostly of being outdated or unused. The number of books tops 1,000, with titles from “Great Discoveries and Inventions” to “Steamboats on the Mississippi.” The full list can be viewed via the www.ferndalesd.org Ferndale School District website. People can speak for and claim a title before these books are given away or otherwise disposed of, administrative staff said. Likewise, there is a huge list of technology items that will be surplused by the district. They are often listed as broken and beyond useful life or unusable as is. This list also is on the district website. Items include Dell 3340 laptops, an HP LaserJet printer and scores of Cisco WAPs, a number of iPads and iMacs. • The district will ask the state superintendent’s office to increase Ferndale’s 2023-24 Transportation Vehicle Fund by $700,000 to $2.7 million in order to cover the purchase of additional school buses that were not anticipated in the original budget.
Horizon Middle School Principal Christine McDaniel launched the Principal’s Advisory group to give students another opportunity to share their perspective. (Photo courtesy Ferndale School District)
Safe, welcoming, accountable, respectful and modeling kindness By Ferndale School District
FERNDALE — A group of 18 students filled the Horizon Middle School teacher’s lounge one Monday morning for their bimonthly Principal’s Advisory meeting. They were a little groggy, but still invested in the discussion led by Principal Christine McDaniel about helping their peers feel more welcome in school. “I feel like the work that you’re putting in is making a big difference,” McDaniel told the students. “That’s what we hope – by the middle of the year, we can say we’re not seeing so many kids that
feel like they don’t belong, like they don’t have anyone to sit with at lunch.” McDaniel then noted that during a student survey last spring, Horizon students’ lowest scoring trait was selfefficacy. The students then brainstormed why that may be the case, and how they can help their peers believe in themselves. “Sometimes, I feel like people may need to talk to themselves and take time to think about who they actually are,” said seventh grader Isaiah Hughes. “Or talk to another kid,” added McDaniel. McDaniel launched the Principal’s Advisory group in fall 2022, with the goal of giv-
ing students another opportunity to share their perspective. She got the idea from educational consultant Dr. Tammy Campbell. “These kids are the voice of what’s going on in the school,” McDaniel said. “What is happening that we, as adults, might not be aware of?” Eighth grader Emmy Varga, a member of the Principal’s Advisory, agreed. “We help students know that their ideas are being heard and are being put out there,” she said. “We help students’ voice matter.” Unlike student leadership, Principal’s Advisory isn’t a full class that meets multiple times a week, but
rather twice a month during their 30-minute advisory period at the start of the school day. Unlike elected ASB positions, students volunteer to join Principal’s Advisory. The group focuses on social issues, rather than planning events and spirit weeks. Their input has directly lead to adult decisions at Horizon. For example, last year, Principal’s Advisory told McDaniel that there was an issue with harmful language at the school, so the school’s administrative team began a year-long campaign informing students about the harm of derogatory words. “Middle school
aged kids oftentimes don’t think about the impact of their words on others – their brains aren’t fully developed,” McDaniel said. “But we have to keep reminding them and reminding them, because we don’t want Horizon kids to walk away and say, ‘That was the worst time of my life.’” Principals’ Advisory also created the SWARM motto for Horizon, which launched this school year. The acronym stands for Safe, Welcoming, Accountable, Respectful and Modeling Kindness, and there are monthly assemblies honoring Horizon students that best display See Voice on A2
USDA Forest Service plans to develop NW Forest Plan amendment PNW — On Dec. 15, the USDA Forest Service published a Notice of Intent (NOI) to prepare an Environmental Impact Statement on the proposal to amend the 17 land management plans of the Northwest Forest Plan (NWFP) that provide direction for the management of those national forests and grasslands. The process will be informed by robust engagement with stakeholders across all affected geographies to address urgent land management concerns including wildfire resilience, climate change adaptation, and greater tribal inclusion in the plan. While the plan has guided important progress over the past three decades, changed ecological and social condi-
tions are challenging the effectiveness of this plan. This action launches the public process of amending the Northwest Forest Plan with a 45-day public comment period. The Notice of Intent identifies changed conditions that are driving the need to amend the plan. The process will focus on five key areas: wildfire resilience, climate change adaptation, tribal inclusion, sustainable communities, and conservation of old growth ecosystems and related biodiversity. Amending or otherwise strengthening the effectiveness of the Northwest Forest Plan can incorporate the latest science and help forests adapt to social, econom-
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ic, cultural, and ecological changes. The Forest Service intends to preserve the elements of the plan that are working well. The Northwest Forest Plan covers 24.5 million acres of federally managed lands in western Washington and Oregon, and northwestern California. It was established in 1994 to address threats to threatened and endangered species while also contributing to social and economic sustainability in the region. After nearly 30 years, the Northwest Forest Plan needs to be updated to accommodate changed ecological and social conditions. Additional information about Northwest Forest Plan is at www.fs.usda.gov.
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