A special section of The Northern Light
BACK TO SCHOOL
2022-2023
Hello Blaine School District students, staff, families and community As we look ahead to 2022-2023 the health and wellness of our staff, students, families and community will be a focus. In order to do our best, we have to take care of ourselves and others. When I look back on where we have been and look forward to what lies ahead, what strikes me is the word opportunity. We have an opportunity to work with your Dr. Christopher Granger, student each day and we Superintendent want to make the most of Each Student. Each Day. those opportunities. We will focus on student outcomes through strong instruction from our amazing staff and collaboration with our staff, and the families we serve. We are all a part of what can bring out the best in the students of Blaine and we appreciate the opportunity to serve the community. In addition, we are focusing our efforts on each student and each day. Each time we are given the opportunity to work with a student we can have an impact on them. Parents are entrusting us with their most prized possessions, their children, and we do our best work when we do it in collaboration with you.
We hope you will collaborate with us in supporting the success of each and every student. There are many ways to engage in conversation with the district. I invite you to attend my regular Supper with the Superintendent events, which are an informal question and answer opportunity. The next one will be held Thursday, August 25, 6:30 p.m. at the Birch Bay Chamber of Commerce, 4819 Alderson Rd., Unit 103.
GO BORDERITES!
BACKTOSCHOOL2022-2023 BLAINE ELEMENTARY SCHOOL
Jordan Radke, Principal Blaine Elementary School
Students and families of Blaine Elementary School, we hope you have had a wonderful summer and want to welcome you back to the 202223 school year! We are looking forward to a great year ahead and can’t wait to see your smiling faces once again! I am excited to be joining the BES family alongside Kristen Bauer (formerly Morris), our assistant principal. Some of you may already know me, as I have spent the past two school years serving as principal at Blaine Primary School. I am excited to see many of your children again at BES and get to know those of you I haven’t had the chance to meet yet. As the school year approaches, we are busy getting ready for a great year. We are looking for-
ward to helping each one of our Borderites have an amazing year. Our goal is to meet each student where they are at and to help each and every child to succeed. Our staff here at Blaine Elementary wants you to know that we are here for you and are committed to your success. Together we are going to accomplish great things this year! As we start the school year, we know you may have questions. Please reach out if we can be of service. We are in this together and are here for you. You can reach out by calling the school at 360-332-5213 or by emailing me at jradke@ blainesd.org. We look forward to connecting with you, answering your questions, and making sure you have all of the information you need to start the year strong.
It is going to be a great year! We will continue to work hard for you, our students, families and community. We are honored to have the opportunity to serve your students, and we can’t wait to see them very soon. On behalf of our staff, welcome to the 2022-23 school year!
Jordan Radke, Principal Blaine Elementary School Kristen Bauer, Assistant Principal
Family Access Has a New Look Over the summer the school district went through a conversion of its student information system, and with that conversion comes a new look for Family Access. If you haven’t updated or downloaded the app, please visit our website for detailed instructions. Your user name and password have not changed, but if you have any problems you can select the forgotten password option in the app. Family Access is the central point of information for families, so it’s a great thing to make sure you have before school starts. Within Family Access you can apply for free and reduced meals, see your student’s schedule and grades, update student information, schedule conferences and more. Soon we’ll have our new online payment portal InTouch available there as well.
Go Borderites! Best of Luck This Year!
Filling out the School Meal Application may help provide: Before & After School Academic & Enrichment Programs
Free ASB Card Plus Admission & Participation in ASB Events & Clubs
“A teacher is one who makes himself progressively unnecessary.” - Thomas Carruthers
Fee Waivers for College Applications & Admissions Tests
Healthy & Nutritious Meals
Resources For Classrooms, Teachers, & Children
“A Whale of a Place to Go!”
360.332.5656 www.tctradingcompany.com
4825 Alderson Road www.thecshop.com
“A well-educated mind will always have more questions than answers.” - Helen Keller FROM
ROgeR ellingsOn, Rajeev MajuMdaR Casie ROdenbeRgeR & Megan aChille at WhatCOM laW gROup, p.s.
Blaine School District Each Student. Each Day.
289 H Street, Blaine • 360-332-7000 www.WhatcomLaw.com
Smile & Have a fabulous year!
Dr. Jong Yoon, DDS Dr. Michele Lim, DMD 432 H Street, Blaine • 332-8737 • borderviewdental.com
Have a fantastic school year!
2677 Bell Rd. • 360-332-5335 • pacificbuilding.com
Hit all the high notes this year! Blaine Harbor Music Fest July 9-15, 2023
A special section of The Northern Light - August 2022
BLAINE HIGH SCHOOL Welcome back Borderites! The administration and staff are here for you every step of the way as we prepare for the 2022-23 year. This year, as every year, we commit ourselves to providing the very best educational experience possible as we return back to school. As our students move through their final years in the Blaine School District we want them to be ready for the world they are about to enter. Similarly important are the attitudes and behavioral attributes that students who succeed in school must demonstrate. Among these are study skills, time management, awareness of one’s performance, persistence and the ability to utilize collaborative groups of study and structure. These are specific skills and more general attitudes, but all of them require high degrees of self-awareness and intentionality on the part of the students as they are in high school and in preparation for life and education thereafter. As they graduate they will be college or career prepared with many opportunities for success in their futures.
BLAINE MIDDLE SCHOOL Dear Parents and Guardians, We are excited, optimistic, and ready to launch the 2022-2023 school year! We have a strong sense of hope for the coming year. We believe in creating a safe, caring, and respectful environment so that EACH student can learn. We are dedicated to cultivating academic persistence and excellence in our students. We believe this will empower them to grow as learners and influence positive change in our community and beyond. Our teachers have been meeting and planning in antic-
Our focus is on continuous improvement and communication. We will update you often through our district and school websites, emails, social media outlets, as well as updates via Dr. Granger’s community question and answer sessions. Parents - make sure to verify and update your student’s information and have an accurate parent email, as this is how we will continue to communicate with you regarding your student and with school news and updates. There are a few things we will never change, such as our belief and our mission that: WE ARE BLAINE HIGH SCHOOL We foster RESILIENCE We model RESPECT We practice RESPONSIBILITY We demonstrate COMPASSION
positive and adverse experiences. Students - know that your teachers care about you and your education. Work hard under difficult circumstances and push through adversity knowing that good things will be there for you. Please feel free to contact our administrators via email at scott_ellis@blainesd.org and eeide@blainesd.org. We are here to help you and your students with any issues that may occur during the 2022/23 school year.
I would like to expand on fostering resilience. Resilience is a precious skill. People who have it tend to also have three underlying advantages: a belief that they can influence life events; a tendency to find meaningful purpose in life’s turmoil; and a conviction that they can learn from both
Scott Ellis, Principal
ipation of this school year to help students become proficient readers, writers, and problem-solvers. This summer teachers have been involved in collaborative work in math, science, literacy and social and emotional learning (SEL). We will launch the year with several culture building activities, so students feel safe in school, know they belong, and develop strong SEL skills. SEL is the process through which young people learn and develop healthy identities, manage emotions, and achieve personal and collective goals, feel and show empathy for others, establish and maintain supportive relationships, and make responsible and caring decisions. (casel.org). When students have
strong SEL skills, they form stronger relationships and are more successful learners. We look forward to greeting students on August 31, the first day of school.
Scott Ellis, Principal Blaine High School
Beth Eide, Assistant Principal
Darren Benson, Principal Wayne Vezzetti, Assistant Principal
Darren Benson, Principal Blaine Middle School
BLAINE PRIMARY SCHOOL On behalf of the staff at Blaine Primary School, I am happy to welcome you to the 2022-23 school year! I hope you were able to relax and make special memories with your friends and families during the summer break. Now it is time to look forward to a wonderful new school year! My name is Michelle McKeown and I am so excited, humbled and honored to be serving as the principal at Blaine Primary School. I am joined by an amazing assistant principal Kelli Alonso and a phenomenal staff of caring, dedicated educators. I want to personally thank you for entrusting us with your students and their education. We take our work very seriously and know just how important education is for our children. The staff here at Blaine Primary wants you to know we are here for you and are committed to your success, now more than ever. Our mission at Blaine Primary School is to unite family, staff, community and students in a partnership that provides opportunities to enable children to fully develop their individual potential. We believe deeply in the power of partnering together with our families and community to make a real and lasting difference in the lives of our students. We are working hard to provide an educational experience that meets each child at their own level and helps them to develop the skills necessary to be lifelong learners. We are going to accomplish great things by working together! Our incredible staff of educators have been busily preparing
Go Borderites!
classrooms for your arrival. We are excited to welcome many new staff members to our Blaine Primary School family. Check out the Blaine School District’s social media pages to get to know a little about each of them! Blaine Primary School is such a special place to learn and grow. We are proud of our school and have high expectations for each and every student. Our students are kind, compassionate, and resilient. Together with our dedicated staff, we strive to make connections with students to help them feel valued, accepted, and safe. We recognize that students may be feeling anxious with the start of a new school year, and we will continue to place a strong emphasis on social emotional learning while focusing on building classroom community. We encourage families to stay connected and informed by following our district website, social media platforms, and monthly newsletter for important updates and information. You can also stay connected by subscribing to Blaine Primary School on our app, Blaine SD. This year will be one to remember, and we will continue to work hard for you, our students, families and community. We are honored to be navigating these times with you and to have the opportunity of serving your students. We are excited to be seeing our students shining faces again very soon and can’t wait to begin engaging them in learning. On behalf of our staff, welcome to the 2022-2023 school year!
Jones & Jones, L.L.C.
Best of Luck this year!
Michael, Kim, Matt & Staff of Jones & Jones Customs Brokers & Trade Consultants
Michelle McKeown, Principal Blaine Primary School
Make it a great school year! Michelle McKeown, Principal Kelli Alonso, Assistant Principal
360.332.9420
www.tctransport.com
Have a great year!
COMMUNITY, CONNECTION, COUNSELING
www.touchstonebhc.com 360-788-4228
638 Peace Portal Dr. Suite 202 Blaine, WA 98230
Ghandi Vwich, Agent
Vwich Agency 341 H Street, Blaine 360-332-4444
School Calendar 2022-23 AUGUST 31
First Day of School
SEPTEMBER 5 19
Labor Day (No School) Late Start Day
OCTOBER 10 24
Late Start Day Late Start Day
NOVEMBER 4 7-10 11 23 24 25
Teacher Work Day (Non Student Day) K-8 Family Conferences (K-8 Early Release at 12:50 pm) Veterans Day (No School) Early Release at 12:50 pm Thanksgiving Day (No School) Native American Heritage Day (No School)
DECEMBER 5 19-30
Late Start Day Winter Break (No School)
JANUARY 1 3 9 16 30
New Year’s Day (Observed on January 2) School Resumes Late Start Day Martin Luther King Jr. Day (No School) Teacher Work Day (Non Student Day)
FEBRUARY 13 17 20 27
Late Start Day Mid-Winter Break (No School) Presidents Day (No School) Late Start Day
MARCH 20 31
Late Start Day Teacher Work Day (Non Student Day)
APRIL
3-7 12-14 17
Spring Break (No School) K-12 Family Conferences (K-12 Early Release at 12:50 pm) Late Start Day
MAY 8 29
Teacher Work Day (Non Student Day) Memorial Day (No School)
JUNE
9 16 16 19 20-23
BHS Graduation Early Release at 12:50 pm Last Day of School for Students Juneteenth Holiday Closure Make-up Days
Contact Information Administrative Offices ..............................360/332-5881 Blaine Primary School ...............................360/332-1300
BACKTOSCHOOL2022-2023
Kindergarten Slow Start Half Days First Three Days Aug. 31- Sept. 2 Welcome kindergarten families to Blaine Primary School! This year kindergarten will have a slow start beginning on Wednesday, August 31 at 8:20 a.m. with the rest of our students. For the first three days, August 31-September 2, our kindergarten students will be attending for half the day, released at 11:30 a.m. This will allow students to practice routines, get to know their teachers, and make connections with each other. Busing home will be provided upon request. Please communicate with your classroom teacher if your student requires busing. Lunch will not be served to kindergarten students these first three days. In the afternoon of these three days our kindergarten teachers will hold state required student and family conferences to build meaningful connections and gather information to better understand each student’s individual learning needs. Our student support team will also be assessing your student on incoming kindergarten standards to inform how we can best support them. Your child’s classroom teacher will be reaching out to schedule a conference time early next week.
Food & Nutrition Services Blaine School District does not qualify for free meals for all students for the 2022-2023 school year. Our new online payment portal will be available through Family Access very soon, and in the interim money can be put on your student’s account at their school office by cash, check or card. Our food and nutrition services department has an updated section on our website, where you can find this year’s meal prices, information about requests for special dietary needs and the free and reduced meal application. For those families applying for free and reduced meals, the consent to share form must also be completed in order for your student’s information to be shared with other school departments. Students who qualify for free and reduced meals may also be eligible to receive benefits such as free or reduced athletics fees, an ASB card, and participation in ASB sponsored clubs, activities and events. A consent to share form is required to verify eligibility for those additional benefits.
Blaine Elementary School .........................360/332-5213 Blaine Middle School ................................360/332-8226 Blaine High School ....................................360/332-6045 Point Roberts Primary School ...................360/945-2223 Family Service Center ...............................360/332-0740 Special Education .....................................360/332-5881 Emergency Schedule Changes & Snow Day Hotline ...........................360/332-0789 Transportation ...........................................360/332-0700 Chromebook Tech Support Email: ................................... techhelp@blainesd.org
Transportation Your student’s bus route can be found in Family Access under “Transportation” after August 26. If you are new to Blaine School District or need to make changes to current transportation, please visit blainesd.org/page/transportation and click on the bus transportation request and rules summary form. Some bus routes are changing from last year, so please pay close attention to your student’s stop location, time and bus route number in Family Access.. If you have questions or concerns, you may contact us at transportation@blainesd.org or call 360/332-0700.