Hoquiam School District No. 28

Dear Parents and Guardians, I hope this letter finds you well at the start of Winter Break. We are writing to inform you about a recent incident that occurred on our Middle School campus and to reassure you that the safety and well-being of our students remain our top priority. On December 13th there was letter sent home stating there was a 'potential firearm' found in a student backpack. We want to assure you that the situation was addressed promptly with the cooperation of law enforcement, and a thorough investigation was conducted. After a comprehensive search of the school and thorough investigation from the Hoquiam Police Department we are pleased to report that no firearm was found. The investigation did conclude a student did bring a toy gun in a backpack and it was shown to students. At no time was it used to threaten anyone. All the parties involved in the incident have been dealt with in accordance with school district policy and Washington State law. The safety of our students, staff, and visitors is of paramount importance to us, and we take any potential threat very seriously. We are grateful for the swift response and collaboration between our school staff and local law enforcement in ensuring the security of our school community. Our schools have established and continue to maintain rigorous safety protocols to respond to any incident promptly. We are committed to providing a secure and conducive learning environment for all students. We encourage students to report any concerns they may have, and we appreciate the vigilance of our school community in helping to maintain a safe and supportive atmosphere. We appreciate your continued support in working together to maintain a safe and nurturing learning environment for all. Thank you for entrusting us with the education and well-being of your children. Sincerely, Dr. Mike A. Villarreal Superintendent

The Board of Directors of Hoquiam School District No. 28 will hold a combined Work Session & Regular Meeting on Thursday, December 14, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. at the Hoquiam High School Library.

The Board of Directors of Hoquiam School District No. 28 will hold a combined Work Session & Regular Meeting on Monday, November 13, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. at the Hoquiam High School Library.

In Hoquiam School District, we believe in the power of community connections to shape the future of our students. 🤝 Our core value revolves around fostering trust and shared responsibility to achieve exceptional student outcomes. We understand that to make our communities stronger and nurture character in our children, we must come together as one cohesive force. 👨‍👩‍👧‍👦 We influence the lives of our students not only by what we think and believe, but also through our actions, behaviors, and the words we choose to share. 🙌 💪 Together, we can make a lasting impact on the lives of our children and create a supportive environment for their growth. 🌱 You can find many great resources for Character Development on the Character Counts Website https://charactercounts.org/

Character Counts Week: Doing the Right Thing Isn’t Always the Easy Thing We will not always know the answers to life’s ethical questions. Doing the right thing isn’t always the easy thing, and it’s okay to struggle with the tough choices. As hard as we try to get it right, we’ll all eventually make a wrong choice. No one will be “Six Pillar Perfect,” so just vow to do better next time. But as you allow yourself to rebound from bad choices, remember that we owe that same forgiveness to others. Next time we’re tempted to judge another person’s decisions, maybe we need pause to remember that just like ourselves, everyone else is simply trying to get it right too. Have a great week and remember Character Counts!

Character Counts Week - Tips to have a positive attitude Having a positive mindset is an important part of responsibility. Here are six easy tips to have a positive attitude – they are easy to do and you can involve your entire family. - Be Grateful At some point during your day (perhaps at dinner) ask each member of your family to say three things that they are grateful for today. Ask them to make their answers specific to today. For example, saying “I’m grateful for my family,” isn’t specific to today. Saying, “I’m grateful that I have a dad who read with me today,” is specific. - Journal Spend five minutes journaling about something you are thankful for from that day. Journaling about a positive experience allows us to relive the experience, which helps us build a positive mindset (while also working on writing skills). - Exercise Studies show that exercise helps our brains feel more positive - Meditate Simple meditation exercises help our brains de-clutter and focus. Apps like Headspace can help you get started with meditation. - Random Acts of Kindness We can always do nice things for others – either in our family or community. It helps others and you’ll feel great. - Connect Reach out to friends and family via text, phone, video chat, or even handwritten notes.

Character Counts Week Resolving Conflicts Respectfully Resolving conflicts respectfully is an important skill for kids and adults. Working through issues and finding solutions to challenges (at home, work, school, or in your community) takes practice. Learning how to deal with problems in the comfort of your home is also the greatest place for kids to learn by trial and error. Remember, the best way to teach any skill is by showing, not telling. So, model each step below, and then rehearse it over and over until your child can do each step without you. Keep reinforcing a realistic approach to help your kids solve problems until they can confidently do so on their own. Finally, make sure you are modeling how to solve problems. Kids watch their parents’ conflict styles and copy them. Each letter in the acronym S.T.A.N.D. represents one of the five steps in conflict resolution. S – Stop and calm down. Keep emotions in check. T – Tell what’s bugging you. Listen to each side. Stick to facts! A – Assess alternatives. Brainstorm your options. N – Narrow the choices to “win-wins” D – Decide on the best one that you both agree upon -and do it! You can find more information on Character Counts Website https://bit.ly/3PVdP2N

Character Counts Week Oct 15-21, 2023 CHARACTER COUNTS! for Families Good character doesn’t just happen. It is a result of parents/caregivers who intentionally teach their children about character. What is character? Moral character includes values we need to be our best self, like the Six Pillars of Character: trustworthiness, respect, responsibility, fairness, caring & citizenship. Performance character focuses on values that help us do our best work, like diligence, imagination, work ethic, dependability, and a positive attitude. CC Tip for today Respect: Communicating with Respect and Tolerance If we genuinely want to engage with someone who has different opinions, we should communicate with respect and acceptance. As you communicate with others, (whether in person, by text, email, etc) keep in mind: what you want to achieve, and what you want to avoid. Achieve and Avoid It is easy to focus on what we want to achieve in a conversation. For example, “I want to convince this person that I am right” or “I want to make this person realize that they are not considering all of the facts.” But, we should also be putting effort into what we want to avoid during the conversation. We want to avoid insulting the other person, or even worse, ruining a relationship from a conversation gone wrong. If we think about what we want to achieve, we could want to: - express our own opinion, and - give examples of our perspective. We want to avoid: - insulting the other person, and - making someone else feel insignificant or disrespected. Your Next Conversation Of course, we don’t always prepare conversations and think through what we want to achieve and what we want to avoid. But, if we practice being aware of what we want to achieve and avoid, we’ll get better at having respectful conversations that both people feel good about. Make Everyday Count! Everything you say and do (or neglect to do) sends a message about your values. Be sure that these messages reinforce the values of doing the right thing, even when it is difficult. When you slip, be accountable; apologize sincerely, and do better.

The Board of Directors of Hoquiam School District No. 28 will hold a Work Session Monday, October 16, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. at the Hoquiam High School Library. The Board of Directors of Hoquiam School District No. 28 will hold a Regular Meeting Thursday, October 19, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. at the Hoquiam High School Library.

October is Disability History and Awareness Month October is dedicated to celebrating Disability History! In Washington public schools, we are committed to promoting educational activities that increase awareness, understanding, and appreciation for disability history and people with disabilities. Throughout this month, students will be engaging in various activities to learn about the achievements, challenges, and contributions of individuals with disabilities and discover the remarkable stories of people with disabilities from around the world. What is Disability History Month? Disability History Month is an annual observance held in October to recognize and honor the history, achievements, and contributions of individuals with disabilities. It aims to promote inclusivity, challenge stereotypes, and foster a greater understanding of disability rights and advocacy. By learning about disability history, we can create a more inclusive and accepting society for everyone. For more information and resources you can check out PAVE's website https://bit.ly/3LGIvCm

The Board of Directors of Hoquiam School District No. 28 will hold a Work Session Monday, September 18, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. at the Hoquiam High School Library. The Board of Directors of Hoquiam School District No. 28 will hold a Regular Meeting Thursday, September 21, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. at the Hoquiam High School Library.

The Board of Directors have reviewed and approved the Interim Bond Report. Check out our Facilities Planning page to access a link to the Interim Bond Report. https://www.hoquiam.net/page/hsd-facility-planning

PRESS RELEASE The Board of Directors of Hoquiam School District No. 28 will hold a Work Session Monday, August 14, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. at the Hoquiam High School Library. The Board of Directors of Hoquiam School District No. 28 will hold a Regular Meeting Thursday, August 17, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. at the Hoquiam High School Library. The Board of Directors of Hoquiam School District No. 28 will hold an Annual Retreat Saturday, August 19, 2023 at 9:00 AM at 402 Broadway Ave, Hoquiam, WA 98550.

The Board of Directors of Hoquiam School District No. 28 will hold a combined Work Session & Regular Meeting Thursday, July 20, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. at the Hoquiam High School Library. A link to the meeting will be posted on the district website prior to the meeting. The Zoom link is posted on the district website calendar.

The Board of Directors of Hoquiam School District No. 28 will hold a Special Meeting, Wednesday, July 12, 2023 at 7:30 AM via Zoom. Topic: Hoquiam School Board Special Meeting Time: Jul 12, 2023 07:30 AM Pacific Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/86483518364?pwd=Tm1MWTFMK3hnTTh6YXp5VXcwWG9Jdz09 Meeting ID: 864 8351 8364 Passcode: 547880

We have an exciting opportunity for you to make a lasting impact on our local schools! The Hoquiam School District is forming a diverse and inclusive School District Bond Committee, and we want YOU to be a part of it! Together, we'll be discussing and providing input on facility upgrades, modernization plans, budget allocations, and community outreach. This is your chance to contribute to the decision-making process and make a difference that will benefit generations to come! Meeting Location & Times: July 5, 12, 19, 26 Aug 2 & 9 5:30-7:30 PM Hoquiam High School Library 501 W Emerson Ave Hoquiam WA , 98550

The Hoquiam School District is currently updating the 21st Century After-School Grant for the upcoming school year. We would like to get input from parents/caregivers about after-school programming needs. If you have 3-5 minutes to give us feedback our grant writing team would appreciate it very much. The information that you provide will be used to support efforts to continue and grow after school programs at all of our schools. Go to this link to take a a brief survey. https://forms.gle/HBFZDEpzQLAMrhgs7

The Board of Directors of Hoquiam School District No. 28 will hold Work Session Monday, June 12, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. at the Hoquiam High School Library. A link to the meeting will be posted on the district website prior to the meeting. Topic: Hoquiam School Board Work Session Time: Jun 12, 2023 05:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87949777740?pwd=djJoMFdqSlhLZGt4OGdSbk5pa2tZQT09 The Board of Directors of Hoquiam School District No. 28 will hold a Regular Meeting Thursday, June 15, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. at the Hoquiam High School Library. A link to the meeting will be posted on the district website prior to the meeting. Topic: Hoquiam School Board Regular Meeting Time: Jun 15, 2023 05:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89138154082?pwd=NVc2SnJ1d0k4c0IralNhTUVPbHJhUT09

We will be live streaming graduation on Facebook Friday, June 9, 2023 at 6:30 PM on the District Facebook. Link to District Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100057477547950

PRESS RELEASE The Board of Directors of Hoquiam School District No. 28 will hold Work Session Monday, May 15, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. at the Hoquiam High School Library. A link to the meeting will be posted on the district website prior to the meeting. Topic: Hoquiam School Board Work Session Time: May 15, 2023 05:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89986678289?pwd=blViUzZ3bzdRTkdZVWFMZy96a2h6dz09 The Board of Directors of Hoquiam School District No. 28 will hold a Regular Meeting Thursday, May 18, 2023 at 5:30 p.m. at the Hoquiam High School Library. A link to the meeting will be posted on the district website prior to the meeting. Topic: Hoquiam School Board Regular Meeting Time: May 18, 2023 05:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/85221679380?pwd=UTNRZTlkNTRSWUxXR1BPMkFkQWpUUT09