Hoquiam School District No. 28

Dear Hoquiam Family: We need to tell you about something called “swatting” hoaxes that have been happening at schools in our area and all over the country. Swatting is the act of deceiving an emergency service into sending law enforcement or emergency response teams to a location through false reporting of a serious emergency, such as active shooter or bomb threat. The safety of our students and staff is our top priority. If there is a threat at our schools, the emergency services will come and we will follow our safety rules to figure out if the threat is real or not. Our staff has also been trained on what to do to keep everyone safe. Our school district is keeping an eye on this trend, and we will let you know through our alert system that goes out to parent/guardian phone, email, via text, as well as social media and our District website as soon as safely possible in the event of a reported threat. Please make sure we have your correct contact information in Skyward Family Access. If there is an emergency, we will contact you with instructions. Please talk to your children about how these hoaxes are harmful and make it harder for real emergencies to be handled by the police and other first responders. We want to encourage all students and the school community to report anything that could be a threat to the safety of the school. Thank you, Mike A. Villarreal Superintendent

To all families with students out west of Hoquiam that ride bus 402. Due to a hill slide blocking Hwy 109 before Longrens Pass bus 402 will be running late. Hwy 109 is completely blocked at this time due to a hill side slide.

The Hoquiam School Board Work Session is 4.17.23 with Regular Meeting 4.20.23. See Press Release for more details.

The Hoquiam School Board Work Session is 3.13.23 with Regular Meeting 3.16.23. See Press Release for more details.

The Hoquiam School Board Work Session is 2.13.23 with Regular Meeting 2.16.23. See Press Release for more details.

Hoquiam High School Drama Club Presents, The Wizard of Oz! Get your tickets online here by scanning the QR Code with your phone's camera!

The Hoquiam School District in partnership with Grays Harbor County Public Health, Health Commons Project, and the ESD 113 will host a No COST childhood immunization Event at Central Elementary Gym from 2pm-7pm Friday December 16th. No Appointments are needed, no insurance is required and there is no cost to families.

2 Hour Late Start due Icy weather conditions.

The Board of Directors of Hoquiam School District No. 28 will hold a combined Work Session & Regular Meeting. This meeting will include an Executive Session for the purpose of discussing personnel – no longer than 30 mins. Monday, November 14, 2022 at 5:30 p.m. at the Hoquiam High School Library. A link to the meeting will posted on the District website prior to the meeting. Topic: Hoquiam School District #28's Personal Meeting Room Join Zoom Meeting: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/9671176932?pwd=cmw1RzdJTmVhWlhMdm1ZK1Qyc1lHZz09 Meeting ID: 967 117 6932 Passcode: 4nzFMM

Through a collaboration with the Grays Harbor Public Health, ESD 113, DoH, and Health Commons the Hoquiam School District is excited to announce our upcoming Childhood Immunization Clinic. The clinic will be held at Central Elementary in the Gym on Saturday Nov. 5 from 9am-5pm. Vaccines offered: DTaP/Tdap, Hepatitis B, Hib (Haemophilus influenzae type B), MMR (Measles, mumps rubella), PCV (Pneumococcal Conjugate), Polio, Pediatric flu, HPV, and COVID (including adult bivalent) To learn more about what vaccines are required for students, click https://doh.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2022-05/2022-2023%20Parent%20School%20Chart.pdf?uid=634986d62fcf2 This clinic is open to any students in the area, not only Hoquiam Students. Any children 6 months old and up are welcome to participate. All students under 18 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian. There is no cost to the families and no insurance or proof of residence required. Bring your insurance card and/or vaccination record only if you have them. There is no appointment needed, this is drop in clinic. Food and refreshments will be provided as well as a limited number of $20 gift cards while they last. The Hoquiam School District is proud partner with these organizations to support a Healthier Grays Harbor. If you have questions feel free to contact our district nurse, Rhianna Culican @ rculican@hoquiam.net

The Board of Directors of Hoquiam School District No. 28 will hold a Work Session Thursday, October 17, 2022 at 5:30 p.m. at the Hoquiam High School Library. A link to the meeting will posted on the District website prior to the meeting. Topic: Hoquiam School Board Work Session Time: Oct 17, 2022 05:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88904361898?pwd=b3VwNThMM25EUVNYS3NRS3NnUWVHUT09 The Board of Directors of Hoquiam School District No. 28 will hold a Regular Meeting Thursday, October 20, 2022 at 5:30 p.m. at the Hoquiam High School Library. A link to the meeting will posted on the District website prior to the meeting. Topic: Hoquiam School Board Meeting Time: Oct 20, 2022 05:30 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada) Join Zoom Meeting https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89974672680?pwd=ZFM0RnJUZlJsU3llZmFKbG9kS2NMUT09

PRESCHOOL HAS BEEN CANCELLED FOR THURSDAY, 10/13/22. MS. KUGEN'S AND MS. DAVENPORT'S AM & PM CLASSES HAVE BEEN CANCELLED DUE TO A LACK OF BUS SERVICES. MAKE UP DAY TO TBD. *THIS DOES NOT INCLUDE TRANSITIONAL KINDERGARTEN*

Good evening Hoquiam students/families-- We are aware of the threat and ongoing investigation made towards the Aberdeen School District. We have been in contact with the Hoquiam Police Department and there has been no threat made to our students or staff. As a precaution, our local police department will have a presence on campuses tomorrow morning. We will continue our communication with our local law enforcement. School safety is our topic priority when educating your children. It is important that we continue to be vigilant and report any suspicious actions.

Dear Hoquiam Families, We were deeply saddened to hear the news of the school shooting this last Tuesday at a Texas elementary school. Our thoughts are with the members of that community. We know this tragedy is felt in every community across our country. The safety of our students is always the top priority in the Hoquiam School District. We take seriously our responsibility to ensure the safety of your child every day. I would like to take this opportunity to remind all our families that we have a plan in place at each of our schools to handle emergency situations. We work with local law enforcement to prepare for these types of emergencies and regularly practice our safety procedures with students and staff through discussions and emergency exercises. While no amount of planning can guarantee that a tragedy such as this will not occur, we are doing everything we know to keep students and staff safe while at school. I want to share with you some tips from the National Association of School Psychologists for helping your children cope with news such as this. What Parents Can Do: 1. Focus on your children over the week following the tragedy. Tell them you love them and everything will be okay. Try to help them understand what has happened, keeping in mind their developmental level. 2. Make time to talk with your children. Remember if you do not talk to your children about this incident someone else will. Take some time and determine what you wish to say. Keep your explanations developmentally appropriate. 3. Stay close to your children. Your physical presence will reassure them and give you the opportunity to monitor their reaction. Many children will want actual physical contact. Give plenty of hugs. Let them sit close to you, and make sure to take extra time at bedtime to cuddle and to reassure them that they are loved and safe. 4. Limit your child’s television viewing of these events. If they must watch, watch with them for a brief time; then turn the set off. Don’t sit mesmerized rewatching the same events over and over again. 5. Maintain a “normal” routine. To the extent possible stick to your family’s normal routine for dinner, homework, chores, bedtime, etc., but don’t be inflexible. Children may have a hard time concentrating on schoolwork or falling asleep at night. 6. Spend extra time reading or playing quiet games with your children before bed. These activities are calming, foster a sense of closeness and security, and reinforce a sense of normalcy. Spend more time tucking them in. Let them sleep with a light on if they ask for it. 7. Safeguard your children’s physical health. Stress can take a physical toll on children as well as adults. Make sure your children get appropriate sleep, exercise, and nutrition. As parents, we are troubled by events like what occurred in Texas. However, days like today also provide us with the opportunity to be leaders as we help our children to understand, also reminding them that, as the adults in their lives, we do everything we can to keep them safe. As we learn more details about Tuesday’s events, we will discuss and debrief with administrators and staff accordingly. Sincerely, Mike Villarreal Ed. D., Superintendent

Join us for Family Game Night on Tuesday, June 7th from 4:00-6:30 at the Middle School Athletic Field!

Congratulations to our Hoquiam Middle School students of the month. Each month 8th a grade teachers select 2 students to be recognized by the Rotary Club of Hoquiam. Congratulations for the month of April go to Hannah S. And Joey B. The students are pictured here with Rotary Club of Hoquiam President Jack Durney.

Welcome back from Spring Break!!! We are excited to be heading down the home stretch for this school year. In the coming weeks students will begin state testing and finishing assignments and projects for the end of the school year. As a reminder if you or child experiences symptoms of COVID-19 please stay home. COVID-19 testing in school helps keep students in class and doing the things they enjoy. After being out for the last week HSD wants to remind you we offer regular COVID-19 testing at the middle school each morning starting at 7:30am. Testing is available for students, staff and families that need it. Our goal is to keep our schools healthy and safe and finish the year strong. If you have any questions regarding COVID-19 please contact Nurse Rhianna or Jason Ihde.

Congratulations to Hoquiam Middle School 8th graders Maria and Cruz for being named the Rotary of Hoquiam Clubs Students of the month for March of 2022. These students were recognized for the dedication and hard work in school as well as their actions in service to others.

Good evening Hoquiam School District families. This alert is being sent regarding all students and staff at Central Elementary school. Central Elementary school be closed Wednesday, March 9, 2022. This closure is due a house fire that took place this evening less than half a block from Central. Smoke from the fire was directly in line with the building and infiltrated the building through the air handling equipment. The school will be closed to allow for ventilation of the building. School will resume on Thursday at Central. All other district schools and programs remain open.

Reminder that Monday February 28th is a half day early release for all Hoquiam School District students for district staff professional development.