Capital facilities bond proposal approved
At the April 8, 2019 school board meeting, the board unanimously approved the capital facilities bond proposal totaling $115 million. Projects in this proposal will touch every school and include:
Mint Valley Elementary School replacement – $43 million
Northlake Elementary School replacement – $43 million
Safety and Security upgrades for all schools – $4.2 million
Career Technical/Vocational upgrades at R.A. Long and Mark Morris high schools – $8.4 million
Memorial Stadium upgrades – $7 million
Large facility repair projects – $9.4 million
February Employees of the Month
Cascade Middle School Assistant Principal, Kristopher Chrisopulos is new to the district but has fast become a valued employee. Over the course of the school year it has become very clear that he epitomizes the can-do spirit that is so vital to success with middle school students. He has gone out of his way to develop a positive rapport with students and staff. He looks for way to show people that he cares about and respects them, while still maintaining the highest standards of decorum and academic success. His deft ability to create a positive atmosphere is motivational to both students and staff and makes school a great place to learn and work.
Kessler Elementary Secretary, Christine Kelly joined the district in 2005 as a paraeducator before becoming a secretary. In her role as head secretary she is known for her calmness and ability to stay level-headed. She can be on the phone, covering the nurse’s office, and talking to a parent at the desk all at the same time, and doing it with a smile on her face. She knows the families and kids at her school and doesn’t get rattled when she is faced with a difficult situation. She is an asset to her building and the district.
rbyman2019-03-20T14:00:30-07:00March 14th, 2019|
Family Resource Center opens at Monticello
Teachers and support team members across the district are seeing a growing number of kids and families who lack a stable food source and/or housing. To help the kids and families the district opened a Family Resource Center at Monticello Middle School. The resource center gives parents a place to get help and connect with food, housing, mental health or other services. It doesn’t matter which school a child attends – the family resource center is open to help them. The resource center was put together through donations and did not require district funds.
The Daily News wrote a front page story about the resource center that published March 2. This is another example of the district putting extra effort towards helping our kids be successful.
The Family Resource Center is open Monday through Friday from 9 am to 11 am and from 1 pm to 3 pm.
rparrish2019-03-08T14:24:07-07:00March 7th, 2019|
Application window open for Highly Capable student testing
Applications are now being accepted for the district’s annual Highly Capable Program identification process. To have a student evaluated for this program, parents/guardians give permission by completing the High Capable Permission Form and returning it to the student’s school. Permission forms are due Friday, March 15, 2019.
Cognitive Ability Testing (CogAT) will commence March-April 2019. The selection team will review student data April-May 2019. Testing results will be mailed in May 2019.
lnixon2019-03-04T17:15:11-07:00March 4th, 2019|
Kessler One School One Book Literacy Night
ckelly2019-02-20T16:26:04-07:00February 20th, 2019|
Elementary Science Day Camp offered
The R.A. Long Science Olympiad Club presents the 6th Annual Elementary Science Day Camp for 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders in Cowlitz County. There are two sessions to pick from – Monday, February 18, 2019, 8am – 2pm (there is no school that day) and/or Saturday, March 23, 2019, 8am-2pm.
Students will explore a variety of scientific concepts including physics, chemistry, biology. High school students will run the experiments and offer hands-on lab activities and demonstrations. Experiments include catapults, robotics, code breakers, lava lamps, footprinting, chemical reactions, lasers, and rockets.
The camp will be held at R.A. Long, Room 130; the cost is $49, payable at the ASB office during school hours or on the day of the camp. Please complete the registration form and return to R.A. Long High School ASB office during school hours.
Calendar information 2019-2020 school year
Planning for vacation and family celebrations is important. While final details of the next year’s school calendar are not yet finished, several important key dates are set. To help you with planning below are important dates for the 2019-2020 school year. These dates have been finalized and approved by the School Board. (Please note the calendar for Broadway Learning Center is different and parents should check with Broadway for 2019-2020 calendar dates.)
First day of school August 28, 2019
Winter holiday December 23, 2019 – January 3, 2020
Spring Break April 6-10, 2020
High school graduation June 6, 2020
Last day of school June 11, 2020
A more detailed 2019-2020 school calendar will be sent to parents and families in the Spring. If you have questions please contact your local school.
Capital bond information and input sessions
Longview Public Schools plans to put a capital bond measure to voters later this year. Capital bonds raise funds for school districts to upgrade facilities and build new schools.
To provide citizens information about the bond measure three community input sessions will be held. At the meeting you will get information on the facility upgrades and changes the district’s Facilities Advisory Committee has recommended.
Thursday, January 24 at 6 pm, district administrative offices next to RA Long High School – 2715 Lilac Street.
Wednesday, January 30 at 5 pm, Mark Morris High School.
Tuesday, February 5 at 5 pm, Mint Valley Elementary School.
We hope to see you at one of the community input sessions.
Dec. 26, 2018 pertussis (whooping cough) notification
This letter was sent to all Kessler families.
Dear Kessler Families:
We want you to be aware that we have a student with a confirmed case of pertussis (whooping cough). Your child may have been exposed through contact with this student at school.
Pertussis is a highly contagious disease that is spread through the air by coughing. Pertussis usually begins with cold-like symptoms and a cough that worsens over 1-2 weeks. Symptoms may include coughing “fits” followed by a “whooping” noise, vomiting, cyanosis (turning blue) or the inability to catch one’s breath. The cough is often worse at night and cough medicines usually do not help eliminate the cough. Usually, persons infected with pertussis do not have a fever. In older children and adults, the symptoms may be only a persistent cough which is worse at night. This illness is often very severe in small infants.
We recommend the following for children and staff that may have been exposed to pertussis:
Please monitor your child for the next 3 weeks for cold-like symptoms. Symptoms of pertussis usually appear within 7-10 days of exposure, but can be as long as 3 weeks before symptoms begin. If your child develops cough, fever or other signs of respiratory illness s/he should be evaluated promptly by your doctor for pertussis infection.
If you have a child under the age of 1 year who was potentially exposed, please speak with your doctor about getting antibiotics for your child even if your child does not have any symptoms. This is done to prevent an exposed infant from developing the illness. These antibiotics must be taken as soon as possible after exposure.
If you are pregnant, especially if in your third trimester, and were potentially exposed, please speak with your doctor about getting antibiotics for yourself to prevent the development of illness even if you do not have any of the above symptoms. These antibiotics must be taken as soon as possible after exposure.
If you see your doctor for any of the reasons listed above, please show them this letter at your visit.
Although adults and children may contract pertussis, even if they have had all or some of their immunizations (DTaP and Tdap), vaccination against pertussis is still one of the best ways of reducing the risk of getting this disease and reducing the severity of disease. Pertussis vaccines are recommended for both children and adults. Adults and adolescents should have a Tdap booster shot. Cowlitz County Health Department encourages parents to take this opportunity to ensure their families are up-to-date with vaccinations that protect against pertussis and other preventable diseases, regardless of a potential exposure.