La Conner Schools start new year strong

I have always loved the fall. Even though it meant the end of carefree summer days and working for Hedlin Farms, I enjoyed the way the light and air temperature changed, and I enjoyed the anticipation of starting a new school year and establishing a new routine in La Conner Schools.

I am pleased that the start to our 2024-25 school year has been very positive and successful overall. The roll-out of the Yonder cell phone pouches has gone very well, and I have my staff to thank for their work in making this a smooth process. Teachers have reported positive changes in student engagement, and students have overall accepted and transitioned into the new routine quite well. I want to again thank the staff for being willing to trust and be fluid as we adopted this new procedure. I am certain that we will see the positive impacts of this change in many ways in the years to come.

I am also very proud of the work we have done to roll out our La Conner Learning Community, and thus far, both students and faculty have very positive things to report. Students and families have been excited about new pathways toward graduation and are appreciative of the ways this opportunity has inspired and motivated students.

This program will offer work-related experiences in our community, and in the process, students will gain valuable job skills and access to exceptional mentors. If you or your business would ever be interested in this program, please reach out to me.

If you want to really enjoy some community time during the weeknights, please come out and support our volleyball, soccer and football teams as they work hard on and off the field to represent our community. You can access the schedules on our website, www.lcsd.wednet.edu/.

Finally, as a district, we recognize the importance of your trust in us to be financially responsible. We have closed out this fiscal year, we can happily report that the district is financially solvent. I am proud of the staff members who have accepted additional responsibilities to make this happen. It’s never easy to “tighten belts” and drill down on the budget, but we did it and the district is doing very well financially.

In a recent conversation with a community member, we spoke about important pillars in this small community and these pillars are town governments, our Swinomish Tribe, the school, the fire department and a town newspaper. All of these pillars work together to support the overall health and wellbeing of this community.

If you are interested in any volunteer opportunity in the school, please contact me at [email protected]. We would love to see you here.