Community Newsletter - November 1, 2024

I wanted to reach out to you before our stakeholder meeting next week (details below) regarding the hiring of BISD’s permanent superintendent. In preparation for the meeting, please review this document which outlines BISD’s mission and District Improvement Plan in conjunction with the Washington State School Directors’ Association’s (WSSDA) Superintendent Standards. 

We are fortunate that Christina Hulet (who previously served on the BISD School Board) has agreed to facilitate our discussion. The meeting will center around the above document and the eight standards. We will identify as a group the three most important standards which will lead to further discussion. You will have the opportunity to respond to questions like “What does success look like within the standards?” and “What skills and expertise are you looking for in our leader?”

Data from our meeting (and additional stakeholder meetings) and from the staff and community surveys will be compiled into a report the school board will review in November. This will help inform our next steps in the superintendent hiring process. 

You are a key part of the process and I look forward to meeting with you and hearing your insights.

Sincerely, 

Mark D. Emerson

BISD School Board President 

Additional Reading Materials:

Date: Thursday, November 7

Time: 5:45 p.m.

Where: Bainbridge High School Library

In order to be prepared for winter weather delays, BISD will test its Emergency Alert System on Monday, November 4th. The system will be activated at 5 p.m. and send out a brief test message.

IMPORTANCE OF REGISTERING YOUR ACCOUNT: Have you registered your ParentSquare account? If not, you will only receive time-sensitive alerts via the email address that is listed in Skyward.

Please make sure your contact information is correct in ParentSquare. If you need to update it, please do so in Skyward (Skyward sends contact information data nightly to ParentSquare).

Only Mother Nature knows if Suzy Snowflake or Jack Frost have Bainbridge Island on their winter itineraries — here's what you need to know if they pay us a visit. 

What is involved with making weather-related closures? Student and staff safety is at the forefront of every decision we make.

 

WHEN WEATHER HITS OVERNIGHT: District officials begin driving Island roads around 3 a.m. to evaluate their conditions. They drive main roads, side roads and hills throughout the island, as conditions can vary from one end to another. If necessary, the school schedule will be adjusted. 

 

WHEN SCHOOL IS CANCELED, DELAYED, OR DISMISSED EARLY: Once we decide to alter our schedule, we begin alerting our staff and BISD families by around 5:30 a.m. Because many of our staff live off-island and many of our parents work off-island, it's imperative to get the messages out ASAP. 

 

REMEMBER! No announcement means school is on schedule.

Since last week's budget announcement, many questions have been raised, and the District Office is doing its best to answer them.

Please use this form to submit questions. Answers will be posted here.

PLEASE JOIN US! A community meeting regarding BISD's budget will be held on Wednesday, Nov. 6 from 6-7:30 p.m. in the BHS Library.

Starting Tuesday, November 5th, there will be a new experience for the BISD InTouch portal. As of 8 a.m, that day, families will be able to reset and manage their own InTouch passwords. No InTouch downtime is expected during this update, and families can continue using their current InTouch usernames and passwords. Bookmark links to InTouch will stay the same.

Completed ballots for Tuesday's election must be deposited into a Kitsap County Ballot Box by 8 p.m. on Election Day. You can also place your ballot in the U.S. mail (no stamp required), but it must be postmarked by November 5th.

Have you already returned your ballot? You can check its status online.

Click here to view events happening in our local community.

Is your non-profit organization interested in submitting news and events? Visit our webpage, Distributing News & Events, to learn how to do so.

1: K-6 Conferences (No School K-6) 

3: Daylight Saving Time Ends (Fall Back)

5: Election Day

6: Budget Meeting for Community @ 6 p.m. in BHS Library

7: Community Stakeholder Session for Superintendent Process @ 5:45 p.m. in BHS Library

11: Veterans Day (No School)

14: School Board Meeting @ 5:45 p.m.

27-29: Thanksgiving Break (No School)

12: School Board Meeting @ 5:45 p.m.

23: Winter Break Begins (No School; School Resumes on January 6, 2025)

Follow us on social media to stay up-to-date on what is happening within our school district, like the lighthearted approach from Ordway staff members in response to the construction on Madison Avenue.