Staff Newsletter - December 10, 2025

Posted Date: 12/10/25 (01:15 PM)

December 10, 2025

From Superintendent Thompson
Staff Spotlight
Winter Break Pantry Bags
HR Corner: Emergency Contacts
Winter Spirit Week 12/15-19
Board Brief

Dear BISD Staff,

I hope you’re finding moments of calm during this incredibly busy time of year—just seven more get-ups until we can all rest and recharge!

I wanted to share an update on our progress toward the new BISD Strategic Plan, scheduled for implementation in the 2026–27 school year. Below is a brief overview of our work so far and what’s ahead.

Who Is Leading This Work

The Strategic Plan Steering Committee (SPSC) is composed of staff, parent, community, and Board representatives. Committee Roster

Work Completed to Date

Reviewed our current District Improvement Plan
Conducted a comprehensive SWOT analysis across internal data sets.
Examined key resources, including BISD policies, action items from the current DIP, recent legislation, and relevant educational trends
Developed an initial Draft 1 of the Mission, Vision, Guiding Principles (values), Focus Areas, and Objectives
Gathered early feedback from building and district administrators and from the Superintendent’s Student Advisory Council (grades 9–12)
Note: The Steering Committee will review Draft 1 and provide additional feedback during the 1/7/26 meeting.

Work Still Ahead

Develop measurable Goals and Action Steps for Draft 1
Create a detailed implementation plan to accompany all goals
Offer February stakeholder feedback opportunities using a shared review protocol, including:
BISD Committees
Staff meetings (in person & Zoom)
Student feedback opportunities (K–12)
Board meeting presentation
Community meetings (in person & Zoom)
Analyze and incorporate February feedback
Prepare a Final Draft and provide March feedback opportunities using the same protocol
Finalize the 5-year BISD Strategic Plan
Present the plan to the School Board for approval in May 2026
Conduct implementation planning (June–August 2026)
Begin full implementation in September 2026

This is a highly collaborative and comprehensive process, and I am deeply grateful to the committee for their thoughtful work. I also appreciate the feedback we’ve received so far and look forward to engaging with staff, students, and our wider BISD community in the months ahead.

Wishing you a wonderful rest of your week,

Amii

Staff Spotlight: Ashley Crandell & Kirrin Coleman

Last week, Ashley Crandell and Kirrin Coleman attended the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE) conference from Wednesday through Saturday. The event brought together educators from across the country, and they participated in several inspiring workshops focused on strengthening literacy instruction and supporting student voice.

Ashley and Kirrin also had the honor of presenting on the BHS Embedded Honors Program. Their session drew strong attendance and sparked thoughtful questions and meaningful dialogue. Many attendees were eager to learn how Bainbridge supports rigor, equity, and student choice within the honors framework, and Ashley and Kirrin returned with new connections and ideas to support ongoing work at BHS.

Help us share all of the great work happening in our schools! If you or a colleague are doing something exciting, innovative, or heartwarming, we’d love to hear about it. Share your stories so we can highlight the amazing things happening in our schools!

Winter Break Pantry Bags Available (Dec. 22–Jan. 2)

Helpline House, in partnership with Rotary Club, is once again offering Kids’ Pantry Bags for the upcoming winter break. These bags are available for any youth ages 0–18 who may need additional food while school is out. Each bag provides enough food for one youth for one week.

Pick-Up Location: Helpline House

Hours: Monday–Friday, 10am–4pm

Closed at 12pm on 12/24 and closed all day 12/25–12/26.

If transportation is a barrier, delivery is available. Please contact Sarah Frost at sfrost@bisd303.org to arrange support.

Please Review & Update Your Emergency Contact Information

BISD has recently activated a new feature in Skyward Employee Access that allows all employees—including substitutes, coaches, and miscellaneous hourly staff—to review and update their emergency contact information. Keeping this information current is essential to ensuring we can reach the right person quickly in the event of an emergency.

How to Update Your Emergency Contacts:

Log into Skyward Employee Access.
Click Employee Information → Personal Information.
In the menu on the left, select Emergency Contacts.
From the Emergency Contacts screen, you can Add, Edit, or Delete contacts.
Use the Move Up / Move Dn buttons to set the sequence order for how you would like the district to contact your listed individuals.

Thank you for taking a moment to ensure your information is accurate—your attention to this helps us maintain a safe and responsive system for all employees.

Board Brief

Stay informed! For a quick, high-level overview of the most recent school board meeting, check out the Board Brief.

Want to dive deeper? The Board Brief also includes links to past meeting agendas and full recordings.

Non-Discrimination Statement

Bainbridge Island School District does not discriminate in any programs or activities on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, homelessness, immigration or citizenship status, the presence of any sensory mental, or physical disability, neurodivergence or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability. The BISD provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups.

The following employees have been designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged discrimination:

Civil Rights Compliance Coordinator & Title IX Coordinator:

Kristen Haizlip, Associate Superintendent

206-780-1058

khaizlip@bisd303.org

Section 504/ADA Coordinators:

Annalisa Sanchez, Director of Student Services

206-780-1069

asanchez@bisd303.org

Maria Kuffel

206-780-1088

mkuffel@bisd303.org

8489 Madison Avenue North Bainbridge Island, WA 98110