A WORD FROM THE SUPERINTENDENT

Dear Community,

I hope this correspondence finds you in good health and everything in your life is somewhat normal during these challenging and ever-changing times.

I am happy to report that in respect to various challenges, the Shelton School District continues to strive forward from taking a strong stand in support of student, staff, and family health and safety to program innovation and support. The Shelton School District continues its march forward to provide the very best for staff and students alike.

Shelton School District Highlights

1. First I would like to recognize, thanks to special funding from the State of Washington, we hired or we are in the process of hiring additional K-3 teachers to lower class size. This is a very exciting development that provides both teachers and students a classroom environment for continued success.

2. Even though school has not been in session in a traditional sense for many months, this past spring we provided the very best online instruction possible considering we only had 30 days to transition to a new model of educating our students. I believe our efforts were stellar considering the many challenges and factors involved.

3. This fall we will move forward with online teaching and learning that will be consistent through the K-12 online platform. This will not only be supportive of staff but it will also offer peace of mind to students and their families. We will also provide online professional assistance for all staff and families. This should be a huge plus for all. This platform will not inhibit staff skills in the area of innovation and creativity.

4. Even during these difficult times, the Shelton School District is progressing forward, thinking ahead. In terms of the future, we are moving ahead on the new Cedar High School which will be a project and community based high school. This new high school will be situated on property that we are very close to obtaining. We hope that this effort is initiated sometime this fall.

Principal Stacey Anderson, Asst. Principal Amber Hosford, and staff have been working on this project all year, and based on their efforts we will implement another educational option for our students. CHOICE High School will continue to maintain its important role for students as it has in the past with a few new “twists” as we move into the 2020-21 school year. Congratulations to the staff and students at CHOICE High School for their perseverance and initiative to establish a new high school and also consider new programs at CHOICE High School at the same time against all odds. Congratulations!

5. We are also moving forward on a Manufacturing, Engineering, and Technology (MET) Academy and facility that will be situated on the Shelton High School campus, specifically on the current staff parking lot. The staff parking lot will be relocated which is part of the design process currently in progress. The facility is scheduled to be completed by the fall of 2021.

The project will be funded entirely by non-high school district money. This money is the non-high school district's legal obligation and contribution towards the passing of the $60 million-plus bond. This money can only be spent on high school capital projects which makes it possible to also initiate the new Cedar High School. The total non-high school district contribution is $6.5 million. The new MET Academy facility cost is between $4 and $5 million.

This is a perfect example of making money count towards improving our students' future. Graduation Matters Shelton is for real. A big thank you to our community and staff.

6. In addition, we are also experiencing continued success with the Health Science Academy. Thanks to our K-12 staff and the leadership of Don Welander, Deena Alley, and Maryann Marshall, we are moving full speed towards additional CTE certification programs and K-12 academy pathways leading towards higher graduation rates and post-high school planning and opportunities.

Thank you to all of you in the community as we continue to excel regardless of the pandemic and the challenges involved. Again, a big thank you for your patience, understanding, and commitment to our students and school district. Continue to be strong. Our students need us more now than ever
before.

I look forward to seeing everyone soon. I feel honored and humbled to serve as your Superintendent. Best to you.

Sincerely,

Alex P. Apostle