We are back from the Thanksgiving holiday and staff and students are looking forward to the Winter Break coming up on December 20^th.  Students are out of school at 11:30am on the 20^th to begin their holiday break.  I hope all of our families had a wonderful holiday with family and friends. We are certainly in the holiday season.

      I want to thank you for your patience at the beginning of the year as we sorted out our transportation issues.  Once we were able to bring on a couple of new drivers, transportation has been improved.  We still have some challenges, but hope to continue to provide uninterrupted service.  When we do have interruption in service, we try to communicate as early as possible.  That communication comes from the transportation cooperative we belong to out of Shelton.

     I mentioned at the beginning of the school year that one of our main focuses this year is on attendance.  We have made a commitment to communicate in both buildings the importance of students being at school every day, unless they are ill or have medical appointments.  When students miss school, they easily can fall behind in their learning and then spend time “catching up” with their peers.  Teachers work hard to provide the additional time it takes to make up missed days with their students, while continuing to move other students forward.  Attendance will continue to be an area of focus for us as we stress the importance of children being at school consistently.

     As we are in the midst of the holiday season, I want to wish each and every one of you the joy that the holidays bring.  I know for some of our students and their families, holidays can be a stressful time.  Thankfully, we have community groups and organizations that focus on providing food and gifts for those who may be struggling during this holiday season.  If you need assistance, please reach out to our school counselors as they have access to a number of these charitable groups.  If you are in a position to donate gifts and food to these groups that assist families in our area, I encourage you to do so.  I know our schools usually have food drives that donate to our local charities.  Regardless, I wish nothing but joy and happiness to our children and their families during this holiday season.

     As always, my door is open, so feel free to stop by the district office when you can and you can also reach me by phone at 360-426-9115 or by email at: jdavis@psd402.org.