Sedro-Woolley School District

NIA KATWYK has been named December Student of the Month for the Rotary Club of Sedro-Woolley. Nia is the daughter of Chet and Katrina Katwyk of Sedro-Woolley. Nia maintains a 4.0 GPA while being actively involved in Sedro-Woolley High School. She is a 3 year member of National Honor Society and is currently the Community Service Coordinator. She is the Vice President of WTSA and a member of the Gilder Lehrman Student Advisory Council. Nia is a Running Start student at Skagit Valley College, and will soon obtain a transferable Associate's Degree. Outside of school, Nia enjoys hanging out with friends and family, traveling with family to National Parks, and thrifting. Nia currently works at Cascade Physical Therapy and Sports Clinic. She has worked here for 3 years as the receptionist and custodian. She loves the relationships she builds with the patients, and staff! After graduation, Nia would like to attend either University of Washington or Gonzaga University to pursue an engineering degree. Congratulations Nia!

Our Sedro-Woolley School District leaders journeyed to Olympia for the annual "Day on the Hill," where they advocated for our students' needs. Superintendent Miriam Miralles Mickelson, Assistant Superintendent Brian Isakson, along with Board Members Brandon Bond and Lindy Mullen Doyle, represented our district. Their efforts ensured that our students' voices were heard loud and clear at the state level. Let's commend their commitment to providing quality education for all! 📚🎓 #SedroWoolleyPride #EducationAdvocacy #DayOnTheHill

Get to know our incredible team in the “Meet our Staff” Monday series! We hope you enjoy getting to know the faces behind the scenes! #MeetOurStaffMonday #BehindTheScenes #EmployeeAppreciation #GetToKnowUs #SWSDStrongerTogether Meet Our Staff: Kristine Kilcup Meet Kristine Kilcup, a sixth grade ELA teacher at Evergreen Elementary School. Navigating the well-known orange carpets of the school since 2018, Kristine started in the district as a paraeducator in the Resource Room. Kristine is a true Sedro-Woolley native, raised in the Skagit Valley. What led her to the Sedro-Woolley School District, you ask? Well, it turns out her own offspring persuaded her to join the educational fun. When your kids encourage you to teach at their school, it's hard to say no. Timing, as they say, is everything! Before her days as a teacher, Kristine embarked on a journey that included not one, but two bachelor's degrees from Central Washington University. One in Political Science and the other in Public Relations. Later, she upped the ante with a master's degree from Grand Canyon University in Elementary & Special Education. Kristine has dabbled in various careers, from being a marketing director for a SoCal manufacturing company to being an elections administrator in Snohomish County. She even had a stint as a proud business owner in Sedro-Woolley. One of Kristine's proudest moments? Navigating obtaining her master's while juggling a full-time job and being a single mom of three. “It was very hard at times, but it feels amazing to have accomplished it.” When she's not shaping young minds, Kristine keeps busy with the Sedro-Woolley Rotary Club (the Best Club in the Universe). She is the club 2022-23 president and is passionate about giving back to the community and contributing to the greater good. Beyond volunteering, Kristine loves golfing, kayaking, catching live music, soaking up the magic of theater and being her kids' number one fan – a role she takes very seriously. Her professional goals are really simple: she dreams of the day when she gives detailed directions and not a single soul asks, "Ms. Kilcup, what are we supposed to be doing?" It's a wild dream, but aren't those the best kind? Kristine’s favorite movie is "Ferris Bueller's Day Off." Why? Because life moves pretty fast. If you don't stop and look around once in a while, you could miss it. Wise words, indeed. If she could give students one piece of advice, it would be simple: write your name on your paper. It's the little things, folks. As for her hopes for Sedro-Woolley students, Kristine wants them to leave knowing they are loved, valued and believed in by every soul who crossed their path during their K-12 adventure.

Attention Sedro-Woolley High School seniors! Save the date for FAFSA night on February 28, from 6 to 8 p.m. in the cafeteria. Futuresnw will be providing assistance to families during our annual FAFSA Night. Dinner will be provided. See you there!

Sedro-Woolley High School Spring Drama Production auditions will be held on February 6 at 3 p.m. in the auditorium. Call-backs will be held on February 8 at 3 p.m. in the auditorium. Just show up on February 6 and the high school will provide what you need for auditioning. All SWHS students are welcome to audition. NO, you will not have to sing or dance (unless you want to) to be considered for a role. Please see Miss Nita in the ASB Office if you have any questions.

📣 Attention Sedro-Woolley School District Community 📣 Friday, January 26 marks the End of 1st Semester for Sedro-Woolley schools. 🚫 There will be no school on Monday, January 29, as it's the transition day between semesters. 📚 Second semester begins Tuesday, January 30. It's a scheduled Blue Block Day at Sedro-Woolley High School. Check out the Blue/White Calendar here: [https://5il.co/1yp9y] 🌨️ Due to last week's inclement weather, ALL schools will be in session on February 16 and May 24. Updated calendar available: [https://5il.co/20yha] Stay informed and mark your calendars accordingly! 📅 #SedroWoolleySchools #SemesterUpdate #CommunityNotice

Reminder: Join us for the next "Coffee and Conversation" meeting on Thursday, January 25, 2024, at 9:45 a.m., at the District Office (801 Trail Road). Bring your interests, comments, celebrations and concerns related to the district as a whole to chat over coffee. This will be an informal meeting and a time for the superintendent and other district leaders to make themselves available to you. If you have specific questions or concerns related to your students, we encourage you to reach out to your student's school. They are always willing and happy to hear your concerns.

Don't forget, all schools will start one hour late tomorrow so staff can participate in professional development! CMS: 8:40 a.m. SWHS: 8:55 a.m. SSHS: 9:00 a.m. Elementary: 10:25 a.m.

Get to know our incredible team in the “Meet our Staff” Monday series! We hope you enjoy getting to know the faces behind the scenes! #MeetOurStaffMonday #BehindTheScenes #EmployeeAppreciation #GetToKnowUs #SWSDStrongerTogether Meet our Staff: Katherine Reijm Katherine Reijm has been shaping young minds in the Sedro-Woolley School District for the past nine years as a kindergarten teacher at Big Lake Elementary. Katherine grew up in Burlington, attending Burlington-Edison High School. After a brief stint at PLU, she found her way to Western Washington University, ultimately settling in Sedro-Woolley with her husband. “I love the small town feel of Sedro and its community,” she said. “It is somewhere that I can see my boys growing up and I am grateful for being able to be a part of this district. I especially enjoy that Big Lake Elementary is the center of the Big Lake community.” She has become an integral part of the Big Lake Elementary family. Armed with an associate's degree, a bachelor's in P-3, and a master's in Education Learning and Technology, Katherine brings a wealth of knowledge to her role. Her educational journey has equipped her to create a welcoming and enriching environment for her students. While her childhood dream was to become a veterinarian, Katherine's path led her to education, inspired by her mother's dedication as a daycare provider. She worked as a toddler teacher, discovering a passion for early childhood education. Her dream of becoming a kindergarten teacher materialized, and she has cherished the role for nine years alongside her teaching partner, Mary Lynch. One of Katherine’s most memorable moments was receiving a video from a parent capturing their child's first steps into reading. “I had a parent, maybe during my second or third year of teaching, that sent me a video of their child starting to read and it was so rewarding to see how excited he was. He just kept saying, "I'm reading mom, I'm reading!" like he was so surprised about it. I have had so many more experiences working with wonderful parents and their children. I keep a notebook by my desk of all the silly and sweet things my students say.” These types of experiences, coupled with the daily interactions with students, fuels Katherine’s commitment to creating a positive learning environment. Outside of school, Katherine leads a vibrant life on a small farm, raising black Angus beef and owning horses. “My son is just getting into riding, which has been a lot of fun to get him on his first pony,” Katherine said. “I love to hunt, fish, build and do anything outdoors. I love a good book on my hammock in the summertime and I enjoy baking and trying new recipes.” Katherine's somewhat immediate goals include sifting through her teaching partner's extensive collection of 30 years and downsizing it for her future classroom. Katherine's advice to students is simple: "Be a kind person." Ultimately, Katherine said she hopes that her students will discover their passions and pursue activities that bring them joy and fulfillment, creating a foundation for a happy and successful future.

A special shout out this week to Transportation Director Tracy Gugel, Transportation Supervisor Chad Wesson and Transportation Head Mechanic Jim Cimoch. They hit the roads at 3:30 a.m. Wednesday through Friday this week inspecting bus routes and assisting district leaders in understanding the conditions of some of the more challenging routes. Huge thanks to our entire transportation crew for their dedication to keeping our students safe every day, but especially during inclement weather. 👏🚌 #TeamTransportation #SafetyFirst #StrongerTogether

Schools will be operating on a two-hour late start today due to continued icy road conditions. Please click the following link for more information. Two-Hour Late Start Times: Elementary schools — 11:25 a.m. Cascade Middle School — 9:40 a.m. Sedro-Woolley High School — 9:55 a.m. State Street High School — 10 a.m. https://www.smore.com/jf51b

Our transportation crew will begin assessing road conditions starting at 3:30 a.m. on Friday, January 19. If the roads are determined to be safe for travel, the district will not share any additional messaging via school messenger (autodial/text/email). However, we will share the information on the district’s live feed (https://www.swsd.k12.wa.us/live-feed), Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/SedroWoolleySchoolDistrict), and Instagram page (https://www.instagram.com/swsdcoms/), and we will proceed with school starting on time. You can also download the Apptegy app on your mobile device by scanning the QR code below and choose “Yes” to receive push notifications. Download App: https://apple.co/3pG1BRD https://bit.ly/44ni0cx If tomorrow morning’s assessment proves the roads traveled by our buses are still not in great shape, the district will implement a two-hour delay and communicate the decision through School Messenger as well as the channels identified above. Any delay would allow more time for both staff and students to arrive safely as temperatures rise throughout the morning. You can also download Flash Alert, which is the first place closure or delay information is sent. Media outlets use Flash Alert to feed their information tickers during newscasts. Sign up at https://www.flashalert.net and review your account each year to ensure that you continue to receive messages. We understand that these weather-related changes can be challenging, and we appreciate your continued patience. Thank you for your cooperation and understanding as we work together to ensure a safe learning environment for everyone.

All schools will be closed today (Jan. 18, 2024) due to icy road conditions in some areas of the district. All field trips, activities, including athletic and other events, are canceled for the day. All outside user group events are also canceled when school is closed due to inclement weather.

The Sedro-Woolley School District will be operating on a two-hour late start on Thursday, January 18, 2024. Overnight temperatures are not expected to be above freezing until after 9 a.m. which will create hazardous driving conditions for many outlying areas in our district. The adverse weather team will reassess conditions first thing Thursday morning and will communicate with families as soon as possible if a cancellation is required. Two-Hour Late Start Times: Elementary schools — 11:25 a.m. CMS — 9:40 a.m. SWHS — 9:55 a.m. SSHS — 10 a.m. https://www.smore.com/fsnqz

This morning, the Sedro-Woolley School District implemented a two-hour delay before eventually canceling school to ensure the safety of our students. The two-hour delay allows us time to continue to evaluate road conditions across our extensive district that spans 395 square miles. The decision to keep schools open, start late, or close due to inclement weather involves careful consideration of various factors, with student safety being the foremost concern. Our district leaders invest significant effort and thought into this decision-making process. In the case of a two-hour late start, secondary students' buses leave the bus barn by 8 a.m. We strive to keep schools open whenever possible and we waited until the last moment this morning before canceling classes (from continually driving some of our more treacherous roads, it was obvious the roads were not safe for our buses or our young drivers). While staffing considerations are always important, today's decision was primarily influenced by icy roads in many of our outlying areas. It is crucial to emphasize that our priority is the safety of our students in such situations. We will continue to monitor the weather this afternoon and into the evening, and our transportation folks will be back out on the roads tomorrow morning at 3:30 a.m. so they can make the best assessment of the conditions. We appreciate your patience and understanding as these decisions are always difficult to make for such a large area! #SWSDStrongerTogether

UPDATE: This is an important message from the Sedro-Woolley School District. School is closed. Staffing shortages and road conditions make it unsafe to operate school. Reminder: All field trips, after school activities, meetings, etc., will be canceled for the day.

UPDATE: This is an important message from the Sedro-Woolley School District. School is closed. Staffing shortages and road conditions make it unsafe to operate school. This is an important message from the Sedro-Woolley School District. Schools will be operating on a two-hour late start today due to icy road conditions in some areas of the Sedro-Woolley School District. Buses will be on snow routes. For more information, please click the link below: https://www.smore.com/4ms0a

Don't forget, all schools will start one hour late tomorrow so staff can participate in professional development! CMS: 8:40 a.m. SWHS: 8:55 a.m. SSHS: 9:00 a.m. Elementary: 10:25 a.m.

¡Familias de estudiantes Latinos! ¡El Distrito de Sedro-Woolley les invita a un evento especial! " Noche de Información sobre Becas! " El evento se llevará a cabo el 24 de Enero de 6:00 a 7:30 p.m en la Preparatoria de Sedro-Woolley, 1235 Third St. , Sedro-Woolley. Esta noche será una noche de información sobre cómo preparar a sus estudiantes de la secundaria y preparatoria 7-12 para el colegio. ¡Habrá bocadillo y refrescos! Este evento es organizado por el Departamento Multilingüe y de Migrantes. Para obtener más información, envíe un correo electrónico a mvivanco@swsd101.org o llamar al 360.855.3772. ¡Los esperamos ahí!

Attention Cascade Middle School Parents: Remember to pre-order your 2023-2024 yearbook so your student can receive one at the end of the school year. Payments (cash or check) can be made in the office. The price has increased to $40.