Thursday Thriller
July 16, 2020

Some fun pics!  Our Madi graduated from EWU!  Whoop! Whoop!  My parents were able to join in the celebration.  Then the grandkids at the cabin with papa and nonie. :D

Carina and Jody enjoyed the outdoors with their boys Ben and Noah!

We are getting out of the office, spending time with family and relaxing a bit.  We hope you are too!!!

NUTS-n-BOLTS

1.  Would like to welcome new staff members:

Nick Prasad -Science

Sam Mirkovich -Art

Zoe White -ELA

Gonzalo Fernandez Pinillos -Dual/Spanish I and II

I'm working on a little project to introduce them and get to know them.  Stay tuned.  We are super excited that they are now TROOPERS!!

2.  As most of you know, Carina has been re-assigned for the 20-21 school year.  She is the Principal of Online School. She is excited about this opportunity AND sad to not be here at Garrison next year.  She will be housed at Opportunity so just a hop, skip and jump away. :D  Carina will be back at Garrison the following year.

3.  We know that we will have AM/PM school.  Periods 123 in the AM and repeat in the PM.  The following day would be periods 456 in the AM repeat in the PM.  Alternating days. All the logistics have not yet been worked out.  Carina and I know you have lots of questions.  Our goal is to co-hort students in an A/B schedule the best we can to minimize exposure.  There will be exceptions but for the most part we will do our best. 

Identified ELD and SPED students will attend all day.  Again, we are working on what that would look like, who will be with the students, what will they be learning, etc.  As Carina and I know more we will communicate to you.  Please don't hesitate to call, text, email questions you may have.  I will do my best to answer them.

***All pending partnership with the WWVEA and vote/survey

4.  The school district is supplying all school supplies. Below is the news release.  Our goal is to minimize what we are asking families to provide due to economic hard ships and to help lessen the possibility of exposure. 

5.  Please don't hesitate to reach to either Carina or me.  We want to answer any questions you may have, hear your voice :D or see you through Zoom. :) Even in person would work!  

6.  Baker Boyer helps support plan to provide fall school supplies for all families  

This fall Walla Walla Public Schools will provide all elementary and middle school  students fall start-up school supplies in wake of the COVID-19

 pandemic and fallout from the economic downturn which continues to impact district families. 

Historical classroom supplies such as crayons, Kleenex, glue sticks and other traditional materials will no longer be required from parents.

“We want to do our part to curb the spread of COVID-19 by supporting stay-at-home practices as we strive to resume in-person 

instruction during this unprecedented pandemic,” said Superintendent Dr. Wade Smith. 

“We don’t want our families, many of whom have lost jobs and are struggling financially, to feel the additional pressure of going to 

crowded stores to purchase necessary school supplies.”

The district will also provide school supplies’ containers for each preschool and elementary

 student to keep them from sharing items from student-to-student, in addition to hand sanitizer and 

 other materials to support classroom safety. Students/families will still need to provide their own backpacks.

Baker Boyer reached out to the school district seeking ways to help during this global crisis, and immediately stepped up with 

a $5000 donation to help support this effort. Baker Boyer president and CEO, Mark Kajita, explained “For more than 150 years,

 Baker Boyer has been supporting and investing in our communities. In these unprecedented times, we hope this 

donation helps to relieve some of the pressure on the finances of Walla Walla Public Schools and the children and families they serve.”

And through the “All in WA” campaign (www.allinwa.org), Baker Boyer’s donation will be doubled, bringing the total contribution 

for school supplies to $10,000. This matching fund, locally administered by United Way

 of the Blue Mountains, is part of the “All in WA” recovery efforts which is raising funds to help

 Washington communities recover from the fiscal impacts of COVID-19.

SOMETHING to PONDER

This is a quick 5 minute podcast. I listened to it twice.  What stood out to me was, "We all have choices."  

We all have a hula hoop of choices that are difficult. See all the choices, engage with the choices around 

and stand with the person making the choices that may be difficult. How will we choose to engage with 

how school will start up?  What will your frame of mind be?

HUMOR

I love his humor! :D  I am choosing humor. Just saying! LOL
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