August 2024

 

Dear Wishram friends and family,

 

It seems like this summer has flown by!  I hope you and your family have had a wonderful summer break and are preparing to return to school on August 28. 2024.

 

During breaks or vacations, it’s very easy for us all to fall out of our routines. It’s even easier for our children to fall out of these routines and even harder for them to get back on a routine. A search of the internet can easily give you tips on how to prepare your children to return to school. I found 6 tips through Johns Hopkins Medicine to help you help your children prepare to return to school. https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/wellness-and-prevention/6-tips-for-sending-kids-back-to-school-after-breaks

 

1. Don’t let the return to school-day sneak up on you or your children. Start a calendar countdown that you look at each day with your children. 

2. It doesn’t matter if your child is 5 or 16, they need to be on a sleep schedule. 

3. Talk to your child about the upcoming school year and the exciting things they might be able to experience during their school year. 

4. Show them or remind them about some of their friends or good experiences they had during the previous year. 

5. Remember to not put off the important school-related tasks. 

6. Remind your children that It’s OK not to be OK. Encourage them to talk about how they feel and let’s get them the support they need to move forward. 

 

As I’m sure you’ve heard, we will have a lot of new faces that will be working with your children this year. 

 

Mr. Cameron will be our school's principal. He comes to us with many years of experience, both in the classroom and as a building administrator. The great news is, that returning students will know him as our previous Science Teacher. I’m excited to work side by side with Mr. Cameron as we bring consistency to our little school over the coming years.

We’ve also hired a new District Data Coordinator/Office Manager. Her name is Ariel Sanderson. Ms. Sanderson has lived in the town of Wishram for 7 years, is married, and has 4 children.

Other new staff we have hired are:

Mr. Will Walters - High School Guidance Counselor

Ms. Carissa Huva-Bellamy - K/1 Teacher

Ms. Hanna van Hoff - Science Teacher

Ms. Monica Snodgrass - Title/Lap Reading Specialist Teacher

Ms. Chelsea White - Paraprofessional

Ms. Jill McNealey -  4th/5th Grade Teacher 

Mr. David Barthlow - PBIS & Migrant Education Coordinator

Mr. Detmar McCullough - Athletic Director

 

Mr. Cameron will follow this up with a letter introducing himself and his philosophy for the new school year as well as giving you an introduction to our new Wishram School Staff.

 

Update to last year's daily schedule: School hours for your students will once again be 8:00 am to 3:00 pm.  

 

I’m excited to get this new school year started and can’t wait to see all of our returning students as well as our new ones. Just a reminder, we will have our back-to-school open house on Tuesday, August 27th, 4:00 to 6:00 pm.. There will be food and a chance to win some Fred Meyer Gift Cards. Hope to see you all there. 

Mr. Tye Churchwell 

Wishram School Superintendent 

509 767 6090 School 

541 993 1850 Cell