Response From WA Superintendents to Department of Health Update.
Kettle Falls School District Family,
Earlier today several news media sources shared a letter to the governor regarding masking. This letter was signed by 40 different school district superintendents. Unfortunately, Kettle Falls School District was not included. It was our intent to join the other school districts; unfortunately, our signature was not added before it was sent to the governor. For those that have not seen the letter, it is included below.
Throughout all of this, we have sought ways to advocate for our students, our families, our staff and our community. When the governor mandated masks and OSPI threatened funding, we asked our legal counsel about their authority to do those things. When we learned that OSPI recommended to the governor that he mandate vaccinations for all of our employees, we sent a message to Superintendent Reykdal asking him to reconsider that request. We met with him over Zoom and reiterated that he rescind that request. And, again, we checked with our legal counsel to find out what authority Governor Inslee has to mandate these things. Unfortunately, we learned that the gubernatorial mandates carry the weight of law, not following them could bankrupt our district and the school board could be held personally liable.
Those that have attended our recent board meetings have heard our school board talk about how they disagree with the mask mandate. We have talked about seeking support from our legislators to make changes at the State level. We have reached out to our legislators and asked them to come and talk with us. To advocate for our community. In early September, Senator Shelly Short will be meeting with our school board and a group of community members to hear our concerns, to learn our story and to be able to represent us in the upcoming legislative session.
We all want what is best for our students and our community. We are all in this together.
Click here to see the full letter.
Thank you,
Michael Olsen
Superintendent
Kettle Falls School District
Kettle Falls School District Response to Superintendent of Public Instruction, Chris Reykdal's Email to WA Superintendents
Subject: School Employee Vaccination Request to Gov. Inslee
Dear Superintendents:
I want you to be aware that I just sent a letter to Governor Inslee formally requesting that he take executive action to require all K–12 school employees to be vaccinated against COVID-19 as a condition of employment, consistent with his August 9 order regarding state employees and licensed healthcare providers.
As COVID cases continue to increase across the state, impacts on the continuity of in-person learning this school year are a real threat – and vaccination of all eligible adults in our schools is an important preventative measure to reduce potential virus spread and decrease the probability of quarantines or school building closures.
You can see more information about my request in my letter to the Governor. I will also be holding a media briefing tomorrow at 9 am where I will describe my decision to support this requirement in more detail. You may watch the briefing on TVW, KING 5, or OSPI’s Facebook page. It will also be available for later viewing by TVW and OSPI.
As always, please let us know of questions.
Chris
Email Response from Michael Olsen, Kettle Falls Superintendent
Superintendent Reykdal,
I am concerned and equally confused by your decision to make this request. Throughout this pandemic, you have partnered with us to help us keep or get students back into our classrooms. Your support and advocacy for our staff and students was noticed and appreciated.
The governor mandating vaccinations may be permitted by his emergency authority; however, we have not mandated vaccinations for any groups, and we don’t believe that it is our place to do so. Over the past year, Kettle Falls School District has had students in class nearly the entire year, and we did not record a single case of staff-to-student transmission. In fact, we did not record a single case of student-to-staff transmission. The mitigation strategies that we put in place (and will continue to have in place) effectively prevented those transmissions.
Did you consult with districts across the State before you sent Governor Inslee your recommendation? Requiring vaccinations could have a significant impact on the morale of our staff and our ability to keep staff in our schools. We have been making plans to welcome our students back into our schools as normal as possible, while following all of the DOH and L&I guidance. This recommendation, at this time, could significantly jeopardize our ability to do that. It could significantly jeopardize our ability to comply with the requirement to offer full in person instruction for any student that wants it.
Please reconsider your decision. Allow schools to continue to provide a safe environment for our students (as we did last year), and leave COVID-19 vaccinations a personal choice.
Thank you,
Michael Olsen
Bulldog High School Sports Begin Next Month
Kettle Falls School District Phased in Approach
November 23, 2020 School Board Work Session
Please click here to view the powerpoint.
Kettle Falls High School Reopening Plan
Please click the link below to see the full plan.
The Rod Humble award is an award given to a high-school aged student with a visual impairment being served by the Washington State School for the Blind.
Mrs. StClair’s class and Mrs. Borhen made a paper mache Mt. St. Helens to set off on the anniversary of the Mount St. Helens eruption.
Third graders at Kettle Falls Elementary put on a readers theater for their fellow elementary students and ran a toy drive for homeless children.
fter writing an essay, creating a poster, and building a model, 6th grade students present their knowledge about one of the human body systems to their class.
A huge thanks to Hewes Craft for sponsoring Kettle Falls Middle School through Disney’s First Book program!
“Lord of the Flies” — Campaign posters - comparing the “leaders” and who is most fit for that role!
During the 4th-grade animal defense mechanism unit, students researched the defense mechanisms of local animals: gray wolf, white-tailed deer, bald eagle, and cougar.
Students in Mrs. Benner and Mr. Ballance’s class dissected disinfected owl pellets to find what an owl eats, so they could accurately place the owl in a food web to see how the owl is a part of its ecosystem.
In Ms. Munds's kindergarten class, students are learning about living and nonliving things.
5th grade students took advantage of the pleasant weather and worked outside on their independent math work while enjoying the sunshine
Students at Kettle Falls Elementary just celebrated their hundredth day of school!
In Mrs. Berghammer’s first-grade class students are participating in Literacy Centers.
Mrs. Axtell is teaching her students about the plant kingdom and how to properly care for their plants.
In Mrs. Price’s second grade class, students are learning about fossils and paleontologists.
Sixth grade scientists explored osmosis with gummy bears in Mrs. Purvis’ classroom!
This week, in Mrs. Myers's classroom, fourth-grade students have been practicing a vocabulary strategy using context clues to determine the meaning of unfamiliar words in a text.
Third-grade students in Mrs. Edward’s class have been researching different frogs for their upcoming Freaky Frog Book.
This week kindergarten students had their first introduction to writing addition equations
Beginning and Advanced Digital Design students began the trimester with learning about the elements and principles of graphic design with an emphasis on composition and balance.
Sixth grade students in Mrs. Purvis’s class explored the structure of an egg and comparing each component to the structures found in a cell
During the expedition module titled “Schools and Community,” second graders used the text Off to Class: Incredible and Unusual Schools Around the World by Susan Hughes to research how children go to school around the world.
High School teachers and paras have implemented a “support” model to assist students with their school work.
In Expedition, first-grade students have been exploring tools and asking the big question: how do we create a magnificent thing?
During foundational skills, first-grade students went “word fishing” and practiced their sight words for the week.
Fifth and sixth grade students participated in some fun Halloween science tasks.
This fall in commercial art, students are focusing on the following essential questions: What is my personal definition of art? What are the basic elements of art? What emotional qualities does line have?
Kindergarten students are learning about patterns, shapes, and counting combinations of five.
Students in Mrs. Purvis’s 6th grade class investigated the body’s reflex responses.
The 4980 KFSD Robotics team made infographics about how to zoom or be a good student or how to have a safe and healthy social life.
Fourth-grade students are learning about poetry in their first Expedition titled Poetry, Poets, Becoming Writers.
Kettle Falls Elementary students have been learning outside and enjoying the beautiful weather.
Students at KFMS made the turn to come sit outside and access the WiFi at the middle school
The highlight of the year for KFHS art students was participating in the 2020 NEWESD Educational District 101 Regional Student Art Show
The March 13th school closure did not stop the Masonic Lodge from continuing their donation of bikes to a couple of Kettle Falls Middle School Students.
Kettle Falls School District does not discriminate in any programs or activities on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. The following employees have been designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged discrimination:
Title IX Coordinator
Julie Peterson, HR
Address: PO Box 458 Kettle Falls, WA 99141
Telephone Number: 509.738.6625
Email: jpeterson@kfschools.org
Section 504/ADA Coordinator
Greg Price, Special Education Director
Address: PO Box 458 Kettle Falls, WA 99141
Telephone Number: 509.738.6625
Email: gprice@kfschools.org
Civil Rights Compliance Coordinator
Michael Olsen, Superintendent
Address: PO Box 458 Kettle Falls, WA 99141
Telephone Number: 509.738.6625
Email: molsen@kfschools.org
509-738-6625
509-738-6375
