Family newsletter - Gratitude, kindergarten registration, dual language program, federal funding and more!

School districts receive guidance from the state, and together, we monitor the federal changes closely. We don’t yet know for certain if or how federal funding will be redistributed if the U.S. Department of Education is closed or critically disabled, but what we do know is that our district receives about five percent, just under $16 million, of the district's general budget from the federal government. That funding supports students receiving special services, students learning English, students experiencing poverty and student meal reimbursements. We are monitoring the situation closely and working with the state to help us interpret the quickly changing situation. 

As always, we remain committed to serving all students and ensuring they have what they need to focus on learning. Thank you for your support as we continue to navigate the continuous changes and challenges in education. We'll update you as we learn more.

Students in the Dual Language kindergarten class at Horizon Elementary love Fridays! Why? Because that’s the day their fifth grade reading buddies visit!

 

Students in Mary James’s fifth-grade class have been reading to the students for 30 minutes on Fridays since the school year began. “I was a multi-language learner as an elementary student when my family moved from the USA to Europe. My teachers were remarkably kind and skilled, and their exemplary teaching inspired my desire to pay this skill forward in my own teaching practice.” Said James. “I have worked with multi-language learners in my elementary teaching career since 2007 and received my ML endorsement in 2016.”

 

James proposed to the dual language teacher to have her class visit with her class once a week for 30 minutes to support literacy skills with her students. It has been a delightful partnership that has built community and fostered a love for reading. It also supports schoolwide behavior expectations for fifth-grade students, helping them develop leadership, collaboration, and community building skills as they prepare for the transition to middle school. The students are becoming great buddies, while learning to read and write in Spanish and English together.

 

Mukilteo School District started the Dual Language program at Horizon Elementary School last year. It is a Spanish-English bilingual program in which students develop academic and social skills in both languages. The dual language program promotes cultural diversity and respect among all students. Applications for the program will open along with kindergarten registration on Monday, March 3.

With the two weather-related closures earlier this month, we must make up those days at the end of the school year. However, we will wait to republish the calendar until we are through the winter weather in case we have more weather-related closures. As of today, the tentative new last day of school will be Monday, June 23.

If you have immigration-related questions or concerns, please call or visit your school for more resources. They have printed and electronic resources to help guide families who are concerned about the immigration status of a family member.