The WOLFPACK Bulletin

Hello Staff:

At the start of the year, every one of us received a carabiner as a reminder that we are connected. A carabiner only works when it is clipped in, and our strength comes from how we hold one another up. Here are a few of the ways we are clipping in together this fall.

Our current strategic plan runs through 2027, and the work to write our next plan is underway. We are partnering with Performance Fact to guide a process that brings together staff, students, families, and community members to set the direction for our district in the years ahead.

The Core Planning Team will meet for two full days on Monday, November 16, and Tuesday, November 17. Additional meetings will follow later in the year. Those dates are still being set and will be partial days.

If you are interested in serving, please let your principal or supervisor know. We will not be able to include everyone who expresses interest, because our goal is a team that reflects the whole district: every building, a range of roles, and a variety of perspectives. Every voice matters in this work, and there will be other opportunities for all staff to share input along the way.

We are grateful to our Coupeville Education Association for bringing this idea to the table. After a summer training on classroom culture, CEA leaders shared how valuable it could be for all of our staff. We listened, and we followed through.

The district is partnering with the Washington Education Association (WEA) and Association of Washington School Principals (AWSP) to bring district-wide culture-building sessions to every staff member. The series will include four to five sessions spread across Early Release Wednesdays this year. We are working with Ben and Kamrica from these organizations to finalize the dates, and we will share the schedule as soon as it is confirmed.

This is what clipping in looks like: our association and our district working side by side to strengthen the culture we share.

Next week our Instructional Materials Committee (IMC) will convene. The IMC guides how curriculum is reviewed, piloted, and recommended for adoption. This fall the committee will review a proposed curriculum cycle, a schedule for when each subject area comes up for review, and make any adjustments before it is published.

At the elementary level, teachers are working with each grade level to identify math curricula that align with state standards. Teams will be using EdReports and the EQuIP rubric to narrow the field. From there, a review team of teachers and parents will study the strongest options, and selected programs will be piloted in classrooms. Our goal is a possible adoption by the end of this school year but we will also explore additional time if needed. Thank you to the teachers giving their time and expertise to this work.

I am excited to be working directly with our elementary teachers this year. Our focus is student engagement and discourse: how we get every student talking, thinking, and building on one another's ideas.

This series will support the work teachers are already doing with CKLA and we will begin implementing Math Language Routines (MLRs) that help students reason and communicate mathematically. We will start with the learning cycle and engagement, and each session is built around hands-on practice teachers can take straight back to their classrooms. The series includes four to five sessions and carries 8 clock hours. I will be at our next ERW to begin this series.

At the middle and high school, I will be supporting the ongoing work on our Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS). Our secondary team continues to refine systems of support at each tier, making sure every student has access to strong core instruction and that students who need more receive the right support at the right time. I am proud of the thoughtful work this team is doing and look forward to learning alongside them.

Every one of these efforts depends on people choosing to connect, contribute, and support one another. Thank you for everything you do for our students and for each other.

Shannon Leatherwood, Superintendent

If you have recently moved, changed your mailing address, have a new phone number, or have a new personal email address, please notify me as soon as possible so I can update your personnel and payroll records in Skyward, SEBB & VEBA.

Keeping your contact information current ensures that you receive important district communications, payroll and benefit information, tax documents, and other official notifications without delay.

If you have any changes to report, please email me at your earliest convenience.

Thank you for your assistance!

Vicki Owen-Gailey HR/Payroll Specialist

Coupeville High School is hosting a Disability Resource Fair on Tuesday, October 6th, from 5:00 to 7:15 PM. Families can connect with more than 25 local and regional agencies that provide support from school age through transition and adulthood. There will also be presentations, opportunities to ask questions one-on-one, and a free dinner!

Our certificated evaluation forms have been updated for the 2026-27 school year. The district and the Coupeville Education Association signed Memorandum of Understanding 2026-01 on August 27, 2026, adopting revised Appendix C evaluation forms aligned to the Danielson Framework for Teaching (2022). These replace the Marzano-based forms that have been in Appendix C of the 2025-2027 Agreement. I have attached the full document so you can look it over.

WHAT CHANGED

The component lists inside Form I (Professional Reflection and Goal Setting) and Form II (Comprehensive Evaluation Report). The old Marzano component numbers have been replaced with the twenty-two Danielson 2022 components. The instructions on Form I now reference the Danielson rubrics instead of the Marzano rubrics.

WHAT DID NOT CHANGE

The eight Washington State criteria are the same. They are set in WAC 392-191A-060 and are identical under either framework. The Danielson components are simply grouped underneath them.

The five student growth rows (SG 3.1, SG 3.2, SG 6.1, SG 6.2, and SG 8.1) are unchanged. These are state rubrics and are not affected by the framework change.

Every scoring band is unchanged. Criterion totals remain 8-14, 15-21, 22-28, and 29-32. Student growth totals remain 5-12, 13-17, and 18-20.

The number and form of anything you are asked to complete is unchanged. Form I remains the only form completed by the employee. Form IV remains optional and is yours to use if you find it helpful.

All timelines, observation minimums, conference requirements, and the movement rules between the comprehensive and focused cycles are unchanged.

Forms VI and VII are unchanged. Under Article 17.2, employees who are not classroom teachers remain on the current evaluation system pending the work of the joint labor management subcommittee described in Article 17.3.

WHERE THE RUBRIC LANGUAGE LIVES

The Danielson 2022 rubric language is published by OSPI and is not reprinted in our forms, the same way the Marzano rubrics were not reprinted in the prior version. Both the district and CEA work from the OSPI document "Danielson Framework for Teaching (2022) Rubrics by Washington State Criteria" for component scoring, and from "Final Revised Student Growth Goal Rubrics" for student growth scoring. Both are available on the OSPI Teacher and Principal Evaluation Program site under Frameworks and Rubrics. The attached forms include a reference sheet on the last page showing which Danielson components sit under which Washington State criterion.

OUR PLAN

Because the instructional framework itself is changing, it is not enough for only evaluators to be trained. If we are all going to be scored against Danielson rubric language, we all need to know that language and read it the same way. The district is therefore offering framework training to certificated staff who did not receive it last year.

Format. Three two-hour sessions, always offered at the elementary and at the secondary. The content is identical. Attend whichever session works better for you, regardless of your building.

Who should attend. Any certificated staff member who has not yet completed Danielson framework training. That includes staff on a focused or comprehensive evaluation who did not take the training last year, and certificated staff new to the district. If you completed the training last year, you do not need to repeat it. Administrators and principals will attend as part of meeting the evaluator training requirement.

What we will cover. The four Danielson domains and the twenty-two components; how those components map to the eight Washington State criteria; working directly with the OSPI rubric language; and the calibration practice on what counts as evidence.

Dates and locations. I will be working with principals to establish these dates soon. From there, we will communicate with you on how to sign up.

The permanent language of Article 17 and Appendix C will be a bargaining topic for the successor agreement. This MOU covers the 2026-27 school year.

If you have questions, please reach out to your principal or supervisor directly.

As we open the year, a few board policies are worth a second look. All district policies are posted on our website.

Policy 5161, Civility in the Workplace, commits the district to mutual respect as a core value and applies to everyone: board members, employees, parents, volunteers, contractors, and visitors. It sets clear expectations, including treating one another with dignity and respect, using clear and courteous communication, modeling respectful problem solving, and being respectful even in disagreement. It also defines uncivil conduct so that the standard is specific rather than a matter of opinion.

Two things in the policy are worth naming directly. First, uncivil conduct does not include the expression of controversial or differing viewpoints, even viewpoints some people find offensive, as long as ideas are presented respectfully and do not materially disrupt the educational process.

Disagreement is not incivility. Second, the policy states plainly that retaliation for reporting allegations will result in discipline.

Policy 5131 and Procedure 5131-P, Resolution of Employee Complaints, describe how to raise a complaint that a district policy or administrative procedure has been violated, misapplied, or misinterpreted. The process has three steps and starts with a written complaint to your immediate supervisor within 15 days of the incident. If the complaint is against your supervisor, you may take it directly to the superintendent. Your written statement should include the facts as you see them, the policy you believe was violated, and the remedy you are seeking.

Policy 5131 also provides that all documents, communications, and records related to a complaint are maintained in a separate file and are not kept in the personnel file of the person who raised it.

These policies do not replace, limit, or change any right you have under your collective bargaining agreement, including the grievance procedure and your right to association representation. Concerns about contract language continue to go through the process in your agreement. Nothing here limits any right you have under state or federal law.

The 2026-2027 Vector Solutions (formerly SafeSchools) training modules became available on August 1, 2026.

Annual training is required for all Coupeville School District employees, substitutes, and coaches.

Training Deadlines • Current CSD employees: Complete all assigned training by October 15, 2026. • Employees hired after September 30, 2026: Complete all assigned training within 30 days of your hire date.

You will receive an email from Vector Solutions, our online training platform, with instructions for accessing your assigned courses.

The State of Washington requires school districts to provide annual compliance training. In addition to these state-mandated courses, the district may assign other training modules on a rotating basis.

Completion of all assigned training is mandatory for all employees, substitutes and coaches.

Training topics may include required annual compliance courses such as: • Health Emergencies (Asthma, Diabetes, Allergies and Seizures) • Bloodborne Pathogens • Harassment, Intimidation, and Bullying Prevention • Bullying • Abuse • And other state and district-required safety and compliance training

These trainings help ensure a safe, healthy, and compliant learning environment for our students and staff.

If you have questions or need assistance accessing your training, please contact the District Office.

CLICK HERE FOR MORE INFORMATION

• Maintaining or renewing certification
• Salary advancement (Certificated staff)
• Expanding professional knowledge and skills

The Coupeville School District will provide clock hours for qualifying professional development activities in accordance with OSPI guidelines.

If professional development is offered by an outside agency, it is the employee's responsibility to verify that the provider is approved by the Washington State Professional Educator Standards Board (PESB) to issue clock hours. If the provider is not approved, the hours cannot be used for certification renewal or salary advancement.

Please note that certificates of completion are not valid proof of clock hours unless they are accompanied by official clock hour documentation from an approved provider.

Please see the attached Clock Hour sheet for additional information.