LISD School Newsletter
Dear LISD Families,
It's Conferences Week! As you know, we are shifting to K-12 student-led conferences this spring. In terms of school-wide continuity, this is something new, and we appreciate your support as we take this big step toward supporting our students in being leaders of their own learning. Some of our students are nervous about facilitating their own conference, and that makes sense. This is likely not something they have been asked to do in the past. We are doing our best to be as encouraging as possible as we nudge our students toward ownership agency. Thank you for signing up for a conference. You'll have an opportunity to offer feedback at the end, and that will help us improve the process and experience.
Lately, I've been so pleased to see community members enjoying school lunch, made from scratch by our amazing kitchen crew. Did you know that you can come have school lunch any day? The price of an adult lunch is $5.50 and you just have to sign in at the elementary office so we know who is in the building. You can either come have lunch with your child, or sit at the grown-up table any time between 11:00 and 12:30. Invite your friends! The lunch menu is on the school website so you can take a look and join us for the meals that sound the most delicious! Check out the photo of one of MY favorite lunches this year - mujaddara, a traditional Middle Eastern dish of lentils and rice with onions along with a Lebanese meat pita. Delicious!
Have a fabulous week!
All my best,
Martha
Fundraiser for the Lopez Island Cheer Program
Cheerleaders are back with their famous Spring fundraiser! Hanging baskets and NEW this year are Color Bowls for those that have nowhere to hang :) Hanging baskets can choose from sun or shade, color bowls can tolerate both but do love a little more sun!
Prices are the same: $42 for a hanging basket, $27 for a color bowl. All proceeds go into the cheerleading fund to keep our youth active and engaged with sports. Pickup will be late April, perfect timing for Mother's Day.
Join us at the Community Center on April 15 at 6pm for the music program's Spring Concert. This year's concert will feature the middle school orchestra, Lobo Pep Band, student chamber groups, and Mariachi Lobo. Even if your student is not in one of these groups, please come out and support our young musicians.
Jake Jones
What is one of your favorite memories from school? The Japan trip two years ago was a pretty incredible experience. Seeing our sister school was really interesting. I’ve never really spent time at other schools and it was a completely different experience.
What are your plans after high school, and what are you most excited about? I don’t currently have a very strong sense of direction. I’ve been accepted to a couple colleges and I’m planning to defer for at least one semester. It is very likely that I will be apprenticing in a caviar room in Japan during fall of 2026.
What do you hope your life will be like in 10 years? I hope that I am able to be doing whatever is interesting to me and makes me happy at that point. I also hope I have enough money to be comfortable, have my own place, enough food, and some spending money.
Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give your freshman self? Try a little harder to do more homework and turn things in on time. Your grades will be better for it and it isn’t honestly that hard.
What is the most meaningful assignment or project given to you by a teacher? In Environmental Science with Joe, we did a land survey. We were looking at trees on a very small plot of land. It was interesting to me at the time and I remember it well.
What is a favorite book, movie, song, or show that tells us something about you? I really liked the show Frieren: Beyond Journey’s End. It’s a well written and stylized animated show and it meant a lot to me when I watched it.
Who or what inspires you? My parents. They are very hard working and capable people. I’m lucky to have them and to have had all the experiences they’ve provided.
When you’re not in school or working, how do you like to spend your free time? I really love drawing, mainly digitally. I think it’s really cool when people are able to master that kind of thing.
In what ways do you feel you have had an impact on your community? I do my best to be upbeat and supportive to the people I interact with. I try to make sure that everyone is feeling good about how they are within the group and individually.
In what ways do you want to have a positive impact on the world in the future? I hope to be a name that is recognizable to some people for creating something interesting or just being a kind person.
What else do you think people should know about you? I really love eels and sea snakes. They’re so cool. I’d love to see one scuba diving or snorkeling.
Isaac Gibson
What is one of your favorite memories from school? One of my favorite memories is from intensives week during my sophomore year. We went down to the Museum of Pop Culture in Seattle. It was really enjoyable for me because I like animation and art, and I really liked the displays they had. It was a really fun day for me.
What are your plans after high school, and what are you most excited about? After I graduate, I’m going to go to a community college. I’ll study animation there and get my associate’s degree as well. I am also very excited that I’ll be graduating this year and that I’ll be an adult.
What do you hope your life will be like in 10 years? In ten years, I hope to be an animator that works for Pixar, or for Dreamworks Animation if I don’t manage to land a job at Pixar. I’m hoping to have an animation job in story board art, lighting, or sound effects and special effects.
Knowing what you know now, what advice would you give your freshman self? I would tell myself not to stress too much, that it will all be okay, and all the hard work will pay off.
What is the most meaningful assignment or project given to you by a teacher? One book that Ms. Renelle assigned this year in AP English that was really meaningful to me was Frankenstein. This book made me think a lot about who the real monsters are. The real monsters in real life and in stories are not always who we think they are.
What is a favorite book, movie, song, or show that tells us something about you? One of my favorite movies is Fantastic Mr. Fox. This show that I really appreciate unique types of animation in movies.
Who or what inspires you? I am inspired by Temple Grandin and Guillermo del Toro and because they are both autistic like me and they have both achieved great things.
When you’re not in school or working, how do you like to spend your free time? When I have free time I enjoy relaxing, swimming in the sea in my wetsuit, reading, youth group activities, doing puzzles, watching movies at home and in movie theaters (I especially like 3D movies), spending time with my family, and drawing.
In what ways do you feel you have had an impact on your community? I have enjoyed helping my community by doing service projects, helping at church, stacking wood for my Grandpa Del, and picking up beach trash wherever I can. I also enjoy my work study at the Lopez Island library which I do on Mondays, Wednesdays, and Fridays. I help by sorting out lego pieces and shelf reading, which means making sure all the books are in the correct order. I am currently shelf reading in the adult section and I’m getting close to done with that.
In what ways do you want to have a positive impact on the world in the future? I want to inspire and bring joy to people with art and animation, and I also want to encourage other people with autism that they can accomplish anything they set their minds to.
What else do you think people should know about you? Something to know about me is that I really love swimming in pools, rivers, lakes (but not too close to the middle), and even the very cold sea. My mom says I’m like a little polar bear cub because I like the water so much.
Lopez Island School District
Brady Smith, Superintendent
Martha Martin, K-12 Principal
The Lopez Island 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 employee(s) has been designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged discrimination: Civil Rights Compliance Coordinator, and Title IX Coordinator Sarah Rucker; Section 504, Mary Fordham. OR contact by phone, 360-468-2202, OR mail to 86 School Rd, Lopez Island, WA 98261.