We Are Bremerton!

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If you are out and about on May 3, you may see large groups of people in neon yellow shirts working together to beautify Bremerton!

Our annual "be Bremerton: A Day of Service" is our way of showing the Bremerton Community and the City of Bremerton our thanks for their tremendous support of the Bremerton School District and our students.

If you'd like to be a part of the fun, visit our website to sign-up!

Last week, members of the after-school drama club at View Ridge Elementary Arts Academy put on epic performances to huge crowds at the Bremerton High School Performing Arts Center (PAC)! On both Thursday and Friday night, these third through fifth graders created magic in the pride lands, performing Disney's Lion King Kids! These 62 students have been rehearsing twice a week since October (that's 43 rehearsals this year!). View more photos here!

On Friday, the K-2 drama club kids performed an adorable "Creepy Creatures" musical prior to the Lion King Kids performance. Their performance showcased the incredible bravery and confidence of these 65 students, while teaching the audience about some incredibly cute, creepy creatures. View more photos here!

Thank you to the huge group of staff and family volunteers who make these programs possible. We couldn't do it without you!

During the month of April, the Wellness Club at Mountain View Middle School has been coordinating a variety of activities to support students with knowledge to make more informed decisions about their health. They have posted positive messaging around the school, including posters highlighting why students are choosing to stay away from drugs and alcohol. The Wellness Club partnered with the MVMS Outdoor Leadership class to get live indoor plants placed throughout the school hallways - and name them! The school also hosted the impactful “Hidden in Plain Sight” exhibit this month, giving staff and parents a chance to experience and explore the environment of a teenager and learn to spot signs of possible substance use and risky behavior.

Wellness Club gives kids a voice to support their peers with both “way power” and willpower. “We want kids to know that tomorrow can be better than today and that they have the power to make it that way,” said MVMS Principal Ralph Wisner.

Nearly 200 Armin Jahr students recently visited Blueberry Park for lessons with the WSU Master Gardeners about pollination, composting, plant types, and more! The trip was coordinated by the AJ Orca PTO, who also provided supplies for birdhouse painting and seed starting on campus.

The following week, Kitsap County Public Works brought hands-on lessons about food waste, composting, and worms to three Armin Jahr classes!

Knight Warriors Claudia Kibbe, Lilia Stodden and Lucy Cleveland (L-R) performed for the state choir ensemble competition in Ellensburg on Friday, April 25. While they didn't place in the top three, they performed their best and felt really good about their performance - and made their friends and family in attendance very proud! Congratulations to these three talented singers!

Last week Superintendent Colosky was honored to speak at the ribbon cutting for the Bremerton Housing Authority’s Wheaton Landing project. Wheaton Landing is a new, 24-unit apartment complex aimed at providing stable housing for families with children in the Bremerton School District who are facing homelessness or housing instability.

Currently, we have 210 students in our District who are in unstable housing situations. This is 5.1% of our total enrollment. Stable housing is one of the essential supports that is necessary in order to educate the whole child. When children are not sure where they will sleep each night or if they will have a safe place to return to when the school day ends, they cannot be expected to focus on or learn the standards and skills that are necessary for them to succeed.

We greatly appreciate all of the community organizations who worked together to provide stable housing for our students.

Throughout the month of April, our schools said "thank you!" to their volunteers in a variety of ways including student-written thank you notes, gift bags and volunteer luncheons or teas!

Whether you're tutoring students, helping with library tasks, organizing fundraisers, or providing support in countless other ways, your contributions are vital to our schools' success. We appreciate your willingness to share your time and talents, and we thank you for your partnership.

BHS students and staff collected soup for the Bremerton Foodline during the month of April, before creating a human "conveyer belt" to pass the food across the street from the school to Bremerton Foodline headquarters!

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We are making continued progress with all of our Bond projects - even as we navigate some emerging challenges tied to construction timelines, permitting, and national supply chain issues. We’re excited to share updates from the past month and highlight what’s coming next as we work together to deliver modern, safe, and efficient learning environments for Bremerton students and staff.

OAC presented the schematic designs for both new schools to the Board for approval at the April 17th meeting. These plans represent the culmination of extensive collaboration and input, locking in the final placement and floor plans for both buildings. As we move into design development, the focus will shift to refining the details—interior finishes, colors, playgrounds, and outdoor learning spaces. We expect this next phase to be equally engaging, with workshops already underway to gather input from staff, students, and families. Both new school buildings remain on track to begin construction later this summer. We invite you to view the update to the board on our website.

View Ridge Elementary Arts Academy

Armin Jahr Elementary School

The Design-Build team, led by Abbott and Rice Fergus Miller, has begun the validation phase for the new consolidated facilities building, working in close collaboration with district staff. The project team recently toured multiple regional facilities—including Silverdale Water District, Central Kitsap Fire, and Federal Way Public Schools—to learn from their designs and operations, and held a “Day in the Life” workshop with BSD’s Transportation and Maintenance departments, immersing with staff to better understand how facilities function in real time.

The HVAC project continues to progress, though evolving industry standards related to refrigerants have required the team to pivot their approach. While the design and procurement process has presented challenges, our team remains focused on meeting important deadlines and preparing for long-term improvements across all five school sites.

As a part of Mountain View Middle School's career fair earlier this month, Korsmo Construction (the firm hired to build our two new schools) led the effort to have multiple interactive stations set up for students to explore a variety of careers including engineering, architecture, electrical systems, fire safety and more!

Students had the opportunity to see construction equipment & materials showcased by Star Rentals, and designs for the new Armin Jahr Elementary School and View Ridge Elementary Arts Academy were presented by TCF Architecture.

Industry leaders from OAC Services, Tenor Engineering Group, Red Hawk Fire Protection, Excel Electric, and KG Design demonstrated how science, technology, and creativity combine in construction and design.

What a great way for our students to learn about the many career paths available in these growing industries. Thank you to Korsmo Construction and all of our Bond program partners for making this happen!

We are so thankful for the hundreds of family members, staff, and community members who have generously invested their time and provided invaluable input throughout this process so far. This participation is instrumental in shaping the future of our schools.

We invite you to visit our website for information on upcoming opportunities to learn about the bond program. Stay tuned for more updates and thank you for your continued support!

At the April 17th meeting, Bremerton High School Choir teacher Wendy McPhetres provided highlights from choir throughout the school year. Choir students Lucy Cleveland, Claudia Kibbe, and Lilia Stodden opened the meeting with the National Anthem and then sang "Warrior," a song that they sang at the state solo & ensemble competition on April 25 in Ellensburg.

President Hurley recognized April as Month of the Military Child and Volunteer Appreciation Month. Resolutions were approved later in the meeting.

Incoming Superintendent Dr. Slade McSheehy also joined a portion of the meeting where his contract was approved. Welcome Dr. McSheehy!

POLICY NEWS:

The following policies were presented to the board for a first read:

• Policy 1112: Director Orientation

• Policy 1310: Policy Adoption, Manuals, and Administrative Procedures

• Policy 1810: Annual Governance Goals and Objectives

The following procedures were adopted by the board:

• 1114P- Board Member Resignation and Vacancy

• 3211P- Gender-Inclusive Schools

OTHER NEWS:

• Student Attendance Report
• Schematic Designs for Armin Jahr and View Ridge were approved by the board.

Join us in person or online!

We are pleased to announce that we are migrating to a new and improved platform for our board communication. BoardDocs has been replaced by "Community." If you run into any issues with this new site, please feel free to submit your feedback HERE.

The Bremerton School District is transitioning to a new communication platform called ParentSquare to improve communication and engagement with our families, students and community. During this transition, you may receive our updates twice. We apologize for any inconvenience. To continue receiving our communication, please subscribe here.

Background photo: View Ridge Elementary Arts Academy students performed in "Lion King" at the BHS Performing Arts Center last week.

The Bremerton 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: Carol Bailie at 360.473.1026, or the Section 504 Coordinator, Mark Mayfield at 360.473.4702. Mailing address: 134 Marion Avenue North, Bremerton, WA 98312.

Email: communications@bremertonschools.org
Website: www.BremertonSchools.org
Location: 134 Marion Avenue North, Bremerton, WA, USA
Phone: 360-473-1000

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