BSD Staff Updates

Laine is returning to Bremerton after living in Pullman, Washington for the last 15 years (Go Cougs!) She grew up in and graduated from Bremerton, and is excited to put her varied experience and knowledge to work as the new Administrative Assistant for the Teaching for Learning team. She is looking forward to working with some familiar names and learning plenty of new ones as well.

Outside of work, Laine enjoys spending time with her partner, John, also of Bremerton, and they will be on the hunt for a place of their own locally once things are wrapped up in Pullman. They enjoy playing games together, both video and board, and are both excited to be closer to their families.

Brittan moved to Washington from Arizona 11 years ago and is so excited to be part of the Bremerton School District in the Special Education Department as the Office Coordinator. She has a wide range of experience in multiple fields focusing on process and procedure enhancements to ensure success within the company and a smooth running operation for all existing team members and new hires. She has a deep desire and compassion for others and thrives knowing the work she does is part of a bigger picture helping others achieve their goals and dreams, no matter the size.

When not working, Brittan spends most of her free time with her 3 daughters, husband, French Bulldog, Gus, cat, Deeohgee and hedgehog, Penelope. She has a pretty green thumb and is an avid gardener both indoors and outdoors. She has created a little indoor "jungle" at home to bring more greenery inside especially during the colder seasons here. Plants bring her a different sense of happiness and serenity when tending to her "green babies". She is a pretty big homebody, but doesn't shy away from new adventures and experiences around the beautiful PNW.

• Send a direct message to a parent with a voice clip (and without having to look up their phone number in Skyward)?
• Create a post that also feeds to a classroom (or club) calendar?
• Respond to comments to a post so that all parents can see the responses, rather than having to respond to a bunch of different individual emails?

Parents do NOT have to use the ParentSquare app to receive our communication. If we have an updated email and/or mobile phone number for them in Skyward, they are getting our communication via e-mail and/or text message. The text message will link to the information in ParentSquare but does not require them to log-in to view it.

Schedule with ParentSquare’s Appointment Sign-Ups! ParentSquare has made it even easier for families with multiple students or shared custody situations. See the FAQ for best practices.

• ParentSquare is the district’s adopted platform and is the mandated tool for communication with students and parents.

• ParentSquare has replaced Remind*

• All staff in the District are automatically set-up with an account.

• If you have not activated your account, click to view this helpful “Getting Started” guide

• If you need additional access in ParentSquare, please contact your principal or supervisor.

There are lots of training articles accessible by clicking on the question mark in the upper right hand corner, once you are logged-in to ParentSquare. There are links to training in every staff newsletter. Check out the archives here.

*WST staff still have access to Remind through the end of the school year.

At the February 11th Board Meeting, the Board of Directors interviewed five candidates for board position #5. The board appointed Ben Anderson who was sworn in at the February 20th board meeting. Read the full announcement.

On February 20th, recommendations for an elementary Comprehensive Sexual Health Education curriculum were presented and approved by the board. View the findings and recommendations here.

POLICY NEWS:

The following policies were adopted by the board:

• Policy 4300- Limiting Immigration Enforcement in Schools
• Policy 3205- Sexual Harassment of Students Prohibited
• Policy 3432- Emergencies

The following procedure was retired by the board:

• 4300P- Political Relationships with Governmental Agencies

The following policies were brought to the board for a first read and were approved:

• Policy 5252- Staff Participation in Political Activities

Other Business:

• Updated Booster Application Form 4120F
• Updated Form: 6114F-1 Request for Acceptance of Gifts

For more information about these meetings and to view any of these documents, visit Community.

Join us in-person or online!

It's time for the Kitsap County Bar Association's 2025 Law Day Essay Contest! If you are a Kitsap County principal, educator, or parent, this is a fantastic opportunity for your students.

This year's theme, in conjunction with the American Bar Association, is “Out of Many, One,” or E Pluribus Unum. All essays must be received by April 11, 2025.

Six cash prizes will be awarded—three in each of the two categories:

High School (grades 9-12)

• First Place – $350
• Second Place – $250
• Third Place – $150

Middle School (grades 6-8)

• First Place – $350
• Second Place – $250
• Third Place – $150

Download the flyer here

The streets of Bremerton will come alive with Irish spirit on March 15th as the 31st Annual St. Patrick’s Day Parade makes its way through the city from 2: 00 PM – 5:00 PM. This lively event, presented by the Downtown Bremerton Association and generous local sponsors, is FREE for spectators and promises a fun filled afternoon for all ages!

Local organizations, school groups, businesses, and spirited community members are invited to JOIN THE PARADE and help bring St. Patrick’s Day traditions to life with festive flair! It is FREE for school groups to march in the parade and those wishing to participate should RSVP on the DBA website by March 3rd.

Sign up here: https://www.downtownbremerton.org/event-details/st-patricks-day-parade

Email: communications@bremertonschools.org

Website: www.BremertonSchools.org
Phone: 360-473-1000
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