Hello Staff, Families, and Community,
I hope you had a great week and took time to participate in some of the exciting things that happened across the district!
Earlier this week, we celebrated the opening of our brand-new Star Lake Elementary School and Evergreen Middle School with a formal ribbon cutting and community tours of the new schools. Thank you to the scholars, staff, families, and community members who came out to see the new schools and celebrate with us! Our schools will serve as a hub for improved learning, and will enhance the student experience with embedded technology, flexible working spaces, and other thoughtful design implementations based on the latest research for scholar engagement and academic achievement. I'm excited for the thousands of young people who will enjoy the new schools now and over many years to come. Thank you to our construction partners and our voters who made these new schools possible.
If you weren’t able to make it to the ribbon cutting, check out some highlights below!
This week, I also had the pleasure of seeing scholars and staff engaged in all of the college and career activities happening this week, as we celebrated DiscoverU!
- On Monday, Green Gables scholars heard from local guest speakers who shared their careers and experiences as part of Discover Local Jobs Day.
- On Tuesday, Lake Grove Leopards wrote thank you notes to community members and explored how different career paths can impact communities for Lead Your Community Day.
- Wednesday was Classroom to Careers Day, and Sacajawea scholars took time to share what they want to do in their future and signed up to win a college t-shirt of their choice!
- On Thursday, staff and scholars across the district participated in College Gear Day by wearing college gear and taking fun photos throughout the day! Over at Federal Way High School, scholars also visited booths from local community partners during lunchtime to explore various college and career opportunities available after graduation.
- Today, we wrapped up the week with Flash Forward Friday, and our Employment and Transition Program scholars presented what they’ve learned in their jobs to Functional Core scholars at Wildwood Elementary.
- During DiscoverU week, our scholars in grades 8-12 took the PSAT and SAT in preparation for college. These are just a few highlights of the great things that happened to support scholars’ discovery of college and career opportunities in the region and beyond!
Our focus this month on preparing all scholars for college and career will continue in just a few weeks with the return of our in-person college and career fair, Life After High School. Hundreds of middle and high school scholars will meet with representatives from colleges and post-secondary programs to continue narrowing down their plans for after graduation, receive financial aid application support and more. Our commitment to facilitating a smooth transition for scholars after high school includes many intentional efforts throughout the year. Next week, I’m excited to share some special news with you regarding your college opportunities for all FWPS scholars!
Thanks to all who supported our scholars this week at the ribbon cutting and by helping scholars engage in DiscoverU Week. Help your child continue developing college and career plans by asking them what they learned this week and what their goals are for the future.
In Partnership,
Dr. Dani Pfeiffer
Free Mental Health Resource for Scholars and Staff
We're excited to continue providing Talkspace to staff and scholars ages 13 and over to support social and emotional health. Talkspace is a HIPAA certified virtual therapy service where users can access unlimited 24/7 text-to-chat therapy from licensed mental health providers. Additionally, registered users may schedule up to two live virtual therapy sessions per month. The service is completely confidential. We won’t and can’t track who accesses the service which means discussions between scholars and therapists remain private. Simply register with your district email address, take a needs assessment, then choose your therapist based on areas of expertise — you can change therapists at any time!
More information about how to sign up will be shared with scholars and staff next week!
Upcoming Vaccine Clinics
Federal Way Public Schools is partnering with Mary Bridge Children’s and OmLife Health to offer vaccine clinics for scholars and community members. Upcoming clinics include:
OmLife Health COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic
Saturday, October 15, 2:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Mirror Lake Elementary
625 S 314th St
Federal Way, WA 98003
Registration required
Mary Bridge Children’s Vaccine Clinic
Tuesday, October 25, 3:30-6:30 p.m.
Thomas Jefferson High school
Serves children up to age 18; No registration required
OmLife Health COVID-19 Vaccination Clinic
Saturday, November 5, 2:30 – 6:30 p.m.
Todd Beamer High School
35999 16th Ave S
Federal Way, WA 98003
Registration required
For all clinics, be sure to bring immunization records and/or documentation of previous doses of the COVID-19 vaccine. Learn more and register at: www.fwps.org/vaccine.
Federal Way Public Schools
Email: comments@fwps.org
Website: www.fwps.org
Location: 33330 8th Avenue South, Federal Way, WA, USA
Phone: 253-945-2000
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/fwps210/
Twitter: @FWPS210