April 2025
Hello LPOSD Families,
The finish line is in sight! As we head into the final stretch of the school year, I want to express my heartfelt appreciation to our remarkable staff as we celebrate all LPOSD educators next week across the district - National Teacher Appreciation Week. From day one, LPOSD educators and staff, the foundation of our district, have given their all to support, guide, and inspire our students. What could be more important? The district celebrates all educators with gratitude and appreciation. We invite you to check with your local school to learn how your family can join in celebrating educators during this special week. A heartfelt thank you goes a long wayđź’—!
I would like to extend a personal invitation to our June groundbreaking ceremony for the new Career Technical Education Center (CTEC) of North Idaho. Celebrate this exciting milestone with us at Sandpoint High School on June 9, 2025 at 9:15 a.m. This project reflects our District’s strong commitment to creating meaningful opportunities for every student. CTEC represents our community-driven effort to equip teenagers with skills to embark on meaningful pathways to success after high school.
We also believe it’s critical to partner with parents to help students stay safe and thrive. Thus, we are bringing the important conversations from last month’s impactful Student Safety Summit into our elementary schools. These events offer tips and tools for parents to better understand the role screen time and social media has on a child’s mental health. Each of the events listed below are open to all parents in our district. Dinner and childcare are provided to make it easier for parents to attend.
Location: Farmin Stidwell Elementary. When: Tuesday, May 6, at 5:30 p.m.
Location: Southside Elementary. When: Wednesday, May 14, at 5 p.m.
Location: Sagle Elementary. When: Thursday, May 15, at 6 p.m.
Location: Hope Elementary. When: Monday, May 19 and Tuesday, May 20, at 5 p.m.
Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership, bwm
Dr. Becky Meyer, Superintendent
Lake Pend Oreille School District’s new online school option offered through Clark Fork High School attracts nontraditional students who prioritize both flexibility and individual accountability.
“We created the online school to provide options for local families. So if we can help a student graduate who is thinking about dropping out, we're extremely pleased with the outcome,” said Casey McLaughlin, LPOSD’s secondary education director.
Like a traditional school, weekly assignments and compulsory tests accompany each unit but that’s pretty much where the similarities stop. They rarely step onto campus, communication takes place over the phone or through digital means, and the curriculum is self-paced. Clark Fork Principal Phil Kemink describes it as a student-driven, mastery-based model that meets Idaho State graduation requirements.
Teenagers are flourishing in this learning environment, because many are juggling academic commitments alongside work, travel or family responsibilities. To read more about LPOSD's online school, please use this link: The Online Academy.
LPOSD principals consistently go the extra mile to support Every Student, Every Day. This story embodies that commitment and shows the incredible efforts our educators make to ensure kids succeed.
Plenty of consequential events were unfolding eight years ago: political shifts, social movements and global challenges. That same year, Farmin Stidwell Principal Betsy Dalessio dedicated herself to raising the funds — called the “dream account” — to bring the first-ever book vending machine to LPOSD.
Many years later, she succeeded! The 550-pound machine was unveiled this month to the delight and fascination of Farmin students. And it’s a great way to promote literacy.
“Betsy’s dedication to her students is absolutely amazing,” said Dr. Becky Meyer, LPOSD superintendent. “It is such an innovative way to encourage reading.”
These machines function similarly to traditional vending machines, but instead of snacks or drinks, they "dispense" books. Students browse a selection of books displayed on shelves and use a token to make their choice, dispensed at the bottom tray.
Tokens are given to kids for doing great things — improving, growing, fixing behavior, arriving at school on time.
“We want to reward kids with brand new books,” Dalessio said. “Staff can award kids a token for anything they see, and we hope that every kid will get a chance to get one book throughout the year.”
Dalessio thanked Litehouse for kicking off their fundraising journey seven years ago with a generous $1,500 donation, and all of the subsequent donations, big and small, her book vending machine dream account received along the winding journey.
Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation Services Receive Financial Boost from Blue Cross
Our dedicated Career Technical Education staff has done it once again. Great work, Sandpoint High School teachers. A $30,000 Health Professions Programs Grant grant was awarded to their newest CTE program, Sports Medicine & Rehabilitation Services, for the 2025-26 school year. The Blue Cross of Idaho Foundation for Health funded the grant. “We were excited to see so many quality applications from schools interested in launching or expanding their Career Technical Education programs. The number of applications made our decision-making process extremely difficult,” the organization wrote.
