HSD News Round-Up

Fifth grade students at HHES received a refreshing shower courtesy of Fire District 3 during the last week of school. The annual fifth grade spray down is a longstanding tradition in the HSD - an experience that HSD students might fondly remember during this week's high temperatures!

Happy 4th of July! Although the 2023-24 school year has concluded and the start of 2024-25 school year is still many weeks away, there are stories and announcements we wanted to share with HSD families. The result? A "special edition" Round-Up! Read on for updates about community input on the Facilities Planning Committee survey, community events, student accomplishments, and summer projects.

The Hockinson Blueberry Festival is returning on Saturday, July 13 to celebrate the community’s blueberry farms and local businesses. The event, organized by the Hockinson Main Street Team and Hockinson School District, will take place from 10 am to 1 pm at the Hockinson Community Center at the corner of 159th and 182nd Avenue in Brush Prairie, WA. Join us for blueberry sales, live music, local vendor concessions, and kids activities.

Thank you to families who participated in the two Facilities Planning Committee (FPC) surveys this spring. Family input from these surveys offers valuable perspectives and direction to the FPC, a community-based advisory group, as it works to research and propose facilities needs and solutions to the HSD School Board. Below is a brief summary of the most recent survey, which received 223 responses. Read the full FPC Survey #2 results summary here.

Community Priority #1: Addressing Overcrowding at Hockinson Heights Elementary School

The overcrowding issue at HHES is top of mind for many Hockinson families. 72.7% of responding families ranked overcrowding at Hockinson Heights Elementary School among the top three most important facilities projects impacting Hockinson families in Survey #1.

• 66.8% of respondents prefer a two-campus option with 34.5% choosing two TK-5 elementary schools and 32.3% preferring a primary and intermediate schools on separate sites. Both options involve one new school site and remodeling of the existing HHES site.

• 33.1% of respondents prefer a one-campus option to accommodate 1,100+ TK - Grade 5 students with 17.9% choosing to remodel and expand the current HHES campus and 15.2% opting to build a single elementary school on a new site.

Community Priority #2: Safety upgrades at Hockinson Heights Elementary School

In FPC survey #2, 53% of families indicated that improving building lockdown capacity is their top priority out of a list of five HHES safety improvements.

Priority #3: Track resurfacing at Hockinson High School and HHS stadium field improvement

In the most recent FPC survey, the majority of families (63%) prioritized replacing the track and installing a new synthetic turf field out of five proposed solutions.

Priority #4: Roofing and HVAC replacement at HHS, HHES, and Hockinson Community Center/ District Office

Roofing and HVAC units at HHS, HHES, and the Hockinson Community Center/District Office are at or near their maximum useful life span. 73% of Survey #2 respondents said that they are concerned about the impact that aging roofs and HVACs have on student and staff safety and comfort. 63% of respondents are concerned about the ability of aging roofs to protect school structures from moisture and other weather events.

The Facilities Planning Committee (FPC) is a team of community members, HSD staff, and school board representatives charged with the responsibility of researching solutions to challenges such as overcrowding at the elementary school and safety needs for our growing student population. The committee began its work last fall and will be collecting community input through surveys and upcoming engagement events to prioritize facilities projects and make a plan to address important issues facing Hockinson's schools. That plan will ultimately be presented to the HSD School Board later this fall.

Today, we’re highlighting James Walter for his contributions to the FPC team!

James (pictured with his family) is the Director of Facilities at one of the largest semiconductor manufacturing facilities in the region, so he is no stranger to the complexities of building maintenance, equipment upgrades and repair, and compliance with local and state regulations. He is dedicated to quality and safety in the workplace and in HSD schools. “When the opportunity to join the FPC came up, I jumped at the chance to get involved to see how I could help to keep our school system going strong,” said James Walter. “As an engineer and Hockinson parent, I feel that I’m able to help offer solutions to school facility needs that are frugal, sensible, and support top-tier educational resources for Hockinson students.”

Thank you for sharing your expertise and time with the FPC this year, James!

In the latest installment of the “HSD: By the Numbers” series, Superintendent Steve Marshall shares a diverse collection of numbers to capture some of the accomplishments of our students, staff, and families this spring. Read it here!

Hockinson School District is seeking new team members to join us this fall as Student Learning Advocates. Americorps Student Learning Advocates provide additional academic support to students through our Student Success Program. This is an ideal position for young adults, retired educators, or anyone wishing to make a difference in the lives of kids.

Student Learning Advocates serve a 10-month term from Sept. 2024 to July 2025 for a stipend of $2,571 per month. Upon completion of the service term, members receive a $3,450+ continuing education award. They also receive health insurance, dental insurance, and counseling and career-support services throughout the term.

• Apply to be a Student Learning Advocate at Hockinson Heights Elementary School

• Apply to be a Student Learning Advocate at Hockinson Middle School and Hockinson High School

Congratulations to Lyla Taylor, Ani Vossler, Sophia Sermone, Aiden Willis, Zachary Chung, Jacob Dark, Brenton McNair, Sarah DeRoos, and Ainsley Burckhard (l to r) for qualifying for the Future Business Leaders of America (FBLA) National Conference in Orlando, Florida! These students participated in workshops, competitive events, and presentations from June 29-July 2.

In FBLA, students learn valuable leadership and job-readiness skills that prepare them for future success. The HHS Chapter of FBLA is led by Tracy Turner.

The surveying stakes along 164th Street in front of HHES suggest that the HHES bicycle and pedestrian safety improvement project is just about to begin! It will install three marked and lighted crosswalks near the school to improve safety for bicyclists and pedestrians. Construction is slated to begin in mid-June, but the exact start time is weather-dependent. This $445,000 project is made possible by a combination of state and county grants! You can learn more about this improvement here.

Summer vacation is not a down time for HSD custodial and maintenance staff. "We know our community expects us to maintain their investment in our schools and we want to deliver! So we really pack a lot into the summer months to get to projects we can't always complete during the school year," said HSD Operations Supervisor Dave Wilson.

Aside from deep cleaning classrooms and common areas, district staff and contractors are repairing and replacing flooring, painting walls, replacing outdated technology, and refinishing gym floors. Two gym floors, in particular, are getting a more than a fresh layer of lacquer; the yellow gym at HHES will get sanded down, repainted, and sealed and new pickleball lines were painted on the Community Education Gym (pictured) before it is sanded and refinished later this month.

After they wrapped up the school year, HSD principals quickly pivoted to "presentation mode" and shared their school improvement journeys with educational leaders from other districts around our area and state. Meredith Gannon (HHES), Bess Colpron (HMS), and Tim Fox (HHS) presented at the June 27 WASA Instructional Leadership Conference held at Discovery High School in Camas, WA. All three leaders presented takeaways from their work to support the HSD Strategic Plan by building positive school cultures, aligning instructional practices to improve student learning, and engaging students and families.

New and returning students are invited to join us at the following 2024- 25 school year orientation events in August:

Hockinson Heights Elementary

Back to School Community Fair August 22 • 5-7 pm

Hockinson Middle School

Hornet Academy (6th Grade) August 26 • 8am–12pm

7–8th Grade Orientation August 27 • 8am–12pm

Open House September 3 • 5:30–6:30pm

* An exciting new transition support experience is available to incoming 6th Graders: Upward Hockinson! This camp will run Mon, Aug. 5 - Thurs. Aug. 8 from 9 am - 12:30 pm daily. More information here. Register here.

Hockinson High School

10-12 Grade Orientation August 26

12th Grade: 9–10:30am

11th Grade: 10:30am–12pm

10th Grade: 1–2:30pm

9th Grade Orientation August 27

Orientation: 9:00–11:30am

BBQ: 11:30am–12pm

Mark your family calendars! The 2024-25 school year begins Wednesday, Aug. 28.

Email: justine.hanrahan@esd112.org
Website: https://www.hocksd.org/
Location: 17912 NE 159th St, Brush Prairie, WA 98606, USA
Phone: (360) 448-6400