Dayton School Board Report

DAYTON—The state of Washington has recognized the Dayton Elementary and Dayton Middle School for sustained improvement in student assessments over a five year period.

“So that’s something to be happy with,” said Superintendent Doug Johnson at last week’s school board meeting.

The Educational Service District will host an award ceremony for the schools in their region sometime in the near future, he said.

Johnson also said that there are some students in the district experiencing homelessness, but there are Title I dollars to connect them to resources in the community. Johnson said he recently attended a workshop called McKinney Vento, which is training to help students who are homeless.

Fall sports are wrapping up and winter sport preparations are underway. Johnson said practice schedules and transportation issues will be discussed at the next Athletic Combine Meeting.

A bus driver is needed at the end of the day to field students back to Waitsburg, or Dayton, he said.

Johnson said the District’s new website should be up and running around the first part of November. Content is currently being moved to the website.

30 letters went out last week to remind parents about getting their children’s immunizations up to date, or to file an exemption. Parents have 30 days to comply, said Johnson.

Johnson said manufacturer technicians are on site to complete the boiler installation and testing.

High school principal Kristina Brown said the Healthy Youth Survey is being administered to students in grades 6 through 11 by the health department. The data will assist community groups to write grants for projects which support making healthy choices.

Brown also said that the music program is hosting a regional Mass Band Concert from 6:15 to 7:15 p.m. on Oct. 24. Tickets will be sold at the door and the cost is $10 per family, $5 per adult, and $3 per student/senior.

A District safety meeting was held Oct. 10 to address concerns from students and staff.

The PSAT exam was recently administered to students wanting to take it.

Parent/student/teacher conferences are on Nov. 7 and 8, in the afternoons and evenings, said Brown.

Brown said discipline referrals are down, as the staff is working on restorative discipline practices.

Christobal Garcia, who is public relations manager for the high school ASB, briefed the board about homecoming week activities and other events. He said a “pink out’ day for breast cancer awareness will be held Oct. 31. Students will be encouraged to wear pink and donate change to cancer research.

Garcia also said there will be a Red Cross blood drive in the high school gym on Nov. 14.

High school students Kaleigh White and Aliah Picarella came before the Board to request permission for this year’s graduates to decorate their graduation caps. The board took an advisory vote to allow them to proceed, and the motion passed.