Our schools are the heart of the community. On our K-12 campus we provide an environment where families, educators, business and community members join together to create a dynamic, exciting center for learning.   Blaine, located in the northwest corner of Washington State, is an ideal place to live and visit. Our small town aura, seaside parks, marina and excellent moderate climate combine to invite visitors to return again and again

Our Schools

 

Third Annual Community Math – Mark your calendars for October 22nd from 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.  Join us in our Performing Arts Center as Ruth Parker, Ph.D. whose goal is to support schools by engaging their communities in support of quality mathematics in schools, talks to us on the topic of “HOW TO HELP YOUR CHILD AT HOME WITH MATH.
Specifics include:  (Click to view) How Can You Help Your Child With Math At Home? How can you help your child learn to reason numerically? What can you do when your child doesn't know what to do with a math problem? How can you avoid conflict over homework? Math games you can play at home Building fluency with basic facts – the role of drill and practice; More mathematical games – fun challenges for the family; Understanding multiplication means more than memorizing basic facts. Child care for birth to 3rd grade will be provided.  Door prizes will be given and by all means, feel free to join us for dinner in the MS/HS Cafeteria from 5:00 to 5:45 p.m. where we will provide Pizza and pop/water.  If you have questions, please contact Deb Cummings, Director of Curriculum/Instruction/Assessment at 332-0720.

 

HomeConnection is a partnership between homeschooling families and the Blaine School District. Parents shape their child’s learning experiences though individualized student learning plans, classes, field trips and workshops. Course offerings are determined by parents. HC classes are offered for enrichment, with no credit given toward a high school diploma. Currently HC has 75 students enrolled.

 

At the conclusion of the September 22 meeting, the Blaine School District Board of Directors appointed Susan Holmes to fill the unexpired term for Director District 3. The position was recently vacated by Pebble Griffin, who resigned after serving 11 years on the board. The Board members expressed appreciation to all seven applicants that took the time to participate in the interview process. Each of them showed a commitment and involvement of parents and community that is vital to the success of the work that we do with students each day. Blaine Directors were impressed with the insight, varied experience in education, and the expressed commitment to collaborative problem solving by Ms. Holmes.

She spoke of a strong focus on doing the right thing for students and a positive school culture. Superintendent Ron Spanjer noted, “We are excited to have Susan joining the Board. We look forward to advancing the critical work of supporting the educational needs of students across the Blaine School District.” The District 3 position, along with that of District 5, will be up for election in the fall of 2009.

 

 

Board Approves 2008-09 Program Goals

The Blaine School District Board of Directors took action on 2008-09 Program Goals at their August 25, 2008 regular meeting. The approved goal set will serve to direct the focus of the Board, and that of the Superintendent, in the new program year. Specific emphasis is being placed on work that supports the continuous improvement of student achievement in the math content area, K-12. A summary of approved goal areas can be accessed through the following link. Questions specific to this document should be addressed to the Superintendent. The Blaine School District Office can be reached at 360-332-5881. (Click here for the complete program goals.)

 

Adequate Yearly Progress (AYP)

The term AYP comes from the federal requirement that all schools and districts will have a certain – and growing – percentage of the students passing the state’s reading and math tests each year, so that 100 percent of students in all schools nationwide will be proficient in reading and mathematics by 2014.
AYP calculations are based on reading and mathematics scores from the Washington Assessment of Student Learning, and the breakout of results by nine student profiles: all students, the five major ethnic groups, low-income status and inclusion in special education or English language learner programs. Other factors, such as unexcused student absences for elementary and middle schools or high school graduation rates, are also included in a school’s calculation.

(click here for more information)

If a school or district misses the goal in a single category, it fails to make AYP.  A school moves into “improvement” status after it misses its AYP goals for two consecutive years in the same subject – reading or mathematics. A district moves into “improvement” status when it misses making AYP for two consecutive years in all three grade spans (elementary, middle, secondary) in any subgroup in the same subject area.  Schools are evaluated in up to 37 categories, and districts in up to 111. They must meet achievement targets in every category to make AYP. To exit improvement, a school or district must meet AYP goals in each category for two consecutive years.

This year in Blaine School District, Blaine Middle School moved into Step I in improvement as per AYP.  For detailed information on how all schools in our district performed, click on the following link:  http://reportcard.ospi.k12.wa.us

Our bottomline goal in Blaine School District is to continuously improve no matter our results.  Our focus as a district is to increase system alignment.  Math is a priority with science close behind.  Our goal is to focus on these two areas while maintaining our success in literacy.  There are a variety of specific actions we are taking so every student is successful.  These include Professional Development for teachers in math and science, specific interventions programs for students who struggle academically and teachers working collaboratively to review common assessments and plan aligned, effective lessons.
“There is wonderful, heroic work going on in our schools, and I want parents and other members of our communities to know that they should look far beyond a school’s AYP status to determine the real quality of education that is being delivered there,” said Terry Bergeson, Washington State Superintendent.

 

Blaine Schook District is proud to introduce our new teachers for the 2008-09 school year. Listed from left to right are; Kevin Smith - High School Math, Clete Smith - High School Social Studies, Bevin Graham - 5th Grade, Jodi Swobody - Primary School Special Ed Life Skills, Tricia Hitchcock - Kindergarten, Angela Czesak - 7th Grade Math/Science