Year in Review: Blaine school district

Last year as I wrote to you and reflected on the first year of the pandemic I told you I believed we had to keep moving forward with the best of intentions, to continue to work hard and to work together, to think outside the box and find creative solutions to problems none of us had ever encountered before. Now as I reflect on 2021, these words feel just as relevant and even more important. 

This last summer our administrators came together to work on a plan for a successful school year. Our focus was ultimately to affect positive student outcomes through collaboration and instruction. This work is driven by our belief that all students can learn, be critical thinkers and problem solvers, and be successful after leaving Blaine school district. Collaboration with all stakeholders, including our families and wider community, is important to our success. 

In addition to engaging in work that ensures a guaranteed and viable curriculum is implemented in all classrooms, we have also worked to include social and emotional learning for our students. Our new deans of students are working in grades PK-12 to support social and emotional learning for all students and staff across the district, as well as connecting with families as students have returned to full time in-person learning.  

We recognize that as students have returned to in-person learning, while still living in the midst of a pandemic, a unique set of circumstances have developed that they are being forced to navigate. There has been a disturbing wave of encouragement of poor choices directed at our youth through social media, which we have been communicating with families about. Most recently we published a joint statement with Blaine Police Department where we addressed this topic, and you can find that statement on our home page. Also, from any page on our website you can select crisis resources in the black bar on the top right. In addition to crisis resources such as mental health and suicide prevention, you will also find social media resources for families. 

As we focus our work on positive student outcomes, we must also acknowledge the impact of the Covid-19 pandemic on our students, staff and families. This has become a longer haul than we could have predicted, and people everywhere are tired. Although it may feel at times as though positive intent is more difficult to find, we want to assure you that our staff and administrators remain committed to making the best decisions possible for our school community while also following the health and safety guidelines laid out for us. 

On behalf of the board of directors and the entire Blaine school district staff, we would like to take this opportunity to thank the collective communities of Point Roberts, Birch Bay and Blaine for your support in making great things happen for all students. We wish you all the best in the year to come.