It’s been an exciting year for the Tenino School District. We have 70 graduates in the class of 2009, many of whom are going on to some form of post-high school education and earning in excess of $315,000.00 in scholarships and awards.  The dedication of the employees of the Tenino School District to continue to provide the best education possible remains strong.

The Tenino School Board set in motion a process of developing a 3 to 5 year Strategic Plan for the district. Working with a consultant from the local Educational Service District, a diverse committee of parents, teachers, classified staff, administrators, and board members met monthly to identify the needs and wants of the district and design a plan to achieve these goals. This Strategic Plan has aggressive academic goals and recognizes the need to connect with the community and improve facilities. Once the final version is adopted by the School Board, this plan will be the filter used for all decision-making. We believe that the Tenino School District will be a place that other school districts look to as an example of best educational practices.

The administration and staff of this district are implementing the MAP testing in an effort to collect more accurate and immediate data to design learning goals for students that are relevant to their educational needs. The State of Washington is moving away from the current WASL testing system and we believe that the use of the MAP on-line assessment will put us at the leading edge of these changes and provide quality data to assess our students’ skills and needs.

We have spent several extended days as a staff working to align our curriculum vertically. This means that starting in Kindergarten and going all the way through 12th grade, we will have a plan for all subjects that is not repetitious and that allows each grade to build a strong foundation for the following years. This work will continue through the 2009-2010 school year.

It was an exciting time this winter to finish the Language Arts adoption that started in 2005 with the purchase of new materials for grades 6 through 12. The elementary piece was purchased 2 years ago. The middle and high school English departments got together and reviewed materials, recommending the adoption of a program they all felt would provide strong instruction for the future. The Tenino School Board feels very strongly in continuing the support of curriculum adoptions. The 2009-2010 school year will see an increase in science curriculum through support of our Education Service District and, if the budget allows, we will continue to prioritize curriculum adoption. We have identified a curriculum adoption cycle and our hope is to continue to support the purchase of new and updated curriculum in a regular fashion.

One of the biggest struggles this year has been with the budget. The State and Federal economy is struggling, which has a direct effect on our district. It has been difficult to plan for the 2009-2010 school year without specific data from the state. The Tenino School District did have an audit this year and we did not have any significant findings against us. The audit report indicates that this district is financially stable and it is our goal to keep it that way. In building the budget for the 2009-2010 school year, it is our belief that the bigger financial picture will not change quickly and any budget developed will need to be conservative and provide for decreased funding for the next several years. Priorities in building the budget for the future continue to be course offerings at the secondary schools and class size at the elementary level. Updating curriculum will continue to be important and addressing the aging facilities can no longer be ignored.

The Tenino PTA has been a thriving group this year, supporting all four schools. Parent and community involvement are vital to school success, and we want to thank this group for all their help. The Tenino Follies and “First Annual” trivia night were a huge success. If you have never participated in a trivia night, plan to put it on your calendar for next year. This year saw the addition of FlashAlert for our community. If you did not sign up for FlashAlert this past year, please plan on doing so for next year. It keeps you electronically connected to the schools during times of emergency or closure. The snows of 2008 and the floods of 2009 were proof that this system works.

We are very proud of our new Web site. This Web site gives a positive electronic look into the Tenino School District and is a great communication tool with parent and the community. As district patrons, we encourage you to contact your local schools or the superintendent’s office at any time. While much of what we deal with is confidential in terms of students and employees, we have no secrets and if we can help you understand what’s going on, we would be happy to do so.

We will be busy all summer getting ready for the 2009-2010 school year, working to ensure that it is even more successful than this past year has been. Your continued support is appreciated and do not hesitate to contact us if you have questions or concerns. Have a safe and relaxing summer.