The 2021-22 school year has officially ended! We hope you have a safe and fun summer. We will see you all next fall!
The Class of 2022 High School Graduation Ceremony is Saturday, June 11th at 1:00pm. After the ceremony concludes, there will be a celebratory parade led by POC Fire District #2. Parade will start at the HS, proceeding to Metaline Falls, going up 5th Avenue, back to Hwy 31, and on to Main Street in Ione. Come congratulate these exceptional students!
Congratulations to Joel Krabbenhoft, Selkirk Ranger, for 6th place at the State Track Meet in the Boys 100 m!
Congratulations to Rowan Hampson, Selkirk Ranger, for 12th place at State in the Girls’ 1600 with a time of 6:19! Rowan is an 8th grader competing in the high school state track meet and this is her first year in track! Good job, Rowan!
Congratulations to Rennie Pelkie, Selkirk Ranger, for 8th place at State in the Boys 1600 (mile) with a 4:49 which is a new Selkirk High School record and for 3rd place in the 800 at 2:05!
Congratulations to our Selkirk Rangers at the State Track Meet this weekend in Cheney! Here is a photo from Open Ceremonies today.
In the wake of yesterday's senseless tragedy at Robb Elementary in Texas, we wanted to provide parents with resources for talking with children about violence. Your child may see a news story or hear other students talking of the shooting yesterday. Students may be confused and anxious or some may not internalize feelings at all. However, no matter how much we are reeling with the impact of this situation as adults, it is important to assure children with a message of hope (most people in this world are good), security (there are plans in place to keep you safe), and empowerment (when you see something wrong, say something to an adult). Children are resilient and they can work through most stress and anxiety when adults around them offer a supportive environment to help them process their thoughts and feelings. Here is a resource from the National Association of School Psychologists: https://nam12.safelinks.protection.outlook.com/?url=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.nasponline.org%2FDocuments%2FResources%2520and%2520Publications%2FHandouts%2FSafety%2520and%2520Crisis%2FTalking_To_Children_About_Violence.pdf%3Ffbclid%3DIwAR1hfamR044air3qQqehm2jksO0iVj-jR9f7aJT07gOxDSmUu8MMjHFnnkU&data=05%7C01%7Cmdunn%40esd101.net%7C813d4e61344e49525f5408da3e4deb45%7C7308c4c78c904128805c8ede2642bde8%7C0%7C0%7C637890801651353651%7CUnknown%7CTWFpbGZsb3d8eyJWIjoiMC4wLjAwMDAiLCJQIjoiV2luMzIiLCJBTiI6Ik1haWwiLCJXVCI6Mn0%3D%7C3000%7C%7C%7C&sdata=unZGiL%2F5Uk%2FULA3MjFOYbuqa5C7W0Dw%2FUUzQb%2BJH8Ec%3D&reserved=0 and another one from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network: https://www.nctsn.org/resources/talking-children-about-shooting.
Selkirk is proud to present the “Ranger Report”, a short video summary of daily events, news, and life on the Selkirk High School campus. A product of Mr. Lukens’ communications class, the Ranger Report is likely the most stunning example of journalistic genius you will ever see. The news clip is written, filmed, edited, and produced exclusively by students. Ryan Seaney, Silas Petrich, Keira Nelson, Wyatt Miles, and Sophia Huffman all lend their talents to make the report a success. The Ranger Report has its own page on our website where you can view the current video. Be in the know and stay up-to-date with the Ranger Report! Link: https://www.selkirkschools.org/page/ranger-report
Don't Miss Kindergarten Registration!!!
Low cost internet connection for Selkirk Families: The Affordable Connectivity Program (ACP) is now offering eligible households high speed internet (100Mbps download) for $30 a month with no additional out of pocket costs.
There are 3 ways families can qualify:
Income of 200% or less than the Federal poverty guidelines
Program participation (such as Free Reduced Lunch Program eligible, or SNAP, etc.), or
Meets the eligibility criteria for a participating broadband provider’s existing low-income internet program
For those that meet the eligibility requirements:
$30 guaranteed plan download speed of 100 Mbps
20 providers to choose from
New or existing internet plans
3 ways to qualify
Go to this link and sign up online:
https://www.whitehouse.gov/getinternet/?utm_source=www.getinternet.gov
Selkirk School District has a couple of teaching positions open for the 2021-22 school year. Please tell your teacher friends about our district which operates under a 4-day school week with competitive pay, a quality educational program for students, and three supportive communities located in a beautiful corner of the state! We are posting openings for middle school math, middle school social studies, high school social studies, and an elementary position. How we fill the jobs will be based on skill set of the applicants.
The Selkirk ASB would like to recognize and thank Merkle Standard for their $10,000 donation!
Public Service Announcement: Northeast TriCounty Health District is holding a free vaccine clinic at the elementary school in Metaline Falls on Friday, March 18 from 10 a.m. until 2 p.m. No appointment needed. Vaccines are available for ages 5 and up.
Beginning Saturday, March 12, 2022, face masks will no longer be required inside of any public school district building in Washington. However, students or individuals wishing to continue wearing masks for added protection while indoors after March 12 may do so at their own choice. While we know that the mask requirement will be removed on the 12th, the Department of Health has not yet released updated guidance on any continued requirements. We believe testing for students and staff exhibiting COVID-like symptoms may be one area that school districts will be required to retain. We will keep you posted as we receive more information. However, for now we are definitely celebrating that we will be seeing our students’ smiling faces on Monday, March 14!
Public Service Announcement: Northeast TriCounty Health District is sponsoring one more vaccine clinic at Selkirk Elementary on Friday, March 18 from 10:00 a.m. - 2:00 p.m. Walk-ins are welcome. No appointment needed. Vaccines are available for ages 5-up.
Today is Dr. Seuss' birthday and in honor of that as well as St. Patrick's Day, March is a celebration of "Try Something Green" during Selkirk Elementary breakfast and lunch! Almost all of our students tried "green eggs" with their ham at breakfast today and many students have tried something green at lunch! Our wonderful secretary, Mrs. O, created a celebration board where students' names shine after trying "green" food! It has only been a few days and already our bulletin board is full! In addition to trying something green, be sure to also read something fun today! Check out the photos of our bulletin board and lunch line of green choices! Happy Birthday, Dr. Seuss!
PUBLIC SERVICE ANNOUNCEMENT: Northeast TriCounty Health District will be hosting a vaccine clinic on February 25 at the Selkirk Elementary School from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Vaccines and booster shots will be available to community members age 5 and up. Sign Up for Vaccinations using this link: https://prepmod.doh.wa.gov/appointment/en/client/registration?clinic_id=13774
Jameson Davis is representing Selkirk in Tacoma at the State Wrestling Mat Classic XXXIII this weekend! Jameson is in the 126 weight bracket for 1B/2B schools and Selkirk’s only competitor at the state level this year. GO RANGER! Follow his progress on the WIAA website: https://www.trackwrestling.com/predefinedtournaments/MainFrame.jsp?newSession=false&TIM=1645217886965&pageName=%2Fpredefinedtournaments%2FTournamentHub.jsp&twSessionId=nqojacqyhb
This afternoon Governor Inslee and Superintendent of Public Instruction, Chris Reykdal, announced that the mask requirement for schools will end on March 21, 2022 which is when hospitalization rates will be at a manageable level. Please see Reykdal's Frequently Asked Questions document (https://core-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/1869794/Talking_Points_-_Lifting_the_Statewide_Mask_Requirement_for_Schools_February_2022.pdf ) We would like to thank our staff, parents, and students for working together to keep our schools open for in-person learning over the past two years, even at a time when many districts in the state were in remote learning mode! The Selkirk community is an amazing place to live and raise our families. Thank you for continuing to help get us to the finish line in a positive and caring way.
SCHOOL COVID UPDATE 1-26-2022: As you probably realize, positive COVID cases in our community are on the rise, but the silver lining is that even though the virus seems to be all around us, it is not transferring in the classroom at school. NETCHD indicates that Pend Oreille County’s rate per 100,000 is now 2,112 which is almost double the county record high of 1,100 from September 2021.
The sheer number of positive cases is making it difficult for schools to keep up with contact tracing and test supplies are becoming more limited. As school transfer from classroom and school bus exposure is extremely rare, we are going to pause on contract tracing for school-day exposure. That pause is not a license to lighten up on COVID protocols, but it does recognize that with the current practices implemented, schools are relatively safe places. The pause is to help us concentrate our energy and limited test supplies where the highest risk transfer is. For the next few weeks, our focus will be on testing students in high-risk athletics (basketball and wrestling), testing symptomatic individuals, and identifying any high risk outside-of-school exposure. For that reason, if your child tests positive, we may ask if there are other students outside of school who could be considered close contacts.
We will move to a generalized mass notification system to parents' cell phone numbers when someone in the general classroom tests positive rather than sending letters home as we are experiencing students each day who test positive. We will still contact parents directly for permission prior to testing any child who is a close contact from a higher-risk (outside of school or athletics) situation. Test-to-Stay is still an option but we will focus test supplies on students who are at higher risk as close contacts rather than testing every close contact.
When you see that general notification on your phone, please watch your child for symptoms and contact the school to arrange testing if you notice any signs of illness. Please note, however, that close contacts from exposure to someone in the home who has tested positive will be required to quarantine for 5 days and then test negative prior to returning to school. All students who stay home ill will be required to test prior to returning to school or quarantine for 10 days.
We anticipate that the testing shortages may only last a couple of weeks and by mid-February we hope to see a significant reduction in cases in our area. From wearing masks at school to watching for signs of illness in your children, thanks for all you do to keep our schools open! Go Rangers!