February Staff Newsletter - Kennewick School District

KSD Connection
Staff Newsletter
Foreign Exchange Student Reception
KSD’s Foreign
Exchange
students and their
host families
recently gathered
at the
administration
center for a
reception hosted
by the district.
Each student had
an opportunity to
talk about their experiences with their host families and with
life in an American high school.
This year, the district welcomed fourteen exchange students. At
Kennewick High the students are Doriane Antoine from France,
Dani Ghosseini from
Lebanon, Ahmed Ali from
Egypt, and Alisher
Tilekmatov from
Kyrgyzstan.
February 2013
Local Church Donates to Desert Hills
City Church in Kennewick chose Desert Hills Middle School to
receive $1,700 as part of their annual community outreach
program. The school was selected by church’s youth group and
through their efforts, they were able to beat their fundraising
goal for the school by $200.00.
Kamiakin Teacher Receives Classroom
Makeover from Kadlec and KNDU
At Kamiakin: Anas
Baganaid from Yemen,
Evgheni Staicov from
Moldova, Daniel Schulze
from Germany, Nitta
Laasko from Finland, and
Alexandra Mitkovska from Macedonia.
At Southridge: Laura
Breuer from Germany,
Karoline Dybdahl from
Norway, Emilio Salazar
from Ecuador, Ayjeren
Sahatova, Turkmenistan,
and Leen Shakib Yaish
from Palestine.
Kelly Greenhalgh was the recipient of a KNDU/Kadlec
Medical Systems “Classroom Makeover” earlier this month.
Kelly, who is a Special Education teacher, was nominated by
her husband. Representatives from the station and hospital
presented her with a $500.00 check to support the work she
does in the classroom. Click here to view the spot from KNDU!

KSD Connection ~ Staff News, Notes, and Events
February 2013
Amistad Students Experience Science
Scientists from the Pacific
Northwest National
Laboratory thrilled Amistad
Elementary students with
some cool science
demonstrations—from
liquid nitrogen and
electrostatics to geology.
The event was held at the
KSD Administration Center.
Washington Aerospace Scholars Program
Alexandre Vetrano, a junior at Kennewick High
School is one of just 282 high
school juniors across the state
who are taking part in the
Washington Aerospace
Scholars program this year.
The program is in phase one
and over the next five
months, students will
compete in online academic
coursework to qualify for one of 160 Summer
Residency Session slots. Students who qualify will be
hosted for six days at the Museum of Flight in Seattle
as they collaborate on designing a mission to Mars.
Good luck Alexandre!
Intel® Science Talent Search
Kamiakin Senior, Sangeetha
Thevuthasan has been named a
semi-finalist in the Intel 2013
Science Talent Search.
Sangeetha received a $1,000
award and enters the next
round of judging. Sangeetha
also earned the Kamiakin Math
and Science Department a
$1,000 donation from Intel.
Too Good Not to Share….
Ode to an Electrician
A poem from Horse Heaven Hills MS Staff
to KSD Electrician, Jim Moore
When things are on the fritz
We call Jim lickety split
When we need a job done
We call Jim as he is the one
No job is ever too big or too small
Jim tackles them come one come all
With a smile he enters the room
He finds the problem, the cause of our doom
A light, a switch, a burned out fuse,
A hum, a ding, any type of ring
Jim is the man we call the most
He enters the building and we cheer
We know not to fear!
But wait until he sees what you have done wrong
An overloaded socket, a projector left on,
A tangled mess of cords……oh no way!
Jim will give you that look and a stern one too
We know Jim, we know
It will not happen again
So hip hip Hoorah
Jim has made our day!

KSD Connection ~ Staff News, Notes, and Events
February 2013
Pasco and Richland School District
Bond Information
Both the Richland and Pasco School Districts have
bond issues on the February 12 ballot. A number of
KSD employees live in these districts and many of us
who live in KSD get questions about our neighboring
districts as well. The following information was
provided by the Pasco and Richland School Districts.
Be informed and remember to vote.
Pasco School District’s Board of
Directors voted unanimously to
place a bond initiative on the
February 12, 2013 ballot.
• The debt amount of the proposed bond is $46.8
million.
• The estimated rate for taxpayers is .34 cents per
$1,000 of assessed value, or $34 per year for a
$100,000 property.
• The District qualifies for an estimated $38.1 million
in State matching dollars, if voters approve the
election.
Major projects will be the construction of three large
elementary schools located at:
Elementary #13 at 52 and Powerline
Elementary #14 at 60 and Sandifur
Elementary #15 at Whittier site
One school will open in 2014-15 and the other two
will open in 2015-16.
Smaller projects would be prioritized based on need
and funds available and could include the relocation of
New Horizons High School, site improvements to
Stevens Middle School, land purchases for future
elementary, middle and high school sites, Twain pick
up and drop off improvements and upgrades to
mechanical systems at older schools. For more
information on the Pasco School District bond
initiative visit www.psd1.org or call 546-2686.
The Richland School Board
has approved a resolution
which will place a revised $98
million bond issue before
Richland School District voters
on February 12. The bond
issue addresses nine specific facility improvement
projects:
Replace Lewis & Clark Elementary School
Replace Marcus Whitman Elementary School
Replace Sacajawea Elementary School
Build a New Elementary School in the south/west
area
Build a New Middle School in the south/west area
Provide educational space for HomeLink at a site to
be determined
Retain Jefferson Elementary as a K-5 school; remove
the 1953 wing and provide adequate space to serve
the current K-5 enrollment
Replace the HVAC system at Chief Joseph Middle
School
Make safety improvements at Fran Rish Stadium
The estimated total project cost is $130 million. The
District expects to receive $32 million in state assistance
funds which means that $98 million must come from
local taxpayers.
Lewis & Clark, Marcus, and Sacajawea were built in
1971. Continued population growth in the south and
west areas of the District requires more schools to be
built there. The Jefferson wing is 60 years old and does
not meet the needs of 21 st century learners. The growing
HomeLink program housed at Southside Church needs
more space. The current Chief Joseph HVAC system is
inefficient and cannot be repaired.
The Richland School District’s current bond tax rate is
$1.21 per $1000 of assessed valuation. If voters approve
the bond issue, the estimated tax rate would increase 34
cents to $1.55 in 2014. Yearly property taxes would
increase $68 on a $200,000 home. The rate would
decrease to $1.19 in 2023. This bond debt would be
retired in 15 years in the year 2029. Bond issue
information is available at: www.rsd.edu/about/2013-
bond-issue.html

KSD Connection ~ Staff News, Notes, and Events
February 2013
February is American Heart Month
Whether you plan to celebrate on your own or with
someone special, use these tips to give a gift of health
and safety to you or someone you love on Valentine’s
Day and all year long.
Be heart-healthy.
Make A Date With Your Heart! Valentine's
Day is a great time to start taking steps to be
heart-healthy.
Prevent and control high blood pressure, high
cholesterol, and diabetes.
Avoid smoking and secondhand smoke.
Limit alcohol use.
Maintain a healthy weight.
Be active.
Eat healthy.
Be nutritious.
Consider making a healthy meal for
Valentine’s Day. Serve food lower in salt
and fat content, provide more fruits and
vegetables, and make less sugary sweets for an overall
healthy Valentine’s Day.
Spread love, not germs.
Protect yourself from the cold and flu.
Wash hands often.
Avoid close contact when you or
someone you know is sick.
Get your flu vaccine.
Be sensitive.
Consider that your valentine may have
allergies, asthma, diabetes, or other health
conditions. You can be sensitive to your
valentine by finding out if certain foods, flowers, pets,
stuffed animals, or other items might affect their
health.
Calendar of Events
02/12—Southridge Dessert Jazz Night
Performs at Southridge Auditorium, 7:00 p.m.
02/09—Middle School Solo Ensembles
McLoughlin MS in Pasco 8:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m., 7th and
8th Grade Band and Orchestra
02/21—Cascade Orchestra Concert
Fruitland Gym at 6:30 p.m.
02/26—Southridge Winter Band Concert
Southridge Auditorium at 7:00 p.m.
02/28—Desert Hills Winter Band Concert Features 7th
and 8th grade bands, jazz bands and guest artist, Bill
McKay, Pianist and Dean of Arts and Humanities at CBC.
Community Education Classes
February is a great month to get around to the things you always
wanted to do! Community Education offers over 50 evening and
weekend classes to help change the “I always wanted to do that!” to
“This year I am going to take a class in…something I have always
been interested in!” Here is just sample of classes:
Computer Classes:
INTRO TO MICROSOFT WORD 2010
ADVANCED MICROSOFT WORD 2010
EXCEL PROJECTS
COMPUTER SPRING CLEANING
Cooking Classes
PIZZA AND MORE!
MEDITERRANEAN APPETIZERS AND SMALL PLATES
VEGETARIAN STYLE COOKING WITH DAVID HARRIS
Creative Classes
FLY TYING
ORIENTAL PAPER ART
OIL AND ACRYLIC PAINTING
Want to see your news here?
The KSD Connection generally publishes the first Friday of the
first full week of the month, except January/February. Send your
submissions to lorraine.cooper@ksd.org by the 30th of each
month. Photos are welcome. Please include names and a description
of the what is going on in the photo.
The February session for online classes begins February 20 th .
www.ED2GO.com/ksd
See full descriptions and Sign up on line:
http://communityed.ksd.org or call x5080