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Staff Newsletter - October 28, 2026

Posted Date: 10/28/26 (03:47 PM)
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In This Issue: Oct. 28
  • Message from Amii Thompson
  • BISD Belonging Pin 
  • Family Communication
  • Teaching & Learning Corner
  • Happening Around BISD
  • 2026-2027 Calendar 
  • Staff Resources
 
Dear BISD Staff,

We kicked off this week with our Professional Development day on Monday. I hope you found the time meaningful and were able to collaborate with your colleagues, sharing ideas and deepening the incredible work you already do every day to support our students.

This week also brings conferences for our K-6 and Odyssey K-8 teachers. These conversations are such a wonderful opportunity to connect with families and build partnerships that will support our students throughout the entire school year. I also recognize that conference week requires a tremendous amount of extra time and stamina. Please know how much I appreciate the care and focus you are giving to our students and their families. 

It truly takes a village to keep our district running smoothly, and I want to take a moment to acknowledge the hard work happening across all of our departments:
  • To our bus drivers: You are tackling a brand-new schedule this week with two extra mid-day routes. You are incredible, and we are so grateful for your flexibility and care in getting our students where they need to be.
  • To our custodial, grounds, and maintenance teams: Thank you for the behind-the-scenes work you do every day to keep our facilities operating beautifully and ensuring our campuses are bright, clean, and welcoming. 
  • To our 7-12 teachers: As you near the mid-semester mark, I see the heavy lifting you are doing to guide our students through rigorous content and help them find their independence, and get in the groove of their year!
I am so appreciative of each and every one of you. Don’t forget the silver lining to these darker fall evenings: Daylight Saving Time ends this Saturday night! When you turn your clocks back, I hope you thoroughly enjoy that extra, well-deserved hour of sleep on Sunday morning. Or if you are a parent to younger children, apologies in advance—they do not get the Daylight Saving Time memo!

Have a wonderful rest of your week,
Amii
 

Introducing BISD "Belonging" Pins

As part of our continuous work to build a supportive community for our students, we are excited to introduce our new staff recognition pins. This initiative will follow a three-year rollout centered around our district's core themes—Year One: Belong; Year Two: Engage; Year Three: Thrive.

For Year One, special "Belonging" pins are being handed out to recognize staff members across the district who are doing exceptional work to ensure our students feel welcome, seen, and connected. When you receive a pin, it is designed to be worn proudly on your Belong, Engage, Thrive lanyard!  (If you didn't receive a lanyard—please make sure to reach out to Bridget Lockett blockett@bisd303.org.)

The best part is that we will be highlighting our pin recipients right here in the staff newsletter.

This week’s Belonging Pin Honorees: Shannon Kent and Aimee Mroz, Woodward Middle School
Shannon and Aimee were recognized for the incredible care they take in ensuring our chronically absent students maintain a sense of welcome and belonging. During attendance interactions at the Main Office, they consistently greet these students with a warm, genuine, "We're so glad you're here!" This simple but powerful interaction helps our students feel deeply connected to our school community and encourages them to attend school each day.
 

Staying Connected with Our Families

As you know, we recently replaced staff emails with contact forms on our websites to boost security and prevent phishing attacks (our August PD squirrel in action!). Since this is a new workflow, some families have asked for clarity on the best way to get in touch. If you haven't already, please include a quick note in your upcoming family communications reminding them of the most direct way to reach you.

To support this effort, this week's Friday community newsletter will remind families that the website contact forms are a great way to reach teachers. We will also clarify that the main email address at the bottom of each school's homepage goes directly to the office manager, who will ensure their message is forwarded to the exact right person.
 
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Teaching & Learning Corner

Looking for ways to honor Native American Heritage Month in your classroom? The Teaching and Learning Corner is packed with fresh resources to help guide your November planning.

While you're there, we'd love to hear from you! Do you have a student project, discussion, and/or lesson you would like to share? Visit the Corner to fill out our highlight form and tell us about the great work you or a colleague is doing.

— Drew Crandall, Director of Teaching and Learning, K-6
— Amanda Ward, Director of Teaching and Learning, 7-12
 
Happening Around BISD
 
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NOVEMBER
11: Veterans Day (No school)
12: Board Meeting
25-27: Thanksgiving Break (No School)
30: Half Day PD Release (Half Day for Students)

 
 
Bainbridge Island School District does not discriminate in any programs or activities on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, honorably discharged veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, homelessness, immigration or citizenship status, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, neurodivergence or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal and provides equal access to Scouting America and other designated youth groups. 

The following employees are designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged discrimination:

Civil Rights Compliance Coordinator & Title IX Coordinator:
Kristen Haizlip, Associate Superintendent

Section 504/ADA Coordinators:
Maria Kuffel

Darren Spencer

8489 Madison Avenue North, Bainbridge Island, WA 98110