August 2014 Dear Camas School District Staff Member, I hope you are having an enjoyable summer with many opportunities to spend quality time with family and friends. With students returning for the new school year on September 2, the pace is beginning to quicken all throughout the district. Camas is a unique and very special school district and I am honored and blessed with the privilege of working with all of you. As I begin my tenth year as your superintendent I certainly understand it is your hard work and dedication that has made the Camas School District so successful. In fact, our reputation as one of the premier public school districts in the United States was a major factor in Family Circle Magazine recently naming Camas as one of the 10 Best Towns for Families. Much time, effort and teamwork have helped us achieve the successes we have experienced in the past. Our goal of meeting the educational needs of every individual student can only be achieved through continuous improvement, holding high expectations of our students and each other. We must approach challenges with a problem-solving frame of mind, working together collaboratively and not in isolation. The stakes continue to be extremely high; the future of our children and our community rests with us. Due to several retirements, student enrollment growth and job changes, we will welcome approximately 43 new teachers this fall. Additionally, Lisa Greseth joins us from the Vancouver School District as Director of Teaching, Learning and Assessment, and with Josh Gibson returning to counseling Rory Oster will take over duties as our new Athletic Director. Lastly, Stephen Baranowski moves from the classroom into the Dean of Students position at Liberty Middle School. In the following pages of this packet you will find a schedule of activities and meetings beginning with the new teacher orientation on Friday, August 22, the 2014/2015 District Calendar, Camas Tech Fair information and additional building-level communications. If you have questions about any information provided in this packet, please give your building principal or myself a call. I hope you enjoy the remaining days of the summer break. I want to thank you again for your support and devotion to the children of Camas. I look forward to seeing each of you very soon as we embark on a new successful and rewarding school year. Sincerely,

Mike Nerland

Camas High School 26900 SE 15th Street - Camas, WA 98607 Phone (360) 833-5750 – Fax (360) 833-5751

Steve Marshall Principal

August 2014

Dear CHS Teachers: The letter you have been waiting for has finally arrived. Over the past few weeks I know that thoughts of the coming school year have filled you with anticipation and excitement. OK, maybe not. But I do know that each of you will find that excitement and be ready to go by our first day of school on September 2. I can tell you that it will be bigger and different than the CHS we left back in June. What we initially expected to be a pretty small hiring class turned out to be one of the biggest. With our increased enrollment, we knew we would grow by eight teachers. But we did not count on the flurry of life and professional decisions that occurred in June and July. When the dust settled, we realized that there will be 18 new certificated staff members on our campus this year. Oh my! That is a lot. The good news is that we are bringing aboard 18 people who are excited to be Papermakers and work with – and learn from - our outstanding 110 returning staff members. Here is a preview of your new colleagues: Anjela Ford (ASL) and Steve Short (Business); Kate Gooding, Lori Lackland, and Katie Nye (English); Mercedes Gonzalez-Hamilton (Spanish); Ken Mach and Kealey Sitler (Math); Jack Hathaway – PE/Health; Kristine Hawes, Jennifer Johnson, Jeff Thomas (Science); and Mary Guhl and Tim Moore (Special Education). But the list is still not complete; we are interviewing for a new .5 FTE Spanish and .7 FTE Sports Medicine/Health teacher this week! (Also, we have hired from within (Jodi Miller and Josh Gibson) to fill our two (1.5 FTE) new counseling positions.) So, if you are doing the math, that is a total of 16 new teachers. The other two certificated hires are administrators: Rory Oster, who was hired as our new CSD Athletic Director at the end of last year, and Susan Asher, who will be our third Associate Principal. Susan is a Camas resident, but for the past 11 years she has worked as both a high school and middle school administrator in the Evergreen School District. She and Rory are very excited be a part of the CHS community. But wait! There is a third change on the administrative side of things – however, this one is in-house. Ron Wright will be serving as our .5 FTE Interim CTE Director this year. Ron was already a .5 FTE teacher and TOSA, so he is going to be a busy boy. But he is definitely the right person for the job, which is something he has in common with all of the people listed above. This is a great group of teachers and administrators and I am very excited that they are going to be calling 26900 SE 15th St. their work address this year - and for many years to come…Please! OK. Take a moment to blink a few times before I move to changes in our classified staff. As of today, we do not have any new classified staff. But we will! The moves have been internal to this point: Lisa Myers is our new Main Office Secretary and Maria Klein is our new ASB Secretary/Bookkeeper. As you know, Lisa and Maria are going to be awesome in these roles. We will be hiring a new CTE Secretary, ASB Assistant Secretary, and Dean’s Secretary very soon. Now that you have a better idea of who you can expect to see during our pre-service week, let me give you a preview of the pre-service week itself:

You will receive compensation at curriculum rate for those activities you attend. Tuesday, August 26 Voluntary In-service Day 7:30 AM-2:30 PM

Breakfast 7:00-7:30 AM Welcome & 2014-15 Overview - 7:30-9:45 AM in North Commons Carousel 10:00 AM-12:30 PM (Sites vary) Lunch 12:30-1:00 PM – North Commons Collaborative Team Mtgs. 1:00-2:00 PM / Dept. Mtgs. 2:00-2:30 PM New Teachers Meeting 2:30-3:00 PM in Library (Grade 10-12 Orientation in Commons/CHS Campus 9:00 AM – 2:30 PM)

Wednesday, August 27 Voluntary In-service Day 7:30 AM – 2:30 PM

Breakfast 7:00-7:30 AM AM Staff Activity 7:30-8:45 AM in North Commons District-Wide All Staff Meeting 9:00-11:00 AM in Auditorium Technology Sessions/Lunch 11:15 AM – TBA Staff Activity TBA-2:30 PMf

Thursday, August 28 Voluntary In-service Day 7:30 AM-2:00PM

Coach/Advisor Meeting or Room Set-Up 7:00-8:30 AM Breakout Sessions with Evaluators 8:30-10:00 AM (Sites vary) Teachers in classrooms from 10:45 AM – 1 PM (Lunch from 12-1 PM) Planning and Goal Setting 1:00-2:30 PM in North Commons (Grade 9 Orientation in Commons/CHS Campus 10:30 AM – 1:00 PM)

Friday, August 29

Optional & unpaid work day – Classroom set-up

While I am at it, here are a couple of other key dates for 2014-15: Tuesday, Sept. 2

First Day of School. 

Wednesday, Sept. 24

CHS Open House (Required Evening Event #1)

Friday, June 12

CHS 2015 Graduation (Required Evening Event #2)

Monday, June 16

Final day of class (Staff are expected to work on site on this day)

All right, I think that is enough “shock and awe” for now. So I think I am going to stop here and let all of this information slowly sink into your consciousness over the next few weeks. Before I close this letter, allow me the opportunity to share with you my summertime summary. Here it is: Family. Sun. Fun. Rest…and, oh yeah, debt. More specifically, my July was very busy, but great! At the end of June, my family and I traveled to Sunriver where I supported my wife and daughter as they competed in their athletic events. I drove directly from Bend to PDX and flew to Spokane, where I joined the CHS Admin Team to present at the AWSP Summer Conference. The Marshalls then hit the road and celebrated the 4th of July with friends in Rockaway, Oregon. We came home and broke up our home improvement projects with a series of day trips up the Columbia River Gorge that were filled with hikes, paddle boarding, and some wine tasting. We also worked in a handful of boating days on Lake Merwin. Mid-month, we returned to Sunriver (Yes. I have a touch of carpal tunnel syndrome from constantly filling up our gas tank.) for an athletics-free vacation before reporting back for duty on my birthday on August 1. What a special birthday gift! I suspect you and I had some similar experiences. I am looking forward to hearing about those as well as your unique summer adventures, which may not be over yet! After all, you still have some vacation days left to enjoy. I hope you make the most of this time. But I also hope you are looking forward to the 2014-15 school year. Although CHS continues to grow and does not look like it did even a few years ago, it has stayed t he same where it counts: CHS is great school filled with equally great teachers and students. With your positive mindsets, teamwork, and commitment to student success, we will continue to get even better. Steve Go Papermakers!!!

CHS RIGOR – RELEVANCE - RELATIONSHIPS

Camas School District 2014-2015 ACTIVITY SCHEDULE Friday, August 22

New Teacher Orientation 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM nd

@ J.D. Zellerbach Administration Center, 841 NE 22 Avenue, Camas, in the Board Room Contact the Human Resources Department with any questions you might have.

Tuesday, August 26 Voluntary In-service Day (7 hours) Check with your school for specific details on the day’s event

Wednesday, August 27 Voluntary In-service Day (7 hours) Check your buildings schedules for specific details for this day.

District-Wide All Staff Meeting – 9:00

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th

@ Camas High School, 26900 SE 15 Street, Camas – Theater 

Technology Fair – 10:30 AM - CHS Commons



Technology Classes – 11:00 AM - CHS 100 & 200 wing classrooms

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CEA Member General Meeting – 12:10 PM - CHS Theater

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Lunch / Drawing – 12:40 PM – CHS Commons

Thursday, August 28 Voluntary In-service Day (7 hours) Check with your school for specific details on the day’s event 

Elementary Schools Back To School Events 4:00 to 6:00 PM



Camas Community Ed Pre-Kindergarten & Extended Day Back To School Events 3:30 to 5:30 PM

Monday, September 1 Labor Day Holiday Tuesday, September 2 FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL

Welcome to another great year in the CSD….”Livin’ the Dream”

Camas School District

2014/2015 School Calendar 2014 Su M Tu 1 6 7 8 13 14 15 20 21 22 27 28 29

July W Th 2 3 9 10 16 17 23 24 30 31

2015 F 4 11 18 25

Sa 5 12 19 26

January Su M Tu W Th 1 4 5 6 7 8 11 12 13 14 15 18 19 20 21 22 25 26 27 28 29

F 2 9 16 23 30

Sa 3 10 17 24 31

February Tu W Th 3 4 5 10 11 12 17 18 19 24 25 26

F 6 13 20 27

Sa 7 14 21 28

August Su M Tu W Th F 1 3 4 5 6 7 8 10 11 12 13 14 15 17 18 19 20 21 22 24 25 26 27 28 29 31

Sa 2 9 16 23 30

Su 1 8 15 22

September Tu W Th F 2 3 4 5 9 10 11 12 16 17 18 19 23 24 25 26 30

Sa 6 13 20 27

Su 1 8 15 22 29

Su M 1 7 8 14 15 21 22 28 29

October Su M Tu W Th 1 2 5 6 7 8 9 12 13 14 15 16 19 20 21 22 23 26 27 28 29 30

F 3 10 17 24 31

Sa 4 11 18 25

November Su M Tu W Th F Sa 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30

Su M 1 7 8 14 15 21 22 28 29

December Tu W Th 2 3 4 9 10 11 16 17 18 23 24 25 30 31

F 5 12 19 26

Sa 6 13 20 27

M 2 9 16 23

March Tu W Th 3 4 5 10 11 12 17 18 19 24 25 26 31

F 6 13 20 27

Sa 7 14 21 28

April Su M Tu W Th 1 2 5 6 7 8 9 12 13 14 15 16 19 20 21 22 23 26 27 28 29 30

F 3 10 17 24

Sa 4 11 18 25

May Su M Tu W Th F 1 3 4 5 6 7 8 10 11 12 13 14 15 17 18 19 20 21 22 24 25 26 27 28 29 31

Sa 2 9 16 23 30

M 2 9 16 23 30

Su M 1 7 8 14 15 21 22 28 29

June Tu W Th 2 3 4 9 10 11 16 17 18 23 24 25 30

First & Last Day of Classes School Holiday or Other Non-Student Attendance Day

ELEMENTARY EARLY RELEASE DAYS, K-5 @ 1:10 PM Every Wednesday beginning September 3rd (excluding late start days due to inclement weather)

Kindergarten Alternate Attendance on Wednesdays as follows: AM GROUP - Kindergartners PM GROUP - Kindergartners

First Day of Classes State Inservice Day K-5 Early Release for Parent/Teacher Conf. Veterans' Day Holiday Thanksgiving Winter Break Martin Luther King Day Grading Day Presidents' Day Holiday Spring Break Memorial Day Holiday Last Day of Classes

Sept 2 Oct 10 Oct 27-31 -- 1:10 PM daily Nov 11 Nov 26 - 28 Dec 22 - Jan. 2 Jan 19 Jan 26 Feb 13 & 16 April 6 - 10 May 25 June 15

Late Start Days for Camas High, Liberty & Skyridge Middle Schools September 24 & 25 October 22 & 23 19 & 20 November 7&8 January February 11 & 12 March 11 & 12 April 22 & 23

2015 Graduation Dates: CHS - June 12 / HFHS - June 13 The first makeup day for school closures due to inclement weather that occurs on or before January 15, 2015 will be February 13, 2015.

F 5 12 19 26

Sa 6 13 20 27

All other makeup days due to inclement weather that occur on or after

January 16, 2015 will be added to the end of the school year. State assessment and report card information can be found on your school website, or by contacting the school directly.

Benefits Fair Stop by our Benefits Fair to gather information and speak to representatives about health coverage, as well as our voluntary products, Representatives from each benefit service will be on hand to answer your questions and help guide you through your decision making for the 2014/15 school year. Use this time to discover the benefits available to you.

Thursday, September 11, 2014 3:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m. ZAC Admin Center – Board Room

Open Enrollment August 25 through September 30, 2014 Please take note of these dates, they are not flexible.

Open Enrollment is a great time to review your existing benefit plans, evaluate any anticipated needs, learn more about your benefits and make adjustments for the upcoming plan year. During Open Enrollment you can:  Enroll in or change your current health plan  Add or remove eligible dependents to your medical/dental/vision plan No Changes: • Do nothing – your current benefit plan elections will remain in effect • Premiums will be updated to reflect 2014/15 rates The new 2014/15 rates for medical, dental and vision plans will be reflected in your October 31, 2014 paycheck. Plan changes will take effect on November 1, 2014 Blue Cross enrollment/changes are done online at http://resources.hewitt.com/wea or by calling the WEA Select Benefits Center at 1-855-668-5039. Kaiser is still using paper enrollment forms. Contact [email protected] for a Kaiser Enrollment packet. The 2014/15 Employee Benefit Handbook will be available on the Camas School District website August 25. You will find the 2014 Plan design changes for the 2014-15 plan year, Benefit Premium Rates, Enrollment Information, Benefits Summaries for all plans, Information on Voluntary Benefits, Financial Planning Choices, Retirement Information, Required Notices, Payday Calendar, Contact Information and more…

CAMAS SCHOOL DISTRICT BENEFIT PLANS Rates effective November 1, 2014 – October 31, 2015 The state funded amount per 1.0 FTE for the 2014-15 plan year is $768.00 per month

Medical (Optional)

Monthly Premiums Employee Only Employee & Spouse

Employee & Child(ren)

Employee & Family

WEA Premera Blue Cross Plan 2 - Heritage

$837.75

$1,532.75

$1,118.25

$1,837.50

WEA Premera Blue Cross Plan 3 – Heritage (NEW)

$749.70

$1,371.80

$1,000.85

$1,644.55

WEA Premera Blue Cross Easy Choice Plans A, B, C

$535.25

$971.65

$709.80

$1,164.05

$420.90

$763.05

$557.75

$901.45

$723.84

$1,404.25

$897.56

$1,693.79

WEA Premera Blue Cross Qualified High Deductible Health Plan (QHDHP) Kaiser Traditional HMO Plan

WEA Dental and Vision (Mandatory)

Monthly Premiums

Composite Rate (Single-Family Coverage)

Delta Dental Washington Dental Service Plan A - Ortho Plan B

$118.80

Willamette Dental Plan 1 Ortho Plan 2

$82.30

Premera Blue Cross WEA Select Vision Plan A

$17.15

As a reminder, employees who enroll new dependents on the WEA Select Medical, Dental and/or Vision Plans will be asked to provide documentation to verify their dependents’ eligibility for coverage under the WEA Select Plans. When adding new dependents in the (YBR) Your Benefits Resources http://resources.hewitt.com/wea You will be asked to “certify” that you are adding valid dependent(s). Please keep in mind that certification does not verify dependent eligibility. Shortly thereafter, you will receive a request notice from the WEA Select Dependent Verification Team (located in Lincolnshire, Illinois) which will describe the process, including the documentation needed to verify eligibility and the deadline. Unverified dependents will be removed from the plan(s) prospectively. Note: Employees who have already verified the eligibility of their dependents won’t be asked to provide additional documentation, even if they change WEA Plans. Rates and benefits are intended to be guaranteed for 12 months (November 1, 2014 through October 31, 2015). However, any mid-year benefit changes and/or interpretation/guidance on health care reform (Federal or State) could result in a mid-year adjustment.

             

Vendor Booths @8:30 and @10:30 ● Explore new EdTech products ● Get updates on digital resources ● See examples of Camas student work using technology

Sessions @11-12 ● Two 25 minute sessions offered to all staff ● Wide variety of sessions taught by peers ● No signups needed

Prize Drawing @Lunch ● Earn tickets by attending tech sessions ● Prizes drawn during lunch ● Prizes include gift cards from local businesses and an iPad mini ● Must be present to win

Website ●

camastechfair.blogspot.com

● Check here for an up-to-date list of sessions, handouts and prizes. Have a smartphone or tablet? Download a QR reader such as I-nigma to scan QR codes at the fair.

August 18, 2014

Teachers, We hope you have had a great summer! We are excited to welcome you to the 2014-15 school year. As in the past, our voluntary in-service days will be a combination of school and district level activities. The annual CSD kick-off will take place at CHS at 9:00 AM on Wednesday, August 27th. This will be followed again by the Tech Fair and a CEA Member General Meeting at 12:10 then lunch. Your principal will be contacting you with dates and times for school level activities. Don’t forget the August 26th CEA General Assembly, at 4:30 PM at CHS. The General Assembly will provide you with a chance to have your questions answered about the new, proposed certificated contract as well as the TPEP Memo of Understanding for the 3rd and final year of phasing in the new evaluation system. The Memo of Understanding was developed with input from pilot teachers, principals, and the Facilitator Group, (consisting of CEA members.) The Memo of Understanding allows us to continue to learn how to best implement the new evaluation system through a “hold-harmless” pilot of the student growth component of the system with continuing contract teachers. Teachers with provisional contract status are required to fully implement the new evaluation system. Throughout the TPEP process our goal has always been to be our best for students. Thoughtful implementation with a focus on growth helps us meet that goal. Continuous improvement takes strong leadership throughout our district. Last year sixteen teacher learning leaders along with five teachers on special assignment helped develop a process for demonstrating student growth. They invested time and energy in development so you would have rich, professional development resources to use as you work through the student growth component of the new evaluation system. We greatly appreciate their dedication in leading the way with this important work. Included in this email is the Memo of Understanding. If you have any questions don’t hesitate to contact either one of us. Sincerely, Chris Panell CEA President

Jeff Snell Deputy Superintendent