The Developmental preschool students got to dye Easter eggs with our high school helpers! We had a lot of fun learning about colors and how to say them with our Speech therapist Mrs. Hansen. Our Developmental preschool strives to include fun ways to work through our therapies, including speech, occupational therapy, social/emotional learning, and adaptive skills.
🍔🍕🌮🍗 It's always fascinating to hear what our little ones enjoy for lunch! 🥪 From chicken patty sandwiches to pizza, taco salad, cheeseburgers, and chicken drumsticks, it seems like we have quite the variety of tastes in our 2nd grade community! 😋 Huge shoutout to our kitchen heroes, Lesa and Kristin, for serving up these delicious meals with a smile every day! Your hard work and positivity truly make a difference in our students' days. Keep up the fantastic job! 👩🍳👩🍳
The school board position for Director District No. 3 in Kettle Falls will become vacant due to the resignation of Kat Snider, effective January 9, 2024. The remaining four members of the school board have the responsibility to appoint a replacement to serve until November 2025, when a director will be elected in the general election.
To be considered for appointment, a person must be a Stevens/Ferry County registered voter and reside within the legal boundaries of Director District No. 3 Legal Description of Director District No. 3 Starting at the intersection of southern school district boundary and the Columbia River. Northerly through the Columbia River to Hwy 395. Southeasterly on Hwy 395 to Boise Cascade Rd. Southerly on Boise Cascade Rd to Old Kettle Rd. Meandering easterly on Old Kettle Rd to Juniper St. South on Juniper St to W Evergreen Dr. East on W Evergreen Dr to E Evergreen Dr. Southerly and easterly on E Evergreen Dr to S Oak St. North on S Oak St to E 6th Ave. West on E 6th Ave to S Meyers St. North on S Meyers St to E 3rd Ave. East on E 3rd Ave to North Hwy. Easterly on North Hwy to the school district boundary. Clockwise on the school district boundary to the point of the beginning.
Any person interested in being appointed to the board needs to submit a letter of interest, including a brief overview about yourself and why you would like to be on the school board, addressed to Brett McKern, School Board Chairman, PO Box 458, Kettle Falls WA 99141-0458, by no later than March 20, 2024. Interviews and appointment of a Director will be the subject of the regular board meeting on March 25, 2024.
Last week was science week in room 2! The preschoolers participated in several science experiments including growing crystals and making a battery motor. Education at the ELC is hands on and full of fun and learning. The preschoolers grew crystals and their brains!
School-agers at the ELC have been rocking the photo scavenger hunts! They are given a list of items they have to represent in photos. These kiddos used their incredible creativity and team work to complete their lists!
Kettle Falls High School students traveled to Spokane this week for the FCCLA State Leadership Conference. Two of our students were elected into leadership positions.
Genesis Zavala is the new state secretary and Adrianna Ericksen will be the Region 10 Vice President.
Mike Russell never misses an opportunity to come to our rescue at the high school kitchen. He is always there to lend a hand, make students smile and does our heavy lifting. We want to say a great big thank you to our “hero.”
🎓 Curious about Running Start & College in the Classroom? 🎓
Join us for an Info Night where you'll:
Discover how to jumpstart your college journey while in high school.
Learn how these programs save time and money on tuition.
Meet current students and hear about their experiences.
Get expert guidance on applications and course selection.
📅 Date: March 20, 2024
⏰ Time: 6:00 pm
📍 Location: High School Library
The trapshooters took first in Tonasket Saturday. Ian Crose was the 1st high individual and Hunter Sattler was the 2nd. Hunter Ferguson won the miss and out game and Aiden Fowler won the buddy shoot.
🚭 Join us for a presentation on the harmful effects of vaping, hosted by High School Counselor Paula , and security officers Matt and Sean.
Are you curious about the impact vaping has on our health and well-being? Wondering about the substances being vaped and their potential dangers?
In our presentation, we'll delve into the world of vaping, exploring its detrimental effects on both physical and mental health. From nicotine addiction to the ingestion of harmful chemicals, we'll shed light on the risks associated with this increasingly prevalent habit. We will also be talking about the hidden devices in which kids are using to vape.
Date: Wednesday, March 6th
Time: 6:00 pm
Location: Kettle Falls High School
These high school boys, are our hero's each day after they eat their
lunch. They never have to be asked, they show up and help us with
bringing in the milk, putting away the trays, heavy garbage's, breaking
down cardboard and hauling it to the recycle bin. Each month we have a
food commodity order and once again with no complaints they are there to
lend us a hand bringing it in from loading dock and putting it away. A
big thank you to Scott, Ben and Lucas.
In a continuing effort to share information regarding the incident at the Early Learning Center, we want you to know that the Kettle Falls School District will be conducting our own internal review of this situation. We are hiring an independent expert to review our policies, procedures and practices, report their findings and make recommendations. The review will begin once the criminal investigation completes the interview phase.
We want to remind everyone that any criminal investigations will be conducted by the Stevens County Sheriff’s Office. If you have any questions on student interviews or the investigation please reach out to them at 509-684-5296. If you have questions for the district please reach out to Julie Peterson at 509-738-6625, ext. 501.
KFSD speech team! Serving over 60 kids from preschool through high school to help remediate articulation, language, and fluency disorders. We also collaborate with physical and occupational therapists to provide a multidisciplinary approach for our most impacted students across the district.
Last night Superintendent Michael Olsen held a meeting for ELC parents. We’d like to thank all the parents who attended and appreciate their thoughts, concerns and ideas to improve our communications and student safety. We are already making improvements including hiring additional staff, maintaining a log for any student who needs restroom assistance, and implementing daily notes home to parents so that they are better informed about their students day. Other improvements will be coming as well.
We do want to remind families that Nathan Ford did work in all of our building from November 28, 2022 to June 22, 2023. If you have any concerns regarding your child’s behavior or something they said, please reach out to Rural Resource’s Victims Services (509-684-3796)
We will continue to provide information as appropriate. If you have questions regarding the investigation, please reach out to Stevens County Sheriff’s Office.
We would like to remind all Early Learning Center parents that we will be having a parent meeting tonight at 5:30 at the district office. Stevens County Sheriff’s Office will be on hand to help answer questions parents might have.
The ELC has always complied with state child care licensing requirements. However, as an additional safety precaution today we will be opening another position at the Early Learning Center to further reduce the likelihood that a staff member would ever be alone with students. We can’t emphasize enough how important the safety of our students is for us.
Thank you for the interactions and questions on our previous post. It helps inform us what we should communicate with our community. We will continue to answer questions as they arise.
We acknowledge we made a mistake in not communicating earlier about the incident at the Early Learning Center (ELC). As a school district we follow legal guidelines concerning confidentiality and want to make sure we have accurate information to communicate. To increase our transparency and effectiveness we are reviewing our communication practices district wide.
Most importantly, within minutes of the reported incident, we removed Nathan Ford from the ELC to ensure the safety of our students.
There are questions regarding Nathan Ford’s employment history with the Kettle Falls School District. He began subbing as a para educator in our district on November 28th, 2022. During this time, he passed every background check that our employees are required to pass. The duties of a para educator include classroom support, recess duty and crossing guard. On June 26, 2023, Nathan Ford was hired as a full-time employee of the ELC.
Last night we brought our ELC staff together and and brought in Rural Resources Victim Services to talk with our staff and offer additional support. The advocates from Rural Resources shared with the staff the importance of maintaining normalcy and schedules for the kids. The Kettle Falls School District is also encouraging our staff to utilize Employee Assistance Program, a free program for staff offering counseling and other services.
We encourage all families needing support as a result of this incident to reach out to Rural Resources Victim Services. They have a variety of services to offer to families. They can be reached at 509 684-3796
Michael Olsen, Superintendent will be holding an ELC parent meeting on Wednesday at 5:30 pm. Parents of ELC students will not be charged for the time they are not attending the ELC following this incident.
Other questions focused on what we are doing to keep kids safe? At the ELC we are always following licensing requirements and ratios set by the state. Those ratios require one adult to 10 children in the preschool age classrooms and one adult to 15 students in the school age classrooms. At the ELC we often have additional staff supporting our classrooms above the required ratios in each classroom. If a questionable behavior of a staff or student occurs, our staff are trained to report it to their immediate supervisor who reports it to District Office. This protocol was followed on Thursday. An approved administrative staff will review video footage as part of the investigation.
We want to remind everyone that criminal investigations are conducted by the Kettle Falls Police Department and the Stevens County Sheriff’s Office. If you have any questions regarding the investigation please reach out to them. If you have questions for the district please reach out to Julie Peterson at 509-738-6625, ext. 501.
On Thursday afternoon after 3:30 pm an incident occurred at our Early Learning Center (ELC). An ELC employee witnessed another ELC employee, Nathan Ford inappropriately kissing a female kindergarten student. An employee immediately reported the incident to the District Office which took quick action. Within 20 minutes of the incident, Nathan Ford was removed from the building. After his removal Kettle Falls School District reported the incident to the Kettle Falls Police Department, and within 2 hours he was arrested where he is still currently in custody. Nathan Ford is being terminated and will not be allowed on school district property.
We are shocked and appalled by the actions of one of our employees. We are so sorry this happened.
Our goal at Kettle Falls School District is to provide a safe, learning environment for our students. All our employees must pass a state and federal background check through the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction. All employees of the Early Learning Center are also required to pass a second background check with Washington State Department of Children, Youth and Families. Both of these background checks came back clear on Nathan Ford. Nathan also completed the required boundary invasion training, which is a required training for all school district employees. We will be reviewing and emphasizing our boundary invasion policies and see something, say something with all of our district staff.
The Kettle Falls School District is fully cooperating with Kettle Falls Police Department and Stevens County Sheriff’s Office as they continue the investigation. The district is also reviewing ELC video footage looking for any additional concerning behaviors. If any new information is discovered, parents and law enforcement will be notified immediately. When a criminal incident occurs within our schools, local law enforcement conducts the investigations and interviews. If you have any questions on student interviews or the investigation, please reach out to the Kettle Falls Police Department or Stevens County Sheriff’s Office.
As we continue to support our students, families and staff we are referring them to Rural Resources Victims Services. They can be reached at 509-684-3796.
As information becomes available Kettle Falls School District will continue to update you. If you have questions for the district please reach out to Julie Peterson at 509-738-6625, ext. 501.
🎉 Celebrating National Girls and Women in Sports Day! 🏆
Today, we honor the incredible achievements and contributions of girls and women in the world of sports. From breaking records to shattering stereotypes, female athletes inspire us all with their dedication, passion, and skill.
We are proud of all of our Lady Bulldog athletes!
In the vibrant world of early childhood education, art is more than just finger paint and crayons- it’s a dynamic tool for early learning and development.
Art isn’t just about the end product, it’s about the process. As little hands dive into sensory experiences, children learn to make choices, solve problems, and gain confidence in their abilities. Plus, group art projects promote social skills, teamwork and sharing.
Here at the ELC, art is an integral part of our daily learning.
Due to icy road conditions, the Kettle Falls School District will have a 2 hour late start today. No developmental Preschool today, and the Early Learning Center will open on time. Please drive safe today!
