Peninsula School District Community Update For August 18

Press release from the Peninsula School District:

August 18, 2021

Dear Peninsula School District Community,

"We are excited for school to start in just a few weeks. It’s hard to believe it’s been over a year and half since all of our students have been in our classrooms full-time, in-person, five days a week. As a reminder, school starts for students in grades 1-12 on Tuesday, September 7, and for kindergarten students on Friday, September 10. Here are some update for this week:

Vaccine Requirement for All K-12 Staff

Governor Jay Inslee announced today, Wednesday, August 18, a new directive legally requiring all K–12 school district employees to get a COVID-19 vaccination or a medical or religious exemption by mid-October.

The COVID-19 vaccine is not required for students. The proclamation also does not replace the requirement for all staff and students to wear masks or face coverings in schools and on school buses.

“I wholeheartedly support the governor’s directive to make vaccinations mandatory for all K-12 staff in our state. In doing so, we are protecting what we have been working so hard for - to open our schools next month and keep them open full-time for in-person learning five days a week,” said Superintendent Krestin Bahr. “Students deserve this added layer of safety in our schools.”

Read a frequently asked questions document on the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) website for more information.

COVID-19 Health & Safety Protocols

Peninsula School District’s COVID-19 Health and Safety Plan is based on the current guidance from local, state, and federal health authorities. Please visit psd401.net/covid-19 to learn more.

Global Virtual Academy

The Peninsula School District offers a virtual option for all K-12 students called the Global Virtual Academy (GVA). Students in this program may participate in athletics and activities through their neighborhood school, but they will be enrolled in GVA.

Families who choose this learning option this fall will be asked to remain in this program for the 2021-22 school year. We will reconsider this requirement throughout the school year as we respond to changes in the pandemic. Questions about GVA can be sent to onlinecoordinator@psd401.net. To learn more and to register, please visit psd401.net/virtual-learning.

Introducing ParentSquare

We are excited to announce the Peninsula School District will start using ParentSquare this school year to streamline school-to-home communications. ParentSquare is used for mass communications (school newsletters, district information, urgent alerts), classroom communication (one-to-one and group messaging, parent-teacher conferences), and school services (attendance, lunch balances, forms). You can watch this ParentSquare 3 minute overview to learn more.

On Friday, August 20, all families will receive an invitation email or text to activate your ParentSquare account. Once you activate your account you can set your communication frequency and language preferences. Please make sure your contact information is up to date in the parent portal. Check here.

We hope you and your family enjoy these last few weeks of summer break."

PSD Leadership

This press release was produced by the Peninsula School District. The views expressed here are the author’s own.