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Oprah Winfrey is quoted as saying, “The greatest discovery of all time is that a person can change his future by merely changing his attitude.” Our School District is in the process of another change, which means there is an impact on our community as well. The La Conner School District has set a target date of February 1 to begin bringing students back to school. This will be a phased approach starting with pre-first grade students in a hybrid model; the details are on the La Conner School District website. We are hopeful that by the end of February we will have students through fifth grade integrated into this model.

The middle school is targeting an opening for March 1st in a model that will be shared shortly. I am very excited about this transition, but I know that a positive mindset will be needed as we move forward as there will be challenges that will need to be addressed in a problem-solving manner. As our District started in the remote model this fall, there were adjustments to be made, and our staff and community did remarkably well in working together to benefit our children. I believe we can continue this partnership for the benefit of our children.

The La Conner School District has contracted with the search firm of Northwest Leadership to help in selecting the next superintendent for our district. The application deadline is March 12 and the school board will begin inviting candidates to interview. Please watch our website for details on how to become involved as we move forward.

As your superintendent, I encourage you to cast your vote on Feb. 9 regarding the four-year replacement levy. Many of you will have received your ballots. If you have any questions, there is a frequently asked question section on our website or I am always available to receive your calls or emails.

One of the frequently asked questions I get is, “Are we going to have any sports this year?’ The short answer is that it looks like this will be so.

Currently, we have small cohorts of students working out with coaches. At this point, there appears that we will compress seasons into seven-week sessions with competition within leagues and no post-season competition or tournaments. Each league is allowed to select the order that specific sports will be played. As soon as all that is finalized the information will be shared on the High School website.

Change is inevitable, but all of us have experienced a significant flood of changes this year. As we bring students back to school it will be great to see their smiles and know it is all worth it.

Sincerely,

Rich Stewart

Stewart was hired as interim superintendent last July.