New fitness building soon to break ground

 

Rendering of new South Bend School Fitness Building

SOUTH BEND---South Bend School District is about to break ground on another building project.  At their regular board meeting in December, the district board of directors awarded Rognlins Inc. a contract to construct the facility, with ground work to begin as weather allows in the coming months.  The steel-frame building will be approximately 3,750 square feet and will include restrooms, storage, and a large activity area with multiple weights/exercise equipment.  The estimated $675,000 project is almost entirely grant funded.

Site of new SB Fitness Building

The district has been working for the last year with Cheryl Green of CM Green Design (Raymond, WA) on the building design and layout, as well as the site specifications and planning.  The building is a steel-frame structure engineered and fabricated by Pacific Building Systems of Woodburn, Oregon.  The structure will be sited west of Koplitz Field House in order to have easy access to utilities, parking, and locker room facilities.

Superintendent Jon Tienhaara says, "We are very grateful for two large grants totaling $550,000 to put toward this much needed project.  Our current weight room is quite small and does not provide our students the necessary space. This project will provide the school district with room to grow our physical fitness programs, athletic teams, and provide yet another space to support community needs as well."

Exterior elevations of SB Fitness Building

The district placed the order for the building this month and Rognlins Inc. has been selected to erect the steel building. "It has been challenging moving the project forward due to all sorts of factors, including rising construction costs, various delays, and supply chain issues," Tienhaara notes.  We have specific grant funds with spending deadlines approaching.  With the funds we have in-hand, we can now procure the building and the contractor needed to erect the building, which will be completed late this spring." 

Raising Additional Funds

"We've had folks contact us who are interested in contributing toward the project," says Tienhaara.  The district will be completing interior work once the building is up, we expect the remaining costs to be approximately $125,000, which will finish out the interior building components." "Donors who wish to contribute can contact the school district or the South Bend School Foundation."

Tienhaara concludes, "It can be a challenge for small school districts to continue to move needed projects forward, especially in these current economic times." "We are blessed to have access to competent local designers (Cheryl Green) who has been great throughout all the planning.  We also have a talented staff capable of doing much of the interior work and planning in-house."  "I look forward to getting the project off the ground in the coming weeks, and I am excited for our students to have this space."

Veterans Day assembly

 

South Bend School District is having our annual Veterans Day assembly tomorrow, November 10, 2022 at 9:00 am.  All Veterans, their families and friends, and the community are welcome.  Please join the South Bend School students and staff at Koplitz Field House as we honor those who served our country!  Refreshments will be provided after the assembly.

Great Shakeout Drill: 10.20.2022

 

Community Heads Up...

South Bend School District will be participating in the Great Washington Shakeout on 

Thursday, October 20, at 10:20 AM.  This drill will include a Tsunami evacuation of our buildings.  Community members may see students and staff walking to high ground via Monroe St.  

The South Bend Police Department will be assisting with traffic during this event.  

Please call your respective school building with any questions at 875-6041.

Next phase of mascot selection

 

September 14, 2022

The next phase of the mascot selection process for South Bend School District is now underway.  As described in a previous update, the first phase ended August 31, which collected input from community members, students, staff, and stakeholders on potential mascot names.  This process resulted in numerous ideas that were submitted.

The input collected was analyzed and five mascot names receiving the most support were identified to move forward.  These names include (in alphabetical order):  Bears, Riverhawks, Timbers, Tsunami, and Warhawks.  

The next phase of the process includes generating possible imagery for each of the five names listed above.  All submissions are welcome.  Please forward any ideas to school board director Wendy Manlow at wmanlow@southbendschools.org.  

Imagery will be shared with the public to solicit input at future athletic events this coming Fall.  In January, a focus group will be formed to review input, and will recommend two possible mascots to the board for the final selection.  A new mascot will be selected prior to March 1, 2023.  

Back to School: Jr. High BBQ

 

2022-23 School Year Preview

 

304 South Adams St • PO Box 437 • South Bend, Wa 98586
SUPERINTENDENT DR. JON TIENHAARA
PRINCIPAL JASON NELSON, JR.SR. HIGH SCHOOL • PRINCIPAL KRESTA BYINGTON, MIKE MORRIS ELEMENTARY 
DIRECTOR AMY NELSON, EARLY LEARNING PROGRAMS

 

2022-2023 School Year Preview

Superintendent Jon Tienhaara

We can't wait to welcome students back to school at the end of this month, as the 2022-23 school year is going to be our best yet!  Though the last two years have been challenging, South Bend has been moving forward.  We've made significant investments in our facilities, our academic, vocational, and extracurricular programs, and in our staff---all of which sets South Bend up to provide the very best education possible to our community's most important asset, our kids.  South Bend is known as, "a great place for kids," and we will Never Give Up in making sure we carry out this expectation of putting kids first in all we do.  Our team at South Bend Schools eagerly awaits the new school year and we look forward to seeing students on August 31.  

I look forward to the continued privilege and opportunity of serving as your school superintendent.  As always, please feel welcome to drop by for a visit, call, or email.  I am always happy to hear from our students, parents, and community members! 

                                                                       Welcome back to all!

                                                                                 Jon Tienhaara

South Bend, "A great place for kids..."

We have a lot of people interested in South Bend Schools, and they are curious to learn more about the incredible culture and opportunities we have in support of students.  The short video below highlights some of these details through community, parent, student, 

teacher, and staff voice.  Enjoy! 

Student Registration & Choice Transfer

Student registration for the 2022-23 school year will be happening very soon, as school offices open August 15.  For those students choice-transferring to South Bend Schools from another district, please be sure to check with the school office to be sure all required paperwork is in place and our transportation department is aware of student pickup and drop off locations.

            Pre-school registration:                        Beginning August 15

            Elementary grades K-6 registration:    Beginning August 15

            High School registration:                     11th & 12th grade----August 23

                                                                          9th & 10th grade---- August 24

                                                                          New students---- August 25

Junior High "Back to School Night" will be Monday, August 29 from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm

School Office Contact Information

South Bend Early Learning Center

Director Amy Nelson

Program Manager Karla Webber

Secretary Danielle Lewis

Secretary Andrea Williams

360.875.6041 option 1

Mike Morris Elementary School

Principal Kresta Byington

Assistant Principal Alyssa Olsen

Secretary Tammy McDougall

360.875.6041 option 2

South Bend Jr. Sr. High School

Principal Jason Nelson

Assistant Principal & Athletic Director Jon Schray

Secretary Susie Williams

Secretary Melissa Kudasik

360.875.6041 option 4

New Staff

We strive to recruit the best faculty and staff possible, as our students deserve nothing less.  We have some incredible new teachers, administrators, and office staff who either started at the end of last school year or who will be joining our team this fall.  Please welcome...

Mr. Jon Ashley

Mr. Ashley is the district's technology director and safety & security administrator.  He comes to us after a successful career in law enforcement and service in the U.S. Marine Corps.  Mr. Ashley is in charge of all technology needs, support, and infrastructure.  

Mr. Noah Rumbles

Mr. Rumbles is the district's facility and transportation director.  He comes to us after a successful career as a journeyman plumber, operating his own business in the Willapa Harbor area for many years.  

Mr. Rumbles is responsible for all campus buildings and grounds, capital projects, 

and school transportation.

Dr. Stacey Villanueva

Dr. Villanueva is the district's pediatric mental health generalist.  She comes to us from Northwest Pediatric Center, where she served as Director of Behavioral Health.  Dr. Villanueva will work with staff, students, and families in diagnosing and treating student mental health needs.

Mr. Jose Ramos

Mr. Ramos joins South Bend Jr. Sr. High School as a new English language arts and social studies teacher.  He is also the new head coach of our girls varsity basketball program.  Mr. Ramos previously worked as a teacher for the Soap Lake School District and served with the U.S. Navy.

Mrs. Jamie Howell

Mrs. Howell joins South Bend High School as our new high school special education teacher.  She comes to us after working many years at Willapa Valley School District, and is a National Board Certified Teacher.  She will be teaching grades 9-12 special education.

Miss Carlee Cavanaugh

Miss Cavanaugh joins Mike Morris Elementary School as a new first grade teacher.  She comes to us after student teaching with the Montesano School District.

Mrs. Savanah Friese

Mrs. Friese joins Mike Morris Elementary and the South Bend Early Learning Center as our new Pre-K to 4th grade special education teacher.  She comes to us after student teaching 

with the Willapa Valley School District.

Mrs. Melissa Kudasik

Mrs. Kudasik joins South Bend Jr. Sr. High School as a new office secretary.  She comes to us after serving many years as a paraprofessional at Willapa Valley School District.  Mrs. Kudasik will be responsible for special education program needs and school data management.  

Mrs. Andrea Williams

Mrs. Williams joins the South Bend Early Learning Center as a new office secretary.  She comes to us after working as an office secretary at Deep River Dental, and previously worked as a paraeducator at the South Bend Early Learning Center.

Fall Athletics

Fall sports will be starting up mid August, with football beginning August 17th.  High school volleyball and soccer will begin August 22nd, and junior high sports will begin September 6th.  

Please contact athletic director Jon Schray with any questions at jschray@southbendschools.org.

Campus Construction Projects

Seismic retrofit of Koplitz Field House

We are in the middle of a seismic retrofit of Koplitz Field House, a $2 million dollar grant funded project.  The project is scheduled to be complete in September.  The band room is not impacted by this work, and students will continue to use the band room as scheduled.

Do you want to learn more about South Bend Schools?  Feel free to visit our website, bookmark this blog, or call us at 360.875.6041.

 

School board of directors establishes timeline for new school mascot

 

    At their regular meeting in June, the South Bend School District board of directors established a new timeline for selecting a mascot for South Bend Jr. Sr. High School.  This action follows a year-long pause from when the mascot matter was last discussed.  The new timeline sets March 1, 2023 as the date by which a new mascot will be selected.

    The mascot issue stems from a recent Washington State law (HB 1356) banning the use of Native American names for school mascots, which was signed by Governor Jay Inslee in 2021.

    Though the school did some extensive work to identify and select a new mascot during the spring of 2021, no clear mascot replacement was identified.  Rather than rush the decision, the board elected to pause the selection process until now.

From now until August 31, 2022, the board invites the public to provide ideas for the new mascot.  Input can be provided one of two ways: 1) sending an email to school director Wendy Manlow at wmanlow@southbendschools.org; or 2) completing a feedback form found at: https://forms.gle/ezirv5igjC9hKML37.  

The board will select possible mascots from the summer input collection and provide visuals for the public to view at upcoming fall sports events.  Collected feedback will then be shared with a focus group in January, 2023 preceding the March 1, 2023 deadline.  The focus group will evaluate the collected mascot input and provide a recommendation to the board.

 

Jim Rose appointed to School Board of Directors

 

School director Jim Rose with granddaughter Riley Rose

SOUTH BEND, WA--The South Bend School District Board of Directors appointed Jim Rose, of Bay Center, to the board at their regular meeting held March 17, 2022.  Mr. Rose is filling the vacant District 1 position previously held by Dave Eastham.  Mr. Eastham served on the board for 23 years before moving to Idaho.  The District 1 school director area is the largest district by land area, consisting in parts both north and south of the Willapa River, west of Pacific Street in South Bend, and south of South Bend city limits to Nemah.

SB school director District 1 shown in yellow

Mr. Rose made his application to the board with the interest of giving more time to the school and community.  "I have been pretty busy with our business [Rose Ranch] for many years and I have been eager to be more involved," says Rose. "Having all three of my sons back on the ranch now allows me to provide more time to the community."  

Mr. Rose follows his father, Bob Rose, who served on the board decades earlier.  "Dad first served on the Bay Center school board, and then moved onto the South Bend board in the late 60's, right as the current high school was finishing construction." "He served into the 70's".

A Class of 1980 South Bend alumnus, Mr. Rose, and wife Robyn, have three sons--Shaun Rose, Brett Rose, and Drew Rose--all South Bend High School graduates.  Mr. Rose now has a granddaughter who attends first grade at Mike Morris Elementary School.  "I don't have any agenda for being on the board", he says.  "I feel like our school is on a great path right now." "The facilities are top notch, we have great staff, and I don't know of any changes that need to be made." "Having said that, I do feel like I could contribute positively to the board going forward." "I currently have one grandchild in the district and will hopefully have a lot more one day", he concludes. "I would like to help make sure they have an excellent school to attend."

Jim Rose joins the board with fellow members consisting of chairman Chuck Spoor, vice-chairman Todd Strozyk, director Andy Seaman, and director Wendy Manlow.

Health & safety update

 

Community Update

January 11, 2022

This is an update on our continued efforts to maintain the health and safety of our students, staff, and community.  Cases of COVID-19 are on the rise in Pacific County and have severely impacted neighboring school districts, resulting in high numbers of student absences and staffing issues.  No public school or agency is immune to these impacts, but we can continue to work to keep our school buildings as safe as possible with the goal of maintaining student and staff health and in-person school.

As a reminder to parents, please re-emphasize to your students the importance of adhering to the required health protocols, including proper mask use and required distancing.  Talk to your student about good hand-washing and hygiene.  Most important, please do not send students to school who are ill, have a temperature, or who are showing other symptoms.  All students are screened prior to entering buildings and will need to be sent home if symptoms are present.  

We are doing our best to maintain in-person school and we are requesting everyone's help in these efforts.  If you have any specific questions, please feel free to contact your respective school office at 360-875-6041.

Esta es una actualización de nuestros esfuerzos continuos para mantener la salud y la seguridad de nuestros estudiantes, el personal y la comunidad. Los casos de COVID-19 están aumentando en el condado de Pacific y han afectado gravemente a los distritos escolares vecinos, lo que ha resultado en un gran número de ausencias de estudiantes y problemas de personal. Ninguna escuela o agencia pública es inmune a estos impactos, pero podemos continuar trabajando para mantener nuestros edificios escolares lo más seguros posible con el objetivo de mantener la salud de los estudiantes y el personal y la escuela en persona.

Como recordatorio para los padres, vuelva a enfatizarles a sus estudiantes la importancia de cumplir con los protocolos de salud requeridos, incluido el uso adecuado de máscaras y el distanciamiento requerido. Hable con su estudiante sobre el buen lavado de manos y la higiene. Lo más importante es que no envíe a la escuela a estudiantes que estén enfermos, tengan fiebre o muestren otros síntomas. Todos los estudiantes son evaluados antes de ingresar a los edificios y deberán ser enviados a casa si presentan síntomas.

Estamos haciendo todo lo posible para mantener la escuela en persona y solicitamos la ayuda de todos en estos esfuerzos. Si tiene alguna pregunta específica, no dude en comunicarse con la oficina de su escuela respectiva al 360-875-6041.