January 6, 2025: 2024 Reflections and a New Year

Message from the Superintendent

January 6, 2025

Dear Northshore Colleagues: 

I hope everyone had the opportunity to rest and reconnect with loved ones over the last two weeks. I am thankful for the focused time I had with my wife, daughter, and son-in-law. We were fortunate to visit the east coast and spend quality time at the beach. Despite winter weather, it was exactly what we all needed. I hope you were also able to find joy in the simple pleasures of being with family and friends. And if this season was hard for you, I wish you peace and healing - your wellbeing is important to me - as the Superintendent but more importantly as your colleague. 

Stepping away from the day-to-day of work allowed me the opportunity to reflect on our shared Northshore 2024 accomplishments including, but not limited to: 

• In June 2024, we successfully graduated 1,769 students. Our well-prepared students earned close to $12 million in scholarships, and the majority went on to pursue a post-secondary education. 
• Our efforts to support student belonging are making a difference with 81.1% of responding 3rd-12th grade students sharing they have an adult at school they can count on no matter what.
• We broke ground on construction projects at six schools. These expansion projects, funded by our 2022 bond, will significantly improve the learning and working conditions for our staff and students. 
• Northshore’s Family Engagement Specialists hosted our first Latino/Hispanic Graduation Celebration. This event was co-designed with our parents. Over 400 parents, students, and extended family attended. 
• We continued to see positive growth in reading for our youngest learners, with a marked increase in academic performance of our Latino/Hispanic students as measured by iReady.
• In math, close to 64% of eighth grade students successfully completed algebra, laying a foundation for higher math course completion, and 72% of our 2024 graduates completed 4 or more years of math or math-equivalent courses; and finally
• In Operations we balanced a very challenging 2024-25 budget in partnership with our various labor groups, continued to add more plant-based options to our school menus, responded to numerous weather-related incidents, and enrolled new students two months earlier than ever before helping our planning efforts for this school year. 

I am thankful for all that each of you did to make 2024 successful. I hope that you are also proud of the progress we are making to ensure an excellent education for each and every one of our Northshore students.

January 2025 is shaping up to be busy. Below are key dates you should be aware of: 

• Like last year, we are opening the 2025-26 school year enrollment this week. Open enrollment for Kindergarten, new 1st-12th grade students, and Choice Schools and Programs begins on Wednesday, January 8th. Please make sure your neighbors, families, and friends are aware. The sooner we enroll new students, the better for our 2025-26 budget development and planning purposes. Additionally, school waiver applications for employees opens today, Jan. 6. 
• 2025-26 School Year Budget Development process continues. I continue to be committed to transparency as we build our budget for next school year. The next School Board Budget Development Study Session is scheduled for Monday, Jan. 13. You may view a live stream of the presentation by visiting the Board’s webpage. I also recommend you review the School Board’s State Funding webpage. It includes helpful information about our Legislative Priorities and how to share your perspective with your state elected officials. Additional 2025-26 budget development information can be found on the Northshore website. 
• Northshore’s Visit to Olympia. At the end of January Northshore School Board Directors, staff, and students will visit with our Legislative representatives in Olympia. Together, we will share the consequences of chronic underfunding of our public schools and what it means for our District. I look forward to sharing back with you how it goes. 

Finally, I want to take this opportunity to recognize and honor our Northshore School Board Directors during School Board Recognition Month (Jan. 1-31). Our School Board members devote countless hours to shaping the vision and direction of public education in our community. Their steadfast leadership ensures that each and every Northshore student has access to a high-quality education in a safe, supportive, and nurturing environment. I am grateful for each of them and all that they do for our staff, students, and their families. 

Please join me in recognizing and thanking our Northshore School Board Directors for their exceptional service during School Board Recognition Month and beyond.

In partnership,

Michael Tolley
Superintendent

Highlights from Around the District

Have a story you would like to see shared in the "Highlights from Around the District" section of this message and on our website? Submit using this form.

Giving back to the community, one gift at a time! The amazing student-led nonprofits Nile4You, Compassion Connects, and the Mihua Foundation donated gifts, clothes, and food to students and families facing barriers this holiday season. We’re proud to continue supporting our community through the Family Engagement and Resource Center. Thank you to all the generous volunteers who make this possible!

Prior to Winter Break, local actor and Inglemoor High School alum Caden Brauch visited with theater students to talk about his role as Marty McFly in "Back to the Future: The Musical" playing at the Paramount Theater in December, and his journey from Inglemoor theater to the big stage. IHS Improv Team Captain Anna Marroquin facilitated a Q&A with Caden. Students who attended learned how he was cast as Marty, about his auditioning preparation and process, and what inspires him. See photos from his visit.

​The web-based staff directory for locating a colleague’s name, email, phone number, or work location will look different the next time you look someone up. In December, Microsoft ended its Delve application, which has hosted the District’s staff directory since fall 2023. Now when you access https://staffdir.nsd.org/, you will see a new interface, supported by OneDirectory. You will be prompted to sign in to your Microsoft account with your district credentials. This sign-in screen may look different than what you typically see, but this is a trustworthy sign-in, and it is OK to proceed. Once signed in, staff information will continue to include work location, phone number, email, and the individual’s position within the District as recorded in Human Resources.

Tips on using the new staff directory:

• Use the search bar to type in a partial or full name. You can also search by job title.
• If you know the person’s location but not their name, click on the picture or name of their school to begin. From there, you can sort or group by job title to narrow your search.
• Some staff members have photos or pictures in their profile. If you would like to add or edit yours, go to Outlook, click on your name in the top right corner, then “View Account.” On the Overview page, you can change your profile photo.
• The directory has an option to click “Everyone” in the left navigation. However, we recommend using the search bar or clicking on the school name or photo to start your search as a faster and more efficient way to locate a colleague.

As a reminder, contact information can also be found in Outlook. Information available in Outlook under the employee profile includes: Job title as it is recorded in Human Resources, work phone number (if a specific number is assigned to you), reporting structure, and work location.

Important Dates

The following section features non-school days, Northshore School Board meetings, and religious and cultural observances, including dates listed on the Days of Highest Impact and Days of Fasting charts that are part of Northshore’s Religious and Cultural Observances Calendar. This aims to expand awareness about the multiple forms of diversity among our students and families, the days that students may not be at school due to religious observances, and the days that students may be fasting. 

*Begins at sundown of previous day/ends at sundown

Jan. 1-31

• School Board Recognition Month

Jan. 8

• Early Release Wednesday

Jan. 13

• School Board Regular Meeting, 4:30 p.m.
• School Board Study Session, 7 p.m. - Topic: 2025-26 Budget Development

Jan. 15

• Early Release Wednesday

Jan. 16

• Temperance and Good Citizenship Day

Jan. 20

• Martin Luther King Day - No School

Jan. 22

• Early Release Wednesday

Jan. 27

• Non-Student/Teacher Grading Day
• School Board Study Session, 5:30 p.m. - Topic: Strategic Goal 1: Success in the Early Years
• School Board Regular Meeting, 7 p.m.

Jan. 29

• Lunar New Year - East and South Asian Culture
• Early Release Wednesday

The following section features additional important dates, including those listed on the Full Religious and Cultural Observances chart three, which is part of Northshore’s Religious and Cultural Observances Calendar.

Jan. 6

• Dia de los Reyes - Hispanic Christian
• Epiphany - Christian

Jan. 7

• Orthodox Christmas Day - Christian

Jan. 13

• Lohri - Hindu

Jan. 14-17

• Makar Sankranti/Pongal - Hindu

Jan. 14

• Orthodox New Year - Christian

Jan. 27

• Isra and Mi’raj* - Islamic
• International Holocaust Remembrance Day

*Begins at sundown of previous day/ends at sundown

Northshore School District is enriched by the many experiences and perspectives each individual member brings to our District and community. Therefore, our District prohibits discrimination based on age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, honorably discharged veteran or military status, or the presence of any sensory, cognitive, or physical disability or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability.

Civil Rights and ADA Coordinator for Staff: 
Jerred Kelly
3330 Monte Villa Parkway
Bothell, WA 98021-8972
425-408-7622 or 7604
TitleIXOfficer@nsd.org  

Title IX Coordinator: 
Jerred Kelly
3330 Monte Villa Parkway
Bothell, WA 98021-8972
425-408-7622 or 7604
TitleIXOfficer@nsd.org 

The Northshore School District shall provide equal educational opportunity and treatment for all students in all aspects of the District’s academic, activities, or employment programs without discrimination. In addition, the District provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups in its programs and activities.

Section 504 and ADA Coordinator for Students: 
Rick Ferrell
Director of Student Services
3330 Monte Villa Parkway
Bothell, WA 98021-8972
425-408-7632
rferrell@nsd.org 

Any Northshore School District staff and community member has the right to raise concerns or make a complaint regarding discrimination under this policy without fear of retaliation. The above-listed employees have been designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged unlawful discrimination.