Community Newsletter:
Summer 2024

Class of 2024: By the Numbers

Graduates: 1,769
Graduates pursuing higher education: 1,475
Graduates entering the workforce: 48
Graduates pursuing trade school or apprenticeship: 66
Graduates entering military service: 23
Graduates taking a gap/service year: 109
Graduates who earned an AA degree through Running Start: 75
Total scholarship awards: $11.7 million

Congratulations, Graduates!
Thank you to our Northshore community for joining us in celebrating the members of the Class of 2024. Our graduates have already accomplished so much, and we are excited to see what they will achieve in the years to come. Learn about the graduating classes and all nine ceremonies by visiting nsd.org/graduation.

During the 2023-24 school year, we also want to give thanks and celebrate the remarkable careers of the retiring Northshore staff members. This year, we celebrated the retirement of 81 staff members, who totaled more than 1,611 years of service to Northshore students and families. Learn about this year’s retirees.

Message From The Superintendent

Dear Northshore Community,

Access to an excellent education can be life changing. Growing up in the segregated south, my father never had the opportunity to go to high school and college. I am fortunate that my parents prioritized education for me and my siblings, and in turn changed the trajectory of our family for generations to come.

A great education is what ALL students deserve, and I am committed to making sure our Northshore schools prepare each and every student so they too can achieve their hopes and dreams.

This means that the district is actively investing in classroom materials that support how students learn, well-trained educators, and safe and inclusive learning spaces. It also means we provide students with enriching learning opportunities, such as International Business and Project Lead the Way Biotechnology. These new Career and Technical Education courses let students explore high-wage jobs while still in high school. Our students are also engaged in robotics, athletics, the arts, and more. And many of them take on leadership roles in their schools, the district, and community. From volunteering to leading nonprofits, our students are charting their own path.

Eighty-three percent of our 2023-24 graduates are going on to a college or university in the fall. This is a remarkable statistic and reflects the level of preparation students have received in our schools.

However, this year has not been without challenges. I appreciate the collaboration from our labor partners and staff as we made hard decisions to ensure we have a balanced budget for the 2024-25 school year. We are committed to continuing to advocate for state funding and what our students need to thrive.

I want to thank you for supporting our students. I am so proud of them and I hope you are too. These are your public schools and I look forward to continuing to share Northshore’s progress and all that our students are accomplishing. I invite you to learn about Northshore in this Community Newsletter or by visiting our website.

In partnership,

Michael Tolley

Superintendent

Learn more about the District’s Strategic Plan and the Superintendent’s Listen and Learn report at nsd.org/superintendent.

From Future Kindergartner to High School Graduate: Get to Know Our Students

Jasmine Lozano, Inglemoor High School

Written by Cuauhtemoc Yanez, North Creek Class of 2024

In a matter of months, high school will be a memory for all the graduating seniors. Many students will leave their schools, and by next year will be only a distant memory, but for Jasmine Lozano, she has set an example to inspire students for years to come.

Jasmine Lozano is a first-generation student, and throughout her high school career had to learn alongside her parents how Inglemoor High School worked. This would not hinder her or her endeavors, as the ambitious teen not only joined the AVID program, but also joined ASB, Varsity Cheer, and even the Senior Link Team for Inglemoor, providing an example for students to come. Lozano worked hard each year, balancing a busy schedule despite her fears that it could’ve been too much.

All of this was still not enough to satisfy Lozano, as she kept working on and participating in the things she loved – competing on the cheer competition team while balancing all her other responsibilities. But they all paid her back in kind. With the AVID program, she traveled to colleges and universities, which even took her to the college she would end up committing to – Cascadia College. She hopes to later transfer to UW Seattle to study psychology. Lozano is a shining example of students choosing to go above and beyond, pushing themselves and working hard. She is aware of the example she set, saying in an interview that she provided an example for Latinx students in Inglemoor. Lozano worried that she wouldn’t be able to keep up with her busy schedule, but through commitment and hard work, she managed to show that one student can do it all.

Cuauhtemoc Yanez is a North Creek Class of 2024 graduate and was on the editorial board for the Jaguar Journal. Yanez will attend UW Seattle in the fall.

Kaius Ashley, Future Kindergartner

Written by Alistair Hennessey, Bothell Class of 2024

During the season of high school graduations, it's important to remember that there are many young students in Northshore just beginning their educational journey. Kaius Ashley will start kindergarten next year at Lockwood Elementary and is very excited about it! I got to sit down with him and his mom for a quick interview, and soon found out how much we had in common. From sharing our favorite video game (Forza), to finding out that we both went to Sorenson Early Childhood Center for preschool.

Kaius has many interests similar to other 5-year-olds, including riding his bike, playing soccer and baseball, and coloring, and he loves construction vehicles. When he grows up, Kaius wants to drive a racecar, and I’ll be watching for him on the circuit. Before he drives racecars, though, he will need to start kindergarten, and when he gets there, he is excited to play during recess and learn new things.

My heart was melting while listening back to the interview. Childhood is something to be treasured and not rushed! New experiences are part of life, and it’s okay to be scared and unsure (although Kaius wasn’t during the interview). As a recent graduate, I felt that feeling once again of fear and uncertainty. But like Kaius, I thought of what I was most excited about and how my next school is going to be a new, good change. As I shook Principal Price's hand during my graduation ceremony, I turned over a new leaf…much like Kaius turning over a new leaf as he enters kindergarten.

Alistair Hennessey is a Bothell Class of 2024 graduate and was on the staff for the Catamount. Hennessey will be attending Central Washington University in the fall, where he plans to pursue a degree in History Secondary Education and a minor in Photography.

Budget Update From the School Board

This year our season of appreciations, graduations, and celebrations is tempered with a sense of loss. We are concluding a year-long budget reduction process that required closing programs and laying off much-loved educators in order to remove $26 million from our General Fund budget for the 2024-25 school year. While we know that these steps are necessary to ensure the long-term financial stability of our strong schools, that does not make what has been a heartbreaking process any easier.

The Northshore School Board is committed to our important work of continuously improving how we prepare our students for a quickly changing world. Even in the face of systematic underfunding of public schools in our state, we know that investing in education is investing in our future. Quality education not only benefits our children but also strengthens our entire community.

We appreciate your partnership and the community’s support of public education as we navigate these challenging times. We encourage our community to continue our history of supporting our vibrant schools. Together, we can keep a sharp focus on how to best support our most precious resource - our students and the bright future they represent.

Northshore School District Board of Directors

Read the complete message to the community from the School Board: https://link.nsd.org/SchoolBoardCommunityLetter.

Progress Made Toward Our Goals and Commitments

2022 Bond and Levies

Approved by Northshore voters in 2022, the Educational Programs & Operations Levy, Technology Levy, and Capital Bond support our students with classroom-based learning tools, resources, and safe spaces. Northshore is dedicated to meeting its commitment to our community. Learn about the eight school growth projects underway that are funded by the Bond, the tools and training available with Tech Levy funding, and the critical educators and staff positions supported by the EP&O Levy at nsd.org/bondlevy.

Bond-funded construction projects are underway! Learn more: nsd.org/2022bond

Learning Gains with New K-5 Instructional Materials

English Language Arts (ELA) instruction for our youngest learners supports learning to read, and read well. In the 2022-23 school year, when Northshore began implementing Into Reading, the new K-5 ELA instructional materials, our educators focused on using the materials to teach the core areas of literacy development while meeting the individual needs of the students in their class. This work aligns with the District’s Strategic Plan Goal 1 - Success in the Early Years. After the first year of implementation, the data indicate students are making measurable progress, particularly in the percentage of students meeting standard in phonics and high-frequency words in kindergarten, grade 1, and grade 2 on the District’s common reading assessment. As is always the case, the District will continue to monitor student progress and make adjustments if necessary. Professional development for our talented educators will continue moving into the third year of the Into Reading implementation.

Learn more about our Strategic Plan: nsd.org/strategicplan

2022 Bond and Levies

Graphic with blue background of a shovel, yellow hard hat, and dirt

2022 Capital Bond Update: Join us for Groundbreaking Ceremonies at Six Schools

Sep 17 2024

We are excited to announce that groundbreaking ceremonies for six of our school construction projects will take place at the end of September and early October.