District Info

Message from the Superintendent

Every year at this time I am amazed at how fast the summer has flown by. As the first day of school is just days away, I’m sure many of you have been busy gathering school supplies and starting to gear up for what promises to be an exciting year in the Camas School District. As I begin my twelfth year in Camas, I am struck by how fortunate we are to live in a community that wholeheartedly supports public education.

This year we welcome close to 6,000 students to our district. Fortunately, the tremendous support shown by our community in the passage of our $90 million capital construction bond will help us keep pace with our growth. We are already starting to see the results of our new bond as you’ll read in this issue. We also welcome our newest school: Hayes Freedom High School. What started as a small alternative program within Camas High School has successfully grown to the point where it has officially become its own school. Hayes Freedom serves over 150 students who, for a variety of reasons, struggle to reach their full potential in a traditional high school setting. The students who attend Hayes Freedom are there because they want to learn and are motivated to succeed. If you would like to learn more about Hayes Freedom, please contact principal Amy Holmes.

Many of you may remember the challenge the district faced last winter in regard to inclement weather. In response to parent input and as promised, the district will launch a new emergency notification system, titled AllCall, that will send a recorded message via home phone, cell phone and e-mail to every parent in the district, within minutes, when schools are delayed or cancelled. AllCall will also be used to make attendance phone calls when students are absent from school. Additionally, staff members can use the system to notify specific groups of parents when an athletic event is cancelled or to remind families of important events.

As we begin a new year, I can’t help reflecting on the great successes of last year. We just received our preliminary results from the Washington Assessment of Student Learning (WASL) given to our students last spring which show, once again, outstanding performance by our students. In addition, the number of students taking Advanced Placement classes at CHS continues to soar as does the number who pass the AP exams. Last year 313 AP tests were taken in 13 subjects with a passing rate of 78%, compared to 99 tests taken in 9 subjects with a passing rate of 67% in 2003. We had a record number of students participating in extracurricular activities such as sports, academic clubs and fine arts, in which our students excelled as well.

After two years of planning, Camas High School will open our new Math Science and Technology Magnet Program to an initial class of 32 freshmen this fall. In addition, the assessment data from the LEAP (Learning Extended Activities Program) which provided a structured, extended-day reading program for kindergarten students showed excellent results. We will expand the LEAP program this school year.

I’m sure many of you have heard that Camas has been identified as one of the top 100 “Best Places to Live” in the nation by Money Magazine. This was influenced largely by the way our community has chosen to value and support education. That support has provided our Camas students with the staff, facilities, technology and learning opportunities that provide them a world-class education that offers students learning environments that are safe and secure.

Finally, we must all stay focused on the goal of educating our future leaders. The children of our community deserve no less than our best efforts—settling for “good enough” serves no one well. I urge every member of this community to find a way to become engaged in ensuring academic success for all students. Education is a joint venture, and together we can accomplish great things. We need and value your input, so feel free to contact me with your questions, suggestions and views. I look forward to working with you­—it is going to be a great year!

Sincerely,

Mike Nerland
Superintendent