Inchelium Community,
We want to thank you for a positive first few days of school. We recognize that there were many transitions and questions that are being asked in the community due to those changes. If you have follow up questions please feel free to reach out to either the Superintendent Brian Freeman or Principal Dave Sather.
Why are we doing the split?
We do not have the room space to host both the Elementary and Secondary at the same time. Other spaces in the community were proposed, but either were occupied by other organizations or would have spread the school out in two many different directions. The school cooks are using a space off campus and delivering snacks and lunches.
Why didn’t the school work with the state on reduced days or hours?
The administration did reach out to OSPI and the State Superintendent himself. The state law is that a school needs to have a minimum of 1027 hours over the course of a school year. There was no budging on that requirement. As we all know, inclement weather or power outages also impact the school and we need to make sure that we are over that requirement. Even with the shortened days for the grade spans, we will be able to meet this requirement. We may have to add other days in case there is a prolonged snow storm or power outage.
What happened to the portables that were coming from Coeur d’Alene?
We did get an offer on modular classrooms from Coeur d’Alene that would have provided four classrooms. The moving companies responsible for transporting them realized that there was no viable road path due to their height to Inchelium.
Why not go remote like we did during COVID?
The Board, administration, and staff were not in favor of this option. For some students, remote learning is successful and provides another avenue to learning but for many it is not.
Were we going to Hunters?
The Columbia School District did reach out to us on having some of our Elementary over on their campus. We looked at the times and transportation involved and realized we would not have necessary instructional minutes.
When can we return to the main building?
We are expecting to have the Elementary & Resource classes ready to move into their rooms by mid October. We have use of the gym, but the cafeteria, office and rooms on the second floor are still being renovated. We are also expecting new playground equipment to be installed soon.
Why are we not doing Fridays during this time?
Having schools on Friday’s was considered but we wanted to maintain as normal a schedule as we could.
How are sports impacted?
Our Junior High Volleyball team is practicing and having games in the Community Center. The High School Volleyball team will be in our gym for home games. By the time our home games begin, the parking lot will be fully completed - at this time concrete is needed to finish the steps. Our football field is playing well and another home game is tomorrow night at 7pm under the lights.
The Modrite Fire and the subsequent delay in the school year are events that impact us all, but this Hornet family came together to be as positive and as caring as we can for our students. Again, your questions are appreciated at the school board meetings.