North Mason schools focus on '100% student success'

Kirk Boxleitner | Sep 07, 20230

Courtesy of North Mason School District count

Students enter North Mason High School in Belfair on the first day of school Aug. 30.

North Mason School District Superintendent Dana Rosenbach recently informed her students' families, through a letter sent to welcome them back to school for the 2023-24 year, that the district sees the process of fostering certain values in its students as similar to tending a garden.

Rosenbach recounted how district and building administrators devoted one of their training and leadership sessions to selecting "impact words" to describe ways of "building our garden and developing our soil."

Those words - including "empower," "honesty," "partnership," "supportive," "intention," "consistency," "innovate," "trust," "growth," "serve" and "celebrate" - were then printed on small signs and placed in two planters, which now sit in the district office.

"We will revisit these impactful words during the year to ensure they are rooting well in the North Mason soil," Rosenbach said.

On a more tangible level, Rosenbach noted district staff spent their summer preparing to launch new technology tools intended to "enhance our ability to remain connected with all of you," starting with a revamped website that can be reached at northmasonschools.org.

The site includes an app that lets users "customize your North Mason experience," in Rosenbach's words, all while the district communicates with its families via ParentSquare and solicits families' comments via the Possip tool.

"We have so many ways to stay connected and keep you up to date on all the great things happening in the district," said Rosenbach, who urged those with questions regarding these tools to contact the district's offices.

Rosenbach credited the district's summer sessions with yielding the "100% Student Success" initiative, which she explained has used the insight of the district and community to develop its "four pillars" of educating, empowering, preparing and inspiring all North Mason students.

"In North Mason, we are continually looking at ways to improve, pivot and grow, to better our students' experience," Rosenbach said. "Our strategic planning process never stops."

Rosenbach said students' families and the community will have opportunities to contribute to in-depth surveys, and the district will "highlight our successes, map our milestones, and create a transparent environment so everyone can participate in the conversation."

As part of the district's "whole child, whole school, whole community" mission statement, Rosenbach stressed the bond among the schools, students, families and the community as she listed the marks the district intends for all its students to meet.

The district is aiming for 100% of its students to achieve 95% regular attendance at each building, but it also plans for 100% of its third-graders to become grade-level readers, 100% of its seventh-graders to reach Smarter Balanced Assessment levels 3 or 4 in English language arts and math, and 100% of its ninth-graders to achieve zero failures in their core classes.

Rosenbach said "100% student success" also means a graduation rate of 100%, with at least 85% of those on time, 100% of North Mason students participating in extracurricular activities of some kind, and 100% of its high school graduates completing career and technical education pathways.