New FirstView App for Bus Transportation

Hello VISD Families, Our transportation partner First Student is relaunching FirstView, a real-time GPS bus tracking and student transportation monitoring platform. With the new version of FirstView, parents, guardians, and caregivers can download the secure and easy-to-use app that will allow you to easily stay connected with your student(s) daily trips. See the real-time bus location via GPS and track its progress. Easy access to bus details as well as updates regarding any route changes. Receive multiple distance-based ETA notifications when the bus is getting close. Set-up family members and caregivers to receive trip alerts. Dedicated customer support team for all app-related questions. Step 1 Download the FirstView app. Search for the app name "FirstView 1.0" and register for a new account.  Please note: Users from previous versions of FirstView will not migrate over and all users must create a new account. Step 2 Setup your FirstView profile. You will be asked to provide the following: District Code: W9M7Y Student's ID Number Student's Last Name Step 3 Add distance notifications in the app. Click "Set Distance Notifications" to receive notifications when your student's bus is close to the stop location. At this point, you may add other family members or caregivers to also receive a notification. Once you have added your student(s) and setup notifications and alerts, you may now begin tracking your student's daily trips on the map! If you have any app-related questions or concerns, please contact FirstView support: Monday-Friday: 7:00 am - 5:00 pm EST Email: support@myfirstview.com Phone: (888) 889-8920

Wednesday, Apr 23 2025

1.5-hour late start - Tuesday, February 4

Good afternoon VISD Families and staff, Given the projected snowfall later today and out of an abundance of caution for the morning commute, Vashon Island School District will be operating on a 1.5-hour late start schedule tomorrow, February 4. What does a 1.5-hour late start mean? All schools will begin 1.5 hours later than normal. CES - 10:45 a.m. - 3:50 p.m. (Ferries: 9:30 Fauntleroy, 9:55 Southworth) McM - 9:45 a.m. - 2:55 p.m. (Ferries: 8:30 Fauntleroy, 8:25 Southworth) VHS - 9:45 a.m. - 2:55 p.m. (Ferries: 8:30 Fauntleroy, 8:25 Southworth) AM Developmental Preschool with Ms. Annie: Canceled PM Developmental Preschool with Ms. Annie: Running on regular schedule ECEAP Preschool with Ms. Lilia: Following CES' late arrival schedule, beginning at 10:45 a.m. Bus pick-up schedules will also be 1.5 hours later than normal. Buses will use regularly scheduled stops unless the message specifies any changes to bus routes. All BEFORE-SCHOOL activities, preschool, athletics, and extracurricular events are canceled. Each individual school will determine if AFTER-SCHOOL activities, athletics, or extra-curricular activities will be canceled. School will dismiss at the normal time. The District will evaluate AM road conditions and send any updates to all staff and families before 7:00 a.m., tomorrow.

Monday, Feb 03 2025

VISD Board of Directors Open Position / How to Apply

The Vashon Island School District Board of Directors invites interested community members to apply for the unexpired open board position. An applicant will be appointed by the VISD Board of Directors to fill the open position until the next general election in November 2025. Applicants must live within Vashon Island School District boundaries. Online Application Link:  https://forms.gle/QG3EB1ktKUQcazHJ7 Applications must be submitted by December 6, 2024, at 3:00 p.m. For more information about the application process or materials, please email: pwoodbrook@vashonsd.org or call 206-463-8627. All personal contact information will remain confidential. For questions about what it is like to be a board member, please contact Lucia Armenta at larmenta@vashonsd.org or Juniper Rogneby at jrogneby@vashonsd.org . Time Commitment Board members are expected to attend meetings on the second and fourth Thursdays of most months at 6:00 p.m., that include regular meetings and work sessions. Directors also participate on committees and other community boards related to education and attend school events throughout the year. Directors typically devote approximately 2-4 hours per week to board activities. Anticipated Timeline for Board Director Appointment Begin notice of vacancy and accepting applications November 19, 2024 Close position and review board candidate applications (Board candidate names will be shared with Vashon community via Parent Square and Beachcomber) December 6, 2024 Interview of board candidates and action taken to appoint new board member December 17, 2024, VISD Board Special Meeting New board member sworn into office December 19, 2024, VISD Board Regular Meeting

Tuesday, Nov 19 2024

A Message from the VISD Board of Directors

November 2024 marks the anniversary of the 2023 School Directors election.  We want to share with you a few of our accomplishments, challenges and future goals.  As a physical manifestation of our philosophy that our students are at the heart of our school community, our student representatives sit at the center table, the focal point of the meeting. These three representatives play an important role on the School Board by conducting surveys regarding that  which our students value, and sharing how they see and hope to invest in their education, by asking questions that help to clarify complex information, by suggesting new ways of viewing issues of concern, and by their nonbinding, but valued, votes on policy.   In collaboration with Superintendent McSheehy, we developed a new model for the superintendent’s evaluation, drawing on approaches used in other districts. We appreciate the Superintendent’s cooperation and patience throughout this process.  In striving to more dynamically and effectively support the success of our schools, we  worked with the Superintendent to revise and craft a School Board communication, policy and governance document which more clearly outlines the process of Board actions.  Our goal was to create a structure that recognizes and honors the role of the School Board in relationship to the rest of the District staff while promoting as much transparency in communication, policy and governance as the law permits.  This will provide a critical foundation for addressing aspects tied to budget and policy.      We extend our heartfelt thanks to Kaycie Alanis, who is resigning from her role, for her expertise, countless hours spent making sense of complex data, and the creation of the evaluation document. Her dedication and deep commitment to our school community have been invaluable, and she will be greatly missed.  Our goals are: to achieve fiscal solvency and sustainability; to increase success, satisfaction and confidence for our students and staff; and to create a high functioning School Board team committed to collaborative governance. Thank you all for your support of our schools, our staff and our children.  Sincerely, Lucia Armenta, Chair Juniper Rogneby, Vice Chair River Branch Martha Woodard

Monday, Nov 18 2024

Work Session and Regular Board Meeting Notice - Nove...

The Vashon Island School District Board of Directors will hold a Work Session and a Regular School Board Meeting on Thursday, November 14. The Work Session will take place at 5:00-6:20 pm and the Regular Board Meeting will begin at 6:30 pm. These board meetings will be conducted in person in the District Office Conference Room #302, located on the 3rd floor in the Chautauqua Elementary School building, 9309 SW Cemetery Road, Vashon, Washington 98070.  If you would like to attend the board meeting in-person and are in need of language interpretation services, please contact Peter Woodbrook. VISD School Board Meetings will be LIVE streamed on the  VISD YouTube Channel . For language interpretation on YouTube, follow these steps: YouTube will auto-translate captions into many languages. Select Video Click on the Settings Wheel on the bottom navigation bar Click on Subtitles Click on Subtitles -English (auto-generated) Click on Auto Translate Cursor down the list and select Language for Translation The selected language will now be auto-translated in closed caption. The Vashon Island School Board recognizes the value of public comment on educational issues. We are pleased to provide the opportunity for addressing the board during regular board meetings. Public comment is not taken during board work sessions. The agenda limits the public comment period to 15 minutes. Community members who wish to make a public comment must complete the sign-in sheet upon arrival and will be called to speak for the allotted three minutes in the order they sign in. Consistent with our equity policy, there is no mechanism whereby a speaker can donate some or all of their time to another speaker. As a matter of practice, the Board will listen to all comments, however, will not respond to comments or engage in dialogue at the meeting. Written comments received by 12:00 p.m. the day of the board meeting will be included in the public record in Board Docs. Written comments received after the deadline will be included after the meeting. In accordance with the Open Public Meeting Act, any individual who has difficulty attending an in-person meeting by reason of disability, limited mobility, or for any other reason that makes physical attendance at a meeting difficult, may request an opportunity to provide verbal comment remotely. Please  click here if you would like to provide comment remotely. Remote requests must be submitted by 12:00 pm, the day of the board meeting. The Board also encourages community input at any time on educational issues. The public is welcomed and encouraged to provide community input by email to the VISD School Board at  schoolboard@vashonsd.org . Click here to access the agenda and board packet documents in  BoardDocs . For questions regarding VISD's use of BoardDocs or access to the meeting, please contact Peter Woodbrook, 206.463.8627 or pwoodbrook@vashonsd.org .

Tuesday, Nov 12 2024