Congratulations on making it through a really challenging year!

We appreciate our families' hard work and willingness to work with us to get our kids through it. Because this has been such a different year in education, we are looking to offer "Summer School" for students that may want additional instruction, either for credit recovery at the high school level; or just to work on skills in order to get off to a strong start next year through the Jumpstart Program for elementary.

All instruction will be offered on-site. Transportation and meals will be provided.

Please take a few minutes to fill out the following survey so we can provide the best options for students and families.
https://forms.gle/3wSXkqnxPMNSgQnt5

As restrictions have been lifted statewide and locally, Lyle School Principal Lori Smith has worked to increase the number of days students come to campus for in-person learning.  Since Klickitat County, along with the rest of the state, went to Phase 3, Ms. Smith and the administrative and instruction teams have looked at how to meet the state's safety requirements while increasing students' time on campus.

An example of the challenge: While kids may sit three feet apart instead of the previous six feet in classrooms, they still have to eat lunch six feet apart since they must be unmasked during that time.  Those and other specific requirements have required careful thought and planning.  So much so that some larger urban districts have opted to remain in a hybrid two-day-a-week on campus configuration.

However, the great news is that Ms. Smith now has all Lyle students in Kindergarten through grade six on campus five days a week, unless their parents have chosen to have them remain in full-time remote learning. 

Parents of elementary students, please plan on sending your child to school with their laptop computer on Monday, April 26.  These will be used in the classroom and will stay at the school the remainder of the year. 

Grades 7-9 are also getting their time on campus bumped up to four days a week, and Ms. Smith continues to make adjustments to the upper grade level schedules, particularly the especially large 10th grade group.  Because it's a large class, scheduling those students for additional time is a little more challenging.

As a result, bus route changes have been made and are posted. They will be effective on Monday, April 26. Since more schedule changes are coming, we want to remind you to check your child's bus stop information every Sunday night or Monday morning.

And one more reminder - our ability to operate at this level depends on the number of COVID-19 cases in the community remaining low. Please do your part to keep the community spread to a minimum by masking up, distancing and following other safety recommendations from the state and CDC.

Summer is coming up quickly and we think THIS might be the year that even our students are excited about Summer School.  

Parents and guardians, if you're not exactly looking forward to having the kids home and under foot all summer long, pay attention: We've been planning our Summer School offerings and have some options for parents to consider.

The survey link below was emailed to parents yesterday, but if you ignored it, here's another chance. We need to know which program you are interested in having your child attend, which weeks and what times of day work best for your family.

Summer school is for kids who need to work on credit recovery, while Summer Jumpstart is designed to help kids get ready for the coming school year. Students will work on activities for 2-3 weeks that will help them get off to a strong start in the grade they will be in next year. Plus, kids will be engaged in some fun activities.

We'll provide the transportation and feed them a snack or light meal, too.

Please help us plan a program that benefits as many of our students as possible. Complete the survey at the link below by next Tuesday, April 27. Thanks!

https://forms.gle/3wSXkqnxPMNSgQnt5

Kindergarten and pre-Kindergarten registration is open now.  Call us today to get your child on the list for the 2021-2022 school year.  We'll have a meet and greet and school tour late this summer!

Click Here for a Printable Flyer! 

We want to make sure parents know that, on Friday, April 16, there will be NO SCHOOL. That's right, that means we're looking at a three-day weekend!

The district builds two snow/weather cancellation make-up days into the calendar every year, but we need only one this year.  So, April 16 will be a day off. 

We do have one snow cancellation day to make up. We will have school on May 28 in order to make up the day we lost to bad weather earlier this year..   

Please note that there was a misprint in a few copies of the district calendar that went out. The correct day we are off is this Friday, April 16, and not April 30.

The calendar on our website is correct.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

Parents of sophomores and juniors, imagine watching your child graduate from high school with a year or two of college already under their belt, tuition free! Lyle High School students are already doing this -- and they are doing it without traveling to a college campus -- thanks to our rural Running Start program. Students join college courses online from the Lyle High School campus.

Clark College, a partner with Lyle School District in offering our Running Start program, will hold an information session next Thursday, March 18, at 6:30 p.m. It's free to join via Zoom and will give you important information about Running Start. If there's ANY chance your child may want to attend college, this program is a great opportunity.

What is Running Start? The Running Start program allows high school juniors and seniors to earn college credits while completing their high school education—saving students money while advancing their education. Students are able to attend college, at minimal cost, while still living at home as a high school student.

Register at https://www.eventbrite.com/.../running-start-information...

You can find more information about Running Start at www.clark.edu/runningstart or email your questions about this program to start@clark.edu.

January 28, 2021

Dear Cougar Families

I want to let you know that a staff person at Lyle School has tested positive for COVID-19.

Our administrative team is working closely with the Klickitat County Health Department to identify anyone who might have had close contact with the individual who tested positive. If anyone is identified as a close contact, they will receive a phone call in addition to this letter, with information on required actions and support resources. If you do not receive a phone call, then your child has not been identified as a close contact and his or her risk of infection is low.

Symptoms of COVID-19

Even if your child is not identified as having close contact with the positive individual, we encourage you to watch for any symptoms of COVID-19. This is true at all times. Those symptoms can include any of the following and may appear two to 14 days after exposure:

What should I do now?

While many of these symptoms may be caused by other conditions such as allergies, the health department recommends having your child evaluated by a medical professional if any of these symptoms develop in the next 14 days. If your child develops symptoms, please email me or call me at 509-365-2211, extension 119. Your child should also remain in quarantine and you should reach out to your medical provider for evaluation and testing.

If your child is not identified as a close contact and has no COVID-19 symptoms, testing is not recommended and the risk of infection is low. Simply having a case of COVID-19 at the school does not require any restrictions unless you experience COVID-19 symptoms or have tested positive for COVID-19.

Based on this information, if you have specific concerns about your child or would like to keep your child home out of an abundance of caution, please contact us so your child can be transitioned to remote learning. Call 509-365-2211, extension 120, or email support@lyleschools.org.

The reason we have been able to operate safely -- as we have the past 5 months -- is due to scrupulously following all current public health guidance all current public health guidance, which is outlined here: https://www.doh.wa.gov/Portals/1/Documents/1600/coronavirus/FallGuidanceK-12.pdf.  We have especially emphasized hand-washing, sanitizing surfaces, physical distancing and wearing masks. Parents have been reminded to not send students to school if families have traveled, if they have visited with others, or they have any symptoms that could be COVID-19. We also have sent students and staff home when they displayed any sign of illness.

Every measure we take must meet these guidelines to protect the health and safety of our students, staff and entire school community. We will continue to keep you informed about any actions required by you or measures we are implementing to protect students, staff and families.

If you have further questions about COVID-19, consult your healthcare provider or contact the Washington State Department of Health by visiting https://www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/COVID19. Or call the Washington State COVID-19 Assistance Hotline at 1-800-525-0127.

Sincerely,

Lori Smith, Principal

Traducción Española: Este es un documento importante sobre la salud de su hijo/a. Si usted necesita esta información en otro idioma, por favor contacte Yelli Boots at 509-310-9589 que este documento sea traducido sin costo para usted.

Join Lyle School District Superintendent Ann Varkados for a brief presentation and question/answer session about the continuation levy the district has placed before the voters on the February 9 ballot.

You can join from the comfort and safety of home by Zoom.  All you need is a device and the Internet.  Instructions follow below.

Topic: Community Information Session: Lyle Schools Levy

Time: Jan 21, 2021 06:00 PM Pacific Time (US and Canada)

Click on the link below:

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/88575052742

Meeting ID: 885 7505 2742

Or call in by dialing 1 253 215 8782 US and enter the following meeting ID: 885 7505 2742

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/khH5CXMLJ

Read the parent letter from Principal Lori Smith in pdf here:

Local Levy Dollars Are Essential to Our Students' Educational Success.

      >>>>>>More information is available on the levy webpage.

UPDATE: We noticed a mistake on our flyer mailed to homes.  In the first paragraph under "Is This a New Tax?", we mention the tax rate being "per $100,000 value of their property." That is incorrect.  Levy rates are always based on the value of the property in $1,000 increments.  We apologize for this error.  The examples provided of costs based on home values are correct.  See the correction on the flyer.

On Tuesday, February 9, voters will be asked to vote on Lyle School District’s measure to continue local enrichment levy support for district operations.

This is a replacement enrichment levy, not a new tax. If voters approve the measure, the district will collect no more than $700,000 in 2022 and again in 2023. This is the same amount approved by voters in 2019 for 2020 and 2021. At that time, the district promised that collections would not exceed $700,000 each year, and likely would be less.  Currently, it’s estimated the district will collect slightly over $632,000 in the current year.

If the replacement levy is approved this February, property owners will pay an estimated $1.64 per $1,000 value in 2022 and $1.59 in 2023. 

Historically, the district’s property owners have paid a significantly higher tax rate. For example, in the 2015-2016 school year, property owners in the district paid $3.50 per thousand.

The tax rate remains at an historic low.

Based on projected property valuations, property owners will pay approximately $1.64 per $100,000 value of their property in 2022 and $1.59 in 2023. In the past decade, the district's property owners have paid a significantly higher tax rate. The projected tax rates are less than half what property owners paid in 2014 and 2015.

What will the proposed levy cost the average property owner?

• Taxes collected in 2022 on property valued at $325,000 at an estimated total tax rate of $1.64 will equal $44.41 per month, or $10.25 a week.
• In 2023, when the tax rate will be $1.50 per thousand, property valued at $350,000 will generate a tax bill of $46.38 a month or $11.60 a week for the owner.

Want to calculate what the levy will cost you? 

Go to this page for instructions on calculating for your costs.

Note that the actual tax rate may be slightly different, depending on property valuations and additional changes to the state's school funding laws, but by law, the district's total local tax collection cannot be more than $700,000 community-wide for each of the two years, and is likely to be less.

What do levy dollars pay for?

• Local levy funds are used to pay the salaries and benefits of learning support staff, the para-educators who provide invaluable support for our students and teachers in the classroom.
• The levy pays the bus driver costs over and above daily to and from school runs, like those for extracurricular sports and other after-school activities.
• It pays the salaries and benefits of a part-time school nurse, a school counselor, a part-time tech support staff person, office support staff, nutrition services and maintenance staff, all of whom contribute to helping our students succeed and keeping our school running smoothly.  
• Levy dollars are used to pay for technology costs state funding doesn’t cover, student breakfast and lunch costs, and utility costs not covered by the state.
• It provides essential local support for programs that motivate many of our students to stay in school and work hard, like athletics and career and technical education (previously called vocational education).

More information is available on the levy webpage. Questions? Don’t hesitate to call the district office at 509-365-2191.