6th Grade Transition

San Juan Island School District Board of Directors Decision to Transition 6th grade from Friday Harbor Elementary School to Friday Harbor Middle School

At a Special School Board Meeting/Public Hearing on Thursday May 18, 2017, the San Juan Island School District Board of Directors took action to approve the proposed transition of the 6th grade from Friday Harbor Elementary School to Friday Harbor Middle School.

According the Dr. Danna Diaz, Superintendent of Schools, “The sixth grade committee presented to the board in January and provided rationale of why they support the move up. The District postponed the decision until now due to our legislative session and the education funding formula.”

The Board of Directors were pressed to make a decision even though the legislature is still in special session as school districts have a legal deadline to finish the development of a district wide budget for 2017-18. Rationale for the move included Increased access to age appropriate resources, such as science materials, access to STEM, library resources, a school counselor, and an intervention specialist. The move would help the two schools to utilize the space more effectively which directly impacts safety, education, and social/emotional well-being.

Moving the 6th grade is in alignment with the San Juan Island School District’s Mission Statement; “Promote excellence, engaging every student, every day, through superior instruction, high expectations and academic content that is both challenging and individually relevant.”

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