Nooksack Elementary School - Everson, WA

Nooksack Elementary School is located in a small, rural, yet growing district that serves approximately 400 students in grades Pre-K through 5. Our entire school community, including teachers, secretaries, custodians, cooks, and para educators are committed to mentoring and supporting the academic and social development of each and every one of our students.

With a diverse student population including 33% Latino, 58% free and reduced lunch, 18% ELL, and 13% in Special Education, our partnerships with our families and our community is one of our greatest strengths. All adults in our building take responsibility for encouraging every student to raise their personal aspirations to have "pictures of hope in their heads" and look to their future with promise. Special programs, such as Title I, Special Education, and the Learning Assistance Program support students not meeting the standard. Our goal is to focus on early interventions to close the achievement gap. We also strive to emulate a growth mindset reflected in our school motto: Yes, we can! ¡Si podemos!

We believe that reading and writing are essential partners in a balanced literacy program. If you walk into any classroom at Nooksack Elementary, you would see mini-lessons, conferring, student choice, and independence. Guided by the Common Core Standards, students learn math content as well as mathematical practices to deepen their problem solving, reasoning, and communication of their thinking through a variety of talk moves.

In our music program we teach a sequential program based on being "tuneful, beatful and artful" musicians. Students in kindergarten receive 60 minutes of music instruction weekly and grades 1-5 have 45 minutes weekly. We also understand the benefits of physical activity and support a comprehensive Physical Education (PE) Program. All students receive 90 minutes of PE per week. Our after-school programs include choir, theatre, dance, cooking, and Club de Lectura which strengthens our bilingual students' home language literacy skills.

The success of our students is guided by the success of our teachers. Every teacher participates in a Professional Learning Communities (PLC), and common planning is provided for teams to meet weekly. Our teachers are learners, collaborators, problem-solvers, and innovators. Their "whatever it takes" mindset and dedication to all students is inspiring.