Bellinghame Public Schools

News & Information


Imported Content: 
Department Owner: 
DATE: January 09, 2009 15:34:10 PST

Bellingham School District families and staff should make the following changes on their calendars for the remainder of this year:

  • All schools will be in session for a full school day on Monday, Jan. 26, which was previously scheduled as a teacher workday. Students will be excused for absences with the understanding that families may already have plans.

 

  • The end of the first semester will move to Thursday, Jan. 29, with final exams for high school students on Wednesday and Thursday, Jan. 28 and 29.

 

  • There will be no school on Friday, Jan. 30. This will be a grading and report card writing workday for teachers. This change is necessary because students need more time to complete assignments prior to grades being issued, to finish learning the skills and content in their first-semester courses, and to prepare for final exams.

 

  • The first day of second semester will be Monday, Feb. 2.

 

  • Report cards for elementary, middle and high school students will be sent home on Feb. 10.

 

  • Friday, April 3, the day before spring break, will be an early release day for all students. This is necessary to make up for the cancelled early release day on Dec. 19. Staff had traded time worked during evening conferences and evening culminating project presentations for this early release and will now receive that time on April 3.

 

  • Friday, June 12 will be a full day of school. The early release day will move to the last day of school, which has been revised.

 

  • The school year has been extended with full days of school on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday, June 15, 16 and 17.

 

  • The new last day of school is Thursday, June 18 and this will be an early release day for all students.

 

Click here for the online district calendar that has been updated.

Please note that any additional emergency/inclement weather closures may affect the last day of school or other dates.

State waivers: The state requires the district to make up missed days of school from the two closure days due to snow on Dec. 18 and 19 and the two closure days from flooding on Jan. 7 and 8. At this point, the district is waiting for waiver information from the state regarding the flood days. We currently do not know if a waiver is possible, but wanted to provide the revised calendar for planning purposes. If anything changes, we will communicate that information.

These calendar changes were determined using state law, the Collective Bargaining Agreement between the district and the Bellingham Education Association (BEA), and district procedures.

Please know that we fully recognize that any changes to the school schedule have an impact on students, families and staff. The weather and state law are beyond our control. State law requires that children attend school 180 days. Children must be present for a certain number of hours each day in order for it to count as a school day. When school is delayed or dismissed early, children are in attendance the hours needed to meet state requirements. When school is closed, missed days must be made up unless they are waived by the state. State law does not currently allow school districts to add minutes onto each school day to make up missed time. For answers to your questions about how decisions are made on inclement weather days, click here.

We appreciate your patience during these severe weather situations and in coping with the effects of their aftermath.