Cheers to a Strong Start to the School Year

The 2023-24 school year successfully kicked off with grades K-12 on Wednesday, August 30, and it was a joy to see scholars pour into our buildings excited for the year ahead. The morning was full of welcome rallies, parent send-offs, and scholars reuniting with familiar faces among friends and school staff. Superintendent Dr. Pfeiffer was also out in schools to greet students and offer encouragement towards their hopes and goals for the year. 

After the first day, schools launched right into community-building activities to ground scholars after the summer break with assemblies, group discussions about learning, and student-led PBIS exercises. 

For example, in the first week at Camelot Elementary, students reviewed the school’s expectations of being kind, safe, and respectable. They also generated classroom norms together and engaged in discussions with their teachers about what they hope to learn this year. Many third graders shared a desire to advance their reading level and math competencies – goals that happen to directly align with their grade level in the district’s Learning Partnership Guide! 

Now two weeks into the school year, scholars are also diving into curriculum and learning units. Fall sports are heavily underway, and scholars are participating in assessments to gather baseline data to inform their learning targets for the year. 

As students continue to find their footing in this new year, many are already planning to expand their horizons through new academic opportunities, clubs, and more: 

• An, a junior at Todd Beamer High School, is looking forward to joining the Environmental Club. 

• Oscar, a junior at Federal Way High School, is excited about advancing in everything, especially music.  

• Chinwendu, a seventh-grade student at Sequoyah Middle School, looks forward to getting involved in STEM. 

• Varun, a sixth-grade student at Federal Way Public Academy, is excited about playing flag football and new academics. 

• And Zion, a fifth-grade student at Adelaide Elementary, is just happy to learn new things. 

We’re so excited to see scholars, staff, and families energized for the school year ahead, and look forward to seeing our students’ hopes for the year come true with the support of peers, staff, families, and our entire community. 

Check out some photos from the first weeks of school!