Dear Arlington Students, Families, & Community Members,

The 2025-26 school year is off to a positive start! This year’s districtwide emphasis focuses on “All Belong, Learn, and THRIVE in APS” where students are motivated and succeeding in all areas. Students are excited to be back in their classrooms learning and seeing their friends.

During my first school visits to Weston High School and Haller Middle School, I saw students engaged in learning as mathematicians and scientists. During my first “Student Voices” at Eagle Creek, fifth grade students shared with me what they love about their school, what makes them feel safe at school, what makes them feel accepted and belong at their school, what helps and gets in the way of their learning, and what they would like to see at their school in the future. I enjoyed the lively and informative conversation with the students.

Some of their thoughts include:

- We love our teachers!
- We feel safe at school because the school has drills and protocols in place, so we know what to do in case of an emergency.
- We feel accepted and have a sense of belonging because we have friends.
- When a teacher provides one on one help and small group work, it helps our learning.
- Disruptions in the classroom get in the way of our learning.
- In the future, we would like to see swings on the playground and no homework.

Before school started, all school and district staff met in August for professional development and training to launch the new year. A panel of six students each honored a “Power of One” individual staff member who has made a positive difference in their lives. Students selected the following staff members:

- Tracy Austin, teacher at Post, was honored by Xander Anderson, AHS 9th grade
- Sean Ferrill, teacher at Weston, was honored by Max Larson, ORCA 11th grade
- Meghan Rust-Matter, teacher at Arlington High School, was honored by Elena Twitchell, AHS 11th grade
- Greer Verrier, teacher at Haller, was honored by Alex Phillips, AHS 11th grade
- Brianna Simpson, bus driver at Transportation, was honored by Aly Kleinman, AHS 11th grade
- Jennifer Aribibola, teacher at Presidents, was honored by Kiera Wilson, AHS 11th grade

We need your help! We have several district committees with open positions for family and community member representation. Your voice and perspective are essential and will help us make better decisions for educating our students in Arlington. District committee opportunities are available on the Arlington Public Schools website or call my office at 1-360-618-6202 for more information.

If you are a community member, age 65 and older living in the Arlington Public Schools boundaries, you are invited to become a “Golden Eagle Club” member. This free membership allows you to attend regular season “home” athletic events offered by Arlington Public Schools free of charge and to receive discounted admission to school performances (some restrictions apply). Golden Eagles Club applications are available on the Arlington Public Schools website or by contacting the Public Information Office at 315 N French Ave, Arlington, WA, 98223 or 360-618-6217.

We are grateful for our ongoing partnership with you. Thank you for helping us with this valuable work of educating our talented and amazing students.

Happy Fall!

Chrys

Dr. Chrys Sweeting
Superintendent
Arlington Public Schools

During District Day on Aug. 27, a panel of six students each honored a “Power of One” individual staff member who has made a positive difference in their lives.

Arlington Public Schools successfully completed two major construction projects during Summer 2025. The projects occurred at Presidents Elementary School and the Stillaguamish Valley Learning Center (SVLC) campuses.   

Planning for the improvements began in 2022 and were included in the district’s 2023 Master Facilities Plan. This planning document was the basis for a request to the community to approve the district’s 2024 Capital Projects Levy. Voters approved the levy in February 2024 and district staff and architects began preparing for the work to occur in 2025.

“The district’s capital program goals include extending the useful life of school buildings when feasible, and both of the Summer 2025 projects meet this goal,” said Brian Lewis, Arlington Public Schools Executive Director of Operations. “We are so grateful to the voters and taxpayers of the district for this investment of tax dollars in the future of our community’s school buildings.”

The project at Presidents Elementary was a building envelope improvement project, a comprehensive update of building systems intended to extend the useful life of the building and provide a safe and healthy school environment for students, staff, and community members who use the building. Presidents Elementary was constructed in 2004.

Improvements included in the current project:

- Removal and replacement of the building roof
- Repair of siding materials that had been damaged or degraded over time
- Replacement of failed window units throughout the building
- Repaint of the buildings siding, exposed structural steel
- Replacement of building gutters and downspouts

The building envelope improvements were the primary goal of the project, but contractors were also tasked with updating parts of the central kitchen, including expanding the cold storage capacity and replacing the commercial dishwasher and vent hood in the kitchen. The kitchen at Presidents provides food services to all elementary school buildings throughout the district. The total cost of improvements at the site was $2,036,297.

Improvements were also completed at the SVLC campus this summer. SVLC is a collection of 11 portable buildings located near Eagle Creek Elementary school.

The improvements at the school included:

- Removing existing building siding and replacing with new siding at all buildings
- Repainting all buildings
- Removing existing wooden ramps and replacing with low maintenance aluminum ramps at all buildings
- Repairing structural dry rot and fungal damage at multiple buildings
- Replacing failed exterior doors at multiple buildings
- Rebuilding pathways throughout the school site to improve pedestrian access
- Replacing the roofs of four portable buildings

The total cost of the project was $2,083,871.

School staff, along with the district’s Facilities Advisory Committee, will continue planning activities for school improvement projects that will occur in Summer 2026.

Check out the district's construction projects landing page at this link.

Arlington Public Schools transitioned to a new website, messaging platform, electronic newsletter, and app on July 1.

Arlington Public Schools used the School Messenger platform for website, communication and app services since 2016. The website was using the same platform that was established in 2016 and, aside from content, had not had a redesign in nearly a decade. The dated platform also made it difficult to sync our staff directory with the various sites. Recent family survey results indicate that it was challenging to:

- Find information on the sites due to the amount of information and design
- Contact teachers, staff or admin
- Difficult communicating with teachers due to the number of apps being used

In the spring, the Director of Technology and Director of Communications vetted a number of website/communication providers and interviewed two companies. Apptegy was selected for its dynamic website offerings, easy-to-use communication platform, and robust app that includes two-way communication.

The new APS website can be found at https://www.asd16.org/. There is also a district app that can be downloaded at the Apple App Store and the Google Play store.

A small group of Arlington High School students toured parts of France and Italy for eight days this summer as part of an art trip to Europe.

“The trip was completely art focused,” said Arlington High School Art Teacher Audrey Rose. “We were able to visit many of the world’s greatest museums from the Louvre in Paris, France, to the Uffizi Gallery in Florence, Italy, and the Vatican Museums in Vatican City. Students were able to experience some of the greatest pieces of art ever created such as Leonardo da Vinci’s ‘Mona Lisa’ and Michelangelo’s painted ceiling of the Sistine Chapel.”

Read more here.

A small group of Arlington High School students toured parts of France and Italy for eight days this summer as part of an art trip to Europe.

The Arlington Kiwanis Club recently donated dictionaries to all third graders in the Arlington, Darrington and Lakewood School Districts.

“After being in operation for 71 years, Arlington Kiwanis is dissolving,” said Rich Bullene, Arlington Kiwanis Treasurer. “It has been our pleasure to donate these dictionaries to third grade students in the area to help strengthen students’ education.”

“We appreciate Arlington Kiwanis donating these dictionaries to third grade students,” said Presidents Elementary Fourth Grade Teacher Darcy Larson. “The third graders bring these dictionaries with them to fourth grade, and we utilize them in the classroom. The dictionaries are really beneficial for their learning.”

This year, Arlington Kiwanis donated 624 dictionaries to third graders in the three districts. The service group has been donating dictionaries to local students for 24 years. In total, Arlington Kiwanis has donated more than 14,000 dictionaries to local students over the years.

The Arlington Kiwanis Club recently donated dictionaries to all third graders in the Arlington, Darrington and Lakewood School Districts. The service group has been donating dictionaries to local students for 24 years.

Have you ever thought about volunteering in one of our schools? Arlington Public Schools recognizes that involvement of parents and community members in each student’s education contributes to a positive and successful school experience. Parent involvement continues to have a strong effect on academic performance, even throughout high school. Volunteers are valued partners in the education of Arlington students. We encourage family and community members to consider serving in our schools.

Visit the district’s volunteer page to learn more.

Did someone forward this Our Schools Community Newsletter to you? If so, please sign up to receive the newsletter in your email inbox by going to the following link.

Thanks to the Golden Eagles members and others who joined us on Oct. 29 for a community voices pie social! We had a great discussion about what’s going well in the district, what needs improvement, and what they would like to see for the future. Special thanks to the AHS culinary arts students for baking the pies and AHS Flight for entertaining us with their singing!

Join us for our take on the comedy hit from London featuring Charles, a novelist, re-married but haunted (literally) by the ghost of his late first wife, the clever and insistent Elvira who is called up by a visiting "happy medium" Madame Arcati. As personalities clash, Charles' current wife Ruth is accidentally killed, "passes over," joins Elvira, and the two "blithe spirits" haunt the hapless Charles into perpetuity.

Tickets are $15 for adults and $12 for seniors, children under 5, and students with ASB.

Showtimes are October 31, November 1, 7, and 8 at 7pm with a 1pm show on November 8.

Tickets available starting October 1st, click here to purchase tickets

Nov. 5
MS Conferences- Three hour early dismissal for MS only

Nov. 6
HS Conferences- Three hour early dismissal for HS only

Nov. 11
Veterans' Day- No School, All Buildings Closed

Nov. 26
Three hour early dismissal- all students

Nov. 27-28
Thanksgiving Holidays- No School, All Buildings Closed

Arlington Public Schools provides equal educational opportunity and treatment for all students in all aspects of the academic and activities program without discrimination based on race, religion, creed, color, national origin, age, honorably discharged veteran or military status, sex, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, marital status, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability. The District will provide equal access to school facilities to the Boy Scouts of America and all other designated youth groups listed in Title 36 of the United States Code as a patriotic society. District programs will be free from sexual harassment. Auxiliary aids and services will be provided upon request to individuals with hearing, vision, or speech disabilities.

The following employees have been designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged discrimination:                            

TITLE IX/SEX EQUITY OFFICER AND CIVIL RIGHTS COMPLIANCE COORDINATOR

Mr. Eric DeJong
Executive Director, Human Resources
315 N French Ave.
Arlington, WA 98223
360.618.6212
Email Eric DeJong

HARASSMENT, INTIMIDATION AND BULLYING (HIB) COMPLIANCE OFFICER

Mr. Eric DeJong
Executive Director, Human Resources
315 N French Ave.
Arlington, WA 98223
360.618.6212
Email Eric DeJong

SECTION 504/ADA COMPLIANCE COORDINATOR

Ms. Kerri Helgeson
Director of Special Education (HS+) & Student Support
315 N French Ave.
Arlington, WA 98223
360.618.6228
Email Kerri Helgeson