Registration for the August 2009 WASL is now open!  To complete your registration online, please visit the WASL Registration Website.  If you took a WASL assessment this past spring your WASL Score Report will have your 10-digit SSID number on the top right corner; you must have this number to register for August WASL testing.  If you don't have a score report, please contact the main office at DPHS or your counselor in order to obtain your SSID. If you are unable to register online, you may also register via the toll-free telephone line - 866.400.9275 - between 8 am and 5 pm, through June 26, 2009.

In order to be eligible for August testing, students must register for each subject test prior to the June 26th deadline.  Test administration will take place at Deer Park's Administration Building (also the site of the Home Link program), located at N. 428 Main.  Check-in will begin at 8:00am; please wait in the main lobby area of the administration building for the test coordinator to begin check-in at 8:00.  The testing schedule for this year's summer administration is as follows:

Students are reminded to bring the following items to the WASL testing site: official school or government picture ID (required), spring 2008 WASL Score Reports (if available), pre-registration confirmation (if available), calculator for mathematics testing.  if students do not have a calculator one will be provided.  Also, as some students will finish particular test sections quicker than others, all students are encouraged to bring a book or magazine to pass the time between sections 1 and 2 of the reading and math tests.  Students are reminded that they are not permitted to use headphones (personal music device) or cell phones during the testing period.  If you have questions, please call Travis Hanson at 464-5509.

Deer Park High School Class of 2009 will hold its commencement exercises on June 6, 2009 at the Deer Park High School football field beginning at 6:00 p.m.

Due to construction, the ceremony will be held outside come rain or shine!  Please keep your fingers crossed for good weather!

See you on Saturday night.

At the request of the City of Deer Park, a few of the District's buses will be detouring off of "D" Street to Forest, west on "A" Street to Jefferson, then north to Crawford.

This request is made to help reduce congestion at the corner of "C" and Colville during the morning and afternoon drop off and pick up times (roughly 8:00 - 8:30 a.m. and 3:00 to 3:30 p.m.)

As such you will see DPSD buses in the "local traffic only" areas that are being blocked off.  This is both legal and appropriate, but we wanted you to know why we are making these route alterations.  No students will be dropped off or picked up on these detours.

Please call Mick Miller, 464-5507, with any questions.  Thank you for your patience with our buses during this road construction season.

The Deer Park School District Board of Directors honored four retiring employees at it regular meeting on May 26.

Pam Ashford, science teacher at Deer Park Middle School, has served as a teacher in the District (all at DPMS) since 1985.  Patty Reiter, para-educator at Deer Park High School, has been with the District since 1994.  Joan Robertson has served as Family Services Coordinator in the ECEAP program for the past 15 years and Peggy Rieper has been the nutrition services director since 1980 and has worked in the District for 30 years.

These four ladies have given wonderful service to the District and have been dedicated to making a difference in the lives of children.  They will be missed.

On or about May 20, the City of Deer Park is beginning the reconstruction of East Crawford Avenue from Forest to Airport Road.  The three month project will close this section of roadway except to local traffic.  Traffic will be detoured north on Country Club Drive to 6th Avenue to Colville.

Not being able to access Weber Street impact our student transportation, as well as public access to Deer Park Elementary and High Schools.  

Transportation supervisor Sonja Rosenthal and her staff have been working with the students they transport to plan for different pick up and drop off sites if necessary.  Those changes will begin on Monday, May 18.

We know that the construction work will cause delays in getting students, parents, staff and community in and out of DPE and DPHS.  Thank you, in advance, for your patience as we all deal with limited road access these final four weeks of the school year.

If all goes according to plan, the project should be completed prior to the beginning of the 2009-10 school year.

Please direct any transportation questions to Sonja at 464-5530.

The Deer Park FFA Spring Plant Sale will be held Friday, May 8th from 4pm - 7pm, and Saturday, May 9th from 8am - 5pm.  As a component of the DPHS renovation, the agriculture department has inhabited a new greenhouse; this is our grand opening event.  Come check out our new facility, or quality, affordable selection of bedding plants, veggies, perrenials, hanging baskets, herbs, color bowls, and much more!

Our beautiful plants would make a wonderful Mother's Day gift!  Beautify your yard, start your vegetable garden and support the local FFA chapter and horticulture students.  We hope to see you there!

Spokane Regional Health District’s Health Officer, Dr. Joel McCullough reports that the Swine flu virus is spreading in a manner similar to the seasonal flu, and local cases are expected to occur. Because this virus appears to be spreading very easily between people, as is seen with seasonal influenza, health officials are investigating possible cases and their contacts to identify the scope of the illness.  Here is the entire bulletin released by the SRHD on Friday, May 1st - SRHD Daily Update: May 1st, 4:45pm

Along with other area school districts, we are working closely with the Spokane Regional Health District to monitor the situation and are participating in surveillance and monitoring procedures as recommended by health district officials.  At this time, we know that Swine Flu has not been defined as a pandemic flu, despite media reports to the contrary.  What we do know about this flu strain and what we are asking of families has been detailed in a letter sent home on April 30th.  That letter can be downloaded using the following link - April 30th, Swine Flu Information.  The Spokane Regional Health District has also provided a very helpful Q & A document - H1N1 Swine Influenza and You.

In addition to those resources, you can access credible and reliable information regarding Swine Flu at the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as well as at our regional school health resource, the ESD 101 School Nursing Corps.

We will be working diligently to keep you updated with the most accurate information as it relates to the safely and health of your children, their attendance at school, as well as participation in school related activities.

The Northeast Washington Association of School Administrators (NEWASA) honored Bill Moore with a Community Leadership Award at its annual awards luncheon on April 17.  Moore, a former Deer Park School Board member (two terms), and his wife Flo attended the luncheon which was held at the Spokane Club.

In addition to serving as a school director, Bill has also served on numerous school committees, is President of the Deer Park Dollars for Scholars scholarship program and a founding member of the Friends of the Deer Park Library Board.  His service to the Deer Park School District and to the community has been considerable over the years and he is very deserving of this recognition.