Richard Gantman, Superintendent
August 2009

Mount Baker students, parents, and staff are looking forward to another great year.  A few of the exciting things to come include:

Student Performance – The focus of each of our schools continues to be helping every student reach his/her potential.  In spite of budget cuts, we are excited to be able to use federal stimulus money to support our teachers efforts to use student performance data to focus instruction on specific student needs.

Curriculum and Instruction – Mount Baker School District will be able to spend some of the federal stimulus money and a portion of the timber revenue lawsuit settlement money to support our teachers’ work on curriculum development and the improvement of instruction.

Mount Baker Compass - Mount Baker High School is excited to offer a program for students with attentive learning style.  The Compass program is designed to assist students be successful in completing their education at Mount Baker.

Mount Baker Academy – The Academy is in its third year of operation and continues to grow to meet the needs of home school students and families.

Mount Baker High School Horticulture Program – The Horticulture Program will move into the new greenhouse behind the “800 wing”.  The facility was funded with timber revenue in our Capital Projects Fund and replaces the old greenhouse next to the bus garage.  Our Careers and Technical Education Department is excited about the new opportunities the greenhouse will offer students.

Athletics Fields - Improvement plans for our athletics facilities continue this year with the addition of a new fast pitch field west of Mitchell Road and new playing fields at Kendall Elementary School.

Student achievement and continuous school improvement is the focus of our effort. Thank you for the tremendous support of our schools. Mount Baker School District is committed to continuous improvement in all aspects of our program.  We will keep you informed of progress through periodic mailings of our district newsletter FOCUS, school performance reports, school newsletters, and our district website — www.mtbaker.wednet.edu.

Your School Board continues to do excellent work on the District’s vision of excellence and continuous improvement.  You are invited to attend School Board meetings; the 2^nd Thursday of each month is the regular business meeting and the 4^th Thursday is usually a work session.

Additionally, you can volunteer in your child’s school and classroom, join parent groups and the PTA, and, most importantly, you can read to your child and discuss their schoolwork every day, no matter how old they are.

Mount Baker is a wonderful place to live and I am honored to serve as your superintendent!

Rick Gantman