Touchet School District

Redhawk Happenings this week! No school tomorrow in observance of Martin Luther King Jr. Day. Secondary iReady testing starts Tuesday. The first middle school girls' game is this Thursday @ 4 pm, and the middle school boys' sports awards are on Thursday at 2:10 pm in the commons!

It may be cold outside, but our Redhawk Gym will be toasty and warm, with popcorn, candy, chili-topped Fritos, hotdogs, and dilly bars sold in concessions! Games start at 4:30 with 2 quarters of JV boys action, followed by the Varsity Lady Redhawks, then finishing the evening with the Redhawk Varsity Boys. And don't miss out on Cheer camp grades 1st-4th, tomorrow, January 13th, 9 am-2 pm in the Multi-Purpose Room. $15 includes pom poms, a t-shirt, lunch, and LOADS of fun!

Hello Touchet School Parents and Community Members,   Mr. Elizondo would like to invite you to Coffee with the Superintendent this Friday, January 12th, @ 7:30 am. Come enjoy a cup of coffee and learn about current events and school updates with Mr. Elizondo. Please feel free to ask questions! Also, we would like to invite you to our Martin Luther King Day assembly Friday, January 12th, @ 2:10 pm in the commons, with special guest speaker, Mr. Stephen Garnett. Thank you and have a good evening!

Redhawk Basketball Fans, we have a small schedule change we'd like to make you aware of! This Saturday's games in Waitsburg have been rescheduled for Tuesday, January 23rd in Waitsburg. Please see the updated game times, and don't forget you can always see up-to-the-minute info in our Touchet Redhawk App right at the tips of your fingers!

FAFSA IS NOW OPEN! ALL SENIORS APPLY NOW! Resources are available to help you and your family complete the FAFSA. Mari Luengas-Maya Financial Aid Outreach Specialist Walla Walla Community College 500 Tausick Way, Walla Walla, WA 99362 509-296-9642 (mobile) 509-527-4281 (office) HABLO ESPANOL Please reach out to Mari and make an appointment. She has evening Zoom appointments available as well as online or in person. In the past she has been willing to drive to TSD and meet here if you are not able to go to CC, however you must make arrangements with her. Mrs. Frederickson is available to help as well! Don't wait, funds $$$ do run out! FAFSA WEBSITE https://studentaid.gov/h/apply-for-aid/fafsa HOW TO CREATE A FAFSA ID https://studentaid.gov/fsa-id/create-account/launch?utm_campaign=Student-Family-Messaging&utm_medium=email&utm_source=WSAC

Redhawk Happenings this week! Please check your email for important information about Elementary iReady testing this week! Let's make it a great week Redhawk Family!

Touchet School District Parents and Community Members, As we approach the iReady assessment scheduled for January 8th-12th for K-5th grades and January 16th-19th for 6th-12th grade, we want to take a moment to remind you of the importance of this assessment. We kindly request that you help your students get a good night's sleep, eat a healthy breakfast, and encourage them to do their best during the test. We know that our students have the potential to achieve great things, and this assessment is an opportunity for them to showcase their abilities. We understand that these tests can be stressful, but we want to assure you that we are here to support and guide our students every step of the way. We appreciate the collaboration and teamwork in providing support to help our students be at their best. If you have any questions or concerns regarding the iReady assessment, please do not hesitate to contact us. Thank you for your continued support in helping our students achieve their full potential. Thank you, Mrs. Tobin Touchet School District Principal

RedHawk Fans! It was so much fun filling the stands last night! Let's do it again today!!! Come enjoy hot dog and chips for $5! And FBLA will be selling dilly bars!

It's GAME DAY! Your Redhawk athletes are back in action with home games today and tomorrow! Let's fill the stands to cheer them on! GO REDHAWKS!

Touchet School District is looking for Baseball Coaches for the upcoming Spring Sports season. If you have a passion for coaching, experience working with students, and are excited about the game of baseball, this could be a great opportunity for you. Here are our current openings and links to apply! High School Baseball Assistant Coach https://docs.google.com/document/d/1MarwXH7Rivg-_MsSn5OQfHNjoF2Cewn6Bt4pGEPev_k/edit?usp=sharing Middle School Baseball Head Coach: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1pI1yfoZYxIFbzPCBfPeimUv5nFraccXDuLI_7BNgdbs/edit?usp=sharing Middle School Baseball Assistant Coach: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LTEpYZqyfGFtWamFcmIBND27T6CPHTvdDK_RSngHP4s/edit?usp=sharing Middle School Softball Assistant Coach: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1LTEpYZqyfGFtWamFcmIBND27T6CPHTvdDK_RSngHP4s/edit?usp=sharing

Happy New Year Redhawk Fans! Let's get our young cheer fans pumped up to cheer on our Redhawk Athletes! Join the Touchet Redhawks Cheer Camp on Saturday, January 13th from 9 am-2 pm. The camp is open for students in grades 1-4 and a registration fee of $15 includes lunch, t-shirt, and pom poms. Registration is as simple as scanning the QR code and signing up! Call Brandi Zuger for more info! 509-629-0499

Dear Touchet School District Parents and Touchet Community The entire staff at the Touchet School District would like to wish everyone a safe and exciting new year. As a reminder, classes will resume its regular schedule on January 3, 2024. It is a Wednesday; therefore, the district will have an early release on that day. I am writing to share some important developments discussed during the December 19, 2023, school board meeting. First, it is with mixed emotions that Cathy Schaeffer has resigned from her position as a school board member after an impressive 10 years of dedicated service to the Touchet School District. Cathy will continue serving our Walla Walla County in other boards and capacities. Cathy's unwavering commitment and tireless efforts have had a profound impact on our community, and we extend our heartfelt gratitude for her invaluable contributions. We wish her all the best in her future endeavors. To achieve a complete five-member board for the district, the school board is tasked with appointing a member at large to fill the vacant position for the remaining duration of the term. The board has a 90-day timeframe to finalize this appointment. We will follow an application process for the consideration of potential board members, and applications will soon be accessible on our website. The application deadline is January 19, 2024, by 4:00 p.m. The new board member will be announced at the January 25, 2024, school board meeting. If you have any inquiries or require more information about this process, please don't hesitate to contact Mr. Elizondo, who will gladly provide additional details. You can reach him via email at relizondo@touchetsd.org. I am pleased to announce that Viviana Fowler has been elected to the position of board chair for a one-year term. Viviana brings experience and dedication to this role, and we look forward to her leadership in the coming year. Additionally, Jose Vidal Pedroza will be serving as the assistant chair for a one-year term, and we are confident that he will contribute significantly to the board's continued success. We extend our sincere gratitude to Lincoln Short for his dedicated service as school board chair over the past year. His invaluable contributions have made a lasting impact on our school district, and we genuinely appreciate his commitment to excellence. As a newly elected board member, Lincoln will serve for the next three years as a Touchet Board of Directors. Ashly Carlisle and Jose Vidal Pedroza will also serve a three-year term as board members. Thank you and congratulations on your elected positions. Please join me in thanking Cathy Schaeffer for her service and congratulating Viviana Fowler and Jose Vidal Pedroza on their new roles. As always, your support is crucial to the success of our school district, and we appreciate your ongoing dedication to our students and community. Thank you, Mr. Elizondo

This week's Touchet Teacher Spotlight is Mr. Maiden! Here are some fascinating facts about Mr. Maiden that you might find interesting! ~"This is my 16th year teaching. I started my career at Grandview High School and taught there for 8 years before coming to Touchet. My favorite thing about teaching is getting to see the kids make connections with the content we are teaching and potential future goals (careers or college majors). My favorite class to teach is Animal Science, but I am pretty excited to add an Agricultural Communications (Ag Comm) class and Animal Health and Vet Science (AHVS) for the 24-25 school year. My favorite class as a kid was…. Surprise surprise Ag Classes! In college, my favorite courses were animal science classes like Beef Production, Farm Animal Reproduction, and Feeds & Feeding. I went to Walla Walla Community College then transferred to Washington State University, majoring in General Agriculture with an Animal Science Production pathway. I then went to work for Simplot Growers Solution where I was a Crop Advisor and Precision Ag Specialist. I decided to go back to WSU to get my teaching degree in Agricultural Education." We asked Mr. Maiden if he had to pick one Farm animal to be superior to all others, which would you pick? "Without a doubt, I would choose cows as the best farm animal. If I could have any other job in the world, I would like to run cows and horses on a big ranch in Montana or Wyoming." Thank you, Mr. Maiden, for all you do for our students and the community!

Look who made the nice list! November's good behavior kiddos were rewarded with some ice cream courtesy of the Grinch (aka our principal Mrs. Tobin)! Good job kids and keep up the hard work!

Redhawk Happenings this week! Christmas Concert (with special guest), School Board Meeting, Some Basketball, and finishing off the week early on Wednesday! Enjoy the winter break! School resumes on January 3rd!

It's Game Day! Come cheer on our Touchet Redhawks as they take on the Sunnyside Christian Knights today, with games starting at 3 pm! And don't forget you can get your picture with Thunder today! Mrs. Frenzel will be taking pictures at no cost sending them right to your inbox for you to enjoy! GO REDHAWKS

We know basketball is just getting started, but we are searching for our new head baseball coach. We'd like to invite you to join our team. If you have a passion for coaching and a love for baseball, we would be delighted to have you on board. Apply now and let's collaborate to build a winning team! https://docs.google.com/document/d/168IGvPdBnENECN7YNcsdQSrsdrCqc7T-uvGP9U__nVA/edit

Who's ready to have their pictures taken with our new mascot Thunder? Mrs. Frenzel will be taking pictures of families and kids with our mascot during halftime of the basketball games this Saturday! She will then email you this picture at no cost for you to enjoy!

Redhawk Happenings this week! Last week to catch some boys middle school basketball action with 8th-grade recognition on Wednesday before the game @ 4:50 pm. Middle School Girls Basketball is just around the corner! The schedule is up on the app and website, but make sure to get those athletic packets with physicals turned in if you haven't already and plan on playing! Athletic Packets https://core-docs.s3.amazonaws.com/documents/asset/uploaded_file/689242/AthleticPacket22-23.pdf And Seniors, make sure your orders are in to Josten's by Friday as this is the last day to submit your order!

Come Join us tonight as the Redhawk Basketball Players take on the Waitsburg Cardinals in the first league match-up of the season! JV Boys will tip off at 3:00 pm with 2 quarters of play, followed by the Lady Redhawks, then Boys Varsity in the Redhawk Gym! Booster Club will be set up with some nice Christmas gift options, and the concession stand will be warm and stocked with all your favorites!