Good evening students, staff, families and community,
Thank you to all students, staff and families for a good week on the return of all hybrid students to in-person learning this week.
Middle School Athletic Schedules
We are happy to let you know that the Blaine Middle School Athletic Schedules are now available on the Blaine School District website. This is different from high school schedules which are on goborderites.com. Please visit the BMS Athletics webpage for Middle School Girls Soccer, Baseball and Track schedules.
High School Fine Arts Production
Coming up this week is the premier of “Graffiti on a Diamond” which goes live starting Wednesday, April 28th, at 7:00pm, on the Blaine School District, WA YouTube channel. Over 90+ Blaine High School students from the Theater Arts, Visual Arts, Choir, and Jazz Band programs collaborated together to create an original student-created show featuring their music, acting, make-up, costume, set design, and dance based on themes to bring hope and joy to our Blaine, Washington Community!
Preparing for 2021-2022: Immunizations
As you know, the Blaine School District is moving ahead with planning for all students returning to the campus for in-person instruction full time in the Fall of 2021. This is a reminder about immunization requirements in the State of Washington so you have time to get this completed for the start of the school year.
Before a student can attend school, parents must provide proof of full immunization, proof that a schedule of immunization has been started or a certificate of exemption signed by a healthcare provider. Immunization records turned in to the school must be from a healthcare provider. Please note: State Law requires booster doses before entering Kindergarten and 7th grade. Contact your school nurse for any questions, or refer to the Blaine School District Immunizations webpage for more information.
Public Hearing - Broadband
One of the challenges in rural areas such as Blaine has been access to reliable broadband internet. The school district continues to work on solutions with providers to meet the needs of our community. There is an upcoming opportunity for you to learn about the FCC’s Emergency Broadband Benefit. This is not a district program but rather something that may be of interest to you.
The FCC will host a public webinar on Tuesday, April 27, 2021 at 12pm Pacific Time to provide consumers and outreach partners with an overview of the Emergency Broadband Benefit program, eligibility information, and enrollment procedures. The webinar can be viewed live at fcc.gov/live.
About the Emergency Broadband Benefit
The upcoming Emergency Broadband Benefit will provide a discount of up to $50 per month towards broadband service for eligible households and up to $75 per month for households on Tribal lands. Eligible households can also receive a one-time discount of up to $100 to purchase a laptop, desktop computer, or tablet from participating providers if they contribute $10-$50 toward the purchase price.
Who Is Eligible for the Emergency Broadband Benefit Program?
A household is eligible if one member of the household meets one of the criteria below:
1. Receives benefits under the free and reduced-price school lunch program or the school breakfast program, including through the USDA Community Eligibility Provision, or did so in the 2019-2020 school year;
2. Received a Federal Pell Grant during the current award year;
3. Experienced a substantial loss of income since February 29, 2020 and the household had a total income in 2020 below $99,000 for single filers and $198,000 for joint filers; or
4. Meets the eligibility criteria for a participating providers' existing low-income or COVID-19 program.
Lifeline Customers
Current lifeline customers are eligible for the EBB. Households with current internet service who have bad credit and/or unpaid bills are also eligible.
How do I Sign Up for the Benefit?
The program is being set up now and should be available sometime in April. Customers will sign up either directly through an Internet Service Provider or through the Universal Service Administrative Company, the federal agency that administers the Lifeline Program.
Upcoming Events
April 26 School Board Meeting: Virtual access to meetings of the Blaine School Board will continue for the duration of the pandemic. Click here to read the protocols for in-person attendance during the pandemic.
It is a great night to be a Borderite, and, as always, a great night to be your superintendent.
Sincerely,
Dr. Christopher Granger
Every Student. Every Day. In a New Way!