Hello FWPS Parents, Families, and Community,

We have a lot to celebrate in Federal Way Public Schools! Thanks to our amazing staff, scholars, families, and community partnerships we have been able to lean in and triumph over many challenges presented during the transition back to in-person learning. Schools can’t do it alone—and through collective effort, we are proud to report many achievements, including but not limited to:

• Even in the midst of a pandemic, our scholars continued to graduate at high rates, with the Class of 2021 at 86% on-time graduation.
• We successfully transitioned back to full time in-person learning, implementing health and safety protocols across the district.
• We had strong participation in Scholar Led Conferences, with 90% participation.
• 1400+ scholars are participating in STEM Lighthouse Schools.
• 122 graduates from our class of 2021 earned the Seal of Biliteracy.
• Launched new CTE courses, including a trades pre-apprenticeship program at Federal Way High School
• 2,038 high school scholars took an AP, IB, or Cambridge course during the 2020-21 school year.
• In the 2021–22 school year, 2,982 scholars are enrolled in dual credit courses

We’re proud of these accomplishments, and we know we can do so much more as we continue to pursue the goals outlined in our strategic plan. We remain committed to continuous improvement to support the success of our scholars academically, and social-emotionally. Here are a few highlights of what’s coming up in 2022:

• As important partners in our work, district leadership will seek feedback from staff, families and scholars and what is needed as we plan for the months ahead, summer programming and the 2022–23 school year.
• Parent/family and scholar advisories will continue to be critical mechanisms for district improvement. We’ll soon host the second annual scholar advisory summit, where scholars from each school’s scholar advisory team, as well as the Scholar Advisory to the Superintendent, can provide important feedback to district leaders.
• High School Planning Nights are happening now through February—8th graders can stop by and learn more about what to expect in high school.
• February is Career and Technical Education (CTE) month, and we’ll be highlighting the great opportunities our scholars can access while earning dual credits, industry certifications and career skills.
• Volunteers and community-based organizations will be welcomed back to buildings! We know each provides invaluable support to our scholars and schools, and we’re hopeful COVID-19 data continues to decrease to maintain these supports.

Also, coming up soon, you’ll see two replacement levies on the February 8, 2022 ballot: the Educational Programs & Operations (EP&O) levy and the Tech levy.

These two levies provide essential funding beyond what the state provides for staffing, programs, technology, and infrastructure necessary to support scholars across 37 school sites. These are not new taxes and would replace existing levies that help fund important aspects of a school’s daily operations set to expire in 2022, including technology, paraeducators, counselors, nurses, athletics, music, and more.

More information about these levies can be found in this newsletter and at www.fwps.org/Levies2022.

It’s been a great start to 2022, with scholars and staff back in the classroom after Winter Break, and I’m excited to see the great things to come throughout the rest of the school year! We ask for your continued partnership by encouraging our scholars to meet behavioral expectations, reminding scholars of health and safety guidelines, and offering academic support when needed. We had a strong start to the school year, and I am excited to continue this momentum.

In partnership,

Dr. Dani Pfeiffer, Superintendent