Hello Families,

You may have seen/heard the news that the NV school district and several of our schools, were recognized in this article that came out in the Bellingham Herald on Friday. The article may not be free to view any longer, so here’s the gist…

Niche does an annual ranking of schools across the country based on multiple measures.

Nooksack Valley School District was ranked 2^nd in the county, and 51^st in the state (out of 249 districts).

Nooksack Elementary was ranked #1 in Whatcom County, Sumas Elementary #5, the Middle School #2, and the High School #4. While Everson Elementary was not ranked in the top 5 overall, it was highly ranked in other categories across the county.

The leading factor for this is the quality of teachers. In fact, our district was ranked #1 for Best Teachers and #1 for Best Places to Teach in Whatcom County. This is a core belief in our system: If adults get better, kids get better.

The article uses the word “best” schools. I’m not really a fan of rankings in public education or the word “best” because every school has unique strengths and challenges. The reason our district and schools are top-notch is not because we try to be the best, it is because we are very serious about getting better. In fact, the number one goal of our district improvement plan is to continually improve teaching and leadership practice.

By focusing on getting better, we create a culture of collaboration, innovation and resilience. We recognize there is always room for growth. We encourage a mindset of self-reflection and learning. We value the time we have to collaborate and improve our practice, from our early release/late arrival Wednesdays to our professional development days like last Friday. We take them very seriously and believe they benefit our staff, and in turn your children!

Lastly, the best schools have unwaveringly dedicated people (office, custodial, paras, kitchen, specialists, classrooms, and FAMILIES) that shape the experiences of our students. That’s a whole lot of words to say thank you for supporting our district. We love our schools. We love our students. I feel honored to be your superintendent.

In gratitude,
Matt Galley