HOOD CANAL

📣 A big thank you to Best Dental for bringing their amazing Mobile Clinic to Hood Canal School! 🚌🦷 Many of our students received free dental exams and teeth cleanings — and they had a blast checking out the really cool mobile setup. We are so grateful for their generosity and for helping our Orca students keep their smiles bright. 💙🐬✨ #OrcaSpirit #HealthySmiles #CommunitySupport #bestdentalhelp #dentalhealth

Now enrolling for Transitional Kindergarten (TK)!
If your child turned 4 by Aug. 31, they may qualify for this free, full-day program with in-district transportation, free breakfast & lunch, and free school supplies.

Questions or ready to register?
📩 Email Cathy Carlson at ccarslon@hoodcanalschool.org
📞 Or call us at (360) 877-5463

🌱🥕 Our first Farm to School produce order arrived today! This is just a sample of the fresh, local vegetables our students will be enjoying in their school meals. 🥦🍅 We’re excited to bring more scratch-made, healthy meals to our students while also supporting local farmers. 💙🐋💛 #FarmToSchool #OrcaPride #FreshAndLocal

🚨🔥 Today our students and staff successfully completed a fire drill as part of our ongoing safety efforts at Hood Canal. Safety is always a top priority, and we hold monthly drills throughout the year to make sure everyone is prepared in case of an emergency. Thank you to our students and staff for taking this seriously and doing such a great job! 💙🐋💛

📢 Schedule Update for Thursday, Sept. 25: Tonight’s football and volleyball games are canceled. 👉 Practice will still be held for both teams. Thank you for your understanding, and go Orcas! 🐋💙💛

✨ What a great night for Orca sports at Hood Canal! ✨ Our volleyball teams and football team played incredibly against Pioneer, cheered on by our always-enthusiastic Pep Club. 🏐🏈 The stands were packed with parents, families, and supporters showing their Orca pride. 💙💛🐋 Go Orcas!

🍲 On the menu yesterday: another delicious scratch-made feature — Potato Soup! 🥔✨ Served alongside fresh fruits, vegetables, and crisp salad. 🥗🍎🥦

🌱 In our ROOTS program, students had the chance to learn about and sample local Nettle Tea! Some really enjoyed the flavor, others weren’t so sure—but everyone learned a lot and showed bravery in trying something new. 🍵💚🐋 #OrcaLearning #OutdoorEducation

🎉 A Big Thank You to the Hood Canal Kiwanis Club! 🎉 4th Annual Golf for Hood Canal School Kids Tournament at Lake Cushman Golf Course! We are incredibly grateful to the Hood Canal Kiwanis Club for their continued support, generosity, and dedication to our school community. Whether it’s sponsoring lunches, supporting student programs, or simply showing up with smiles and encouragement, your partnership makes a lasting impact on our students and staff. Thank you for being champions of our kids and for helping us build a stronger, more connected Hood Canal community. Go Orcas! 💙🐋 #OrcaStrong #CommunitySupport #ThankYouKiwanis #HoodsportPride

🎉🐇 Congratulations to Hood Canal student Donavito “Vito” on his amazing 4-H accomplishments at the Washington State Fair! 🏆 Best of Breed in “Type” for his Satin Angora 🌟 Special Merit Rosette for his Carded Fiber project 🥇 Champion Rosette for his Fiber Rolags project 🥕 His rabbit even placed 2nd in the Cilantro Eating Contest! 💙 And he earned all blue ribbons for his Educational Poster, Fiber Project “How to Make Yarn” Display, Rabbit Showmanship, Judging, and Rabbit Costume Contest. Vito has been involved in 4-H for two years, starting at the Thurston County Fair and now proudly representing at the State Fair. He has shared his knowledge through public presentations, teaching the community about Satin Angora rabbits, fiber projects, and his 4-H journey. 👏 Way to go, Vito—we’re proud of your dedication and success!

💙🖤 Show off your Orca Pride! 🖤💙 Hood Canal families, now’s your chance to gear up with school and athletic merchandise! 🐋 From hoodies to t-shirts, there’s something for everyone to celebrate our school and community spirit. 👉 Click here to start shopping: https://tinyurl.com/Orca-Merchandise Let’s show our Orca spirit everywhere we go — Go Orcas! 🐋💙

🍽️ Today’s lunch highlight: The classic Tater Tot Casserole homemade right here in our kitchen! We’re doing more scratch cooking this year, and students enjoyed it alongside fresh fruits and vegetables. 🥦🍎
It’s all part of our commitment to healthy, delicious meals for our Orcas!

📚✨ We kicked off 3rd grade strong this year! Students dove right into arrays as their introduction to multiplication—using paint and Q-tips to make learning hands-on and fun. They also enjoyed some peaceful silent reading time, and wrapped up the week with cooperative Lego building. A fantastic start to the 2025-26 school year in 3rd grade! 💡🧩

Lots of smiles and thumbs up today as our kindergarten and TK students kicked off their first day! 🎉 What a special milestone—it’s just the beginning of an amazing school journey. 🐋

🎉 Please help us welcome our newest Orcas to Hood Canal! We had strong, highly competitive applicant pools this summer—some with over 60 applicants! 💙 👋 New staff joining our orca pod: • Amanda Freeman — Kindergarten • Payton Herdman — 4th Grade • Tryssa Goos-Robertson — Student Support Specialist • Brook Hampton — Special Education Teacher (long-term sub) 🌟 And while not a new face, we’re excited to share that Andi Bloomfield is stepping into a new role as our 6th Grade Math & Science teacher! Let's welcome them to the orca pod! 🐳

We’re excited to welcome you to our upcoming Indian Parent Committee (IPC) meeting at Hood Canal School! This is a wonderful opportunity for families of Native students and anyone who serves or supports them to come together, share ideas, and strengthen our community.
🗓 When: Wed., September 17 at 5:15PM
📍 Where: Hood Canal School Library
🍕 FREE pizza and childcare will be provided!
Feel free to invite other families and supporters to join us. We can’t wait to see you there!
You can also join us remotely! Join Zoom Meeting
https://us06web.zoom.us/j/82500230490
Meeting ID: 825 0023 0490
❓ Questions? Reach out to our Chair, Amber Hanson, at amber@skokomish.org.

📸 Here are just a few of the many smiling faces we saw on the first day of school! Do you have a First Day photo of your own? Send it our way—we’d love to share it with our Orca family! 💙🐋✨ #FirstDayOfSchool #OrcaPride #HoodCanalSchool

🎶 We’re continuing our three-part series honoring the incredible community partners who were recently recognized by Washington Association of School Administrators and ESD 113 with Community Leader Awards. Today, we’re celebrating Hoodstock - Hood Canal Music & Arts Festival and its cofounder, Kelli Kohout! 🎶 Through her vision and leadership, Hoodstock raised and donated $7,500 last fall to launch a brand-new music program at Hood Canal School—a huge step forward for a school without a music teacher. Thanks to their generosity, we were able to: 🎸 Purchase new guitars 🎸 Hire guitar instructor Chris Eakes, a Hoodstock veteran performer 🎸 Offer an engaging after-school choir class for students Kelli has also helped secure additional donated instruments and has been a passionate advocate for the arts and for Hood Canal students every step of the way. Beyond music, Hoodstock supports outdoor education programs at Hood Canal and other area schools through their partnership with The Salmon Center, helping students learn through meaningful, hands-on experiences in nature. We’re incredibly grateful to Kelli Kohout, Chris Eakes, and Hoodstock for their creativity, commitment, and unwavering support of our students. 💙