Marysville School District Superintendent, Dr. Nyland to retire

Marysville School District No. 25
4220 80th Street NE
Marysville, WA 98270
p. 360-653-0800 f. 360-629-1990

 

 January 18, 2013

Dear Parents and Guardians,

After serving the Marysville School District for 9 years, Dr. Nyland has announced his decision to retire effective June 30, 2013. Although we are saddened by his departure, we personally want to thank him for his many great accomplishments.

To assist in our upcoming superintendent search, the Board of Directors has hired the consulting firm, Northwest Leadership Associates based in Washington. They provide years of knowledge and a network of individuals that will enable us to recruit the most qualified candidates for this important position.

The Board realizes the importance of this outcome and will make every effort to allow for our parents, staff and members the Marysville and Tulalip communities to participate in the selection of our next superintendent and to provide a search that is “open” and as “transparent” as possible. As part of the process, we will be collecting stakeholder input from a variety of means by conducting or attending over 25 community and staff forums over the course of the next several weeks and providing opportunities to fill out written and electronic surveys to assist us in choosing a new educational leader.

Please join us at the upcoming forum for all parents: Tuesday, 1/29/13, 7:00 pm, Marysville School District Service Center Board Room, 4220 80th Street NE. Your participation is a very important part of this process and we look forward to seeing you. We also invite you to complete an electronic survey: Superintendent Profile Survey. This survey will provide you with an opportunity to have your voice heard during our search process. For more information visit the district website at http://www.msvl.k12.wa.us/.

On behalf of the Board of Directors I would like to thank you for your time in this important process.

Respectfully,

Chris Nation, President

Chief Theresa Spence will end hunger strike

By Monica Brown, Tulalip News Writer

A band council delegation from the beleaguered Attawapiskat community hand-delivered an ultimatum to Chief Theresa Spence, informing her they would oust her from office unless she ended her liquid-diet protest. Spence announced that she is will end her 44-day hungerstrike and is scheduled to return to eating solid food on January 24, the day that chiefs conduct a major treaty meeting in Vancouver, British Columbia.

Before Spence agreed to end her six-week-long liquids-only fast, Spence and her supporters wrote up a Declaration of Commitment consisting of 13 points. The 13 points specifies adherence to treaty relationships, approaching negotiations from a nation-to-nation perspective and taking measures to improve the lives of First Nations people and calls for a national inquiry into the hundreds of disappearances and murders of aboriginal women that go unsolved, improving education and housing, and fully implementing the United Nations Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples.

 The Declaration of Commitment is endorsed by the AFN National Executive Committee, the Native Women’s Association of Canada, the Liberal Party of Canada Parliamentary Caucus and the New Democratic Party National Caucus. It will officially be signed by the parties on January 24 by First Nations leaders and representatives of the opposition parties.

 

The 13 points can be read in full below

 

 

 First Nations: Working Towards Fundamental Change

In the true spirit of commitment to initiate dialogue to discuss both Treaty and non-Treaty Indigenous issues on behalf of our First Nations Peoples of Canada, Chief Theresa Spence of Attawapiskat First Nation and Mr. Raymond Robinson of Cross Lake, Manitoba will continue their Hunger Strike, pending outcome of this written Declaration. We also like to acknowledge Mr. Jean Sock of Elsipogtog, New Brunswick and all other Fasters who have shown their deep dedication and courage in support of protecting and honouring both Treaty and non-Treaty obligations as written, entered into or understood by all Peoples, with the Federal Government of Canada including each Provincial/Territorial signatory.

Further, we agree the self-sacrifice and the spiritual courage of Chief Theresa Spence, along with Elder Raymond Robinson and all other fasters have made clear the need for fundamental change in the relationship of First Nations and the Crown. We fully commit to carry forward the urgent and coordinated action required until concrete and tangible results are achieved in order to allow First Nations to forge their own destiny.

Therefore, we solemnly commit to undertake political, spiritual and all other advocacy efforts to implement a renewed First Nations – Crown relationship where inherent Treaty and non-Treaty Rights are recognized, honoured and fully implemented as they should be, within the next five years.

This Declaration includes, but is not limited to, ensuring commitments made by the Prime Minister of Canada on January 11th, 2013 are followed through and implemented as quickly as possible as led by First Nation on a high-level priority with open transparency and trust. Furthermore, immediate steps are taken working together to achieve the below priorities:

 

1. An immediate meeting to be arranged between the Crown, Federal Governments, Provincial Governments and all First Nations to discuss outstanding issues regarding the Treaty Relationship, as well as for non-Treaty area relationships.

2. Clear work-plans that shall include deliverables and timelines that outline how commitments will be achieved, including immediate action for short, medium and long-term goals. Addressing the housing crisis within our First Nation communities shall be considered as a short-term immediate action.

3. Frameworks and mandates for the implementation and enforcement of Treaties between Treaty parties on a Nation-to-Nation basis.

4. Reforming and modifying the comprehensive claims policy based on inherent rights of First Nations.

5. A commitment towards resource revenue sharing, requiring the participation and involvement of provinces and territories currently benefiting from resource development from traditional lands.

6. Commitment towards ensuring a greater collective oversight and action towards ensuring the sustainability of the land through a sustained environmental oversight.

7. A comprehensive review and meaningful consultation in regards to Bill C-38 and C-45 to ensure it is consistent with Section 35 of the Constitution Act (1982).

8. Ensure that all federal legislation has the free, prior and informed consent of First Nations where inherent and Treaty rights are affected or impacted.

9. A revised fiscal relationship between First Nations and Canada that is equitable, sustainable and includes indexing and the removal of arbitrary funding caps.

10. A National Public Commission of Inquiry on Violence Against Indigenous Women of all ages.

11. Equity in capital construction of First Nation schools, including funding parity with Provincial funding formulas with additional funding support for First Nation languages.

12. A change in how government operates that would include direct oversight, a dedicated Cabinet Committee and Secretariat within the Privy Council Office with specific responsibility for the First Nation-Crown relationship to ensure implementation.

13. The full implementation of the United Nations Declaration of the Rights of Indigenous Peoples – UNDRIP.

Pollutants in smoke from winter fires can pose health risk

Washington State Department of Health

Smoke from wood fires—like the ones that keep your home warm and cozy in the winter—can be a health hazard for some people. Wood smoke and other air pollutants can be trapped near the ground when winter weather patterns cause stagnant air. Smoke contains fine particles and toxic gases that can be breathed deep into the lungs where they can cause immediate and long-term health problems. The level of air pollution that causes health problems is different for each person. Some people are at greater risk than others, and can have symptoms sooner, including: people with heart and lung disease, older adults who may have unrecognized health conditions, and children, whose developing lungs are more easily damaged. Often the pollution can’t be seen or smelled, so it can be helpful to check air quality before doing things outside, especially if you’re in a high-risk group. Real-time information on air quality conditions and statistics on air pollution for most counties is available online. You can check the Department of Health’s website for information on how air quality can affect your health.

WIC serves more than 315,000 women and children each year

Lots of people who are eligible for the WIC nutrition program haven’t applied

Washington State Department of Health

More than 65,000 children and pregnant or breastfeeding mothers qualify for—but aren’t enrolled in—the state’s Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) program. WIC provides nutrition counseling, free healthy foods, and breastfeeding support and health screenings for babies. African American, Pacific Islander, and Native American women have particularly low participation in the program during pregnancy, yet have some of the highest rates of premature and low birth weight babies. WIC wants to provide more women with services that boost their health, improve birth outcomes, and contribute to healthier babies. Many eligible women don’t know about the program or don’t know that they—and their children younger than five—qualify. Cathy Franklin of the WIC program says that a woman may assume her family makes too much money if she’s working. But that’s often not the case. A household of four can make $3,554 a month and still be eligible. A family with two qualifying people, like a breastfeeding mother and her baby, would receive checks for up to $100 of healthy food a month (along with other services). WIC currently serves more than 315,000 women and children each year in its 205 clinics across Washington. Find more information about WIC and how to apply at the Department of Health’s WIC website or by calling the Family Health Hotline at 1-800-322-2588.

Retired NBA Coach Phil Jackson Sponsors Campaign for One Lucky Donor to Spend Day with Him

AMERICAN INDIAN COLLEGE FUND    
8333 Greenwood Blvd. Denver, CO 80221
Toll Free: 800.776.3863     Phone: 303.426.8900

January 22, 2013

Retired NBA coach Phil Jackson will give one lucky fan and a friend the opportunity to spend a day with him in Los Angeles learning his basketball coaching secrets.

Jackson has teamed up with online fundraising company Omaze for a fundraising campaign to support the American Indian College Fund (the Fund) to raise money for Native student scholarships.

Donors can complete entries here for a chance to meet Mr. Jackson. The campaign is currently slated to end on Feb. 8. Airfare and hotel are included in the trip. Donations are not required to enter for a chance to meet Mr. Jackson.

As part of the experience, Mr. Jackson, a longtime supporter of the Fund who has also conducted basketball clinics in Indian Country, will show game tape of past championship series and explain how he prepared champion players like Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant. Mr. Jackson will also detail how he developed his well-known Triangle Offense and other strategies that helped him coach his teams to win 11 NBA championships, the most in basketball history. Mr. Jackson retired from coaching in 2011.

“The American Indian College is delighted that Mr. Jackson has donated his time and energies to illustrate the need for financial support for American Indian college students,” said Dr. Cheryl Crazy Bull, President and CEO of the American Indian College Fund. “Not only is Mr. Jackson helping to raise money for scholarships, but he is also providing Native students with the valuable knowledge that he believes that with an education, they are all winners.”

Violence Against Women Act Reauthorization Reintroduced in Congress

First Nations Development Institute
351 Coffman St. • Suite 200 • Longmont, CO 80501
Phone: (303) 774-7836 • Fax: (303) 774-7841

Jan. 22, 2013, U.S. Sens. Patrick Leahy (D-VT) and Michael Crapo (R-ID) introduced S. 47, a strong, bipartisan bill that would reauthorize the landmark Violence Against Women Act (VAWA). This bill closely mirrors the bipartisan legislation that was introduced by Sens. Leahy and Crapo in the last Congress and which would improve VAWA programs and strengthen protections for all victims of violence, including Native American women.
 
Please take action today by contacting your senators and asking them to co-sponsor S. 47.  The National Task force to End Sexual and Domestic Violence Against Women’s goal is to get 60 co-sponsors by January 31 so that VAWA can get to the Senate floor for a bipartisan victory.
 
So far, the bill has the following co-sponsors in addition to its chief sponsor, Senator Leahy (D-VT): Senators Ayotte (R-NH),  Bennet (D-CO), Cantwell (D-WA), Casey (D-PA), Collins (R-ME), Coons (D-DE), Crapo (R-ID), Durbin (D-IL), Hagan (D-NC), Kirk (R-IL), Klobuchar (D-MN), McCaskill (D-MO), Mikulski (D-MD), Murkowski (R-AK), Murray (D-WA), Shaheen (D-NH), Tester (D-MT), Udall (D-CO), and Whitehouse (D-RI).

Also yesterday, in the U.S. House, Reps. Gwen Moore (D-WI) and John Conyers (D-MI) introduced H.R. 11, a House companion identical to the bipartisan Senate bill.
 
Call the Capitol switchboard at (202) 224-3121 and ask the operator to connect you to your senators. If you don’t know who your Senators are, you can look them up here. When you’re connected to their offices, tell the person who answers the phone:

1)            I am a constituent from (city and state) and my name is _________.
2)            I urge Senator____ to co-sponsor S. 47, a strong, bipartisan bill that would reauthorize the tttttttt   Violence Against Women Act.
3)            Thank you, and I look forward to hearing that the Senator is a co-sponsor.

If you prefer to e-mail, you can do so through the web forms for each Senate office provided here.

Spring Planting is Near: Join the Arbor Day Foundation in February and Receive 10 Free Redbud Trees

Press Release, Arbor Day Foundation, http://www.arborday.org

Joining the Arbor Day Foundation is an ideal way to get in the mood for spring planting. Anyone from Washington who joins the Foundation in February 2013 will receive 10 free Eastern redbud trees to plant when the weather turns warm.

The free trees are part of the nonprofit Foundation’s Trees for America campaign

“Redbuds will help beautify Washington for many years to come,” said John Rosenow, founder and chief executive of the Arbor Day Foundation. “They will also add to the proud heritage of Washington’s existing Tree City USA communities.”

The Tree City USA program has supported community forestry throughout the country for more than 35 years.

The trees will be shipped postpaid at the right time for planting, between March 1 and May 31, with enclosed planting instructions. The 6- to 12-inch trees are guaranteed to grow, or they will be replaced free of charge.

Members also receive a subscription to the Foundation’s colorful bimonthly publication, Arbor Day, and The Tree Book, which contains information about planting and care.

To become a member of the Foundation and receive the free trees, send a $10 contribution to TEN FREE EASTERN REDBUD TREES, Arbor Day Foundation, 100 Arbor Avenue, Nebraska City, NE 68410, by February 28, 2013, or visit arborday.org/february.

 

Police searching for Marysville man missing since November

marysvilleM-MissingPerson.Jan22.CourtesyThe Arlington Times,  http://www.arlingtontimes.com

MARYSVILLE — Marysville Police are asking for the public’s help in locating David Boyle, a longtime and well-respected resident of Marysville.

Evidence suggests Boyle left his residence of his own volition around 4:30 a.m. on Nov. 4, 2012.

Earlier the previous evening, Boyle had contact with law enforcement for a driving offense, and it’s believed he was distraught at the time he left home.

Boyle has not been seen or heard from since.

Boyle left his residence in his red 2006 Chrysler Pacifica, with the Washington license plate 169WNT, which also has not been seen.

Foul play is not suspected in Boyle’s disappearance, but because of his involvement in and commitment to local youth sports, there is community-wide concern.

Boyle is an assistant girls basketball coach at Marysville-Pilchuck High School, and has been active in the football and baseball programs at both the high school and middle school levels.

Boyle is a white male standing 6 feet tall and weighing 170 pounds with gray hair and blue eyes.

If you have any information about David Boyle or his disappearance, please contact Marysville Police Detective Craig Bartl at 360-363-8392 or cbartl@marysvillewa.gov.

 

Arlington Police arrest suspect who led agencies on high-speed pursuit

The Arlington Times, http://www.arlingtontimes.com

ARLINGTON — A high-speed pursuit through north Snohomish County, Arlington and Marysville on the morning of Tuesday, Jan. 22, resulted in the arrest of a 23-year-old Monroe man on multiple charges. The pursuit started at approximately 11:10 a.m. when Arlington Police officers located a stolen vehicle that, moments before, had been observed by a Snohomish County Sheriff’s deputy in Arlington.

Arlington Police officers initiated a traffic stop on the stolen vehicle at the intersection of Fourth Street and State Route 9. The driver of the stolen vehicle did not stop, and instead drove off northbound on State Route 9 at a high rate of speed. Five officers from the Arlington and Marysville police departments, as well as the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office, pursued the vehicle for more than 20 minutes through north Snohomish County, Arlington, Lakewood and Marysville, at speeds of more than 100 miles per hour, before the vehicle was abandoned on the northbound on-ramp to Interstate 5 at State Route 531 (172nd Street NE). The driver was apprehended near the on-ramp and taken into custody by officers from the Arlington Police Department. Assisting in the apprehension were officers from the Snohomish County Sheriff’s Office and the Stillaguamish Tribal Police.

During the pursuit, the driver of the stolen vehicle rammed two police vehicles multiple times, rendering one of them inoperable. An Arlington Police vehicle received substantial damage in the ramming incident, while the condition of the Marysville Police vehicle that was struck by the fleeing vehicle has yet to be assessed. Two officers involved in the ramming were later evaluated by medical personnel and released with minor injuries.

The driver of the stolen vehicle was transported to Cascade Valley Hospital by the Arlington Fire Department and will be subsequently transported to Snohomish County Jail. Multiple charges are anticipated against the 23-year-old suspect, including being in possession of a stolen motor vehicle, felony eluding of a police vehicle, and vehicular assault.