INSIDE

Mrs. Rita puts away her chalk

By Meg Olson

Point Roberts primary school will see some changes next year with the retirement of Rita Woods.

Woods, formerly Rita Zimbelman, has been Mrs. Rita to more than a generation of Point Roberts primary school students. For 15 years she has been either the only teacher at the school or part of a two-teacher team.

Blaine school district superintendent Ron Spanjer said the district had received a letter announcing Woods’ intention to retire at the end of this school year. “The board will take formal action on the resignation, standard protocol, on March 26,” he said “Our plan would be to have the position filled no later than June and likely sooner.”

Spanjer said he has been meeting with the local Parent Teacher Organization (PTO) to “consider options for parents to provide input on the attributes of the replacement teacher.” The next meeting between school administrators and the PTO will be on April 3. The Blaine school district board will be meeting in Point Roberts on April 23.

“We are planning for 10-12 students at Pt. Roberts primary next year,” Spanjer said. “The actual number will be dependent upon kindergarten enrollment, which we will not know until later in the spring.”

PTO president Tracy Roberts said they know of seven students who will definitely attend the school next September, a drop in enrollment from 12 students this year. The year before, the primary had 24 full-time equivalents, with kindergarten students counting for only half a full-time equivalent.

“Hence our desire to promote the school,” Roberts said.
The PTO plans to spend the next few months encouraging Point Roberts families to attend the school. A recent survey of local residents by the school district, though it received a limited response, indicated a number of families choose other options for their K-2 children, from private schools in Canada to taking the bus to Blaine, which the primary students do starting in 3rd grade.

“Some of the benefits of our local school span from the enjoyment of being able to stay in your pajamas and sip your coffee while waiting for the school bus to come and pick up your little one for their 15-minute ride around the Point, to the hands-on educational experiences they are able to have compared to larger-sized classrooms,” said Jacobs, whose six-year-old daughter is in first grade. “With one on one individual attention the kids are able to master a concept at their own pace, which is more difficult in a normal classroom. Research shows that there is a correlation between children who get individual attention in the early years and their future success in higher levels. This personal attention is one benefit local parents are really enjoying without the high price tag of a private school.”

The PTO is organizing community events – like an Easter Egg hunt at noon Saturday, April 8 at Baker field – and is turning to the children themselves to talk about what they like about their school.
“I like the fun activities,” said first-grader Jacqueline Jacobs. Another first-grade student, Matthew Sarkissian, said he likes trail walks and trips to the beach. Chris Pope, in second grade, said he likes math – and recess.

“I love painting, coloring, playing games, toys and reading,’ says kindergarten student Britni Turpin, while classmate Kelsye Keller likes her friends and butterfly projects.

“I love Point Roberts school because we have a short bus ride. I like my school journal and the number lines,” said Jack Pinkston, who will head for third grade in Blaine next year after three years in Point Roberts Primary school. “I like that my teacher is strict and caring too.”