Your Ellensburg Schools Summer 2026

Happy Summer!

I hope you are enjoying all of the fun activities and adventures that summer brings. Students just finished a six-week, grant-funded summer school experience at Ida Nason Aronica. There are also many summer and sports camps that students are enjoying, ranging from music and Jazz camps to athletic camps and outdoor summer camps.

We have been busy at the District Office getting things in place for another exciting year of education in Ellensburg. At our July Board meeting, Assistant Superintendent for Student Learning Jennifer Kuntz, provided an update on how we are meeting the goals of our Strategic Plan. We still have work to do, but data shows we are on the right track. We are very excited to share what we have learned and how those lessons will translate into action in our classrooms and schools. If you'd like to dive into the data, you can find that presentation on our YouTube channel.

We have also been well represented at regional and national conferences, both by staff and our outstanding students, as you'll see in this issue of YES. A few people have even managed to sneak in a vacation this summer!

Enjoy all the fun of August has to offer. We are excited to welcome our students and families back on Tuesday, Sept. 8!

Your Partner in Education,

Troy Tornow

Superintendent

For the first time in recent history, Ellensburg School District students will begin classes the day after Labor Day in 2026. Instead of beginning on Wednesday, students will return to class on Tuesday, Sept. 8.

A combination of circumstances led to this anomaly. “We are required to deliver 180 days of instruction,” says Assistant Superintendent for Student Learning Jennifer Kuntz. “With Labor Day falling so late, on Sept. 7, it was necessary to begin a day earlier to complete the school year before the Juneteenth holiday.”

Kuntz leads the calendar committee each year. The group includes representatives from all stakeholder groups, including teachers, administrators, classified staff members, parents and the Board of Directors. The committee has been grappling with this dilemma for over a year, but finally concluded that this one-year break in tradition would net the best results.

“No one wanted to come back for a half day on Monday, June 22," she says.

It may have a new look and logo, but ParentSquare is still your go-to source for direct communication to your teachers and schools, while keeping you up-to-date on all of the activities, announcements, and news you need to know.

Make sure your information is current in Skyward, which is where ParentSquare pulls information to ensure you get the information where and when you'd like.

What school will my children attend? Who is their teacher? What supplies will they need? Will there be a Kindergarten Round-up? How do I join the PTO? What events are planned for the fall?

The answer to these questions are headed your way via ParentSquare! Your school will communicate with you about schedules, teachers, kinders, PTO opportunities, upcoming events and so much more! Tune into ParentSquare! If you still have questions or concerns, school offices will reopen on Aug. 17.

At their meeting of July 22, the ESD Board of Directors authorized a slight increase in meal prices for the 2026-2027 school year.

Elementary students qualify for free meals through grant funding, so there is no fee for those students. The price increase will be applied to students 6-12 and adults who eat in the cafeterias.

Meals for Morgan and EHS students will increase by .15 cents, from $4 to $4.15. Breakfast remains at $3 with no increase for students.

Adults will also see a .15 cent increase from $5.50 to $5.65 for lunch, though breakfast remains at $4.

The largest increase, .25 cents, is for milk, which was .50 cents last year.

According to Director of Child Nutrition Alexandra Epstein-Solfield, the slight increases will meet with USDA guidance.

Even if your child receives free lunch in grades K-5, please make sure to fill out the paperwork to let your school know that your student qualifies for free/reduced lunch. This not only helps future funding, but it may qualify for child for additional services as needed.

The Transportation Department has some changes coming with the new parent portal app BusRight.

All your transportation info—day or night—in one easy place!

Transportation would also would like to remind families that bus assignments do not carry over to the 2026–2027 school year.

You can update at the link below, or directly from the ParentSquare post sent out by Transportation on July 15.

If you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact Transportation. You can reach out via phone or email, or visit the Transportation web page:

The EHS FBLA national attendees are back from San Antonio, TX!

“A good time was had by all!,” says Advisor Marcie Matthews. “Lots of new and wonderful memories were made by the students! This was a trip they will never forget.”

 The team of Dominic Scappini, Piper Douthwaite, Miley Porter and Anton Doung placed 2nd in the nation in Parliamentary Procedures! “I am so proud of them and all of the hard work they did,” says Matthews. “They were so fun to be around as every conversation they had on the trip was done using Robert's Rules of Order. I believe this played into them doing so well as they are totally comfortable using it all the time.”

The students took an objective test on Robert's Rules of Order and the FBLA Bylaws on the first day of the convention. They found out at 5 a.m. the next morning if they made the Top 15, which they did. This qualified them for the final round which consisted of running a mock meeting using Robert's Rules of Order correctly for a given role play. In this particular role play the students were given the task of using the items of main motion, amend, rescind, appeal and recess. “The team is looking forward to sharing their experiences from nationals with other members and inspiring them. They know with effort, determination and grit that dreams do come true!” she says.

This also marked the end of Matthews FBLA leadership. Attending the conference was her last stint as advisor and she will now be enjoying her much-deserved retirement. “Nothing like going out with a bang!” says Matthews. “FBLA has been a treasure during my career at EHS. I have been blessed with so many wonderful members and memories.”

Congratulations to Mrs. Matthews and our national award winning FBLA Bulldogs! You make us proud.

Four FCCLA students earned medals and recognition at the 2026 FCCLA National Conference in Washington, D.C. July 5-11. Accompanying them was EHS FCCLA Advisor Kylee Reuble.

FCCLA, or Family, Career and Community Leaders of America, was founded in 1945 as the Future Homemakers of America (FHA), but today the program is a wide-ranging organization focused on personal growth, leadership development, and preparing students for careers in fields like culinary arts, hospitality, early childhood education, and personal finance.

Izzy Bautista - Say Yes to FCS - Bronze

Olive Buvit - Culinary Arts - Silver

Emmi Perry - Fashion Sketch skilled event

Aubree Hall - Early Childhood Education - Bronze

Izzy also participated in the signing ceremony for Say Yes to FCS, committing to pursuing a career in FCS education. 

Emmi volunteer her time as a judge for fashion construction. 

Congratulations to our FCCLA team for representing Ellensburg! You make us proud to be Bulldogs! 

Students at Ida Nason Aronica entering 2-5 grades in the fall were invited to participate in a six-week, grant-funded summer school. Sixty-nine accepted the invitation to engage in summer learning and non-stop fun, which concluded on July 30.

The mornings were spent reading, writing and doing math, just like any other school day. But the afternoons erupted into learning enrichment activities ranging from simple playtime to field trips. Each week also had a theme. On forest week, they got to play in the woods at Lazy F Camp and Retreat and during kitchen week they explored no-heat cooking and gathered currents and choke cherries from the pocket forest. They had a weekly visit to the Nature Study by Mt. Stuart and got to take a field trip to Yakima to visit the Yakima Valley Museum and Arboretum.

Students were given an assessment at the beginning and end of the summer school experience. While it’s still to early to know if the students advanced academically, Principal Heather Burfiend says their social and emotional growth has been evident. “Their mental health capacity is better,” she says, “they are here with their peers and not stuck at home. They are writing, reading and doing math, and getting more than they ever would at home.”

On the last day of summer school, the students were treated to an exciting day of enrichment. Papa Murphy’s brought in portable stoves and prepared a pizza feast for lunch. Next up was a slide show, highlighting all the fun and adventures of the summer. Then the students were treated to a dance party, featuring “DJ Nutella” and “Mr. Beast.” Students ran, jumped and boogied down to familiar tunes. Following the dance party, students changed for water fun. They started in the school courtyard with kiddie pools and lawn sprinklers, then progressed to the playground where Kittitas Valley Fire and Recue hosed them down with a fire truck.

Judging by the smiles and squeals, it’s safe to say a good time was had by all at summer school.