The new Principal and Assistant Principal at Washington Elementary School have started the 24-25 school year strong. Heidi Paullus and Rachael Olson are both new to their jobs, although they were both in the building last year. Principal Paullus was the previous assistant principal, and Olson was an administrative intern before assuming the role of Assistant Principal this year.

Their goals for Washington this year are to:

• Provide effective academic support to students
• Provide strong, solid support in classrooms
• Provide emotional resources to support students
• Effectively implement curriculum
• Ensure continuity in intervention strategies

Paullus’ and Olson’s overall goal is to address the needs of all students and to always have the attitude that every student can learn.

“We want to be leaders who want to know more about our students every day and what they need to grow,” Olson said. She is excited about a new app on teachers’ iPads called Notability, which allows teachers to move around the classroom while teaching. This app can lead to increased student engagement and help with classroom management.

Paullus said she and Olson working as a team is another key to success at the school, as well as knowing your “why” every day. “I love my job. Getting to be here with the kids is why I work in education. We have amazing students, an amazing staff, and amazing parents to work with,” Paullus said.

For the 420 Washington Wildcats at school every day, that sounds like an amazing start!

To read more about Washington Elementary, visit their website at https://wes.pendleton.k12.or.us/ or find them on Facebook and Instagram.

Washington Elementary School would like to thank and acknowledge Keri Kubesh, who was an intern working on her Master of Social Work (MSW) degree at the school during the 23-24 school year.

Kubesh worked closely with Maria Davis, Child Development Specialist, and Jaime Larsen, Behavior Specialist, at the school, as well as with Principal Kevin Dinning and Assistant Principal Heidi Paullus.

Kubesh did job shadowing, ran student groups focusing on Social-Emotional Learning (SEL) and responded to crisis calls. She said she loved the staff at Washington and that everyone was helpful and really supportive. She is grateful for the opportunity and for the school administrators.

What was one challenge? Kubesh said trying to make the SEL student groups engaging for different students, especially those who have trouble paying attention, was sometimes difficult.

However, Kubesh said, “I’ve always worked with kids, and I just love it.”

 

Washington Elementary School would like to thank and acknowledge Rachael Olson, who was an Administrative Intern at the school during the 23-24 school year.

Olson, who works for InterMountain ESD, was a Special Education Instructional Coach at Washington this year, providing instructional support for two new teachers at the school. In addition, Olson was an intern obtaining hours toward earning her Administrative License through COSA (Coalition of Oregon School Administrators) and the University of Oregon.

She worked with Principal Kevin Dinning and Assistant Principal Heidi Paullus, doing job shadowing, observing meetings, and more.

Olson said the intern experience has been amazing and exceeded her expectations. She said she wasn’t sure how she would feel about someday being a school administrator, but she has grown to love it. “I could see myself doing this in the future. I really like being in a building, and I love seeing the little faces of the students.”

What was surprising to Olson was the amount of steps an administrator gets walking around in a day. She said you are never really sitting at a desk.