• Cultural Calendar
Honoring our Education Support Professionals—This Week, and Every Week!

In education, the thousands who serve among the support professionals are an integral part of the industry and its importance.

That’s why it’s so important to celebrate their contributions each year for Education Support Professionals week, which takes place this year from March 11-15, 2024. The week was first noted for celebration in 1975 by PSE in order to salute the irreplaceable contributions of Education Support Professionals (or ESPs, for short) in the public school system.

With this in mind, please join us at PSESD this week in celebrating and spotlighting the tireless work by ESPs for the ways in which they help our students achieve, succeed and grow each day in our schools.

Here at PSESD, we have an incredible population of fantastic ESP workers who help us every day to provide a quality learning environment in countless ways large and small. These workers are an essential part of our daily lives, and they include a rich and diverse number of roles and skills—from custodians, secretaries, paraeducators, and office professionals, to health care workers, tradespeople, computer and tech support, maintenance workers, substitute teachers, transportation staff, groundskeepers, security staff, cooks and food service staff, and many others.

These Education Support Professionals are there for us and our students without fail, each morning, each afternoon, each day—in every aspect of our schools. And each one of them assists us in keeping our school district thriving.

Please join us in thanking our Education Support Professionals as we honor them for their exceptional work and service and celebrate them throughout the week!

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Colleague AI Event 2025

Colleague AI is an innovative educational platform featuring AI assistants that serve as knowledgeable colleagues for educators and friendly learning companions for students. Our purpose is to create dynamic, collaborative, and personalized educational experiences for everyone, so check out Puget Sound ESD’s upcoming Colleague AI professional learning opportunities!

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AI Innovation Summit Takes Place February 3–5, 2025

Explore the power of artificial intelligence in K-12 education! Whether you’re new to AI or already implementing it, the AI Innovation Summit Feb 3-5 offers the opportunity to come together to gain knowledge and explore strategies. ESD 121’s EdTech Coordinator, Trinh Pham, is presenting multiple sessions at the AI Innovation Summit on February 3–5, 2025.

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Recognizing Our School Boards in January!

As ordinary people who come from all walks of life, School Board members work on a volunteer basis to both support students and represent their communities when it comes to public education. Each school board brings together a group of members working together with the common goal of helping students to learn, grow, and overcome the challenges as well as the triumphs of their educational journeys. Our school board members often face many complex and demanding challenges, especially across the past few years as they supported our educators and students in meeting the hurdles of COVID and lockdown. January is School Board Recognition Month, which gives us the opportunity to thank and recognize their efforts.

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Puget Sound Educational Service District Receives $1.75 Million Grant to Advance Educator Diversity and Equity Across Puget Sound  

PSESD, in partnership with a diverse coalition of school districts, higher education institutions, and community organizations, has been awarded a transformative $1.75 million grant from College Spark Washington to focus on increasing educator diversity and promote racial equity in Washington's educational landscape. 

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National School Lunch Week Celebrates the Difference a Simple Lunch Can Make

The National School Lunch Program (NSLP) serves nearly 30 million children every school day, providing the essential basic nutrition that contributes to student success and teacher support. President John F. Kennedy created National School Lunch Week (NSLW) in 1962 to promote the importance of a healthy school lunch in a child’s life, as well as the impact a simple school lunch can have both inside and outside the classroom.

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