• Cultural Calendar
Malala Day  —  and How One Girl's Courage Changed the World
Malala Yousafzai

Now celebrated as Malala Day, July 12 marks the birthday of one of the world’s most important young activists, Malala Yousafzai, who is the youngest-ever recipient of the Nobel Peace Prize. Born in Pakistan as the daughter of an educator, Malala defied the Taliban’s edict against school attendance for girls, survived a bullet to the head, and after recovery, ended up making a powerful speech to the United Nations on the 16th anniversary of her birth.

It’s hard to imagine a more inspiring person, so let us all take a moment today to honor the rights of women and children everywhere as the world celebrates the life, courage, and achievements of Malala Yousafzai.

Learn more about Malala’s story in her own words, her journey from education activist to Nobel Peace Prize laureate, and how she continues her campaign, at https://malala.org/malalas-story.

Archive

Laura Eidson Talks About the Importance of National Board Certified Teachers and Improving Student Discourse

Laura Eidson is a teacher in the Sumner-Bonney Lake School District, where she currently teaches first grade, and she just went through the National Board Certification process and received her certification. The process had a positive and powerful effect on her approaches as a teacher.
 

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Bridging the Gap

Here's some news to spotlight from Federal Way Public Schools! Transitioning to a new grade level can be a big deal for students and families alike. Sometimes, transitions can bring about mixed feelings of both excitement and anxiousness around what comes next. At Family Academy’s Bridging the Gap: Supporting Students Through Change, students and families can learn more about how to confidently support smooth school year transitions.

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Lucyka Clark

Lucyka Clark is a Resource Room Teacher at James Sales Elementary School, in the Franklin Pierce School District. As the proud home of the Jaguars, James Sales is located in Tacoma, Washington, and we recently had the chance to talk with Lucyka about how becoming Nationally Board Certified enriched her teaching.

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Come support PSESD's Latinx Family Advocacy Program at a Tacoma Rainiers Baseball Game!

We’re excited to announce a new three-year partnership between PSESD's Latinx Family Advocacy Program, BECU and the Tacoma Rainiers Baseball team! As part of this partnership, BECU has chosen to honor and support our Latinx Family Advocacy Program at five games each baseball season. Proceeds from these Copa Games will go directly toward supporting us.

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Celebrating our Education Support Professionals at PSESD

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 10–14, 2025. 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.
 

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Teacher Rachel Wegener

Rachel Wegener is a high school English teacher in the Federal Way Public Schools who teaches 10th and 12th grade English. She's been with Federal Way for seven years, and we recently sat down to talk with her about what she's gained by becoming Nationally Board Certified.

Read More about National Board Certified Teacher Rachel Wegener Talks About the Importance of Family and Parental Support