Karen Boatsman-Floater
Karen can be found driving any one of our routes. Karen has had her CDL since 2015. In October of 2023, she trained for her bus driver endorsement at Ocosta. Karen was raised in Hoquiam. She was a Grizzly and then attended GHC and received her Associate of Technology in Diesel Technology in 2018.
Karen had worked for Grays Harbor Transit as a Fueler/Washer before joining the Wildcat Team.
Karen is currently going to school for a BA in Applied Management from Grand Canyon University. In the spare time she does have you can find her reading The Lord of the Rings, playing clarinet, or playing table games with her husband, son, and friends.
Karen is looking forward to participating in the Bus Rodeo and has a goal to compete at the state competition. Go Wildcats!
Today we wind up our One School, One Book reading of The Tale of Despereaux by Kate DiCamillo.
We want to thank all of our families and students who participated in the reading with us.
You can check out our staff reading the book on our Ocosta Elementary Facebook page, under videos.
Keep reading Wildcats!
Libie Cain- Route 1
Libie has been driving Ocosta students for over 17 years. She has raised two beautiful daughters who both graduated from Ocosta. Her oldest has a double major from Central Washington University (Go Wildcats!) and her youngest has an AA from Grays Harbor College.
Libie was a fisherman for over 20 years, working in the crab, albacore, and black cod fisheries. In her free time, you can find Libie working her creative side, doing Freelance Design, either creating beautiful wedding venues, baking and decorating cakes or dressing up a house for the holidays.
Scott Worth- Route 4
Scott has been with Ocosta since 2015 where he was trained as Bus Driver. He also helped in the classrooms when he wasn’t driving. Before coming to Ocosta Scott was a missionary in Scotland for 7 years working with at-risk children and college students. Scott was ordained in 2002 and served as the Director at South Beach Christian Outreach from 2015-2023. Scott also worked in the electrical industry for over 40 years. Scott shares, I came to work at Ocosta because I wanted a part-time job that would give back to my local community. I have 50 years of working with kids in one form or another, I drove large trucks in my youth so why not give it a try? I love greeting students in the morning and hopefully getting them ready for their day. I enjoy what little time I get to know them and am always amazed at how creative and individualistic they are. I send them home with a smile and encourage them to have a great afternoon. It’s a small role but hopefully impactful. I work with a great group of individuals as crazy as me and they are my second family.
Jessica Sandvigen- Transportation Director
Jessica joined the Ocosta transportation team in the spring of 2023.
Here is what Jessica shared about herself. Outside of work I enjoy spending my time with my 6 amazing kids and my partner; laughing and enjoying life.
Currently I am the Director of transportation for an amazing school district. However, I started my career in transportation in 2014 as a driver and I worked my way through the ranks of transportation. While working full time and taking care of my kids I put myself through college and I got my BS in Business and HR. I did it to show my kids that you can do anything you put your mind to no matter how hard things seem to be.
What I have learned about myself through my many years in transportation is this is my calling and my passion, I love what I do and the people I get to work with. Over the years I have had the opportunity to work with some really great people and I can honestly say I am fortunate enough that I get to work with some amazing people. My driving staff are dedicated, committed, and caring and I appreciate everything they do day in and day out; I truly am lucky.
India Williams-Route 2
India has been a bus driver for the Ocosta School District for 5 years. She comes by it naturally having a mother who drives for Ocosta and her father is the transportation director for the Aberdeen Hoquiam Co-Op. When India isn’t driving a school bus she can be found hanging out with her 2 cats, painting & crafting, volunteering with bible education, or playing board games with her husband.
Mike Hinkston- Route 6 (He loves running all the routes)
Mike shared, that after retiring in 2018 here in Westport; which we totally love, and having watched every episode of Andy of Mayberry several times in my recliner, my beautiful wife thought I needed to get out of the house for a few hours. And SO... that is how I ended up driving a school bus for Ocosta Schools. This has been one of the most fulfilling and rewarding opportunities in my long working career.
Before coming to Washington Mike taught for 17 years at Oklahoma State University in Stillwater, Oklahoma.
We are hosting our 2nd Annual College and Career Fair April 18th. We are looking for panelists to talk about various careers from 9-11:30am, and the job fair/summer hiring event from 1-3pm!! Let us know if you are interested!
Families of Ocosta Students,
The Ocosta School District is always working toward continuous improvement. Please see the attached document for the link/QR code to complete a 10-minute survey to provide feedback for us to review and consider as we make decisions.
Thank you for taking the time to help us provide a quality education to your child.
Today the elementary started the One School, One Book initiative. Go to Ocosta Elementary's Facebook page to listen to the principal, Mrs. Samuelson read the first three chapters of The Tale of Despereaux. T
🐾🍎 January is School Board Recognition Month! Please join the district in thanking all of the school board members for their hard work and dedication to Ocosta 🍎🐾
School is running on time today, Friday, January 12.
Hey seniors and senior parents/guardians! FAFSA/WAFSA (post-secondary financial aid) night is coming up on January 17th at 5:30-7:30pm in the Jr/Sr High School library. If your student is thinking about or going to college or a career school after graduation, they should come to this informative meeting to learn more about available financial aid resources.
Ocosta School District Board Work Session is scheduled for Thursday, December 14, 2023, in the Ocosta Jr/Sr High School Library at 6:00 pm. The agenda is McKinstry's presentation on HVAC options for the Jr/Sr High and potential funding sources.
Ocosta School District's Highly Capable Program Notification
This is the notification of the referral process for highly capable services. The referral packet is available in Spanish as well as English. Anyone may refer a child for assessment; to do so please contact your school.
The referral window is December 11th through January 15th. The testing will occur at the end of March.
Notificación del Programa de Altamente Capaz del Distrito Escolar de Ocosta
Esta es la notificación del proceso de derivación para servicios de altamente capaz. El paquete de referencia está disponible tanto en español como en inglés. Cualquiera puede derivar a un niño para que lo evalúen; por favor contacte a su escuela.
La ventana de referencia es del 11 de diciembre al 15 de enero. Las pruebas se realizarán a finales de marzo.
With the cooler weather and ice showing up in some parts of the District, it is important to know there are several ways the Ocosta School District communicates in case of a school delay or closure. Please reference the list below in order to obtain accurate information.
Thrillshare: Call/Text/Email
It is our goal to notify each family by phone. In a standard school closure situation, families will receive a call, text, and email by 6:00 a.m.
Ocosta Elementary and Ocosta Jr/Sr High Facebook Pages
We do our best to post emergency delays and closure information on our district Facebook pages after using our alert system.
Ocosta Website and App (Live Feed)
www.ocosta.org
Local News & Weather Stations
Information regarding local school district delays and closures is reported by the local TV and radio stations. They also post this information on their websites. If Ocosta is not specifically mentioned, schools will be operating normally.
Or http://www.flashalert.net
The district uses many methods to alert families of changes. Please call the school office if you need to change any of your contact information so there is no delay in obtaining the correct information.
Due to road conditions, today, Tuesday, November 28, school will be two hours late.
Due to road conditions, today, Monday, November 27, we will be three hours late, due to road conditions.
On Tuesday, December 12th, from 5:30-7:30, Connections (formerly the Child Advocacy Center located in Montesano) will be in the Ocosta Jr/Sr High School Commons presenting Darkness to Light. This training is a revolutionary evidence-based sexual abuse prevention program that educates adults to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child abuse and child sexual abuse. Designed specifically for individuals and organizations that serve children and youth. Child care will be available in the high school library with our after-school program staff. Please register using the QR code or at www.D2L.org.
6th-8th grade Washington DC Trip: Families will be able to join the meeting Wednesday 9/20 via the Livestream link (https://schooltrip.us/OcostaWA25)- the Parent Meeting is virtual (not at the school). The presentation is about 25 minutes. Families will have 30 minutes after the presentation to enroll digitally and receive the $500 Early Bird Scholarship. We'll be available to answer questions via text or phone call via 800-275-3980.