Important DatesJanuary 27 First Semester Ends January 30 Second Semester Begins February 20-24 Mid-Winter Break, No School
|
Greetings Chinook Middle School Community,
I’m following up on the invitation you received from Bellevue Schools Foundation to join us at Spring for Schools on April 1st! This event provides critical programming for our school community and the total of 18,000+ students in every school in Bellevue School District. Here’s a snapshot of the Foundation’s support at Chinook. I hope you can join me at the event. Please be sure to list Chinook Middle School when you register here! With student performances, an Education Showcase, appetizers, and more, the evening promises to be a fun one in support of our students and community. Other news and updates are below. In Partnership, James Peterson Principal |
Counselor Caseloads Changing
We are excited to announce that have added additional staff time to our counseling department. As a result, counselor caseloads will shift slightly beginning second semester. See the new caseloads below:
- Students A-E: Counselor Sam Glinsmann
- Students F-M: Counselor Molly Mazur
- Students N-Z: Counselor Jamie Johnson
Overdue Library Books
Please, encourage your students to return library books by their due date. As of today, there are over 250 books overdue by at least two weeks beyond their due date; this represents $5,000 in replacement fines if books are lost, as well as over 250 books that no other student can access.
If your student is unsure whether they have overdue books, they can log in to Destiny Discover via the student portal to view their library account. Also, all overdue accounts received an email earlier this week and it would be in their BSD email inbox.
Suicide Prevention
Between February 27 and March 10, we will be completing the second half of our Signs of Suicide (SOS), suicide prevention lessons and BIMAS2 well-being screenings for students in 8th grade, and students who have not yet had the lesson this school year in 7th grade. The SOS lesson teaches students how to notice warning signs of depression or suicide in themselves or a friend and encourages asking adults for support.
Parents will receive a letter explaining SOS via email and can choose to opt their child out of the lesson and/or well-being screening prior to their child receiving the SOS lesson and BIMAS2. To learn more about SOS, check out https://sossignsofsuicide.org/parent.
Mental health resources, recorded parenting skills presentations, and more can be found at our new BSD Mental Health Resources webpage.
We all have a role in preventing suicide in our community. You don’t have to have any special training to ACKNOWLEDGE warning signs of depression or suicide, show the person you CARE, and TELL a trusted adult or professional.
Self-Defense Training
Bellevue PD officers will join other officers from surrounding agencies to empower women in our communties!
The 11th free women’s self-defense workshop will be held on Sunday, January 29th, 6pm-8pm at:
Warrior Strength Martial Arts
1414 127th Pl NE #104
Bellevue, 98005
No previous experience is necessary, 11 years and older, fitness/workout attire recommended.
Space is limited and preregistration is required. Email officer Craig ([email protected]) to register.
Breakfast
Breakfast is available every day. Cost: $2.50 (free for students who qualify).
Daily Menu Includes: Assorted Cereals, Mini Bagels, Banana Bread, English Muffin Sandwiches, Cinnamon Roll, Pancake on a Stick, Oatmeal Round. See the full menu.
Yearbook Pre-Orders January 16-30th – While supplies last!
You can pre-order your 2022-23 Yearbook at the Chinook office or online at Touch Base Signin (intouchreceipting.com).
Donate to 6th Grade Science Camp
The expected cost for 6th Grade Science Camp has gone increased and is expected to be approximately $325.00 per student. You can help reduce the cost for all students by donating. Make a donation.
Your Participation is Requested: Annual Family Engagement Survey
The Bellevue School District’s Department of Family Engagement is hosting its annual Family Engagement Survey from January 17 to February 14, 2023. Please look for an email from Panorama Education on Tuesday, January 17, 2023, with a survey link and instructions. If a family has multiple students in one school, the link will be specific to the experience of the oldest student at that school.
The purpose of the survey is to gather feedback from you, our families, around how our school informs, supports, and empowers you to contribute to your student’s success. Your valuable feedback is essential to the continuous improvement and advancement of the family engagement practices in our school community, and we thank you in advance for your participation.
For more information, please visit: Family Engagement Survey
In Case You Missed It
Chinook 5th Grade Family Information Night
Unable to attend the information session? See the presentation here.
Staying Safe Online: Current Trends in Cybercrime
In our schools, district and surrounding community, safety extends beyond physical security. BSD families are also encouraged to familiarize themselves with current events and best practices related to web safety. The FBI recently shared a web safety topic that can impact students. In partnership with Homeland Security Investigations (HIS) and the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children (NAME), the FBI has issued a national public safety alert regarding an explosion in incidents of children and teens being coerced into sending explicit images online and extorted for money — a crime known as financial sextortion. It is reported that over 3,000 minor victims were targeted in the past year across the United States.
BSD has also been made aware of similar issues impacting our area. In some cases, extortionists have used false identities on social media to attempt to gain access to personal information and convince minors to send them explicit photos — or photos that are not explicit but could be altered to appear as such. Extortionists may then threaten to “ruin the lives” of their victims by publishing any sensitive information they receive, to influence their victims to pay them with money or gift cards.
Learn more about this topic and the measures you can take to protect yourself from cybercrime.
January’s Advisory Period Focus
Community: Martin Luther King Jr. Day is Jan. 16th. Students will engage in a three-part lesson to honor Martin Luther King Jr. and discuss the importance of using respectful language at Chinook.
Academic: The first semester ends on Friday, Jan. 27th. Students will have time to work on assignments, study for tests, and conference with their Advisory teacher. They will end the month with reflection and goal setting.
Social Emotional: Students will have a day to relax and play games with each other.
6th Grade Science Camp- Update
We are looking forward to March 21-24 when our 6th-grade grade students will experience outdoor education at Camp Orkila. Read the full update on our website.
Private School Applications
This is the time of the year when parents will reach out for support with private school applications. All private school applications are handled by the BSD Records Department.
For private school applications, please go to the Bellevue School District website for an explanation of the procedures.
https://bsd405.org/departments/records/private-school-applications/
Please use this link to submit your initial private school application.
Please note that BSD will NOT be uploading records to third party vendors such as Ravenna and Gateway. The records department will forward your student’s records directly to the school(s) you list on the application, and you will receive a confirmation email once the request has been processed.
Commitment to Nondiscrimination
Bellevue School District does not discriminate in any programs or activities on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts of America and other designated youth groups. The following employees have been designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged discrimination:
Civil Rights, Racial Discrimination, and Gender Expression or Identity Discrimination:
Civil Rights/Nondiscrimination Compliance Coordinator Nancy Pham, (425) 456-4040 or [email protected]
Sex-based Discrimination, including Sexual Harassment: Title IX Coordinator: Jeff Lowell, (425) 456-4010 or [email protected]
Disability Discrimination: Section 504/ADA Coordinator: Heather Edlund, (425) 456-4156 or [email protected]
Mailing address for all three: 12111 NE 1st Street, Bellevue, WA 98005.