Important DatesMay 3 I-Connect Meeting, 9:00am May 29 Memorial Day, No School June 14 PTSA Meeting, 6:00 pm June 19 Juneteenth, No School June 21 8th Grade Promotion, 10:45am June 22 Last Day of School, 7:45am-9:45am
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Greetings Chinook Middle School Community,
We held an earthquake and evacuation drill this week, and I am very proud of how our students responded. Student safety is a top priority for us at Chinook Middle School and we practice school-wide emergency drills monthly, including lockdown, evacuation, drop-cover-hold, and shelter-in-place, to know how to respond to actual emergencies. See more information about safety and security preparations on the BSD website here. News and updates are below. In Partnership, James Peterson Principal |
May’s Advisory Focus
Academic: Advisory will be canceled during school-wide testing (ELA and Math) on May 9, 11, 16, and 18. After testing, students will learn tips for organization from AVID students, and they will have a grade conference and work time.
munity: 8th grade students will learn about an opportunity to be a speaker at the 8th Grade Ceremony, will learn about the ideas coming from the Reimagining Middle Schools committee and have the opportunity to respond to the Make Middle School Better survey, and all students will have a play date or game day on May 30th.
Social-Emotional: On May 4th, students will prepare to take the Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA). Teachers will share logistics and expectations, and students will have an opportunity to practice so they become familiar with the format and tools.
Reimagining Middle Schools
Please take a few minutes to complete the anonymous survey Make Middle School Better . Your opinion matters to us! The survey closes May 2!
Here’s a video about ideas (called prototypes) that could make middle school better. They include:
Advisory/Homeroom: This is a time when students can connect with each other and feel like they belong at school. It can also help them when they move up to a new grade.
Problem-Based Learning: This is a way of learning where students get to do hands-on activities that are interesting and relevant to them. It can help them learn better and feel more motivated.
Scheduling: This means that some classes will be longer than others. This can help students engage in deeper, less interrupted learning.
Teacher Teams: This is when teachers work together to support a common group of students and their learning. Though students may not notice a huge difference in their classes, teachers will be able to focus on what students need.
These ideas could make middle school a better experience for students. What do you think about them? Take the Make Middle School Better survey.
BSD Summer Programs
It’s time to register for BSD Summer Programs, which include:
- Credit Recovery: (Current 9th – 12th Graders)
- Elementary Summer School: (Transitional K, 3rd – 4th Graders)
- Middle School Jumpstart: (Rising 6th Graders)
- Arts, Tech, and More Summer Camp (Rising 7th – 8th Graders)
See the BSD Summer Programs website at 2023 Summer Programs K-12 – Bellevue School District (bsd405.org)
Incoming Superintendent to Speak at May I-Connect Meeting
We are pleased to welcome Dr. Kelly Aramaki, Incoming Superintendent for the Bellevue School District (BSD) at a special I-Connect meeting on Wednesday, May 3, 9:00-10:00 a.m. in Room 1402. This meeting is open to all Chinook parents.
We will have a conversation with Dr. Aramaki and hear about his thoughts as he prepares to take over as Superintendent on July 1.
Dr. Aramaki has a long history in the field of education. He has served as a teacher, principal, and executive director of schools. Before being named Incoming Superintendent by the Bellevue School Board, he served as BSD’s Assistant Superintendent. His professional accomplishments include the National Milken Educator Award, 2013 Washington State Elementary Principal of the Year, and the 2013 Northwest Asian Weekly Visionary Award.
Dr. Aramaki grew up in Bellevue. He is a graduate of Newport High School. He graduated from the University of Washington (UW) earning a B.S. in Zoology with a Minor in Music. He earned his M.A. in Teaching from Columbia University with an emphasis on early childhood and the inclusion of students with special needs in the general education classroom setting. He then returned to UW where he earned his Doctorate in Educational Leadership and Policy Studies.
Please arrive for this meeting at 9:00 a.m. sharp.
Humane Society Donation Drive
This is a message from Mr. Wells’ advisory class. We are starting a school wide drive for the Seattle Humane Society, and we need your help! We are seeking food, toys, and blankets for dogs and cats to help struggling families who want to keep their pets in the Bellevue area. Our goal is to reach 600 lbs of pet food – which is enough to feed the families in need in the Bellevue area for one month. We are calling on everyone to help us meet our goal! Donations will be accepted in the front office.
Become a Bellevue School District Interpreter/Translator
Would you like to become an interpreter/translator for the district? Interpreters/translators are needed for a variety of languages for school and district events.
Currently we have three different job positions* open. If you are a bilingual/multilingual member of our community, you may be interested in applying.
- Language Access Interpreter: Languages other than English (on demand and in person)
- Language Access Translator: Languages other than English (on demand and remote)
- Curriculum Translator Multilingual Department: Spanish, Mandarin Simplified and Arabic (on demand and remote)
*A proficiency test and training will be required.
Become a School Board Director
Are you interested in student, staff and community well-being? Consider a candidacy for becoming a school board director.
The Bellevue School Board of Directors is made up of five community members, one from each geographic region of the district. Districts 1,2 and 4 are open for election in 2023.
Candidates who are interested in running for a school board position must file a Declaration of Candidacy with the King County Elections office during the filing period. The filing period begins the Monday two weeks before Memorial Day and ends the following Friday. There is no filing fee for school board positions. For step-by-step instructions, please refer to King County’s Candidate Manual.
IMPORTANT: The State of Washington requires all candidates and elected officials to a file a financial disclosure statement and report all campaign finances to the Washington State Public Disclosure Commission (PDC).
Qualifications and additional resources can be found on the district’s Become a Board Member webpage.
Hear from Board President, Sima Sarrafan.
Bellevue SchoolPool Challenge May 1-5
We are one of 16 schools that are participating in the Spring 2023 SchoolPool Challenge during the week of May 1-5!
Bellevue SchoolPool is a program that encourages families and students to explore sustainable transportation options for their commute to and from school and alleviate congestion at drop-off and pickup times and locations. During the Challenge students and families are encouraged to walk, bike, carpool or take the bus to and/or from school.
This year, students are encouraged to participate in the SchoolPool Challenge Art Contest. Students may draw a picture of their trip to or from school in an art contest brochure that will be provided. Students may return their drawings to the school office with parent/guardian signature. The Bellevue SchoolPool team may select a drawing for future posters, signs or web postings.
SchoolPool also provides students with fun items such as pens, erasers and lenticular stickers, and participating helps raise money for our school.
For maps of walking and biking routes in our schools attendance area, visit the Routes to School web map. Click on our school to find a printable map for your route.
If you would like to sign up for the quarterly editions of the Bellevue SchoolPool newsletter, click here.
In Case You Missed It
Outside Learning Approval
In some cases, students may be granted credit for learning experiences completed outside Bellevue School District (BSD), provided the learning experiences meet the criteria outlined within the district procedures. Approval for credit (not necessarily a grade) must be obtained prior to enrollment and/or participation in the outside learning experience in order to be eligible for consideration for high school credit on the BSD transcript. In order to receive credit for any approved outside learning experience, students must continue to be fully scheduled in a Bellevue School District school, taking the minimum required credits during the regular school day (7 credits for students grades 6-11, and 6 credits for students in grades 11 and 12). Students may not drop a course and/or shorten their schedule in order to have a learning experience outside the regular program.
Learn more about the steps for outside learning approval.
PTSA Meetings: Save the Dates
The final PTSA General Membership Meeting for the 2022-2023 school year is on Wed., June 14th, from 6:00 – 7:00 PM at Chinook (a remote option will be available). This is an important meeting to attend to vote in next year’s Chinook PTSA Executive Board (President, Vice President, Secretary & Treasurer).
ImPACT Test Dates for the BHS Fall Sports Season 2023/24, calling all athletes participating in BHS Fall Sports
No registration needed, just show up – the impact test takes approximately 30 – 45 minutes.
ImPACT Testing will begin at 2:00pm
- May 3rd and May 10th – Football Team impact testing in the Lower AUX Gym
- May 17th – Girls Soccer Team impact testing in Room 1113, the History Hallway
- May 24th the Volleyball Team – Room 1113, the History Hallway
- May 31st – Boy’s Water Polo Team – Room 1113, the History Hallway
- June 14th – ImPACT testing – Room 1113, the History Hallway
Students need to bring their fully charged laptop to take the ImPACT test for the May & June test dates.
- July 5, July 12, July 19 and July 26 – BHS Fall Athletes ImPACT testing – Room 0108 (basement) **no laptop needed.
- August 15th – Football Team – Room 0108 (basement) **no laptop needed.
- August 17th for Fall sports Teams – Room 0108 (basement) **no laptop needed.
Impact testing is required for Football, Soccer, Divers, Volleyball, Water Polo prior to participating.
Please contact Kelli Mayer, BHS Athletics & Activities at [email protected] if you have any questions.
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.