Co-Principal Message

Dear Cougar Families,

Spring is in the air! With Spring Break on the horizon, we wanted to wish you a very lovely break. We hope you and your family are able to enjoy warmer and brighter days ahead.

As we head into spring, we will be learning about the virtue of cooperation and supporting our students in developing strategies to regulating their emotions. These skills are incredibly important as our cougars continue to grow and learn about themselves and others. As a community, we will also be emphasizing the re-reaching of our Big 3 values of Showing Respect, Making Good Choices, and Solving Problems. We encourage you to have conversations with you child about what these values look like at school, home, and in the community.

Thank you for your ongoing support in nurturing our students’ growth. Together, we make a difference in their lives and empower them to thrive.

Important Dates:
  • April 8-12th Spring Beak (No School)
  • April 15th  Read-a-thon Bingo Sheet due

 

In partnership,

Chhoun and Brooke

Lunch and Breakfast Menu

April Lunch and Breakfast Menu https://bsd405.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/03/elementary-school-menu-04-2024.pdf

Smarter Balanced Assessment

This spring students in grades 3-5 are required to complete the Smarter Balanced Assessment for English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics online per WA State law requirements for public schools. 5th grade students are required to also take the Washington State Assessment for Science.

We have worked on a schedule to support testing in the upcoming months. All testing will take place in the months of April-late May. The schedule is shared below and will also be shared by your child’s classroom teacher. Please avoid scheduling vacations or time away from school during these important assessment windows.

The Washington Comprehensive Assessment Program website contains test-related resources for parents and students: https://wa.portal.cambiumast.com/summative-smarter-balanced.html. You can also try out a Smarter Balanced practice or training test at home!

For more information, contact Kristen Pickering, our school ITCL ([email protected]), or Chris Lindberg, BSD manager of state testing ([email protected]). To opt out of testing, you can complete a form and submit directly to Mr. Mey. If you’d like to receive a copy of this form, please email Mr. Mey at ([email protected]) and he will work with you on next steps.

 

English Language Arts (ELA) Math Science
3rd Grade May 9

May 13 & May 14

May 22 & 23  N/A
4th Grade April 30

May 6 & 7

May 20 & 21  N/A
5th Grade April 29

May 1 & May 2

May 15 & 16 May 10

 

Right at School Management of After school Activities

We are happy to introduce a new chapter of after-school enrichment for our students. In partnership with Right at School, we have revamped our elective offerings to deliver a wider range of engaging activities.

Previously, our dedicated PTA spearheaded the organization of these electives, for which we are immensely grateful. However, we understand the time and effort required to manage these activities. With this in mind, our PTA and school team have decided to enlist Right at School’s expertise to oversee the organization and management of our optional electives for the remainder of this academic year.

We acknowledge that this transition may result in an adjustment to the pricing structure for families. It’s crucial to emphasize that participation in these electives remains entirely at the discretion of families.

Whether your child is interested in art, sports, chess, STEM, or any other field, Right at School is dedicated to offering opportunities that align with individual interests and passions. Moving forward, our school team and PTA will closely monitor the partnership with Right at School and make any necessary adjustments for the upcoming school year.

Thank you for your understanding and continued support as we strive to enhance our students’ extracurricular experiences.

Interested in afterschool electives? Sign up here!  https://www.rightatschool.com/school/?school=clyde-hill-elementary&district=wa-bellevue&tab=electives-spring-2024

2024-25 Child Care Registration

Preschool-5th grade

Child care registration is now open! 2024-2025 registration for childcare will open on March 5th and is done through Right at School on their website- https://www.rightatschool.com

Pre School Child Care for 2024-25 School Year

Next year there will be changes to our preschool programing. All students will be enrolled in school day program. Clyde Hill will offer childcare afterschool for preschoolers through Right at School.

COST

After school – $425/month

50% discount for BSD staff and family’s qualifying for F/R

10% discount for siblings

Emergency Preparedness- Earthquake Drill

Last Friday 3/22 we conducted an earthquake drill and practiced what we would do if we were at school in the event of an earthquake. Students learned about Drop, Cover, and Hold On and then we practiced.

Please talk to your child about our drill today. An important next step might be planning a drill in your own home and checking to make sure you are prepared in the event of an earthquake or other natural disaster.

For more information on earthquakes and general preparedness, you might want to visit the Washington Emergency Management Division (https://mil.wa.gov/personal) or Great Washington ShakeOut (https://www.shakeout.org/washington/index.html) websites.

Virtue of the Month- April

Our Virtue of the Month is Cooperation. Cooperation is working together for the good of everyone. It is a willingness to respect others and to follow rules which keep everyone safe and happy. Cooperation is being helpful to one another, sharing the load. It is joining others in order to do something that cannot be done alone. Being cooperative is being willing to go along in order to get along. We are respectful of the rules. We consider other people’s needs. We look for ways to be helpful, and we ask for help when we need it. Cooperation helps us bring together the ideas of many so that a new idea can come to light. Working together, we can make any place a safe and happy one.

Questions for home discussion:

  • What does cooperation look like to you?
  • What does cooperation mean to you?
  • Why is cooperation important?
  • What is challenging about demonstrating cooperative?
  • What is easy about demonstrating cooperation?
  • What do you value about cooperation?

Lost and Found

Families, please come by our lost and found and claim any missing items your child might have housed in our community. All unclaimed items will be donated at the end of the month to make space for new items that are collected daily.

Please be sure that you are labeling your child’s items. This helps up get items back to students quickly.

Read-a-thon Extended

Welcome to the 2024 Read-a-thon organized by the Clyde Hill PTA!

Please find the details below and the BINGO card attached.

WHO:    ALL Clyde Hill Cougars

​WHAT:  Clyde Hill PTA is hosting a Read-a-thon!

​WHEN: Monday, March 18 – Friday, April 12, 2024

​WHY:    March is National Reading Month!  We love reading! Let’s have fun and build confidence in reading!

​HOW:

  • Try to read every day during the Read-a-thon!
  • You may read to yourself or have a story read to you!
  • Fill out your BINGO card!
  • Return your BINGO card by Monday, April 15th!
  • Receive prizes!

More Details:

  • A Read-a-thon BINGO card will be sent home with students on Friday, March 15.
  • Our goals are to have all of our students read (or have a story read to them) every day and to build their confidence in and love for reading.
  • Students who complete one or more BINGO will be eligible to receive a prize.
  • Teachers and other school staff will also support and encourage students along their BINGO read-a-thon journey.
  • Please return the read-a-thon BINGO cards to school on Monday, April 15th or scan and email them to Manasa Nandyala ([email protected]).
  • Questions about the read-a-thon can also be emailed to [email protected].

Thank you for participating!

BSD 2023-24 Cultural Calendar

The Bellevue School District learning community is comprised of a multitude of cultures, traditions, histories, identities, experiences and faith backgrounds. BSD strives to acknowledge and affirm each and every student, family and staff member. In collaboration with members of the Communications Ambassadors, BSD has developed a cultural calendarthat incorporates the lived experiences of our community.

Monthly Acknowledgement: Arab American Heritage Month

Monthly Recognitions: Autism Acceptance Month, Poetry Month, National Occupational Therapy Month, School Library Month

2024 Observances:

  • April 2, 2024 – World Autism Awareness Day                
  • April 3, 2024 – Paraprofessional Appreciation Day                
  • April 4, 2024 – National School Librarian Day
  • April 6, 2024 – Laylat al-Qadr
    • Laylat al-Qadr, the Night of Power, marks the night in which the Qur’an was first revealed to the Prophet Muhammad by Allah. Muslims regard this as the most important event in history.
  • April 8 – 12, 2024 – Assistant Principal Appreciation Week
  • April 9 (sundown) – 10, 2024 – Eid al-Fitr
    • The festival of Eid al-Fitr, the Festival of Fast-breaking, is an important religious holiday celebrated worldwide by Muslims that marks the end of Ramadan, the Islamic holy month of fasting.
  • April 13, 2024 – Vaisakhi
    • Vaisakhi – the Sikh New Year festival – is one of the most important dates in the Sikh calendar. Also spelled Baisakhi, it marks the start of the Punjabi New Year, but it is also a day to celebrate 1699 – the year when Sikhism was born as a collective faith.
  • April 15 – 19, 2024 – Public School Volunteer Week
  • April 17, 2024 – Ram Navami
    • Ram Navami, a Hindu day of worship and celebration of the seventh avatar of Vishnu (Lord Rama). Devotees typically wear red and place flowers on the shrine of the God.
  • April 21, 2024 – May 2, 2024 – Festival of Ridván
    • The Festival of Ridván, a holiday celebrated by those of the Bahá’í faith, commemorating the 12 days when Bahá’u’lláh, the prophet-founder, resided in a garden called Ridván (paradise) and publicly proclaimed his mission as God’s messenger for this age.
  • April 22 (sundown) – 30, 2024 – Passover In Judaism
    • this eight-day festival commemorates the emancipation of the Israelites in ancient Egypt. The observance is celebrated with a Seder meal, storytelling, and other traditions.
  • April 22, 2024 – Earth Day
    • Earth day marks the anniversary of the beginning of the modern environmental movement in 1970. This day raises awareness of issues that affect the earth and global society including carbon emissions, climate change, food security, and clean energy.
  • April 24 – 30, 2024 – National Student Leadership Week
  • April 24, 2024 – Administrative Professionals Day
  • April 25, 2024 – National School Bus Driver Appreciation Day

In case you missed it

Register for Spring for Schools, Hosted by the Bellevue Schools Foundation

I’m excited to share that Spring for Schools 2024 registration is live! You are invited to attend Bellevue Schools Foundation‘s annual event on Saturday, March 30 at 5:00 p.m., and I truly hope to see you there! As a reminder, Bellevue Schools Foundation provides critical funding to our school– you can take a look at the programs supported in our classrooms here. {Insert a line about a favorite program of yours/why you believe funding from BSF is critical} The evening will offer attendees a chance to connect with one another and teachers, and explore the initiatives funded by BSF in their signature Education Showcase.

Event registration is free, and childcare will be provided as capacity allows. Additional event details can be found here. The purpose of the evening is to raise funding so that BSF can continue to provide transformational opportunities for our students and teachers — please consider making a donation here.

Please reach out to our PTSA BSF Ambassador, David Cordova ([email protected]) if you have any questions about the event

Advanced Placement Update

AP test registration remains open to all students. Contact your school AP Coordinator and pay the $98 test fee plus a $40 late fee levied by the College Board. The total cost per test is $138. The last day for students to order tests at the school is March 14, 2024. The College Board closes the online AP test order systems for schools on March 15.

After March 15, the College Board takes test orders by phone only. Test orders incur an additional $20 per test handling fee. Contact [email protected] to order. The total cost per test is $158. The last day to order an AP test in BSD is April 12. No new test orders will be submitted to the College Board after April 12.

Parents can look in Touchbase to make sure that AP test payments were made. Students can look at their online College Board account (www.mycollegeboard.org) to assure that they have AP tests ordered for administration in May.  If the tests they intend to take are not showing up in their College Board account students should first check to make sure that payment was made in Touchbase. If there was no payment, no test was ordered.

Important dates:

    • March 18 – April 12 – College Board takes test orders by phone only. Test orders incur additional $20 per test handling fee. Contact [email protected] to order. Total cost per test is $158. The last day to order a test is April 12.
    • After April 12 – Test registration for May 2024 test administration is closed in BSD. No new test orders will be submitted to College Board.

Contact [email protected] if you have any questions or need more information

The Bellevue School District acknowledges that we learn, work, live and gather on the Indigenous Land of the Coast Salish peoples, specifically the Duwamish and Snoqualmie Tribes. We thank these caretakers of this land, who have lived and continue to live here, since time immemorial.