School Transition Weekly Updates

March 28, 2023

Transition planning is underway for the 2023-2024 school year, where the Eastgate and Clyde Hill communities will be blended, and the Wilburton community will be blended into Enatai and Spiritridge elementaries. This weekly update shares some of the transition planning work that took place at the schools and the district over the week of March 20.

Regional Implementation Teams

Regional Teams meet weekly for the purpose of coordinating efforts for a smooth and positive transition for all schools involved in the consolidation. Each school has stakeholder representation, and the critical criteria play an important role in communication, engagement and decision-making. Regional Teams are focused on blending school communities in a manner that emphasizes collaboration, co-design, and input from students, families and staff. Regional Teams are currently focused on the following:

• Assessing professional needs for staff.
• Brainstorming historical and new “milestone events” that will proactively support the upcoming transition of staff, students and families.
• Creating strategies to ensure that students are also key collaborators in this work and incorporating student voice within the changes.
• Collaborating to cultivate equitable and inclusive communities, prioritizing well-being and sense of belonging.

Communication and Weekly Updates

In addition to the districtwide weekly updates provided on this webpage, principals from each impacted school will share weekly newsletter updates with their school communities. These weekly newsletters will include details pertaining to the consolidation and update families on the work of the Regional Teams. The purpose is to enable each learning community to develop a deeper insight and understanding of the work being done to support sensitive spring farewells and joyful fall hellos.

Share Your Feedback

If you have feedback, questions or ideas related to the 2023-24 Transitions Planning, please share them through the Let’s Talk portal.

March 21, 2023

The district acknowledges the impact of the last several months on our students, educators and families. Coupled with a post-pandemic return to buildings, the school building consolidation process has put a collective focus on how we support our students academically, socially and emotionally — while adjusting to our financial reality. As shared broadly throughout these discussions of planning for the future, we share a commitment to continuing the world-class education we have here in Bellevue.

On Thursday, March 16, at a Special Meeting of the Board of Directors, a 3-0-2 vote approved the district’s plan to consolidate Wilburton and Eastgate Elementary School buildings. Additional cuts in spending and administrative costs will help to fully address the budget shortfall. Transition planning will now begin in preparation for fall 2023. In addressing the impact of the decision, Incoming Superintendent, Dr. Kelly Aramaki, stated, “Looking ahead to the future, we have the very best that the Bellevue School District can offer ahead of us — a future of innovation, student and staff wellbeing, joy, the strengthening of our Beloved Community, and the raising of a generation of kids who will go out and change the world.”

Beginning this week, the district’s weekly updates will highlight the efforts to ensure a welcoming and inclusive start to the new school year. Regional Implementation Teams, in partnership with district leaders, are fully immersed in the work of preparing a smooth transition for students, staff and families as communities come together.

Regional Implementation Teams are made up of parents, classified staff, certificated staff, and administrators from each of the impacted schools. These teams are working to co-design and co-construct the transition elements. These teams are utilizing the Bolman and Deal Leadership Framework to ensure they are attending to four frames impacted by the recommendation. The four primary areas their work is organized around include:

• Structural – The structural frame includes operational issues that affect the structure of schools including but not limited to transportation needs, open enrollment processes for impacted families, daily schedules, and building organization.
• Human Resources – The human resources frame is intended to ensure that all staff have the information they need during the period of transition and are able to take part in opportunities for ongoing professional learning.
• Political – The political frame seeks to identify the needs of school communities, highlighting multiple perspectives and seeking to engage families equitably.
• Symbolic – The symbolic frame centers the need to build community intentionally among the regionally impacted schools. Potential ideas for community building activities include pen pals, field trips and playdates. This group seeks the perspectives of students and staff, including the input of staff beyond the classroom teacher, such as specialists, interventionists, counselors/social workers and others.

Regional teams and district staff will continue to meet on a weekly basis over the course of the school year to continue to develop strategies around these four areas in the instructional change framework. Weekly updates will be shared through direct messages to the community and posted to the district website.

March 6, 2023

This week’s update highlights the work taking place with the Regional Implementation Teams. The Regional Teams are aligned to the regions identified in the updated recommendation for school consolidation. Pending final decision from the school board on March 16 at the Special Board Meeting,

Regional Implementation Teams meet weekly to prepare a smooth transition for students, staff and families and the blending of school communities.

These teams are utilizing the Bolman and Deal Leadership Framework to ensure they are attending to four frames impacted by the recommendation. The framework underscores the importance of alignment and understanding, “the importance of people regarding relationships and teamwork.” The four frames of the framework include:

• Structural – such as the location of the Olympic Program classes in the school building, revising lunch and recess schedules, etc.
• Human Resources – such as combining building leadership teams and staff assignments
• Political – such as alignment between school PTAs and communication
• Symbolic – such as welcoming events, school branded materials

In each discussion and for every topic, the group is asked to focus on the following key question:   

How are we engaging our families that have been most marginalized, identifying issues and barriers, and co-constructing solutions?

Collaboration is key in this process. The teams, comprised of parents, classified staff, certificated staff, and administrators — those who are closest to and most impacted by the change — are guiding the plans and decisions.​ Together, teams are co-designing and co-constructing the transition elements for our students, families and staff. The designs and ideas are provided to working groups and teams at each school for implementation.

The following are outlines of topics discussed at each week’s meeting and dates for upcoming meetings.

Week of February 27, 2023

Summary of Topics:

• Introductions and welcome
• Review and discussion of team purpose and organizational team framework
• Brainstorm questions
• Schedule following meeting

Week of March 6, 2023

Summary of Topics:

• Common theme: creating community
• Blending school funding
• Symbolic domain explored
  • Strategies to gather additional stakeholder input, especially from students
  • Specific examples for receiving schools: open houses at receiving schools, field trips, virtual pen pals, summer activities
  • Specific examples for sending schools: coordinated schedule for end of year (2022-2023)

We are truly grateful for the opportunity to engage with many of you over the past several weeks and acknowledge the impact this process has on families, students, and staff.  While matters of declining student enrollment are challenging, we appreciate hearing from you and are sharing this as the first in a series of updates you will receive weekly while the recommendation to consolidate schools, and the timeline regarding it, unfolds.

The following are some engagements currently taking place to give families a chance to share their thoughts and experiences in a collaborative and interactive setting.

Multi-Lingual Language Department

On February 28, the Multi-Lingual Learners department held a focus group at Ardmore Elementary School for multi-lingual families to share concerns, ask questions and provide input on transition planning.

Special Education

Special education staff will send a survey to all families with students receiving services in the Olympic program.  A focus group will be formed at Eastgate Elementary School to gather additional feedback and input during the week of March 6.  A special education advisory group will be formed to review recommendations from families and provide guidance on how to improve special education services.

Advanced Learning

Advanced learning staff have sent out a survey to families to gather ideas on ways to ensure positive transition, necessary supports for students and an invitation to families to take part in a focus group for further input/idea generation which will take place week of March 6.

Early Learning/Preschool

Preschool staff are gathering feedback by calling every family with a student enrolled in the preschool program at Ardmore, Eastgate, and Wilburton elementaries who is eligible to return for the 2023-2024 school year. This input will help to determine which preschool location each family would prefer to attend for the 2023-2024 year and ensure impacted families know that they have choice in placement.

Mary’s Place

Similar to other focus groups offered around the district, we will be hosting a family focus group at Mary’s Place. We are currently working with the staff at Mary’s Place to schedule in the upcoming week.

Regional Transition Teams

Three Regional Transition Teams consisting of individuals from various schools and roles including parents, administrators, and school staff will meet weekly to plan positive and welcoming transitions for students and families. The teams are divided into three regions based on geographical location:

• Mid-West: Wilburton, Enatai, and Clyde Hill
• South: Eastgate, Somerset, Spiritridge, and Woodridge
• North: Ardmore, Bennett, Cherry Crest, and Sherwood Forest

Thank you for your involvement and support as we work on transition planning together as a community.  The Board of Directors will review updated recommendations on the consolidation plan at their regular Board meeting on March 9 and will act on the recommendation at a special Board meeting on March 16.  Please visit the Planning for the Future – Recommended School Consolidations page for additional information and updates.

February 27, 2023