Dear International Families,

As we enter the second week of the school year, we begin to have a couple of “normal” days of classes to help us settle into the rhythm of the school year. We are grateful for all of the volunteer support to help us pull off our High School Retreat on Thursday and Friday last week. The highlight was a comment that a student shared with a staff member: “I made a new friend today.” That is the spirit of the days that we were trying to create and we hope that students were able to connect with classmates throughout the time.

Russell White

 

Updated Information for Middle School Retreats

Both of our middle school retreats were shifted to different days this week.

• The 6th grade retreat is now happening on Thursday, September 9th. Students will miss periods 1, 3 and 5 but will be in class for 7^th period. This is an outdoor event so students need to be prepared to spend the day outside. Arrival and dismissal are the same as usual. Students will attend their 6th period class.  Send questions to Arty Christianto: [email protected]
• The 7th/8th grade retreat is now happening from 11:00am-3:15pm on Friday, September 10th. This will take place during 4^th and 6^th periods, with students attending periods 1 and 2. This is an outdoor event so students need to be prepared to spend time outside. Arrival and dismissal are the same as usual. Send questions to Gwen Geslin: [email protected]

 

Gaggle

To provide a safe digital environment for students, the district utilizes a service called Gaggle that monitors student emails, Teams chat, documents, and photos on their district computer and district Office 365 account. This information is monitored all day, every day.

What is new this year is the monitoring of student Teams chats. When a concerning phrase is identified, we get alerted not only to that statement but to the prior chat thread. This gives us an opportunity to check in with students to make sure everything is OK. Typically, the student uses an expression in exaggeration but we need to follow up anyway…and the student is typically embarrassed. The encouragement to all students is to be careful about the expressions that are used in this chat format and to be aware that they are monitored.

 

Lunches

One question that has come up for our office is in regards to lunch deliveries. We are not able to receive food that is ordered to be delivered through Uber Eats, DoorDash, Grubhub, etc. Please do not place any orders because our staff will send them away.

 

Visitors and Volunteers

While we do welcome visitors and volunteers into the building, we do want to minimize entrances into the building. If you need to speak to someone in the front office, drop something off, or pick up an item, you can do so through the “Materials Drop Off” window at the front office without ever entering the building. If you need to pick up your student, it is preferrable to contact the Attendance Office through phone/email, but family members may knock on the door near the Attendance Office to let Andrea know the need.

Visitors and volunteers who need to enter the building will be asked to do the following:

1. Sign in to LobbyGuard
2. Provide contact information (phone number and email) in case we need to do contact tracing later.
3. Provide verification of vaccination (yes or no). Visitors who are unvaccinated must maintain 6 feet of physical distancing while inside.

For specific information about this requirement, visit the district website HERE.

 

A Message from the Bellevue Schools Foundation

Established in 1979, Bellevue Schools Foundation (BSF) is the 1st foundation dedicated to supporting public K-12 initiatives in Washington State. Our mission is to promote and fund the best possible learning opportunities for all students in Bellevue’s public schools. As a pillar in the community, the Foundation is uniquely positioned to be a catalytic agent of positive change and advancement in the public education sector. The Bellevue School District serves 20,000 students, enrolled in 29 schools, and the Foundation’s investments allow students to achieve higher levels of academic success and social-emotional well-being, regardless of language, gender, race, socioeconomic status, and special needs. With over 100 languages spoken in the District and 125 countries of birth represented, Bellevue Schools Foundation is committed to expanding funding for racial equity and amplifying the diverse voices and strengths of students and families within the Bellevue community. For more information on how you can engage with the Foundation, please contact Executive Director Juliet Buder at [email protected] or click here.

 

Bellevue Schools Foundation (BSF) fue establecida en 1979 y es la primera fundación dedicada a apoyar iniciativas públicas K-12 en el estado de Washington. Nuestra misión es promover y financiar las mejores oportunidades de aprendizaje para todos los estudiantes en las escuelas públicas de Bellevue. Como cimiento de la comunidad, la Fundación se encuentra en una posición única para ser un agente catalizador de cambio positivo y avanzar la educación pública. El Distrito Escolar de Bellevue atiende a 20,000 estudiantes, inscritos en 29 escuelas.  Las inversiones de la Fundación les permiten a los estudiantes alcanzar niveles más altos de éxito académico y bienestar socioemocional, independientemente del idioma, género, raza, estatus socioeconómico y necesidades especiales. Con más de 100 idiomas hablados en el Distrito y 125 países de nacimiento representados, Bellevue Schools Foundation se compromete a expandir los fondos para la equidad racial y amplificar las diversas voces y fortalezas de los estudiantes y las familias dentro de la comunidad de Bellevue. Para obtener más información sobre cómo puede colaborar con la Fundación, comuníquese con la Directora Ejecutiva Juliet Buder en [email protected] o clic aquí.

 

贝尔维尤学区基金会 (BSF) 成立于 1979 年，是第一个致力于支持华盛顿州 K-12 公共教育的基金会。我们的使命是促进和资助贝尔维尤公立学校所有学生的最佳学习机会。作为社区的支柱，基金会具有独特的优势，可以成为公共教育领域积极变革和进步的催化剂。贝尔维尤学区为 在 29 所学校就读的20,000 名学生提供服务。基金会的投资使学生能够获得更高水平的学业上的成功和社会情感的福祉，无关语言、性别、种族、社会经济地位和特殊需求。贝尔维尤学区的学生来自125 个不同的国家，使用 100 多种不同的语言。学区基金会致力于扩大对种族平等的资助，扩大贝尔维尤社区内学生和家庭的不同声音和力量。了解如何与基金会合作的更多信息，请发电子邮件： [email protected] 联系基金会的执行董事 Juliet Buder 或单击 这里。

 

Upcoming Events

September 9      6^th Grade Retreat

September 9      ISPTSA Ice Cream Social (7:00 – 8:00 PM outside of school)

September 10    7^th/8^th Grade Retreat

September 17    Virtual Curriculum Night (more info to follow)

September 22    Picture Day

 

Wednesday Schedule this Week: Periods 3/5/7