Middle School Activities Update
We are excited to announce that we will be able to continue our partnership with Jubilee Reach after all in order to offer middle school sports to our students. Trent Stauffer—our existing General School Assistant—has recently expanded his role to serve as our Jubilee Reach Site Coach in the afternoons. He has already begun flag football, although that activity is full. If you have any questions about Jubilee Reach activities in the future, feel free to reach him at: [email protected]
Additionally, badminton for our middle school students is beginning today after school. We are fortunate for a couple of our parents (Mindy and Mitch Leffler) who have stepped up to supervise this activity along with some high school students (Maple Dang and Sophia Zhang) who will be supporting as coaches. Students who signed up through Final Forms have been notified that practices are Mondays and Tuesdays.
Music Concerts Update
After having some ongoing conversations with our music program, we collectively decided to move all concerts to the gym in order to support more family members in attendance. We had our first band concert last week and it was so great to have an in-person performance with family members to enjoy. While individual teachers will send out specific communications prior to their concert, here are the general guidelines:
- Audience members will need to be masked throughout.
- Each student may have 4 family members in attendance.
- We will be separating each family pod by 6’.
- There is still limited capacity in the gym for the number of family pods we can fit. Anticipate a plan that involves rotating families through the gym throughout the performance.
Signs of Suicide (SOS) Parent Discussion Session
This important community session will take place on Wednesday, December 8, starting at 6:00pm in the Rainier Room at WISC. Due to space capacity, families will be required to pre-register for the event. Due to overwhelming community request, the Family Engagement office in partnership with BSD Counseling, Mental Health Assistance Teams and community mental-health partners will offer families an additional opportunity to support the well-being of their students. This in-person Community Mental Health Forum will center on a discussion about the Signs of Suicide, or SOS. Concurrent, language-specific sessions will be run by MHAT counselors who speak Spanish and Mandarin.
SOS is an evidence-based youth suicide prevention program that teaches students how to identify signs of depression and suicide in themselves and others. The goal of the program is to decrease suicide and suicide attempts by increasing knowledge and changing attitudes about depression, suicide, and mental health. In addition, SOS provides materials that support families and communities to recognize at-risk students and take appropriate action.
In compliance with COVID-protocols, in-person attendance will be limited, and registration is required. We request families to register early – currently less than 40 spaces remain. This session will provide families an opportunity to ask detailed questions about depression, suicide, and mental health directly with district counselors. Please follow the links to register and submit questions.
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Session Date: Wednesday, December 8, 2021
Session Time: 6:00pm-7:30pm
Session Location: Rainier Room at WISC (12241 Main St, Bellevue 98005) Session Registration: Registration Link: https://forms.office.com/r/riFA29dmFt (Please use the pull-down selection menu – located on the upper right corner of the form – to view the registration form in Spanish or Simplified Chinese).
International School had its own parent information session. The recording of this session may be found on our website: https://bsd405.org/international/counseling/parentnights/
Lottery for 2022 – 2023
International School lottery applications for incoming incoming 6th grade (current 5th grade) students for the 2022-23 school year will be accepted beginning Monday, December 6, 2021. The application period will close Friday January 7, 2022 at 4:30 pm. After the close of the application period incoming 6th grade (current 5th grade) students that missed the application period may submit a waitlist application to be added to the bottom of a waitlist.
Siblings of current International School students must apply by January 7 @ 4:30pm to be enrolled in Autumn 2022.
For more information, visit: https://bsd405.org/departments/student-placement/apply-choice-schools-programs/
Levies to Support Our Students
BSD is asking voters to consider renewing two school levies in February 2022.
One of these levies is the Educational Programs and Operations Levy. While the state provides some funding for our district, it is not enough to support our students’ needs. One critical position that is funded by the EP&O Levy is school nurses. The state funds just three full-time nurses for our entire district. Funding from the levy helps us employ 23 nurses districtwide to keep students healthy and safe. This levy also funds counselors and mental health supports and important programs like band, orchestra, and athletics. The EP&O Levy provides funding for critical staff and resources to ensure the wellbeing of our students and help them stay healthy and engaged.
More details about renewing the February 8, 2022 EP&O Levy as well as the Technology and Capital Projects levy are on the BSD School Levies page.
Bellevue Thanksgiving Food Drive
Each year, Families Helping Families organizes a food drive to support Bellevue School District families by providing them with Thanksgiving meals. Consider participating by making a donation. Every school that donates $600 or more will receive a special gift for their teachers. Please include your school’s name with any donations.