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Dear International Families,

March has been such a fun time at International School. Over the past several weeks, we have had the spring musical, high school and middle school concerts for Band/Choir/Orchestra, Titan Robotics competitions, Jazz Festivals, and music festivals. We have clubs meeting, middle school volleyball wrapping up, and IS students participating in a variety of activities. This Saturday there is the Spring Fling social for our high school students, next Wednesday is a middle school game social after school, and next Friday is our Talent Show in the afternoon. There is lots of life at IS and spring is a great time.

 

Russell White

 

Changes in Communication Regarding COVID Cases at School

With the change in masking came other guidance for schools. One of these pertains communications and it does represent a shift in the communication of positive cases. During the first phase (Dec), we would have district staff conduct exhaustive contact tracing and we would notify those who were close contacts (first) and then do a broad school communication that there was a case in the school and that close contacts were already notified. During the Omicron phase (Jan/Feb), the school had to take the lead in contact tracing and we worked to only notify those who were identified as close contacts.

In this new phase, were are returning to broad communications of “exposure.” If there is a positive case in the school, the guidance is to notify: (A) all staff, and (B) some students who may be at higher risk. The challenge is that the reasons for students being at “higher risk” is very broad and includes things that we don’t track in our information systems. Thus, we will send a communication to all students in the classes of a positive student.

The important thing to remember is…”exposure” is not the same as “close contact.” It merely means students may have been in the same room as someone for an indeterminant amount of time. For staff, it is less helpful because we are notifying all staff. The important guidance is to take whatever precautions your are comfortable with for yourself and to watch for potential symptoms. We continue to provide rapid tests for those who begin symptoms.

 

Meal Service Changes

Beginning Tuesday, March 29th the process for students getting lunch at school will be different.  At this time, we will return to the use of the Point of Sale (POS) computer with students asked to enter their student ID # to credit the meal on their accounts.  All students will continue to be offered their first meal for free.  This practice will remain for the rest of the school year.  The POS will help the district in tracking total meals served and also catch any instances where students are getting in line a second time for additional food. Students will use their ID number for their purpose. After Spring Break, we will look at options for students to purchase a second entrée if they desire, as some students have asked for this option.

 

Black History Beyond February

BOOM Presents:
A Virtual Tour of Montgomery, Alabama, from Enslavement to Modern Day: Expanding Upon the Narrative
Proudly sponsored by: BSD Equity & Family Engagement
ALL are welcome: Students, family, community, and educators
Date: Tuesday, March 29, 2022, 5:00 p.m. – 6:15 p.m.

Please register and join here: Registration Link & Teams Meeting Link
Dr. Terry Anne Scott will take participants on a virtual tour of Montgomery, Alabama to explore the history of African Americans in the city. This virtual walking tour will allow the audience to grasp a wider understanding of the historical significance of the events that unfolded in Montgomery, from enslavement through the modern day, and how they helped shape modern-day race relations. Participants will come away with an increased body of knowledge to continue expanding on the complexities of these historical events.

 

BSF Education Connections: Modeling Nutrition for Your Family

Join the Bellevue Schools Foundation for a special, family-focused Education Connections on Wednesday, April 6, at 5 p.m. through Zoom! RSVP here. The Dining Services Supervisor of Overlake Medical Center, Melicent Smith, will discuss how parents can help support and create healthy eating habits within their families. Childhood and adolescence are critical periods when individuals develop the patterns and knowledge around healthy eating that persist for years in the future. Find out how small changes at home can have a significant impact on the mental, physical, emotional health of your students.

 

Submit Your Artwork to be Featured on the BSD Website in April

BSD Communications would like to invite students and staff to share their original visual artwork with the greater community. We are currently testing a process that would allow us to feature original district artwork as a banner on the bsd405.org homepage each month. Where needed, we may need to crop the original and provide a link to the entirety of the work.

For the month of April, we are looking for students and staff to share their imagery centered around Earth Month. Students and staff may submit their artwork through this form or reach out to [email protected] for information about submission.

Check out the current artwork featured on bsd405.org in honor of Women’s History Month

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.