JM: Feb/March 2023 Community Newsletter

In the past few months, it has been a very hard time for BSD because of the enrollment drop and impact on our district as a whole. More detail will be provided at the school board meeting on March 9, and the board decision is expected on March 16 about the school closure plan. PTSA board members and I had met with our district Executive Director of School Support Heather Sanchez this week. Here are some key take-aways and notes that I would like to re-state/share:

• Jing Mei will remain as a school and the district does not have a plan to close or move Jing Mei into programs.
• Jing Mei has a long waitlist so it is possible that we will look into school/program expansion in the future. We don’t have a timeline yet.
• Enrollment drop is a fact and school consolidation is the plan to better use our district resources/facilities. School closures recommendation was made due to district enrollment drop, not because of choice school’s need. Those two are separate conversations and the district made it very clear since the beginning of the school year.
• Jing Mei and other schools who are in the line of getting new buildings are impacted by the district’s financial situation with enrollment drop. However, the district has plan to get community inputs for our next facility. Stay tuned for the opportunity to provide your feedback.

Waiting is never easy but it’s important to lean in to support each other. For now, let’s wait for the School Board recommendations on 3/16. Feel free to call/Text or come in to talk to me if you have any questions. You can reach me at 425-465-6062. We will get through this time together. Thank you for your patience.

Sincerely,

Mr. Shelton and Ms. Tan

中文翻译：LINK

Newsletter in English: https://bsd405.org/jingmei/2023/03/jm-feb-march-2023-community-newsletter/

3/14 10-10:30 Online Volunteer Training:

Click here to join the meeting

Meeting ID: 242 677 495 763

Passcode: vUiFZv

(If you haven’t had a chance to join the training to become volunteer in our community, please consider to do so. The training usually lasts for 15 mins and there is time for questions at the end. If this time and date doesn’t work for you, please let us know and we can arrange more options.)

3/17: Professional Development day for staff, No school for students

3/31  6-7:30  STEAM Night Family Event at Jing Mei

4/6: 2:30-3:25 Principal Tea: Social Emotional Learning (SEL) and school Counseling at Jing Mei (you can join online or in person in the library)

Click here to join the meeting

Meeting ID: 282 511 499 07

Passcode: eT4jrc

4/10-/4/14: Spring Break, No school

5/29: Memorial Day, No school

6/15: 5th Grade Graduation Ceremony at Gym 2:20-3:20 and after graduation party at 3:30

Washington state law and Bellevue School District policy require all schools to hold at least one drill per calendar month while school is in session. In March, we will be conducting an earthquake drill and practicing what we would do if we were at school in the event of an earthquake.

In the United States, the recommended actions to take in the event of an earthquake are Drop, Cover, and Hold On.

Please talk with your student about preparing for emergencies and disasters such as earthquakes. Encourage them to talk about their concerns and express their feelings. Emphasize that even though sometimes things happen that we may not expect, there are lots of things we can do to help us stay safe.

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. You may also find the https://www.ready.gov/kids site helpful.

We are partnering with a school in Taiwan to start a Pen Pal Program in 5th Grade. Please talk to your child and fill out the application if you want your child to participate. See details in the form: https://forms.office.com/r/jkEKWSTU2h

Please take 2-3 min to finish this middle school interest inquiry survey for us. With the information that you provide, this will help us to prepare our 5th grade students to transfer and transition to middle school.

Survey Link: https://forms.office.com/r/QX1aGGvciZ

If you need Social Emotional Support for your child, RULER has a whole website created to share resources with families?

Check out:  https://www.rulerapproach.org/ruler-resources-for-families/

Included are some great conversation starters designed to get families talking about social and emotional skills at home.  The conversation starters are available in English & Spanish.

Grades K-1 (English)   Grades 2-3 (English)  Grades 4-5 (English)   Grades K-1 (Spanish)  Grades 2-3 (Spanish)    Grades 4-5 (Spanish)

There are also tip sheets for building stronger family relationships in English, Spanish & Mandarin!

Families Tipsheet (English)        Families Tipsheet (Spanish)         Families Tipsheet (Mandarin)

https://bsd405.org/jingmei/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2023/03/03-01-23-Elementary.pdf

Please click here to read Ms. Hanson’s February/March newsletter: https://bsd405.org/jingmei/wp-content/uploads/sites/23/2023/03/Counselor-Newsletter-febMarch-2023.pdf

Bianca Popescu, Senior Transportation Planner at City of Bellevue, is soliciting the next round of Road Safety Assessments, this time around International School and Newport High School. Walk audits are scheduled in February, March and April. The dates and times have been scheduled and their website has been updated with sign up links: Road Safety Assessments Near Schools.

The City of Bellevue is conducting Road Safety Assessments (RSAs) in November, with the goal of improving safety for people walking and biking in your neighborhood. As part of their RSA work, the City of Bellevue will be hosting in-person walking audits, inviting the community to walk the study areas and identify safety concerns.

• Sign up here for the Saturday March 25 walk audit near Newport High School
• Sign up here for the Saturday April 1 walk audit near Newport High School

A maximum of four hours of community service credits will be approved for high school students who attend one of the walk audits. For those who are unable to attend one of the walk audits, please consider filling out a questionnaire to provide your feedback on how to improve the comfort and safety for those who walk and bike.