January 26, 2024 – NHE Family Newsletter

 

NHE Administration Update

Our current assistant principal, Alison Hook, will be out on maternity leave in a few weeks.  We would like to welcome Lara Lyons to the NHE community as she will take over for Alison for the next few months.  Lara is very much looking forward to meeting you and the Newport Heights community!  To provide a little background about Lara, before her family moved to The Netherlands, she was a principal at the middle school and elementary levels in BSD and then was at the UW Center for Educational Leadership working with schools within Washington State.  While in The Netherlands she’s been providing PD for staffs and leadership coaching to Heads/Deputy Heads at international schools.  They have just moved back to the area and are excited to join us here at NHE! 

 

 

New Language Opportunities for All Middle School Students

Beginning in the 2024-2025 school year, the Bellevue School District will offer additional world language course offerings in Hindi and Korean for middle school students in grades 6-8. Last December, the Procedure 2020 committee granted approval to include the two new language courses in the spring 2024 course catalog to survey student interest. Registration will determine whether the courses will be added to the master schedule and offered to students in the fall. Courses will be offered online through Digital Discovery and taught by Bellevue School District educators. The Hindi and Korean language course offerings are open to all middle school students regardless of language proficiency.

 

The MLL department is committed to prioritizing multilingualism and fostering social and cultural competency for all students. Grounded in an asset-based approach, where multilingual learners are at the forefront, the core of our commitment is to preserve identities and languages of students which serves as a foundation for their academic success. We achieve this by centering their cultural, racial, and linguistic identities, which we deeply value.

 

 

Strategic Plan Update 

For the past few months, members of the Strategic Plan Guiding Coalition have been busy conducting one-on-one interviews with students, families, staff, and community members to learn more about their experiences in our school district. These interviews, termed empathy interviews, are intended to uncover the needs and aspirations of our learning community.

During this phase of the strategic plan design process, Coalition members listen intently to community members to help collectively identify priorities for the next strategic plan. In addition, various partners engage with their communities to bring additional perspectives to the development process.

Those needs and aspirations are then used to develop a “Point of View” and problem statements which set the stage for brainstorming priorities and strategies. The process continues with additional feedback and iteration.

Community members are invited to reach out to [email protected] to share their perspectives.

 

 

School Board Vacancy Nomination and Application Process

The Bellevue School District seeks to fill a School Board Director vacancy for Director District 3 due to Director Joyce Shui’s resignation effective January 5, 2024.

In accordance with Board Policy 1114 and Procedure 1114P (Board Member Resignation and Vacancy) and RCW 28A.343.370, members of the community are encouraged to apply for the position or nominate candidates for the position. Nominees and applicants must be registered voters who reside in Director District 3.

The nomination and application forms are now available. Nominations must be received by Friday, January 26, 2024. Qualified nominees will be contacted directly and invited to apply. All applications for the position are due by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, February 2, 2024.

Please review information on Becoming a School Board Member including Public Disclosure Commission reporting guidelines.

Learn more about the application/nomination process.

 

 

BOOM Presents: Movements that Transformed Our Region & Why

Date: Tuesday, Jan 30, 2024

Time: 4:00 – 5:30 p.m. Location: Streamed online – Teams Meeting Link Please register here: Registration Form

Join us online as we live stream an engaging round table discussion with regional civil rights leader, Larry Gossett. The conversation will cover events that helped to shape and transform Seattle and the surrounding areas. Larry Gossett and select guests will engage in dialogue that highlights the ongoing journey toward racial and social justice for Black people both then and now.

Larry Gossett brings a rich lifelong commitment to activism in our region and the discussion will be anchored in many of his past and current involvements such as:

• Founder of the Seattle chapter of the Black Panther Party
• Co-founder of the University of Washington’s Black Student Union
• Involved in the presidential campaign of Reverend Jesse L. Jackson, Sr. and an organizer for the Rainbow Coalition
• Organizer of the Seattle Alliance of Black Student Unions
• Current member of the King County Reparations Committee

MORE ABOUT YOUR EXPERT: Civil rights activist Larry Gossett was born Lawrence Edward Gossett on February 21, 1945, in Seattle, Washington. He grew up in Seattle’s southern and central areas and graduated from Franklin High School, where he was point guard on the basketball team. In 1963, Gossett was one of the few black males to attend the University of Washington. Gossett serves as a member and chair of the King County Council. Gossett, a high-profile black activist with strong ties to the Hispanic, Asian and Native American communities, was a prime mover in 1996 for changing the symbol of King County (Seattle) from 19th century slaveholder, Rufus Devane King to Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.

This event is proudly sponsored by BSD Equity and Family Engagement and the Bellevue Schools Foundation.

 

In partnership,

 

Edmund and Alison