Tillicum Times
October 2, 2023
Dear Tillicum Families,
Looking outside my window, the gray skies and wet payment tells me that fall is here. Inside the schoolhouse, the student vibe tells me that learning is in full swing. Assignments are being turned in, assessments are being administered, grades are being returned and, at times, student stress is rising. As parents, it can sometimes be challenging helping our children navigate through the maze of balancing schoolwork, extra-curricular activities, and family commitments. Here are a few tips for parents to support the school side of those conversations:
- Ask your child what they learned in school today rather than what they did.
- Have them show you their planner to help jog memories (and ensure they are utilizing this organizer).
- Sit with them while they show you their OneNote for each of their classes.
- If your child is stressed about classes, encourage them to attend tutorial. Better yet, have them proactively write an email message to their classroom teacher identifying what help they want. Doing so primes the teacher to check in with them when they do attend tutorial.
- Listen before offering solutions. Sometimes your child needs get something off their chest and, in doing so, may be able to identify the solution themselves. If they don’t, simply ask them “What do you think is the best solution to this problem”.
As always, if you have questions or concerns yourselves, please don’t hesitate to reach out to me or any of my staff. Have a great week.
Dusty Steere
Principal – Tillicum Middle School
IMPORTANT DATES
- 10/2 – 6 SchoolPool Walk & Roll to School Campaign
- 10/13 Teacher Professional Learning Day – no students
- 10/13 Healthy Youth Survey (students in grades 6 & 8)
- 10/20 Picture Retake Day
- 11/10 Veterans Day – Federal Holiday – no students
- 11/23 & 24 Thanksgiving Holiday – no students
Please visit our Tillicum website for the most current information. https://bsd405.org/tillicum
Walk & Roll to School October 2 – 6. Tillicum is one of 20 schools participating in Bellevue SchoolPool’s Walk & Roll to SchoolPool campaign during the week of Oct. 2-6! Bellevue SchoolPool is a program that encourages families and students to explore sustainable transportation options for their commute to and from school and alleviate congestion at drop-off and pickup times and locations. During the campaign, students and families are encouraged to walk, bike, carpool or take the bus to and/or from school.
This fall, the campaign is centered around International Walk & Roll to School Day on Wednesday, Oct 4, but SchoolPool encourages students to try a new way to school any time during week! SchoolPool also provides students with items including blinking lights and a backpack flyer with travel safety tips, and participating helps raise money for our school.
For resources including how to set up a bike train or walking school bus and carpooling tips, visit www.BellevueSchoolPool.org and look under “Resources for Students and Families.”
If you would like to sign up for the Bellevue SchoolPool newsletter, click here.
Clubs & Activities. More clubs and activities have begun or will be starting soon! The most up to date Activity List can be found here. New clubs include:
- Board Games & Prodigy
- Chess Club
- Chinese Culture Club (beginning in Nov)
- GSA (Gay Straight Alliance)
- Magic The Gathering
- Planner Club
- Technology Student Association (CTE students)
If students would like to join a club, parents/guardians can register them in FinalForms. ASB membership is required for all clubs and can be purchased here.
Tillicum Student Handbook. We have updated for 2023/24 our school handbook and posted it on the school website here. The handbook includes loads of helpful information about the our school including contact information, daily schedules, school maps, student citizenship/conduct expectations and much more. The handbook is printed in English, Chinese, and Spanish. Not only does the handbook inform but it also serves as an excellent sleep aide.
Picture retake day Friday October 20th. For more information or to order pictures please follow this link: Picture Retake Day.
Healthy Youth Survey. Tillicum Middle School is participating in the Washington State Healthy Youth Survey during fall 2023. The survey will be given to students in Grades 6 and 8.
The Healthy Youth Survey includes questions related to physical activity and diet, unintentional and intentional injury, substance use, sexual behaviors, abuse, risk and protective factors, and access to school-based services. Survey results are used by schools, communities, and state agencies to plan programs to support our youth and reduce their risks.
Student will be invited to participate in the Healthy Youth Survey on Friday October 13th. This is a non school day and students will be provided the electronic link to complete the survey on October 11. Participation in the survey is voluntary and the students’ answers are anonymous. There are no codes or information used to match a survey to a student.
Information for Parents and Students
2024-2025 Applications Now Open for Advanced Learning Services. Applications for Advanced Learning Services for the 2024-2025 school year are open now through October 31 at 4 p.m., for students currently in grades 1 to 11. Visit the Advanced Learning Services webpage to learn more about Advanced Learning Services and to apply for your student. Please note that if your student is currently in the Advanced Learning full-time self-contained program, there is no need to re-apply.
Care Solace Mental Health and Substance Use Care. Care Solace is a new partnership in the district that coordinates mental health and substance use care for district staff, students and families at no cost. The Care Solace team is available 24/7/365 in 200+ languages to explain options and coordinate care.
More information about this partnership is available on the Mental Health Services section of the district website.
We’re Hiring! Are you looking for a full or part job that has great great benefits, generous vacation and collaborative colleagues? Consider applying to work right here at Tillicum for one of two posted positions.
- Special Education Para Educator III. The position of Para Educator III is done for the purpose of assisting and supporting students as identified with individual learning needs for maximizing student success. 34 hrs/week starting $27.18/hr.
- Learn more or apply for Special Education Para Educator role here.
- If you or someone you know is interested, please reach out to Principal Dusty Steere.
- General School Assistant: The position of General School Assistant is for the purpose of providing instructional and non-instructional support in the school and office setting, assisting school staff as they focus on the instructional initiatives. 20 hrs/week starting at $23.35/hr.
- Learn more or apply for General School Assistant role here.
- If you or someone you know is interested, please reach out to Principal Dusty Steere.
Previous Posts
Donations requested for Tiger Store Raffle. As part of our school’s Positive Behavior Interventions and Support (PBIS) system, students schoolwide earn Tiger Points which can be redeemed at our Tiger Store in the cafe at lunch. We are looking for some community donations to spice up our prizes/awards. Might you have any experiences and/or event tickets that we could put into our Tiger Store to be raffled off for kids! We are looking for things like movie tickets, museum passes, cooking lessons, escape rooms, Sounders Games, Seahawks Games, Museum of Flight, Zip Lining, and more! Please contact PBIS coordinator Joy Haverstick at [email protected] to discuss options! Thank you!
Nurse News. This is a reminder that regular well-care appointments are important and free for every insured child up to age 21. The State Department of Health has created flyers to communicate this message to parents that are age group specific (child, adolescent, and young adult) and available in English, Spanish, Vietnamese, and Russian. PDFs of the flyers are available for view/download at these links:
- Adolescents (middle school) – English PDF || Spanish PDF || Russian PDF || Vietnamese PDF