We are excited to welcome back our students this fall! As we all prepare for a return to full-time, in-person school five days per week, the resources on this page will help you prepare your student for learning on the first day of school.

When is the First Day of School?

The first day of school for grades 1-12 is on Wednesday, September 1. Kindergarten students will have Family Connection Meetings on September 1, 2 or 3, followed by a staggered first day of school on September 7, 8 or 9. Kindergarten families should expect to receive additional information from their school about their specific schedules by the end of August.

Need to know your school’s start and end time? Visit our school hours page on the LWSD website: https://www.lwsd.org/schools/school-hours.

Key Dates:

• August 16 – School offices open
• September 1 – First day of school for grades 1-12
• September 6 – Labor Day Holiday (No school)
• September 7- September 9 – First day of Kindergarten (staggered start - expect additional information from your school).
• September 9 – First day of Preschool

For printable calendars, please visit: https://www.lwsd.org/about-us/district-calendar. Please remember to check these calendars frequently, as dates may be changed throughout the year.

New to LWSD?

Use our online process to register your student in grades K-12. Interested in preschool? Visit our Preschool page for more information.

School Supplies:

Visit your school’s website for information about school supplies needed by grade level. The School Supply List page contains links to each school’s supply list and is updated as new lists are available.

Breakfast & Lunch:

School meals will continue to be provided to all students for free throughout the 2021-22 school year. We are still strongly encouraging eligible families to complete the Free & Reduced Meals Application, because they may also qualify to have fees waived for ASB cards, sports participation and other extracurricular activities. Visit the Student meals page for more information or to apply.

Health Services:

Lake Washington School District is committed to the health and wellness of our students. Each school has a registered nurse available to provide a range of services. At the beginning of each school year, nurses collect student health information to plan for needs during the school day. As we plan for the 2021-22 school year, we want to remind everyone of a couple important health-related items.

1. Immunizations: The State Board of Health (SBOH) has approved changes to Chapter 246-105 of the Washington Administrative Code (WAC) concerning school and child care immunization policy. These rules apply to all public and private schools and licensed child care centers in Washington State. The update to Chapter 246-105 WAC has three major focuses:

• It now requires medically verified immunization records for school and child care entry.
• It clarifies conditional status in regards to school and child care immunization requirements and implementation.
• It changes the Tdap immunization requirement to seventh through 12th grades.
• It states that immunization information must be provided to schools prior to the student attending classes, and the conditional status no longer applies.

Medically Verified Records
The revised rule requires medically verified immunization records for school and child care entry. Medically verified records include one or more of the following:

• A Certificate of Immunization Status (CIS) printed from the Immunization Information System (IIS)
• A physical copy of the CIS form with a healthcare provider signature
• A physical copy of the CIS with accompanying medical immunization records from a healthcare provider verified and signed by school staff
• A CIS printed from MyIR
• Download a copy of the CIS

LWSD is transitioning to School Module in Washington Immunization Information System (WAIIS) which requires parent consent for nurses to upload immunization records. Please sign the WAIIS consent form in Skyward Family Access to allow the building nurse to manage your child’s immunization records.

Learn more: https://www.lwsd.org/programs-and-services/health-services/immunizations

Questions about immunizations? Please contact your school nurse or Dr. Keandra Thompson, Health Services Manager.
 

2. Individual Health Plans: If your child has a life-threatening health condition, the following requirements must be met before your child can attend school: You must supply:

• the required emergency medication to the school,
• health care provider orders,
• an individual health plan, and
• any necessary supplies on or before the first day of school.

These health plans should be submitted directly to the school nurse and NOT through FinalForms. Until these requirements are met, your child will not be able to attend school. If you have any questions, please call Health Services support personnel at our Special Services Office: 425-936-1201.

Transportation Services:

As part of the Student Information Verification process, families who qualify for transportation can request transportation services. The district provides transportation only to those students living outside a one-mile radius, unless the district has reviewed walk routes and determined no safe walk routes are available. Within that boundary, our practice allows for elementary students to walk up to one and a half miles to school and middle and high school students to walk up to two miles. Students with walk distances that exceed these limits are eligible for bus service. These guidelines are used to establish all walk boundaries for Lake Washington School District. It is important that you sign up for transportation services through the Student Information Verification process.

Bus route information will be communicated to parents no later than August 25 for the 2021-22 school year.

Athletics:

As a reminder, sports physicals are required for participation in middle school and high school sports. High School sports seasons start on August 18 or August 23, depending on the sport, so it is important to have your paperwork on file in the school office prior to the start of the sports season. Pediatric doctor offices in our area are expecting more appointment requests for physicals in August, so it is a good idea to schedule your appointment early. For middle school students, sports begin September 13. Families will receive messaging from FinalForms with reminders about the required forms to complete. For more information, visit: https://www.lwsd.org/programs-and-services/athletics.