LWSD Director, Special Services to be featured in Seattle Times “Ignite Education Lab” event 

Dr. Shannon Hitch, LWSD’s Director, Special Services, will participate in the Seattle Times’ Ignite Education Lab storytelling event on March 11. Eleven educators and parents will give five-minute talks with slideshows to showcase their personal stories about education. Dr. Hitch was chosen out of about 50 people who submitted their story to the newspaper. Since 2006, Ignite Seattle has held nearly 30 events that bring people together for speedy talks on a variety of topics. The Times borrowed this format from Ignite to allow educators, parents and students to share their stories about schools and schooling. Read the full article and see ticket information here.

K-5 Science Adoption Committee

The K-5 Science Adoption Committee has used their knowledge of the Next Generation Science Standards (NGSS) and effective practices in teaching to guide a deep evaluation of different available K-5 Science curricula. The committee reached consensus in choosing two curricula to pilot this spring: Building Blocks of Science and Amplify Science. Teachers on the Adoption Committee, along with other interested teachers, are currently piloting both curricula, gathering student data and impact of curriculum, and collecting student, teacher, and parent/community feedback. 

The two programs will be piloted until the end of March. Throughout the pilot period, the committee will consider how the different programs operate in a daily classroom environment for both teachers and students as well as how they effectively shift instruction towards the Next Generation Science Standards.

Parent and community feedback is essential in this process. We welcome your input and we have provided a way for parents and community members to preview the materials and give us their thoughts from home. Below you’ll find information about accessing digital versions of both programs, along with survey link that you can use to provide feedback.

Program	Website
Amplify Science	https://amplify.com/programs/amplify-science/
Building Blocks of Science 3D	https://carolinascienceonline.com/#/teacher/product-lines/BBS
Link for feedback survey	https://tinyurl.com/K5ScienceParentFeedback

Survey responses are anonymous. These responses will help inform the recommendation our K-5 Science Adoption Committee makes about the adoption of materials. The committee is scheduled to make a recommendation to the Lake Washington School Board in early April. 

Additionally, information about the adoption process and the science programs being considered will be shared at an information night scheduled for Wednesday, March 20 from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m. in the Board Room at the Lake Washington School District Resource Center. We would love to see you there! If you have any further questions or comments, please contact Dr. Jen Rose at jerose@lwsd.org or Hanna Seidler at hseidler@lwsd.org. 

Learn more about the April 23 Capital Projects Levy

Lake Washington School District is running a Capital Projects Levy on April 23. Watch this informational presentation about the levy and visit the levy webpage.

Video rendering of progress being made at the new Peter Kirk Elementary building

The new building at Peter Kirk Elementary School will open in six short months, but you don’t need to wait that long to see what the new school will look like. This 3D video should give you a peek of what’s to come:

Lake Washington Preschool Program (3 and 4-year-old students) accepting applications in April 

Lake Washington Preschool Program will start accepting tuition-based applications for the 2019-20 school year beginning April 1 from 9 a.m. - 1 p.m. Registration takes place at the Resource Center (16250 NE 74th Street, Redmond). If more children are registered for any one location or session (a.m. or p.m.) than we have availability, a lottery for each Preschool building will be held by April 16 to determine the students in those classes. Parents will be notified of results by May 15. After April 1, applications will be accepted at the Resource Center on any school day from 9 a.m. to noon and 1:30 p.m. to 3:30 p.m. Only children registered on April 1 during the registration hours of 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. are eligible to be in the lottery. Read more about LWSD Preschool Programs.

Reminder: Measles

As you may be aware, on January 25, Governor Inslee declared a public health state of emergency after reports of 31 confirmed cases of measles were identified in the state. Most of the confirmed cases are in Clark County and there is one confirmed case in King County. We currently do not have any cases of measles in Lake Washington School District. This unusual occurrence of measles may generate some concern or questions. To help keep you informed, district processes and state law for vaccinations is outlined on the LWSD website.

Reminder: Tell your neighbors and friends: Register early for Kindergarten Registration for 2019-20

If you live in Lake Washington School District (LWSD) and your child will be five years old on or before August 31, 2019, now is the time to register them for Kindergarten! Registration takes place at your neighborhood school during regular school hours through the beginning of the 2019-20 school year.

While registration will continue throughout the school year and summer, parents are highly encouraged to register students as soon as possible. Doing so helps ensure class sizes are balanced and adequate staff are hired in time for the new school year. 
Visit the Kindergarten Information webpage for more information. 

In the giving spirit – Juanita High School student named state honoree as top youth volunteer 

Kobey Chew, Juanita High School (JHS), is the Washington state high school honoree for The Prudential Spirit of Community Awards. The nationwide program honors young people for their volunteer work and selfless actions. Chew was chosen for his work creating videos and a slideshow for a free online medical library that helps people understand what people with disabilities are capable of. As someone with his own disabilities, Chew wants to demonstrate he is not all that different from everyone else. Read more about Kobey Chew winning this prestigious award. 

No one can stop them – Evergreen Middle School team headed to National Science Bowl 

A team from Evergreen Middle School (EMS) will represent the Pacific Northwest Region at this year’s National Science Bowl Championships. Kaaviya Uthirapandian, Sri Sai Tejas Var Pakalapati, Medha Venkatapathy, Harish Krishna Kumar and Purab Shah will compete April 25-29 in Washington, D.C. The team cruised through regionals, going undefeated. Regionals were hosted at the University of Portland in Portland, Ore. on February 2. EMS was one of 64 teams in the competition with schools from all over Washington and Oregon. Read more about this team heading to the National Science Bowl. 

Read more student and staff success stories here.

We’re hiring!

LWSD needs paraeducators, instructional assistants, bus drivers, custodians, plumbers, and a building equipment mechanics/HVAC specialist. Job descriptions are available on the district website, under “Employment” then “Classified Employees.” Bus drivers earn $25.57 per hour. Learn more about why driving a bus for LWSD is a great job. Please share this information with your friends and neighbors.

Sodexo/Nutrition Services is hiring

Are you looking for a way to get involved in LWSD? Would you like a part-time job that gives you the flexibility to be with your kids before and after school? Shifts that range from two hours to eight hours are available, helping serve students breakfast and lunch. Starting pay depends on experience. If interested, contact Nutrition Services at 425-936-1385.