New Daily Digital Attestation process for middle school/high school students  

We are excited to welcome back our in-person, grades 6-12 students on Monday, April 19!

All Lake Washington School District (LWSD) students and staff must complete a health check each time they enter the building for the day to attest that they have no symptoms of COVID-19 or close contacts with people who have tested positive for COVID-19. 

Attestation and/or screening of all persons is an important step to keep anyone that has symptoms of COVID-19 out of district buildings. This process is required by The Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) as well as the Department of Labor and Industries (L&I).

For middle school and high school students, a new digital attestation process, also called a “Wellness Screening”, is available through Skyward Family/Student Access. Elementary students will continue to complete paper attestation forms.

You can use the following resources for additional information on how to complete the Digital Attestation process for secondary (middle school and high school) students:

• Digital Attestation for Secondary Students/Families video – YouTube | Stream 
• Instructions for using Skyward Family Access Wellness Screening (PDF) – English | Spanish 
• Instructions for using Skyward Student Access Wellness Screening (PDF) – English | Spanish
• Paper Attestation Forms: https://www.lwsd.org/pathway-forward/attestation-forms 
• Digital Attestation – Secondary webpage: https://www.lwsd.org/pathway-forward/attestation-secondary

Students will need to show the results of their Wellness Screening survey to staff at the attestation point, before entering the building in one of the following ways:

1. The fastest and easiest way is to show the green check mark on their phone via the Skyward app. 
2. If a student does not have a smart phone, they can show the green check mark on their LWSD laptop.
3. If a student does not have a phone, or their laptop is not readily available, staff can look up to see if they have attested by either scanning their student ID card or typing in their name. 
4. If a student is not able to attest through Skyward, they can bring a completed paper attestation form or they can self-attest on-site.

Once it has been verified that the student has completed the wellness screener, the student’s temperature will be taken. If their temperature is under 100.4 degrees, the person can enter the building.

Even if a student is going to be absent, we are encouraging students to complete their digital attestation to help us keep track of COVID symptoms.

2019-20 Annual Report

The 2019-20 Lake Washington School District Annual Report is now available on the LWSD website. This report recaps the school year's highlights. It reports district statistics, including graduation rates, enrollment figures, budget details and more. Note: State testing was cancelled in spring 2020 due to the pandemic, so this year’s report includes less data than previous years.

 

June 1 snow make-up day: No school

Reminder, June 1, 2021 is a no school day for student. It was on the calendar as a snow make-up day. However, we did not have any district-wide snow days, so June 1 will be a non-school day.

 

Are you a Lake Washington School District parent/guardian or staff member who wants to receive announcements from LWSD by text message? 

If so, text the letter “Y” to the number 67587. If your phone number is already on file at your child’s school, or in Skyward for staff members, this text will confirm that you want to receive text messages on your cell phone. LWSD cannot text you important updates unless you have confirmed that you want to receive these messages. If you aren’t sure what phone numbers are on file, visit your Skyward Family Access account, then go to “Skylert” to see the list of phone numbers and email addresses we use to contact you.

You should receive the following message back:

You’re registered 4 SchoolMessenger notifications. Reply STOP to cancel, HELP for help. Msg&data rates may apply. Msg freq varies. 

 

K-5 Math Curriculum Adoption 

In the fall of 2019, a K-5 Math Adoption committee, composed of K- 5 teachers, specialists, administrators, and community members was formed to evaluate our adopted K-5 math curriculum. The Committee determined that new K-5 math curriculum is necessary to support the highest level of student learning in Lake Washington School District. The committee has been using our formal adoption process to provide a recommendation to the Lake Washington School Board for new K-5 math curriculum to be implemented in fall 2021. 

Based on extensive analysis of multiple curricular materials, the Committee identified two high quality options that we are currently piloting. The two curriculum options are iReady Classroom and Illustrative Mathematics.  We are seeking community member input on both curriculum options and welcome your feedback on this online form. Community member input will be used to help guide the final recommendation for curriculum adoption.

We will host an online Community Information Night for K-5 Math on April 28th from 6:00 – 7:00 pm. At this meeting, we will share an overview of the adoption process, provide details and access for the two curricula being piloted, and offer an opportunity for community members to review and give input on the potential curriculum. The meeting can be joined on April 28 at 6:00 pm with this link.

Parents and community members can access the materials at the links below:  

iReady Classroom Mathematics

• https://www.curriculumassociates.com/
• Includes program overview, teacher materials, student materials, and digital resources

Illustrative Mathematics

• Review site URL: https://publicreview.learnzillion.com/lesson_plans/75905-lesson-2-name-parts-as-fractions/
  Login: lzteach@example.com
  Password: lzteach
• Teacher lesson plan walk-through (2 min video)
• Student Demo site: URL: https://publicreview.learnzillion.com
  • Grade 3 student
  • Username: lzgrade3
  • Password: student
• Student Flipbook (digital copy of a Grade 3 workbook)

Physical copies of several grade levels of the curricula are on display in the lobby at the Lake Washington Resource Center (16250 NE 74th St, Redmond). Visitors will need to follow LWSD attestation and safety procedures in order to review the physical materials. Access to the physical and digital materials and to the surveys will remain open until May 12, 2021.

We are excited about both options and are looking forward to getting information back from teachers, students, and parents about their experience using them in their learning. Thank you for supporting this opportunity and for providing feedback on our potential new math curriculum materials. For additional information, please contact Dr. Jen Rose, Director of Teaching and Learning.

 

April is School Library Month

Lake Washington School District is celebrating School Library Month in April. Check out our Facebook page to see book recommendations from school librarians!
 

 

Final reminder: Enrollment for the new online school is open through today, April 16

Enrollment for the new online school closes on April 16, 2021. Families of incoming ninth and tenth grade students can access the enrollment application here.

A recording of the Family Information Session held in March is available to view. Families can access the presentation online by visiting this web page. An FAQ document has been created from questions shared by families during the presentation. That document is available at this link. 

More information about choice schools and the lottery process can be found at this link: https://www.lwsd.org/about-us/policy-and-regulations/instruction-2000/procedure-alternative-learning-experience-courses-programs-schools-2255p. 

Information about Alternative Learning can be found at this link: https://www.lwsd.org/about-us/policy-and-regulations/instruction-2000/alternative-learning-experience-courses-programs-and-schools-2255.

 

Reminder: Travel guidance from LWSD 

Throughout this pandemic, we have highlighted the role the community plays in minimizing the spread of the virus. This has been done by a number of measures and includes paying attention to the travel guidance put out by the Center for Disease Control (CDC). If you are traveling for non-essential purposes, we ask that you review the travel guidance and follow the steps outlined. By following this guidance, we can ensure that our schools, classrooms and community are in alignment with health and safety precautions. Thank you for your attention to this guidance.  

 

Reminder: Register your child for Kindergarten now!   

If you live in Lake Washington School District (LWSD) and your child will be five years old on or before August 31, 2021, it is time to register your child for Kindergarten!  

All necessary documents can be accessed on the LWSD website and completed documents can be uploaded securely. Parents who are unable to upload documents may send them to the school by U.S. mail or contact the school to arrange a drop off. 

Read more about Kindergarten registration on the district website.

 

Reminder: Will child care still be available for families? 

The YMCA, Boys and Girls Club and District Extended Day staff provide care in LWSD. Please see the Child Care Resources webpage for more information.

 

Reminder: Grab and go meals are free for all children ages 1-18

Lake Washington School District is offering free meals to all children ages 1-18. 

Please visit the LWSD meals page for more information.

 

Reminder: Free internet available to eligible families

Reliable connectivity to the internet is critical for student success during remote teaching and learning. The state recognizes this need and has partnered with Ziply Fiber, Comcast/Xfinity and Presidio to create Washington’s K–12 Internet Access Program, which gives eligible families free internet access so students can connect to online learning from home.

This internet access opportunity will potentially provide families with faster and more reliable connectivity than hotspots, which will better support our students. Eligible families can receive free internet access through June 30, 2021.

LWSD has developed this webpage for families to check eligibility, choose a provider in their area, request an access code and sign-up for service.

 

Stay current on volunteer status with the district

We look forward to the day we can welcome volunteers back into our schools! Please make sure your volunteer approval status is current. If you have questions about your status, please email Chris Robison at crobison@lwsd.org. To renew your application or apply for the first time, please click here. 

LWSD is still following guidelines from OSPI in limiting nonessential visitors and volunteers to our schools at this time. We currently don’t have any information when this will change but want our volunteers to be ready to come back to school when they are able.

When volunteers are able to come back into schools, they will be asked to go through COVID protocols before being cleared to enter the buildings.

 

Attend the LWPTSA Council self-care series 

Join the Lake Washington PTSA Council the third Friday of the month at 5:00 p.m. for a one-hour segment on true and tried strategies for maintaining your equilibrium. All are welcome!

The April Self-Care topic is: Gratitude as the Ultimate Mood Enhancer with Staci Danford.

Online link will be shared in the council newsletter.

This series is organized by the Lake Washington PTSA Council with support from Lake Washington School District. For questions, contact Hae Sue Park and Irene Neumann, Parent Ed Chairs, at parent.ed@lwptsa.net.

Visit the LWPTSA Council website for more information.

 

Reminder: LWSD fields remain closed during the day for community use - playgrounds, tennis courts and tracks are open to public on evenings and weekends

All LWSD playgrounds, tracks and tennis courts are closed to the public during the school day from 7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. and open for weekend and evening use. School campuses are closed during the school day. As a reminder, large, organized activities are not allowed.

• Play is limited to groups of 5 or fewer.
• Face coverings and 6 feet physical distancing are required.
• Hands should be washed after play.

Please note that some elementary schools have childcare on site until 6:00 p.m. so play structures may be in use until that time. 

The public is also not allowed to be on a field when an outside organization is renting the field.

Stadiums – fields and ball fields with synthetic turf opened in January. We will update our communities as more of our facilities open to the public. 

Thank you for your cooperation in helping to slow the transmission of COVID-19.

 

Building on Success is Lake Washington School District's long-term plan to reduce overcrowding, accommodate growing enrollment, and continue to provide quality learning environments and experiences for our students.

Social media influencer – Baker Elementary teacher gains online following for creative, informative virtual classes 

You know you are doing something right if you have two million social media likes and are being featured on national news networks. That is exactly what is happening for Ella Baker Elementary teacher Garett Talcott. Talcott was recently featured on ABC World News, local TV station KING 5 news and elsewhere for creative ways to teach his students virtually. Some of these unique ways to teach lessons have included going on a virtual field trip to Woodland Park Zoo, pretending like the class is on a roller coaster, erupting model volcanoes and more. Videos captured by Talcott’s partner during these lessons have been uploaded to social media site Tik Tok, where his account has received more than two million likes. In addition, Talcott’s social media accounts have more than 100,000 followers combined. His trip to the Woodland Park Zoo has been viewed more than 800,000 times so far. Read more about this on the LWSD website. Read more about this on the LWSD website. 

 

We've got this! Calling all LWSD students! We’re asking student artists to color in our "We've got this" coloring sheet. Then, take a picture of yourself holding the sheet when you are done, and post to the LWSD Facebook page to share with the rest of our community! 

Download the coloring page here.

 

We're hiring!

LWSD is always seeking great talent for positions throughout our district. Check out the LWSD website for job descriptions and postings. Current positions include: bus drivers, instructional assistants, paraeducators and more.

 

This newsletter is just one way to stay in touch with what is happening in the district. Connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube for up-to-date news and information.