New online-only school expanded to grades 11-12; will debut in the 2021-22 school year

Enrollment for the new online school has expanded to include incoming 11th and 12th grade students. Families of incoming 9th – 12th grade students can access the enrollment application. Enrollment is open until May 16.

Currently, this is the only online learning option for Lake Washington School District high school students next year. There are 150 seats available for families who wish to enroll in the online school. The District will evaluate expanding this number based on enrollment needs. 

Families who want to learn more about the new school are invited to attend a Teams Live Event on Tuesday, May 4 from 6:00 – 6:30 p.m. Please RSVP and submit any questions you have about the online school to this Microsoft Form. A recording of the event will be made available for families that cannot attend.

An FAQ document has been created from questions about the online school. That document, which includes a course list, is available at this link. 

More information about choice schools and the lottery process can be found at this link.

Information about Alternative Learning can be found at this link.

 

LWSD Spring Groups

Lake Washington School District is offering support groups for both students and parents this spring. Students can join virtually on Wednesday afternoons to connect with fellow students for some extra support. Discussions will be about struggles and successes and to get some ideas for how to cope with isolation, the pandemic, lack of motivation, stress and anxiety. Groups will be tailored to student interests based on attendees. 

Parents and guardians will have the opportunity to vent and talk about frustration and worry, as students transition back to in-person learning or whether they remain at home. This drop-in group will provide parents with an opportunity to discuss parenting tips and to share successes and struggles in a supportive environment with other parents. Groups will begin the week of April 26 and end the last week of school. 

View the flyer for more information and to access the groups via QR code. 

 

Have you been inspired by an LWSD teacher?

Teacher Appreciation Week is coming up in May. Have you been inspired by an incredible LWSD teacher? Do you have a teacher, paraeducator, bus driver, principal, custodian, instructional assistant, office manager, school secretary or other staff member who has elevated your life or the life of your child? Do you work with a colleague who keeps us climbing upward, elevating the quality of everything they do to provide the best education for our students? Send us your stories at lwsd.org/excellent-staff!

 

Administrative Professionals Week

Last week, April 19-23 was Administrative Professionals Week. We would like to recognize the tremendous work of all our office professionals. They are the glue that hold our schools together. We value these workers and appreciate each of their individual contributions to LWSD! 

 

LWSD celebrates Earth Day 2021

Many schools celebrated Earth Day on April 22 with educational activities. Students and staff at Benjamin Franklin Elementary celebrated Earth Day by writing about how they can help the environment, planting flowers on campus and working on art projects. Visit the LWSD Facebook page to see how LWSD celebrated this important day.

 

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

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, the 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.

 

Reminder: 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.

 

Reminder: 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. 

 

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.

 

Reminder: 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.

 

Reminder: 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 May Self-Care topic is: Mindfulness and Meditation

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.

Two LWSD students receive National Merit Corporate-Sponsored Scholarships

Wednesday that two Lake Washington School District seniors will receive National Merit Corporate-Sponsored Scholarships:

• Kensho Y. Gendzwill, Redmond H.S. - National Merit Boeing Scholarship
• James Aidan Dale Linder, Redmond H.S. - National Merit Liberty Mutual Scholarship

National Merit Corporate-Sponsored Scholarships are financed by about 140 corporations, company foundations and other business organizations. These students are two of only 1,000 distinguished high school seniors nationwide, and just 13 in Washington, to win these scholarships. 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.