Just a reminder that Mid-Winter Break is February 11-12 and all schools will be closed. District offices will remain open during the break. Schools and district offices will be closed on Monday, February 15 for Presidents Day.

 

Will child care still be available for families?

The YMCA, Boys and Girls Club and District Extended Day staff provide care in LWSD. We are currently offering full-day childcare at 8 school locations serving approximately 180 students. The Child Care Resources webpage includes links to interest forms for childcare once we return to in-person learning. Each provider will determine if/when locations can be added based on demand. The numbers of students able to be served may be limited due to space limits in buildings and ability to hire staff.

 

Pathway Forward Guide and Videos for K-1 Families

LWSD’s Pathway Forward Guide for K-1 Families is now available on our website. We are currently in the process of translating this guide into additional languages, and have it available on our website as both a PDF and as a page that can be translated into other languages by clicking the globe “Translate” widget at the top left corner of the website.

In addition, LWSD has created a series of videos to help families understand the basics of our Safety Plan for returning K-1 students to in-person learning. You can find the videos here. We are working to translate these videos into additional languages as well. 

We highly recommend that families review the guide and the videos prior to the return of K-1 students on Thursday, February 18.

Registration now closed.

 

Blackwell Elementary PTA & Rockwell Elementary PTA Present: Emotional Readiness to Return to School (Webinar) – February 16, 2021 from 7:00-8:00 p.m.

This free webinar, sponsored by Blackwell Elementary PTA and Rockwell Elementary PTA, is open to all LWSD families and staff, and will discuss: 

• Strategies for reducing anxiety and improving safety for parents, students & staff returning to in-person school
• Student and family emotional well-being
• District safety guidelines

Speakers include:

• Dr. Mary Schoenfeldt, an expert with over 30 years of experience with school crisis response and emergency management.
• Catherine Robinson, LWSD Emergency Manager
• Johnny Phu, LWSD Director of Student Services

 

Prepared for the global workplace

February is Career & Technical Education Month 
Did you know that LWSD has approximately than 8,677 students participating in 104 different Career & Technical Education (CTE) course options taught by 138 CTE teachers? The School Board proclaimed the month of February as Career & Technical Education month in LWSD.  
 
Read the full proclamation here. 

 

Reminder: Lake Washington Schools open enrollment Is February 1-26, 2021

Lake Washington School District (LWSD) holds an open enrollment period once each year for parents who want their children to attend a school other than their neighborhood school. Parents may apply between February 1-26 for a change to their school assignment for the 2021-22 school year for their student in grades K-12. This option is also known as an In-District Variance. 

Read more about open enrollment on the district website.

 

Reminder: Kindergarten registration begins February 18, 2021  

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! 

Registration for all K-12 LWSD students is online. 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 safe drop off.

Read more about Kindergarten registration on the district website.

 

Reminder: Videos to help with Skyward

A series of videos has been developed to help support students and families in using Skyward Student Access and Family Access.  You will find videos on how to sign in, how to change language settings, how to view report cards, and more. Student Access videos can be found here. Students will need to select the “Stream” version of the video if they are using their district laptop. Family Access videos can be found here.

 

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

Lake Washington School District is offering free meals to all children ages 1-18. Please visit the website for more information.

 

Reminder: LWSD developing online school for 2021-22 school year 

Lake Washington School District is currently developing an online school that will open in the fall of 2021. This new learning environment will provide students with a rich learning experience to support their growth and success. The online option is separate from the remote learning our students are currently experiencing and our return-to-school efforts and plans.
 
This online school will initially target incoming 9th grade students for the 2021-22 school year, with expanded grade options to be added over time. While there are many details to determine, we believe providing an online school will meet the needs of many of our students and families.
 
Family information sessions that will detail enrollment procedures and the structure of the online school will be scheduled for February and March.
 
More information will be coming soon on the Lake Washington School District website.

 

Reminder: World language proficiency testing

To continue to recognize the talents of our bilingual and biliterate LWSD students, World Language Proficiency Testing for high school credit is being offered for current LWSD 9th-12th grade students in February at Redmond High School, and March at Lake Washington High School. You can register here: https://www.lwsd.org/schools/high-school/high-school-guide/world-language-credit-options. 

Testing will be conducted following strict safety and social distancing protocols. After registering here on the LWSD website, we will contact you via the preferred email indicated in the registration to coordinate your specific test date and time at your preferred location. Please note that we are operating at limited capacity this year and will prioritize 11th and 12th graders who need World Language credit to graduate. We will test 9th and 10th graders if additional spots are available. 

Questions? Contact the LWSD World Language Specialist and Test Administrator, Theresa Vásquez at tvasquez@lwsd.org.

 

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: Microsoft Classroom Teams video tutorial for families

Need help using Microsoft Classroom Teams? Lake Washington School District (LWSD) has created a video tutorial to help families navigate this online learning platform. Visit https://www.lwsd.org/help/classroom-teams-support. 

For additional, self-guided support, feel free to look through the below documents to help you navigate the Classroom Teams platform:

• Classroom Teams Student Guide | Español
• Classroom Teams Parent & Guardian Guide | Español
• Changing language settings in Teams | Español

As always, feel free to reach out to your student’s librarian for any help navigating technical issues you may be having like forgotten passwords. 

Additional Help Resources:
Helpdesk is now open 24 hours a day, 7 days/week.

Families Contact: Family Technology Access at ftaccess@lwsd.org, 425-936-1322

24x7 Parent Help email address: parentquestions@lwsd.org

 

Reminder: Weather Events & Internet/Service Outages – What to Expect

We know that our Pacific Northwest weather can be unpredictable. Please take a few minutes to review the information below so you know what to expect when there is a weather event or power outage during a school day.

Power and Internet Outages 
If a student/teacher experiences a power or internet outage:

• Contact your teacher or school to report the outage.
• If you lose power or connection during a Microsoft Teams class session and you are unable to connect, you should attempt to connect as soon as a connection is available.
• If your teacher is suddenly absent without notification from a Microsoft Teams class, you should leave the session and re-enter after 15 minutes. If the teacher is still absent from Microsoft Teams you may end class.
• The teacher will follow up with individual students or the class as soon as possible.
• You should take note of asynchronous activities you could do without an internet connection.
• You can also continue to work on previously assigned classwork.

Weather events (snow days)
Snow days during remote learning will work differently than a normal school year. If snow or inclement weather affects a school day, remote instruction will continue and in-person students receiving special services will shift to all remote learning for that day. There will not be late starts due to snow or weather events.

Announcements will be made to staff and families via our SchoolMessenger system (by phone, email, and by text messaging for those signed up), district website posting, and social media postings. We will also use FlashAlert.net, which reports directly to local media and provides text alerts to anyone who signs up.

 

Reminder: LWSD fields remain closed - 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.

 

JHS students create “coral reef” out of trash and suggest ways to reduce plastic

Students in the Earth Corps club at Juanita High School wanted to draw attention to the amount of single-use plastic in King County and around the world.

In December, after months of research, the students wrote in an article for King County Green Schools: 

“In 2019, plastic alone accounted for 14% of King County’s total waste disposed (2019 King County Waste Characterization Report). This metric does not include the plastic that is carelessly dumped into our public spaces, much of which is single-use plastic that ends up in our waterways. The World Economic Forum predicts that by 2050, plastic will outweigh fish in the ocean, not including all the plastic that remains on land (Washington Post).”

Read more about this project 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.

 

Careers at LWSD

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.