Lake Washington School District (LWSD) purchases land for future

Lake Washington School District (LWSD) closed this week on a 25.46-acre property in Redmond, Washington, that will support continued growth in LWSD. The site is a large and unique parcel called Park 188, formerly owned by Cadman. Representing LWSD in the transaction were Kidder Mathews commercial real estate brokers Jason Bloom and Todd Gauthier.

The site is within and borders King County’s Urban Growth Boundary, which is directly to the east. The site is adjacent to a growing residential neighborhood that supports walking to school and nature preserves, regional trails, and parks that can support school district facilities. Regional amenities and connections include Marymoor Park, Washington State Route 520, Redmond Town Center, and a future light rail station.

“The purchase of this property is unique opportunity to plan for the future needs of Lake Washington School District,” said Dr. Jon Holmen, Superintendent. “It is rare to find a property of this size within the Urban Growth Boundary, and the potential uses will greatly benefit our students, families and the community.”

The district will use Capital Project proceeds from the sale of district property and remaining funds from the April 2016 bonds projects to fund the $40 million acquisition cost of Park 188.  The district appreciates Cadman and the community’s support of our students and schools. LWSD will require a future bond or levy to fund the construction of educational facilities on this property. 

Read more about this purchase on our district website. 

 

LWSD to partner with Seattle Visiting Nurses Association (SVNA) to offer free COVID-19 vaccination clinics

The Seattle Visiting Nurse Association (SVNA) will be running COVID vaccination clinics on the dates below at our comprehensive high schools. Currently, vaccines are approved for ages 12+.Anyone is welcome to register for this event. More details will be shared directly with staff and families soon.

Saturday, May 22, 8:30-4:30 (Juanita High School, Redmond High School) 
Sunday, May 23, 8:30-4:30 (Eastlake High School, Lake Washington High School)

View the flyer for more information on these vaccination clinics.

 

Provide your feedback – LWSD Calendars for 2021-22 through 2025-26

The District is currently working with the Lake Washington Education Association to develop the school district calendar for the next four school years. This survey is an opportunity for parents to weigh in on what they would like to see in the district calendar. Please complete this survey by Thursday, May 20.

 

Virtual Registration Week – May 24-28, 2021

New to LWSD? Register your child now for the 2021-22 school year!*
Lake Washington School District plans to provide in-person instruction five days a week, following pre-pandemic school hours for grades K-12 in the 2021-22 school year. 

While you can enroll any time, we are asking families to please enroll early so we can make sure the right staff are in place for fall 2021.

Registration for all K-12 LWSD students in done through our website. Enrolling online is fast and easy! 

• All required documents can be accessed on the website and uploaded securely. 
• Parents/guardians 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.

*Currently enrolled students do not need to re-register to continue attendance in LWSD.

Staff are available to help answer registration-related questions at registrar@lwsd.org, or by calling your school office. 

Reminder: 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. 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 can watch a recording of the Teams Live Event that was held on May 4. 

An FAQ document has been created from questions about the online school. That document, which includes a course list, is available at this link: https://sway.office.com/EqVidCjrDgfg7NH8?ref=Link&loc=mysways. 

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: 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.

 

Reminder: 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: 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: 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. The menu is available here.

 

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.

 

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.

Rockwell receives an autographed painting from famed artist

Norman Rockwell Elementary received a signed copy of the “Freedom From Want” painting from Danny Galieote, a prominent artist who re-created Norman Rockwell paintings to represent the current cultural and social transformation in America today. The original painting by Rockwell is considered one of the most iconic paintings of the 20th century. 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.