A message from Dr. Jon Holmen, Superintendent

Dear Lake Washington School District Students, Staff and Families:

Thank you. These two words seem to have a new meaning and, at times, seem inadequate to truly express how deeply grateful we are as a district to all those connected with our work this year. As we wrap up the historic 2020-21 school year, I would like to express a heartfelt thank you to our families, students, staff and community. We have all worked together in new ways this year to support each and every student as they learned both remotely and in-person to achieve success. I am humbled to have the opportunity to share a few words with all Lake Washington School District’s Class of 2021, in the form of a letter to our graduating seniors.

Jon

Dr. Jon Holmen, Superintendent
Lake Washington School District

Read more of Dr. Holmen’s message on the district website.

 

Congratulations, Class of 2021! 

Over 1,800 LWSD students will be graduating this year. On June 9 and 10, graduating students from six of our high schools were handed their diplomas at T-Mobile Park in Seattle. Throughout graduation season, follow our Facebook page and district website for pictures and videos of these once in a lifetime ceremonies.

 

 

Celebrating our LWSD 2020-21 retirees 

For the second year in a row, we could not provide an in-person retirement celebration this year, so instead we have created a presentation honoring all the retirees from the 2020-21 school year. We want to thank all of our retirees for their years of tireless work with the district and we wish them luck on whatever retirement holds for them. Click here to view the presentation.

 

Three LWSD students receive National Merit College-Sponsored Scholarships 

More than 3,100 distinguished students recognized nationwide
The National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC) announced today that three Lake Washington School District (LWSD) students will receive National Merit College-Sponsored Scholarships:

• Andrey Piterkin, International Community School - National Merit Northeastern University Scholarship 
• Abhinav Diddee, Nikola Tesla STEM High School - National Merit Northeastern University Scholarship
• Eleanor R. Harris, Eastlake High School - National Merit Case Western Reserve University Scholarship

Officials of each sponsor college selected their scholarship winners from among Finalists in the 2021 National Merit Scholarship Program who plan to attend their institution. These awards provide between $500 and $2,000 annually for up to four years of undergraduate study at the institution financing the scholarship.

 

Great News! Free curbside Grab-and-Go meals will continue through the summer!

Children ages 1-18 can still receive their weekly meal pack through the summer of 2021. Please note the following important information and dates:

• Meals ordered for pickup on June 16 will be the seven-day meal packs only (all children ages 1-18 will be eligible)
• There will be no curbside grab and go meals the week of June 21
• Grab and go Meals will resume on Wednesday June 30 (order form will open on Wednesday, June 23) and continue every Wednesday until August 11 
• Please look for potential changes to bus stops/delivery times beginning Wednesday June 30

Visit www.lwsd.org/meals to order.    

In addition to the meals offered by Lake Washington School District this summer, there are several resources available to our families. Please use the following information if you are in need of other sources of food this summer: 

• USDA Resources  
  • Summer meals locator: Click here for English or Español
  • USDA National Hunger Hotline: Monday–Friday 
    • English: 1-866-3-HUNGRY (1-866-348-6479) 
    • Español: 1-877-8-HAMBRE (1-877-842-6273) 
• No Kid Hungry Resources 
  • Texting line: Families may text "Food" or "Comida" to 877-877 to find free summer meals near them. 
  • Meal site locator

 

Important Health Reminders for the 2021-22 School Year

Lake Washington School District is committed to the health and wellness of our students. Each school has a registered nurse available to provide a range of services. At the beginning of each school year, nurses collect student health information to plan for needs during the school day. As we plan for the 2021-22 school year, we want to remind everyone of a couple of important health-related items.

1. Immunizations
   The State Board of Health (SBOH) has approved changes to Chapter 246-105 of the Washington Administrative Code (WAC) concerning school and child care immunization policy. These rules apply to all public and private schools and licensed child care centers in Washington State. The update to Chapter 246-105 WAC has these major focuses:
   • It now requires medically verified immunization records for school and child care entry.
   • It clarifies conditional status in regards to school and child care immunization requirements and implementation.
   • It changes the Tdap immunization requirement to seventh through 12th grades.
   • It states that immunization information must be provided to schools prior to the student attending classes, and the conditional status no longer applies.

Medically Verified Records
The revised rule requires medically verified immunization records for school and child care entry. Medically verified record includes one or more of the following:

• A Certificate of Immunization Status (CIS) printed from the Immunization Information System (IIS)
• A physical copy of the CIS form with a healthcare provider signature
• A physical copy of the CIS with accompanying medical immunization records from a healthcare provider verified and signed by school staff
• A CIS printed from MyIR
• Download a copy of the CIS

LWSD is transitioning to School Module in Washington Immunization Information System (WAIIS) which requires parent consent for nurses to upload immunization records. Please sign the WAIIS consent form in Skyward Family Access to allow the building nurse to manage your child’s immunization records.

Learn more: https://www.lwsd.org/programs-and-services/health-services/immunizations 

Questions about immunizations? Please contact your school nurse or Dr. Keandra Thompson, Health Services Manager.

2. Individual Health Plans
   If your child has a life-threatening health condition, the following requirements must be met before your child can attend school:
   
   You must supply:
   • the required emergency medication to the school.
   • health care provider orders,
   • an individual health plan, and
   • any necessary supplies on or before the first day of school.

These health plans should be submitted directly to the school nurse and NOT through FinalForms. Until these requirements are met, your child will not be able to attend school. If you have any questions, please call Health Services support personnel at our Special Services Office: 425-936-1201.

3. Sports Physicals Required for Middle School/High School Sports Participation
   As a reminder, sports physicals are required for participation in middle school and high school sports. High School sports seasons start on August 18 of August 23, depending on sport, so it is important to have your paperwork on file in the school office prior to the start of the sports season. Pediatric doctor offices in our area are expecting more appointment requests for physicals in August, so it is a good idea to schedule your appointment early. For middle school students, sports begin September 6. Families will receive messaging from FinalForms with reminders about the required forms to complete. For more information, visit: https://www.lwsd.org/programs-and-services/athletics.

 

Summer Programs

Due to the extended school closures, we will be offering a variety of 2021 summer programs to support students in grades K-3 who are not reading at grade level, for high school students who may need additional credits towards on-time graduation, and for students who need Special Education Services. There will also be invitational programs for multilingual learners at the elementary, middle and high school level.

Additionally, there will be accelerated math courses that allow students to move more quickly through the LWSD secondary math pathways resulting in higher-level math options in their junior and senior years of high school.

We have added a limited number of fee-based classes and enrichment camps at the elementary level, depending on family interest and minimum sign ups. In addition, we have a limited number of fee-based high school core classes that will be offered dependent on student interest.

For more information, visit: bit.ly/LWSDSummer21.

 

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: 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. 

 

Sign-Up for a Free Summer Youth ORCA Pass!

High school students can sign-up for a 3-month Summer Youth ORCA Pass from King County Metro. The free transit pass is available for students in 8th – 12th grade who are qualified for Free or Reduced-Price Lunch.  Summer Youth ORCA Pass is good for unlimited rides on local transit including any bus, the Sounder train, Link light rail, streetcar, Water Taxi, and more!

• Click here to sign up: Summer Youth ORCA Pass Sign-up Form

For more information on the program please visit the Summer Youth ORCA Pass website.

 

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.

Timberline Middle School team wins state, takes 12th place at nationals in Science Olympiad

A team of 15 students from Timberline Middle School (TMS) took home first place at the Washington State Science Olympiad competition in April. The team from TMS, known as Elements, medaled in 17 of the 23 topics and were first place in eight of those. Because of their success, Elements represented Washington state at the national competition. They finished an impressive 12th place during the virtual competition hosted by Arizona State University May 21-22. Read more about this team and other LWSD teams competing in the Science Olympiad.

 

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.