Lake Washington Tuition Preschool Program now accepting Interest Statements for 2021-22 school year

The tuition-based Lake Washington Preschool Program is now accepting enrollment Interest Statements for the 2021-22 school year. New families interested in securing a seat for their child to enroll at one of the Lake Washington School District (LWSD) Preschool Sites in the 2021-2022 school year, need to complete the Preschool Interest Statement.

Currently enrolled/returning preschool students, preschool students on an IEP or students enrolled in our Head Start program do not need to fill out the interest statement. 

Interest Statements received before March 12, 2021 will be entered into a lottery for a seat in the LWSD Preschool program. Lottery will be held the week of March 15, 2021 and families will be notified by March 31, 2021. Any students who do not receive a seat via the lottery will be placed on a waitlist for that preschool location/session. 

Families on the waitlist at specific preschool locations will be called and offered seats as they become available. 

After April 1, 2021 registration/enrollments will be handled at the LWSD Early Learning Center at the Old Redmond Schoolhouse to fill any seats remaining after the lottery. 

Please direct any questions to Nichole Townsend, preschool registrar.

Visit the Lake Washington Preschool Program webpage for more information and to submit a Preschool Interest Statement.

 

Teams Live information session for new online school to be held March 11

Information about the new online school to open in the fall of 2021 will be presented during a Teams Live event on March 11 from 6:00 - 7:00 p.m. During this session, families of incoming 9th grade students will learn about the mission, vision, structure and overall plans for the new online school. Interested families should plan to watch the information session with prospective students and talk about the online option as a family, deciding together if online learning is a good fit for their student. 

Any family interested in attending the online sessions is asked to complete a quick Microsoft Form to share their name and submit questions before the Live Event. An FAQ document of questions gathered from the survey and during the live event will be shared later. 

After the information session is held, a link to apply for enrollment in the online school will be shared with interested families. The same link will be posted to the online school's information page. Attending the information session is not a requirement for applying for enrollment. If more than 200 students request to enroll in the online school, a lottery process will used to select students for enrollment. 

Information about the online school and a link to attend or watch a recording of the Live Teams event. 

Information about choice schools and the lottery process. 

Information about Alternative Learning.

 

Reminder: 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.

 

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. 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: 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

 

Update: 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.

Students attending school in-person:

• If schools are closed due to weather our in-person K-1 students and staff will transition to remote learning
• The daily schedule will remain the same
• Teachers will reach out to their students with synchronous and/or asynchronous learning activities for the remote day or days

Students attending school remotely:

• Students will remain in remote learning

 

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.

Thoreau third graders transform virtual learning into a book

In this time of remote learning, Thoreau Elementary teacher Caroline Amundsen inspired her third-grade class to explore their creativity and hone their writing skills. Over the course of the fall, the students learned the fundamentals of writing and spent weeks drafting, revising, editing and illustrating their stories. 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.