Elementary conferences canceled and schedule modified 

At this time, we are canceling our traditional goal setting conferences for the week of October 12. We know that teachers have had significant communication with families at the beginning of the school year and we are working to accommodate the needs of multiple stakeholders in our remote environment.  Here is the updated schedule for the week of October 12:

• Monday (10/12) & Tuesday (10/13) – Regular school days
• Wednesday (10/14) – Regular Wednesday early-release schedule
• Thursday (10/15) – AM: Half day for students and PM: Teacher individual/team planning and optional professional development
• Friday (10/16) – No school – Teacher LEAP Day

The afternoon of Thursday, October 15 is for teachers to participate in individual and/or team planning or to participate in optional professional development. Knowing the number of curriculum and technology changes this year, that afternoon can provide some additional time to do the work teachers identify for themselves.

In-Person Special Education Students:
On Monday and Tuesday, students will participate in their in-person learning classes as scheduled. On Wednesday and Thursday, there will be no in-person classes. However, asynchronous learning will be provided. There is no school or services for students on Friday. If you have any questions, please reach out to your child’s special education teacher or building principal. 

Preschool:
Next week’s schedule change for K-5 does not change the calendar for preschool. As previously scheduled, there will be no in person or remote preschool the week of October 12. Teachers who are serving students in-person will still be conducting conferences as regularly planned and scheduled. Because teachers with remote students are in more frequent individual contact with families, they will be providing parents and families with other resources and check-in opportunities that week. You should receive more specific information from your student’s teaching team regarding their plans for next week. Conferences for students in our Head Start classrooms will still take place 10/28, 11/4 and 11/18 as scheduled. If you have any questions, please reach out to your child’s teacher. 

 

Payment for AP exams available October 1-30

If you registered to take the Advanced Placement (AP) test in Spring 2021, you may log in now to make a payment. Payments are accepted online from October 1-30, 2020 at payments.lwsd.org. If you need help with online payments, financial assistance or have any other questions, please contact your high school bookkeeper. You can find their contact information and more on the LWSD website at https://www.lwsd.org/programs-and-services/accelerated-programs/high-school-highly-capable. 

 

Join one of our curriculum committees

In the Lake Washington School District, we convene committees of stakeholders to review our adopted curriculum on a regular basis. These committees consist of teachers, administrators, specialists, community members and students. The committees meet up to two times a month to engage in learning about current research, standards, and effective instructional practices and then apply that learning in evaluating resources for potential adoption. The process of reviewing and/or adopting new curricular materials can be a one or two-year commitment, depending on the size and impact of the adoption. We are starting this process in several content areas this fall. If you are interested in applying to be part of one of these committees, please fill out the application for that content area committee. For any additional information, please contact Dr. Jen Rose, Director of Teaching and Learning.

• 6-12 World Languages Adoption Committee: Student Recruitment
• 6-12 World Languages Adoption Committee: Community Member Recruitment
• 6-12 Social Studies Adoption Committee: Student Recruitment
• 6-12 Social Studies Adoption Committee: Community Member Recruitment
• 6-12 Health Adoption Committee: Student and Community Member Recruitment

 

Earthquake Preparedness in LWSD 

Even though the majority of our students and staff are remote we still have an obligation to comply with our state mandated emergency drills. Disasters cause anxiety precisely because they can occur without warning and without regard for other, existing emergencies. Practicing emergency plans helps us develop unity in our preparation and response and increases confidence in our safety and security resulting in a more resilient community. Lake Washington School District (LWSD) works with all its schools to ensure that earthquake response plans are in place. Our buildings are built to seismic codes, and older buildings have been retrofitted. All natural gas lines have seismic shut-off valves. The district has a Safety Advisory Committee that meets monthly to discuss emergency planning and safety. As part of those plans, the district follows guidance from the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction and currently recommends “drop, cover and hold” as the state-approved response to earthquakes. This year, staff working on site will practice earthquake response and students learning remotely will be encouraged to practice and think about how they would respond to an earthquake at home.  Resources to prepare for and practice earthquake safety can be found at Great Washington ShakeOut. Great Washington ShakeOut will occur on October 15 at 10:15 a.m. This is a state-wide earthquake drill.

 

World language proficiency testing

To continue to recognize the talents of our bilingual and biliterate LWSD students, we are tentatively offering in-person testing on Wednesdays this year, as indicated below. Testing will be conducted following strict safety and social distancing protocols. After registering here on 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. 

We are using a rolling registration this year and students can register now for any of the following testing windows:

• Wednesdays in November at Juanita High School
  (Registration closes October 31, 2020)
• Wednesdays in January at Eastlake High School
  (Registration closes December 31, 2020)
• Wednesdays in February at Redmond High School
  (Registration closes January 31, 2021)
• Wednesdays in March at Lake Washington High School
  (Registration closes February 28, 2021)
• Any Wednesday at the LWSD Resource Center, 16250 NE 74th Street, Redmond, WA 98052
  (Registration closes March 31, 2021)

Registration is now live for Seal of Biliteracy/World Language Proficiency Testing at https://www.lwsd.org/schools/high-school/high-school-guide/world-language-credit-options. 

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

 

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 open! 7:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m., 7 days/week.
Families Contact: Family Technology Access at ftaccess@lwsd.org, 425-936-1322
24x7 Parent Help email address: parentquestions@lwsd.org

 

Reminder: Child care space still available

Space is still available for families and staff who need child care. The district has worked with community partners, YMCA and Boys & Girls Clubs of King County to provide emergency child care for students in grades K-5. In addition, our district extended day program will provide care at select sites. Each provider will have multiple locations to choose from.

These childcare services provide emergency or critical support for families that cannot otherwise be with their children during the day due to work responsibilities outside of the home.

Visit the LWSD website for more information.

 

Reminder: Fall grab and go meals now available – 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: https://www.lwsd.org/covid-19/grab-go-student-meals.

The menu is available here.

Meals should be ordered in advance and are available for pickup Monday through Friday. Friday pickup includes meals for Saturday and Sunday.

For more information, or to place an order, visit: https://www.lwsd.org/covid-19/grab-go-student-meals.

Do you qualify for the Free & Reduced-Price Meals program? Here’s how to apply:

• Nutrition Services has been serving free meals as part of an emergency COVID meal plan through a waiver granted by the USDA. This program is set to expire December 31, 2020 OR when funding is depleted. When this program expires, you will be required to qualify for Free and Reduced meals in order to receive meal benefits.
• You must have a new 2020-21 free and/or reduced application submitted by October 13, 2020 in order to avoid a lapse in meal benefits. Eligibility will be determined within 10 days of receipt of application.
• Hard copies of the application form will be available at the meal distribution locations.
• Completed application can be scanned and emailed to: F-RMealApp@lwsd.org or
  Printed and mailed to:
  LWSD Business Services
  16250 NE 74th St.
  Redmond, WA  98052

Learn more about the Free and Reduced Price Meals Program.

 

LWSD playgrounds now open to public

All LWSD playgrounds are now open to the public during evenings and weekends. This is in accordance with city, county and state guidance. Playgrounds will be closed to the public during the school day from 8:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Just a reminder that large, organized activities are not allowed. Play is limited to groups of five or fewer. Please wear a face covering and keep six feet apart. Hands should be washed after play.

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. 

 

LEAP Day – October 16 (No School) 

October 16 is a Learning Enhancement and Academic Planning (LEAP) Day. That means no school for students so that teachers and staff members can focus on professional development.

 

National School Bus Safety Week – October 19-23 

National School Bus Safety Week is a public education program that addresses the importance of school bus safety. School districts throughout the country observe School Bus Safety Week the third week in October each year. This year’s theme is “Red lights mean STOP!” 

 

October is National Cyber Security Awareness Month 

October is National Cyber Security Awareness month co-founded and co-led by the Department of Homeland Security and the National Cyber Security Alliance. 

Program materials from the Stop.Think.Connect.Toolkit provide information and activities to help students, staff, and parents learn more about and practice safe computing. Cyber criminals target vulnerable computer systems or users of technology in large and small businesses, schools and at home. Cybersecurity is a shared responsibility in which we all have a role. Click on the links to access tools for Students and Parents and Educators. 

 

Wear orange on October 21 to show we’re together against bullying 

Unity Day is Wednesday, October 21 
Make it ORANGE and make it end! What are your true colors when it comes to bullying? If you care about safe and supportive schools and communities make your color ORANGE on Unity Day. That’s the day everyone can come together – in schools, communities, and online – and send one large ORANGE message of support, hope and unity. Show that we are together against bullying and united for kindness, acceptance and inclusion. Read more about Unity Day. 

 

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.

Security camera installation complete at elementary schools

The 2019 Capital Projects Levy approved by voters provided funding for safety and security enhancements. LWSD completed installation of exterior cameras at all elementary school sites over the summer. Work also began on high school secured entry modifications. Lake Washington High School and Redmond High School projects will be completed this fall and Eastlake High School will be completed by fall 2021.

 

What an achiever! – EAS student wins national Young Achiever award

Positive role model. Successful achiever. Good citizen. These are all phrases that define an International Leadership Network Young Achiever. Environmental and Adventure School eighth grader Sanika Datar was recently named a 2020 Young Achiever. She is the only person from Washington state and just one of 15 in the country to be recognized with this award. Read more about this recognition.

 

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. 

 

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.