Director district boundary changes proposed 

Affects school board elections only, not schools
Every ten years, after each U.S. Census is completed, school districts must review the boundaries of their board of director districts to ensure equitable geographic representation. Lake Washington School District is divided into five geographic regions or districts, one for each board seat. Candidates for school board must run for the seat of the director district they live in. By creating five equal director districts, geographic diversity is ensured on the school board. Each position is elected by all district voters, so each of the five directors represents the entire district in their board actions.

These boundaries are completely unrelated to school attendance boundaries: this process will not change any neighborhood school boundaries.

Read more about this on the LWSD website.

 

Register for Kindergarten now!

If you live in Lake Washington School District (LWSD) and your child will be five years old on or before August 31, 2022, 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 by U.S. mail or drop them off at their neighborhood school. Read more about Kindergarten registration on the district website: Kindergarten Information - Lake Washington School District (lwsd.org)

 

Early entrance to LWSD kindergarten application now available

In the state of Washington, students must be five years old by August 31 to register for kindergarten. Children whose fifth birthday fall between September 1 and November 30, and whose parents believe to be exceptionally qualified for kindergarten, may apply for early entrance to kindergarten. The application for early entrance to kindergarten for LWSD families is now open. Children whose fifth birthday falls after November 30 are not eligible to apply for early entrance to kindergarten.

Please read the Early Entrance to Kindergarten FAQs before completing the application. Please contact the Accelerated Programs office at 425-936-1238 if you have questions about the early entrance to kindergarten process. Please visit the LWSD website for more information.

 

Reminder: Lake Washington Tuition Preschool Program now accepting Interest Statements for 2022-23 school year

The tuition-based Lake Washington Preschool Program is now accepting enrollment Interest Statements for the 2022-23 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 2022-2023 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 2, 2022 will be entered into a lottery for a seat in the LWSD Preschool program. Lottery will be held the week of March 7, 2022 and families will be notified by March 18, 2022. 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 11, 2022 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 at ntownsend@lwsd.org.

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

 

Reminder: February is Black History Month

February is Black History Month. This celebration of Black culture in the United States and the contribution of Black Americans to our great country has its origins to coincide with the birth of both Frederick Douglass and Abraham Lincoln (February 14th, 1818 & February 12th, 1808, respectively).

Frederick Douglass escaped enslavement and later went on to be one of the founders of The Abolitionist Movement in the United States. His harrowing tale of escape and the intellectual foundation he created are still relevant in our times. You can find more information here on the Britannica website.

Every year Black History Month has a theme. This year’s theme is Black Health and Wellness. The theme is intended to celebrate Black scholars and healthcare professionals, but also the variety of ways the African Diaspora heals. More information on the theme can be found here at the Association for Study of African American Life and History.

 

Reminder: Heritage language opportunity

Virtual Heritage Language Program for Russian, Romanian, and Ukrainian Speakers

This free, virtual program through OSPI and International Education Washington meets once a week through June to assist heritage speakers of Russian, Romanian and Ukrainian with earning the Global Seal of Biliteracy. Space is available now for heritage language speakers from any public high school in Washington state. Interested students should apply ASAP using the application form.

 

Reminder: 6-12th grade social studies curriculum adoption resources available to review

The 6-12 Social Studies Adoption Committee has used the Washington State Social Studies Standards, adopted by the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) in 2019, as well as their knowledge of effective practices in teaching to guide a deep evaluation of different available 6-12 social studies curricula. The committee reached consensus in choosing two curricula per course to pilot this spring and/or next fall, depending on the course. Teachers on the Adoption Committee, along with other interested teachers, are currently piloting both curricula, gathering student data and impact of curriculum, and collecting student, teacher, and parent/community feedback.   
 
The programs will be piloted until spring break. Throughout the pilot period, the committee will consider how the different programs operate in a daily classroom environment for both teachers and students, as well as how they effectively support instruction aligned with the Washington State Social Studies Standards and effective and inclusive instructional practices.  
   
Parent and community feedback is essential in this process and we welcome your input. You can access digital versions of the programs, along with survey link that you can use to provide feedback here: Community Access for Pilot Resources. 

Survey responses are anonymous. These responses will help inform the recommendation our 6-12 Social Studies Adoption Committee makes about the adoption of materials. The committee is scheduled to make a recommendation to the Lake Washington School Board in April.   
  
Additionally, information about the adoption process and the social studies programs being considered will be shared at an information night scheduled on Teams for Thursday, March 10 from 7:00 – 8:00 p.m.  The link to join the meeting will be shared on our website closer to the date and will be in the next Connections as well. If you have any further questions or comments, please contact Dr. Jen Rose at jerose@lwsd.org or Krystal Stephens at kstephens@lwsd.org. 

 

Reminder: Lake Washington Schools open enrollment February 4-28 

Lake Washington School District 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 4-28 for a change to their school assignment for the 2022-23 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. Students from outside the district, who wish to attend Lake Washington’s schools, can apply for enrollment by initiating a Choice Transfer (out-of-district) request with their resident school district.  Please use our district website to find the application: https://www.lwsd.org/students-families/transfer-options/choice-transfers.