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COVID-19 protocol updates

As we near the end of the first month of school we want to thank all of our students, families and staff for the collective efforts to keep everyone safe. We continue to need everyone to be vigilant about staying home when sick, wearing face coverings and washing hands.

We continue to follow guidance from King County Public Health, recently updated, when it comes to determining when students can return to school when they are close contacts, test positive, or have symptoms. Isolating and quarantining students or staff that present symptoms, test positive, or have been close contacts is an important layer of safety to help prevent transmission of COVID-19 within our schools.

When provided with a range of options we are using the safest options identified by King County Public Health. We will continue to evaluate the impact on our students and schools and may adopt other options identified by Public Health as conditions evolve. Under Public Health guidance:

• Unvaccinated students and staff identified as close contacts and have a negative test will quarantine for 14 days from the last date of contact with the person with COVID-19. Students and staff who are vaccinated and do not have symptoms do not need to quarantine.
• Students and staff who test positive and have no symptoms can return after isolating for 10 days. If students and staff who test positive and do have symptoms must also be symptom free before returning.
• Students and staff with symptoms of illness, who test negative and have no close contact, can return 24 hours after symptoms have passed OR if there is an alternative diagnosis by a health care provider
• Students and staff with symptoms, who test positive, and have no close contact are required to isolate for 10 days.
• In all cases where students have symptoms, they must be symptom free for at least 24 hours before returning regardless of the length of isolation or quarantine.

Families can access testing in multiple ways, including 

• Accessing free testing sites and private providers as a first option for testing
• For families that cannot access free sites or private providers resources, the district will soon begin offering free testing at regional sites.

Visit our new COVID Information for Families webpage on the LWSD website to help answer any questions you may have about prevention, isolation and quarantine, testing and resources that are available to our community. More information about our COVID Safety Plan is available here.

 

Rosa Parks Elementary School Named 2021 National Blue Ribbon School

One of 325 schools recognized nationwide and only Washington school awarded

Rosa Parks Elementary School has been named a 2021 National Blue Ribbon School by the U.S. Department of Education. The recognition is based on a school’s overall academic performance. 
"This year’s cohort of honorees demonstrates what is possible when committed educators and school leaders create vibrant, welcoming, and affirming school cultures where rich teaching and learning can flourish,” said Secretary Cardona. “I commend this school and all our Blue Ribbon honorees for working to keep students healthy and safe while meeting their academic, social, emotional, and mental health needs. In the face of unprecedented circumstances, you found creative ways to engage, care for, protect, and teach our children. Blue Ribbon Schools have so much to offer and can serve as a model for other schools and communities so that we can truly build back better."

Read more.

 

Sixty-six LWSD students named National Merit Semifinalists

Sixty-six Lake Washington School District (LWSD) high school seniors have been named semifinalists in the 67th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. That is the most ever for LWSD. The National Merit Scholarship Corporation announced the semifinalists on September 15.

Sixteen thousand high school seniors nationwide qualified. About 15,000 semifinalists are expected to advance to the Finalist level. More than half will win a National Merit Scholarship. These students will be able to continue in the competition for 7,500 National Merit Scholarships, worth nearly $30 million.

Read more about this on the LWSD website.
 

 

Updated information: Advanced Placement exam registration information for 2021-22 school year 

College Board has continued with the fall ordering deadlines. To meet the College Board ordering deadlines, Lake Washington School District students will register for AP exams from September 10, 2021, to the end of the last lunch on October 8, 2021. The payment window for all exams will be October 1, 2021, through October 22, 2021. We encourage all students wanting to take May 2022 AP exams to complete the registration and pay for their exams during this registration window. Bookkeepers can accept checks in person or families may pay online. College Board has reinstated the $40 cancellation fee for the 2021-22 school year. 

Students need to register via AP Central. AP teachers and the school's AP coordinator would have the codes that the students need to register. Students can pay the school's bookkeeper or can use our Online Payments tool after October 1.

For students that may still be deciding in October if they want to take AP exams in May, LWSD is offering a LATE AP Exam Registration window from February 1, 2022 through end of last lunch on February 16, 2022. Students who register during the late AP Registration window will incur a $50 per exam late fee in addition to the $98 per exam fee.

Read more about the Advanced Placement exam registration.

 

Update: District tip line 

**We have received reports from the administrators of the district tip line that people are calling regarding COVID-19 related issues in the district. This service is dedicated to bullying, harassment and other issues listed below and not for COVID-19. Please reach out to your student’s school if you have a COVID-19 related concern you would like to address.** 

Safety is one of our district’s top priorities and to help safeguard our school community, we’ve taken an important step that we want to share with you. Our district is now using Vector Alert, a tip reporting service that allows students, staff and parents to submit safety concerns to our administration five different ways: 

1. App: Search for “Vector Alert” in the App Store to download for free   
2. Phone: 425.529.5763   
3. Text: Text your tip to 425.529.5763   
4. Email: 1342@alert1.us   
5. Web: http://1342.alert1.us

If an administrator is not nearby or available to take your tip, you and your child can easily report tips on bullying, harassment, drugs, vandalism, threats of violence or any safety issue you're concerned about through Vector Alert. When you submit a tip, be sure to use our district’s identification code: 1342 in your communication. 

Every tip Vector Alert receives about our district is immediately logged in the system and our administration is notified so that they can investigate and take appropriate action. And, tips may also be submitted anonymously if you prefer. 

Together, using Vector Alert, we can make our district a safer place to work and learn! Thanks in advance for your support. 

 

Reminder: New and international families virtual welcome event 

Lake Washington School District, in coordination with Lake Washington PTSA, is hosting a virtual welcome event for our new and international families on Wednesday, September 29 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. This is a great opportunity for families to learn about our district and to increase engagement. Here is the event link.

Live captions for the event will be available in Chinese, Hindi, Portuguese, Russian, Spanish and Vietnamese. For more information, visit www.lwptsa.net. If you have any questions, please email Danit Erlich: redmondavp@lwptsa.net. 

 

Reminder: Accelerated Programs application information

The online application for Highly Capable Services is now available, starting on September 8, 2021, and we anticipate the application closing at 4:00 p.m. on October 1, 2021.

Additionally, the information nights that we typically host in person for our accelerated programs will be virtual this year. We have uploaded an informational video about our Accelerated Programs that you can view on our website.

Students may be referred by parents or other individuals, including teachers, other staff, or a member of the community. All students in first grade will be screened in the fall so referrals for students in that grade will not be accepted. Referrals can be made for students in all other grades K-7 during the application window.

Individuals making a referral must use the District-provided online referral form. Please submit only one referral per student. The District’s referral process may include screening procedures as allowed by state statute.

For more information, please visit the district website.

 

Reminder: Current COVID-19 data for in-person learning in LWSD 

Lake Washington School District takes all positive COVID-19 cases seriously. We have a comprehensive COVID-19 Positive Case Report Response process that includes reporting the case to Public Health, communicating information as needed to affected staff, parents/students (also called close contacts), and implementing our cleaning protocols that includes cleaning, disinfecting and sanitizing work spaces as required. The information collected from this process is placed in a Health and Safety Dashboard on the LWSD website.

 

2021-22 Registration for World Language Proficiency/Seal of Biliteracy Testing NOW OPEN

In order to continue to recognize the incredible talents of our bilingual and biliterate students, LWSD offers in-person world language testing for any current 9th-12th grade LWSD students. Students can satisfy the world languages graduation requirement through testing, earning up to 4 high school credits and the WA State Seal of Biliteracy on their transcript and diploma. We offer tests in any language that is both written and spoken. Testing is held on the designated dates and locations below. All 9th-12th grade students can take one language test free of cost and can test at any location and we offer testing for any language that is both written and spoken. Testing will be conducted in-person following state and district safety protocols. Register here for a specific test date. Questions? Contact the LWSD World Language Specialist and Test Administrator, Theresa Vásquez at tvasquez@lwsd.org.

• Wednesday, October 27 at Eastlake High School; 1:30 p.m. test start time (Registration closes Oct. 13)
• Wednesday, December 1 at Lake Washington High School; 1:30 p.m. test start time (Registration closes Nov. 17)
• Wednesday, February 9 at Redmond High School; 1:30 p.m. test start time (Registration closes Jan. 26)
• Wednesday, April 27 at Juanita High School; 1:30 p.m. test start time (Registration closes Apr. 13)

Register and find more information.
 

Reminder: Free meals for the 2021-22 school year and additional benefits for free and reduced lunch families

Lake Washington School District will continue to provide meals free of charge at all school sites for the 2021-22 school year due to a USDA-issued waiver. This nationwide waiver allows for free meals for the 2021-22 school year only.  

Menu available here. 

Apply for free or reduced-price meals for additional benefits 
Families that previously qualified for free or reduced-price meal benefits will need to reapply to continue receiving district supported fee reductions and benefits. Depending on your family income and size, your student may qualify for free or reduced-price meals. Families that are eligible for free and reduced meals may also qualify to have fees for ASB cards, sports participation and other extracurricular activities waived by providing your consent to share eligibility information on the application. If you have already completed an application or are directly certified, you can also provide your consent to share eligibility information in Family Access by following these instructions | instrucciones. 

To apply for free or reduced-price meals:

Preferred method – Complete an online application

Or:

1. Please print the application and information | aplicación y información*
2. Fill it out completely submit application one of these ways:
   • Scan and mail it to F-RMealapp@lwsd.org, or
   • Return it to your child’s school office, or
   • Drop it off at the Resource Center, 16250 NE 74th St., Redmond, WA, or
   • Mail it to: Business Services, PO Box 97039, Redmond, WA 98052

*For applications in other languages, please go to the USDA Food and Nutrition Service website.

Note: Children of parents who qualify for Basic Food, formerly known as food stamps, are automatically enrolled in the free lunch program. For more information, go to www.foodhelp.wa.gov.

Questions?
Call the Nutrition Services office at 425-936-1393 or email NutritionServ@lwsd.org.

 

Reminder: Teen Startup event application deadline  

The LWSD Teen Startup Challenge is designed to promote student startup ideas and venture creation. The challenge provides the opportunity for high school students to win prizes and learn from local business leaders. Finalists will present their ideas and business plans and receive invaluable feedback from successful professionals. The application for this event is midnight on September 27, 2021. Visit www.lwsd.org/teen-startup to learn more about this event.

 

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.

King County Green Schools recognizes LWSD Green Teams for perseverance in 2020-21

While King County Green Schools did not hold a formal recognition ceremony for Green Teams during the 2020-21 school year, the program did want to encourage the Green Teams that continued to meet virtually. Read more about this on the LWSD website. 

 

We're hiring!

LWSD is always seeking great talent for positions throughout our district. Check out the LWSD website for job descriptions and postings.