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Connections - January 16, 2025

Work with us

We're hiring! Consider a career in LWSD

We're Hiring

LWSD is always seeking great talent for positions throughout our district. In addition to other positions available throughout the district, we are looking for applicants for the following positions:

  • Nurses
  • Instructional assistants (IAs)
  • Paraeducators
  • Custodians
  • Bus Drivers
  • Substitutes

These positions are also available in a substitute role. Check out the LWSD website for job descriptions and postings.

 

Learning Focused

Kindergarten Registration for 2025-26 school year has opened!

Register online now to ensure appropriate staffing for 2025-26 school year

First day of kindergarten

If you live in Lake Washington School District (LWSD) and your child will be five years old on or before August 31, 2025, it is time to register your child for kindergarten for the 2025-26 school year!

While K-12 student registration will continue throughout the school year and summer, families are highly encouraged to register students as soon as possible. Doing so helps LWSD balance class sizes and ensure adequate staff are hired in time for the new school year. It also enables our schools to build relationships with families and students before the start of the new school year.

How to register:
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. Families who cannot upload documents may send them by U.S. mail or drop them off at their neighborhood school.

Visit the Kindergarten Information page of the LWSD website to learn more about the registration process.

To determine your neighborhood school, check the district school and bus finder, or call the district’s transportation office at 425-936-1120.

Building-specific “Welcome to Kindergarten” opportunities will be scheduled throughout the spring, providing caregivers with opportunities to visit the school, ask questions and register on-site if needed. Visit your neighborhood school website for more information about these upcoming events.

World language proficiency testing

LWSD offers in-person, world language testing for high school students. These tests help students meet the "world languages" graduation requirement. They can earn up to four high school credits. They can also earn the Washington state “Seal of Biliteracy” on their transcript and diploma. 

  • All students in grades 8-12 can take one language test for free. 
  • Students can take the test at any location (see list below).
  • Tests are available in any language that is both written and spoken.

See below for test dates and locations:

Test date: February 5 - 2:30 p.m. @ Juanita High School
Registration closes: January 22

Test date: February 26 - 2:30 p.m. @ Redmond High School
Registration closes: February 12

Test date: March 26 - 2:30 p.m. @ Lake Washington High School
Registration closes: March 5

Register and find more information here.

Questions? Contact the Assessment Team at assessmenthelp@lwsd.org.

National Mentoring Month - Stella Schola builds community through mentoring

SSMS mentoring program

"The mentor-mentee program is like having a younger or older sibling you’ve never had. You get to learn a lot from each other,” says Ishita Gadhamsetty, eighth grade student mentor.

One of the cornerstones of the Stella Schola Middle School experience is the robust mentor program that involves all three grades. The mentoring program is structured so that the sixth graders come in and have the support of not just one older student, but two – a seventh and eighth grader.

“We think of it like this – the sixth graders are the campers, the seventh graders are the counselors in training and the eighth graders are the camp counselors,” says Judy Ronning-Larson, Stella Schola’s eighth grade teacher.

Stella students experience tremendous personal growth in this program. In sixth grade, the students begin learning how to work collaboratively through the monthly activities. They learn from and observe the skill level of the seventh and especially the eighth graders via discussions, projects and more.

Read more about this on the LWSD website.

District announcements

Join the LWSD Sustainability Advisory Committee

Sustainability Advisory Committee

Are you passionate about sustainability and interested in preparing LWSD students for a more sustainable future? Become a member on the new Sustainability Advisory Committee!

In 2024, LWSD adopted Operational Expectation Policy 9: Sustainability to further focus the district’s efforts to ensure sustainable practices are implemented across the district, reduce the impact of district operations, prepare the district to address impacts from climate change, and prepare students for a more sustainable future. This fall, the district hired a sustainability and resource conservation manager to assist in coordinating these efforts and this advisory committee will further assist and guide the district in assessing courses of action moving forward.

Committee members will have the opportunity to explore the progress that LWSD is making towards sustainable practices. Plus, come with any recommendations and considerations to guide the district in assessing courses of action moving forward.

Visit the LWSD website to learn more about this opportunity and to complete an interest form.

Eight is great! Lake Washington School District budget earns Meritorious Budget Award

Award reflects District’s goal of fiscal responsibility

Meritorious Budget Award

Lake Washington School District’s (LWSD’s) 2024-25 Budget has earned the Association of School Business Officials International (ASBO) Meritorious Budget Award (MBA). This award promotes and recognizes excellence in budget development, communication, and presentation in school districts. LWSD has received this award eight years in a row. LWSD is the only district in the state of Washington to receive this award.

ASBO International’s MBA and Pathway to the MBA promote and recognize best budget presentation practices in school districts. Participants submit their applications and budget documents to a panel of school financial professionals who review the materials for compliance with the MBA Criteria Checklist and other requirements and provide expert feedback that districts can use to improve their budget documents.

Read more about this on the LWSD website.

Reminder: Sign up for weekly menu features

Weekly elementary menu features

Interested in learning about the featured menu item for school lunches each week? Families can sign up to be sent a weekly newsletter that shows the featured menu item for each day of the school week at our elementary schools.

Click here to sign up for the newsletter, and on the next page fill out your contact information and then select the Weekly Elementary Menu Features group by checking the corresponding box.

Reminder: Are you ready for inclement weather?

When emergency conditions such as snow and ice or windstorms result in school schedule changes, the district will notify families directly through ParentSquare. This is an ideal time to make sure that you have updated your phone number in Skyward to ensure that these calls go to the right number.

Here are some other ways to find out about school schedule changes:

  • Pop-up alert on https://www.lwsd.org/ and school webpages.
  • Flashalert.net – This website allows you to sign up for text messages as well.
  • Local TV/radio stations – They get a feed from Flashalert.net of all school schedule change decisions.

Curious how school schedule change decisions are made? You can learn how to be updated when school is delayed or canceled on the School Closures and Late Starts page of the district website

Lake Washington School Foundation

LWSF

Bridging worlds through stories

Sometimes, a single book can heal, inspire and offer a lifeline. Discover how one transformative book, purchased by LWSF's Inclusive libraries grant, changed a Kamiakin Middle School student's life through the power of diverse literature. Read the story here.

Webinars for middle and high school students and families

Discover opportunities and make informed decisions with free webinars this month, presented by LWSF’s Find Your Fit program:
 
Global Choices: Exploring the Differences Between International & US Universities
Wednesday, January 22, 7:00–8:00 p.m.
 
A Middle School Parent's Guide to Navigating High School
Monday, January 27, 7:00–8:00 p.m.
 
For details and registration, visit www.lwsf.org/our-work/find-your-fit.

Student & Staff Success

Beyond the lab – Tesla STEM student named to top 300 in prestigious science and math talent search

Anson Chen - Tesla STEM High School

Three hundred U.S. high school seniors were named scholars in the Regeneron Science Talent Search (STS), the nation’s oldest and most prestigious science and math research competition for high school seniors. A senior from Tesla STEM High School, Anson Chen, is one of those finalists and just one of six from Washington state to be named. The title of his project is "DATect: Forecasting Domoic Acid Levels From Harmful Algal Blooms Along the Pacific Northwest Coast."

Read more about this on the LWSD website.

Naman Mishra Science Awards

Rose Hill Middle School student wins science olympiad in Puerto Rico over winter break

Some like to rest and relax during winter break after the first few months of the school year. Others, like Naman Mishra, eighth grader at Rose Hill Middle School, fly several hours to a science competition and win the whole thing! That is exactly what Naman did when he competed at the International Environmental Science Olympiad (IESO) in San Juan, Puerto Rico, December 27-31. While there, he won the prize of overall champion in the middle school division.

Read more about this on the LWSD website.

Remember...

This newsletter is just one way to stay in touch with what is happening in the district. Connect with us on Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube for up-to-date news and information.