Connections - November 20, 2025

Season of Giving

'Tis the Season of Giving in Lake Washington School District (LWSD). Each year schools and district buildings across LWSD think of ways to benefit those most in need during the holiday season. They do so by holding food or clothing drives or collecting items to donate to others in the community. The items collected are distributed to families and non-profit organizations throughout the area.

Visit the LWSD Facebook page to see the regularly updated list of what some of the schools are doing this year to make the season a little brighter.

How do the February 2026 levy renewals support our students, staff and schools?

Lake Washington School District will have two levy renewals on the ballot in the February 2026 election. These measures continue funding previously approved by our community to ensure excellence for every student. 

Proposition 1: Renewal of the Educational Programs and Operations (EP&O) Levy 
This levy continues funding for the day-to-day operations of our district. It supports student programs such as Special Education, multilingual learning, early learning, and highly capable services. It also provides funding for essential staff, including counselors, nurses, and mental health professionals, to help ensure our students are healthy, safe, and supported.

Proposition 2: Renewal of the School Technology and Capital Projects Levy 
This levy continues our community’s investment in technology and school facilities. It funds classroom technology devices, curriculum tools, internet and wifi network, training for teachers and the technology operations of a large school district. It also supports critical building needs and upgrades for systems at the end of their useful life such as HVAC, roofing, flooring; and other upgrades that keep schools safe and operational.

Elementary ELA curriculum pilot family/caregiver information night

The Reading Advisory Committee has selected two K–5 ELA curricula to pilot from mid-September 2025 through late March 2026, following a rigorous review process grounded in research-based practices and Common Core standards. The selected programs are:

• Benchmark Advance/Adelante
• McGraw Hill Emerge!/Dual Literacy

Teachers will communicate with families before implementation. Throughout the pilot, the committee will assess curriculum effectiveness, alignment to standards and inclusivity, while gathering feedback from students, caregivers and the community.

Curriculum materials were available for public review at the Resource Center September-October.

We invite families/caregivers to an Information Night on December 18, from 5:30–6:30 p.m. at the Resource Center, where we’ll share details about the selection process and provide curriculum samples to explore.

For questions, please contact Kelly Moses Pease, Director of K–5 Teaching and Learning, or Whitney Blackstone, Elementary Literacy Specialist.

Thank you for a successful CTE Program Advisory Committees kickoff

We were thrilled to welcome 40 business and community members who partnered with our teachers to support Career and Technical Education (CTE) Program Advisories. Their collaboration is key to aligning classroom learning with real-world industry needs.

Following an inspiring and thought-provoking keynote on Responsible AI by Microsoft’s Kavita Kamani, attendees joined breakout sessions to discuss curriculum and industry trends across program areas:

• Agriculture & Natural Resources
• Business & Marketing
• Computer Science
• Health Sciences
• Human Services
• Skilled & Technical Arts
• STEM

Our CTE programs thrive on the expertise of industry and community leaders who help us integrate emerging technologies and workforce trends into the classroom. Together, we’re building pathways that empower students and strengthen our future workforce.

Interested in getting involved? Visit College & Career Readiness - Lake Washington School District to learn more.

Your engagement makes a difference!

Computer Science Education Week: December 8-14

Computer Science Education Week is here! This is an annual call to action that occurs every December for students, teachers and families of all ages to dive into computer science, highlighting the importance of computational thinking, creativity and problem-solving in preparing the tech-driven world ahead. This year, the focus shifts to AI Literacy for all K–12 students, transitioning from Hour of Code to Hour of AI. It’s a launch point for learning about the safe, responsible and effective use of AI in education. Students and staff can begin with learning more about AI and available AI tools as well as engage in simple activities to demystify AI and explore its potential for good, using domains like engaging, creating, managing and designing with AI.

Reminder: Choice School application process is now open - Information nights have begun

Choice Schools and programs are optional schooling alternatives, created to meet specific needs and interests. They are designed to be smaller and use innovative approaches to education that are different from traditional public schools. Choice Schools and programs are often housed within an existing school or on the same campus as another school.

Applications for Choice Schools and programs are now open through December 1 and were sent to families via ParentSquare. Schools are now hosting information nights. Please visit the Choice Schools webpage for details.

Coming soon for students: Multi-factor authentication (MFA)

Multi-factor authentication (MFA) is one of the most powerful tools available to enhance user account security. It adds an extra layer of protection by requiring a second form of verification when logging in, like a mobile app or a code, along with your username or password. 

This simple step can significantly reduce the risk of unauthorized access by as much as 99%.

MFA provides: 

• Stronger Security, reducing the risk of unauthorized access 
• Additional protection in the event of a password compromise 
• Flexible options, such as text messaging, phone apps, hardware tokens or biometrics to verify
• Enhanced protection of sensitive user data 

For more information on MFA and how it protects your account, visit our LWSD Multi-factor authentication infographic and the National Cybersecurity Alliance page.

Student MFA for international login is coming first

Over the last few years, attackers have expanded their focus from staff accounts to student accounts in their persistent attempts to gain a foothold in our LWSD environment. To help protect student accounts, we are implementing multi-factor authentication prompts for student accounts attempting to sign in from outside the United States. This change for students will go live on December 15.  

Students will need to register for their MFA method prior to their travel outside of the country to access district resources from a personal device. If they are using their assigned district device when they are outside the US, they will bypass the MFA requirement. More details will be sent out soon, including instructions on how students can register for MFA.

Visit the technology service public web page for more information - Technology Services - Lake Washington School District.

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.

• 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.  

Student-led sustainability initiative to increase recycling opportunities for used school supplies

EcoBeyond is a student-led sustainability initiative focused on increasing the availability of recycling opportunities for commonly discarded school supplies such as pens, markers and crayons. Led by Aarav Gumber, a junior at Tesla STEM High School, EcoBeyond empowers students to act against plastic waste in the form of school supplies through recycling drives. EcoBeyond combines environmental education with community engagement with the goal of inspiring long-term sustainable habits.

Read more about this on the LWSD website. 

Reminder: Help local kids thrive through Pantry Packs

While state and federal supports are increasingly uncertain, Lake Washington Schools Foundation (LWSF) remains steadfast in working to serve as a reliable resource for the community. Through LWSF’s Pantry Packs program, LWSF provides weekend food packs to food-insecure students across Lake Washington School District – ensuring that no child has to worry about their next meal.

You can make a difference by contributing to LWSF’s Fall Food Drive by donating directly to their Amazon Wish List or delivering your food donations in person to the LWSF warehouse on selected dates. Visit the LWSF website for details.

Not sure what to give? Check out the kid-friendly food list for the most needed items. Every can, box, and pouch you donate helps ensure that students return to school on Mondays nourished and ready to learn.

Donate today to make a lasting impact: www.lwsf.org/all-in-for-kids.

Summer technology projects keep LWSD students, staff and families rolling in 2025-26

Technology and Facilities staff partnered on projects throughout the summer to ensure that student and staff devices and the LWSD network can fully support student learning as well as the operations of a large school district. This work is funded by our voter-approved 2022 School Technology & Capital Projects Levy. This levy supports approximately 88% of the technology budget for LWSD and must be renewed by voters every four years. 

Here are just a few of the important technology projects completed this summer:

• Wireless upgrade completion – LWSD finalized the wireless upgrade project (2022-25), transitioning from basic coverage to coverage plus capacity. This enhancement was validated during the 2024–25 school year when AP testing moved online. Hundreds of students tested simultaneously in common areas at each of the schools without any network issues. 
• Disaster recovery site established – LWSD launched a secondary data center at Timberline Middle School, providing a co-location option should the primary Resource Center data center become unavailable. This site enables us to restore technical operations to approximately 95% capacity. Ongoing work focuses on connecting all district sites to this backup facility for seamless failover access.
• Server infrastructure modernization – In 2025, LWSD replaced a fragmented mix of servers and storage with a modern, integrated Nutanix platform. This upgrade, combined with the dual-site architecture between the Resource Center and Timberline Middle School, enables failover capabilities. As a result, our reliance on more costly servers dropped to about 1%, while we continue to maintain Office 365, SharePoint and storage in Azure. 
• Enterprise backup system implemented – For the first time, LWSD deployed a true enterprise backup solution: Rubrik. Used by industry leaders like Microsoft, Rubrik provides immutable, unchangeable backups, protecting against ransomware and ensuring data integrity. 
• Early learning devices - iPads at K-1 – 2022-23 feedback from teachers and students raised awareness of the need to transition K-1 student technology to a more age-appropriate format. This multi-year effort included a proof-of-concept, followed by two rounds of pilot testing with our youngest learners at multiple schools. After successful validation, LWSD completed the full deployment over the summer, so our students in grades K-1 had access to brand new iPads to use on day 1. 
• Implementation or upgrades to 15 Career and Technical Education (CTE) labs and carts – Fifteen of LWSD’s oldest CTE desktop and laptop labs, across ten schools, were refreshed with brand new devices during Technology Operations summer work (completed June-August 2025). These upgrades provide students and staff with the latest LWSD CTE standards; improving performance, reliability and access to modern tools for career and technical education.  
• Technology needs coordination for the opening of portables at EHS and RHS – The technology team coordinated with the capital projects team around planning, ordering, delivery and technology support for the opening of new portables that will support the longer-term construction vision for the additions at Eastlake High School and Redmond High School. 

This is just a fraction of the learning and work supported each and every day across the district made possible by the 2022 Technology and Capital Projects Levy, which will be up for renewal in February of 2026. 

"The iPad’s lightweight design and simple password setup made it incredibly easy for our kindergarten students to log in within 10 minutes. Previously, it took up to two weeks at the start of school to get all students logged in and ready for lessons. This efficiency increased instructional time and app usage in class.” 
– Amy Schneider, Teacher, Wilder Elementary 

Rockwell fifth grader creates hit card game inspiring peers

At Rockwell Elementary, creativity is thriving thanks to fifth grader Ishanth Maheshwaran, whose original card game, Battle Beasts, has become one of the most popular activities in the school’s Extended Day program.

What started as a personal project has grown into a phenomenon among students. Ishanth not only designed the gameplay but also illustrated every card using digital art tools. His realistic fantasy style brings each creature to life, making the game visually stunning and fun to play. Students at Rockwell Extended Day now gather daily to challenge each other in Battle Beasts matches, and nearly every student owns a copy of the game.

Learn more about this on the LWSD website. 

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