Connections - October 11, 2024
Work with us
We're hiring! Consider a career in LWSD
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
Choice School application process opens November 1 at 8 a.m. – Information nights start the week of October 21
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 will open on November 1, 2024, at 8 a.m. via ParentSquare. Additional information about the application will be sent out soon. Schools will be hosting information nights as early as the week of October 21. Please visit the Choice Schools webpage for details.
Wear Orange! Unity Day is on October 16
October 16 is Unity Day this year. Several schools and district buildings throughout LWSD will participate in events to come together against bullying, be united for kindness, acceptance and inclusion. Remember to wear orange on October 16!
Lake Washington School District preschool availability
Looking for a preschool for your 3- or 4-year-old? We currently have availability in all our preschool locations! The preschool sessions and cost are as follows:
- AM Session 8:40 - 11:10
- PM Session 12:10 - 2:40
- $475/month
Preschool Locations:
- Bell Elementary
- Juanita Elementary
- Sandburg Elementary
- Wilder Elementary
- Carson Elementary
- Old Redmond Schoolhouse
Students must have turned three years old by August 31, 2024. Transportation is not provided. For questions or more information, call 425-936-2845 or visit lwsd.org/preschool.
Reminder: Student grades in Skyward Family Access
Skyward Family Access provides access to student grades. Information on how to access the gradebook is below. Automatic notifications on grades and missing assignments will begin coming from the system today. These notifications can be adjusted or turned off.
- Instructions for accessing the gradebook and adjusting your notifications.
- More information about Skyward Family Access.
- Directions on how to use the mobile app.
Families can contact ftaccess@lwsd.org for further assistance.
Reminder: Advanced Placement exam registration information for 2024-25 school year
Registration and payment is open September 30, 2024, 12:01 am until October 30, 2024, 11:59 p.m. for Advanced Placement exams!
We encourage all students who want to take May 2025 AP exams to complete the registration on time and pay for their exams during this period.
Exam information, exam dates, costs, late registration windows/fees and cancellation fees can all be found on our new LWSD Advanced Placement webpage.
*Please note* Exam registration and exam payment are separate required processes.
- Students register for exam(s) via AP Central. AP teachers and the school’s AP coordinator will have the codes that students will use to register for each exam.
- Students pay via Online Payments or directly to the school bookkeeper. Students can pay for their exam(s) from now until October 30.
An AP Late Registration window will be offered in February. Students who register during this late window will pay an additional $50 per exam late fee in addition to the regular exam fee.
If you are a Private/Homeschool student, please note that there will be an additional one time $80 assessment fee to support staffing and resources related to support students who are not currently enrolled as a LWSD student. Private and homeschool students will request and register through Juanita High School's website and pay fees in-person to the bookkeeping office at JHS.
Questions? Please contact your AP teacher and/or school’s Advanced Placement Coordinator:
| Eastlake High School | Chase Covington | chacovington@lwsd.org |
| International Community School | Melissa Shen | mshen@lwsd.org |
| Juanita High School | Breck Ivy | bivy@lwsd.org |
| Lake Washington High School | Joe Joss | jjoss@lwsd.org |
| Redmond High School | Margaret Kinney Kasey Dauenhauer |
mkinneykrepel@lwsd.org kdauenhauer@lwsd.org |
| Tesla STEM High School | Heidi Cooperrider | hcooperrider@lwsd.org |
| WANIC Skills Center | Jana Robertson | jrobertson@lwsd.org |
Reminder: 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.
Register and find more information here.
Questions? Contact the Assessment Team at assessmenthelp@lwsd.org.
Reminder: ENAEP Indigenous People's Day event October 14
Come celebrate the beauty of Indigenous people with the Eastside Native American Education Program (ENAEP)! The event will have traditional drumming, pow-wow dancers, singing and presentations from the students as well as families.
Event details:
- October 14 at 6:30 p.m.
- Lake Washington High School
This event is open to everyone!
Reminder: ENAEP Veteran's Powwow October 26
Come join in the Native community and the Eastside Native American Education Program (ENAEP) in honoring our veterans! We are hosting a powwow to lift up our veterans as well as lift up our Native youth. There will be vendors, concessions, dancing, powwow drumming, a raffle and more!
Event details:
- October 26 at 4:00 p.m.
- Juanita High School
This event is open to everyone! View the flyer for more information.
District announcements
National Custodian Day
October 2 was National Custodian Day. Custodians are an important part of the team working behind the scenes to keep our buildings clean and safe. Thank you to our custodial staff for all the important work they do for our students and staff.
Great Washington ShakeOut is October 17 at 10:17 a.m.
Nearly 1,000,000 people around our state will practice how to drop, cover and hold during the Great ShakeOut Earthquake Drill on October 17 at 10:17 a.m. Learn more here.
Reminder: LWSD partners with Seattle Visiting Nurse Association (SVNA) to offer flu & COVID shot clinics in October
LWSD is partnering with Seattle Visiting Nurse Association (SVNA) to offer flu and COVID vaccine clinics throughout October. The exact products available will be the Flucelvax Trivalent Preservative-Free Flu Vaccine and the newly approved Moderna Spikevax (COVID-19 Vaccine, mRNA) whose formula has been updated to protect against the KP.2 strain of the virus. Flu shots can be provided to those ages 4+, but patients must be at least 5 years old for COVID vaccines. Flu and COVID vaccines will be available at the following five locations.
Dates/Locations
- Wednesday, October 16, 2-7 p.m. at Inglewood M.S. (24120 NE 8th St. Sammamish)
- Friday, October 18, 1-5 p.m. at LWSD Resource Center (16250 NE 74th ST, Redmond)
- Monday, October 21, 2-7 p.m. at Rose Hill M.S. (13505 N.E. 75th ST., Redmond)
- Thursday, October 24, 2-7 p.m. at Kamiakin M.S. (14111 132nd Ave N.E., Kirkland)
- Saturday, October 26, 9 a.m.-4 p.m. at Redmond H.S. (17272 NE 104th St, Redmond)
Important Information:
- Each patient needs their own individual appointment registration, in their legal name, completed with their individual information. For records reporting purposes, please ensure the accuracy of your demographic information, including your name and date of birth.
- For example, a family of four will need four separate appointments. If you are unable to schedule all family members in the same time slot, please register the remaining members in the closest available time slot. You may all still come to the clinic at the same time.
- Please have your confirmation code ready. The confirmation code will be included in your confirmation text message and email.
- If you have an approved insurance plan, including Medicare and Medicaid, you must provide this information during registration, and we will bill your insurance. You will not be charged a co-pay or deductible.
- Patients without an active, accepted insurance plan may pay out-of-pocket at the time of service. Cash rates for the 2024 season are $55 per flu shot and $200 per COVID-19 immunization.
Questions? Email info@seattlevna.com.
Lake Washington School Foundation
LWSD students need your help!
While school meals help during the week, weekends can mean hunger for over 1,000 students in Lake Washington School District. You can change that! With your support, Pantry Packs will keep providing vital weekend meals this year. Together, we can ensure no student goes hungry.
Donate today to make a lasting impact.
College essay review sessions | Find Your Fit event
High school seniors, sign up for a 15-minute appointment to have your draft college essay reviewed by an independent college counselor. Don’t miss the chance to get expert feedback and guidance from Mary Pat O'Neil and Jensen Woods!
Sessions are available on Sunday, November 3. Spaces are limited.
Screen-Based Childhood | Parent Chat webinar
Join LWSF for their next webinar to explore how screen time affects your child’s mental health. Learn practical tips and strategies to help navigate today’s screen-dependent world and foster a healthier relationship with technology.
When: Wednesday, November 13, 7:00–8:00 p.m. via Zoom
Details and registration.
Building Excellence
Building Excellence is Lake Washington School District's long-term plan to provide permanent classrooms for students and address aging facilities and reduce reliance on portables through 2034. The Building Excellence Plan identifies the specific projects needed and a long-term funding plan that allows all required projects to be completed by 2034.
Building Excellence – November 5, 2024 Capital Construction Levy
Did you know that between Alcott Elementary, Kamiakin Middle School, Smith Elementary and Evergreen Middle School 900 students are learning in portables? Portables are meant to be temporary solutions to address overcrowding in our schools.
These schools were built between the mid-1970s and late 1980s. They are not able to support the number of students currently enrolled.
To ensure every student in our district can access the space they need to learn, we are running a Capital Construction Levy on the November 5 election.
Do you have questions about the November 5 Capital Construction Levy? Check out our updated FAQ page to see if your question is answered!
Please join us! LWSD Superintendent Dr. Jon Holmen and Associate Superintendent of Business and Support Services Barbara Posthumus will offer a series of online town hall events about the 2024 Building Excellence Capital Construction Levy. Each town hall meeting will offer an opportunity for question/answer sessions. We still have three events left.
- Wednesday, October 16, 2024, 7-8 p.m., Meeting link
- Thursday, October 24, 2024, 12-1 p.m., Meeting link
- Tuesday, October 29, 2024, 6-7 p.m., Meeting link
Student & Staff Success
Who needs gravity? – Eastlake student's project chosen to fly in microgravity environment
Eastlake High School senior Lily Myers has been very busy this last year. In addition to preparing for her final year in high school, she has been rubbing shoulders with some very smart people. Last July, Lily participated in the nationally competitive NASA STEM Enhancement in Earth Science (SEES) summer internship program, where she had the unique opportunity to work alongside NASA experts on critical earth and space research missions. As part of the internship, students submitted research proposals for a chance to fly their experiments in a microgravity environment. Myers was one of four students selected to fly their project, titled “Damping of Liquid Propellent Sloshing using Closed-Cell Polyurethane Foam.”
Read more about this on the LWSD website.
Team from Tesla STEM has great showing at conservation competition in New York state over summer
Five students from Tesla STEM High School took a break from their summer activities to focus on environmental conservation practices. The team participated in the 35th annual National Conservation Foundation (NCF) Envirothon competition in Geneva, N.Y. from July 28 - August 3. They placed 11th overall and first in the oral presentation category; for which they received a $1,500 check. Below are the students who participated at the competition:
- Chegu Aashray (2024 grad)
- Saharsh Bhargava (senior)
- Aaryan Dhingra (2024 grad)
- Madeleine Vanderheiden (junior)
- Olivia (Yuqing) Wang (2024 grad)