Spring has sprung, and we’re beginning to feel a sense of renewal in our learning community. On March 12, we welcomed students and staff back to schools with masks and face coverings optional. Thank you to everyone who helped make this transition as smooth as possible by being respectful of individual choice and being mindful of the needs of others. As always, we remain committed to ensuring our students, staff and visitors have the resources and support needed to feel safe at school, which includes following layered protection guidance from the Washington State Department of Health and Public Health — Seattle & King County. Check out this video featuring students at Tillicum Middle School who sing a song reinforcing safety and mask choice in our schools.
In this edition of BSD News & Events, we share the latest celebrations in our schools, district updates, health and safety resources, and upcoming events.
Inside BSD Schools
Thank You, Education Support Professionals
March 14-18, 2022, we celebrated Education Support Professionals Week and shared our appreciation for those who have such a big impact on our learning community — including those who maintain buildings and grounds, prepare and serve meals, keep our facilities clean and orderly, assist in the classroom, provide instructional hours to students, conduct research, provide information technology and media, support administrative functions, offer safe transportation, secure safe and healthy environments, and much more. Thank you, BSD education support professionals, for all you do for our schools, students and the district!
BOOM Presents: A Virtual Tour of Montgomery, Alabama, from Enslavement to Modern Day - Expanding Upon the Narrative
Join the BSD Equity and Family Engagement teams on Tuesday, March 29 at 5 p.m., for a virtual tour of Montgomery, Alabama, to explore the history of African Americans in the city. Dr. Terry Anne Scott will lead the tour, allowing the audience to grasp a wider understanding of the historical significance of the events that unfolded in Montgomery — from enslavement through modern day — and how they helped shape modern-day race relations.
With more than 104 different home languages spoken by students, the Bellevue School District is one of the most linguistically diverse in the state. According to enrollment data from October 2021, over 41% of BSD students speak a first language other than English. Appreciation for world languages is mirrored in the programs and courses offered in BSD schools. In celebration of World Language Week, March 6-12, BSD teachers shared how they celebrated this year’s theme, “humanity through language.”
This winter season, BSD teams excelled on the court and in the classroom. Learn more about the athletic and academic accomplishments from Bellevue, Interlake, Newport and Sammamish high schools over the past few months. Congratulations to all of the student athletes and coaches who worked hard to reach their goals!
Disaster Skills Challenge Training Helps Prepare BSD Staff for Emergencies
The Safety & Security department at the Bellevue School District recently hosted its Disaster Skills Challenge Training Class to provide emergency response role training for custodians and support staff at BSD. The class included hands-on classroom learning as well as a simulated disaster response scenario. Participants worked through interactive modules covering the stages of disasters, which included: initial response, incident command, building damage assessment, search and rescue, transport of wounded individuals, disaster medical and triage, reunification and demobilization.
Bellevue Virtual Academy Enrollment for 2022-23 School Year
The Bellevue School District is thrilled to announce that the Bellevue Virtual Academy (BVA) is the district’s 30th school! Starting with the 2022-2023 school year, BVA be renamed and offer a permanent online learning option for BSD students in grades kindergarten through 12. It will be a choice school, and students will need to apply to join the program. Families may apply to the program for the 2022-2023 school year by completing this form. Applications are due back by the end of the day Sunday, April 10, 2022. Once accepted, students will be able to stay through graduation and receive a diploma from the new school.
To help families learn more about online learning and enrollment for the 2022-23 school year, the district will host an Online Information Session on Tuesday, March 29 at 6:00 p.m. Additional resources include:
Hear from students and teacher-mentors as they share why BVA was important to them in the 2021-2022 school year
2022-23 Enrollment is Open – Preschool, Kindergarten and New Students
Enrollment is now open for incoming preschool, kindergarten and other students new to the Bellevue School District. While you may enroll your students through August 31, enrolling now helps the district ensure we have the correct staffing to support your students with the smallest classes possible. If your student is already enrolled in a BSD school, you do not need to submit a new enrollment. They will automatically move up to the next grade.
Since last fall, the district has and continues to listen to our learning community with concerns regarding Title IX; harassment, intimidation and bullying; and sexual assault policies and procedures at BSD. Discussions with students are ongoing to fully understand and process into operational change where possible. We thank our staff, students and student leaders who continue to engage and challenge the process while modeling the way to sustainable change for future students. Updates will be given to students and our broader community with careful consideration of their impact on our collective agency.
We have worked with our community vaccine partners to schedule more vaccination clinics. The next clinic at the Wilburton Instructional Service Center (WISC) will be:
March 24 – There are still appointments available offering:
Pediatric Pfizer vaccine first or second shots for students aged 5-11,
Pfizer first or second shots for students aged 12 and up and adults, and
Pfizer booster doses for students aged 12 and up and adults.
Safeway/Albertsons will also offer at-home COVID-19 antigen test kits to people who want them, billed to insurance. If you are interested, please have your insurance card ready.
Details for this clinic were shared with BSD families and staff via email on March 17. Scheduling of individual appointments is facilitated by our vaccine partners here.
Ardmore Vaccine Clinic Partners with ICHS for Student Well-Being
Through a partnership with International Community Health Services, BSD students had an opportunity to receive vaccines on-site at Ardmore Elementary. Such partnerships provide students access to health support in a safe and familiar environment — their school!
Masks are available for staff, students and visitors throughout the district. Students may ask teachers or office managers if they need masks. They were distributed to staff earlier this year, and the district currently has more than 250,000 masks in the warehouse. Masks are available in various sizes, brands and types. Other resources to help families access masks include:
Families may check with a local pharmacy, as many have partnered with the federal vaccine and mask programs. This includes retail chains such as: Albertsons, Bartell's, Costco, CVS, Kroger, Rite Aid, Walgreens and Walmart.
Drive-Thru Diagnostic PCR Testing Available for Students
BSD offers drive-thru diagnostic PCR testing for students who show symptoms of COVID-19. Testing is available Monday through Friday, from 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. at the Wilburton Instructional Services Center (WISC). Tests are available by appointment only, as there are limited slots each day.
The Bellevue School District partners with local organizations and non-profits to support our students and families. Visit our Community Partner webpage to learn more about these organizations, find out about their services and how you can engage with them. Upcoming events include:
BSF Education Connections: Modeling Nutrition for Your Family (Sponsored by Overlake Medical Center)
Join the Bellevue Schools Foundation for a special, family-focused Education Connections on Wednesday, April 6, at 5 p.m. through Zoom. RSVP here. The Dining Services Supervisor of Overlake Medical Center, Melicent Smith, will discuss how parents can help support and create healthy eating habits within their families. Childhood and adolescence are critical periods when individuals develop the patterns and knowledge around healthy eating that persist for years in the future. Find out how small changes at home can have a significant impact on the mental, physical and emotional health of your students.
Save the Date: BSF Spring for Schools 2022
Join the Bellevue Schools Foundation in person at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue, on May 13, 2022, or from the comfort of their homes for a premiere event that’s unlike any of the 31 events of years past. BSF is keeping your experience and health top of mind in preparing to celebrate BSD’s stars — the students and educators in all 29 public schools in Bellevue.
This school year, BSF is distributing over $800,000 to fund a wide array of academic and social-emotional programs — from a computer science initiative that instills essential skills, to arts and innovation that inspires creativity, to mental health screenings for thousands of students, to books in multiple languages that serve our globally diverse population — your gift has an impact. Donations to the event are BSF’s primary source of revenue, and the more they are able to raise, the deeper and broader their impact in support of students will be.
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Please contact staff at your student's school about schedules, attendance and any other school-specific questions or concerns. Visit https://bsd405.org and select Schools in the top menu to find your school.
