Lake Washington School District Parent E-Newsletter
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| August 24, 2010 - Welcome Back! |
| New School Year Begins Wednesday, September 1
We've been very busy in Lake Washington School District preparing for the new school year. The facilities staff has been busy this summer with projects in many school buildings. Elementary teachers have been learning how to use the new elementary math curriculum. New online resources are being prepared that will provide parents with more information about their students' school work.
This newsletter, Connections, will be sent to you monthly, with information on these and more happenings in Lake Washington School District. If you would like to unsubscribe or change the e-mail address it is sent to, please follow the links at the bottom of the page.
This special edition is coming to you before school starts with items that may help you prepare for the new school year. Be sure to visit the school websites for your student(s) as well - updates and answers to some of your start of school questions will be posted there.
I hope your student(s) and you have a wonderful new school year.
-Kathryn Reith, Communications Director |
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Ringing in the new school year with phone number changes
Since last fall, the district has been working to change phone numbers at all of our schools as part of an update to the entire phone system. The last few schools' phone numbers changed over the summer, with the exception of Eastlake High School, which will change shortly. Please update your records to include the new phone number for your child(ren)'s school(s). Old phone numbers will work through December 2010. The phone numbers for all of our schools are area code 425 and have a 936 prefix on the number, i.e., (425) 936-1200 is the district's new switchboard number. A complete list of all of the schools with their new phone numbers is available on the district website. |
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Parent Access is your source for information on your student's progress
Lake Washington School District provides access to student information, student records, lunch accounts and more via the Internet. This information is secure so that only you can see information about your student(s). The system through which you can view this information is called Parent Access.
When you are registered, you have secure access to the following types of student information:
- E-mail links to your student's teachers
- Emergency contact information the school has on file for your family
- Online information on lunch accounts and balances plus the ability to make payments
- Online Volunteer Application
- Family Access, the system that provides official student information on your student(s), including emergency contacts, attendance, end of term report card grades, immunization records, parent/guardian information, fees, etc.
- Junior high and high school: StandardsScore online gradebook
New this year - elementary parents will be able to see their student's grades beginning on October 4 through Family Access. Go to the Parent Access page on the district website for more information and to sign up online. You must have an e-mail address on file with your student's school to sign up. |
Plan to volunteer? Make sure you are approved!
To ensure student safety, anyone who wants to help in a classroom, drive on a field trip, chaperone a dance or generally volunteer their time in the schools must be approved through the Volunteer Approval process before the event or activity. For parents, this process includes completing an online form that is available through Parent Access. ( Paper forms are also available on the district website).
During the busiest time of year, it can take up two weeks to process volunteer applications, so please complete your application early. To check your volunteer status, contact your school office or the volunteer office at (425) 936-1300. |
| Permission for text messages in emergencies
Lake Washington School District uses a service called School Messenger to send mass telephone, e-mail and text messages to parents and guardians. Our policy is to use the text message service only in the case of real emergencies, when text messages may be the only communication that can get through. However, School Messenger cannot send text messages to you unless you specifically give them your permission. When contact information for a new family is entered into the district's system, a text message asking for that permission is sent to any cell phone numbers listed. To give permission, just reply and type "y" or "yes" or "opt-in" when replying to the message. If you did not receive the message or forgot to respond, simply send a text message to 68453 with the message "opt-in" or "yes." A return text will confirm that School Messenger has registered that cell phone number for text messages. |
E-mails to district are public records
As a public agency, Lake Washington School District is subject to state laws and federal regulations that make documents, e-mails and other records available to the public on request. Because of recent changes in these rules, the district must now keep all e-mails for a period of seven years. An appliance has been installed on the district's e-mail server that archives all e-mail traffic, including e-mails to and from parents. Some e-mails are exempt and will not be released, while others may have personal information removed before providing them. It's still a good idea to remember that the e-mail you send your student's teacher or school becomes a public record and as a result may be seen by people other than the intended recipient. For more information, contact the district's public records officer, Kathryn Reith, at kreith@lwsd.org or (425) 936-1342. |
Buy a calendar, support our students
The district has printed a limited number of color versions of the district calendar and is making them available to purchase for $5 (cash or check only). The proceeds from these calendars will go to the LINKS (Looking Into the Needs of Kids and Schools) program, to help provide mentors to students in our schools. If you are interested in purchasing a calendar, please contact Shelley Rios at (425) 936-1200. |
School Board Highlights
At its August 9 meeting, the district's Board of Directors approved the 2010-11 budget with no changes. This budget reflects no significant cuts or adds from the 2009-10 budget. The board also authorized the sale of construction bonds, the proceeds of which will be used for current modernization projects including Lake Washington High School, Finn Hill Junior High, and Muir Elementary School.
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Awards & Achievements
Horace Mann teacher selected as state level finalist for PAEMSTOn Tuesday, August 24, the Office of the Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI) announced that Nancy Pfaff, a teacher at Horace Mann Elementary, is one of four teachers statewide selected as finalists for the Presidential Award for Excellence in Mathematics and Science Teacher (PAEMST). The four finalists were selected by a statewide selection committee comprised of content area experts and teachers. Their nominations were recently confirmed by the national PAEMST program. Read more.
ACT scores continue to riseWhile national mean scores for college-bound students fell slightly this year, LWSD students scored higher on three of the four ACT tests (English, Reading and Science) and improved their average composite score. In addition, Lake Washington students continue to show significantly greater college readiness than state and national averages. Read more.
Four Time Architectural Award WinnerOn June 4, the Washington Chapter of the Council of Educational Facility Planners International (CEFPI) awarded Robert Frost Elementary with their highest architectural honor, the "2010 Polished Apple Award." This is the fourth Polished Apple awarded to a Lake Washington School District school. Read more.
Have an award or achievement to share?
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9/1 - First Day of School - Welcome Back
9/2 - PTSA Council Meeting, 9:30 a.m., Resource Center
9/6 - NO SCHOOL-Labor Day
9/8 - Wednesday 1.5 Hour Early Release Begins
A full list of events is available on the Tandem Online Calendar. This calendar can be filtered by school and is searchable. More details about the Tandem Online Calendar are available here.
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There are over 10,170 volunteers currently approved to serve in our schools. Thank you to all of our volunteers. Want to volunteer? See the "Plan to volunteer? Make sure you are approved" article. |
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Visit the Parent Education section of the Lake Washington PTSA Council website for information about this year's classes, as they become available.
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