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Lake Washington School District Parent E-Newsletter
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December 16, 2010
Happy Holidays - Enjoy Winter Break! |
Mid-year state budget cuts hit Lake Washington
The state legislature held a special session on Saturday, December 11th, to address the more than $1 billion state budget shortfall. Budget reductions approved in that session will cut state education funding to Lake Washington School District (LWSD) by an estimated $1.7 million in the middle of the school year. Fortunately, the district's conservative financial approach over the last several years has resulted in reserves that can now help weather this storm. The district will not lay off staff in the middle of the year, which would be very difficult for staff and students. Unfortunately, part of the state legislature's solution was to use Federal Education Jobs Act money to balance the state budget. The district had hoped to use these federal funds to soften the blow of next year's expected cuts but that will no longer be possible. For more information, see the article on the district website.
On Wednesday, December 15, Governor Gregoire also announced her proposed budget for the next biennium, which would impact the 2011-12 school year. That budget eliminated grades K-4 enhancement funding, which provides money for additional teachers so that school districts can have smaller class sizes in those grades. Other programs were cut as well. Keep in mind that the state House and Senate will present their own budget proposals in January. This proposal from the governor was the first. The final budget will not be determined until sometime next spring. The district will provide information on impacts to our schools when the budget process is farther along. |
Secondary School Options booklet on its way to parents of fifth, sixth graders
Parents of fifth and sixth graders should be aware of the secondary school options that exist in Lake Washington School District. As a result, a Secondary School Options booklet is being mailed to you in the coming days. The Secondary School Options booklet highlights the various choice schools, neighborhood schools, and program options available to students across the district. This booklet is also available on the district website. If your child is interested in attending a choice school, please note that each school has a required parent-student information night in January. Parents and students must attend those information nights to be eligible to apply to the school. While students in LWSD are generally assured attendance at the neighborhood school within their attendance area, families may also consider applying to one of the district's choice schools, open to all students in the district, or families may consider applying for a change to their neighborhood school assignment, also known as an in-district transfer or variance. |
enVisionMATH online resources now available for grades K-5 students
Students can access their textbook and other resources for the elementary math curriculum from home. Students in grades 3-5 will need to know their district user name and password to access the materials. Parents will need to use the student's district user name and password to access the materials. Parents of students in kindergarten through second grade will need to help their students long on. For information on how to help your student access the enVisionMATH resources, go to the district website. |
School Board Highlights
The November 22nd school board meeting was cancelled due to bad weather.
At the December 6th meeting, the board voted on a recommendation to have a hearing examiner conduct a public hearing on a possible site for a small secondary school. This hearing is part of the process to plan for the school that is included in the February 8th capital projects levy proposal, to be able to complete construction for that school by the fall of 2012. If the levy does not pass, these plans would be shelved. This hearing is required as part of King County's conditional use permit for high schools.
The school board also heard a presentation on End Results 2 and 3 for grades 3-6. These policies define the end results desired for our students and what they are expected to know and be able to do as a result of their educational experience. The board reviewed state test results and grades for students in these grades, including breakouts of specific groups of students such as by race and gender.
Muir Elementary School's achievement as a "School of Distinction" award winner was celebrated. Redmond High School National Merit Semifinalists, Commended Scholars, Achievement Scholars and National Hispanic Recognition Scholars were recognized. |
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Awards & Achievements
Two recent awards for LWSD Transition Academy
Lake Washington School District's Transition Academy was honored with Provail's Wyckoff Corporate Partnership Award, in recognition of efforts to provide employment opportunities for people with disabilities. LWSD was nominated because of the exceptional services provided to transition students through the work of the Transition Academy. The Transition Academy also received a "Reach for the Stars Outstanding Community Advocate" award from Families for Effective Autism Treatment (FEAT) of Washington. Read more.
District Students Selected for All-State Honor Music Ensembles
Fifty-eight district students have been selected by taped audition for this year's All-State and All-Northwest honor music ensembles. Twenty-one students were selected for All-Northwest music ensembles, and 37 were selected as All-State music ensemble members. Read more.
December's Staff Star: Carol Hinrichs, counselor, Kirkland Junior High
Carol Hinrichs, a counselor at Kirkland Junior High, makes everyone, not just students, feel valued at school. Carol is always willing to give her time, energy and even her money to help students and staff members at her school. The Homework Lunch program is just one of the ways that Carol shows that she cares about students. She started this program during the 2008-09 school year to help students who are not getting their homework done, many of them because their home life is less than conducive to academics. Carol volunteers at both lunches, as well as countless hours contacting parents and giving support to many of our struggling students. Read more.
Have an award or achievement to share?
Send all of the information to Shannon Parthemer, or contact her at (425) 936-1300. |
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12/17 - Junior High Quest Applications Due, 4 p.m.
12/20-12/31 - No School: Winter Break
1/3 - Welcome Back!
1/5 - GEAC Meeting, 6:30 p.m., Resource Center
1/6 - PTSA Council Meeting, 7 p.m., Resource Center
1/10 - School Board Meeting, 7 p.m., Resource Center
1/17 - No School: Martin Luther King Jr. Day
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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104 community volunteers provided 1,539 hours of mentoring and/or tutoring to district students in 26 schools through the LINKS (Looking Into the Needs of Kids and Schools) program last year. |
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Watch the Parent Education page of the Lake Washington PTSA Council website for more great classes being offered. |
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Lake Washington School District | (425) 936-1200 | www.lwsd.org
The Lake Washington School District complies with all federal and state statutes and regulations and does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, religion, color, national origin, honorably discharged veteran or military status, sexual orientation including gender expression or identity, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability. |
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