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Lake Washington School District Parent E-Newsletter
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New STEM School to begin with 9th/10th grades
Plans for Lake Washington School District's new Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) School are beginning to take shape. When fully operational, the school will serve students in grades nine through 12. The academic program will focus on problem-based learning, inquiry, integration and research. Students and staff will use STEM education to pursue solutions to real world challenges like clean energy, infrastructure restoration and biomedical informatics. The school will open in the fall of 2012 with 150 ninth grade students and 150 10th grade students.
The school will be open to all students in those grades no matter where they live in Lake Washington School District. Students will be selected through a lottery if more than 150 students per grade apply. Information on how to apply will be provided to parents of current eighth and ninth grade students. A high school options publication with information on all district high schools and special programs for high school students will be mailed in early December. Information will also be posted on the district website at that time.
In the fall of 2013, a new class of ninth graders will enter the STEM school, while students in ninth and 10th grade in the fall of 2012 will matriculate into 10th and 11th grade, respectively. In the fall of 2014, another class of ninth graders will enter. The three classes from 2013-14 will all move up one grade. The result is that classes in all four grades, nine through 12, will be in operation as of the fall of 2014. Read more... |
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Middle School Quest Parent Information Night
The Middle School Quest Program for Highly Capable Students (Grades 6-8) will accept applications for the 2012-2013 school year from October 24, until 4 p.m. on November 18. Late applications are not accepted.
More information can be found in the Quest Information packet that will be available at all elementary schools, on the Middle School Quest website and at the Quest Office on the third floor of the Resource Center (16250 NE 74th Street, Redmond, WA 98052). You can also contact the Quest Office at (425) 936-1238 or via e-mail: Quest@lwsd.org.
All parents interested in the Quest Program are invited to attend the Middle School Quest Parent/Student Information Night on Tuesday, October 25 at 7 p.m. at Kamiakin Junior High (14111 - 132nd Avenue NE, Kirkland, WA 98034). This program will explain more specifically what Quest offers to highly capable, academically gifted children. |
Board to survey parents, staff on superintendent search
The School Board plans to survey parents, staff and community members with regard to the search for a new superintendent. Parents and staff members will get an email with an invitation to take the survey. Anyone who does not get an invitation will be able to access the survey from the district website. The survey will be launched shortly.
Alternatively, anyone who would like to provide general feedback to the board on the superintendent search can email the board at board@lwsd.org. The board will also hold a special public comment session on this topic at the October 24 school board meeting. |
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School Board Highlights
View video of any school board meeting on the district website.
Reporting to the board on Ends Results Two and Three, policies that define what the district wants students to know and be able to do, began at the September 26 and October 10 meetings. In the first meeting, Dr. Traci Pierce, deputy superintendent, reported on the academic performance of students in grades K-3. The second meeting covered grades 4-6. This year, the board has access to a new tool, a data dashboard, that brings together data from various different sources. The data includes state testing, district report card and district testing results. This data can be viewed for various subgroups. A principal and a teacher version are in the works. This dashboard allows the district to analyze student data in new ways, seeking patterns, for example, in which students lack data in specific areas. The data shared with the board also included comparisons with several other Eastside school districts by grade and subject area. Lake Washington's scores were higher than all of these comparable districts for elementary reading but scored more in the middle on math.
The board held a hearing to review proposed changes in the director districts, the areas in which an individual must live to run for a specific seat on the school board. Information and maps are available on the district website. |
Learning Curve blog explores district's educational program
A new blog on the district website, called The Learning Curve, is designed to provide parents with information on the district's curriculum, instruction and approach to teaching and learning. Experts in different aspects of the district's educational program will provide insight into how and what your child is learning. New opportunities in the district's educational program will also be covered. For example, Principal Cindy Duenas explores what problem based learning is, an approach that will be used in the district's new STEM school. Find The Learning Curve on the district website. |
Fifth annual Veteran's Celebration and Pow Wow event to be held Saturday, October 22
The Eastside Native American Education Program (ENAEP) invites the community to the 5th Annual Veteran's Celebration and Pow Wow on Saturday, October 22, 2011. The afternoon will begin at 2:30 p.m. at Juanita High School (10601 NE 132nd St. Kirkland, WA 98034). The guest speaker is WWII Veteran and Navajo Code Talker, Samuel Tso. Everyone is invited to the honoring and dinner. Grand Entry will be at 6 p.m. in the gym. Contact Mary Wilber at (425) 936-1402 or mwilber@lwsd.org for more information. |
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Awards & Achievements
US News ranks ICS eighth in the country for math, science; Redmond High also recognized
US News & World Report ranked International Community School number eight in the country in its first ever ranking of top high schools for math and science. As one of the top 208 schools, ICS earned a gold medal. Redmond High School was also recognized for excellence in math and science, earning a silver medal.
Rankings were based on 2008 data for schools that made the US News Best High Schools ranking in December 2009. Schools were ranked on the basis of math and science participation and success in Advanced Placement test data for science, technology, engineering and math.
Twenty-five LWSD Students Named National Merit Semifinalists
As announced by the National Merit Scholarship Corporation (NMSC), 25 Lake Washington School District (LWSD) high school seniors qualified as semifinalists in the 56th annual National Merit Scholarship Program. Read more.
October Staff Star: Stephanie Monaghan, BEST High School
Giving students options and working with them to be successful is a big part of Stephanie Monaghan's job at BEST High School. Stephanie teaches English, social studies and a culminating project class, helping students to prepare for graduation. 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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10/22 - Fifth Annual Eastside Native American Education Veterans' Honor Powwow, Juanita High School, 2:30 p.m. Veterans Celebration and 6 p.m. Grand March
10/24 - Middle School Quest Applications Available
10/24 - School Board Meeting, 5:30 p.m., Resource Center
10/25 - Middle School Quest Parent/Student Information Night, 7 p.m., Kamiakin Junior High
10/25 - PTSA Special Needs Meeting, 7 p.m., Resource Center
10/28 - Elementary Quest Applications Due by 4 p.m.
11/2 - GEAC Meeting, 6:30 p.m., Resource Center
11/3 - PTSA Council Meeting, 9:30 a.m., Resource Center
11/3 - Last day of first quarter - secondary schools
11/7 - School Board Meeting, 7 p.m., Resource Center
11/8 - Election Day - Don't forget to vote!
11/11 - No School: Veterans 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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LWSD welcomed 323 more students this year than last school year. That is the equivalent of somewhere between about 11 and 17 classrooms full of students, depending on the grade level. |
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10/15, 10/22, 11/12 & 11/19 - Temperament Workshop: Yours and Your Child's, Jennifer Watanabe, 9:30 - 11:30 a.m., Youth Eastside Services (999 164th Avenue NE, Bellevue) - $95 fee includes book. For parents of all students. To reserve a seat call: 425-747-4937
10/15 - Finding Kind: A documentary about female bullying, 2:30 - 5 p.m., LWSD Resource Center Board Room (16250 NE 74th Street, Redmond). For mothers and daughters ages 10 and up. This is a very powerful film about the impact of female "meanness". This film does include mention of a suicide and has some profanity so parents should bring their kids at their own discretion. Screening of film followed by a mentor led discussion. Light refreshments will be served. Tickets can be purchased at http://lakewashington.eventbrite.com. Pre-registration ticket price is $10 plus a $1.54 fee for eventbrite. Tickets at the door are $15. Brought to you by the Women's Sports Foundation Go Girl Go Seattle in partnership with the City of Redmond.
For additional information, visit the Parent Education section of the Lake Washington PTSA Council Website. |
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Lake Washington School District | (425) 936-1200 | www.lwsd.org
The Lake Washington School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, age, gender, marital status, creed, religion, honorably discharged veteran, military status, sexual orientation including gender expression or identity, the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability, or the use of a trained guide dog or service animal by a person with a disability, in its programs and activities and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups. |
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