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Lake Washington School District Parent E-Newsletter
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Snow day communication
With winter quickly approaching, it is a good time to review how decisions are made about school cancellations or delays and to remind parents where this information can be found.
In emergency situations, such as snow and icy weather conditions, the top priority is the safety of students and staff. The district also recognizes that snow days often disrupt family schedules and mean the school year may have to be extended. So the decision to close schools is not an easy one. The process is complex and involves many people.The decision-making process is outlined on the district's website.
LWSD notifies parents using the School Messenger calling system beginning at 6 a.m. if school will be delayed or cancelled. Local media is also contacted and will report any closure/delay information. The district and school websites will also contain an emergency alert if school has been delayed or cancelled. You can also call the district's main phone number at 425-936-1200. An emergency message will be recorded on this system as well.
If you have any questions about snow day communication, please contact the Communications Office at 425-936-1300. |
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Middle School and High School options booklets coming soon
Because of the changes in grade configuration, two classes of students will move from elementary school to middle school next year and two classes will move from junior high to high school. As a result, two different booklets will be mailed in early December to parents outlining the opportunities in these respective levels. Parents of students in grades five and six will receive a middle school options booklet. Parents of students in grades eight and nine will receive a high school options booklet in the mail. These booklets cover all of the school options available to students including neighborhood schools and choice schools. The booklets will also be available on the district website. |
New Learning Curve blog to discuss curriculum, educational programs
In a survey on communications last winter, two items were chosen most often when asked, "What information are you most interested in receiving from your child's school?" Those items were:
- Descriptions of the curriculum and instructional programs in place at the school
- Curriculum/educational program changes and updates
A new blog on the district website, The Learning Curve, will be an avenue to provide more information on these programs as well as a place to address rumors. Because of all the questions that parents have about the changes to the educational program and more concerning the grade configuration changes for next year, that will also be a topic for discussion. Send your questions or ideas for entries to Kathryn Reith. |
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Teacher websites and The Communicator access changes
Secondary parents may have heard at curriculum nights about a new website the district is using for teachers to create class websites and communicate with students and parents called The Communicator. Students have had access to the site since last spring and some parents have been able to view the site this year. The goal for the site was to enable easy and secure communication between teachers, students and parents about their classes.
RM Education, the company that provides LWSD with the Communicator, has decided to discontinue the product in the United States due to the impact of worldwide economic conditions on their company. Even though an end-of-life date has been communicated, it is important to know the company has agreed to keep the product running and available to the Lake Washington School District through the 2011-2012 school year. The district will begin the process of finding a replacement service that we hope to have in place next school year. As details become available, we will let you know. Until then, teachers and students will continue to use the site as they do now. |
Lake Washington PTSA Council's annual Scholarship Basket Auction
The Lake Washington PTSA Council cordially invites you to their Annual Scholarship Basket Auction on Thursday, December 1, at approximately 11 a.m. in the Resource Center Lobby. Enter to win one of several great raffle prizes! All proceeds provide scholarships to graduating seniors and staff in our district. Silent bidding began November 3 and ends December 1, 2011, at 11 a.m. (following the PTSA Council Meeting). |
School Board Highlights
View video of any school board meeting on the district website.
The Lake Washington School District Board of Directors heard a report at the October 24 board meeting concerning academic achievement of current junior high students. District students on average had higher scores in reading in state tests than surrounding school districts as well as statewide averages. A concern was raised by math performance in the middle grades, though district scores on average were still considerably higher than the state average. That area is a priority focus. Schools have reviewed individual student results and set goals for moving more students to standard in math.
At the November 7 meeting, Eastlake High School Principal Brad Malloy and Juanita High School Principal Gary Moed introduced to the board the Commended Scholars and National Merit Semi-Finalists from their respective schools.
Results of the survey concerning the next superintendent were presented. President Pendergrass explained that it has been district practice in past superintendent searches to review potential internal candidates first before doing an external search. She noted that the culture of K-12 education is different in this practice from most businesses. The board discussed the advantages of reviewing internal candidates first before going outside. (For more on the superintendent search, see the November 18 update on the district website.) |
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Lake Washington Schools Foundation announces grants to schools
The Lake Washington Schools Foundation has announced the recipients of 32 Reaching for Success grants totaling over $83,000. All District schools were eligible to submit an unlimited number of grant applications on behalf of individual classrooms, grade levels, or entire schools, emphasizing creative educational programs to assist those schools in successfully meeting their Continuous Improvement Process (CIP) goals. The state mandates that schools have a CIP plan to address each school's individual educational goals, however, no state funds are allocated for implementing these goals. The Reaching for Success grants include 12 literacy grants, 10 math grants, five before- and after-school tutoring grants, two science grants, and one grant each for comparative government, robotics, and parent education. Seventeen elementary schools, four junior high schools, and five high schools will receive grants.
These Reaching for Success grants will enhance math and literacy learning, extend the learning day through before- and after-school programs, develop tutoring, mentoring, and homework programs, and allow teachers to tailor their instruction to the specific needs of students. The Reaching for Success grants were made possible by the generosity of donors.
Visit the LWSF website for a complete list of the grants awarded. |
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Do you know where to find information on community events that matter to you?
This is the third year that fliers from community organizations have been distributed electronically at most of our schools, rather than coming home in student folders. That saves the district the time and effort to distribute the fliers and saves the nonprofit organizations the cost of printing. But it does mean that parents must look for these fliers that contain valuable information on activities that may be of interest to their family. Your school newsletter may list recent fliers but you can check on them yourself whenever you would like.
On each school's website, under the "For Parents" section, there is a page called the "Community Bulletin Board." This page is where you will find all of the fliers from community organizations that have been approved by the district for distribution through the schools. Fliers must be from nonprofit organizations and include a district disclaimer. The community organizations select which school websites where they want their flier to appear and the flier will only appear on those sites. All fliers are available on the district's bulletin board. |
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Awards & Achievements
Three Lake Washington schools named "School of Distinction"
On October 19, the Center for Educational Effectiveness (CEE) announced the 99 schools statewide named as recipients of the 2011 School of Distinction Award. Three Lake Washington School District schools - Redmond Elementary School, Smith Elementary School and The Renaissance School - all were named "Schools of Distinction." Read more.
Transition Academy gets a visit from Commissioner Sharon Lewis
Commissioner Sharon Lewis, a presidential appointee who heads the Administration on Developmental Disabilities (U.S. Department of Health and Human Services) visited the Transition Academy on Thursday, October 27. Commissioner Lewis is visiting Washington to see why our state has outstanding supported employment outcomes for citizens with developmental disabilities. Read more.
November 2011 Staff Star: Karin Janik, principal, Rose Hill Elementary
If there are certain characteristics that make a principal great, Karin Janik has them all. She loves working with kids, the staff, and the parents at her school to make sure that every student who walks in the door is successful. 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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11/22 - PTSA Special Needs Meeting, 7 p.m., Resource Center
11/23 - Half Day: Thanksgiving Break
11/24 - No School: Thanksgiving
11/25 - No School: Thanksgiving Break
12/1 - PTSA Council Meeting, 9:30 a.m., Scholarship Basket Auction Ends, 11 a.m.
12/5 - School Board Meeting, 7 p.m., Resource Center
12/7 - GEAC Meeting, 6:30 p.m., Resource Center
12/19-12/30 - No School: Winter Break
1/2 - No School: Winter Break
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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Recycling and composting lunchroom waste has reduced LWSD's trash bills by $71,000 compared to two years ago when the initiative began. |
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Visit the Parent Education section of the Lake Washington PTSA Council website for information about upcoming Parent Education classes. |
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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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