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Connections
Lake Washington School District's community newsletter
October 10, 2013
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In This Issue:

HaikuNew way to help your student stay on track

The Haiku Learning Management System is now open for parents to view information on their student(s) and their classes. Haiku is a digital learning environment for classroom communication and collaboration. It's a great tool for parents to use to help their students stay on track.

 

What parents may view, for those classes with active Haiku sites, includes:

  •  class announcements
  • assignments
  • class calendars
  • their student's assessment results
  • descriptions of discussions, WikiProjects and Wikisites

Teachers are learning to use the tool this year, so not all teachers will have active sites. If you do not see a specific class, you may want to contact your student's teacher.

 

A page about Haiku has been created in the For Parents section of the district website that provides a tour of Haiku for parents. An additional page with troubleshooting information is posted there as well.

 

To log in to Haiku, open an Internet browser and go to this URL: https://lms.lwsd.org. You will use the same username and password that you use to log in to Parent Access on the LWSD website. If you do not have a username and password for Parent Access, go to the Parent Access page on the district website to learn more and sign up.

 

If you have problems logging in, please email [email protected]. The district has added support for this email address to help parents get access to this new tool.

SATLake Washington SAT reading and writing scores increase

Lake Washington School District (LWSD) students scored on average five points higher on the SAT reading test and six points higher on the SAT writing test from the previous year, contrary to state and national trends. State average scores fell in both reading and writing, while national scores were flat in both reading and writing. LWSD average scores in math were five points lower than in 2012, when scores took a nine point leap over the previous year. Washington state scores also dipped in math, by seven points over 2012 scores, while the national average stayed the same. LWSD students continue to score well above state and national averages on all three tests. Complete results are posted on the district website.

TwoTwo schools honored with School of Distinction Awards

Kirkland Middle School and Discovery Community School recognized

Kirkland Middle School and Discovery Community School are two of the 99 schools recognized with 2013 School of Distinction Awards for outstanding improvement in student achievement over five years by The Center for Educational Effectiveness (CEE), the Association of Educational Service Districts (AESD), the Association of Washington School Principals (AWSP), Washington Association of School Administrators (WASA) and the Washington State School Directors' Association (WSSDA). These schools represent the top five percent of improvement of all schools in Washington state. Both schools will be recognized at an upcoming ceremony at the ESD. This is the second year in a row that Kirkland Middle School is being recognized with this award. Read more.

BoardSchool Board Highlights

Dr. Matthew Livingston, along with all three of the school's teachers, made a presentation about Community School as the host school for the October 7 School Board meeting. Lloyd Higgins, Associate Principal at Redmond High School, introduced the school's many National Merit Semifinalists and Commended Scholars.

 

During the public comment period, several members of the Lake Washington Educational Support Professionals expressed concern that they are still in bargaining and their contract with the district has expired. They encouraged the school board to ask district leadership to consider using data regarding members' economic situations, not just the comparison of wages paid in comparable districts in looking at salary proposals. Jill Stoddard, a Rockwell Elementary School parent, expressed concern over overcrowding at her school. She acknowledged previous communication from the superintendent but asked for specific goals, a timeline and accountability for a community process leading to a short-term plan for handling the additional students. A Rockwell student also expressed concern over overcrowding at the school.

 

The name for the STEM school was on the board agenda for final approval. During public comment, students spoke for and against including Nikola Tesla in the possible names for this new school. The name had been removed from consideration by the naming committee. The board asked the school's principal, Cindy Duenas, to make sure the students have an opportunity to present their perspectives to the committee before the board's final action.

 

In her superintendent's report, Dr. Pierce gave the district an update on enrollment, covering the data that is also included in her October Superintendent's message. The district welcomed 780 more students into our district this fall. While the bond measure on the February 2014 ballot will provide relief from overcrowding if passed, there is still need for short term adjustments.

 

Associate Superintendent Heather Sinclair presented an End Results report to the board on academic performance of the district students in grades kindergarten through three. She reported that third grade students in the district met their Measurements of Student Progress (MSP) targets for 2012-13 in reading and math.

AwardsAwards & Achievements 

LWHS project earns "Excellence in Concrete Construction" award
The Lake Washington High School project recently was awarded an "Excellence in Concrete Construction" award in the Architectural/Decorative Concrete Category by the Washington Aggregates & Concrete Association.

 

Paul Vine is "Someone you should know"

Director of Special Education Paul Vine was featured in the October edition of ParentMap magazine, in an article titled, "Someone You Should Know: Paul Vine." In this article, he describes the LWSD philosophy for educating special-needs kids, the range of abilities our program serves, the support we offer to parents and more information about his background in special education.

 

Have an award or achievement to share? Send all of the information to Shannon Parthemer or contact her at 425-936-1300.

EventsUpcoming Events
  • 10/14, 10/15 - Elementary Half Day: Conferences
  • 10/15 - LWSD First Grade Parent Information Night, 4:30 or 7 p.m., LWHS Performing Arts Center
  • 10/17 - Elementary Half Day: Conferences
  • 10/18 - No School: LEAP Day
  • 10/21 - School Board Meeting, 5:30 p.m., Resource Center
  • 10/30 - Elementary & Middle School Quest Applications Due, 4 p.m.
  • 11/3 - Standard Time (Daylight Savings Time ends)
  • 11/4 - School Board Meeting, 7 p.m., Resource Center
  • 11/5 - Election Day
  • 11/5 - Last Day of First Quarter - Secondary
  • 11/6 - GEAC Meeting, 6:30 p.m., Resource Center
  • 11/7 - PTSA Council Meeting, 9:30 a.m., Resource Center
  • 11/11 - No School: Veterans Day
  • 11/12 - Secondary Grades Due
  • 11/18 - School Board Meeting, 5:30 p.m., Resource Center
  • 11/27 - Half Day: Thanksgiving Break
  • 11/28 - No School: Thanksgiving Day
  • 11/29 - No School: Thanksgiving 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 on the Tandem Online Calendar are available here.

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Quick Links: www.lwsd.orgCommunity Bulletin Board | Tandem Online Calendar

 

Lake Washington School District | (425) 936-1200  

 

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. The following person has been designated to handle inquiries regarding the nondiscrimination policies: Director of Human Resources, 16250 NE 74th Street, Redmond, Washington 98052, (425) 936-1266.