Tiger Tales
Newsletter #27 - March 15, 2024
· Language Access: Español | 简体中文 | Pусский | Tiếng Việt | 한국어 | العربية
Dear Families,
We hope you and your little ones transitioned smoothly with the Daylight Saving Time change. While we caught a few yawns and sleepy faces (adults and kids!) - we are loving the warmer temperatures and sunlight these few days. This week we celebrated our wonderful Classified Staff as part of Education Support Professionals Week. From our nutrition and custodial staff to our general school assistants and front office staff, they help make sure our school runs smoothly so that students are able to learn and do their best. In the midst of this busy week, Pi Day happened, and it was awesome listening to students recite PI; some knew more than 50 digits of Pi!
Another reminder is that there is school this coming Friday 3/22, to make up for the snow closure back in January. It will be a regular Friday with the same school hours 8:05am-2:35pm. For those coming to the auction tonight, see you soon, and for everyone, we wish you a restful weekend. Enjoy the beautiful weather.
With anticipation,
Kati & Betty
Upcoming Events
March 19: Odle Parent Registration Night for 5th grade families, 6-7pm
March 22: Regular School Day
March 27: Pastries with Principals, Topic: Science and Social Emotional Learning, 8:15-9:15am, Room 152 (VIRTUAL Option: Click here to join the meeting)
April 8-12: No school, spring break
May 1: Pastries with Principals, Topic: Social Studies and SEL, 8:15-9:15am, Room TBD
Assistant Principal Weiland Going on Maternity Leave
As many of you know, Ms. Weiland is expecting her first baby soon! March 22nd will be her last day with us, unless baby makes an appearance before then. Please take a moment to wish her well as she embarks on this new journey. Don't worry; she plans to return in the fall! For the duration of this school year, we are lucky to have Ms. Brenda Naish, an experienced administrator, support our school as the interim administrator. Please read below to learn more about Ms. Naish and join us in welcoming her when she officially starts on March 26.
---------
Dear Medina Community,
I am excited and honored to join the Medina staff to support staff and students for the completion of the 2023-2024 school year. I have worked in education for over 30 years as a teacher, central office support staff member, principal and assistant principal. Most of my career has been in the Bellevue School district. I’ve worked as a teacher at Sherwood Forest, Bennett, Enatai, Tillicum and Spiritridge; as an assistant principal at Eastgate, as a principal at Spiritridge, Enatai and Stevenson, and as an interim administrator at Cherry Crest, Bennett, Somerset, Jing Mei and now Medina. I have also been a principal in the Northshore School District and Burlington-Edison School District. Most recently, this school year I have provided extra support to Newport Heights, Bennett and Clyde Hill Elementary Schools.
When I’m not in the Bellevue area supporting students, staff and community members, my husband and I love to retreat to our home in Colorado and enjoy a variety of outdoor pursuits, including hiking, biking, motorcycle riding, skiing, camping and standup paddle boarding. We have enjoyed the incredible outdoor pursuits available in Western Washington for 30+ years and are now enjoying pursuits that are just as spectacular in the mountains and deserts of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico and Arizona, especially the amazing National Parks in the area!
Having worked in the Bellevue School District for almost 30 years, I find many familiar faces when I step in to help out at schools, and Medina is no different. There are a few familiar faces and many new Medina staff members, and I am excited to get to know them better. I look forward to getting to know the families that make up the Medina community soon!
Sincerely,
Brenda
Scheduling Absences
Reminder: Lost and Found
Our lost and found racks are getting full. Students can check the lost and found located across the library during school transition and lunch/recess times. Please check your child’s belongings when they return home to determine what might be missing. If your child is still unable to locate the item, you are welcome to also check the lost and found racks after school until 2:45 PM (Mon, Tues, Thu, Fri) and 12:45 PM (Wed). We donate items at various times throughout the school year. Before donating items, we look through all items to see if there is a student name so that we can return the item to the student. All items will be donated on April 5th, right before spring break.
New Website Project Update: Content and Webpage Optimization
Work on the new BSD websites has been ongoing for almost one year, with the Listen and Learn project phase beginning in March 2023. Today, the project continues in the development portion of the Design and Development phase.
As noted in the project update in December, the project team has been focused on the website audit, content migration and training in the new platform. To allow more time to complete this part of the work, the Design and Development project phase will continue through summer 2024, with the new websites launching at that time. Several other aspects of the project will also take place during this time, specifically content and webpage optimization and broad staff training.
Coming soon will be the Launch and Promotion phase, in which the BSD community will learn:
· How BSD’s websites have changed
· Where to find important information on the new websites
· How to use the new and innovative features across websites
o E.g., navigation menus, site search, and language and accessibility tools
· Where to share feedback and submit website enhancement requests
· And more!
This Month's Safety Drill
This past Tuesday we conducted an Active Threat Drill where each class practiced what they would do if there was a threat on campus. Below are guidelines on how best to support your child should they want to process their experience with you.
Cheri Lovre, with Crisis Management Institute, encourages families to treat their students as “the expert” when speaking with them about such incidents. So instead of mentioning the active threat and asking whether your student is anxious, consider framing it something like, “There might be an active threat at the school. When that happens, how do you think that affects (your peers) (students) (kids your age)?” And then just listen. By doing this, students are able to provide the information they know, and share their concerns, which keeps the conversation going. As follow-up questions ask your student(s):
· What might help students feel safer in school?
· What could parents do to help youth feel safe?
· What kinds of things has your school done that address school safety?
Additionally, below are some suggestions you could use to help your student(s) process their feelings:
· Maintain your composure. Students model behavior and may look to you for cues on how to react.
· Reassure your student(s) that they are safe.
· Maintain normal routines. Students need a sense of stability.
· Help students to express their feelings. If they don’t know the words to say how they feel inside, try to help them put their feelings into words and/or use creative ways of communicating, such as through art, writing or music.
· Listen. Ask questions.
· Make yourself available. Your student may need extra time and attention from you.
Parents are always an important part of the safety solution. Clear and open communication, at home and at school, is crucial to creating and maintaining a healthy emotional environment. Talking with students at home not only helps them practice sharing information verbally with parents or guardians, it encourages them to open up about what they are thinking and feeling.
Middle School Registration for Current 5th graders
For our 5th grade families, middle school registration will be happening very soon! With many of our students attending Chinook or Odle Middle School, counselors came to Medina this week to introduce 5th grade classes to the registration process and provide information that will go home to families. Please follow up with your 5th graders on elective courses to register for next year and the deadlines to complete this task. This is an incredibly exciting time for our 5th graders, as they are embarking on the next stage of their educational career!
Please refer to the links below for information about the registration process for middle schools:
(Odle will be hosting an "Incoming 6th Grade Registration Session" for parents on Tuesday, March 19 from 6pm - 7pm. This is an opportunity to learn more about the middle school registration process. If you would like to join virtually, please use this link. Please have your student's registration packet with you for this evening.)
Bellevue School District does not discriminate in any programs or activities on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts of America and other designated youth groups. The following employees have been designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged discrimination:
Civil Rights, Racial Discrimination, and Gender Expression or Identity Discrimination:
Civil Rights/Nondiscrimination Compliance Coordinator Nancy Pham, (425) 456-4040 or phamn@bsd405.org
Sex-based Discrimination, including Sexual Harassment:
Title IX Coordinator: Jeff Lowell, (425) 456-4010 or lowellj@bsd405.org
Disability Discrimination:
Section 504/ADA Coordinator: Heather Edlund, (425) 456-4156 or edlundh@bsd405.org
Mailing address for all three: 12111 NE 1st Street, Bellevue, WA 98005.