Spirit Assembly Today!
Thank you to our student leaders for helping share ideas for our assembly today, including having everyone being invited to wear PJs and comfy clothes today. There was a sing-a-long, a celebration to highlight different winter holidays, some surprise new books from the book fair being given out from a raffle drawing for each grade level, and also a surprise visit from Pawlie, our Medina Tiger mascot! We are enjoying having an assembly at least one time a month to have our student community connect and create a greater sense of unity.
We look forward to our next gathering in January!
Parents: Thank you for the books!
We are excited to introduce to students some new books in the library, thanks to PTA funding! Our new literacy curriculum entails more writing, which is wonderful. But we also have found that there was a need to increase the amount of non-fiction research books which are available to support students' learning. There are series of books which are available for all of our grade levels, to engage students where they are at. In addition, there are some wonderful fiction books which are also purchased to further engage students.
Some of our 5th grade Library Leaders will help introduce these books on the Medina News, our newscast which is broadcast at school. So students and families can begin to check out these new books.
This would not be possible if it were not for the great support from parents. If you would like to become involved with the PTA on any level, I encourage you to check out their website and their newsletter, The Byte.
Pastries with Principals
We had a very informative talk by our Mental Health Counselor, Sarah Kermgard, and our Medina Counselor, Elise Geck at our Pastries with Principals event regarding online safety and tech safety this past Monday. I attached the PPT slides to the email with the Tiger Tales link. There is recent data about the mental health concerns we have for our children today with social media and increased screen time, but also some great strategies for how we can navigate this environment with our children to support them.
Mark your calendars for January:
The January Pastries with Principals event will be on January 16 at 5:30 - 6:30 PM. We are fortunate that this event will include a presentation by the Bellevue Police and a detective to talk further about online safety. We have invited the Clyde Hill parent community to also join us at this adults only event. To assist with our planning, please fill out this form. This will also allow us to make copies of the PPT in different languages to accommodate our audience.
After the holidays - transitioning back to school
For kids (and adults!), returning to school or a regular schedule is hard following a break. Yet, there are some things that parents can do to help ease their child's transition. Before the first morning back (Monday January 6th), start planning for any triggers that might lead to a difficult return. Tips for sleep, travel, and emotional support are provided below.
SLEEP TIP: Sleep schedules often shift toward staying up and waking up later over breaks, which leads to problems getting to sleep at a reasonable time after break. Whenever possible, encourage your student to keep a consistent routine of going to bed and waking up at the same time each day. If this isn't realistic, do your best to slowly move up bed and wake times until your child is sleeping and waking at the desired times for school.
TRAVEL TIP: If your family has been away, plan to have at least one day at home for your student(s) to relax and recoup before their first day back at school.
EMOTIONAL SUPPORT TIP: It is common for kids to feel anxiety about returning to school. Parents can help their student work through these feelings by:
1) Actively listening and validating the child's feelings of unease
2) Reminding the child that it is completely normal to feel uncomfortable during times of transition
3) Reinforcing that as their parent, you have full confidence in their ability to handle the transition back to school.
Last, let us know! If your child is feeling anxious, don't hesitate to contact us so we can be a support on that first day back!
Speed limit reminder
This is just a friendly reminder that we have heard from our Medina community members and some families at school that cars are speeding in the neighborhood. Please drive slowly and carefully, especially as it is dark outside during the winter months. The Medina Police are going to be providing more oversight in our neighborhood to ensure students' safety. Thanks for your support!
Parent Technology Tip: Monitoring student use at home
There are times that the school laptops go home with your child. As a reminder, although the school district has firewalls and protective software to safeguard students while they are at school using technology, at home you will need to provide this safeguarding yourselves.
A parent/guardian can utilize the district approved monitoring software called apParent Online by AssistX to monitor and control a student's device while they are at home. Click on the link to find out more.
Also as a reminder, students and families can get technology support by phone, email, or in-person.
Monday through Friday: 7 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
(425) 456-4321
Important Dates
December:
21: Start of Winter Holiday
Please Note
In addition to the District Holiday closures, all Bellevue School District Buildings will be closed to the public December 24, 2024 through January 2, 2025.
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January:
6: First day of school after vacation
15: 5:30 - 6:30 PM Open House for Prospective Families to Medina
15: 5:30 - 6:30 PM Pastries with Principals (Bellevue Police and detective)
20: NO SCHOOL - Martin Luther King Jr Day
31: 5:00 - 7:00 PM Multicultural Fair
Due to the power outage and some canceled days of school, the school calendar has been altered. For your planning, the Updated 2024-2025 School Year Calendar is posted here. The three emergency make-up days have been converted to school days.
NOTE: There will not be a Tiger Tales during the holiday. The next Tiger Tales will be on Friday, January 10. HAVE A LOVELY HOLIDAY!
