Tiger Tales #19

Teaching our students the content and skills they need is critical, but so is the student voice and agency we want to support. We want to nurture and foster each individual's ideas and thoughts. We want to help them find their voice, even if they are quieter by nature. Allowing them time to process what they are learning and to make sense of their world within their context will empower them in their future decisions and lives. I am so proud of all the ways Medina teachers support this for our students.

In addition, soon you will see our different student leadership groups posted in the main hallway of our school. We have Library Leaders, Student Council, Cultural Ambassadors, Jr. GSAs (recess helpers), and Students Organized Against Racism (SOAR). A variety of ways for students to express their thoughts and share their experience with us so we are able to leverage their voices and ideas. Stay tuned for news about the variety of ways our student leaders are taking an active role at Medina.

The topic of immigration has been a topic creating stress and uncertainty for some families in our community. We all work hard to provide a safe and nurturing environment every day for our students and families, and we will continue to provide this through our communication and advocacy. Here are a few links that you might find helpful as a reference on the Bellevue School District website regarding our district's policies and procedures:

4310.1P: Interactions with Immigration Agencies | Policy and Procedure Details

Know Your Rights: Immigration, Advocacy and Education - Bellevue School District.

If you have any questions or concerns, please do not hesitate to contact me by stopping by the main office, calling, or via email: lyonsl@bsd405.org

Lara

Wow! What a wonderful way we started our Friday with a whole school student assembly to celebrate Lunar New Year - the year of the Snake. A big thank you to Ms. Nguyen's class for leading our assembly with sharing information about this holiday, which is celebrated in many Asian cultures. Here are some of the fun events during the assembly:

• Students learned about the Zodiac calendar and representative animals.
• Given that cleaning is an important aspect of Lunar New Year, one of our second-grade teachers, Ms. Tenace, demonstrated her sweeping and cleaning skills, while on roller blades!
• Lego Lunar New Year projects were paraded by students and now will be on display in the school glass cases.
• Near the end of the assembly, we had a traditional Lion Dance performed by Seattle group, Mak Fai Dragon & Lion Dance Association.
• Lastly, each student received a red envelope with a special gift and good luck token to enjoy. A special thank you to the Van de Mortel family for stuffing the 600 envelopes for each Medina child to receive!

From Odle Middle School:

Odle’s Rocketry Club is hosting the 2nd Annual Rocket Round Up on February 5th. The event brings together all the BSD rocketry clubs participating in the American Rocketry Challenge and showcases student design and rocket building skills. This year we are inviting the community to the event and simultaneously raising funds for the club. Please consider joining us for a portion of the afternoon.

Bellevue PTSA Council presents Spring Into Reading in March 2025! This program celebrates the joy of reading and highlights the importance of literacy with all students across all 16 BSD elementary schools.

Spring Into Reading features 2 books that share the incredible true story of Springer, an orphaned orca calf found in the Puget Sound in 2002. Springer was rescued, rehabilitated, and returned to her home by the north end of Vancouver Island BC. Within 24 hours, she was successfully reunited with and accepted back into her pod - the first time in history!

In March, Bellevue PTSA Council will give away 1 book to each class at every school

• Preschool to 2nd grade: The Spirit of Springer (by Amanda Abler)
• 3rd to 5th grade: Orca Rescue! (by Donna Sandstrom, WLA 2025 Sasquatch Nominee)

Learn more about the March programs on the Bellevue PTSA website, here.

From Meghan Letter, our Special Education Teacher:

Thank you for your generosity in funding my grant request for the updated digital curriculum Zones of Regulation. I had my first lesson utilizing the new curriculum today and the shift in engagement was outstanding! The students were excited about the material they were learning and the variety of interactive components that reflected their lives helped them make the key connections I was looking for. We learned about what emotional regulation is and means, as well as how we can regulate things in our environment (like the lights or how fast a car drives). We then connected that to how we are able to regulate our own actions and emotions. The students were so excited about the connections they were making we had to pause our lesson and will finish it later. I’m deeply appreciative of how this will support our students going forward into the school year and excited to see the students learn and grow.

Regardless if students are receiving Special Education services, there is a huge benefit for all students to learn about their emotions and how to manage this within a classroom and school setting.

If you would like more information about the PTA and their newsletter, The Byte, click here.

Join us on Friday, January 31st from 5:00 -7:00 pm for an exciting journey around the globe!

This is a wonderful event when we celebrate the many nationalities represented at Medina. You can be involved in a variety of ways. We would love to have as many people as possible host a table showcasing their country.

Some ideas for a culture table could include some of the following:

• Providing traditional snacks
• Having a game, activity, etc. people can participate in
• Displaying items, clothing, musical instruments, photos, etc. from a country of origin

Participation in a vibrant fashion show is also a possibility.

Please join our celebration of culture! To learn more, please click on the link below:

https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSdP5KuKIVoj0cxYcNV6awYLACuJO6LKgdM8EmBx1B4c-KRk5A/viewform

One of Medina's 3rd grade students, Irene Gao, is part of a young musician's guild associated with Seattle Children's Hospital. This group organizes public music concerts to raise awareness and funds to support cancer research. The next upcoming concert is scheduled for 3:00-5:00pm Feb. 23rd, 2025, and it will take place at Kirkland SDA Church, address: 6400 108th Ave NE, Kirkland WA, 98033. The event will feature performances by young musicians in Melody for Change, and all proceeds will go toward supporting cancer research at Seattle Children’s Hospital.

The donation link :

https://give.seattlechildrens.org/give/637355/#!/donation/checkout

This week we conducted a shelter-in-place drill and practiced what we would do if there was a release of hazardous materials in the area. Students learned about staying calm and quiet while quickly gathering in the cafeteria and gym spaces. All students and staff were accounted for within seven minutes, which was wonderfully efficient!

Please talk to your child about our drill. An important next step in your family preparedness might be talking about a shelter-in-place plan for your home.

For more information on shelter-in-place, you might want to visit the Washington Department of Health website at: https://www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/BePreparedBeSafe/SevereWeatherandNaturalDisasters/ShelterInPlace or the Washington Emergency Management Division at: https://mil.wa.gov/hazardous-material.

January:

29: Author Visit for Medina students!

31: 5:00 - 7:00 PM World Culture Night

February:

11: School Board Visit to Medina

17 - 23: Mid-winter holiday

24: School resumes

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.