Tiger Tales #35

Having musicality, reading notes, knowing the tone and rhythm of music...there is so much learning involved. Tonight as I watched the 5th graders in their year-end band and orchestra concert I was filled with pride. It is a wonderful opportunity provided by the Bellevue School District to have all of the 5th graders learn an instrument. My own son plays the cello, and my daughter plays the violin, so I know the discipline, hard work, and practice that it takes to learn to read notes to execute a song, especially when playing as part of a group. A big thank you to our band and orchestra teachers for their expertise and leadership!

A big congratulations to our Medina debate team! At the recent debate competition, all students were well-prepared and represented our school with integrity and intelligence.

Two Medina teams won the awards in yesterday’s Elementary Debate.

Allen/Ethan won the 2nd place.

Evelyn/Iris/Leva/Wenyou won the Honors Award.

We need to thank our wonderful parent volunteers Jennifer Chen and Fanny Xie as well as to our Co-Chairs, Priyanka and Chris. Also, we know as parents you provide the home support and cooperation in order to make these events happen, thank you!

Please join us for the fifth-grade promotion ceremony on June 24th in the cafeteria/gym area. Doors will open at 8:00 AM and the ceremony will begin at 8:30 AM. After the ceremony, there will be snacks and photo opportunities under the covered area.

If you have younger children at Medina who would like to attend the ceremony, please contact their teachers to make arrangements. Please be thoughtful about parking and please do not park in the fire lane.

Dismissal on the 24th is at 10:05, but fifth graders and their siblings are free to leave any time after the ceremony with their families. Regular bus service will leave Medina around 10:15.

For those families who have a new child attending Medina this upcoming school year, please be sure to register him/her for the upcoming school year. Your registration helps us plan for the amount of classrooms we will have next year. If you have any questions, please ask the main office.

My name is Ian White, and I am the Operations Specialist with Jubilee REACH. This summer we are hosting a camp for all incoming 6th graders (current 5th graders) who are attending a BSD middle school in the fall. One of our goals with offering this camp is to begin to build bridges and connections with incoming 6th grade students before they start middle school.

Jubilee REACH Camp:

• Choose a morning (9:30–11:30 am) or afternoon (1:30–3:30 pm) session on Mon/Wed or Tues/Thurs.
• Camp offerings include arts & crafts, basketball, board games, field games, improv, soccer, trivia, and volleyball. Offerings vary by day/time—check the registration link for details.
• Best of all—it’s free, but spots are limited! Pre-registration ends 6/6. Click here to register: https://forms.office.com/r/9P1FuVAD8P. We hope to see your student there!

Here is some information about Camp Jubilee:

• Registration: Opens today – Closes at midnight on June 6th
• Registration Link: https://forms.office.com/r/9P1FuVAD8P
• Location: Cherry Crest Elementary
• Camp Dates: July 7th – August 7th
• Open to incoming 6th grade students (current 5th graders)
• Students can sign up for specific sessions

Dear Kindergarten Families,

Please join us for Kindergarten Camp on Tuesday, August 25. Your child will explore a kindergarten classroom and meet the kindergarten teachers before informal classroom settings. This will allow school to create balanced classes for the 2025/2026 school year.

Please sign up for one, 45-minute session for your child to attend and make sure to plan on arriving 10 minutes prior to your child’s session time to check-in and allow us to start on time. We would like to meet you outside by the front entry. Following kindergarten camp, you will pick up your child at the school cafeteria. Soon after, you will receive an email with your child's assigned teacher and a link to sign up for your child's Kindergarten Welcome Conferences. Kindergarten Camp will be in lieu of the Medina Meet and Greet. We are excited to start on this journey with you and your child.

Regards,

Kindergarten Team (Lisa McQuade, Rochelle Wright, Homa Hassan)

From Russell White, Principal of International School:

I wanted to let you know that International School is again holding our annual 5th Grade BBQ for incoming students and families. The purpose of this event is to begin the process of connecting students and family members from across the district to build a sense of community.

This event will be taking place on Thursday, June 5 from 11:15 – 12:45. This is an optional event and is no way required of students. However, if students who will be going to International School next year for 6th grade would like to attend, we will excuse the absence for this event, please let the main office and your classroom teacher know. It will be expected that students return to school after the event. Transportation will need to be provided by parents.

Cell Phones/Smart Watches

We discourage students from bringing cell phones and smart watches to school. However, we understand that many families rely on them for communicating with each other after school. Please remember that cell phones/smart watches brought to school are brought at the owner’s own risk and families need to understand that the phones are easily lost. If a loss occurs at school, it is not the responsibility of the school.

If cell phones are brought to school, they must remain OFF and in backpacks during the school day, including recesses, lunch, and bus rides. Smart watches should remain in silent or focus mode and not be used during school to communicate. If a child needs to call a parent during the school day, they can use a school phone in the office or classroom. Families that need to communicate with the child should call the front office or email the classroom teacher to relay the message. If a cell phone or smart watch poses a consistent disruption to the learning environment, school staff will contact the family to develop a plan. This may include confiscation of the device and families will be required to retrieve it from the main office.

Three of our students, Allen Kim, Kyle Kim, and Chaeah Min, have initiated an idea to have a book drive to give to lower income families. We are supported by a parent who can donate these books through a non-profit organization.

There is a box in the main entrance for people to place gently used children's books (for grades 3 - 5). Thank you for your support! Book Drive ends on June 6 - please bring in your books!

Our next Pastries with Principals will be held on Wednesday, June 4 at 8:15 in the library. The focus of this talk will be the transition to middle school. If you are interested in learning more about how to support your child with this transition, please come!

Our lost and found racks are collecting many coats and water bottles as Spring is here. Students have access to the lost and found area during class transitions and lunch/recess times. Please check your child’s belongings when they return home to determine what might be missing.

Adults have access to the Lost and Found racks from M-T-W-Th-Fri 7:40-8:05 AM and M-T-Th-Fri 2:35-2:50, Wed 12:15-1:00. 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 Monday, June 2nd.

June:

4: Pastries with Principals 8:15 in Library

6: PTA General Meeting 6:30 PM in Cafeteria

13: Last day of Boys' and Girls' Club (please arrange childcare, if needed)

18: Kindergarten End of Year Picnic (McQuade and Wright) (Hassan's picnic, TBD)

19: Juneteenth: NO SCHOOL

20: Field Day (note change of date)

20: Chinook M.S. Promotion Ceremony at 12:30

23: Early Release Schedule Day (Dismissal at 12:20)

24: 5th grade Promotion Ceremony

24: LAST DAY OF SCHOOL! Dismissal at 10:05 a.m.

Updated 2024-2025 School Year Calendar is posted here.