Tiger Tales #14

As a staff, we talk and learn about current education research in order to best inform our classroom practices. One aspect that is abundantly clear is the importance of content knowledge. Learning is about making connections with what we already know in order to build upon that knowledge base. It is for that reason that often teachers will start a lesson by asking students questions which discover what they know about a topic of study. During this information era it is more important than ever to have a deep understanding of content in order to think critically and analytically about it.

Reading books together to explore your children's interests is a wonderful way to build upon what your child finds interesting. If you haven't taken your child to the Bellevue Public Library, there are some events and activities that can help support their interests and their reading.

To find out more about the Bellevue Library, click here: https://kcls.org/locations/bellevue/

"The ability to think critically — like the ability to understand what you read — can’t be taught directly and in the abstract. It’s inextricably linked to how much knowledge you have about the situation at hand.”

- Natalie Wexler, The Knowledge Gap

I like to think of our school as a family and as a group we experience the highs and lows of our collective community. It is very exciting to share a wonderful celebration that happened for one of our families and how impactful this was for our students.

Gabby Ryu is one of our 3rd grade students and on November 18 she was able to 'ring the bell' at Seattle Children's Hospital as a symbol that she successfully completed her chemotherapy cancer treatment! Last week the entire third grade had a chance to celebrate this significant step in beating cancer by cheering for Gabby, and her family, while waving yellow/gold ribbons and signs (the symbol for all cancers that occur during childhood).

Gabby is an inspiration with her strength, her determination and her perseverance during challenging times.

On Saturday, December 7 there will be two performances of Pinocchio performed by our very own Medina students! The Missoula Children's Theatre has been working with students this week to put together a wonderful performance. The actors were also available to work with some classrooms during the school day. Come support our students and celebrate their hard work by coming to one of the performances, either at 3:00 or at 5:00. I hope to see you there!

Open Houses and 2024-2025 Open Transfer, Choice School and Choice Program Period

The Open Transfer, Choice School and Choice Program Application period for the 2024-2025 school year will open on Monday, December 9, 2024. Students and families are invited to learn more about Bellevue School District schools and programs during upcoming open houses and information events.

· Each school will host an open house during the Open Transfer and Choice School/Program application period.

· Families are invited to the Language Programs Fair on Tuesday, December 3, 2024, to learn more about the variety of language offerings available for students.

· Families with students between the ages of three to age five are invited to attend a Preschool Information Session on Wednesday, December 4, 2024, or Thursday, December 5, 2024.

· Upcoming Open House Dates for the next two weeks:

o December 10, 2024 – Lake Hills Open House, 8:15 – 9:15 a.m.

o December 10, 2024 – Cherry Crest Elementary Open House, 6:00 – 7:00 p.m.

o December 11, 2024 – Tyee Middle School Open House, 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.

o December 11, 2024 – Big Picture High School Open House, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.

o December 12, 2024 – Big Picture Middle School Open House, 6:30 – 8:00 p.m.

For all open house and information session dates, times and locations please view the open house webpage.

Our Next Pastries with Principals event will be held on Monday, December 16 at 8:15 in the Art Room. The presentation will be from our Mental Health Counselor, Sarah Kermgard, and our Medina Counselor, Elise Geck, who will share information and strategies about student well-being and how to support our children with online tech safety. There will be a lot of practical strategies and tips for parents to consider, especially prior to the upcoming holiday when children might be spending more time with technology. Please join us for this informative event!

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.

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.

apParent Online

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

parenthelp@bsd405.org

There are several times during the year when parents might want a teacher to fill out a letter of recommendation. Our staff are happy to accommodate parents, but it does take time to fill out a thoughtful and thorough recommendation. Please allow at least a couple weeks for teachers to complete this part of the application process for you.

Thank you for your partnership.

Next week, December 9 -13, is our annual Book Fair! This is a fun event for students and families, and the money raised will help the Medina Library purchase new books. Students will have the opportunity to shop at the Book Fair during their class library time next week. They can make purchases with an e-wallet or cash.

Setting up an e-wallet is simple and it is the preferred payment method. Just follow this link: https://account.scholastic.com/my-scholastic/profile/create-ewallet.html?fairID=5439915&sUCN=600103556. You can also come shop with your child before or after school (Monday afternoon through Friday morning). On Wednesday, Dec. 11, we will have a Family Shopping Night from 5:30-7:30 and all are welcome.

Thank you for supporting our students by shopping at the Book Fair!

We feel fortunate to have such a fantastic parent community! Thank you for your support and partnership! Here are a few comments from teachers to recognize the ways you make a difference:

• Thanks to a PTA Grant this year, the kids have started diving into the world of coding! Just today, Ms. Shafiqa introduced my class to CodeCombat Junior curriculum. Kids are learning coding concepts via engaging, game-based activities. They’re loving it!

• Thank you for the EXTRA SPECIAL luncheons the PTA hosts for our staff each month. The time and effort that goes into making each of us feel supported and special is very appreciated by ALL of US!

• We are planning a new field trip in the spring for all of the 5th graders and it is going to be great! The buses and the materials to prep for the trip I believe is made possible via the generosity of the Medina PTA- much appreciated!

• 2nd grade has Insect Safari visiting this month and the toymaker later on this year to supplement our Literacy and Science programs, thank you PTA for making this possible!

• The PTA filled two grants for the library. We have just placed an order for new books for the school and are looking forward to its arrival. We are also hosting an author visit at the end of January with PTA grant money!

A BIG thank you for all you do to enrich the lives of our Medina students and staff!

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

December:

7: 3:00 show and 5:00 show - Missoula Theatre Production at Medina!

9-13: Book Fair in library

11: 5:30 -7:30 PM Book Fair Family Night

16: Pastries with Principals 8:15 in Art Room

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