PLE Principal Update
April 1, 2022
Dear PHamily,
Dear Phamily,
The month of March brought some much-needed learning and fun in our school. At the beginning of the month, Mrs. Pearson and I visited classrooms to recognize our students who demonstrated our virtue of the month, which was respect. We also created awareness about our students with down syndrome by wearing crazy socks and Autism Acceptance Day by wearing red! Our amazing PTA coordinated our science event where our students were able to present different projects. The Children's Museum visited and provided science opportunities. We also had the robotics team from International School. Also, our fifth graders performed at Tillicum for Band and Orchestra zone concerts.
As a staff community, we engaged in professional development, launched Health and Safety updates, and reviewed the PLE reunification plan.
Thank you Phamily for an amazing month of learning, growing, and connecting together. We had such a special month. We appreciate this time for us to grow together as a community, and to get to know each other better. Thank you all for sharing and making this a memorable month!
In partnership,
Dr. Macias, PLE Principal
This month we are highlighting our PreK students
- Students in Room 106 participated in a group fine motor activity where they were exploring art materials, working to increase their attention and focus to a task, using their communication devices to make requests for items and for assistance when needed, and sharing/waiting for materials!
- Students in Room 106/119 enjoy interacting with peers during recess by making friends, following the rules of a game, and engaging in other gross motor activities!
- Students in Room 106 participated in a group fine motor activity where they were exploring art materials using their senses, creating pre-writing strokes and other formations, including their peers in play, and working to increase attention to a school project/task.
- Our students work hard on their 3 Little Pigs homes.
- Students working together to build a domino trail!
- Students in Room 115/116 learn how to draw and follow a map by pretending to be pirates looking for the hidden treasure at recess.
- Preschoolers used grid paper, rulers, and colored pencils to design their own buildings.
PLE Volunteer Breakfast: Empathy & Action
The PLE Staff invites you to a Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast
To all those who have generously given their time and effort to the PLE community by volunteering for PTA, lunch/recess supervision, classroom support and events.
Date: April 20th
Times: 8:40 AM
Location: Library
Please let us know that you plan to attend by RSVP in this link: Microsoft Forms
ATP Family Connections Event - With a Focus on Social-Emotional Well-Being
This will be a fun parent/caregiver event that we hope will build and strengthen our community!
Join us on Thursday, April 21st in the gym! Dinner will be served at 5:45pm and the event will begin at 6pm.
The event will include:
- Free catered dinner
- Free childcare
- Fun games (and prizes!)
- Presentation on social emotional well-being tools & strategies with Q & A
- Opportunities for parents to meet & connect with other parents, teachers & staff
Please RSVP by Monday, April 18th at https://forms.gle/pcUJhNPYRZTyhB4k8 if:
* You will be attending the dinner portion of the evening
* You will need childcare for the evening
* You will need a translator
If you have any questions, please email careya@bsd405.org.
To RSVP, please go to https://forms.gle/pcUJhNPYRZTyhB4k8
Virtue of the Month Recognition
As part of our student well-being focus, we were excited to award Virtue of the Month recognition certificates to our students demonstrating our monthly virtue. Students in each classroom were nominated by teachers for demonstrating responsibility. Dr. Macias, Mrs. Pearson, Jorge and Thunder visited classrooms to award certificates and recognize students. This was an amazing way to highlight our students for being their best selves, and we were proud to see so many classmates congratulating each other. Way to go, Eagles!
Virtue of the Month
In the month of March we recognized RESPONSIBILITY as our virtue of the month. Heading in to April, we are looking to celebrate the virtue of CONFIDENCE. To have confidence means to trust yourself and your capabilities. Students who are confident are sure of themselves and enjoy trying new things. When you have confidence in others you can trust and rely on them. To celebrate confidence, we will be hosting an assembly highlighting what it means to be confident. Students across the school will share what confidence means to them with their classmates and schools peers. If you're interested in reading a story about confidence, check out "Giraffes Can't Dance" by Giles Andre. This books tells the story of Gerald the giraffe who wants to dance, but is having difficulties. With the help of an unlikely friend, Gerald learns to dance to his own tune. Giraffe's Can't Dance Read Aloud
Too Sick for School?
Deciding when a child is too sick to go to school and too sick for after-school programs can be difficult decisions for parents to make. When trying to decide, use the guidelines to help make the best decisions.
Check the symptoms below to know when a student can come to school and when they need to stay home. WA DOH also has a Symptoms and Exposures Flowchart you can use to determine what to do if your child has COVID-19-like symptoms or potential exposure.
PTA Fundraise- Raise Craze
We are excited to announce that the PTA is hosting a fundraiser to support our wonderful school! We are using a new online platform called Raise Craze, where participants track Acts of Kindness (AOK) and raise money through donations. This is a great opportunity to encourage our students to learn about all of the ways that they can show kindness towards others, while raising money for all of the great things that the PTA does for our school. All of the prizes being offered for this fundraiser are experiences! The fundraiser starts next Monday, March 28th, and runs for two weeks, until Spring Break.
Book Fair
We’re excited to invite you to our upcoming Scholastic Book Fair. Hosted by our PTA, this event is an opportunity for students of all ages to build their home libraries and further their love of reading. As always, all purchases benefit our school library.
After missing out on many beloved traditions, our Spring Book Fair will be a familiar, welcome, and safe event for our students. Here’s what you need to know about the Fair, which will take place from April 25th through April 29th.
Our Book Fair offers eWallet, a safe and secure alternative to cash. Simply create a free account to add funds and/or invite family and friends to contribute so your child can select their own books. Any unused funds can be spent at The Scholastic Store Online or to fund a future eWallet.
If you can’t make it to the Fair, then shop at our school’s Online Book Fair. All orders ship directly to your home, and shipping is free for book orders over $25. Your online orders will also benefit our school.
Visit our Book Fair homepage to learn more and get started with eWallet and online shopping:
https://www.scholastic.com/bf/phantomlakeelemschool
We’re excited to celebrate our love of books together at the Book Fair. We look forward to seeing your child there!
Happy reading!
Mrs. Demmler
2022-2023 Enrollment Now Open
BSD Preschool Registration is now open! Please click here to register! Contact elp@bsd.405with questions.
- Convenient locations in BSD elementary schools
- Qualified and caring BSD educators
- Tuition assistance for qualified families
- Spanish and Mandarin curricula
- Preschool – K curricula alignment for kindergarten readiness
- A fun first school experience that promotes adaptive and social skills
Extended childcare hours available
It is time to enroll new students
New student enrollment (including incoming kindergarteners) for the 2022-2023 school year is now open at https://bsd405.org/schools/enrollment/. While you may enroll your students later, enrolling now helps the district ensure we have the correct staffing to support your students with the smallest classes possible.
If your student is already enrolled in a BSD school, you do not need to submit a new enrollment. They will automatically move up to the next grade.
Thank you.
Bellevue Virtual Academy (BVA)
The Bellevue School District is thrilled to announce that the Bellevue Virtual Academy (BVA) is the district’s 30th school! Starting with the 2022-2023 school year, BVA will be renamed and offer a permanent online learning option for BSD students in grades kindergarten through 12. It will be a choice school, and students will need to apply to join the program. Families may apply to the program for the 2022-2023 school year by completing this form.
Applications are due back by the end of the day Sunday, April 10, 2022. Once accepted, students will be able to stay through graduation and receive a diploma from the new school.
To help families learn more about online learning and enrollment for the 2022-23 school year, the district will host an Online Information Session on Tuesday, March 29 at 6:00 p.m. Additional resources include:
- Online Application - Apply Now
- Read the 2022-2023 school year FAQ
- Learn more about the online program
- Hear from studentsand teacher-mentorsas they share why BVA was important to them in the 2021-2022 school year.
BSF Education Connections: Modeling Nutrition for Your Family
Join the Bellevue Schools Foundation for a special, family-focused Education Connections on Wednesday, April 6, at 5 p.m. through Zoom! RSVP here. The Dining Services Supervisor of Overlake Medical Center, Melicent Smith, will discuss how parents can help support and create healthy eating habits within their families. Childhood and adolescence are critical periods when individuals develop the patterns and knowledge around healthy eating that persist for years in the future. Find out how small changes at home can have a significant impact on the mental, physical, emotional health of your students.
Autism Acceptance Day - April 2, 2022
Autism Acceptance Day - April 2, 2022
PLE to recognize on Thursday, March 31, 2022
April is Autism Acceptance Month! You may have previously (or even currently) heard April referred to as 'Autism Awareness' month. This change in terminology comes from Autistic adults who feel that people are already ‘aware’ of autism, and what the Autistic community needs now is a more tolerant society for Autistic children (and adults). They advocate for celebrating “Neurodiversity”, where people who have differences in thinking and learning are affirmed, accepted, accommodated, and celebrated for these differences. Please click the link to learn more about Autism.
How can you celebrate Autism Acceptance Day?
- World Autism Day is an annual celebration of autistic people to raise awareness of developmental disorders and neurodivergence. You can show support on World Autism Day by talking and posting about autism, celebrating neurodiversity at local events, and listening to the stories of neurodiverse and autistic individuals.
BSF Education Connections
Join the Bellevue Schools Foundation for their next Education Connections on Wednesday, March 9, at 5 p.m. through Zoom! RSVP here. Our very own BSD educators will be sharing the Arts, Enrichment, and Innovation (AE&I) Grants they received this school year. The purpose of AE&I Grants is to fund projects that extend the regular curriculum, encourage higher-level thinking skills, enrich students through art, music, culture, science, or other activities, and provide opportunities for innovation in classrooms. This long-standing support that is available to all educators, is a cornerstone of the Foundation’s funding model on an annual basis. Check out all the AE&I and i2 Grants here and review the Bellevue Schools Foundation has at YOUR school here.
PLE Reunification Resources
In March, we shared resources with our students and staff around the process of reunification. If an emergency event were to occur, it is important that we have a process in place to reunite students with their families. PLE follows the BSD reunification process, which is shared here. We also created a presentation outlining this process, which can be viewed here. A great first step is to update your emergency contact list (think anyone you'd be willing to pick up your child!) with Ms. Rooney or Ms. Gordon. This can also be done in ParentVue.
Eastside Youth Coalition Presents: Get Your College On
The Eastside Youth Coalition, in partnership with the Bellevue School District, will present Get Your College On, A Black Student Alumni Panel. The virtual event will be moderated by Shomari Jones, BSD Director of Equity, and Kevin Henry, host of KBCS Voices of Diversity. The panel discussion will feature alumni from each BSD high school. To hear about their journey and college experience, please plan to attend on Tuesday, March 8, 2022, from 6:00 to 7:00 p.m.
Upcoming Spring Standardized Testing
This Spring, OSPI requires that third, fourth, and fifth graders take the Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA) to capture statewide data in English Language Arts and Math. Fifth grade students will also be taking the Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science (WCAS).
Below are the dates Phantom Lake will be testing students on campus. Before testing, it is helpful that students have a good night's sleep and breakfast. As a reminder, we offer breakfast to our PLE students starting at 8:15am each day.
If your child is absent on one or all of these dates, makeup days will be available. The testing window closes on June 10th. If for any reason your child will not be on campus during this testing window, please email pearsonr@bsd405.org.
Raise Craze Acts of Kindness Day
Join us at PLE on Sunday, April 3rd from 2-3 pm for an afternoon of kindness! We will be cleaning up trash around the school grounds and will have sidewalk chalk available for everyone to write a message of kindness or positivity (or draw a picture to brighten someone’s day!). If we have time, we will head down the hill to do the same at Lake Hills Park! If you have painted rocks at home with positive or kind messages or pictures on them, feel free to bring them to the park and school and hide them around as surprises for people to find!
Spirit Week
Get ready for Spirit Week and show your love for our awesome school! Spirit Week will run from Monday, April 4th-Friday, April 8th. This is a great chance to break out your crazy socks and outfits on Mismatched Day (Mon); show your team spirit with your favorite team’s colors or apparel on Favorite Sports Day (Tues); get really crazy with backwards or inside-out clothes on Inside Out Day (Wed); wear your new school t-shirts (or dress in school colors of purple/teal!) on Thunder Thursday; and stay cozy in your pjs on Pajama Day (Fri)! A flyer will be sent home via kid mail for you to hang on the fridge or in your child’s room or you can view/download/print a copy here.
PTA Board & Committee Nominations
BSF Spring For Schools Luncheon
It’s almost time for Spring For Schools on May 13, 2022! Please plan to join us - either in person or virtually!
Join our PTA President, Rhiannon Kreal, as Table Captain in person at the Hyatt Regency Bellevue or join our virtual table, hosted by Michelle Rainville PLE/BSF Ambassador, from the comfort of your home for a movie premiere event unlike any of the 31 events of years past.
The in-person event will have a red carpet, a showcase of student and teacher projects funded by BSF, lunch, and a movie. Virtual will have the option to set up your own small gathering or watch in your home individually. Box lunches will be available for pick up before the event.
The event will celebrate the stars of Bellevue’s 29 public schools—students and educators! Spring for Schools is a fundraiser to ensure critical programming provided by BSF continues; donations will be leveraged to transform public education in our community.
RSVP to attend in person or virtually, and be a part of the fundraising that directly supports the academic, artistic, social, and emotional development of almost 20,000 students.
Help support Earth Day and the Spring Walk/Bike to School Day!
This spring, PLE will be participating in Earth Day (4/22) and Walk/Bike/Roll to School Day (5/4) to support easing traffic congestion around drop-off and pick-up and helping our environment by choosing transportation to/from school that doesn’t pollute the air! By participating in SchoolPool, PLE will have the opportunity to earn much-needed funds for new/improved equipment for traffic and crosswalk safety! We need some additional volunteers to help pass out prizes on both dates during drop-off (we will have 2 tables, one outside the front office and the other outside the gym entrance) as well as a volunteer or two to wear the awesome PedBee costume (the mascot of SchoolPool!). Please sign HERE!
Previous Newsletters
Upcoming Events and Information
3/31- Please wear red to celebrate autism people
3/28-4/11- Raise Craze Fundraiser
4/2- Ramadan Begin
4/3 - Acts of Kindness Day 2-3 pm
4/4- Eagles Spirit Week- Mismatched Day
4/5- Eagles Spirit Week- Favorite Sports Team Day
4/6- Eagles Spirit Week- Inside out Day
4/7- Eagles Spirit Week- Thunder Thursday
4/8- Eagle Spirit Week- Pajama Day
4/10- Last Day to apply to BVA use this form
4/11- Raise Craze Fundraiser End
4/11-15- No School Spring Break
4/20- PLE Volunteer Breakfast at 8:40 AM in the library. RSVP Microsoft Forms
4/21- ATP Event at 5:45 PM. RSVP https://forms.gle/pcUJhNPYRZTyhB4k8
4/22- Help support Earth Day and the Spring Walk/Bike to School Day!
4/22- Author virtual Visit 3-5 Grade
4/25-29- Book Fair
5/4- Bike & Roll to School Day
6/2- PTA Meeting at 6:30 PM
6/20- Field Day
Questions? Contact Info.
Mrs. Rachel Pearson, Assistant Principal
Mrs. Alysia Carey, School Counselor
Mrs. Debbie Gordon, Office Manager
Rhiannon Kreal, PTA President
Mrs. Judy Hunsberger, Family Engagement Specialist
Website: https://bsd405.org/phantomlake/
Location: 1050 160th Ave SE, Bellevue, WA 98008, USA
Phone: (425) 456-5600