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Happy Mid-Winter Break! |  | | Over the past few months, Bellevue School District students have revealed various ways they shape more equitable and welcoming spaces for all students through their leadership and advocacy. Student leaders at Bellevue, Interlake, Newport and Sammamish high schools recently spoke at BSD School Board meetings to share more about their efforts to support inclusive curriculum at BSD schools, build community and highlight the experiences of Black students, advocate for mental health for Black students, and more. |
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In This IssueSuperintendent’s Blog: Update on Budget Reduction Plan for the 24-25 School Year Upcoming Closure of Factoria Boulevard Fentanyl Information Night for Spanish Speaking Families 2024 Summer Programs 2024-2025 Preschool Applications Mental Health Resources for the BSD Community Register Now for Spring for Schools
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Featured News |
 | | Happy Year of the Dragon and Black History Month! I hope you are all having a wonderful Mid-Winter Break! Since the announcement on December 14 to pause the middle school consolidation study, I’ve been working with staff to determine how to proceed in addressing our budget reality. I want to share with you my latest thinking about how we are going to approach budget reductions for the upcoming school year, and then how I will keep you informed over the next couple of months.
Read Superintendent Aramaki’s full blog to learn more about the board direction on cutting $10 million, get a preview of areas for budget cuts, and understand how partnership with the Bellevue Schools Foundation can help close the budget gap. |
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 | | The City of Bellevue is planning a stormwater conveyance improvement project along Factoria Boulevard to improve the stormwater infrastructure and reduce the risk of flooding along the Factoria-Richards Creek drainage basin. BSD educators, students and families will be heavily impacted by road closures resulting from the proposed project. The project's primary phase is set to take place from February 25, 2024, and continue through July 8, 2024.
BSD Transportation would like to make students, staff and families aware of the significant impacts to district transportation the closure may cause. Currently, district transportation is experiencing increased travel times by 20-25 minutes (each morning and afternoon) on south Bellevue routes resulting from the impact of the City’s closure of Lakemont Boulevard and the overflow of traffic on to Coal Creek Parkway. Factoria Boulevard closures will have district transportation impacts that may increase the time that students ride the bus by an additional 25-30 minutes. This has the potential to impact total student travel times by 50 minutes each day, to and from school. The following list of routes currently use the Factoria corridor, both to pick up and drop off students and to travel to subsequent school routes. The closure is expected to highly impact the arrival time at the following schools: Newport Heights Elementary School Newport High School Odle Middle School Somerset Elementary School Tyee Middle School Woodridge Elementary School
The district will continue to monitor and evaluate impacts resulting from the closure. All mitigation strategies, including adjustments to pick-up and drop-off times for impacted schools, will be considered to support students, staff and families over the next few months. |
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District Updates |
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February 8 School Board Meeting Recap | |
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| Preschool applications for the 2024-2025 school year are now available. BSD’s preschool program offers different scheduling options, and classrooms are conveniently located at various elementary schools throughout the district. Families must apply for their student(s) every year. School Day: 6.5 hours on Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and 4 hours on Wednesday (Start times may stagger 10-15 minutes before or after elementary school location start time). Half-Day: 3 hours a.m. or p.m. Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday. (NO Wednesday class.)
Our classrooms provide an inclusive preschool experience for 3–5-year-old students. Research has shown that a high-quality preschool program boosts the kinds of learning, social and thinking skills needed for later achievement. Bellevue School District preschool classrooms use the Creative Curriculum which focuses on kindergarten readiness. Registration for preschool childcare will open on March 5, through Right At School. Learn about the details and pricing on the district’s Child Care webpage. |
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Resources for Families |
 | | Please join the BSD Special Education Department and the Bellevue Special Needs PTA for a family-focused session in which we build upon a previous session on strategies to promote positive behavior (Watch part 1 here). Our Behavioral Health Coordinator, Adria Haugen, and Behavior Tech, Rosa Ramirez, will discuss the following topics during the presentation: Understanding “challenging” behavior Strategies (home strategies, emotional regulation strategies and reinforcement strategies) Importance of self-care Collaboration and communication with school teams
Event Details Date: Thursday, February 29, 2024 Time: 6:00-7:30 p.m. Location: Online via Microsoft Teams. Join the meeting. |
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| On Wednesday, March 13, 2024, the Bellevue School District, together with community health partners, will present an information session for families about the dangers of fentanyl. The session will be conducted in Spanish and include information about the effects on children, access to opioids, and support for how families can talk to students about their health and safety. The session will begin at 6:00 p.m. at Highland Middle School. Along with the Bellevue School District, presenters include Youth Eastside Services, local mental health advocates, and Bellevue Police outreach. The Bellevue Schools Foundation sponsors this event. |
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March 22 Emergency Make-Up Day | March 22 will be an Emergency Make-Up Day due to the January 17 school closure. The previously scheduled District Professional Development Day on this date has been canceled. The 2023-2024 Family Calendar and Staff & District Calendar have been updated to reflect this change. |
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| Bellevue School District is proud to offer summer programs for students in 3rd to 12th grade. Learn more about the programs offered and stay tuned for registration coming soon. High School Credit Recovery – Registration opens March 1. High School Summer Career & Technical Education Classes – Visit the Summer Courses – WANIC High School (lwsd.org) to learn more. Middle School Jump Start – Registration for this program is by invitation only and will open March 25. Elementary Summer School – Registration for this program is by invitation only and will open March 26.
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| The BSD website includes a Mental Health Services section, which provides mental health resources for students, staff and families. The BSD community is encouraged to explore these resources to learn more about mental health topics including anxiety, depression, eating disorders, substance abuse and suicide prevention. Individuals seeking support may also reach out to school counselors and MHAT counselors.
The Bellevue School District has also partnered with Care Solace to complement districtwide efforts that support the well-being of students, families and staff. Care Solace is a free and confidential care coordination service that can help you quickly find mental health or substance use treatment options matched to your needs, regardless of circumstance. Care Solace is NOT an emergency response service or mental health service provider. If you have a life-threatening emergency, please call 911 or The Suicide and Crisis Lifeline at 988. The Care Solace team is always available — including nights, weekends and holidays. |
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Social Media Highlights |
Do you follow BSD on social media? Check out some recent highlights below, and follow us on social media for more stories from across the district! |
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 | Happy National School Counseling Week! We are so grateful to have a dedicated and compassionate team of school counselors who go above and beyond to nurture the well-being of our youngest learners. our passion, dedication, and unwavering support of our students is truly inspiring. Thank you for being their mentor, advocate, and cheerleader. We are immensely grateful for all that you do! We are excited to celebrate you this week and every week! View this post on Facebook. | |
|  | Happy National Girls and Women in Sports Day! We have so many incredible student athletes in the Bellevue School District! We want to give a huge shout out to all our coaches, assistant coaches, support staff, volunteers and fans for all they do to support our athletes! View this post on Instagram. |
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Community Partnerships |
 | | Spring for Schools is a month away, and the Bellevue Schools Foundation invites every Bellevue School District family and staff member to attend on Saturday, March 30 at 5:00 p.m. BSF provides critical funding to programs at all schools. The evening will offer attendees a chance to connect with one another and teachers and explore the initiatives funded by BSF in their signature Education Showcase. Event registration is free, and childcare will be provided as capacity allows. Additional event details can be found on the Spring for Schools webpage. The purpose of the evening is to raise funding so that BSF can continue to provide transformational opportunities for BSD students and teachers. Learn more about the importance of this partnership in Superintendent Aramaki’s most recent blog. |
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Calendar Events |
View the District Calendar for a full list of events throughout the year. |
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In Case You Missed It |
District Updates Resources for Families Community Partnerships
AcknowledgementsRead the February 8 edition of BSD News and Events. |
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