Tiger Tales

Newsletter #11 - October 31, 2022

Dear Medina Families and Community,


What a busy week! Our students had our first in person Assembly this past Tuesday where they learned about different ways to reduce our waste as part of King County's Curiosity Quest Assembly Program. Please ask them what you can do as a family to help reduce waste at home.

We ended the week with PTA's Spooktacular Festival on Friday. Thank you to those who stopped by and participated in the costume parade, Photos with the Principals and Trunk or Treat! Many more thanks go to our amazing volunteers who organized and set up the event. This was the first fundraiser of the year, and we are grateful for all of your support!

If your family engages in Halloween festivities or celebrates Dia de los Muertos, we wish you a safe and fun time together with friends and family.


Here's to a smooth start to November!


Kati & Betty

Curiosity Quest Assembly!

Upcoming Events

October 31: Halloween

November 1-2: Dia de los Muertos

November 6: Daylight Savings Time end, don't forget to change clocks back 1 hour!

November 9: Family Listening Circle, please see information on survey below

November 11: Veteran's Day - No School

November 24 - 25: Thanksgiving - No School

November 28: Pastries with Principals, please see information on survey below

December 19 - January 2: Winter break - No School

Traffic Safety Reminders

Traffic Safety Reminders

As the weather gets colder and wetter, inevitably the morning traffic around Medina gets worse. This happens because 1) more families choose to drive their child to school and 2) loading and unloading takes longer in the rain. If your child has a large instrument or other item that makes it hard for them to independently and quickly leave the car, please park your car first. Please do not stop at the drop off loop to help your child unload. This holds up traffic and will cause other students to be late.


Even if you do not see a car behind you, please follow directions from staff to pull forward. Traffic comes in waves, and often times, we see 3-4 cars unexpectedly pull behind a car stopped in the middle of the drop off loop. We care about the safety of all of our students and community members. Safety applies too if you are walking - please cross only at the crosswalk and not between cars in the car loop. We appreciate you following staff directions and setting a positive example for all of our students who watch us closely.

Traffic Safety Reminders

Welcome to Medina!

Please join us in welcoming the newest members of our school community:


  • Amy Yao, Kitchen Assistant
  • Jackie Krutsch, 2nd/3rd grade AL Specialist
  • Kiruthika Devarajan, Para-educator
  • Maria Villa, Para-educator
  • Mandy Hsu, General School Assistant, starting 10/31
  • Ji Kim, General School Assistant, starting 10/31



Ms. Mady Hsu and Ms. Ji Kim joins Ms. Debbie McGough, Mr. Andrew Jones, and Ms. Haseeba Mohamood as part of the amazing GSA team!

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November is Native American Heritage Month


In 1990, a joint resolution was approved by President George H.W. Bush, which called for November to be named National Native American Heritage Month. Native American Month started as a day of appreciation and acknowledgment for the unique contributions made by the first Americans for the growth and establishment of the United States. Eventually it grew to become a monthlong observance.


During the month we explore the heritage, culture and experience of Native American peoples both historically and in American life today.


Resources for educators can be found through the Native American Heritage Month government website. This web portal is a collaborative project of the Library of Congress and the National Endowment for the Humanities, National Gallery of Art, National Park Service, Smithsonian Institute, United States Holocaust Memorial Museum, and the U.S. National Archives and Records Administration.

Additional web resources include:

National Archives

National Endowment for the Humanities (EDSITEment)

National Park Service

Smithsonian Education

Input for Pastries with Principals and Next Family Listening Circle

Input for Pastries with Principals and Next Family Listening Circle

In addition to Family Circles, we will be having events throughout the year where you are invited to chat and discuss topics with our school principals. On November 28, Monday from 8:10-9:10 Mrs. Nhan and Mrs. Weiland will be hosting a Pastries with Principals.


Please fill out this survey to help us plan for topics for Pastries for Principals and to gauge interest in the next Family Listening Circle. https://forms.office.com/r/dj4rRmgFXM

Input for Pastries with Principals and Next Family Listening Circle
Volunteer for Lunch and Recess Support

Volunteer for Lunch and Recess Support

We are still in need of lunch/recess volunteers, especially for 4th and 5th grade! We will be creating a training video and sending it to volunteers that sign up this week. Please click here for more information and to sign up. Thank you for your consideration!

Volunteer for Lunch and Recess Support

Reminder about Pre-Arranged Absences

Should your family plan to take extended trips during school breaks, this a friendly reminder that Bellevue School District allows each student 5 pre-arranged absences (PRA) per year. You may use these one at a time, or all at once. These are excused absences that you can use for a travel day, a sport or dance competition, or a longer trip.

If your child will be missing 2 or more days, we ask that you submit a pre-arranged absence form at least one week prior to your trip. If your child will only be missing one day, please email medinaattendance@bsd405.org. Thank you for including your child’s full name when emailing for any attendance related matters.

Panorama Student Survey

In early November, we will be doing the Panorama student perception survey to collect information on school climate and to provide teachers with feedback from students. The survey is run through Panorama Education (http://www.panoramaed.com) and is given to all students in grades 3-12 in the district. This is the seventh year we are doing the survey.

The purpose of the survey is to help increase student voice in our district. It gives us an indication of where our strengths are and where we can do better. Here is some additional information about the survey:

  • The survey is confidential. Staff will not see how an individual student answers a survey.
  • It takes students about 15-20 minutes to complete the survey.
  • Students fill out a section on school climate, and then fill out a teacher survey for their teacher.
  • The survey will be given in class prior to November 4th.
  • Results will be out in mid-November. Teacher-level reports are only be available to the individual teachers themselves. Principals and district staff will receive summary data for schools and the district as a whole.

If you have any questions about the survey, please contact Naomi Calvo, Director of Research, Evaluation & Assessment, at calvon@bsd405.org or (425) 456-4274.

Thank You Bellevue Schools Foundation!

Thank You Bellevue Schools Foundation!

BSF Spirit Week is a district-wide celebration to raise funding and awareness for the critical programs supported by the Foundation. This year, BSF is distributing $800,000 to the 30 public schools in Bellevue. To learn more about what programming is supported, click here.


At Medina, our students receive the following as a result of BSF grants:


  • Core Word Vocabulary
  • Living Voices Presentation Grades 3-5
  • Ellie Peterson Author Visit
  • World Language Books for School Libraries
  • Noticias en Español para Familias


We invite every community member to join us in this celebration with an online donation on from noon November 1 to noon November 3—an investment in the 18,000+ students in the Bellevue School District. Show your support by wearing a BSF sticker on November 2, send a selfie to #BSF mosaic, and be entered in a drawing for a free limited edition T-shirt. Join the BSF mosaic of support for the best learning opportunities for all students, and look for those QR codes for an easy link to our website: www.bsfdn.org.


Thank you for your support!

https://www.bellevueschoolsfoundation.org/spirit-week

Thank You Bellevue Schools Foundation!
Health and Safety Reminders

Health and Safety Reminders

¨ Flu season is here! Getting an annual flu shot is one of the best ways to protect your family’s health against flu. Find flu shots here.

¨ Be safe this Halloween: Be aware of your surroundings, set boundaries, stay in a group, brighten up your costume, host your own gathering, and drive safely. Find other Halloween safety tips here.

¨ Looking for a COVID-19 PCR test? The Bellevue College testing site is open every day from 9 a.m.—5:30 p.m.. Testing is free and insurance is not required. Appointments are encouraged. Schedule a test here.

¨ Daylight Savings time ends November 6th, 2022. Sunrise and sunset will be about an hour earlier than it was the day before. As we experience fewer daylight hours, make sure to drive carefully and don’t forget to update your clocks as we “fall back” an hour!

Health and Safety Reminders

November 5 Vaccine Clinic for BSD Students, Staff and Families Sign up here!


In partnership with Safeway/Albertsons, BSD will host a clinic at Odle Middle School on November 5 offering:

1. Pediatric Pfizer vaccine first or second shots for students aged 3-11,

2. Pfizer first or second shots for students aged 12 and up and adults, and

3. NEW Pfizer bivalent booster for students aged 5-11

4. NEW Pfizer bivalent booster for students aged 12 and up and adults.


Clinic at Odle Middle School

Date: Saturday, November 5

Time: 9:00 a.m.—12:00 p.m.

Location: Odle Middle School

Address: 502 143rd Ave NE Bellevue, WA 98007


Please Note:

· You must show your appointment confirmation

· Your consent form will be filled out online and Safeway will bring them preprinted

· Please bring your COVID-19 vaccine card to be updated

In partnership with Safeway/Albertsons, BSD will host a clinic at Odle Middle School on


November 5 offering:

1. Pediatric Pfizer vaccine first or second shots for students aged 3-11,

2. Pfizer first or second shots for students aged 12 and up and adults, and

3. NEW Pfizer bivalent booster for students aged 5-11

4. NEW Pfizer bivalent booster for students aged 12 and up and adults.


Clinic at Odle Middle School

Date: Saturday, November 5

Time: 9:00 a.m.—12:00 p.m.

Location: Odle Middle School

Address: 502 143rd Ave NE Bellevue, WA 98007


Please Note:

· You must show your appointment confirmation

· Your consent form will be filled out online and Safeway will bring them preprinted

· Please bring your COVID-19 vaccine card to be updated

Parenting Teens in Uncertain Times Summit

Parenting Teens in Uncertain Times Summit

For those with older kids, please check out this virtual conference that originally aired last spring but is available for encore presentation November 3-5th.

Here is the website for more information: https://www.supportingteens.com/

To register: https://www.supportingteens.com/#two-step

Parenting Teens in Uncertain Times Summit
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