WildCat News
January 4, 2022
In this Issue...
- Message from the Principal
- Staffing Changes
- When Should I Keep My Student Home?
- COVID Testing - Message from Dr. Reid
- Confirmatory Testing for Elementary Vaccinated Students
- Winter Delays/Closures
- Upgraded Phone Lines
- NSD Programs: Woodin Dual Language Program & Pace Application
- Important Covid Links
- PTA News
Message from the Principal
Dear Wildcat Community,
We hope this email finds you all rested, relaxed and healthy following Winter Break and into the start of 2022. I hope your Winter Break was filled with joy, fun, and rest! Wishing you all a happy new year as we bid farewell to 2021, I wanted to take a moment to thank you for your ongoing partnership and support throughout this past year! I am grateful to be part of such a caring and committed community! As we enter 2022 with another rise in cases, I continue to find hope in knowing how strong we are together. Our team is committed to maintaining important COVID safety protocols in an effort to keep our community safe and healthy.
In partnership,
Dawn Bowers
Staffing Changes
While Mrs. Lenz is on maternity leave, we welcome Mrs. Peterson as our Dean of Students. Many of you are familiar with Mrs. Peterson and know her as a fellow Woodin parent and one of our wonderful recess teachers. Mrs. Peterson has built great relationships with students and teachers. Our Woodin team is excited for her to join the office team in this new role.
When should I keep my student home?
Does your child have symptoms, or were they exposed to COVID? Please use this decision tree to help determine if your student should stay home from school.
As Dr. Reid mentioned in her recent message:
All students and staff who are showing any symptoms of COVID-19 should stay home, isolate, and get tested immediately. If the student or staff member tests positive, this link at the Washington State Department of Health website tells you what to do, including staying home, wearing a mask and knowing when to seek additional medical assistance. Every community member has a role in how we move through this new phase of COVID-19.
Still uncertain? Call Nurse Deb at 425.408.5406 or email at dmurphy@nsd.org.
COVID Testing - Message from Dr. Reid
Testing
As you know, Northshore has been working with partners to provide testing since last year, and our batch testing program has been further expanded this school year. This has helped us stay ahead of the spread of the virus (and its variants) and keep students in schools. We recognize the success of this strategy as we have been able to maintain a continuity of educational services in all of our schools throughout the first half of our school year. We will resume our batch testing program on Wednesday. Each week, we’ve had about 15,000 students and staff participate in the batch testing. I encourage families and staff who have opted out of testing to reconsider participating. We know now that even the fully vaccinated can get and spread the virus. Identifying and isolating COVID-19 cases as quickly as possible will help us keep students in school. To opt back in to batch testing, please email your school's office manager, or principal at your school immediately. You can learn more about our batch testing program on our website.
*** As a reminder, people who have tested positive for COVID in the last 90 days should not participate in batch testing. We will test this Wednesday, January 5th, so if you your child has recently had COVID please let us know so they can opt out temporarily. ***
Confirmatory Testing for Elementary Vaccinated Students
Starting tomorrow, 01/05/2022, if your student is fully vaccinated and is found to be in a positive batch test, they will be able to STAY IN SCHOOL and an individual PCR test can be performed at school that day (previously students were not allowed to return to school until they provided a negative PCR test from outside of school). If your child has a negative result they can stay in school. If the result is positive your child would be sent home.
To stay in school and receive a PCR test, two things must occur:
Proof of your student’s vaccination must be provided to school. (Please do not send vaccine information via email. We will ask for proof of vaccination only if your student is in a positive batch test.) If you do not want to provide proof of vaccination, your student will not be able to return to school until they receive a negative PCR test and it is provided to the school.
Guardians must register their student HERE at the testing site. We cannot PCR test them at school unless they are registered. (Doing this NOW will help tremendously when the batch tests results start coming back.)
For unvaccinated students and students who do not provide proof of vaccinations nothing has changed. Students who are in a positive batch test and are not fully vaccinated, or do not provide proof of vaccination, will need to follow Northshore School District procedure and will not be allowed to return to school until they receive a negative PCR test and provide the results to school.
Winter Delays/Closures
For District information on weather and emergencies, check out the district website:
Upgraded Phone Lines
You may also email the office for any reason at wooffice@nsd.org.
You may still call the following people directly:
- Theresa Cussac, Office 425.408.5401
- Danielle Lewis, Office 425.408.5403
- Deb Murphy, Nurse 425.408.5406
Northshore Families… Have you ever thought about Dual Language?
Find out if the dual-language program is the right choice for your family at an upcoming information night!
Tuesday, February 8th, 2022
- 6:00-6:30 pm
- Zoom Link: https://nsd.zoom.us/j/86074343897?pwd=RUZ6NzZPSHJYckY4R3B4dEFoOGV1QT09
- Please RSVP to Danielle Lewis (dlewis@nsd.org)
PACE Application Deadline For The 2022-2023 School Year
PACE (Parents Active in Cooperative Education), a choice educational enrichment program offered through the Northshore School District, is currently accepting applications for the 2022-2023 school year. All applications are due prior to the February 10th PACE application deadline, and a virtual tour is required prior to application.
The hallmarks of PACE include an enhanced educational experience due to high parent involvement, enrichment activities, encouragement for students to become self-motivated learners and a strong sense of community among families. Families commit to a minimum number of volunteer hours per year of program support. PACE is located at three elementary school sites in the district with feeder patterns from all Northshore elementary schools.
A tour is required prior to applying to the PACE program. To register for a virtual tour hosted by PACE at Wellington Elementary, please email enrollment@PACEWell.org. For more information about the PACE program, please visit http://www.nsd.org/PACE
Important Covid Links
- NSD Covid Protocols: https://www.nsd.org/covid19/protocols
- NSD Covid Testing Registration for Pop Keeney: Pop Keeney Registration Link
- NSD Quarantine Learning Support: https://www.nsd.org/covid19/quarantine-learning-support
PTA News
Here is the form to register: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLSe-tRaAgyM65TbZFJKASJjB_di-RTcGDa-wu06_d04tUWP_-w/viewform?usp=sf_link
Woodin Elementary
Email: tcussac@nsd.org
Website: www.woodin.nsd.org
Location: 12950 Northeast 195th Street, Bothell, WA, USA
Phone: (425)-408-5400