Wade King Elementary
December 3, 2021
A Note from our Administrative Team
Hello Wade King Families,
It's December... and there are many things happening in our school community.
Our PTA is facilitating an online Scholastic Book Fair and a virtual Auction. The Book Fair proceeds enable us to purchase books for our library and to share with other schools in our community. Proceeds from the Auction will go toward the building of a school garden.
Many families have also taken action to support our greater community by donating food to our Food Drive or by donating Target/Fred Meyers gift cards as part of our Holiday Support Drive. You can continue to add food to the boxes in our entryway or send gift cards to Mrs. Wakefield.
We are also working with Common Threads to finalize the design of our school garden. These designs started with our students sharing their thinking and hopes for our garden, which will be located in front of our school. Garden learning will become a part of the PYP Units of Inquiry our students are already engaged in. We are grateful for Common Threads and parent volunteers for supporting this work.
As 2021 comes to an end, continue to connect with us if you have questions or if there is something we can do to support you or your child. We love hearing great stories too!
With Gratitude,
Stephanie Johnson, Principal
Stephanie Korn, Administrator
Important Dates
Now-12/8 - PTA Scholastic Book Fair
Now-12/10 - Holiday Support Drive
12/10 - Vision and Hearing Screening
12/1-12/17 - PTA Food Drive
12/9-12/16 - Virtual PTA Auction
12/20-12/31 - NO SCHOOL for Winter Break
1/3/2022 Welcome Back
1/3 and 1/4 - Promise K Family Meetings
1/5 - First Day of Promise K for Students
1/6 - PTA Meeting via Zoom 6:00 pm
1/17 - No School - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
1/31 - No School - Semester Break
The Bellingham Schools 2021-22 Calendar can be found on the district website.
Student Directory
Weather Procedure and Snow Routes
For more information on inclement weather procedures and make up days, please refer to our weather procedures and snow routes.
Holiday Support... Giving and Receiving
If your family is looking for ways to support other families in our community:
- Our counseling office is collecting Target/Fred Meyers gift cards through Friday, December 10th that will be used to support families with basic needs and wants (food, clothing, diapers, holiday gifts for children, etc). Experience has shown us that gift cards empower families to choose how to best fulfill their own needs. The cards also provide a flexible and equitable way of supporting the diverse needs of families. Just drop off a Fred Meyers or Target gift card in the office or let us know that you are sending one with your child and we'll be sure to get it from them.
- Donate non-perishable food to our Food Drive. Just drop items off in the boxes in our entryway.
- Our district’s Family Resource Center accepts donations at the Family Resource Center (at the Shuksan Middle School location). All items need to be in good, like new or new condition. They appreciate donations of diapers, baby wipes, toilet paper, laundry soap, dish soap, full-size shampoo/conditioner/bath/body soap, deodorant, and toothbrushes/toothpaste.
Note from Mrs. Wakefield (our School Counselor)
Don't ever hesitate to connect with me! I'm here to help!
Student Leadership Team
Scholastic Book Fair - Online thru December 8th
Hearing and Vision Screening - December 10th
Vision and Hearing Screenings: Washington State law (WAC 246-760) requires schools to conduct auditory and visual screenings of all students in grades K, 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7. Screenings are scheduled for all Wade King Elementary School students in grades K 1, 2 3 and 5 on December 10th. Please remind your student to wear their glasses or contacts on this day.
Families will not be contacted for students who pass this screening. Families will be notified by mail if the screening identifies possible concerns. If you have questions about vision and hearing screening please contact Alyssa Johnson, School Nurse at alyssa.johnson@bellinghamschools.org or (360) 201-8766.
Wade King Will Have a Promise Kindergarten Class!
What is Promise Kindergarten?
Promise K focuses on building basic academic and social skills to help qualifying students get a jump-start toward success in school. Wade King will host a Promise K classroom this year and our own Tina Russell will be the teacher.
Program Dates and Times
Family conferences will be scheduled on Monday, Jan. 3 and Tuesday, Jan. 4, and the first full day of Promise K is scheduled for Jan. 5, 2022. Promise K students attend daily from 8 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., and follows the district calendar; the last day of the school year is currently scheduled for June 17, 2022. The strategic plan for Bellingham Public Schools, The Bellingham Promise, drives us to do all we can in support of all students at every level of education. One of our key strategies is to enhance and invest in early childhood learning opportunities. We believe offering Promise Kindergarten is a positive and critical step in helping all children transition into our schools and start their journeys of lifelong learning.
Apply here
If you have a child who will be entering kindergarten next fall, and is not already enrolled in a Preschool Program, they may be eligible for Promise K program and you are encouraged to fill out the online application. We also invite you to share this information with friends and neighbors who may also have a child within Bellingham Public Schools boundaries who qualifies for Promise K.
Garden Design Preview
COVID-19 Testing & Vaccines for Children
If your child needs to have a COVID-19 PCR test before they are able to return to school, and you are unable to get a testing appointment quickly within the community, our school nurse, Alyssa Johnson, and Health Room Aide, Jennifer Thornton, are able to do COVID-19 testing at school. These tests are processed by Northwest Labs. In some situations, we are beginning to use some COVID-19 Rapid Tests as well. If this is a support you need, just call our office and let us know!
We are excited that children ages 5-11 are eligible for the COVID-19 vaccine! We are pleased to provide families with information on opportunities for COVID-19 vaccination for children ages 5-11. We encourage all families to consider immunizing their child against COVID-19, not just for their individual health, but for the health and safety of our schools and community. Parental consent is required for any vaccination.
Thursday clinics at Alderwood:
Bellingham Public Schools will host vaccination clinics at Alderwood Elementary School (3400 Hollywood Ave) on Thursdays in December with 60 appointments available at each clinic.
- Dec. 9, 1:45 – 4:40 p.m. Register online for Dec 9
- Dec. 16, 1:45 – 4:40 p.m. Register online for Dec 16
Appointments must be scheduled using the PrepMod system. If you have trouble navigating the PrepMod appointment system, please call the health department’s appointment assistance line at 360-778-6075.
Additional clinics will be scheduled at other locations on Thursday's early dismissal days in January. This will allow families to schedule a first and second-dose appointment, allowing for three weeks between doses. We will share registration links for these clinics as soon as the online appointment system is ready.
You will not be charged for the vaccine. If you have health insurance, the vaccine will be billed to it. If you do not have health insurance, you will be able to indicate that when scheduling your appointment. For questions about vaccine clinics, contact Amelia Vader at amelia.vader@bellinghamschools.org.
Vaccine appointments in our community
Availability of kid-sized doses of vaccines are still very limited. The Whatcom County Health Department will continue to update information on how to access COVID-19 vaccines for kids and has compiled a list of providers who offer Pediatric COVID-19 vaccines.
COVID-19 vaccine facts
The only authorized vaccine for people 5-18 years of age is Pfizer. The dosage for children 5-11 is one-third of the dosage for adolescents and adults. A second dose is given three weeks after the first. Learn more facts about COVID-19 vaccines at the CDC website.
HCL Referrals - Due December 31st
We are accepting referrals for currently enrolled Bellingham Public Schools students to be assessed for eligibility to receive highly capable services. Students eligible for highly capable services are those who perform or show the potential for performing at significantly advanced academic levels when compared to others of their age, experiences or environments. Teachers, parents or community members may refer any student for assessment; middle and high school students may also refer themselves.To refer a student for assessment, please complete the electronic Highly Capable referral form on the HCL referral webpage.
Special note for families of second graders: All second-grade students will automatically be screened in January, so no referral is needed at that grade. If you do not want your child to participate in the second-grade CogAT screening assessment, please fill out this opt out form.
If you need more information about this program or the referral process, please visit the HCL program webpage , or contact our office by phone 360-676-6470 ext. 4447, or email.
PTA Meeting, January 6th at 6pm on Zoom
If you have not yet joined our Wade King PTA, we encourage you to! You can join online. This is a great way to show your support for our school community, even if you aren't able to volunteer.
Reminder.... Label Coats, Sweatshirts, Sweaters, Hats, and Gloves!
After-School Dinner Program is Free For All Children 18 and Under!
Bellingham Public Schools serves hot dinner at no cost to all children 18 and under. These meals are offered from 5 to 6 p.m. Monday to Thursday through June 16, 2022. Dinner is served in the Shuksan Middle School cafeteria, located at 2717 Alderwood Avenue (at the corner of Northwest and Alderwood). It does not matter what school you attend in the district.
Accompanying adults are charged $4.75 per meal — please bring cash or check. Please plan to eat onsite in the Shuksan cafeteria.
The daily Monday through Thursday dinner menu is listed on the school menu webpage by day after the lunch listing.
Please note: Dinner will not be served on school holidays or on the following all-school early dismissal days: Nov. 4, Nov. 24, Dec. 9, Feb. 10, March 10 and April 28.
Ways to Help Our PTA Earn Money... that comes right back to supporting our kids!
Link to Amazon Smile
Another way to help our PTA earn money is by linking your Fred Meyers Reward card to Wade King PTA 8.3.37. A percentage of your spending goes right back to our PTA and it does not impact your other rewards.
Safe Schools Reporting and Tip Line
Students, parents or community members who have information, tips, or concerns regarding a safety issue in our schools are encouraged to text or call 844-310-9560 or visit bellinghamschools.org/safe for confidential, anonymous, two-way communication with our safety staff.
Multi-Language Message Line
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Wade King Elementary School
Email: Stephanie.Johnson@bellinghamschools.org
Website: http://wadeking.bellinghamschools.org/
Location: 2155 Yew Street Road, Bellingham, WA, USA
Phone: (360) 647-6840
Facebook: facebook.com/WadeKingElementary
Twitter: @WadeKingElem