Welcome back! We hope spring break was restful, fun, or whatever you and your family needed. It was so heartwarming to see many of you the last Friday before break, visiting your students' country presentations, participating in market day, or cheering them on during the Student Changemakers Committee Assembly. In recognition of Public Schools Volunteer Week, we want you to know how deeply we appreciate your contributions in and outside of the classroom every day. Please save May 17th on your calendar for our Volunteer Appreciation Lunch with more details coming soon!

With about 50 days left of this school year, it's a full sprint ahead toward STEM night, Family University, and end of the year testing to finish the year strong. At the same time, we are starting to plan for next year. Thank you to those who have already let us know your plans for 2023-2024. If you are a K-4th grade family and haven't done so yet, please complete the survey so that we can plan for grade level transitions with as much information as possible.

As we focus on this week ahead, Eid al-Fitr marks the end of Ramadan on Thursday or Friday, and we wish Eid Mubarak to those who celebrate. For everyone, have a smooth week back.

Ready, set, let's do this!

- Kati & Betty

This week, our school will be practicing our earthquake drill. During the drill our students practice the recommended actions of Drop, Cover, and Hold.

While this is just a drill, please keep the following in mind in the event there is a real earthquake:

1. If there is an earthquake while children are on their way to or from school, they should “duck and cover away from power lines, buildings, and trees.” Once the earthquake has stopped, they should follow their family emergency plan. Students on school district buses when the earthquake occurs will be accounted for by the district and will be routed to the safest locations for reunification.

2. Please do not remove a child from the school grounds unless you have first notified school officials. If a parent were to remove a child without checking out, others could be needlessly hurt while searching for a missing child.

3. Please avoid calling the school. The phones, if functioning, may be needed by school staff. Parents of injured children will be notified first. All schools will have trained staff to help injured children until other medical assistance arrives.

Please talk with your student about preparing for emergencies and disasters such as earthquakes. Encourage them to talk about their concerns and express their feelings. Emphasize that even though sometimes things happen that we may not expect, there are lots of things we can do to help us stay safe.

For more information on earthquakes and general preparedness, visit the Washington Emergency Management Division (https://mil.wa.gov/personal) or Great Washington ShakeOut (https://www.shakeout.org/washington/index.html) websites. You may also find the https://www.ready.gov/kids site helpful.

Please let us know if you have any questions.

Dear Families,

The American Heart Association’s Kids Heart Challenge program is kicking off on Tuesday, April 25th! Your child will choose a heart healthy challenge to Move More or Be Kind and earn a FREE Be The Torch Wristband! We encourage every student and family to register online and learn Hands-Only CPR as a family through FINN’S MISSION.

Register today on the FREE Kids Heart Challenge App or at http://www2.heart.org/goto/Medina

Stay Tuned for Information Next Week on Special School Incentives!

While we ask returning families to let us know their plans for next year, students who will be new to Medina need to be enrolled. If you know of anyone who is joining our school community for next school year, please help us by passing along the information below to them. Thank you!

New student enrollment (including incoming kindergarteners) for the 2023-2024 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.

Please click here to register! Contact elp@bsd405.org with 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