Tiger Tales
Newsletter #21 - January 26, 2024
· Language Access: Español | 简体中文 | Pусский | Tiếng Việt | 한국어 | العربية
Dear Families,
We hope many of you were able to experience World Culture Night and learn about all the cultures that make our school so special. We are grateful to Kamila Tomaszewski, Angela Wang, and all the World Culture organizers for helping to coordinate and make this event possible for our community. Throughout the night, we learned so much from the exhibits, were awed by our brave and talented performers, and connected with families over delicious food.
We hope to have different opportunities to learn more about each other and how we are connected in so many ways. Thank you for being part of our beloved Medina community.
Grateful to be learning with you,
Kati & Betty
Upcoming Events
February 5: PTA General Membership Meeting, 8:10am – 9:30am
February 12: Preschool registration for new families opens
February 19-23: No school, mid-winter break
March 1: Kindergarten Registration opens
March 22: 1/17 District-wide closure school makeup day
April 8-12: No school, spring break
Pastries with Principals
Thank you for joining us along with our district curriculum experts Brenda Santiago (santiagob@bsd405.org) and Crystal Coldiron (coldironc@bsd405.org). We explored how social-emotional learning is deeply connected with math learning, namely with the 8 Mathematical practices. Together we are building the muscle for students to move past obstacles to be flexible and confident mathematicians. Please check out these resources shared by Brenda and Crystal, and don't hesitate to reach out if you have any questions!
Staffing Updates
Behavior Support Specialist
Hi! My name is Stacey Lenderman and I am thrilled to join the Medina Tigers Community to help implement Positive Behavioral Interventions and Supports (PBIS). I have been working at Clyde Hill Elementary for just under 5 years as a General School Assistant (GSA). For several years prior to Clyde Hill, I helped run Bellevue United Soccer Club.
My husband Rob and I have been in Bellevue for 13 years. We have two daughters, Sarah and Avery. Both girls went to Clyde Hill Elementary so I spent many years volunteering full time along with being an active member of the PTA. Sarah is now a sophomore at Purdue studying Accounting/Finance. Avery is wrapping up her senior year at International High School and very active with the Sammamish Rowing Club. With both of our girls starting to spend more time outside the house, my husband Rob and I are finding extra time to spoil our 3 year old Mini Australian Shepherd, Winnie! I am really looking forward to meeting and working with everyone!
3rd Grade AL Teacher Update
As some of you may be aware, Ms. Jennifer Min, 3rd grade teacher, has decided to extend her maternity leave for the remainder of this school year. Ms. Alison Ezekiel Mohan who was teaching the class in her absence made a prior commitment to take over a guest position at another school, and we thank her for all of her hard work and dedication to our students. We will miss her and wish her the best of luck.
We are excited to share that Ms. Christy Chen will be teaching the class for the rest of the year. Ms. Chen was a former 4th grade AL teacher here at Medina a few years ago. Welcome back Ms. Chen!
5th Grade Math Teacher
Some of you may know Ms. Nidhi Tiwary who has been a guest teacher for us in different roles over the past two years. We are excited to announce that she has officially taken over the AL math teaching position, previously held by Ms. Shirin Chatoor. Please join us in welcoming Ms. Tiwary!
Snacks
Our limited school supply is available for emergency situations and for those who are not able to provide snacks for their child. Thank you for helping us by providing snacks for your own child if you are able. If you are in need of assistance, please do not hesitate to reach out to Elise Geck, our counselor.
Middle of the Year Assessments
As we near the end of the first semester, teachers across grades are meeting with students and analyzing student work to understand the growth of each student in their class. Part of understanding this growth includes middle of the year assessments in the core subjects of math and reading. As educators, we refer to assessments such as these as “benchmarks” because they tell us if a student is on track to meet grade level expectations by the end of the year. If something raises a concern, we delve in to better understand what we are seeing or hearing so that we can adjust our instruction to meet our students’ needs. Thank you for your partnership in making sure students are ready to show their best learning every day!
New Language Opportunities for All Middle School Students
Beginning in the 2024-2025 school year, the Bellevue School District will offer additional world language course offerings in Hindi and Korean for middle school students in grades 6-8. Last December, the Procedure 2020 committee granted approval to include the two new language courses in the spring 2024 course catalog to survey student interest. Registration will determine whether the courses will be added to the master schedule and offered to students in the fall. Courses will be offered online through Digital Discovery and taught by Bellevue School District educators. The Hindi and Korean language course offerings are open to all middle school students regardless of language proficiency.
The MLL department is committed to prioritizing multilingualism and fostering social and cultural competency for all students. Grounded in an asset-based approach, where multilingual learners are at the forefront, the core of our commitment is to preserve identities and languages of students which serves as a foundation for their academic success. We achieve this by centering their cultural, racial, and linguistic identities, which we deeply value.
Strategic Plan Update
For the past few months, members of the Strategic Plan Guiding Coalition have been busy conducting one-on-one interviews with students, families, staff, and community members to learn more about their experiences in our school district. These interviews, termed empathy interviews, are intended to uncover the needs and aspirations of our learning community.
During this phase of the strategic plan design process, Coalition members listen intently to community members to help collectively identify priorities for the next strategic plan. In addition, various partners engage with their communities to bring additional perspectives to the development process.
Those needs and aspirations are then used to develop a “Point of View” and problem statements which set the stage for brainstorming priorities and strategies. The process continues with additional feedback and iteration.
Community members are invited to reach out to strategicplan@bsd405.org to share their perspectives.
Bellevue School District does not discriminate in any programs or activities on the basis of sex, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression or identity, disability, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts of America and other designated youth groups. The following employees have been designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged discrimination:
Civil Rights, Racial Discrimination, and Gender Expression or Identity Discrimination:
Civil Rights/Nondiscrimination Compliance Coordinator Nancy Pham, (425) 456-4040 or phamn@bsd405.org
Sex-based Discrimination, including Sexual Harassment:
Title IX Coordinator: Jeff Lowell, (425) 456-4010 or lowellj@bsd405.org
Disability Discrimination:
Section 504/ADA Coordinator: Heather Edlund, (425) 456-4156 or edlundh@bsd405.org
Mailing address for all three: 12111 NE 1st Street, Bellevue, WA 98005.