A Note from our Administrative Team
Hello Wade King Families,
We hope that you saw the email Dr. Baker shared with our community on Monday, about changes in Washington State's mask mandate that will take effect on March 12th. We imagine that some of you are feeling excited, some anxious, and some have questions. All of those are valid and we are here to help. We also want you to know that next week, our staff will be intentionally teaching our students about changes in mask-wearing that are coming to support a smooth transition for everyone. We want our students to...
- understand that each person will be able to choose to wear a mask or not wear a mask and both choices are ok.
- understand that there are many reasons why someone may choose (or not choose) to wear a mask.
- know that we will show each other respect, concern, and kindness.
- understand that each person's story and needs are unique and valuable.
- tell an adult if you see or experience mistreatment or bullying.
If you, or your child, have questions, or you if your child is feeling anxious about this change, please let us know! We are truly here to support your family any way we can.
With Gratitude,
Stephanie Johnson, Principal
Stephanie Korn, Administrator
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Important Dates in March and April
3/1 - Kindergarten Registration for Next Year Begins
3/4 - Report Cards Sent Home with Kindergarten Students
3/8 - Spring After School Program Registration Begins
3/11 - This is now a school day!
3/11 - Field Trip: Livezey 9:30-2:00 to Fairhaven Park
3/13 - Daylight Savings Time Begins: Set clocks ahead 1 hour
3/16 - Field Trip: Bennett 9:30-2:00 to Fairhaven Park
3/18 - Field Trip: McCarthy 9:30-2:00 to Fairhaven Park
3/14-3/18 - PTA Sponsored Globe Trot Week
3/21-3/31 - 5th Grade Exhibition Presentations
3/30 - After School Program Registration Ends Today
4/4-4/8 - NO SCHOOL for Spring Break
The Bellingham Schools UPDATED 2021-22 Calendar can be found on the district website.
Registration for fall kindergarten has begun in Bellingham Public Schools. All children who will be 5 before Sept. 1, 2022 can be registered for kindergarten. Families can register their child online in Skyward by following the instructions on our kindergarten webpage.
Registering kindergartners as early as you can help us hire staff, balance our classes, connect with families and get our schools ready to welcome our youngest learners. Thanks in advance for letting a friend or neighbor with a future kindergartner know the registration window is open and ready for them!
All children who are currently enrolled in Promise K will automatically be enrolled in kindergarten for the fall and do not need to re-register.
To find out more about attendance areas, registration and childhood immunization schedules, please visit bellinghamschools.org/kindergarten or contact our elementary schools directly.
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Está Abierto el Registro para el Kínder para el Otoño 2022
Ha comenzado el registro para el Kínder en las Escuelas Públicas de Bellingham. Todos los niños que vayan a tener 5 años antes del 1° de septiembre del 2022 pueden ser registrados para el Kínder. Las familias pueden registrar a su estudiante del Kínder en línea a través del enlace en
nuestra página de internet del Kínder.
Registrarse ahora nos ayuda para contratar al personal, equilibrar nuestras clases, conectar con las familias y alistar nuestras escuelas para dar la bienvenida a los estudiantes del Kínder. Y de antemano ¡muchas gracias por dejarle saber a algún amigo o vecino con un futuro estudiante del Kínder que es tiempo de registro para el Kínder para ellos!
Todos los estudiantes que actualmente están registrados en el programa de Promesa K serán registrados automáticamente en el Kínder para el otoño y no necesitan volver a registrarse.
Para aprender más sobre las áreas de asistencia, registro y requisitos de vacunación de los niños, por favor visite bellinghamschools.org/kindergarten o contacte directamente a nuestras escuelas primarias.
Questions about Covid-19, Testing, & Changes in Mask Wearing
You can find the most current Covid information in emails from the Bellingham School District. And, if you can't find the answer there, don't hesitate to contact Alyssa Johnson, our school nurse or Jennifer Thornton, our health room aide. There are lots of different scenarios and they would love to talk through them with you. They are also able to continue COVID-19 testing as needed for students. Don't hesitate to connect with them!
Note from Mrs. Wakefield (our School Counselor)
Our Wonderful Brains!
One of my favorite classroom lessons to teach is Brain in the Hand. Students, as young as Kindergarten, LOVE learning about their powerful brains. Humans of all ages seek to understand how the body and brain work together creating our wonderful humanness. The more that students understand their body-brain connections the more they understand their own responses to stimuli (what we see as behavior). When students gain an understanding of how their brains operate, they begin to understand what their brain, and body need. I have included some of my favorite videos on Brain in the Hand.
- Video 1: “Tour of The Brain” is an intro to brain functions.
- Video 2: “Hand Brain Model” is more specific about the body-brain connection and self-regulation.
- Video 3: “What is My Lizard Brain?” offers strategies to get our reasoning brain back in charge, self-regulation.
These engaging videos pack a lot of good information in just 3-6 minutes each.
As your School Counselor, I am happy to share any resources such as learning videos and books on a variety of topics. Please reach out with any questions, concerns, or wonderings you might have! I am here to support our students and families while we navigate these more unique times as we are developing wonderful, curious, engaging humans!
I want to remind families that I am here to support them any way I can.
Don't ever hesitate to connect with me! I'm here to help!
Jaymie.Wakefield@bellinghamschools.org
school phone - (360) 647-6840 ext. 2413
district cell phone - (360) 746-5319
Spring After School Programs - Registration Starts March 8th
Our PTA has set up spring after-school programs. Registration for these programs opens on Tuesday, March 8th and closes on March 30th. You can register, and access scholarships on our Wade King PTA web site or using the links below.
Majestic Adventures/Adventure Quest
April 11-June 6
Monday 2:30-4:30pm - Grades K-2
Monday 2:30-4:30pm - Grades 3-5
Register at... https://questnorthwest.com/register
Girls on the Run
April 13-June 8
Wednesday 2:30-4:30pm - Grades 3-5
Register at... https://www.whatcomymca.org/girls-run
Outside Kids Yoga
April 14, 21, 28 & May 5 - Grades 2-5
May 12, 19, 26, & June 2 - Grades K-1
Thursdays 12:45-1:30pm
Register by calling Tammie at 808-778-5817 or emailing tammiewinter@hotmail.com
The Globe Trot is Back - March 14-18th
The PTA is excited about our biggest fundraiser of the year, Globe Trot! This year it will be a week-long virtual event from March 14-20th where daily meet-up opportunities will be available as a way to connect the community and get everyone moving! Each student will receive a pedometer that will track their steps which can be entered along with donations on a website. Information and all the event details will be sent home with students Friday, March 11th. Proceeds from the fundraiser help support staff, student learning, implementing the new garden, provides opportunities such as field trips, and 10% of the total goes to help other elementary schools in Bellingham with the equity project! If anyone is interested in helping support this event, please email wadekingpta@gmail.com
Next PTA Meeting: April 14th at 6:00 pm
Our next (virtual) PTA meeting will be THURSDAY, APRIL 14th at 6pm on Zoom.
The link will be posted on our Wade King PTA Website on the day of the meeting.
April meeting topics will include Golden Acorn nominations, Teacher Appreciation Planning, New PTA Board Electees
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.
Drumming Fun
During January and February, there was a lot of drumming happening at Wade King. Students worked on short rhythmic patterns in echo and call & response format, and then branched out to learn a multi-part upbeat ensemble. Our most joyful moments in the music room included playing along with songs like “Rolling In the Deep” by Adele, “Best Day of My Life” by American Authors, and “Surface Pressure” from the movie Encanto. We are taking a short break from drumming, but plan on an encore unit later in the spring!
Schoolwide Fun Event... Game Day
This was an opportunity to have fun together and practice collaboration and sportsmanship skills.
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February was Kindness Month
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February Was Black History Month
A Snapshop of Our Learning
February was Black History Month and there were several things we did within our school community to highlight the contributions of Black People during the month. Here is a glimpse into some of the learning we did.
Each day, the greeting sign in the front lobby of the school feature two different African Americans with a short description of of their contributions to our culture.
In celebration of Black History Month, Mrs. Norman's students spent time during their music classes learning about the incredible contributions of Black people to the American music scene. One of the biggest take-aways was that Black musicians were responsible for creating multiple genres of music and rarely were credited for their accomplishments. Students enjoyed audio and video clips highlighting genres like blues, jazz, rock ‘n’ roll, gospel, and house music.
Our 3rd graders inquired with Mrs. Hunter during Library Science lessons about little-known African American inventors. They used the database Pebble Go to read biographies of Black people who invented things we need but take for granted. Some of the third graders made a video about these inventors for the Friday News.
Mr. Livezey's 4th-grade class explored the contributions of African Americans through art. Here are several examples of student art inspired by Black artists.
As Black History Month came to an end, our learning about the contributions of Black people will not. Our goal is to give our students windows and mirrors into people that are both similar and different from themselves all year long.
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Art inspired by Jean-Michel Basquiat | Art inspired by Jean-Michel Basquiat | Art inspired by Alma Woodsy Thomas |
Art inspired by Jean-Michel Basquiat
Art inspired by Jean-Michel Basquiat
Art inspired by Alma Woodsy Thomas
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Art inspired by Alma Woodsey Thomas | Art inspired by Romare Bearden | Art inspired by Romare Bearden |
Art inspired by Alma Woodsey Thomas
Art inspired by Romare Bearden
Art inspired by Romare Bearden
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January | Early February | March |
January
Early February
March
Lunar New Year - 2022 The Year of the Tiger
Weather permitting, we will be sharing our Chinese New Year Dragon Parade in April. To keep our students safe by not congregating in large numbers indoors, our dragons will be entertaining outside! Different grade levels will watch the dragons on different days. Our 5th-grade students are looking forward to sharing our beautiful dragons with our school community.
Gong Xi!
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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: Feb. 10, March 10 and April 28.
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.
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