Tiger Tales
Newsletter #8 - October 6, 2023
· Language Access: Español | 简体中文 | Pусский | Tiếng Việt | 한국어 | العربية
Dear Families,
Wow! This week is all about how our community and volunteers (YOU!) add the sparkle to what we do here at school. Here are some examples:
- We finished our first week of after school activities and a big thanks to our committee chairs, Li-Tan, Tina, and Marryam for making sure our students get to where they are supposed to be.
- Thank you to Xueliang and Eva, our parent leads for Runner's Club, for organizing Walk and Roll to School Day! It was great to see all of our families working together to reduce congestion and our environmental impact.
- Today our students were looking sharp and all smiles for Picture Day - big thanks to our volunteers for combing stray hairs, straightening clothes, and helping the lines move efficiently!
We also recognize the work and heart that each family pours into helping our students be the best they can be every day, from getting them ready in the morning and adhering to school guidelines during drop-off to making sure our students are tucked safely asleep at night.
Here's to our continued partnership to make this a strong October!
Betty and Kati
Upcoming Events
October 13 - No school for students, Professional Development Day for teachers
October 14 - BSF Block Party, Bellevue Downtown Park, 11am-4pm
October 18 - Unity Day
October 20 - Volunteer Training - 2nd opportunity, time TBD
November 10 - No school, Veteran's Day
November 20, 21, 29 - Elementary Conference Days, early release for students
November 23, 24 - No school, Thanksgiving
December 20 - January 1 - No school, winter break
Unity Day Resources
Unity Day is a day on October 18 where we encourage students to stand together against bullying and be united for kindness, inclusion and acceptance. The official color for unity day is orange and all students & staff are invited to wear orange to school.
Bullying can be prevented when we all come together – united for kindness, acceptance and inclusion. Interested in learning more? Common Sense Media’s Cyberbullying portal includes great resources for teaching students about safe online behavior, what to do in response to cyberbullying, and how you can set up parental controls on various apps and devices.
Schoolwide, next week, as part of National Bullying Prevention Month, students will also be engaging in grade-level activities to promote kindness and inclusion in our school community.
Here are the themes for each grade level.
Preschool – United in our Hearts
Kindergarten - It ROCKS to Be United for Kindness!
1st Grade - Pennants and flags for Unity
2nd Grade - Unity Tree
3rd Grade - "Pumped" Up for Unity Day
4th Grade - Beaded Bracelets for Unity Day
5th Grade – "We All Have a Hand in Uniting Against Bullying"
Medina PD
Medina Police Department has asked us to communicate the following reminders:
- Please slow down when driving through the neighborhood and around the school parking lots. They have observed many cars above the speed limit as cars rush to drop off students before the bell rings.
- Please do not park in crosswalks or at any place along the street that blocks traffic.
The police department and school staff thank you for helping to keep all of us safe!
Medina Songs
October Safety Drill
Washington state law and Bellevue School District policy require all schools to hold at least one drill per calendar month while school is in session. This month, we will be conducting an earthquake drill and practicing what we would do if we were at school in the event of an earthquake.
In the United States, the recommended actions to take in the event of an earthquake are Drop, Cover, and Hold On. You can also sign up for ShakeAlert, a West Coast Earthquake Early Warning System. ShakeAlert's early warning system detects significant earthquakes so quickly that alerts can reach people before the shaking arrives!
Here are some links on earthquake preparedness:
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, you might want to 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.
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.