Tiger Tales
Newsletter #24 - February 16, 2024
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Dear Families,
This has been quite a busy week with our fire drill on Wednesday and exciting Friendship parties throughout the week. Thank you for the delicious treats and notes to all of us here at Medina - we feel the love!
One memorable experience was a presentation in the 3rd grade classes by Judy Kusakabe who was incarcerated as a young baby in the Japanese internment camp. She shared the experiences of her family and friends in the camp and emphasized the importance of kindness and responsibility to make sure what she and other Japanese Americans experienced never happens again. You can read more about her and her work in schools here.
In our beloved community, love goes beyond the words that we say to each other. At Medina, we care for one another's well-being and share the responsibility for our students' future successes and happiness. Thank you for partnering with us in this hard but important work.
We wish you and your loved ones a restful mid-winter break. Our principal newsletter will resume once we return back. See you when school re-opens on February 26!
With love,
Kati & Betty
Upcoming Events
February 19-23: No school, mid-winter break
February 26: School resumes
March 1: Kindergarten Registration opens
March 15: Auction, Overlake Golf & Country Club, starting at 5:30pm
March 22: 1/17 District-wide closure school makeup day
March 27: Pastries with Principals, 8:15-9:15am, Room 152
April 8-12: No school, spring break
Volunteer Opportunity
We are looking for volunteers to come support students at lunch and recess! Volunteers would help monitor the lunchroom and outdoor play spaces with the support of our General School Assistants. You can choose the grade level and day of the week that works best for you and each volunteer slot runs for approximately 2 months at a time (but you can always volunteer for as many slots are you want!) In-person training is required and all volunteers must be cleared every 3 years through our BSD Background Check Process. (This is in addition to the general volunteer training that was offered by the Principal, since this is tailored to the lunch and recess contexts).
Recess and Lunch Volunteer Training – 2/28/24, 11:45am-12:15pm, Medina Library
Volunteering for this next round will begin March 4th. A sign up will be presented at the meeting. You can choose the lunch/recess and days of the week that work for you. An additional training will be provided for those that wish to sign up for the 3rd volunteer round. Those dates will be communicated closer to that time. For any questions, please reach out to our Assistant Principal, Kati Weiland and thank you for your consideration!
Counselor Tips
Now that we are more than halfway through the school year (over 100 days), it is important to remind and encourage students to continue to have a Growth Mindset. Over the next few weeks, we will be sharing some strategies to build resiliency, self-confidence, and motivation. Please check out this first resource regarding ways for you as parents and guardians to help model self-regulation of your emotions.
City of Bellevue Remembrance Day Event
The City of Bellevue invites community members to attend a special performance, presented by Living Voices, in honor of the Day of Remembrance. The Day of Remembrance serves as a national recognition of the wrongful incarceration of Japanese Americans during World War II.
Living Voices, based in Seattle, combines live actors with archival footage to present key periods in history in a dynamic, interactive way. “Within the Silence” tells of the Japanese American internment through the story of a teenager named Emiko.
Date: Thursday, February 22, 2024
Time: 6:00 – 8:00 p.m.
Location: Bellevue City Hall, 450 110th Ave NE
Registration is not required.
City of Bellevue Youth Link Upcoming Dates
The City of Bellevue Youth Link has several upcoming events and opportunities for community involvement.
March 8, 2024 – 6:00-8:00 p.m. Save the date for the annual Unity Through Diversity Event, sponsored by Bellevue Youth Link and Diversity Advantage. This free event will be held at Bellevue Youth Theater. This year’s event will celebrate Bellevue’s diverse community and highlight cultural performances from community members and showcase the talents of Bellevue youth.
May 3, 2024 – Deadline to submit Community Leadership Awards Nomination Form. Join Youth Link as they celebrate their 34th Annual Community Leadership Awards event in May! This annual, citywide event celebrates Bellevue youth who contribute through leadership, community service, advocacy, diversity and social justice support.
Educators, community members, parents and other adults may nominate a student in Bellevue. Students are welcome to nominate their peers. Nominations will be open until Friday, May 3, 2024.
Youth Link will host the awards ceremony on Wednesday, May 22, 2024, from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at Bellevue City Hall.
May 15, 2024 – Apply to join the Youth Link board! The Youth Link Board consists of 12 youths and six adults from the Bellevue community who advise the City Manager about issues that impact youth. They advocate making system-level changes during a two-year term. The board meets twice a month, on the second and fourth Wednesdays. Applications for both youth and adult positions must be submitted by May 15.
Upcoming Bellevue LifeSpring and NAMI Workshop
The National Alliance on Mental Illness (NAMI), in partnership with Bellevue LifeSpring, offer In Our Own Voices, a workshop on mental health. The event will take place on Wednesday, February 28, 2024, at the Bellevue Family Hub at Stevenson Elementary School (14220 NE 8th St, Bellevue, WA 98007) starting at 6:00 p.m. The workshop is free and open to all Bellevue families. Snacks and childcare are provided. Space is limited and registration is required. Attendees will learn information about supporting family members and strategies and resources to better understand and navigate the complexities of mental health services.
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.