Staff Cougar Connect
Week of May 15, 2023
Team,
This week and everyday of the year is a time to celebrate the excellent work you do. It is also a time to celebrate your love, passion, and commitment to shaping the future leaders of our society. This is not an easy task, and having experienced a pandemic together we know the last few years have not been easy. Working in a school requires a special type of person. Each of you holds strengths that allow our community to be successful. Reflect on those strengths and think about how you can make them shine.
I want to recognize that there are many upcoming events that we normally do not do during the end of the year. With the consolidation, there are many added connection events for students, staff, and families that could feel overwhelming. These additional visits/events have the purpose of blending communities in a positive and thoughtful way. Your flexibility and participation in them are appreciated. As a community, we have never been in this position where we get to opportunity to blend communities with another school. This is unique, awkward, and beautiful all in one.
There are people leaving our community, we are gaining new staff, and some of our current staff might not know where they will be next year. There are many emotions and everyone handles situations as such differently. Please be mindful and check in with each other.
I hope we can lean into ending the year strong and with great love for one another.
Best,
Brooke and Alison
Highlights from this week...
Leadership Updates
Transition Updates
WES visit to CHE
As a reminder May 18th Wilburton staff will be visiting our learning community. This is an opportunity for community building, connection and for our cougars to meet new staff members. Chhoun is working on a schedule of when the WES staff who will be part of our new co-created community will be showing up on this day. I will reach out to him to see his progress on this.
Wilburton Student School Visit to Clyde Hill
Monday, June 12---K/1 Wilburton students will visit Clyde Hill @ 8:45
Tuesday, June 13---2/3 Wilburton students will visit Clyde Hill @ 8:45
Thursday, June 15--4th grade Wilburton Students visit Clyde Hill @ 8:45
The following dates have been identified and confirmed as dates WES students will be coming to visit our learning community. Amanda and Randi Peterson will be working with 4th grade peace squad members and a few 3rd graders to support school tours and community building.
Student Class Placement Follow up
Thank you for your participation in our May 10th PD focused on making equitable classrooms for the following school year. I have sent each team a follow up email with a few questions to understand what worked well and where you team left off. I know the time allotted was not enough given the time restraints we had, I appreciate your willingness to try a something new for all of us.
Update on Finalized Staffing (Cert and Classified)
On May 22nd is when HR will allow Chhoun and I to release information regarding certificated staffing. HR is hoping to have all these pieces finalized in a week. I know it has been challenging to not know all the pieces, I appreciate your patience as HR works things out. For classified staffing, the timeline is May 15- May 31st. I have a meeting with HR to discuss classified staffing on May 22nd.
Grade Level Assignments for Next Year
I have connected with classroom teachers either in person or by phone about grade level placements for next year. At the moment, there will be no shifts in grade levels. Due to the shifts that were made at the end of last year, I felt it important to not create more change for individuals.
Leadership Teams for Next Year
As staffing becomes finalized, Chhoun and I will be meeting with teams before the end of the school year to discuss leadership team structure and responsibilities. This is a priority for us, however with so many moving pieces we want to make sure we know who our grade level teams will be before we move forward.
Co-Principal Update
This week Chhoun and I engaged in co-principal coaching, with the focus on identifying how this partnership is different than a traditional Principal/AP as well as identifying what might be the same. Together, we surfaced how our gender identities are one area we need to be conscious of as we engage in this co-principal role. Some of our next steps are to look at our strengths/passions and see figure out our roles in teams.
Leadership Updates...
Tertiary Team
I have been exploring the implementation of a tertiary team this year. It is very much in its infancy, but the intention is to have a team that regularly meets to brainstorm Tier 2 and Tier 3 strategies, interventions, and ways to support students who exhibit high impact behaviors. This team at the moment is comprised of me, Alison, Amanda, and Sunitha. We will be working in collaboration with our MHAT coach, Sarah, to organize how we function for next year with the blending of communities. There will be a more formal process for referring students to tertiary come the fall, in the mean time please feel free to connect with a team member to see if a student needs tier 2/3 behavior support.
SWB Team Updates
The student well-being team will be collaborating regarding WES student visits. They will also be finalizing plans for our June Assembly, Packs and Prides, and End of the Year staff party. More information will be coming soon from the SWB Team.
District Updates
Returning District-Issued Equipment - Staff
Are you leaving the district or completing your 2022-2023 substitute assignment? Are you resigning, retiring, taking a leave of absence, or completing a long-term substitute assignment?
Employees who have a district-issued laptop, tablet, and/or mobile phone and do not have a signed contract for the 2023-24 school year, or who are long-term substitutes, must return all assigned equipment to the Help Desk by 4:00 p.m. on Friday, June 30, 2023. This includes employees:
- Who are resigning or retiring,
- With a non-continuing contract or a contract that will not be reissued,
- Who will be on leave for the entire 2023-2024 school year,
- Long-term substitutes who are completing their 2022-23 assignment
Please back up any personal documents from the laptop to a flash drive, external hard drive, or to a personal cloud-based account prior to returning it to the Help Desk. If there are any questions, please contact the Help Desk at ext. 4321 or help@bsd405.org.
Help Desk address and hours of operation
Wilburton Instructional Service Center (WISC) Building 4
12241 Main Street
Bellevue, WA 98005
Monday through Friday
7:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.
AAPI Month Course Offerings for Students
The Chinese American Civic Association (CACA) invites our learning community to celebrate Asian American and Pacific Islander (AAPI) heritage month during the weeks of May. In order to embrace the many aspects of AAPI culture, the CACA offers educational opportunities that allow students to see themselves represented through dance, art and cultural celebrations.
BSD educators are welcome to invite instructors to share the offered cultural classes with their students. The classes are free, but registration is required. Please view the websites listed to learn more about each offering, and contact the instructor for more information.
Course Offerings:
- Chinese classical/ancient dance | info@xianghedance.com
- Chinese traditional musical instruments
- Tai Chi boxing
- Kung Fu, Lion Dance or Dragon Dance | legendleong@yahoo.com
- Chinese paper cutting | loveandgrace99@gmail.com
Educators who would like to provide a course offering for their classroom may complete this registration form, and a member of CACA will contact you. Please note that some course opportunities take place beginning on Monday, May 8, so be sure to select your preferred dates and times soon!
In addition, CACA will host a visual arts competition for students. Participants may choose either one of the themes provided or find their own inspiration and create an art piece related to AAPI heritage month. Learn more about the visual arts competition. The submission deadline is May 25, 2023.
Educators may also choose to host a movie night featuring one or more episodes from the PBS series, Asian Americans, a docuseries about the history of Asian American immigration, contribution, and struggles. Elementary educators are invited to encourage students to wear their traditional attire and share with classmates its cultural and personal significance.
Community Notice: Annual Budget
The district is preparing the 2023 Annual Budget for constituent review and school board approval. Funding supports our learning community and ensures that students, staff, and families receive the support necessary for the 2023-24 school year. This is an annual process, and the dates below are when our school community can hear more specific information and hear from administrators and school board members about how we will continue vital programs and services as we manage through declining enrollment.
- May 18: Presentation to the board
- August 3: Full budget review
- August 17: Board vote
Policy 6000 Budget Preparation requires notice and conduct of a budget hearing before approval. A proposed budget must be available to the public by July 10. The annual budget must be adopted by August 31. Legal notifications for certificated staff must be completed by May 15.
Food for Thought
This episode on Jennifer Gonzales podcast, The Cult of Pedagogy, she explores trauma informed teaching with Alex Shevrin. They dialogue about trauma sensitive classrooms and the journey educators and schools can take to ensure equity centered trauma informed spaces.
Integrated Schools Podcast- The intersection of Disability, Race, and Segregation
This episode is fire! It captures why having integrated/inclusive schools is what we as a society should strive for. It was a mind shifter for me and I highly recommend listening to it despite the length. It is worth it.
https://cms.megaphone.fm/channel/integratedschools?selected=CDL6660183513
This week in our community...
05/15-19 -- Staff Room Care-- GSAs
05/15-- SBA--G3 ELA PT-PART 1
05/15 -- 4th Grade Peace Squad Meeting, 11:50a-12:30p, STEM Room
05/15 -- Alison Hook's Birthday
05/16-- SBA--G3 ELA PT-PART 2
05/17 -- BLT Meeting, 7a-7:50a, Library
05/17-- SBA--MAKE UP DAY
05/17 -- Student Well Being Mtg, 12:30-1p, Conference room
05/18 -- Marissa Sampsel's Birthday
05/18 -- 5th Grade Peace Squad Meeting, 12:10-12:35p, Gym
05/18 -- PnP: Pack Meeting, 1:40-2:15
05/19--Team budget spending deadline by noon--no purchases after this date
05/19-- SBA--G5-WCAS
05/20 -- PTA School Dance, 5p-7p, MPR