• Feb. 9 - Gibson Ek Open House, 5 p.m., Gibson Ek High School
  
• Feb. 10 - School Board Meeting, 6 p.m., Admin Building and Zoom
• Feb. 15 - Meeting for Parents/Guardians of Color and Parents/Guardians with Students of Color to Give Input About Superintendent Search, 6 p.m., Zoom
• Feb. 16 - 5th grade Transition to Middle School Information Night for Families New to the US, 6:30 p.m., Zoom
• Feb. 17 - Instructional Materials Committee (IMC) Meeting, 4:15 p.m., Admin Building
• Feb. 17 - Meetings for Parents/Guardians to Give Input About Superintendent Search, 9 a.m., 2 p.m., 6 p.m., Zoom
• Feb. 21-25, Second Winter Break, no school for students or staff
• March 18, Regular school day to make up for inclement weather on Jan. 3.

To see further details on our upcoming events, please visit our Calendars webpage.

Mid-Winter Break Travel Precautions
As we approach mid-winter break, please be reminded that the CDC says that travel increases your chance of getting and spreading COVID-19. As you likely know, the CDC recommends that all travelers take these actions to protect themselves and others from getting sick:

• Wear a mask to keep your nose and mouth covered when in public settings, including on public transportation and in transportation hubs such as airports and stations.
• Avoid close contact with anyone who is not from your immediate household.
• Wash your hands often or use hand sanitizer (with at least 60% alcohol).
• Avoid contact with anyone who is sick.
• Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth.

The CDC recommends that travelers follow state, territorial, tribal and local recommendations or requirements after travel. For more consideration, please see the CDC’s website on travel during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Stay safe and have a wonderful mid-winter break!

With the retirement of Superintendent Ron Thiele, the School Board would like input from parents and guardians in the search for a new superintendent. In addition to the recent ThoughtExchange, consultants with the search firm will hold three meetings at 9 a.m., 2 p.m. and 6 p.m. on Thursday, Feb. 17. A survey option will also be offered; the questions in the survey will be the same as in the Zoom meetings.

If parents and guardians do not have an opportunity to be heard in the Zoom meetings, or instead of attending the virtual meetings, please complete the survey, which will soon be available in English, Spanish and Chinese. To access the surveys, please visit the announcements section of our website. The links to the surveys in all three languages will be published there at the same time as soon as possible.

We will also provide an additional meeting for parents and guardians of color and parents and guardians with students of color. This meeting will take place at 6 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 15 via Zoom, or you may complete the survey.

All Zoom meetings will be available in English and Spanish. If you would like to attend the Zoom meetings, please contact Diane Ghanbari for link information.

Do you need extra help with food for your school-aged children during the mid-winter break?

Lunch for the Break is a community-wide program offered by the Issaquah Food and Clothing Bank that supports children in grades K-12 who live within the Issaquah School District. This program helps alleviate hunger by providing one week's worth of free grocery items for students to be able to prepare breakfast, lunch and snacks for themselves.

To align with the food bank's current COVID-19 safety protocols, Lunch for the Break will take place between 11 a.m. and 4 p.m. on Friday, Feb. 11 at the front door of their facility. Once registered, you will receive a pickup time to help reduce wait times and to help keep everyone safe.

To register or for more information, visit their website. Registration closes the morning of February 9.

Families who have a student in fifth grade and who are new to the United States are invited to an information night from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. on Feb. 16.

Click here to register to receive the Zoom link for the sessions in English, 中文 and Español.

This is a general information event for families new to the U.S. middle school system. Check your school website for other 5th grade transition events for families already familiar with U.S. schools.

Topics of this event will include middle school in ISD, course selection introduction, elective class options such as orchestra and choir, PE/Health classes, sports, clubs, health/immunization, costs/fees, and supplies.

Please email ghangurdei@issaquah.wednet.edu to request an interpreter in other languages.

For information about our other events and workshops, visit our website.