Upcoming Events
March 16: Odle and Chinook Middle Schools visit 5th graders with middle school registration
March 17: District Professional Development Day, no school for students
March 20: West Zone Band Concert @ Chinook MS 7 PM (Students arrive at 6:30 PM)
March 31: Medina PTA Auction "Swing for the Stars" at Overlake Golf & Country Club
April 1: Bellevue Schools Foundation, Spring for Schools at Meydenbauer Center, 5-7pm
April 10-14: School Closed for Spring Break
Welcome Danuta Sztuka!
I’m originally from the UK. I’ve lived in Bellevue for 20 years. I have 2 teenagers, one of whom graduated from Bellevue 2 years ago and my other teen is currently a freshman in high school. I chose school counseling as a midlife career change because of the wonderful support that my kids have experienced from school counselors in the district. I’m currently a mental health assistance team counselor at Highland Middle School. I love vegetable gardening, walking our dog, Olive, and hanging out with my teenagers.
Lockdown Drill This Week!
For our monthly safety drill, we will be conducting a lockdown drill this week. A lockdown is different from a lockout. A lockdown is used when there is a threat to the campus or school. During a lockdown, staff lock classroom doors, shut off the lights, close the blinds, while continually assessing the situation. Teachers will talk to students about transitioning to run, hide, or fight based on the situation presented.
Please talk with your student about preparing for emergencies and disasters. 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 additional information and resources, please be sure to visit the BSD Safety & Security Page.
- BSD Safety & Security: https://bsd405.org/departments/security/
- Talking to Kids about School Safety: https://www.mhanational.org/talking-kids-about-school-safety
Preschool Coming back to Medina!
For those with younger kids not yet ready for kindergarten, Medina Elementary will have a preschool option starting next school year 2023-2024! These are the following schedule options:
Working Day: 7am - 6pm to include childcare before and after school day, Monday through Friday.
School Day: Start and end times may stagger 10-15 minutes before the elementary school day, but will be 6.5 hours Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday, and 4 hours on Wednesday.
For more information and link to register, please check out our Preschool page. Registration is now open, and space is limited!
2023-24 School Calendar
Next year, school starts on Tuesday, September 5th. For planning purposes, a printable 2023-2024 Calendar of School Dates is available on the BSD website here. In a few weeks, we will also be sending Student Intent survey to our K-4 families to ask for information to help us plan our classes. Stay tuned!
5th Graders Planning for Middle School
For our 5th grade families, middle school registration will be happening very soon! With many of our students attending Chinook or Odle Middle School, their administrators and counselors will be at Medina this week to introduce 5th grade classes to the registration process and provide information that will go home to families. Please follow up with your 5th graders on elective courses to register for next year and the deadlines to complete this task. This is an incredibly exciting time for our 5th graders, as they are embarking on the next stage of their educational career!
Please refer to the links below for information about the registration process for middle schools:
Attendance Reminder
Spring break is April 10th- 14th. If your family plans to take extended trips during school breaks, this a friendly reminder that Bellevue School District allows each student 5 pre-arranged absences (PAA) per year. You may use these one at a time, or all at once. These are excused absences that you may use for a travel day, a sport or dance competition, or a longer trip. If your child will be missing 2 or more days, please submit a pre-arranged absence form at least one week prior to your trip. If your child will only be missing one day, please email medinaattendance@bsd405.org. Thank you for including your child’s full name when emailing for any attendance related matters.
Did you know?
Our talented GSAs enable our teachers to differentiate and meet the needs of students, and provide more one on one time. Our GSAs also contribute to the culture of our school as they strive to get to know all the students, their interests, and their strengths. It is no surprise that many of our students see the GSAs as another trusted adult at school who help them to feel connected. Thank you families for raising the funds so that we can have these amazing staff members at our school!
Community Mental Health Forum Series
The Community Mental Health Forum series continues this March. In partnership with area health care partners, the BSD counseling team will offer a session titled, Is It Time to Talk to Your Kids About Drugs? This virtual session invites students and parents to watch together and discuss topics related to substance use. Pre-registration is not required.
The sessions will each provide an opportunity to ask detailed questions about substance use with counselors who are knowledgeable in this subject area. Questions may be submitted in advance through this link.
The Community Mental Health Forum series continues with sessions about Talking to Your Student About Substance Abuse. Sessions will be virtual and conducted in English (3/16), Mandarin (3/22), and Spanish (3/23).
Save the Date!
BOOM Presents: “Black History BEYOND February,” a virtual event for BSD staff and all district families.
When: Tuesday, March 29, 5:00–6:15 p.m.
Featuring: Dr. Terry Anne Scott, Associate Professor of History and Chair, Department of History at Hood College in Frederick, Maryland. Dr. Scott will be hosting a virtual walking tour through Montgomery, Alabama with historical stops along the way and narrating the journey from resistance to resilience.
More details coming soon. Please save the date for this exciting event brought to you by Equity & Family Engagement!
Real Madrid Foundation Summer Camp for BSD Students July 17-21
This soccer summer camp is open to students between the ages of 6 and 17, of all playing levels from beginner to advanced. The camp will be hosted at Highland Middle School from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. (with an option to extend the time from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m.).
The Real Madrid Foundation is offering six scholarships, and there will be additional scholarships added if funding is available. Please complete this form before March 13 if you are seeking a scholarship. Scholarship recipients will be contacted on March 14.