Cougar Connect: April 2025

April marks the start of the final quarter of the school year.  Educators in our school district will tell you that when we return from Spring Break on Monday, April 14th, the school year begins to accelerate towards the end of the year.  This newsletter will share with you key events to be aware of happening between now and the end of the school year.

Below are important events for parents/guardians to be aware of as the school year comes to a close:  

• Family Survey:  Sent by Office Manager Holly Westerberg in Mid/Late April
  • This survey is sent to families in grades K-4 and asks families to let us know if you are planning to return to Clyde Hill Elementary for the 2025-26 school year. 
  • The survey helps us solidify our class numbers.  Families will be able to indicate if they are returning, not returning, or are unsure.  
  • If you have recently moved out of district but are hoping to stay at Clyde Hill for the upcoming school year by providing your own transportation, please reach out to the Student Placement office to learn how this can by done by calling: 425-456-4200 
  • Additionally, an FAQ on this topic can be found at:  https://www.bsd405.org/enroll/student-placement/transfer-into-the-bellevue-school-district/nonresident-open-transfer-choice-schools-and-programs-frequently-asked-questions

 

• Smarter Balanced State Testing:  Grades 3 - 5
  • Beginning in May, students in grades 3-5 will take state tests in English Language Arts and Mathematics to determine their progress towards meeting the Common Core State Standards.  Each test has two parts, a computer adaptive test that is comprised of multiple choice and short answer questions and a performance task that is a longer task that asks students to show more in-depth skills related to the content area.  For English Language Arts, the performance task is a lengthier writing task.  For mathematics, the performance task is a more complex, multi-step mathematics problem.
  • Additionally, in 5th grade, students also take a comprehensive science test based on the Next Generation Science Standards which is also a mix of multiple choice, short answer, and longer response questions.
  • For these tests students cannot have any phones on their bodies or in their desks. Phone must be silenced in their backpacks.  This is the same as every school day. 
  • It is important to note that students who typically wear smartwatches cannot wear these watches during testing because of the various smart features on them.  Students will be asked to keep these in their backpacks until all testing is completed in the classroom for the entire day.  Utilizing these features could lead to invalidating a student's test.  

 

• Student Placement Process for Next Year
  • Beginning in mid-May, staff will begin the process of building our classes for the 2025-26 school year.  We will use information provided by families in the "Family Survey" explained above as part of this process.  If you tell us that you are not returning, we will not place your child(ren) in a class for next year.  
  • In the information we request from families, we do not take teacher requests.  There are many reasons for this; however a couple of key reasons for this are that teacher assignments can change over the summer - both in grade level and school assignment.  Every year we see students who are devestated when a parent has promised their child that they will have a specific teacher only to find out that the teacher is no longer at that grade or that the teacher was no longer at the school or that their child was placed with a different teacher.    
  • Our goal in class placement is to create balanced classes that any teacher would be excited to teach.  We create classes without teacher names assigned to them to remove bias in terms of which students are placed with a particular teacher.  
  • While we have tenative classes built by early June, we continue to make adjustments to these classes until the classes are officially announced via email in late August.  
    • We fully understand that in mid-August families may see names attached to a child's information in Clever.  Do not assume that this is your child's teacher for the upcoming year.  There is a good chance this could change.  Your child's teacher assignment is only official once it is emailed to you.    

 

• Yearbook Permissions
  • The end of the year is when the school yearbook is published.  If you want your child's picture to appear in the yearbook, parents/guardians need to make sure that they check the box "Yearbook Ok" in ParentVue.  If this box is unchecked, your child(ren)'s pictures will not appear in the yearbook.  We use this setting along with the checkbox for web/media images to ensure that our students' pictures do not end up in publications without parent/guardian permission. 
  • Please make sure you have the settings you want by the end of April.    

 

Safety Update for Bellevue Students and Families

Many in our communities have heard about a recent incident where a 16-year-old girl was accosted by a stranger as she exited a Metro bus in the Lake Hills area. The Bellevue Police Department has issued a statement informing residents that a suspect has been arrested in connection with the attempted kidnapping and the investigation is ongoing.

The incident provides us the opportunity to share a few safety tips that are important to keep in mind. The Bellevue Police Department reminds us that if anyone feels like they are being followed or are in the process of being attacked, there are actions they can take:

·       Walk with a partner or in groups

·       Share estimated times of arrivals with trusted individuals

·       Make as much noise as you can. You can attract community members who can assist/help you.

·       Run away or fight, if necessary.

·       Call 911 when it's safe to do so.

·       Enter a nearby business and ask for help.

 

For more information about safety in our schools, visit the Safety and Security department pages. Safety concerns can also be reported through the district website. Everyone is reminded to call 911 if you are in immediate danger or in the case of a life-threatening emergency.

 

You're Invited to the Bellevue School District Computer Science Engagement Night!

Event Highlights:

·       Share your interest and feedback. Tell us what you’d like to see next in the Computer Science program!

·       Explore BSD’s PreK-High School Computer Science opportunities funded by the Bellevue Schools Foundation.

 

This in-person event will be a great opportunity to learn about PreK-High School computer science programs. Your participation will help capture community interest and support for ongoing computer science education for all. Many vendors will be available, along with interactive booths for families to engage with. We look forward to seeing you there!

 

Event Details

·       Date: April 24, 2025 (Thursday)

·       Time: 5:30-7:30pm

·       Location: Highland Middle School Commons

·       Audience: BSD Community (staff, students and families)

·       Register online

 

With this newsletter being published on Friday, April 4th, we want to wish all of our Clyde Hill families a wonderful Spring Break, and we look forward to seeing everyone back at school on Monday, April 14th.  

 

In partnership,

Amy MacDonald

Principal, Clyde Hill Elementary

 

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: Karen Dejong, 425-456-4277 or dejongk@bsd405.org

Mailing address for all three: 12111 NE 1st Street, Bellevue, WA 98005.

 

From <https://clydehill.bsd405.org/our-school/news/news-details/~board/clyde-hill-elementary-school-news/post/cougar-connect-march-2025-spring-forward>