Originally delivered on 3/19/2021 4:00 pm

SUBJECT: Bulldog Blast 3-19-21

March 19, 2021

Did you know Bell Elementary’s playground is not ADA compliant? We recently had a Bell student who was unable to play with her friends on the playground because she could not access it with her wheelchair. When we see injustices like this, we must act!

This is where we come in. The PTSA advocates for children. That is our core purpose.

We started working on this issue in 2019. Since then, we have contacted the school principal (Mr. Story has been so helpful!), the LWSD School Board, the superintendent of LWSD, and the executive director of support services for LWSD. The effort has paid off!

We are thrilled to announce that this summer the Lake Washington School District will update Bell’s playground! The updates will include the following:

  1. AccessibilityThe district will make our playground ADA Compliant.

  2. Playground surfacing – The district will be piloting rubber play tiles at Bell. (The current LWSD standard is wood play chips – you should try rolling a wheelchair in wood chips!) The play tiles will be under the play structures.

  3. Playtoy structure will be updated – The wooden play structure has become outdated and will be replaced.

Early estimates indicate that this project will cost approximately $300K. In addition to the district's investment, the PTSA will be voting to approve PTSA funds for further enhancements (PTSA members will be voting during the next PTSA meeting, March 25th).

Thank you to everyone who completed the fund allocation survey. 53 surveys were completed (39 parents, 14 teachers/staff, 3 that met both criteria). Below is a snapshot of the data. 

We looked at the data multiple ways (e.g., parent only, staff only, highest priority, top three priority). Every way we look at the data, the top two priorities are library/classroom books and playground. The board has used this feedback to amend the budget. All budget changes need to be approved by Bell PTSA members before they can be implemented. Please join our next PTSA meeting on March 25th (details below) where we will go over the survey results, present our amended budget, and vote to approve the changes.

NOTE: All are welcome, but only active Bell PTSA members can vote.

We have received feedback from the Bell community that virtual enrichment classes are of interest. At the beginning of the year, the general message we were receiving from the community was to reduce screen time; therefore, the PTSA opted to not organize virtual events. However, based on this recent feedback, we got to work to make sure more opportunities are being offered. See below.

  • Art with Mrs. Lustgarten  We have been offering these lessons since November. New lessons were posted last week! It's a wonderful way to create art at your child's pace.

  • Girls on the Run– Ms. Hammond has partnered with Girls on the Run to offer this awesome enrichment program to our 3rd - 5th grade girls. Ms. Tanner, Mr. Morris, and Ms. Nickels have all signed up to be coaches!
    • Dates: Mondays and Wednesdays from March 29th – May 24th
    • Time: 4-5pm
    • Where to Register: here
    • Questions: email Ms. Hammond at lhammond@lwsd.org or contact GOTR directly at program@girlsrun.org.
    • More infohere

  • Virtual Field Trips  All Bell students are invited to join us for the following virtual field trips with Pacific Science Center. Links to join will be sent to all families prior to the events.
    • April 27th: Radical Reactions - Observe the explosive ways chemicals unite and react in this high energy show! Discover the signs of chemical reactions through experimentation and learn how this creates the world around us.

    • May 11th: Virtual Planetarium: Night Sky Tonight - Become a true backyard astronomer. Learn how living on a giant spinning ball changes what can be seen each night, discover how to find constellations, and even how the sky can be used to find directions!

    • June 3rd - Virtual Planetarium: Planetary Geology  Take a wild virtual ride to explore the planets and moons that make up Earth’s neighborhood, the solar system. Explore these unique landscapes and see deep craters, magma filled volcanoes, giant seas of methane, and icy oceans.

Do you have any recommendations for virtual programs? If so, we'd love to hear about it. Email us at feedback@agbellptsa.org.

We have added an additional PTSA meeting to the calendar in order to vote on the amended budget (referenced above). Below are the last two PTSA meetings for the year:

  • Thursday, March 25th, 7pm via Zoom 
    • Agenda: review survey results and vote on budget
    • All are welcome, but only Bell PTSA members can vote 
    • To Join: https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84766997561?pwd=Rmord0hxMlhqNVl1R2YrdDQ3bjRMdz09

      Meeting ID: 847 6699 7561
      Passcode: 464235

  • Thursday, May 6th, 7pm via Zoom 

Did you know the PTSA creates the yearbook each year? We need your help to pull this off! A few ways to help:

  • 5th grade parents - submit a dedication to your 5th grader in this year's yearbook. All you need to do is upload a favorite photo to the '5th grade dedications' folder in TreeRing and add a caption with your best wishes for them as they make the leap to middle school.

  • Keep uploading photos of your students in TreeRing. We want to see them doing remote learning! We want to see pictures of their first day back for in-person learning. We want to capture what this year of school has looked like for our kiddos.

  • Inform your kiddos about the yearbook cover contest.
    • Theme: "Oh, the Places We've Been" 
    • Deadline: May 1st (recently extended)
    • How to Enter: Create art for the yearbook cover that represent the theme. Take a photo of it (or scan it) and email it to yearbook@agbellptsa.org (include the student's name, grade, and teacher).

Good news - the school has scheduled school photos in April! The school will send out more details as we get closer to the date.

If you have any difficulty using the TreeRing app you can also send the photo and caption to the yearbook editor at yearbook@agbellptsa.org. All photos must be uploaded by May 31st.

On Friday, March 12, Governor Jay Inslee’s announced that all schools in Washington must offer the opportunity for in-person learning to students who choose that option. All Department of Health and other safety protocols must be maintained. 

Districts are required to offer in-person learning by the following dates:

  • By April 5, all students in grades K–6 (that have not already been) must be provided with an opportunity to engage in in-person learning.
  • By April 19, all students in grades K–12 (that have not already been) must be provided with an opportunity to engage in in-person learning.

Additional Information:

  • By April 19, at least 30% of each student’s average weekly instructional hours must be provided in-person (unless the student and their family chooses to learn fully remotely). Each student must have an opportunity to learn in-person at least two days per week. These may be partial or full days.
  • Last week, the Governor noted that the 6 ft rule for space between students in the classroom, that is currently required as part of the school health and safety measures, will not change in the short term. However, this morning, the CDC changed the guidelines from 6ft to 3ft for children in school (with a few caveats), so the guidelines in Washington state might change (this has yet to be determined).

We encourage you to read the full WSPTA Legislative Report for Week 9

Keep up with the bills and committee hearings related to WSPTA legislative priorities by utilizing the bill status and upcoming events report. We encourage Bell families to continue to contact their legislators and engage in the legislative process. Click here to find out who your legislators are. Your voice matters! 

Welcome back 2nd and 3rd grade hybrid-learners! 

Visit our Family Resource page for information on returning to school, including the following:

  • A link to the attestation form in multiple languages
  • Videos for what students can expect as they return to school
  • Guidelines on masks
  • Mr. Story's most recent newsletters


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Ways to Support Bell PTSA
Get Involved!

With the launch of Bell PTSA's new website, we now send our newsletter direct from our website, as opposed to going through the school registrar. Please make sure to register on our new site so your information is up to date! 

Looking Ahead
Monday, March 22
Asynchronous instruction for grades 4 & 5 (March 22 – 26 )
Tuesday, March 23
Asynchronous instruction for grades 4 & 5 (March 22 – 26 )
Wednesday, March 24
Asynchronous instruction for grades 4 & 5 (March 22 – 26 )
10:30a 4th and 5th grade attestation practice and classroom tour
Thursday, March 25
Asynchronous instruction for grades 4 & 5 (March 22 – 26 )
Friday, March 26
Asynchronous instruction for grades 4 & 5 (March 22 – 26 )
Monday, March 29
4th and 5th grades in person learning resumes (March 29-30)
Tuesday, March 30
4th and 5th grades in person learning resumes (March 29-30)
Monday, April 5
No School- Spring Break
Quick Links
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