Originally delivered on 3/26/2021 4:01 pm

SUBJECT: Bulldog Blast 3-26-21

March 26, 2021

Thank you to everyone who attended the PTSA meeting last night. During the meeting we reviewed the results of the fund allocation survey and voted to amend the 2020-2021 budget as follows:

  1. Bell PTSA will provide a $10K grant to Bell Elementary to purchase books for the school (a small portion of this grant may be used to fund author visits).

  2. Bell PTSA will be funding $10K of the upcoming playground project. This will cover the cost of installing a digging pit. The entire project is estimated to cost $300K. See the 3/19 Bulldog Blast for more details on the playground project.

Below are some additional financial highlights from the meeting:

  • Bell PTSA's average annual expenses (during a typical year): $35K - $40K
    In a typical year, the largest expenditures/ estimated costs are as follows:
    • Educational Enrichment (art, science, assemblies, etc.) - $10K
    • Field trips - $8K
    • Staff Grants  - $6K
    • Community Events and Staff Appreciation - $6K
    • Pantry Packs - $2,500

  • Amount donated/ fundraised this year: $10K (+$5K corporate matching).
    Historically, donations and fundraising cover all expenses for the year - not this year
  • Projected total expenses for 2020-2021: New projection = $42 - $44K (this includes the additional $20K for the books and playground). Costs associated with field trips and educational enrichment are substantially less this year, making this investment of $20K more feasible. 

  • Suggested amount to remain in reserve: $45K
    The board recommended retaining a higher reserve amount due to fundraising levels this year.

3/25 meeting minutes and presentation. Visit our PTSA Meetings page for information on past and upcoming meetings.

With spring break right around the corner, the PTSA will be creating larger pantry packs to send home with our food-insecure families next week. We provide these bags to Bell families every weekhowever, we provide more food to each family prior to long weekends and school breaks. Our hope is that providing more food during the school breaks will reduce their hardship when they are unable to obtain meals through the school. 

The PTSA partners with the Lake Washington Schools Foundation. Additionally, the PTSA sets aside funds in our budget each year to make this program possible; however, it is costly to provide a bag of groceries to 32 families every week. Therefore, we do need continued support from the community. If you're able to help out, we would greatly appreciate it.

DONATE FOOD DIRECTLY TO PANTRY PACKS VIA OUR AMAZON WISH LIST 

If your family needs support (e.g., food, clothing, family resources), please reach out to the school counselor, Brittni Zackery, at bzacjery@lwsd.org. Note: all information is confidential between the family and the school counselor. The PTSA has no visibility to which families need help. We simply work with the community to fulfill the need.

We asked Senator Dhingra to join our next PTSA meeting to answer questions submitted by the Bell community. She has graciously accepted. The legislative session ends on April 25th, so there will be much to discuss - much of which directly impacts Bell students and families.

  • Date: Thursday, May 6th
  • Time: 7pm 
  • Location: via Zoom (link will be sent in the Bulldog Blast the week prior. For privacy reasons, we do not share the link on our website or Facebook page)

Please submit your questions to president@agbellptsa.org. Here is the list of questions submitted thus far.

Below are some highlights from WSPTA Legislative Report for Week 10. More information in the full report

  • The American Rescue Plan (H.R. 1319, Public Law 117-2) signed into law by President Biden earlier this month is estimated to bring about $10.64 billion to the state, along with an estimated $8.4 billion in direct stimulus payments to taxpayers. Many details around expected funding, possible uses, and timing are still being figured out; however, we know about $1.85 billion will be available for K-12 education in Washington’s schools.

  • OSPI must distribute 90% of the funds to school districts based on the ESEA Title I share. (The basic principle of Title I is that schools with large concentrations of low-income students receive supplemental funds to assist in meeting student educational goals.) Nearly every district receives at least some money through Title I, however part of the budget challenge for state lawmakers this session will be to balance the use of those anticipated federal funds against school district enrollment decline and school transportation funding losses due to reduced ridership.

  • Bills that are still in play (see report for fill list):
    • E2SHB 1365, procuring and supporting appropriate computers and devices, passed with no amendments from Senate education and is waiting a hearing in Senate Ways & Means.
    • ESSB 5044, requiring professional development on equity, cultural competency, and dismantling institutional racism, had a public hearing in House Education and is scheduled for exec next week.
    • E2SHB 1139, acting on lead in drinking water, passed out of the Senate education committee without amendment. It goes to the Senate Ways & Means Committee.
    • ESHB 1214, expanding training requirements for SROs and school safety and security staff, was heard March 19 and has been scheduled for executive action in Senate education March 22.
    • EHB 1342, eliminating lunch copays for students who qualify for reduced-price lunches, passed the policy committee and is scheduled for a public hearing in Senate Ways & Means March 22.
    • SB 5184, establishing a building point of contact in all K-12 public schools for students in foster care, had a public hearing in House Education and is scheduled for executive action March 23.

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! 

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 for April 20th. 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.

In response to the Center for Disease Control's (CDC) policy revision (i.e, changing the 6 foot distance requirement to 3 feet in elementary schools), Governor Inslee announced that the Washington State Department of Health has updated the K-12 Schools 2020-2021 Guidance, allowing districts to shift their classroom spacing from 6 feet to 3 feet. Lake Washington School District is currently working on their next steps in response to this policy change and their plans for adhering to Governor Inslee's' Emergency Order.

More info: https://www.lwsd.org/pathway-forward

Welcome back to our 4th-5th grade hybrid-learners! As you get ready to return to school next week, visit our Family Resource page for helpful information, 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
Ways to Support Our School
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Looking Ahead
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
Tuesday, April 6
No School- Spring Break
Wednesday, April 7
No School- Spring Break
Thursday, April 8
No School- Spring Break
Friday, April 9
No School- Spring Break
Monday, April 19
7:00p LWSD School Board Meeting
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