Originally delivered on 11/25/2022 4:00 pm

SUBJECT: Bulldog Blast 11-25-22

November 25, 2022
Make the holidays bright at Bell this year!

HELP US ENSURE THAT EVERY CHILD AT AG BELL HAS A HOLIDAY TO REMEMBER!

Each year, the Bell PTSA organizes a holiday gift drive during the months of November and December. We work closely with the school counselor to gather wish lists from Bell students whose families need help getting gifts for their children. We then share these wish lists with our community and ask members to purchase items from the lists.

Click Here to Donate a Gift
Thank you to those who have donated gifts!

Thanks to the generosity of our community we've fulfilled just over half of the Gift Drive gift requests! We have one more week to go, if you'd like to donate a gift or a grocery gift card. 

Please choose a student from the list and purchase one or all of the requested items. Wrapped gifts should be brought to the AG Bell office by Friday, December 2nd.

***PLEASE ensure that your WRAPPED gift is labeled with the child's number (the number before the child's information). This ensures we can get the gift to the correct child***

If you are purchasing clothing, please include a gift receipt in case the size does not work for the child.

Thank you for your generosity to our Bell community this holiday season!

Please send any questions to Leslie Victor (giftdrive@agbellptsa.org).

Rush In Alaskan Dumplings is donating back to AG Bell Elementary PTSA - you can help by eating!


On Tuesday, November 29th Rush In Alaskan Dumplings, 13501 100th Ave NE, will donate 20% of Dine-In, Takeout & Pick up orders to AG Bell Elementary PTSA.

Please help us by RSVPing to save the date and inviting a friend (or 2) to eat with you! RSVP & details here: https://grouprai.se/s236789

Save the date for a Bell PTSA sponsored Parent Education presentation from Christy Keating, Certified Parent Coach and Positive Discipline Educator.

Topic: Keeping Kids Safe in Today’s World

When: December 8th at 7pm

Where: Zoom


As kids get older, the way we talk to them about safety changes. Christy will touch on the safety topics relevant to our elementary learning community. We’ll talk about boundaries, bodies, and consent, and will also touch on online safety, and when it’s a good idea to get (or not to get) a child a cell phone.
 

Presentation Description: In this 90-minute presentation (which includes time for Q&A), Certified Parent Coach® Christy Keating, J.D. will share the critical information every parent needs to protect their children from predatory behavior. Christy will touch on:

  • The myths about child sexual abuse and the facts to counteract them;
  • How to educate and empower our children with safe body boundaries and updated safety tools and rules;
  • Why teaching “stranger danger” could actually place our children at heightened risk for abuse;
  • Why “good touch, bad touch” is ineffective and confusing for our children;
  • What the red flags and warning signs are that parents should be looking out for in other adults and children;
  • The questions parents should always ask other adults before a playdate or sleepover;
The prevention tips every parent needs to know to keep their children safe from predators.

Information on free registration will go out next week.

Bell families and staff:

We would LOVE to see your photos from Apple Cup Spirit Day and Bell’s Community Pancake Breakfast, so we can add them to the yearbook. Please upload your photos on Treering (we have a pancake breakfast folder and a spirit day folder). Or, you can email the photos to yearbook@agbellptsa.org (email file size limitations can make it difficult to email photos, so uploading on Treering is the preferred method). 


Uploading photos is super easy!


  1. Download the Treering app or visit Treering.com and log into your account. If this is your first time, create an account using Bell’s school code: 1015269962362510 
  2. From the front page of the app (or website), scroll down to Upload Photos
  3. Select the appropriate folder for your photos and upload (Spirit days folder for Apple Cup pics and Pancake Breakfast folder for the breakfast photos)


Thank you for helping us make a wonderful yearbook!

Great work to the 38 students competing in Bell's first math competition this week! If your student is ready for another competition OR looking to get into the math competition game for the first time, registration is now open for our next math competition: Kangaroo Math!


Competition date: 3/16/2023

Location: Bell Elementary after school.

Test format:

  • 75 Minute multiple choice test
  • 24 Questions for students in grades 1 to 4
  • 30 Questions for students in grades 5 to 12   


Student registration deadline: 12/15/2022

Fees: $21 before 12/15/22. Late registration fee: $35 between 12/16-12/31.

Perks: Each in-person participant receives a T-shirt, a gift, and an electronic certificate in the spring.

Registration steps provided by Math Kangaroo:

1. Go to: MATH KANGAROO REGISTRATION PAGE  

2. Log in with your login and password or establish your user account if you are new.

3. Click on the tab By Invitation.

4. Copy and paste this code in the field Invitation Code: WAKIRKL0004001@2023MK

5. Do not share the code with anyone.

6. You are ready to register. Screenshot tutorial here: Registration for Private Center.

Once your child is registered, you can enjoy free Math Kangaroo video solutions and access full questions and solutions sets with 50% off. Instructions on how to find the discount code HERE

Important: After you receive the registration confirmation email from Math Kangaroo, review the email to make sure all information is accurate. If something needs correction, update the registration or email info@mathkangaroo.org.

Practice resources can be found here: https://mathkangaroo.org/mks/practice/


Math Kangaroo's cancellation policy:

There is no registration cancellation or a refund offered after the registration. Math Kangaroo offers financial assistance to families in hardship; please contact finance@mathkangaroo.org to ask for assistance and provide appropriate proof of hardship.

Bell's 5th graders are raising funds in order to take field trips to the Museum of Flight, the Burke Museum, and Sound Experience. You can help them get there and get some tasty treats for yourself! 


Visit their See's Candy store front between now and December 2nd and items purchased will be shipped directly to your home by December 24th.

OR

Visit their My Fundraising Place page between now and December 5th for Butter Braid pastries and cookie dough. To purchase, choose your favorite 5th grader (or teacher!), place your order through their fundraising page. Your order will be delivered to the student (or teacher) sellers at school on December 14th. Your seller will contact you for student delivery.

We are so grateful for the amazing volunteer turnout this year! Thanks so much to everyone who has signed up to help with PTSA programs and events. If you're wanting to get involved, check out our current volunteer opportunities below. 

All volunteers must be approved as a volunteer through Lake Washington School District (LWSD). LWSD stopped requiring proof of vaccination for volunteers as of November 1, 2022. 

Visit LWSD's volunteer page for information on how to apply.

Mrs. Lustgarten will be back for more art lessons in December! 

There are still a few more volunteer spots for December art lessons. If you can help, please sign-up (link below) and plan to arrive 10 minutes before the lesson time listed below to help with any set-up and to stay 10 minutes after to help with clean-up. 

Sign up here!

Pantry Packs are weekly food packs confidentially sent home with families identified as food insecure (more information about the Pantry Packs program below).

We need weekly volunteers to deliver Pantry Packs to classrooms at Bell. Deliveries are generally done on Thursdays after school. Sign up here to help! 

The Bell PTSA rolls our popcorn machine outside (usually two Fridays per month) and we start poppin'. As the students head out for lunch recess, we are there waiting with fresh bags of popcorn. Bell students love Popcorn Friday, and so do we! 

Please sign-up!

Visit our Popcorn Friday page for more info. 

Popcorn is $0.50 per bag - purchase a popcorn pass today

Click Here for Bulldog Gear!

It's a great time of year to purchase your bulldog gear!

All spiritwear is 20% with free shipping on orders $75+ through the end of November.


About Bell PTSA
Ways to Support Our School

How to Translate the Newsletter

como traduzir o boletim informativo, cómo traducir el boletín, как перевести информационный бюллетень, 如何翻译时事通讯, Rúhé fānyì shíshì tōngxùn

Looking Ahead
Tuesday, November 29
11:00a Dine-Out | Rush In Alaskan Dumplings
Friday, December 2
Popcorn Friday
Thursday, December 8
7:00p PTSA Community Meeting
Monday, December 19
No School - Winter Break (12/19 - 1/2)
Tuesday, December 20
No School - Winter Break (12/19 - 1/2)
Wednesday, December 21
No School - Winter Break (12/19 - 1/2)
Thursday, December 22
No School - Winter Break (12/19 - 1/2)
Quick Links
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -