I-728 ALLOCATION FOR 2003-04

Initiative 728, also known as the class size reduction initiative, generated an additional $3.3 million dollars in revenue for the Bellevue School District during the 2003-04 school year. The District used these funds to continue support elementary school class size reduction. They provided 30 additional teachers distributed across our sixteen elementary schools and 4.8 elementary specialists to provide art, music and physical education instruction to these additional classes. Before I-728, the district-wide average K-5 elementary class size was 25 students. In 2003-04 the district-wide K-5 average class size was 21 students.

In addition to teachers and specialist for class size reduction, I-728 funds were used to support three of the supplemental days for certificated staff at all educational levels. These supplemental days are used by staff to participate in staff development related to use of new curriculum and assessments, engage in Lesson Study for the improvement of instruction, hold parent-teacher conferences and complete activities necessary to obtain National Board Certification.

With an increase of approximately $400,000 in these funds for the 2004-05 school year, the District intends to increase the number of elementary teachers to 34 to make up for the 4 elementary teachers lost by the District though legislative reductions in funding. We will continue the same support for professional development.

Halloween Party

We are already talking Halloween. Can you believe it? While we still have a few days to plan for this event, I wanted all parents and families to be aware of the details involved in our Bennett celebration on October 29.

Although Halloween is an exciting time of the year, we want to make this day as normal and productive as possible prior to the actual celebration activities. In doing so, we need your help to make sure costumes are brought to school in sealed bags; paper bags, garbage bags or duffle bags. Once students get to school, they will be expected to put their costumes (in bags) in a designated area of the room. The idea is to keep costumes and classrooms undisturbed until the party. Other things you need to know…

· Students will be able to put costumes on during the second recess, but not worn outside

· Costumes may not include blood, gore, toy knives/guns (even pictures).

Okay, on to the fun stuff…Once the afternoon recess is over, each class will join a hallway parade in their costumes and return to their classrooms. The remainder of the day will be reserved for classroom parties. Parents who would like to help out please contact Becky Richards or your child's teacher.

Thanks,

Principal Chris Thomas

International School Production of Annie
At the International School Performing Arts Center




 
October 29, 30, and 31
November 5, 6 and 7
 
Friday and Saturday shows at 7:30 pm
Sunday matinees at 2:00 pm
 
Tickets are $5 for students and $8 for adults.
(Fri., Oct 29th is the Gala Opening with Reception following the show.
All tickets for this show are $10.)
 
Order form may be downloaded from the IS website
www.bsd405.org/international/info.html

19th Annual Newport High PTSA
SKI SWAP
Friday ~ Nov 12 ~ 5 – 9 pm
Saturday ~ Nov 13 ~ 8 am – 3 pm
Visa, MC, AmEx Accepted
 
BIGGEST Eastside Swap
Huge inventory at fantastic prices
Lots of help, very organized, quick service, great new and used
equipment, huge selection of children’s gear
What’s Available?
Skis - downhill & Nordic, snowboards, bindings, boots, poles, helmets,
clothes, underwear, gloves, goggles, accessories, & more
How Does It Work?
You bring it, you price it, we sell it, and you get 75% of selling
price
 
Check-In Equipment Fri, Nov 12 ~ 3-7:30 pm
Anyone can bring snow sports related items for sale
Equipment that will not sale or is unsafe will be refused
Pick-Up Check / Equipment Sun, Nov 14 ~ 11 am-2 pm
Pick up your unsold items & a check for the items sold
 
Volunteer help always welcome
Details? http://skiswap.info
Questions? don@skiswap.info
 
 
 
 
Raising Healthy Kids Seminar
Join us for an informal seminar with Dr. Maxine Hayes, pediatrician, mother and State Health Officer for the Department of Health as she discusses parenting during the preschool and school-age years. The Raising Healthy Kids Seminar will be on November 20, from 10am to 12pm, at Highland Middle School. Admission is FREE, but seating is limited. Call Lori Murphy at (425)747-3445 for more information.
 
Dr. Hayes is Clinical Professor of Pediatrics at the University of Washington, School of Medicine and a member of the Maternal Child Health faculty in the School of Public Health. She is past president of the National Association of the Maternal Child Health programs and past chair of the Maternal Child Health section of the American Public Health Association.
 
Dr. Hayes is the recipient of many awards and honors for her work in maternal child health, including the American Medical Association's 2002 Dr. Nathan Davis Award and the 2003 Heroes in Health Care Lifetime Achievement Award of the Washington Health Foundation. Dr. Hayes is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics. She is a member of the staff of Children's Hospital, Seattle and has lived in the Bellevue community for nearly 20 years.
 
 
Bennett Snow Sports Program
Bennett Snow Sports program sponsored by MiniMountain begins January 12th and ends February 16th. This program in on Wednesday afternoons. Registration forms are available in the Kiosk under the PTSA bulletin board. DON'T MISS OUT! Last year we were short a few students to run the program. Ski and Snowboard lessons available. We need parent chaperones on the bus, if you would like to volunteer or if you have questions about the program contact Andrea Hardesty. I prefer email, andreanmike@comcast.net
 
Requests:
Can you add some snow flakes or a ski or snow board clip art? Thanks
for all your work!
 
 
 
 

DRILL FOR A DAY!

Attention all 4^th through 8^th graders:

Bellevue High School Drill Clinic October 30^th, 10am-5pm, Performance @ 4:30pm for Friends & Family

What you get to do:

- Learn drill routines from members of the 2004-2005 BHS Drill Team

- Learn basics of drill-style dancing

- Eat lunch with your new drill instructors

- Perform the routines in front of friends & family at the end of the day!

What we provide:

- A t-shirt to wear during the performance, then keep and have forever!

- Pizza for lunch

- Snacks during the day

- Completion certificate J

The cost of the full day is $45. To register, leave your name, child’s name, and t-shirt size, and phone number at 425-456-7157 by October 25^th and you’ll be guaranteed a spot and a t-shirt! Drop-ins are welcome too!

Odle Middle School PTA presents ‘A Night of Home Parties & Crafts’

Mark your calendars for Wed. November 3^rd from 3-8pm at the school.

Everyone is invited to shop and socialize. A potluck dessert and coffee bar will be provided. Please bring a favorite treat to share. For more info, contact Mike Bussing at mbussing@aol.com.

Library News

You can now get onto Bennett's Library Catalog at home. There is no need to log in. Just click away to find books and send your child in with a list. Click on netTrekker to be taken to a student appropriate search engine. It's a great place to start internet research.

http://Weblibr.bsd405.org

Happy searching!

Mrs. Bolivar

Items Needed for Bennett Families

We have several needs in our school community right now. We have a family who needs a kitchen table and chairs, another who needs a dresser and bed, and another who needs a crib. If you have any of these to donate, please send an email to kimmcdrmtt@aol.com, to arrange delivery. If you have any infant (newborn to 6 months) boys' clothing you'd like to donate to a Bennett family, please drop them off with Norma Gilbert in the office.

If you'd like to be on an email list to receive occasional updates of items that are needed by our local families, please email kimmcdrmtt@aol.com and I'll keep you updated. You will also soon be able to check the Bennett website for this information.

Thanks to the Parker, Sewell, and Worley families for their recent furniture donations - they were much appreciated!

Food Drive

Our food drive for Hopelink will take place November 15-19. Look for a flyer to come home with your student! We will also again be collecting gift certificates for needy Bennett families during December this year. More information to come!

OFFICE HELP NEEDED
We're looking for volunteers to help with attendance in the school office. It is a once a week commitment from approximately 9-9:30 am. If interested, please call Lila Hamai at 425-562-4007 or email odeon@surfbest.net. Thanks!!

Wish upon a Star

Auction Raffle!
Don’t forget to buy tickets for the Bennett Auction Raffle. The top prize is a Hot Air Balloon Ride for Two, and you need NOT be present to win. You and a special guest will enjoy either a sunrise or sunset flight with the Arial Hot Air Balloon Company. You will enjoy a panoramic view encompassing the Cascades and Olympic mountain ranges, including Mt. Baker and Mt. Rainier, the Seattle and Everett skylines. With the 360 degree unobstructed view, passengers have seen as far as the Strait of Juan de Fuca and Mt. St. Helens! We often observe wildlife such as deer, coyote, bald eagles and even the occasional bear. Upon landing, your pilot will perform the traditional, post-flight toast to celebrate the flight, and then you will be served either a continental-style breakfast or a light meal. Tickets are $5 each, don’t miss your chance to win this wonderful prize.
 
Family Donations
Procurement forms for family donations are due on Monday! Don’t forget to drop your forms off at the front office. If you want to donate a service or item, but just can’t bring yourself to fill out the form, give me a call, or an e-mail and I will do it for you. Dana Tavener 643-3577 or bulacat@hotmail.com
 
Classroom Keepsakes and Baskets
The classrooms have just been buzzing the past two weeks with Classroom Keepsakes and Basket projects. The finished pieces are always so amazing, if you don’t want to wait until the auction, come get a ‘sneak peek’ on Wednesday, November 3rd (not sure of the location yet) we will have our traditional Parade of Keepsakes and Baskets at Bennett, where the children will get a chance to view all of the different Baskets and Keepsakes. This will be from 9am to 11am, come take a look! We will need some volunteers at 11am to help us move the items to a house down the street for storage until the auction.
 
RSVP
Auction Dinner RSVP’s are due on Monday. Don’t forget to pre-purchase some Raffle tickets too! We couldn’t beat the Embassy Suites for a close location, and the atrium is stunning at night with the starlit trees. The Embassy Suites is also offering a group rate for Bennett if you want to make it a mini holiday and spend the night away from home. Call the Embassy Suites at 644-2500 for reservations and ask for the Bennett rate.
 
Auction Update
We had rave reviews of Auctioneer Pat O’Brien last year, and have asked him back for a repeat performance. If you didn’t make last year’s Auction, you won’t want to miss this one! We have lots of wonderful items to auction again this year! You will want to stay to the end so that you can bid on a 7 day Cruise for Two, on Holland America Cruise Lines! You can choose from any of their regularly scheduled 7 day cruises to the Caribbean, Mexico, Alaska or New England/Canada. There are lots of items to bid on, something to interest everyone. Two VIP tickets to see David Copperfield at the Paramount (including access to the Paramount club and lounge seating!) for the November 13th or 14th performance. Two tickets to the UW vs Cal game on November 13th. Seafair tickets to the Hydroplane races and Blue Angles Exhibition. Lots of Theater and Event tickets, passes to local attractions, something for every budget, and more coming in every day.
 
Volunteers
We are looking for volunteers to help move items from the school to a storage site on November 3rd at 11am. Volunteers to help ‘fluff’ baskets on Thursday the 4th at 7pm. Move auction items from storage location to Embassy Suites on Friday the 5th at 9am and more help for setup at Embassy Suites from 9am- 3pm. If you could help out in a 2 hour shift that day it would be a great help. Clean-up?????? A few extra helpers would make it go much smoother this time. We are doing a swap with Spiritridge for volunteers to help during the auction, so we won’t be asking you to do duty during the auction, but we will be looking for volunteers in the spring to return the favor to Spiritridge. If you have any questions, please call Laura Hammond, volunteer coordinator.
 
 

Picture Day

School Pictures are Friday, November 5th. Everyone's picture will be taken for the yearbook. There will be retakes available on Friday, December 3rd for anyone absent on picture day.
 

From The School Nurse

I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself and let you know my schedule. I have been a nurse since 1981 and this is my fifth year as a school nurse. I have a background in medical, surgical and pediatric nursing. I am currently enrolled as a first year student in the nurse practitioner program at Seattle University. I am frequently asked what does a school nurse do?

A child will spend a dozen years of their life in school. Children's health problems can present themselves in school, as well as in the home. Health problems in turn can have a negative impact on a students learning. I help provide supportive health care so that students can remain in school.

I help promote health through:

Education of staff, students and family in health issues

Perform, teach, and supervise medical treatments

Manage and administer prescribed and over the counter medications

Manage acute illnesses and injuries

Teaching CPR and First Aid

Presenting health lessons in the classroom

Assisting families in obtaining health care

Advocate for individual student's educational program

Providing referrals to community agencies

I help provide health-screening programs for:

Vision and hearing -- Students are checked for distance vision and normal hearing tones in grades K, 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, and 7.

Dental screening -- A visual exam of the teeth is done by health department dental hygienists.

Scoliosis screening -- A visual exam of the back for curvature of the spine is required in grades 5, 7, and 9.

My schedule this year is:

Mondays, Tuesdays and Wednesdays – Highland – 425-456-6468

Thursday and Friday mornings – Bennett – 425-456-4805

Please feel free to call me or leave a message. I look forward to working with your student this year.

Pat Berry, RN, BSN

School Nurse