NHE Family Newsletter

January 10, 2022

Dear NHE families,

We have many updates for you. Please read on for more information!

COVID-19 Positive Cases

As you know, there has been a rise in positive COVID-19 cases in our community. We are working hard to maintain our mitigating measures here at Newport Heights. You can help us by:

1. Keeping your child home when sick

2. Letting us know if your child has tested positive for COVID-19 or has been a close contact to a positive case

3. Signing up for COVID-19 weekly pooled testing for your child (read on for info about what this looks like.)

We will continue to:

1. Inform you when there is a change to the Department of Health Guidance

2. Inform you if your child was a close contact

3. Maintain outdoor lunch when the temperature is 40 degrees Fahrenheit or higher

Keeping Your Children Home When Sick

PLEASE keep children who have symptoms home. These symptoms include runny nose/congestion, nausea/vomiting/diarrhea, headache, fatigue, sore throat, fever/chills, shortness of breath/difficulty breathing, muscle/body aches, new loss of taste/smell, cough.

We are still following the guidance from the Washington Department of Health released on 10/27/21 as far as how long students need to stay home based on their symptoms. If this guidance changes, we will let you know.

It is reported that COVID-19 cases can present like a typical “cold.” However, if you are experiencing any of the common COVID-19 symptoms, cold-like symptoms, or not feeling well:

Get tested immediately (The PCR is still the gold standard, especially for symptomatic people and is the most specific and sensitive COVID-19 test.).
Do not wait and hope it goes away soon; and
Isolate yourself or family member(s).

What is COVID-19 Pooled Testing?

Many have asked what the COVID-19 pooled testing looks like at Newport Heights, so I wanted to provide some more information:

1. Parents need to consent for their children to participate. Parents can provide consent HERE.

2. Each Wednesday, we collect the students whose families have consented and we have them take a COVID-19 PCR test. Students swab their own noses. If students don't want to participate that week, we will not force them to do so.

3. Each "pool" is about 5-15 testing samples, and this pool is tested for COVID-19 by an outside laboratory.

4. We typically get the results of any positive pools the next day. Right now, there is a backup as there are many more tests being taken in the area. Consequently, we may not get the results until the following school day.

5. If a pool comes back positive, we will give a diagnostic test to each student in the pool.

6. Students who test negative can return to class. Students who test positive will be sent home.

NHE Virtual Kindergarten Information Night - 1/11 from 6-7 pm

We will offer a virtual Kindergarten Information Night on Tuesday, January 11 from 6-7 pm for all incoming kindergarten families for the 2022-23 school year. Please share this information with anyone you know who has a potential incoming kindergartener!

Please click HERE to access the virtual event through Microsoft Teams.

Masks

With the rainy weather, many students end up needing multiple masks a day. If possible, please send your child with multiple masks in their backpacks each day.

Thank you!

NHE Door Opening Time

Students can enter the school starting at 7:50 each day. Please avoid dropping off your child before 7:40, unless they have a special meeting for Green Team or Kindness Leaders or they are part of Safety Patrol.

COVID-19 Vaccine Information - From Nurse Cori

As you know, Pfizer’s COVID vaccine was authorized for children ages 5-11 (in addition to 12+). This is exciting news, but it still means there may be a wait. There are many logistical pieces when it comes to vaccine clinics and scheduling. Some organizations have received their vaccine, but are awaiting needles. Some are awaiting the vaccine. Some do not have the capacity or staffing available to administer the vaccine. Please be patient as this process can take time.

Here are two resources for the COVID pediatric vaccine:

https://bsd405.org/2021/11/covid-19-vaccine-clinic-bsd-students-november-2021/

https://vaccinelocator.doh.wa.gov/

Here are resources for COVID testing:

https://www.uwmedicine.org/coronavirus/testing

https://kingcounty.gov/depts/health/covid-19/testing.aspx

https://bsd405.org/services/health/covid-19-health-and-safety/covid-19-testing-in-bellevue-school-district/

As always, PLEASE keep children who have symptoms home. This includes: Runny nose/congestion, nausea/vomiting/diarrhea, headache, fatigue, sore throat, fever/chills, shortness of breath/difficulty breathing, muscle/body aches, new loss of taste/smell, cough.

Thank you again for helping keep our community safe!

Cori Ponte

Safety at Drop-off/Pickup

NHE families-

We have seen an increase in unsafe driving behavior at pickup and drop-off. We must make student and staff safety our number one priority. Please make sure you do the following when you drop off/pick up your child from school:

1. Please drive slowly and do not accelerate quickly out of the parking lot.

2. Please make sure your child is properly secured in a seatbelt/booster seat/car seat before you begin driving.

3. Please make sure your child gets into your car on the sidewalk side of the car.

4. Only park in the spots that are labeled as accessible parking spots if you have a permit for this type of spot.

5. Please make sure to come to a complete stop at the stop sign before you leave our parking lot.

6. BE KIND! Our staff and students are outside rain or shine making sure that drop-off or pickup runs safely and smoothly.

PTA Updates

Join Today!

Please Join the Newport Heights PTA. Help us reach our goal of having every NHE student represented in PTA by at least one significant adult in their life.

Donate Today!

Pass the Hat is the primary fundraiser for supporting our PTA. Every dollar contributed to our Pass the Hat fundraiser goes directly to support the programs offered by the PTA. A donation of $100 covers our spending per student, but any amount is appreciated.

Going on Now! (visit https://www.nhe-pta.org for more details)

“Read Around the World” Reading Challenge – Through January 31st

Math Challenge # 6 – Responses Due by January 6th

Math Challenge # 7 – Available January 7th

Counselor's Corner - Maggie Halela-Mosholder

Hello NHE Families!

Happy 2022 and we are hoping you had a restful 2 weeks.

I am bringing back this Counselors Corner from last January as it still seems to ring true for so many of you that contact me regarding all sorts of challenges, we are all having. Please take a moment to reads this, please let me know if I can be of any assistance in any way for you, your child (s) or your family.

I would also like to introduce Miss. O, or Miss Masha, Masha O. will be joining us as an SPU Practicum counseling student for this second half of the year. She will be working at NHE on Thursdays, teaching lessons, meeting with students and running social groups and more, I will be her supervisor and we may be reaching out to invite your child to work with us in some capacity, we do not work with children without asking permission.

I recently read this article that was a reminder that kids really want quality time with us. Their behaviors are actually “bids” for connection. According to the Gottman Institute, a “bid” is “when people reach out for attention, affirmation, affection, or any positive connection” and we as parents can “turn toward” our kids in these instances by conveying interest, love, and respect. By turning toward our children, we are actually building up their self-esteem, social competence and confidence, as well as their mood.

As we know, our children are being impacted by the changes in routine, social isolation and loneliness, increased screen time, and possible family stress, and our students may be making an increased number of “bids” for our attention. Sometimes these “bids” can be easy to miss because they may be as simple as idle chit chat, or be interpreted as whining, or even problem behavior.

An article published on Psychology Today describes three different “bids” that children may be making during this time: “The special one-on-one time bid” might sound like “Can I stay up late with you?” or “I want to cook just with Mom, not with my brothers!” With outing restrictions, overwork, and stress, it may be tough to carve out that special one on one time with each child, but it can be simple, or you can get creative – watch a movie, play catch or shoot hoops, or go for a hike. Even 10 minutes of quality time can be impactful.

“The bid for positive feedback” might sound like “No wonder I can’t get this – I’m not good at math” or “I don’t have any friends”. These statements are a bid for positive feedback, and kids often say them to seek simple reassurance (although they can be an opening for a deeper conversation as well!)

And the “playful bid” might look like your child engaging in silly behaviors while doing homework, or your teenager teasing you about your cooking. Kids have an important need to laugh and connect through playfulness, and “research shows that social laughter is one of the most powerful ways we can connect with others.” This is a great opportunity for a lighthearted moment amid the heaviness of the pandemic and other stressors.

Your students have shown so much grit and perseverance as we finished up a very challenging and emotional first half of the year. Both you and your students deserve to take a big deep breath, check-in with yourselves and each other, and recharge before the new year.

Be well 😊

Warmly,

Maggie Halela-Mosholder & Masha O.

NHE school counselor & NHE school counseling practicum student

Family Resources

Happy New Year!

We are happy to report that thanks to the generosity of the Newport Heights PTA through their holiday gift card drive in November, we were able to provide families who asked for holiday assistance, but were not covered by a community partner, with $25 gift cards per student. Thank you NHE PTA!

We also thank the Newport Hills Swim and Tennis Club for including Newport Heights in its Giving Tree Program. Thanks to both organizations, Newport Heights families received gift cards to local stores and grocery stores.

2022 Family Services Programs

Please contact Ana Lewis, lewisa@bsd405.org if your family would like to participate in the following programs:

Weekend Food Bags—kid friendly snacks and meals for students. Students or parents can pick up bags on Thursday afternoons. Other arrangements may be made.

Eastside Baby Corner—gently used and new clothing or items for elementary-aged students. Deliveries made on Thursdays with a week turnaround from when the family order is placed.

Breaktime Mealtime Safeway Food Vouchers
Bellevue LifeSpring, Breaktime Mealtime Safeway food vouchers are given to qualifying families to use during school breaks. Vouchers are distributed the week prior to school breaks which are:
Mid-Winter Break: February 21-25, 2022
Spring Break: April 11-15, 2022
Summer Break: Begins June 21, 2022

Currently enrolled families DO NOT need to reapply for this program. If your family missed this opportunity for the Winter Break, please complete this Free & Reduced Priced Meals Program application. THEN complete the Family Connections Welcome Form.

Messages from the Bellevue School District

The Annual Family Engagement Survey is HERE!

The Bellevue School District’s Department of Family Engagement is hosting its annual Family Engagement Survey from January 4 to February 1, 2022. You should have received an email on Tuesday, January 4, 2022 with a survey link and instructions.

The purpose of the survey is to gather feedback from you, our families, around how our school informs, supports, and empowers you to contribute to your student’s success. Your valuable feedback is essential to the continuous improvement and advancement of the family engagement practices in our school community, and we thank you in advance, for your participation.

For more information, please visit: Family Engagement Survey

Access this message in Simplified Chinese and Spanish.

Levies to Support Our Students

BSD is asking voters to consider renewing two school levies in February 2022.

One of these levies is the Educational Programs and Operations Levy. While the state provides some funding for our district, it is not enough to support our students’ needs. One critical position that is funded by the EP&O Levy is school nurses. The state funds just three full-time nurses for our entire district. Funding from the levy helps us employ 23 nurses districtwide to keep students healthy and safe. This levy also funds counselors and mental health supports and important programs like band, orchestra, and athletics. The EP&O Levy provides funding for critical staff and resources to ensure the wellbeing of our students and help them stay healthy and engaged.

More details about renewing the February 8, 2022 EP&O Levy as well as the Technology and Capital Projects levy are on the BSD School Levies page.