The Bark Community Edition 9/26/2025

Sep 26 2025

Dear Bulldog Families,

As we near the end of our first month of school, we are thrilled to share what a wonderful start to the year it has been! Last week, we wrapped up the week with our traditional Walkathon Assembly, thoughtfully organized by our Walkathon Committee and led by our amazing 5th graders. Each year, this is our very first assembly of the school year, giving us the chance to come together to review our schoolwide expectations. This year, Mrs. McTaggart and Mrs. Nieman brought the energy by leading us in our Bennett cheer, which set the tone for a joyful and spirited year ahead.

Of course, no Walkathon Assembly would be complete without the appearance of Spike, whose arrival always sparks cheers and excitement! While the Walkathon is our biggest fundraiser of the year, it is so much more than that. It truly embodies the idea that every contribution matters and is driven by the spirit of community. Students, staff, and families come together to cheer each other on, staff get their steps in, and this year we even offer a flu/COVID vaccine clinic option for families.

A heartfelt thank you goes to our incredible Walkathon planning committee, who have once again outdone themselves in making this day memorable for everyone!

We are so excited for the month ahead and look forward to seeing you next week at our annual Walkathon! GO BULLDOGS!

With Bulldog Pride,
Jessica Strazzulla - Principal Bennett Elementary

Upcoming Dates

Save these dates on your calendar!

10/3 Bennett's Annual Walkathon
10/3 Community Wide Flu/Covid Vaccine Clinic
10/6-10/10 Walk & Roll to School Week
10/7 Hearing/Vision Screening
10/7 Curriculum Night 5:30-7:00PM
10/8 Walk & Roll to School Day
10/10- No School
10/17 Picture Day
10/21 PTSA Meeting 6-8pm Bennett Library
10/24 PTSA Sponsored Trunk or Treat

Safety Reminder

Our student safety patrol works hard each day to help keep everyone safe during arrival and dismissal. We kindly ask drivers to do their part by following posted speed limits, staying alert, and using extra caution around school grounds to protect both our students and pedestrians. Thank you for helping us keep our community safe!

Curriculum Night - Tuesday October 7th, 5:30-7:00pm

We’re excited to invite families to join us for Curriculum Night! This adult-only event gives parents and guardians the chance to learn more about what students will be working on this year, see what a typical day looks like in the classroom, and explore ways to support learning at home. It’s also a wonderful opportunity to connect with other families, meet our staff, learn about our school programs, and connect with the principal.

Teachers will be sharing more details about their classroom sessions soon. In the meantime, here’s a quick look at the evening schedule:

Session 1 (5:35–6:05): Preschool, Kindergarten, 1st Grade, and 2nd Grade presentations
Passing Time (6:05–6:30): Stop by the Multi-Purpose Room for PTSA, specialists, parent resources, special education teachers, chat with the principal, and learn more about our dual language program from our Japanese curriculum developer
Session 2 (6:30–7:00): 3rd Grade, 4th Grade, and 5th Grade presentations

We look forward to welcoming you for this special evening of connection and learning!

Bellevue SchoolPool Week!

Our school is one of 22 schools participating in Bellevue SchoolPool’s Walk & Roll to SchoolPool campaign during the week of Oct. 6-10!

Bellevue SchoolPool is a program that encourages families and students to explore sustainable transportation options for their commute to and from school and alleviate congestion at drop-off and pickup times and locations. During the campaign, students and families are encouraged to walk, bike, carpool or take the bus to and/or from school.

This fall, the campaign is centered around National Bike & Roll to School Day on Wednesday, Oct 8, but SchoolPool encourages students to try a new way to school any time during week!

SchoolPool also provides students with fun keychain flashlights and a backpack flyer with travel safety tips, and participating helps raise money for our school.

For resources including how to set up a bike train or walking school bus and carpooling tips, visit www.BellevueSchoolPool.org and look under “Resources for Students and Families.”

If you would like to sign up for the Bellevue SchoolPool newsletter, click here.

PTSA News

🎉 Get Ready… Our Walkathon is Almost Here! 🎉

We can’t wait to lace up our sneakers for the WALKATHON next Friday, October 3rd! It’s going to be a day full of fun, energy, and school spirit. Here are a few important reminders to help your student get ready:

✅ Permission Slips: Please complete and return your child’s Walkathon permission slip to your student’s teacher by Wednesday, October 3rd.

👟 Shoes Matter: Make sure your child wears running-friendly shoes (no crocs or sandals, please).

🤝 We Need YOU: Parent volunteers make this day extra special! Sign up here to help out: Volunteer Sign Up

💵 Remember to Bring Cash: For food concessions, DJ shoutouts, and seat covers at check out.

👕 Walkathon Spirit Wear: Each student will receive their Walkathon t-shirt on the day of the event! Please also send them dressed in their class color so we can fill the track with a rainbow of school pride:

Pre-K: Red

Kindergarten: Pink

1st Grade: Blue

2nd Grade: Green

3rd Grade: Orange

4th Grade: Yellow

5th Grade: Purple

Let’s come together as a community to cheer on our students, celebrate their hard work, and make this Walkathon one to remember!

Nurse News

Hello Bennett Community!

We are offering a Flu/Covid Vaccine Clinic on Friday, Oct. 3^rd from 3:30-5:30pm (same day and time as our Walkathon) at Bennett Elementary School for those interested.

Getting the flu vaccine not only protects you, it helps protect everyone around you!

Below are some important information regarding the clinic. It is being sponsored by Safeway/Albertsons and they are asking that you please use the link below to sign up so they have an idea of how many vaccines to bring. Anyone in your family including friends can avail of this opportunity. It’s one less thing you need to check off your list before the yucky respiratory season arrives. 😊.

Sign-Up Link:

https://www.safeway.com/vaccinations/group-clinic/BennettElementary10032025

IMPORTANT ACTIONS/REMINDERS

All participants must complete a hardcopy of the attached consent form OR sign-up online. We kindly request majority of participants to sign up ahead of time - to accurately supply vaccines

Participants must provide their insurance card and/or Medicare part B/D card to vaccine appointment.

Participants should wear a short-sleeved shirt if possible.

To ensure safety for everyone at clinic, we will do the following:

Our team is equipped in proper PPE gear for vaccination.
We sanitize all touch points in between patients.

Trish Ignacio- School Nurse

ignaciotr@bsd405.org

Bennett Partners with Sister Schools

We are excited to share that Bennett is partnering with Sister Schools this year! Sister Schools is a Seattle-based nonprofit that connects students here with students in Uganda, building cultural awareness and a sense of global citizenship. Through this partnership, our students learn about life and culture in Uganda while also taking part in a meaningful service project.

Here’s how it works: Today a Sister Schools representative visited Bennett to share about Ugandan culture and about Kiyunga Elementary, our partner school. Following the visit, Bennett students will collect supplies such as school materials and personal care items. These donations will then be sent to Kiyunga, where they will be received directly by students. Our supply drive starts now thru October 15th.

This program not only provides needed resources abroad but also gives our students the chance to see themselves as leaders and difference-makers—creators of their future world.

Every Day Counts

Here we are! The first several weeks of the 2025–2026 school year are complete. The excitement (or nervousness) of the first day is behind us, and we are settling into a rhythm.

Did you know that chronic absenteeism means missing just 10% or more of the school year? That’s just 18 days total, or only 2 days per month!

It doesn’t matter if the absences are excused or unexcused — they all add up. And this is why attendance is one of the Bellevue School District’s key focus areas this year.

Why Attendance Matters

Half of the students who miss 2–4 days in September go on to miss nearly a month of school by year’s end.
Kindergarten and 1st-grade students who miss 10% or more of school show up to a 5% drop in academic progress on average.
Students chronically absent from Pre-K through 2nd grade see their reading scores drop by more than 26%.
By 6th grade, chronic absence becomes the leading indicator of high school dropout.
On the positive side, when students improve their attendance, graduation rates increase by up to 28%.

What Families and Students Can Do

When you have an appointment, attend school for the part of the day you are available.
Use the “Too Sick for School” guidelines to decide if your student should stay home.
Partner with your school counselor, IEP team, or administrator if your student is struggling with school attendance.
Avoid scheduling trips or vacations during the school year.

This year, we aim to:

Reduce chronic absenteeism by 1–2 percentage points for all students
Reduce it by 2–3 percentage points for underserved groups

What We’re Doing

Proactive family and student outreach and partnership
More consistent and accurate recording of attendance in alignment with district policy
Stronger parent communication and engagement
Ongoing school supports that include extra help for students and early signs to catch challenges before they grow.
Development and implementation of clear intervention decision rules

You may notice a stronger focus on attendance this year, and it might even feel like there’s more urgency, a greater pressure. That’s because regular attendance is one of the biggest factors in a student’s success. When students are in school consistently, they build stronger relationships with teachers and friends, keep up with learning, and feel more confident. Our shared goal is simple: helping every student thrive — academically, socially and emotionally.

If we work together, we can make a lasting difference. So, here we are — let’s keep showing up.

Family Engagement Specialist

Welcome to our new 2025-2026 school year! My name is Judy Hunsberger, and I am your school’s Family Engagement Specialist. I am located at Phantom Lake Elementary and will gladly assist you at your school, my office at Phantom Lake Elementary, or even outside school (Crossroads Mall) etc. Please email or call me to schedule a personal appointment so I can assist you or sign you up for resources you may need. I am here to assist you with your basic needs (food, rent, clothing) and provide access to immigration/legal resources, as well as help you navigate our complex school system. Outside agencies and organizations support us, and they have the required guidelines/recommendations. Applying for specific resources does not guarantee participation in the program. Please complete the Free and Reduced School Meal form and the Consent to Share form, which will permit me to assist you.

Judy Hunsberger

hunsbergerju@bsd405.org

425-456-5679

https://familyconnections.bsd405.org/

District News and Resources

i-Ready Assessment and Personalized Instruction - Program and Scores Overview

This year for primarily grades K-8, Bellevue School District transitioned from STAR to i-Ready as our districtwide diagnostic and instructional tool for reading and mathematics.

i-Ready is an online program designed to support students’ learning throughout the year. It helps educators identify each student’s individual needs, personalize instruction, and monitor progress. The program has two main components: Diagnostic Assessments and Personalized Instruction.

Please note that scores may look different from what families have seen in the past. This is expected, as i-Ready uses a different set of measures and provides a more comprehensive picture of student learning. These results do not affect your student’s grade or their access to their current course/grade-level learning. Instead, i-Ready will be a powerful resource to strengthen and support students in both reading and math. Score reports will be available in ParentVUE late October.

Refer to these resources as you view your student's reports as needed:

· Understanding Your Student’s i-Ready Diagnostic Results (PDF)

· Understanding Your Student’s i-Ready Diagnostic Results in Multiple Languages (PDF)

· Understanding i-Ready Diagnostic for Families ( 2 minute video)

· Understanding i-Ready Diagnostic for Families in Multiple Languages (2 minute videos)

To learn more about i-Ready and how you can support your student at home, please visit BSD Launches i-Ready Assessment and Personalized Instruction for K-8 or our Assessment Information webpage.

Update Your SchoolMessenger Preferences for Important Notifications

BSD uses the SchoolMessenger communication notification system to send districtwide messages and urgent alerts such as school delays and closures. Families may receive SchoolMessenger communication via phone call, text message and email. You do not need to create an account to receive notifications, as you will automatically receive them to the phone number and email address listed in your student’s record.

However, if you choose to set up a SchoolMessenger App account, you may adjust how you prefer to be notified. You may also view messages from the last 30 days online or by setting up the app on your IOS or Android smartphone.

Important: Families should sign up with the same email address used for Online Student Data Verification through Synergy ParentVUE.

Contact Us

Feel free to contact me strazzullaj@bsd405.org, our amazing Office Manager Melanie Pierson piersonm@bsd405.org with any questions you may have.

Main Office call (425)456-4800

For attendance bennettattendance@bsd405.org or call (425)456-4801