EAGLE SIGHTING
A Letter from Eastgate Administrators, Mr. Lesco and Ms. Naish
January 3, 2017
Happy New Year! We hope everyone had a wonderful Winter Break. We are both extremely thankful to
work in such an amazing school and community. We look forward to great things in 2017.
Wishing good fortune and prosperity to all,
Steve Lesco and Brenda Naish
Please remember to regularly visit the Eastgate website and the PTA website for the most current
information.
Eastgate: http://www.bsd405.org/eastgate/
PTA: http://www.eastgatepta.org/
Morning Drop-off
This is a reminder that the front building doors and the doors leading to the cafeteria open at 8:45 to
provide students access into the building. Students are not permitted to be dropped off before 8:45.
The designated drop-off zone in the parent loop is marked with yellow paint. This allows approximately
6 vehicles to drop students at one time. Students are only allowed to be dropped in the drop-off zone.
This reduces the risk of a child being injured and allows vehicles in the drop-off zone to exit the loop
without being blocked by passing vehicles.
Student drop-off is not permitted in the back loop. Additional vehicle traffic intermixed with school
buses that are unloading presents a significant safety risk. The back doors also lock which potentially
prevent students from being able to enter the building.
Help keep all students safe by following the defined morning drop-off procedures and guidelines.
* Please note that any student who is not in his/her classroom by 9:05 is considered tardy. In the event
this occurs, parents need to sign their child in at the front office.
Information Sessions for the 2017-18 School Year
To help families transition to the next step, every neighborhood school offers a parent information
session for incoming Kindergartners, incoming 6th graders and incoming 9th graders. In addition, every
choice school hosts an information night for interested families.
Eastgate Kindergarten Information Night - Thursday, March 2 @ 6:00 pm in the Eastgate Library
6th Grade Information Sessions (For current 5th graders moving to 6th grade next school year)
January Assembly – Martin Luther King Jr. and Kindness
We will be having our monthly assembly on Friday, January 13th. The time is still to be
determined. We will be celebrating Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. and honoring his
contributions to the Civil Rights Movement. We will also recognize students who
demonstrated Compassion during the month of December
and introduce our newest virtue, Kindness.
January’s Virtue of the Month is Kindness. Kindness is
showing you care, doing some good to make life better for
others. It is being thoughtful about people’s needs.
Kindness is showing love and compassion to something who is sad or needs
your help. Kindness is treating yourself and others gently. It is caring about
the earth and all living things.
After-School Robotics – Session 2
Session 2 of the Eastgate After-School Robotics Club begins the week of
January 9th and run through the week of March 21st
First Meeting: WeDo - Tuesday, Jan 10
Mindstorms and Beebots -Thursday, January 12
Our 4th and 5th graders build Lego Mindstorms® robots that compete on obstacle courses to accomplish
missions. Our 2nd and 3rd graders explore WeDo robots to build expertise in coding and problem solving.
For our youngest scientists, Beebots introduce the world of coding and simple machines.
Mindstorms® (4th & 5th grade)
meets Thursdays from 3:30-4:30
WeDo (2nd & 3rd)
meets Tuesdays from 3:30-4:30
Beebots (K & 1st)
meets Thursday from 3:30-4:30
4th Graders to Participate in Pacific Northwest Ballet’s DISCOVER DANCE Program
Get your dancing shoes ready, 4th graders start their
residency with Pacific Northwest Ballet’s DISCOVER
DANCE Program on Tuesday, January 9th.
Eastgate Elementary is a proud partner of Pacific
Northwest Ballet (PNB) and its DISCOVER DANCE
program. DISCOVER DANCE is an in-school program for public schools. For three months PNB teaching
artist Kayti Bouljon will work onsite with all of our 4th grade students. The residency starts January 9th
with each classroom taking dance class twice per week. Students will also visit the home of Pacific
Northwest Ballet for a behind-the-scenes tour on January 27th and create choreography in preparation
for the culminating experience of performing at PNB’s McCaw Hall. Eastgate is PNB’s longest standing
partner; this marks the 19th year of dance at our school! This year, Bellevue School District will be doing
a featured story on the district website to highlight Eastgate’s participation in the DISCOVER DANCE
program.
Save the date for Saturday, March 25th, when the students perform at PNB’s McCaw Hall!
Our 4th grade students have the opportunity to participate in DISCOVER DANCE because of the
generous contribution from our Eastgate PTA. Thank you!
Health and Fitness Update from Coach Barnes
Coach Barnes has started a blog to keep students and their families informed about class happenings
and to share information around health and fitness. Please visit by clicking the link:
http://eastgatehealthandfitness.blogspot.com/
Literacy Tip from our LAP Reading Specialist: Fluency
In conversations with your child’s teacher, you may have heard the term “fluency” come up. Fluency is
worth learning about and has a direct impact on comprehension and a child’s confidence as a
reader! Click HERE to find out more about fluency and how you can foster fluent reading at home.
Dressing for Recess
Students will be outside for recess on most days. Please
make sure your child is dressing appropriately for the cold
and wet weather. Hats, gloves, sweatshirts, waterproof
coats, and waterproofs shoes will keep your child warm
and dry. Make sure to write your child’s name in his/her
clothing.
Science Fair: Thursday, January 19th
Eastgate's Science Fair is Thursday, Jan 19th.
Entry forms are due Jan 13th. See Science Fair Page for forms.
Class Tours will be during school hours and awards and handson experiments will be at 6:30 pm.
All grades are invited to participate and/or attend this PTA sponsored event! See details on the Science
Fair Page.
Volunteers are needed for class tours during school hours, set up/clean up, and for activity tables in the
evening. Sign up HERE.
South Zone Choir Concert: Tuesday, January 24th
When: Tuesday, January 24th @ 7:00 pm
Where: Tyee Middle School
Elementary choirs from Eastgate, Somerset, and Newport Heights join Tyee Middle School and Newport
High School for a night of music, including a grand finale incorporating all of the choirs.
Early Entrance to Kindergarten
State and Bellevue School District guidelines require that students entering Kindergarten in the fall must
be five years of age on or before August 31st. However, a child whose birthdate falls on or between
September 1st and November 30th may enter Kindergarten if he or she meets the early entrance
requirements.
Parent Information Night
Jan. 25, 2017 | 5:30 p.m. – 6:30 p.m. | ESC Room 200 | 12111 NE 1st St, Bellevue, WA 98005
Topics covered will be research on childhood development, the assessment process, and the application
packet. It is strongly recommended that parents attend this information meeting if they are considering
having their child assessed this spring. Applications may be turned in starting February 1, 2017. The
testing will take place in April – May 2017.
For more information on early entrance into Kindergarten, please visit the District’s website:
http://www.bsd405.org/schools/kindergarten/early-entrance-to-kindergarten/
Notifications from Bellevue School District
Exploring Options to Improve Elementary Lunch Period
Students need sufficient time to eat a healthy lunch. As our schools have grown in size, we have found
that some students are spending the bulk of their lunch period moving through the lunch line, leaving
little time to eat their lunch. We are working on some short and long-term solutions to address this
concern.
Increase the Lunch Period
Increasing the lunch period is one solution we are exploring. State law requires our elementary students
to receive a minimum of 1,000 hours of instruction per year, excluding lunch. Increasing the lunch
period will require us to increase the student day in order to meet the 1,000 hour state
requirement. We have already begun conversations with our teachers’ union about a potential change
to the elementary schedule for the 2017-18 school year.
Any changes to the elementary school day schedule has the potential to impact bus routes. We are
working with our transportation department to develop a plan for next year, if changes are needed.
Improve Lunch Line Efficiency
Our technology department is working in collaboration with parents and staff to explore the use of
technology to move the student line more efficiently. For example, we are currently piloting the use of
scanners for lunch purchases, a system utilized effectively in other districts. In addition, our nutrition
services department will be trying new approaches to packaging some items to ease distribution.
We are committed to improving the lunch experience for students, providing ample time for
eating. Thank you to the many parents and staff who have joined in this effort!
Board Resolution
At the Dec. 13 boarding meeting, the Bellevue School District Board of Directors reaffirmed its
commitment to provide an equitable education opportunity and treatment for each and every student
in all aspects of academics and activities without discrimination based on race, religion, creed, color,
national origin, age, honorably-discharged veteran or military status, sex, sexual orientation (gender
expression or identity), marital status, the presence of any sensory, mental or physical disability, or the
use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a disability AND to fostering a safe and civil educational
environment for all students, employees, parents/legal guardians, volunteers and community members
that is free from harassment, intimidation and bullying.
Click HERE to read the complete resolution, No. 2016-14, Reaffirmation of a Non-discriminatory and a
Non-Harassment, Non-Intimidation, Non-Bullying School Environment.
IMPORTANT DATES
January 1
Happy New Year!
January 3
School Resumes
Week of January 9
Session 2 of After-School Robotics begins
January 13
MLK and Virtue Assembly – Time TBD
Science Fair Entry Forms are due
January 16
No School – Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Day
January 19
Science Fair
January 24
South Zone Choir Concert – 7 pm @ Tyee Middle School
January 27
End of the First Semester
January 30
No School – District Professional Day
Eastgate Mission
Together, we will provide a safe environment where we will prepare each and
every student with the foundational social, emotional and academic skills to be
confident and successful lifelong learners.