2022 – 2023 Family Welcome Letter
Posted: | Updated:
August 12, 2022
Dear Beacon Hill Families,
Welcome to the 2022-2023 school year! As we look forward to another year learning and growing together, we want to take this moment to thank you all for your incredible support for the last three challenging school years. Beacon Hill Tigers are critical thinkers and global citizens, showing us their resiliency and strength through this pandemic and changing public health guidelines. In our community, the COVID-19 pandemic is not over, but it is shifting and changing. While we live with that uncertainty, we are focused on our students and our school community.
This year, Beacon Hill’s theme for learning and growing is Dual Language Education is a social justice right. We are moving from theory to action, supporting all our students with living the tenants of a Dual Language school: differentiation in the classroom, support for all multilingual learners (including those who speak a language other than Mandarin or Spanish), a focus on racial equity, and an inclusive school environment that is comfortable and welcoming for all students and families. With that end, we want to hear from you, our school community! Please remember that we have incredible parent liaisons, family councils, regular principal chats, and are available for questions/comments/concerns.
Our school start date for grades 1-5 is Wednesday, September 7th and the pre-k and kindergarten start date is Monday, September 12th. School bell times will be 7:55am-2:25pm (Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday). On Wednesdays bell times will be 7:55-1:10pm. The first day of school, however, is NOT and early release day, and will go until 2:25pm. As of now, the public health guidance for families in Seattle Public Schools is that masks are optional as they were last year. We encourage all families to get their COVID-19 vaccine or booster. For all your healthcare needs, you can register with Odessa Brown School Based Clinic at Beacon Hill International School. The Medical provider is available for appointments on Mondays and Tuesdays. Our mental health provider is available Tuesdays, Thursdays and Fridays. Please contact our care coordinator Victoria Rojas Reyes if interested or call 206-348-0912.
To help you prepare for the new school year, please see the important information and dates below:
Jump Start for Kindergartners: Jump Start is the most well-known kindergarten transition program Seattle Public Schools offers. This orientation to school serves as a kind of “day camp” for children to come to their new school, meet staff and peers, and practice kindergarten routines. All BIHS kindergarteners are welcome, more information has been sent out to kindergarten families.
August 15-19th (9am-12pm)
PreK & Kindergarten Connection Conferences: These one-on-one meetings are intended to welcome families to school and provide a safe environment for families to speak freely with the teacher, share information about their child, and ask questions.
- September 7-9th
- More information to come for these families
First Day of School:
- September 7st (1st-5th graders)
- September 12th (PreK and Kindergarten students)
Start and End Times:
- School will start at 7:55am
- School will end at 2:25pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, and 1:10pm all Wednesdays except 9/7/22, the first day of school
Lunch/Meals: Meals
Seattle Public School offers breakfast and lunch to all students. Many families are eligible for free and reduced lunch, and we encourage all families to apply to see if they are eligible. The application for free and reduced lunch is available now and can be filled out online or on a paper form.
We look forward to another incredible year of learning and growing.
Sincerely,
Sahnica Washington and Kate Roberts