International Community Forum by Golec, Jason L

Birth rate relevancy

2023-11-17 02:10:38 UTC

Has anyone reported what percentage of BSD students were not born in Bellevue or King County or Washington? Is immigration rate for children being considered?

Concerns/Questions:

2023-11-17 02:57:23 UTC

My concerns are: #1 the timeline for transitioning to another building, how it will impact school year calendar and events.

#2 Teacher retention.

#3 how will consolidation impact IS enrollment?

#4, will high school consolidation be next?

#5, what will happen to the IS building?

Timeline and teachers

2023-11-17 03:28:38 UTC

1) Would love an idea of when IS would expect to move to a new site (at the beginning of the academic year/winter break) and how BSD will determine that location.

2) Will IS enrollment increase to fill the space in the new school since there has traditionally been a long wait list for entry? If so, will class size increase or will IS hire up to maintain class size? Will we increase class offerings (electives) if at a bigger school with more enrollment?

3) Will we be able to retain all of our teachers at the new site?

Facilities

2023-11-17 04:32:08 UTC

Students need science labs - They should have the same learning environment as all of the other high school students in BSD. Teachers should have the same work environment as their colleagues.

Remember that students are in the same science room, and ONE dungeon-y science lab for 7 years. (Yes, there is only one science lab for all of the classes to share)

Opening the waitlist?

2023-11-17 04:32:55 UTC

BSD has consistently stated that they can’t keep schools open that are far below capacity. If that is indeed the case and BSD closes a middle school with a capacity of 1000, and IS is moved to that school, will BSD open up the waitlist to get the building to capacity? IS is unique because of the low grade-level cohorts. Increasing IS’s enrollment would completely change, for the worse, one of the things that makes IS a very good school.

Location

2023-11-17 05:04:01 UTC

IS does not need to be on a street that has a bus stop. IS should be granted some yellow school buses because other middle school students get to ride school buses. IS Middle School students are still 11 years old!

The community likes the school tucked in to a neighborhood. It is safe, it provides the outdoor facilities needed for the current PE program, and it provides a community and neighborhood culture rather than feeling like a commuter school. Please consider keeping IS in its current location. Thousands people supported bonds and levies with the expectation that International school would be rebuilt. Look beyond the current population, those votes were also from alumni (students and families). Your top performing school should be worthy of more than the leftovers.

Location

2023-11-17 05:09:19 UTC

The only other middle school that would provide a similar environment is Tillicum.

Moving IS

2023-11-17 07:06:07 UTC

Would love to be in a better location that is more easily accessible and had more space to accommodate not just our middle school kids but those in high school with similar facilities. Even the current middle schools have better fields, courts, athletic and music rooms than our high schools kids have access to. I appreciate the open plan of the current IS building but would trade that for more science labs, art, orchestra, band, and appropriate athletics space for all of our kids. Just bc it is a choice school should not mean our kids get less than kids at other schools.

PRESERVE INTERNATIONAL SCHOOL SITE AND SIZE

2023-11-17 16:54:20 UTC

Our primary goal is preservation of the Award-winning International School site and student body. International School (IS) provides an excellent educational environment and represents the crown jewel of the Bellevue School District and of the State of Washington educational system. But for the unique International School opportunity, many families would not be part of the Bellevue School District, choosing instead private school options. The small, tight-knit environment at International School is literally the only reason many families live in Bellevue and are in the Bellevue School District.

Here are some of the reasons to value the unique experience at International School:

* Central, Park-like location in Kelsey Creek

* Multi-age, small Community

* Award-winning, Inclusive, Rigorous Academics

* Rich Cultural Exposure

Central, Park-like location in Kelsey Creek

2023-11-17 16:55:24 UTC

International School is currently sited next to extensive open-space and trails at Kelsey Creek Farm and Bellevue Botanic Gardens. The Central location of the International School supports all families in Bellevue, and does not disenfranchise based on location/socio-economic background. The district shouldn’t abandon this beautiful site. The site’s highest use is as a School, not administrative or miscellaneous education. The students enjoy runs, community building walks in the Kelsey Creek environs which is good for mental and physical health. Many children enjoy the internal gardens and greenhouse as members of the IS Garden Club. Gardening at lunch provides a welcome stress relief to many students from their rigorous academic loads. Middle schoolers also enjoy the theatre program, which makes extensive use of the International School Performing Arts Center (IPAC). Current middle school sites that IS would potential inhabit have no Theatre/IPAC facility. The current IS site also includes extensive athletic fields, track, and popular Pickle Ball courts that benefit the entire Bellevue Community. Some of the new-build schools actually have fewer athletic and outdoor amenities than the previous school sites. For example, the old Puesta del Sol and the old Bellewood (new Puesta del Sol) sites both had full soccer fields, full baseball fields and full basketball courts. Unfortunately now, much of the space at the new Puesta del Sol isn’t open for energetic children to run through, and the new Puesta site only includes a partial sports field and a partial basketball court. Fewer performance spaces and athletic facilities for the students and for the Community isn’t necessarily an upgrade. The current International School site is a very special location that the District should prioritize for the use of our students.

Multi-age, small Community

2023-11-17 16:56:36 UTC

Peer-learning and leadership are enhanced with the integrated middle school / high school format at International School. The IS community is small enough to allow for meaningful interaction between the grade levels. Much like a deeper Montessori experience, the younger students benefit from learning from older kids and seeing positive role models. The older students benefit from leading and deepening their knowledges and experiences while working with the younger students. Many middle schoolers really value their participation in the integrated Theatre and Robotics programs, lead by High School students. The result of a small, multi-age student body is a rich community - not just focused on grades and competition. This supportive community is special in BSD and is honestly a challenge faced by other schools that trend toward hyper-competitiveness and unbalanced mental health environments. The small size of fewer than 90 students per year enables this tight community, and can’t be scaled to larger, less personal sizes. International School has figured out this elusive quality of Community, please don’t ruin it.

Award-winning, Inclusive, Rigorous Academics

2023-11-17 16:57:58 UTC

The International Baccalaureate program at International School is nationally and internationally recognized. All students take at least 1 AP class, leading the International School to the top ranks of all US High Schools, public and private. Most impressively, IS is lottery-based, not test-based. Students of all backgrounds thrive here. Accelerated Learning programs with testing requirements are known to disenfranchise diverse children, including those with Neurodivergence. Kids with learning disabilities are supported and succeed with AP-level education at International School. Something is going right here. IS can achieve these academic outcomes due to the small (less than 90 per year) grade sizes, and this approach isn’t necessarily scalable.

Rich Cultural Exposure

2023-11-17 16:59:34 UTC

The 7x7 (7 core classes for 7 years) forms a solid International Baccalaureate foundation for students at the International School, and results in well-rounded, worldly young people. The focus on French language and culture, including an established cultural exchange program, is special. There isn’t an equivalent school in Washington, public or private. IS works at its current scale. Please don’t ruin a beautiful thing.