Save the Dates: Be a Part of the Budget Development Process
The State Legislature is expected to finish its session March 11 and further cuts to K-12 education funding for the 2010-11 fiscal year are expected. Potential state education cuts could create a budget shortfall of more than $6 million for Northshore School District.

Without your support of our local bond and levies, this shortfall would have been much greater, and we thank you. Nevertheless, because 65% of our budget comes from the state, the district may have to make painful cuts to balance the 2010-11 budget and we look for your help with this difficult task. We invite you to be a part of the budget development process.

Conversations With the School Board
Administrative Center, Board Room
3330 Monte Villa Parkway, Bothell
March 16   3-5 p.m.
March 17   1-3 p.m.
March 18   6-8 p.m.

Meet with individual board members to share your thoughts on the budget. During each two-hour session, you will spend 25 minutes discussing each of the following questions:
•   What are your priorities for education as we make decisions about the budget? 
•   What are your ideas for cost savings?
•   What are your thoughts on basic education and enrichment?
•   What are ways to help?

Online Survey: Budget Development
April 13-22   www.nsd.org

Budget Workshops
Help inform the board's budget decisions by identifying budget priorities at a budget workshop.

April 20   Bothell High School, Commons
6-8 p.m.   9130 N.E. 180th St., Bothell

April 21   Inglemoor High School, Cafeteria
6-8 p.m.   15500 Simonds Rd. N.E., Kenmore

April 22   Woodinville High School, Commons
6-8 p.m.   19819 136th Ave. N.E., Woodinville

Additional Resources
Online, www.nsd.org/budget
E-mail, budget@nsd.org
Communications Department, 425.408.7670
Budget information guide mailed to families April 1

Persons with disabilities needing auxiliary aids or services to attend and/or participate in a board meeting should call 425.408.7701 prior to the event.

On Wednesday, March 17, Woodinville High School counselors will be visiting Leota, one of the junior high schools in the WHS feeder pattern. At Leota, counselors will be visiting students' Math classes. During this visit, the registration process will be explained to the students. Students will receive a diploma summary, which shows what they need to graduate, as well as a course description book and a course selection sheet. Students will receive information about graduation requirements and recommended courses of study at this time.

The WHS counselors will visit the same Leota classes on Thursday, March 25 to collect the students' course selection sheets. At this time, the students should have their course selections completed and their course selection sheet must have a parent signature. If students have questions about appropriate classes or graduation requirements, it is recommended that they ask their counselor before the day they are supposed to turn in their registration forms. Students will have the opportunity to ask WHS counselors their questions when the registration materials are distributed and when they are collected. WHS has a "No Schedule Change" policy, so once student registration forms are collected, the student will not be allowed to change their classes, so choose courses carefully!

Compost Happens @ LJH!!!
Our food scrap collection pilot project was a HUGE success!  We collected over 1 TON of food scrap - that's over 100 pounds of "compost-ables" per day! It went so well, we did it for 19 days, and collected a grand total of 2,230 pounds!!!!!

In order to keep the Food Scrap Collection Project alive and possibly make it a district-wide program, we need to raise $750 to purchase special biodegradable liners and pay for the monthly fee to transport the food waste off-site for compost recycling.

Cedar Grove Compost has generously donated a large quantity of one cubic foot bags and/or yards of their fine compost to Leota Jr. High for sale. 100% of the SALE PRICE on c/f bags and $5 per cubic yard will go directly toward funding the composting program. With this fundraiser, everyone wins, including the environment!

This year, take Earth Day to a new level - get your family and friends to order the compost just in time for spring planting and help Leota become the greenest school in the district! Find the Compost order form here.  DEADLINE TO ORDER - FRIDAY MARCH 19, 2010

Click here to go to a list of daily work and assignments in the following subjects: Math, English, Science and Social Studies.

Classes will resume on Wednesdays after school beginning March 10th. We will be starting with a six-week session on Calligraphy. Participants can sign up with Mrs. Rowen in Room 623 or email her at growen@nsd.org. There is a $5.00 supply fee payable in the Main Office.  Activity buses will be available after school.

Change is coming to the newsletter! Next month (April), instead of posting a newsletter online, we will be sending a brief weekly newsletter direct to your email address. This practice is being used by other schools and has received good reviews, especially with providing timely information on key events. You will not need to download anything - all the information will be sent to you by email. We plan to use the email listing you provided to the school. If that has changed or you want us to add you or another family to the email list, you should contact Mary Hayes. She can be reached by phone at (425)408-6518 or email at mhayes@nsd.org. We will assess the program at the end of the month and decide if we should continue for the rest of the year.

Although reports of H1N1 illness have decreased over the past few weeks, there continue to be reports of students and family members with flu-like illness.  H1N1 flu illness may continue through the traditional flu months of January through March.  The best protection continues to be using good hand hygiene, covering your cough, staying home when ill and getting vaccinated. Both King and Snohomish counties are receiving larger supplies of H1N1 flu vaccine and are now encouraging all persons ages 6 months and older to get vaccinated, even those who are not in the high-risk group.  We continue to remind students about prevention strategies and appreciate your help with keeping ill children at home until they are fever free for 24 hours (without the use of fever-reducing medication). Our district is in communication with the public health departments to monitor absence rates and symptoms. For most people the flu remains a mild/moderate illness and resolves in 3-5 days.  Click anywhere in this field to link to the Northshore School District H1N1 (Swine Flu) updates for more information.

All Leota students are expected to appropriately "dress-down" for PE; the Health & Fitness department has therefore established a basic dress code of "grays." The gray uniforms were chosen for many reasons, including (but in no way limited to) trying to choose a common and readily available color, one that is easier to keep clean (easier than white), and one that is typically much less expensive.

Leota PE uniforms are available for purchase from Believe It Sports ; please see the attached order form below or online by clicking on the link above. Orders are due by Friday, Sept. 4. Students may wear comparable clothing purchased elsewhere, but no logos are allowed. Last names can be hand-written on all uniforms with a black marker once they are received.