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Bellevue celebrates first day: Jubilee Reach, summer institute and new hires highlighted
Summary
Board and staff showed slides and a short video celebrating the first day of school; presenters praised community volunteers, Jubilee Reach service day, summer professional development and the district's new‑hire orientation and bus tour.
Bellevue School District administrators presented a first‑day report to the Board of Directors on Sept. 4 that highlighted community volunteerism, the district’s summer professional development and programs supporting new staff and students.
A staff presenter summarized Jubilee Reach’s contribution, reading the organization’s vision and noting that more than 1,000 volunteers worked across roughly 20 of the district’s 28 schools during a day of service to prepare classrooms, landscape and support teachers. The presenter said Jubilee provides before‑ and after‑school care, parent education, tutoring and operates a community thrift shop.
The board heard that the district’s summer institute offered separate elementary and secondary tracks with sessions on math interventions, early literacy, Canvas integrations and inclusive practices informed by GLAAD strategies. Presenters said the institute emphasized ‘‘belongingness’’ and building teacher capacity for culturally responsive instruction and classroom engagement strategies.
District human resources staff described new‑hire activities including a welcome bus tour that administrators said was frequently cited in feedback as a positive onboarding experience. HR staff said they limited outside postings while hiring from an internal pool and filled roughly 150 teaching positions from that pool (27 elementary, 73 secondary, and 46 special education/ESA roles) to preserve continuity.
“Stability and clarity from our CBA is enabling teachers to do what they do best, to start strong,” Reagan Lourdan, vice president of the Bellevue Education Association, told the board during public comment. Lourdan said the recently completed collective bargaining agreement gave educators early clarity and allowed staff to focus on classroom work during the first days of school.
Administrators also reported dedicated professional learning for counselors, special educators and paraeducators. The district said nearly 300 staff attended focused sessions on counseling tools and special education practices, followed by a separate two‑day training for roughly 350 paraeducators on de‑escalation, cultural identity and adolescent development.
Board members described visiting multiple schools and noted celebrations for new programs including a Japanese dual‑language cohort that launched this year. Several trustees thanked Jubilee Reach, volunteers and frontline staff including transportation and custodial teams for their summer and opening‑week efforts. Trustees asked staff to continue sharing stories and data about program uptake and volunteer contributions.
Administrators closed the item by showing a short first‑day video emphasizing welcoming practices for students and families and reminding the public that kindergarten begins the next day.
