2.27.26
Successful Bond Refinancing
- The district refinanced older bonds to take advantage of lower interest rates, replacing debt that cost about 5% interest with new bonds costing about 2.93%, while still paying everything off by 2037.
- After costs, the refinancing will save the district about $1.65 million in interest, equal to $1.39 million in today’s dollars (about 11% of the refinanced amount).
- The refinancing also allows the district to pay off its School Bond Loan Fund loan one year earlier, avoiding an estimated $349,000 in additional interest.
- In total, the district is projected to save about $2 million, with no increase to the bond millage rate, and increased future bonding capacity
Elementary:
- Congratulations to our 3rd graders for reaching their AR (reading) goals! Their laughter during the celebration echoed through our hallways.
- On February 24th, the author conducted an assembly for our students. Our students were so enthralled in his demonstration. Once again, we cannot praise our students enough for how respectful they were to our guest speaker. We are so proud of them!
Thank you to all the parents and families who joined us for Literacy Night! It was wonderful to see our community come together to celebrate reading and learning.
A special thank you to the staff members who volunteered their time to make the evening a success, and to the team behind the scenes who spent countless hours planning and organizing such a great event. We appreciate all that you do!
- Get ready for the Kid's Heart Challenge in partnership with the American Heart Association! During the kickoff, students learned how the heart works, why it’s important to stay active, and how healthy habits like exercising, drinking water, and getting enough sleep can keep our hearts strong. Families who choose to participate can register online and support the cause by raising awareness and donations for lifesaving research and education. Every contribution, big or small, helps support families affected by heart disease.
- Get ready for our 2nd and 3rd grade science fair! We are excited to start this fun activity back up! More information coming soon.
- All things literacy are happening in March. Check out the calendar for the planned activities!
Jr/Sr:
- We have had so many celebrations this past week. Congratulations to our Students of the Week for showing up everyday prepared, helpful, and demonstrating kindness.
- We started a school-wide trivia challenge. Students have to work together to come up with the answer (no technology) and be the correct caller. The traveling trophy went to Mrs. Garvison's 10th grade Advisory!
- We celebrated all of our students who met their growth goals on NWEA in math and reading. In every grade, we had top performance winners too. Congratulations to our students for meeting their academic goals!
Please consider joining us for the Career Symposium to share your career with our students in grades 7-12 happening on March 23rd from 8:30-11:00am. Please contact lredmer@bellevue-schools.com to sign up.
- We want to recognize the nominations for our Unsung Hero initiative to recognize those who constantly go above and beyond for our students, staff, and district. You make a difference. Thank you for being you and impact the youth of Bellevue Community schools: Heather Rose!
Superintendent Message
What a strong way to wrap up February! It’s been a full month, and this past week really highlighted what makes our schools special: engaged students, dedicated staff, and families who continue to show up and support our work.
Classrooms are busy, learning is moving forward, and you can feel the momentum building as we head toward spring. I’ve had the chance to visit several rooms lately, and the level of focus, creativity, and pride our students are showing is something we can all be proud of.
As we turn the page to March, we know the calendar doesn’t slow down, but that’s a good thing. There are great opportunities ahead. These next few weeks are important, and the consistency and commitment we’re seeing right now will pay off in a big way.
Thank you to our staff for the energy you bring each day and to our families for your continued partnership. Together, we’re building something special.
Let’s carry this momentum forward and make March even better.
Have a great weekend, everyone.
Standards vs Rules
"Rules are for people who can't follow directions. Standards are for people who aspire to do special things" Tim Corbin
