Superintendent’s Blog: Gratitude as We Close Out 2025

As we come to the end of 2025, I want to share my sincere thanks with the amazing Bellevue School District community. 

To our families, thank you for entrusting us with your children and for your continued partnership. To our staff, thank you for the excellence and care that you bring every single day. And to our students, thank you for giving us adults hope — through your care for one another, innovation and determination, and passion to make the world better.  

Open Enrollment and Choice School Applications Open Now  

In addition to our world-class neighborhood schools, BSD offers innovative choice schools like Bellevue Big Picture School (which will open in its new state-of-the-art building this fall!), International School, and Bellevue Digital Discovery and Discovery Family Partnership. We are also proud to offer the largest range of elementary bilingual and immersion programs in the state, including Arabic, Korean, Japanese, Spanish, and Mandarin! While Bellevue residents have priority for these programs, these programs are open for anyone to apply to. Open transfer and choice school and language program applications are open for the 2026-2027 school year through January 16, 2026. Take advantage of the excellence we have to offer in the Bellevue School District for your kids! If you have questions or need support, please email welcome@bsd405.org or visit our new Welcome Center at 12011 NE 1st Street, Bellevue, WA 98005.  

Become a School Board Director 

Are you passionate about the Bellevue School District and public education in our city? Do you enjoy advocating for the needs of students, staff, and families? Do you want to see every child in our city affirmed and inspired so that they can become creators of their future world? If so, you might be an amazing candidate to be a school board director. There is an open position for district 4 (the neighborhoods of Lake Hills, Spiritridge, Tillicum, Phantom Lake, Sammamish). If you are interested or want to nominate someone, please visit our School Board Vacancy and Nomination Process webpage. Applications are due by Wednesday, January 7, 2026, at noon. 

Come Together for Public Education 

Before we know it, January will be here and we’ll be back at it for the second half of our school year! On January 7, 2026, our amazing PTSA is hosting a regional town hall on school funding in Washington state. Local legislators as well as superintendents, school board members, parents, and students from 10 neighboring districts will be there to let our state legislature know that they need to amply fund public education as part of our constitution’s paramount duty. If you want to see more funding for smaller class sizes, more funding for enrichment and services like special education, and stronger student supports in mental health and academics, you won’t want to miss this! Join us from 7:00-9:00 p.m. on January 7, 2026, at Newport High School. 

My Final Thoughts of 2025 and My Hope for 2026 

In closing, I want my last words of 2025 to our community to be a reminder of the important work we’re doing to build a beloved community here in the BSD — a place where everyone belongs and where there is no hate or discrimination. The antisemitic violence on the first night of Hanukkah in Australia and the school shooting on the Brown University campus are the most recent reminders of what happens when hate and discrimination go unchecked. As a community, we have to stand not just against hate and discrimination, but FOR respect and for peace. In the new year, I encourage our students (well, all of us) to make one of our resolutions, one that we keep, a commitment to build one another up and to respect and celebrate the diversity of our BSD community.  

As we celebrate the diversity of holidays this season, I wish you and your families joy, good food, and time with friends and family. Can’t wait to see you all in the new year. 

With gratitude, 

Dr. Kelly Aramaki 
Superintendent