Cherry Crest Chronicler
January 7, 2020
Happy New Year Charger Families!
I hope you all enjoyed the winter holidays with family and friends. Personally, I had a wonderful “stay”-cation and enjoyed the opportunity to spend time with my wife, three kids and extended family right here in Western Washington.
Thank you for taking a few moments to read the important dates and announcements in the parent newsletter below.
Dusty Steere, Principal Cherry Crest Elementary
IMPORTANT DATES
January
10 – 24 Signups open for Girls on the Run (read more below)
14 – PTSA General Membership Meeting 7:00 pm (social @ 6:30) – library
14 – Kindergarten information Night @ 6:00 pm – Cherry Crest cafeteria
20 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (No School)
24 – Principal Chat @ 8:10 am – music room
24 – End of First Semester
27 – No School
February
4 – Progress Reports Sent Home in Student Backpacks
7 – Variety Show
Please remember to regularly visit the Cherry Crest & PTSA websites for the most current information.
https://bsd405.org/cherrycrest https://www.cherrycrest-ptsa.org/
Now is the time to start planning for the next school year. To help families transition to the next step, every neighborhood school offers a parent information session for incoming Kindergartners, incoming 6th graders and incoming 9th graders. Additionally, each choice school hosts an information night for families who may be interested in applying. Visit the BSD website to learn about parent information nights and choice school application process. https://bsd405.org/parent-information-sessions/
Cherry Crest Kindergarten Information Session Tuesday January 14th @ 6:00 pm. This event is designed for families starting kindergarten next school year (2020-21). We hold this event early prior to closing of the Open Enrollment window. Please share this date and time with any incoming kindergarten families for the 2020-21 school year.
Cherry Crest Recess Running Club launches Tuesday, January 14th. This FREE club will be offered every day at lunch recess (except Wednesdays) on the Cherry Crest track. This is a completely optional activity and all students are welcome to join at any time and run or walk as much or as little as they wish.
We are working with AMPED Kids in the Game to bring this running program to our school. As part of this, we will use EZ Scan to track mileage. Every time a student completes a lap, a volunteer will scan their running barcode. And, for every mile completed, students will earn a running charm which they can keep! Additional charms and prizes will be awarded at the milestones of 5K (3.1 miles), 10K (6.2 miles), half-marathon (13.1 miles) and marathon (26.2 miles).
Please sign up your runner here by this Friday, January 10th so we can get your student’s scan card ready for the first day of running club.
Teachers and families are also welcome to participate! Run, walk, join us!
Sign up to volunteer to help with barcode scanning. Email [email protected] with any questions or check out cherrycrest-ptsa.org/runningclub for the most current information.
Is your daughter ready to take on a fun challenge? Have her join us for 10 awesome weeks in the Girls on the Run program! Girls on the Run is an after school program that empowers 3rd-5th grade girls to make new friends, build upon strengths, and make a difference in the community. Your daughter will finish the season by completing in a non-competitive 5K with other amazing girls!
When: Twice a week for 90 minutes from March 2 to May 18 after school
Where: Cherry Crest School
Who: Open to any 3rd, 4th, or 5th grade girl
Space is limited, so please make sure to register your daughter by January 24th. Girls who are registered between January 10th through January 24th will be entered into a lottery for the opportunity to participate in Girls on the Run.
Do YOU want to get involved in Girls on the Run too? We need parent coaches! When you volunteer as a Girls on the Run coach, your daughter is guaranteed a spot in the program. You can read more about being a parent coach for Girls on the Run here. Coach registration is due by January 17th.
Please contact Patricia Gilbert at [email protected] if you have any questions.
District News: Open Enrollment & Choice Schools. Open Enrollment is a period of time each year when Bellevue School District RESIDENT students may apply to attend a school other than their neighborhood school. All students in the Bellevue School District are guaranteed a spot at their neighborhood school. If you are interested in learning about the process, please read on.
Open Enrollment Timeline. This year, Open Enrollment applications will be accepted from Monday, December 8, 2019 at 9:00 a.m. through Friday, January 24, 2020 at 4:30 p.m.
Choice Schools and Programs Timeline. Choice Schools and Programs Applications will be accepted between Monday, January 6, 2020 at 9:00 a.m. through Friday, January 31, 2020 at 4:30 p.m.
As a reminder, the definitions of these two processes are:
- Open Enrollment – the time when students can request to attend a school other than their home attendance area school. Click here to see a list of schools and their open enrollment status. All applicants will be placed in a lottery. Transfers will be approved or denied based on projected enrollment numbers for the building and grade level at both the neighborhood and requested school in addition to projected staffing levels and building capacity at the requested school.
- Choice Schools and Programs Applications – the time when students can apply for our choice schools – Big Picture (6th grade entry), International (6th grade entry), Jing Mei – Mandarin dual language (Kindergarten entry), Puesta del Sol – Spanish immersion (Kindergarten entry), Spanish Dual Language Program (Kindergarten entry). Acceptance is generally by lottery.
We will once again be using an online application process. A paper applicant information form will be available at all schools for families who do not have internet access. These forms will be manually keyed into the online tool by the Student Placement Office. Additional details and applications are available on the district website: https://bsd405.org/departments/student-placement/open-enrollment/
We Need Your Cleats! Soccer is beloved by people around the world. Unfortunately, many kids around the world cannot afford the soccer gear such as cleats. You can help! When you donate your used cleats to Kleats for Kids, you are giving the gift of soccer to kids who love the sport but cannot afford to buy cleats. Kleats for Kids is a club at Bellevue High School that collects used cleats and donates them to children in Peru. We are working with the Peru consulate to help the kids in need. Last year, we collected about 100 cleats with your help! Cherry Crest will have a collection box in the front lobby from Jan 13 – Feb 14. Please consider donating your used cleats and soccer gear to this charity. Rather than throwing it into a trash can, throw it into our bin! Thank you!
Cherry Crest Variety Show is February 7th. Auditions afterschool: Tuesday, January 28 & Thursday, January 30. Dress Rehearsal: Thursday, February 6
Sign-ups for auditions will begin after winter break. Contact [email protected] with any questions.
BSD Bond on Feb 11 Election Ballot. The Bellevue School District is asking the community to consider a capital bond in the Feb. 11, 2020 election to address needs in the areas of aging schools, improving safety, and adding classroom space to accommodate our continued growth. The 2020 Capital Bond webpage has been updated with a Fact Sheet and Presentation. Thank you for exercising your democratic privilege and voting on February 11th.
Winter Weather. Snow is in the forecast. Visit the District webpage for more information on Emergency School Closure Information (Click here), including different school closure messages and what they mean. Take a few moments to consider the following questions to ready your family in the event that school is closed due to weather conditions:
- How will my child get home if schools are closed and buses are not available or do not make stops at regular locations?
- Where will my child go if help is needed?
- Who will care for my child until I arrive?
BSD is Hiring! Bring your resume and cover letter to the Bellevue School District Job Fair Saturday February 1st at Tillicum Middle School. Come learn about certificated and classified positions in the Bellevue School District. You will have the opportunity to apply on-site. Select positions will be holding screening interviews. Departments from across the district will be available to discuss open positions and the importance each role has in achieving the district mission. Additional information here.
“Our Virtue of the Month for January is ‘Integrity.’ Integrity is standing up for what you believe is right, living by your highest values. It is being honest and sincere with others and yourself. You are integrous when your words and actions match. You don’t fool yourself into doing what you know is wrong. You fill your life and your mind with things that help you to live a good life.
Without integrity, no one would be able to trust each other to do what they say they are going to do. Integrity helps us to listen to our conscience, to do the right thing, to tell the truth. When people act with integrity, they stand for something. Others believe them and rely on them. Integrity gives us self-respect and a peaceful heart.
You practice integrity by thinking about the virtues that matter to you and doing your best to live by them. When you make a mistake, you clean it up. You don’t follow the crowd. You think for yourself. You don’t say one thing and do another. You do the right thing even when no one is watching. Even when it is hard to do the right thing, you stand strong.
Reporting Safety Concerns. Bullying and safety concerns can always be reported to any staff member at school. The Elementary Level Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying Incident Reporting Form is available to all families in the office. Finally, Bellevue School District also utilizes an anonymous reporting tool called SafeSchools Alert through which anyone can make a verbal or written report of harassment, intimidation or bullying. Information on how to submit a report via any of these methods is available on the district website at www.bsd405.org/help/report.
Cherry Crest Elementary prepares all students to become life-long learners through inquiry, collaboration, and discovery. Each student will feel a sense of belonging in our Comm(UNITY) while learning social-emotional and academic skills to be successful in an ever-changing and diverse society.