Cherry Crest Chronicler
Feb 28, 2020
Charger Families,
Each year, with the return from mid winter break, I notice the days getting longer and the hint of spring in the air. With this also comes the busyness of our third trimester of school. This newsletter is evidence of that and is packed with lots of important information and events including:
- An encouragement to complete the Family Engagement Surveys sent to families this week.
- An invitation for students to submit essays for the Writing Challenge.
- Information about the upcoming book/art fair (March 2-5) and time capsule opening (April 3)
- Dates for spring assessments in math and reading (SBA testing schedule)
- A look at the 2020-2021 school calendar
- And much more!
Thank you for taking a few minutes to read and respond. As always, if you have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out me directly ([email protected]) or contact our main office (425-456-4900).
In partnership,
Dusty Steere, Principal Cherry Crest Elementary
IMPORTANT DATES
March
2-5 Scholastic Book Fair
4 – Book Fair & Art Walk Family Night @ 5:30 pm
6 – Writing Challenge Due
10 – PTSA General Membership Meeting (Social @ 6:30, Meeting at 7:00)
20 – Snow Make Up Day – school day for all BSD students K – 12
20 – Lost and Found donated to charity
25 – Yearbook deadline for pre-orders
25 – Festival of Cultures @ 5:30 pm
April
3 – Time Capsule Opening & Celebration @ 3 pm
3 – Family Movie Night @ 6 pm
13-17 – No School (Spring Break)
25 –Cherry Crest Comm(Unity) Auction
Please remember to regularly visit the Cherry Crest & PTSA websites for the most current information.
https://bsd405.org/cherrycrest https://www.cherrycrest-ptsa.org/
Spring Book Fair! The Book Fair will run from March 2nd to 5th in the Cherry Crest Library. Book fair is open to students at lunch with a pass from their teacher, each day after school until different times and Family Night on Wed. from 5:30-7:30. Scholastic accepts cash, check or credit card. New feature: set up a student e-wallet through Scholastic!
To check out the schedule, online purchasing options and the new e-wallet feature go to: https://bookfairs.scholastic.com/bf/cherrycrest
**If you do choose to send cash to school with your student(s) please send in a sealed envelope or bag with their name on it or in a purse or wallet. Loose bills are easily lost.
Set up will be on Friday afternoon February 28th and tear down on Friday morning March 6th. Our librarian, Mrs. Lux, needs many volunteers to make this popular event happen. All proceeds go to new books for our library. To volunteer sign up directly at: https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/30e044aa8a92fa7fa7-scholastic
Questions? Contact Mrs. Lux in the library at: [email protected] or Book Fair Chairs Britt and Vladi at: [email protected]
Art walk during Book Fair week! Join us for an Art display of Cherry Crests Finest Artists in K-5. Art will be displayed in the flex space outside the library. Questions? Email Miss Patti [email protected].
Submit Stories for Writing Challenge by Friday, March 6th! Cherry Crest Elementary students are invited to participate in the 2020 Writing Challenge. The theme for this year’s writing challenge is “School.” Share your story to connect us to the past, present and future of our school!
All stories will be displayed at the Cherry Crest Art Walk (Friday, March 27), at the 30-year Time Capsule Ceremony (Friday, April 3) and published in a bound collection available for purchase at the Spring Auction.
Writing Challenge Prompts: here
Submission deadline: Friday, March 6, 2020.
Submission Instructions: submit online or turn in a paper copy to your teacher
Questions? Email [email protected].
Please complete Family Engagement Survey. The Bellevue School District is conducting a survey on family engagement in order to strengthen relationships between schools and families. Creating meaningful partnerships with parents helps students succeed both academically and socially. When families engage, student attitudes and behavior are more positive, attendance is better, there are more opportunities to honor diverse cultural backgrounds, and open communication allows us to learn from each other.
The survey opens on February 25, 2020 when families receive an email with a unique survey link from our survey platform (Panorama Education). Families will receive an email and survey for each school where they have a child enrolled, which means they may receive multiple surveys. They will be asked to answer the survey based on the experience of their oldest child in the school. The survey is only five questions and is available in multiple languages.
Survey results will be shared with all families in a State of BSD Family Engagement Report before the end of the school year. School administrators will receive results for their individual schools and, as a next step, will work alongside parents to create family engagement practices for school improvement plans for the 2020-2021 academic year.
Direct Questions to [email protected] or the website for FAQ: https://bsd405.org/departments/family-and-community-engagement/family-partnerships/
Time Capsule Opening Ceremony April 3rd. It was May 25th 1989. A time when kids made mixed tapes; when Back to the future 2 and When Harry Met Sally were the big movies of the year. On that day, writings, drawings and artifacts from Cherry Crest students were placed into a sealed time capsule and buried underground, waiting to be uncovered at the 50th anniversary of Cherry Crest Elementary. The year is now 2020 and it’s time to crack that time capsule open in celebration of our school’s 50th anniversary!
Mark your calendars to join us on Friday April 3rd at 3 pm. We will unearth and open the time capsule and follow it with a reception in the school cafe. Make plans to be a part of this exciting celebration of past, present and future.
The Time Capsule Committee is also looking for any old pictures from of students, teachers or the old building from the 70s, 80s and 90s. In addition to that, we are also looking to display Cherry Crest artifacts such as old sweatshirts with the logo or anything Cherry Crest related that you might still have. Attached is a link you can use to upload your images. Smartsheet Forms
Questions can be directed to [email protected]
Time to Check the Lost and Found. The Lost and Found is overflowing with jackets, lunchboxes and other items. Unclaimed items will be donated to charity after March 20th. Please check the rack located beside the art room on the first floor.
Join us as at the March 3rd School Board Community Forum. The BSD board of directors is inviting families and the community to come share issues of importance to families, students and the Bellevue community and to discuss District priority areas and what they mean. The Board would like to invite you to join us and to share this information with your communities. Event details and translations of the forum announcement are available on the March 3 Board Forum page.
When: 7:45 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. following the March 3, 2020 regular School Board meeting.
Where: Wilburton Instructional Service Center, Rainier Room, 12241 Main Street, Bellevue 98005
Light refreshments will be served.
Interpreters provided in Spanish and Mandarin Chinese. For additional interpretation services, send requests to [email protected]. Direct questions to [email protected].
Order Yearbooks Now Through March 25th. The Cherry Crest Yearbook captures photo memories of school year events and includes pages for each classroom (with photos and names of classmates.)
Order now for $18.00 and guarantee your copy. A few yearbooks (at a higher price) will be available for students who don’t order by the March 23rd deadline, but supplies will be limited.
Order Online – Lifetouch Yearbook ID code: 1577520
Right Time, Right Place. Safety First!
- As the days get longer and the weather improves, support your child in walking/biking to school and/or using the school bus.
- If you choose to drive your child to school, leave adequate time so you are not rushing. School doors open at 7:40 am with adult supervision for students. Students are expected to be in their classroom seated and ready to learn when the 8:00 bell rings.
- Should you find yourself running late or stuck in Cherry Crest traffic, RELAX! Do not sacrifice student safety for the sake of avoiding a tardy. Rather, follow the regular dropoff procedures and enjoy your last moments with your child before entrusting them to us for the day.
- Please be respectful of our Cherry Crest neighbors during the busy dropoff and pickup times. Avoid blocking driveways and keep an eye out for residents who may be entering or leaving their homes.
Registration Open for BSD Preschool and Before and After Care. Registration forms are available for Bellevue School District preschool, before and after school programs for the 2020-21 school year! In particular, Cherry Crest spaces for after care fill up extremely quickly, so don’t delay in applying now. Learn more about the programs and how to apply on the program website
2020-21 School Calendar. Next year, school starts on Thursday September 3rd. For planning purposes, a 2020-2021 Calendar of School Dates is available on the BSD website here.
Smarter Balanced Testing. With spring comes state testing! All 3-5 students take the Smarter Balanced Assessment for English Language Arts (ELA) and Mathematics online during the spring of this school year. 5th grade students will also take the Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science (WCAS).
The schedule below outlines our current draft of when testing will occur. Please avoid scheduling vacations or time away from school during these important assessment windows. Vacation requests may not be granted if they conflict with state standardized testing.
Our calendar is currently being reviewed by staff and district testing coordinators; therefore, SBA dates are not finalized. We will inform families of date changes as they are made. Please look for communications by teachers in the coming weeks.
| English Language Arts (ELA) | Math | Science | |
| 3rd Grade | May 4 – 8 | May 26 – June 4 | |
| 4th Grade | April 21 – April 24 | May 18 – 22 | |
| 5th Grade | April 6 – 9 | May 11 – 15 | May 28 |
The Washington Comprehensive Assessment Program website contains lots of test-related resources for parents and students: http://wa.portal.airast.org/ . From this site, you can also try out a Smarter Balanced practice or training test.
For more information, contact Cherry Crest Assistant Principal, Erin Stedman ([email protected]), or Chris Lindberg, BSD manager of state testing ([email protected]).
Proactively Report Absence, Illness, Appointments. When your child will miss all or part of a school day due to illness or an appointment, please email Cherry Crest Attendance by 8 am at [email protected], or phone 425-456-4902. Please be sure to include your child’s first and last name and the reason for the absence.
Washington State law requires schools to report student absences as excused or unexcused. BSD Policy 3122 clarifies valid reasons for excused absences. If no excuse is provided or the excuse does not fall within those outlined in the policy, student absences will be marked as unexcused.
For prearranged absences of three of more days, a prior approval form submitted to the teacher and principal must be completed two weeks prior. Prearranged absence forms can be picked up in the main office and accessed on our website here.
Social Emotional Learning brief for Parents. OSPI has recently published Social Emotional Implementation Brief for Parents & Families.
This a fantastic resource that explains:
- What is SEL & the SEL Standards
- The importance of families, schools, and communities working together
- How families can support and promote SEL at home
“Our Virtue of the Month for March is ‘Confidence.’ Confidence is believing in something or someone. It is a type of trust. When you have self-confidence, you trust that you have what it takes to handle whatever happens. You feel sure of yourself and enjoy trying new things. Self-confidence is something that you can control and is up to you to believe you can do it. When you tell yourself you can do something, you are more likely to achieve that goal since you will to try your best and not give up. Have you ever noticed that people with confidence are likable and you want to be around them?”
Without confidence, fears and doubts hold us back. When we don’t have confidence, we feel worried and uncertain, and afraid of making a mistake. With confidence, we try new things and learn all the time.
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.