Cherry Crest Chronicler
June 1, 2020
Cherry Crest Families,
June is here and, with it, comes the tail end of this school year. The Coronavirus has certainly upended much of what we typically do and made the job of planning for next year all the more difficult. In spite of all the uncertainty, please know that Cherry Crest and Bellevue School District are working hard to make plans for school in the fall. Much of our guidance and direction will come from the state level, specifically State Superintendent Chris Reykdal. Reports from his office indicate this guidance coming to schools in early June which we will certainly share with families. In the meantime, BSD has 4 rapid response teams of teachers, administrators and district leaders who are working behind the scenes to prepare our school and district for a transition back to school in various forms that will surely look different than previous years.
I recognize and acknowledge student and family frustration that comes with many unknowns brought on by COVID. Even as I write this letter, we don’t have finalized plans on how we will close out the school year, returning personal belongings to students or mobile devices to the school. The health and safety of students and families remain our highest priority and I commit to communicating additional information as I have it.
In spite of the unknown, we are getting ready for next year. You can hear more about what has already. Click here to watch Superintendent Duran’s video message from 5/29.
In the meantime, I want to thank parents and guardians for all the time and effort you pour into your children supporting their learning away from school. I’m optimistic that we will return to school in the fall and look forward to working with your children once again.
Thank you for taking a few moments to read the important dates and announcements in the parent newsletter below.
Have a great week!
Dusty Steere
Principal
IMPORTANT DATES
June 5 Last day to order Yearbook
June 18 5th grade promotion @ 4 pm – Live Event Link
June 19 Last day of school 8:00 – 10:00
September 3 First day of School (Grades 1 – 5)
September 7 Labor Day
September 9 First day of School (Kindergarten)
Please remember to regularly visit the Cherry Crest & PTSA websites for the most current information.
https://bsd405.org/cherrycrest https://www.cherrycrest-ptsa.org/
Register for School. In the midst of school closures, we have worked out a secure process for enrolling students for the 2020-2021 school year!
Follow the links below to access remote registration and enrollment instructions:
Volunteer Appreciation & Golden Acorn. Cherry Crest Staff were not able to host our annual Volunteer Appreciation Breakfast this year. In lieu of a nice breakfast and in person thanks, our teachers and support staff created short video vignettes thanking volunteers for the countless ways you enhance the school experience with your time, talents and treasure. Check out the Volunteer Appreciation FlipGrid. https://flipgrid.com/ccvolunteers2020
The Golden Acorn is a Washington State PTSA award presented to a volunteer in recognition of their dedication and service to children and youth in our Comm(Unity). Check out this flipgrid to learn who won this year’s award at Cherry Crest: https://flipgrid.com/goldenacorn
5th grade promotion ceremony June 18th. As the school year draws to a close, Cherry Crest teachers and staff are collaborating to produce and share a promotion ceremony recognizing our outstanding 5th grade students from Cherry Crest Elementary School. This live event is planned for Thursday June 18th at 4 pm and will be presented virtually via Microsoft Teams. Parents and families can join the live event using the link below (via Teams or web browser) as well access a recording of the event if they aren’t able to join in real time. Additional details and information will be sent to families in the coming weeks but please save the date in the meantime.
Cherry Crest 5th Grade Promotion Ceremony: Thursday, June 18th 4 pm
Immunization Requirements for 2020-21. It is extremely important to make sure your student’s
immunizations are up to date, despite the current COVID-19 pandemic, as immunization requirements for the 2020/2021 school year are changing. Please contact your health care provider to discuss their current procedure for obtaining any needed vaccines safely. Additional information is available for review in here. While social distancing guidelines are important, society’s health depends on herd immunity. Scheduled vaccinations should remain a priority, link to local, open clinics: Find an Immunization Clinic. Direct questions to Cherry Crest school nurse Amy Borberg – [email protected].
End of Year Gifts. Every year when the school comes to a close, we see grateful and thoughtful parents and community members looking for ways to express appreciation to our teachers and other employees by giving gifts to the individuals they know in the school house. Often parents, especially if their work experience has been in the private sector, are not aware that gifts to publicly-paid employees are discouraged by school board policy. Therefore, we ask that if you would like to give a gift to a staff member this holiday season, the value of the gift should not be elaborate or unduly expensive as outlined in Bellevue School Board Policy 5255. If you wish to provide more than a small token of gratitude to an individual teacher or staff member, you can make donations to a specific classroom, donate to Cherry Crest School or a specific program within our school, and/or make a contribution to the Bellevue Schools Foundation, the PTSA or other charity in recognition of a teacher’s work. If you should have any questions about the above mentioned policy or need to brainstorm ideas for how to honor an individual teacher, please don’t hesitate to contact me! Thank you!
Opt in Text Messages from BSD. Did you know you can receive important alerts from BSD via text? Just text “Y” or “YES” to BSD’s short code number – 67587 – to receive text messages. If you ever want to opt-out, text the same number or reply to one of our messages with “Stop.” We recommend saving the short code number in your contacts to avoid third-party blocking systems with interfering with your receipt of important messages and updates from the district. The Bellevue School District utilizes SchoolMessenger to deliver text messages.
Support for Families. Bellevue School District supports families with Engagement Specialists that can connect students and families with school/district and outside agencies prepared with resources and support during this unprecedented health situation. If you have a need, please contact Cherry Crest’s Family Engagement Specialist Judy Hunsberger: [email protected]. All correspondence is confidential and will not be shared without your permission.
Bike With Us. Cherry Crest is a SchoolPool Partner School participating in SchoolPool challenges during the year to educate students and families on ways to reduce congestion around our school and use alternative transportation. Traditionally May is “bike month” and while COVID-19 has brought many activities to a standstill, our state’s Bike Everywhere Month will be celebrated this June. Cascade Bicycle Club is a great resource for biking and bike month news, information and events. Check out their website to learn more: https://www.cascade.org/connect/f5-networks-bike-everywhere-month-2020
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.