Cherry Crest Chronicler
January 6, 2021
Happy New Year Charger Families!
I hope you were able to enjoy some down time over the winter holidays. As 2021 begins, I welcome the new year along with new opportunities for school and learning.
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
7 – Return to In Person Learning for K-2 Parent Q&A Forum @ 6:30 pm Click here to join the meeting
12 – Virtual Kindergarten information Night for 2021-22 @ 6:00 pm –Click here to join the meeting
12 – PTSA General Meeting, 7:00-8:00pm, Teams link
15- Virtual Principal Chat @ 8:30 am Join Microsoft Teams Meeting
18 – Martin Luther King, Jr. Day (No School)
21 – 2nd grade hybrid classrooms return to in person learning
25 – 1st grade hybrid classrooms return to in person learning
28 – End of First Semester
29 – No School
February
1 – Kindergarten hybrid classrooms return to in person learning
Please remember to regularly visit the Cherry Crest & PTSA websites for the most current information.
https://bsd405.org/cherrycrest https://www.cherrycrest-ptsa.org/
K-2 Return to In Person Learning beginning in late January! Following guidance from the Department of Health and direction from the Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction (OSPI), Bellevue School District K-2 students in hybrid classes return to in person learning in a half day model on January 21 (2nd grade), January 25 (first grade) and February 1 (kindergarten).
Additional information can be found on the BSD Return to Buildings webpage which includes a detailed FAQ and Family Resource Guide (PDF).
Join Principal Dusty Steere and select staff for a Return to In Person Learning Parent Q&A Forum this Thursday January 7th at 6:30 pm. During this virtual forum Mr. Steere will outline current plans, logistics and safety measures and answer your questions. Click here to join the meeting
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/2020/12/parent-information-sessions.
Cherry Crest Virtual Kindergarten Information Session Tuesday January 12th @ 6:00 pm. This event is designed for families starting kindergarten next school year (2021-22). 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. Click here to join the virtual meeting
District News: Open Transfer & Choice Schools. Open Transfer (formerly 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 Transfer Timeline. This year, Open Transfer applications will be accepted until Friday January 15th 2021 at 4:30 p.m.
Choice Schools and Programs Timeline. Choice Schools and Programs Applications will be accepted until Friday, January 15, 2021 at 4:30 p.m.
As a reminder, the definitions of these two processes are:
- Open Transfer – 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 transfer 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. Additional details and applications are available on the district website: https://bsd405.org/departments/student-placement/open-enrollment/
Stay informed. Subscribe to the Charger Chatter Newsletter. The PTSA sponsored Charger Chatter newsletter is a one-stop read for school related information that is emailed weekly to parents on Tuesdays. The Chatter is a nice complement to the monthly Chronicler sent by the school principal.
The Cherry Crest PTSA’s mission is to serve as a resource for unifying parents, teachers, students, and the comm(UNITY). We provide outstanding educational enhancement opportunities for every child, and work on building a strong community to support our Cherry Crest staff.
The PTSA newsletter strengthens the Cherry Crest community by providing timely information about educational enhancement activities for kids, school events, and BSD news. This year, because of the pandemic, we realize that getting caught up on the news by socializing at school is not possible, and many parents are missing out on a wealth of information. If you haven’t done so yet, please subscribe to the Charger Chatter newsletter here.
The PTSA newsletter is a 100% parent-volunteer led weekly newsletter. Every week, the parent volunteers coordinate and collect information from ALL relevant sources, including the principal/teachers, curriculum/after-school enhancement opportunities, school events calendar with important dates, PTSA events and fundraisers, administrative notices/housekeeping from the office staff. There are handy links provided in the newsletter for any item requiring action, along with links to the online school directory, news from the Bellevue School District and Bellevue School Foundation.
For any feedback on the newsletter, please write to [email protected]
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.