Cherry Crest Chronicler
February 3, 2021
Charger Families,
February is Black History Month. The first week of February is identified as Black Lives Matter at School week and is the launch of Black History Month. We stand with Black students at Cherry Crest and in Bellevue recognizing that the racial and cultural diversity of our student population is one of our strengths as a school and district. Building on resources provided by our school’s Racial Equity & Inclusion team, many teachers and classrooms are learning and working together to inspire and lead for racial equity.
As a school committed to the success of every student, I see it as our our responsibility to also understand how certain groups of students are experiencing school. Where necessary, it is our obligation to be open to conversations about change; open to the possibility that “the way we’ve always done things” may not be beneficial to our entire community. As school principal, I endorse the education and social justice efforts of our staff and community—not only in February but throughout the year. Similarly, I encourage parents and families to engage in learning and leading. Let’s raise a generation of children who are thoughtful, informed and brave about race. Read and learn more at www.embracerace.org.
Thank you for taking a few moments to read the important dates and announcements in the parent newsletter below.
Make it a great week!
Dusty Steere, Principal Cherry Crest Elementary
IMPORTANT DATES
February
6 BSD Job Fair 9:00 – 1 :00
12 Virtual Principal Chat @ 8:30 am Join Microsoft Teams Meeting
12 First Semester Progress Reports available via StudentVue
15-19 No School (Midwinter Break)
22 – 26 Quarantine week (virtual learning for all grades following mid winter break)
22 – 3/7 Scholastic On-Line Book Fair
27 Cherry Crest Picture Day (details to follow from PTSA)
March
3 Cherry Crest Picture Day (details to follow from PTSA)
9 PTSA General Meeting. @ 6:45 pm
19 Make up School Day for 1/25 (previously a no school day)
Please remember to regularly visit the Cherry Crest & PTSA websites for the most current information.
https://bsd405.org/cherrycrest https://www.cherrycrest-ptsa.org/
In Person Learning Updates. Since January 21st, 2nd grade students in hybrid classrooms have been learning in person at Cherry Crest and schools across the district. As we look to expand in person services to additional students, school teams have been formed to meet and review school safety and health data and make appropriate recommendations for return.
Please note that return dates are being evaluated by our Building Safety and Review Team weekly to determine it if is safe for Cherry Crest to open on the identified dates for K & 1. This team of staff members has the responsibility to determine if we open on the stated dates or delay return. Families will be notified by the Bellevue School District of any decision to change the start date for a grade level by 5:00 pm on the Thursday before the scheduled return date.
Daily Health Attestation required for all in-person learning. As part of Bellevue School District’s COVID-19 Health and Safety Plan, a Health Attestation is required for each student every day they attend school in person. Please bookmark BSD HealthCheck https://healthcheck.bsd405.org and complete the form prior to your student arriving at school.
Accessing, Understanding and utilizing Report Cards. While students had no school last Friday, many teachers worked on semester end progress reports. These progress reports are being finalized and will be available via BSD online platform ParentVue and StudentVue beginning Friday February 12th. Directions for Parents to access Elementary Progress Reports Online:
If you have any trouble accessing Elementary Progress Reports, please reach out to your child’s teacher.
Below are three helpful tips or reminders to support families in discussing students’ performance in school:
1. Click here for a single page explanation of progress report scores in a more in-depth manner. Please contact your child’s teacher if you have any questions.
2. Based on a research study by Carol Dweck at Stanford, research suggests that when we praise students for their effort vs. their intelligence, they are more likely to continue to persevere and work hard at doing their best, when faced with a challenging task. Thus resulting in creating a growth mindset vs. a fixed mindset. (4 minute video overview)
3. Click here for a few great tips for parents on how discussing progress reports with your child.
Thank you for your continued partnership in helping to support your child’s social, emotional and academic growth at Cherry Crest Elementary.
Fire Drill for In-Person Students and Staff. We will conduct our first fire evacuation drill on Tuesday, February 9th at 10 am and 2 pm. This will allow both AM and PM groups to practice the procedure for evacuating our building safely. While in a real emergency we would ask that students and staff exit the building as quickly as possible, for this drill we will maintain a 6 feet distance and a staggered classroom dismissal to ensure safety mitigations are in place. After the drill, we will communicate with families our process, questions to talk about as a family, and resources to plan your evacuation plans at home.
Principal Chat on Friday 2/12 @ 8:30 am. Cherry Crest families are invited to attend monthly virtual meetings hosted by Principal Dusty Steere and PTSA president Britt Heath. All chats will be hosted online via Microsoft Teams and include information from the principal as well as ample time for questions and comments. Use this form to submit a question or topic for the next Principal Chat.
Chats are scheduled on the following Fridays from 8:30 – 9:30 am: Feb 12, March 19, Apr 26, May 28
Travelling over mid winter break? Understand the Quarantine Rules. Anyone coming into Washington state from out of the state needs to quarantine for 14 days (Travel Advisory). As a district, Cherry Crest is aligning with these travel restrictions for staff and students. Review the BSD 14-day travel quarantine guidance on our district website: https://bsd405.org/back-to-buildings-plan/faq/#quarantine
Cherry Crest Student Newspaper. We have some wonderful fifth grade students who have joined together to create the Cherry Crest Newspaper. This was shared with students and teachers last week. You can find all of the editions and latest volumes HERE on our Cherry Crest website. We love seeing our students in action and figuring out creative ways to bring us all together! Way to go, 5th graders!
Proactively Report Absence, Illness, Appointments: When you child know your child will miss all or part of a school day due to illness or an appointment, please email Cherry Crest Attendance [email protected] or call 425-456-4902. When leaving a message, be sure to include your child’s first and last name, grade level and the reason for the absence.
For prearranged absences of three of more days, a prior approval form submitted to the teacher and principal must be completed two weeks prior to the absence. Prearranged absence forms can be accessed on our website here or contact [email protected] if you’re unable to access the form online.
BSD Job Fair Saturday, Feb. 6. Bellevue School District is hosting it’s annual Job Fair on February 6, 2021 from 9am-1pm. This year, the fair is virtual! We are seeking to hire part-time and full-time positions for the 2021-22 school year. These positions include administrator, all teaching assignments, support staff, nurses, bus drivers, custodians, nutrition services, para educators, instructional assistants and many more! For more information, please visit our website: https://bsd405.org/event/annual-educator-fair-2021/?instance_id=1902.
The 2021-22 Cherry Crest PTSA Nominating Committee asks all community members for help finding volunteers for PTSA leadership positions for next school year.
We have Co-President, VP, Chairs and other executive roles open. Please submit names and contact information (your own or others who may be interested!) by end of day, Feb 12th and we’ll be in touch to tell you more about them. Submit nominations here.
Please reach out to [email protected] if you have any questions.
CTE Virtual Town Hall for 5th grade students/families. Are you interested in finding out about the many career pathways available to you in middle and high school? Health care, visual communications, information technology, business and marketing, culinary, education, transportation, construction, plus more?
If you are a fifth through eleventh grade student, please join us on February 9 to hear about the many Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs available within this district! Parents are highly encouraged to join us! Hear about our 12 different career pathways that begin at the middle school and continue through high school. Understand the difference between a Satellite and WANIC program, how college credit is earned while in high school, and the many industry recognized certifications available. Hear from our many instructors and the Director of Career and Technical Education.
When: February 9, 2021 from 5 – 6 pm. Click here to join virtual meeting.
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.