Cherry Crest LogoCherry Crest Chronicler

October 1, 2021

Hello Charger Families!

October is upon us and there is a lot happening at Cherry Crest – not only in our classrooms but also in our Comm(Unity).

On Monday evening, teachers and principals hosted Virtual Curriculum Night.  If you didn’t have a chance to watch the informational presentations, you can still access educator videos on our Cherry Crest website.  Click here for 2021 Curriculum Night access.  In particular, I want to highlight this 3 minute video introduction from the Bellevue Schools Foundation.

The Cherry Crest Chronicler is a monthly newsletter targeting Cherry Crest families.  It is typically published on our website no the first of each month and is full of important dates, information and resources.  Thank you for taking a moment to read and respond.

Families who speak a language other than English will benefit from using the Translate feature on this website.  Simply select your desired language from the gray bar at the top of the page.

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Dusty Steere, Principal Cherry Crest Elementary

IMPORTANT DATES

October 5                  New Family Tips @7pm (join via Teams)
October 6                  National Walk & Bike to School Day
October 8                  No school for students – Teacher Professional Learning Day
October 9                  Grade Level Carnival (K/1st @9am, 2nd/3rd @10am, 4th/5th @11am)
October 11, 12,13     Early Release for students @ 12:15 (conferencing days)
October 15                Principal Chat @ 8:30 am Join Microsoft Teams Meeting
October 15                School Picture Day direct link to order pictures
October 20                Unity Day (wear orange)
October 31                 Cherry Crest Comm(Unity) Trick or Treating 5 – 8 pm

Please remember to regularly visit the Cherry Crest & PTSA websites for the most current information.

https://bsd405.org/cherrycrest      https://www.cherrycrest-ptsa.org


New to Cherry Crest or feel new? Join us Tuesday, October 5th at 7:00 p.m. on Teams to learn tips for getting the most out of Cherry Crest.  Parents from each grade level (plus a BSD Virtual Academy parent) will answer your questions and share personal experiences to help your family flourish!


Walk to School Day is October 6th. Cherry Crest students and families are invited to participate in the annual Walk to School Day with Bellevue School Pool! We encourage students and families to get to school in almost any form other than single car arrival:  walking, biking, bus riding, carpooling.   Students can participate all week long to earn prizes and cash for our school.  Please look for information in your child’s backpack including a fun BINGO card.   We can earn up to $1,000 for Cherry Crest when students return their BINGO card to the school. Please put your child’s name on the top of the card for a chance at a prize (Reflective shoe laces!). Every student will receive a keychain flashlight for safe nighttime walking this fall and winter.

Students will fill out their BINGO card during the week of October 4th. Please return cards by Monday, October 11th. We will have a box in our main office.


Grade Level Carnival. Come socialize with classmates and their families on Saturday, October 9 at the Cherry Crest playground!  Cub Scout Pack 726 will run carnival games for the kids while PTSA volunteers foster introductions, answer questions and more.  Masks required for anyone age 5 and older.  Questions? Please e-mail [email protected].

  • Kindergarten & 1st Grade from 9-10am
  • 2nd & 3rd Grade from 10-11am
  • 4th & 5th Grade from 11am-12pm

Early Release for Elementary Conferencing. The 2021-22 BSD Calendar identifies October 11,12, & 13 as early release days for elementary students in support of Parent/Teacher/Student conferences (dismissal at 12:15).  Please look for additional information from the school and from your child’s teacher with specifics for how conferences will be conducted this year.


School Picture Day is Friday 10/15.  LifeTouch photography will be on site at Cherry Crest Friday October 15th to take individual photos.  Find below a link to sign up to order photographs of your child.  Regardless of whether you order photos or not, all students pictures will be included in the yearbook (distributed in June).  Picture retake day is on Tuesday November 23rd.   Order pictures online at mylifetouch.com (school id EVT4P87K2) or follow this direct link to order pictures today.


Principal Chat on Friday 10/15 @ 8:30 am.  Cherry Crest families are invited to attend monthly virtual meetings hosted by Principal Dusty Steere and PTSA president Reetika Saxena.  All chats are hosted online via Microsoft Teams and will include information from the principal as well as ample time for questions and comments. In October, we will discuss elements of the Advanced Learning Program at  Cherry Crest and supports provided from our counselor and multi lingual facilitator.  Use this form to submit a question or topic for the next Principal Chat.
In 2021-22, Chats are scheduled on the following Fridays from 8:30 – 9:15 am
Oct 15; Nov 12; Dec 10; Jan 14, Feb 11, March 25, Apr 29, June 3.

Join Microsoft Teams Meeting


October Smarter Balanced State Testing for Grades 4-5. This Fall, OSPI requires that all fourth and fifth graders take the Smarter Balanced Assessment (SBA) to capture statewide data in English Language Arts and Math per the waiver submitted last spring. Students will test in October at their previous grade level (i.e. 4th grade will test at the 3rd grade level). Below are the dates Cherry Crest will be testing students on campus. Students will engage in some practice prior to these testing dates with their class. Practice tests are available to the public. You can access the practice site here.

If your child is absent on one or all of these dates, makeup days will be available. The testing window closes on November 10th. If for any reason your child will not be on campus during this testing window, please email [email protected] (i.e. Quarantine, travel, family emergency, etc.).

Testing Dates:   5th grade: week of October 18          4th grade: week of October 25


A Cherry Crest Halloween! On Sunday, October 31st from 5-8pm, trick or treat at the homes of fellow Cherry Crest families.  PTSA will provide a custom Google Map to all families.  Register by Monday, October 18th to include your home on the map.  Near or far, we’d love to include your home!  See the registration form for more details.


Dismissal Procedures and Reminders. If you are picking up your child by car, please when possible, use the pickup lane versus parking on campus or on nearby streets. Often, our main parking lot is full by 2:15 pm. By now, you should have received a car hanger for you to use for car pick up. Place this on your mirror to support our dismissal procedure. We recognize that arrival and dismissal can move slowly and ask for your continued patience to ensure student and staff safety. If there is an error in your child’s preferred name on the car hanger sent home, please notify Assistant Principal, Erin Stedman at [email protected]. Thanks!

 When dismissal plans change, please notify [email protected] before 1 pm as teachers will not check email frequently throughout the day. Anytime families notify us after 1 pm, we cannot always guarantee a message will be delivered to your child. When possible, please make arrangements with your child the night before. Of course, family emergencies happen and we will do our absolute best to communicate a change in plans to your child during the school day.


Farewell Mrs. Nakamura. Our beloved office manager, Susie Nakamura, had her last day at Cherry Crest on Friday September 24th. Students and families are invited to share a message of gratitude and goodbye to Mrs. Nakamura at: https://padlet.com/ccptsastaffappreciation/ms_nakamura


Wednesday, October 20th is Unity day. This is a day where we encourage students to stand together against bullying and be united for kindness, inclusion and acceptance. The official color for unity day is orange and all students & staff are encouraged to wear orange to school.  As as schoolwide project, we will…

Bullying can be prevented when we all come together – united for kindness, acceptance and inclusion.  Questions, contact school counselor Mykela Fantone.


Counselor’s Corner. Hi Cherry Crest families!  For those of you I haven’t had the chance to introduce myself to yet, I’m Mykela Fantone (Ms. Mykela to the kids), School Counselor.  Check out this video for a brief introduction about me.  In addition to information about our upcoming Unity Day, I wanted to share some resources to help you and your family celebrate National Hispanic Heritage Month.  Taking place 9/15-10/15, this is an annual celebration of the history and heritage of the people and cultures of Latin America, Spain, Central America, Mexico, and South America.  With so many beautiful countries and cultures to learn about, this learning can continue all year long!  Here are a few places to get you started.

Please feel free to reach out any time for support or resources of any kind.  I’ll do what I can to find what you need!  I’m here for you and your family. Email me:  Mykela Fantone.


Supply Chain Impacts Lunch Offerings. Beginning Sept 27, our daily entrée choices (Breaded Chicken Burger and Veggie Burger) will be paused due to pandemic related national supply chain issues which have made sourcing food extremely difficult this school year. Most days, we will offer an entrée containing meat and one vegetarian entrée. If there is only one entrée planned, the entrée will be vegetarian and may contain dairy and/or eggs. Frequent menu changes are to be expected as we deal with at times, last minute substitutions from our food vendors.


Advanced Learning Testing. Any parent of a BSD student in grades 2-4 and 6-11 can apply for their child to participate in advanced learning testing. District families interested in applying for testing must submit the application before the deadline on October 29, 2021 at 4:30 p.m.

Parents of BSD kindergarten, first and fifth grade students do not need to apply. All kindergarten, first and fifth grade students will be considered for Advanced Learning Services. Please note that all first and fifth grade students will be automatically screened first before being invited to participate in CogAT.

For more information on all service models, please visit our Advanced Learning: Services We Provide webpage.


Job Openings. BSD is hiring a variety of positions across the district, including: transportation staffclassified nurses, para educators, kitchen assistants and more. A full listing of open positions can be found on our Employment webpage. Use search terms to locate specific role types.


Need Help with Technology? Tech support is available Monday through Friday! Visit https://bsd405.org/techsupport for details. For self-guided support, explore the list of common questions and resources. Information on BSD Technology Centers is available on our website


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. 

The Bellevue School District acknowledges that we learn, work, live and gather on the Indigenous Land of the Coast Salish peoples, specifically the Duwamish and Snoqualmie Tribes. We thank these caretakers of this land, who have lived and continue to live here, since time immemorial.