Cherry Crest Chronicler
November 3, 2023
Dear Cherry Crest Families,
This month we’re honoring and celebrating Native American Heritage Month and veterans in our COMM(UNITY) for Veteran’s Day (November 11th).
We acknowledge that we are living and working on the Indigenous land of the Coast Salish peoples, including the Duwamish and Snoqualmie Indian Tribes. At Cherry Crest and in the Bellevue School District, we thank the indigenous caretakers of this land, who have lived and continue to live here. We think about what events bring us to live on this land. We promise to learn more about indigenous people and stop stereotypes. We commit to ongoing partnership with the Snoqualmie Tribe and to learn from them.
Many classrooms begin their day with a land acknowledgement and students learn about being stewards of the land through their social studies curriculum and through sustainability efforts here at Cherry Crest. Please take note of the resources below in the diversity and inclusion section of this newsletter. There, I capture helpful family resources to help you engage in this work at home.
We will have an all-school assembly on November 17th at 8:45 AM celebrating Native American Heritage and Veteran’s Day. If you know a veteran, we are hoping to feature members of our school community who have served in any armed forces around the world. Please submit photos and information to me directly by November 13th as we plan to include these submissions in our slideshow.
Feel free to contact me ([email protected]), or our assistant principal, Amy Chu, ([email protected]) with any questions you may have!
Sincerely,
Erin Stedman, Principal Cherry Crest Elementary School
IMPORTANT DATES
- District Cultural Calendar
- November 3 – Principal Coffee (You can view recordings HERE)
- November 3 – Family Engineering Night
- November 10 – No School
- November 17 – Native American Heritage and Veteran’s Day Assembly
- November 20-21& 29 – Conferences (Wednesday Schedule)
- November 22-26 – Readathon
- November 23-24 – Thanksgiving Break
Please remember to regularly visit the Cherry Crest & PTSA websites for the most current information.
https://bsd405.org/cherrycrest https://www.cherrycrest-ptsa.org/
Family Engineering Night, TONIGHT!
Join us tonight at Cherry Crest from 5:45-7:45 PM for TONS of family fun!
November Principal Coffee.
You can view today’s recording HERE. Please don’t hesitate to reach out with questions. I hope to see you next time!
Sign Up for the PTSA Spelling Bee.
Cherry Crest Spelling Bee is Returning for 2023-2024. Registration is now open for the preliminary round on December 6th.
How to sign up: For each kid who wants to join, please complete the form (https://www.marapod.com/clubs/clne5kpe80000l808u4w5j1a7) by December 1st.
Date: December 6th from 6pm to 8pm at Cherry Crest.
Cost: The Spelling Bee is sponsored by the PTSA and is free of charge.
How it works: All students can download the word list from the Cherry Crest PTSA website: https://www.cherrycrest-ptsa.org/spelling-bee .
At the preliminary round, all participants will be grouped by their grades. Top performers in each grade will enter the final round in early spring 2024. The Champion from the final round will represent Cherry Crest in the Regional Spelling Bee contest.
Conferences in November.
Some teachers will use the BSD calendared conference days to meet with families on November 20, 21, and 29. On the 20th and 21st we will operate on a Wednesday schedule, dismissing students at 12:15 PM. Please look for individual teacher communication to sign up for conferences this month. You may find that teachers choose to conference on additional, or different, days throughout the month.
5th graders will not bring instruments on Monday, November 20th, due to the shorter day. Please make a note of this in your personal calendars. Thanks!
BSF Foundation and Cherry Crest.
The Bellevue Schools Foundation kicked off their BFF with BSF fundraiser campaign and there are only three more days to donate! They contribute incredible amounts ($1 million in fact) to our District to support students and learning. This school year, Cherry Crest benefitted from BSF grants that funded literacy materials for kindergarten, bus transportation for field trips, the Living Voices: Island of Hope, Northwest Passage & Our Revolution, Disability Representation Books, and an author visit. We’re grateful for this support and appreciate our partnership with BSF to support students and learning.
You can learn more by clicking on the links below:
PTSA Member Drawing – Winners Announced!
Anyone who joined or renewed their Cherry Crest PTSA membership by October 20th was entered into our drawing. Congratulations to Riya, a 3rd grader in Ms. Wells’ class, who won Principal for a Day! She’ll be visiting classrooms with Mrs. Stedman soon and working to plan our next assembly. Also, congratulations to Iris, a 5th grader in Ms. Tamayo’s class who won a month’s worth of art classes at Drawn2Art! Thank you to all families who joined or renewed – your commitment to our school, students, and teachers is invaluable!
Not a member? Join today. All PTSA members enjoy voting rights at our General Membership Meetings and various discounts at Great Wolf Lodge, Seattle Symphony, car rentals, airport parking, movies, hotels, shows, concerts, sporting events & more. Anyone can join for $12 per member per year. Sign up yourself, your partner, your student! The more members in your family, the more opportunities to benefit. Questions? Contact [email protected]
Volunteer Background Checks.
We have many fun activities planned for the school year. If you are interested to volunteer at any CCE school events, background check clearance is required.
Please follow the link below to apply for background clearance today. (valid for 3 years)
BSD Volunteer website: https://bsd405.org/get-involved/volunteer/
Click on lower left green button, “Volunteer as a Parent or Guardian” and it will take to you Sterling Volunteers.
You will need your child’s school ID #
**Be sure your name and email match data in BSD system.
If you have any questions, please email: [email protected]
Thank you for your support!
Panorama Student Survey Begins, Grades 3-5.
Students will be taking the Panorama Survey in grades 3-5 beginning this week. They will take it in class at some point between now and December 1st. The purpose of the Panorama student survey is to help us understand the student experience better and to improve as a system. To learn more about student experiences, we will also be asking for your child’s feedback using the Panorama Social Emotional Learning (SEL) Survey again this fall. SEL is a process through which individuals build awareness and skills in managing emotions, setting goals, establishing relationships, and making responsible decisions that support success in school and life. As with all screeners and assessments, student data will remain confidential and secure. If you opted out before October 22nd, we have been notified and the SEL portion of the Panorama Survey will be turned off.
We look forward to using this valuable data to determine where in our system we need to improve in order to foster a sense of belonging for all students at Cherry Crest.
Extra Clothes and Lost and Found.
K-2 Families: Please pack extra clothes in your child’s backpack for accidents and rainy weather. Thank you!
We are collecting lost and found items daily. Students can check the lost and found located by the undercover area before, after school, and during recess time. Please check your child’s belongings each night to determine what might be missing. We donate items multiple times per school year.
All items will be donated on November 9th. Be sure to check out our cart beforehand!
Celebrating Diversity and Inclusion at Cherry Crest.
Please refer to our District’s cultural calendar (linked HERE) for each month. At Cherry Crest, we aim to recognize the many celebrations, holidays, and heritages that make our world, community, and neighborhood so beautiful. If you’re interested in sharing your rich culture with us, please reach out as we’re always looking for ways to enrich our students’ experiences and for students to see themselves in our hallways and in our classrooms.
November is:
Native American Heritage Month
From Bellevue School District:
- Thanksgiving from an Indigenous Perspective: Thanksgiving from an Indigenous Perspective | Smithsonian Voices | National Museum of the American Indian Smithsonian Magazine
- The History of Thanksgiving from the Native American Perspective: (nativehope.org)
- November 23rd, National Day of Mourning: United American Indians of New England – UAINE
- 7 ways to Commemorate Native American Heritage Day, November 24:
- 7+ Ways to Commemorate Native American Heritage Day 2023
- Native 360 Curriculum: Home | Native Knowledge 360°
From our School Counselor, Ms. Mykela:
Students:
- Take a virtual tour with your students through the Sitka Totem Trail located in Sitka, Alaska. Each totem pole is highlighted with multiple close-up photos of various elements, descriptions, and information about the artists and their own tribal identities.
- Explore our own backyard with your students by viewing what territories, languages, and treaties are and were present in the land we live on today: Native Land Digital
Families:
- Food is an essential element of so many cultures – To explore through the diverse world of Native foods, check out a few recipes from Indigenous Chefs. I made the Wild Rice Cakes with my family last year and they were a huge hit!
- Explore this list together with your students of some wonderful read-alouds here as well as an accompanying list of 10 ways you can make a difference for Native authors and to increase inclusion of these voices all year long: First Nations Development Institutes’ Children’s Literature Recommended Reading List.