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Somerset Families,

There is something so special about the first day of school.  Each year there is great anticipation of what the year will bring and contagious joy on student faces as they greet their teacher and meet their new classmates.  It has been a GREAT first six days and Somerset is ready to SOAR!

Thank you, parents, for helping us have a safe arrival and dismissal, sending your children with ready for learning, and ensuring they have a great breakfast and night’s rest!

Thank you, teachers, for creating such welcoming classrooms, recognizing the importance of building a class community around respect and acceptance, and being flexible as we adjust to the new schedules.

Thank you, General School Assistants, office staff, para educators, custodians, bus drivers and so many more who make sure that kids are safe and well cared for in all the big areas of the school!

This is our monthly parent communication.  It will typically come the first week of the month, but with so much communication prior to the first day, we delayed this issue.  Our PTSA sends out a great weekly email blast each weekend.  Check out our www.somersetPTSA.org  website and our school page at https://bsd405.org/somerset/

This is a long issue so I hope you will find time to skim through each section.  I want you to feel informed, supported, and empowered in the partnership we have in your child’s education.

In Partnership,

Somerset Principal

Somerset Elementary Information

Somerset Office:

Our office is managed by Susie Nakamura.  We have two additional secretaries who support our students, staff and families.  Ms. Mitchell works closely with Mr. Moe-Lobeda on attendance.  Ms. Gregory supports transportation needs, building use and family connection supports.

If you need to report an absence for your child, please email [email protected] to inform the office.  Please leave your child’s name, teacher, and reason for absence.  We encourage you to use this email to inform us if you will be picking your child up early.  This allows us to be more efficient in checking their schedule prior to your arrival so they are ready for a quicker departure.

Technology Update for Somerset Students and Families:

All students should be receiving their technology devices by the end of the week. Our 2nd thru 5th grade students has laptops.  Our kindergarten and first grade students have district issued i-pads.  Devices are used for instructional purposes in the classroom.  Each classroom has different state required technology standards and each content area has district approved applications and programs that are used in the classroom to enhance learning.

Curriculum Night:

Somerset has been assigned Monday, September 19th to share our live, in person curriculum information with you.  We are hoping to be more responsive to the needs of our families who have more than one child at Somerset by offering two repeated sessions in every classroom during our event.  If you only need to attend one classroom, please choose the session that works best for you.  If you have more than one child, attend one child’s presentation during the first session and then go to the next classroom for the second session.

Session 1: 5:30-6:00

Session 2: 6:15-6:45

All classrooms will provide content information to all families if you are unable to attend on that evening.  In addition, some teachers in grade levels have a need for a 45-minute session.  If that is the case, they will communicate their start and end times so you can plan accordingly.

The purpose of curriculum night is to provide you classroom information and time to meet your child’s classroom teacher and see their learning space.

In the live in person presentation, teachers will provide a brief introduction of themselves, a short opportunity for you to connect with other parents in the classroom and model a couple of instructional routines to show how your students are learning in various content areas.  In addition to the live presentation, teachers will send a newsletter or Powerpoint explaining how to locate key classroom information, share avenues for communicating with the teacher and share ways with which the teacher will be sharing information and collaborating with parents.

Conversations about your individual child and how they are doing socially, emotionally or academically will be shared with you during your scheduled conference time in October when you are one on one with your child’s teacher.  Teachers will not be addressing or have the time to discuss individual students.

Rocket Run: Birthday Fun Run with the Principals:

Every month Mr. Moe-Lobeda and I will host a Birthday Fun Run for all students who have a birthday in that month. Students will come out to the field and run one lap around the field and have a picture taken with the birthday club members of that month.  Students are encouraged to wear their Somerset Shines t-shirt on their Fun Run Day!

This month we will celebrate August and September birthdays on September 20th.

 

September Safety Drill: Fire Drill

Washington state law and Bellevue School District policy require all schools to hold at least one drill per calendar month while school is in session. This month, on September 13th, we will be conducting a fire drill and practicing evacuating the building and accounting for everyone. Thinking about emergencies is never the most pleasant thing to do, but when done thoughtfully, we can work to feel safer by making sure we are practiced and prepared in the rare instance of an emergency.

For more information on emergency preparedness at Somerset, please see page 20 of the Somerset Family Handbook: https://bsd405.org/somerset/wp-content/uploads/sites/11/2019/09/Somerset-Community-Handbook-2019-20.pdf .

For Fire/Evacuation Drills, students are taught to quickly and quietly exit the building. They meet on the field at an assigned location and stay silent while attendance is taken to ensure all people have safely evacuated. Teachers will review this information with students ahead of time, make sure they are aware of some of the things that could raise anxiety, such as the sound of the alarm, and address some of the “What if..” scenarios that curious and creative minds always wonder about. They will also work to do this in a way that does not increase anxiety in students, but rather work on a sense of safety through preparation.

For more information on fire safety, you might want to visit the National Fire Protection Association “Kids” page at http://www.sparky.org/ or their parent resource page at http://www.sparky.org/parents.

 In the event of an actual emergency, whether an intense mid-day snow or an evacuation of the building, or something else, it MIGHT be necessary to ask parents to come pick up students. In these instances, we always have a location for parents to congregate and sign-in that is out of sight of students. This is key to ensuring the safety and security of our student body. To keep track of students, and ensure they are picked up by the right person, we cannot have parents going to where students are to try and find them, or students running into a group of parents to try and find their parent.

If you are contacted to pick up your child in an emergency situation, please make sure to bring photo ID and follow directions of where to go to pick up your child. In most situations, you will check in at a designated area and either your child will be brought to you, or you will go to a second station where your child will be brought.

We recognize that this process can feel longer than simply going to find your student, but please know that the process is there for reasons related to safety and security.

Snacks:

All students are receiving at least one snack break each day.  They are hungry.  Please send a “quick to eat” healthy snack with your child each day.  Food is important fuel to help regulate emotions and fuel brain power for learning.

Welcome New Families:

Somerset is excited to welcome our new kindergarten families and the 80+ students who have joined our school for the first time this fall. We celebrate diversity at Somerset and within our new to Somerset families we have over 23 different languages spoken.  We strive to create a school community where students can be their authentic selves at school and have pride in their unique cultural, linguistic, and personal identity.  We create opportunities for students to build their cultural competence by sharing a variety of text that we refer to as window and mirror text.  A mirror experience is when a student sees their identity reflected in the curriculum and books read in class, while a window experience allows them to see and learn about the identities and experiences of others.  In addition, students are encouraged to share their language, culture and special moments in the class enhancing the learning for all students.  Each story matters and provides diverse perspectives as students look at current and historical topics.

Arrival and Dismissal:

Front Parking lot for k-2 students and their siblings:

For car drop off: Parents, please drive through the pickup lines at the beginning of the day to drop off your child and again at the end of the day for pick up.  For quicker pick up, please display your dashboard sign.  The only parents parking should be K parents.  If you do not have a dashboard sign, please email [email protected] and one will be made and sent home with your child.

For walkers: To avoid crowding, parents walking kids should dismiss their kids at the front of the school and allow them to walk independently to their classroom lines.  Student supervision begins at 8:45 am.

Side Drop off zone (143rd SE) for Grades 3-5:

Please help us keep students safe and provide an efficient drop off and pick up zone.  Even with the congestion of the last few days, all 3-5 students have been picked up at the end of the day in less than 15 minutes of the dismissal bell.  You can help make it safer and more efficient by doing the following:

  1. Please stay in your car so as soon as we send your student to your car, you can pull out safely leaving room for the next car. Please do not park and leave your car between the sign announcing the cross walk all the way up past the gate.  This allows for continual pick up of 15+ cars.
  2. Please use your dashboard sign. We can identify who is here even before school is dismissed and radio to the teachers as the students come out.  We have increased the number of radios at the pick-up station.
  3. Keep driveways clear. Our neighbors have asked for us to keep their driveways clear. Many have appointments and practices that they need to get out of their driveway during our arrival and dismissal times.
  4. U-turns are unsafe and unnecessary. Use the circular patterns of the neighborhood roads to help return you in the direction you wish to go.  There is no need to turn around in a driveway or make a U-turn.  There are three simple to follow routes that allow you to return in the direction you came.

Bus passes for eligible riders that were not distributed the first week of school will arrive at Somerset during the week of September 15th.  We will get them to students at soon as they arrive.  Transportation runs the passes in batches, and we may have to wait for one additional release to get all students their bus pass.

Data Verification: if you haven’t already, please log into Parentvue and verify or update the following information:

  • Update their address online and provide the required proofs of address electronically.
  • Update their student’s demographic data.
  • Manage student’s emergency contact list.
  • Update student’s photo permissions.

Questions:  Please contact us at [email protected]. You can also go to our district website to learn more.  If you are having trouble logging into your ParentVUE account, please contact [email protected] for assistance.​  for detailed message in additional languages

 

PTSA Welcome Back Ice-Cream Social

Please come to our PTSA “Welcome Back-to-School Ice Cream Social walk-by” at Somerset Elementary on Friday, September 23rd from 5:00 to 7:30pm.

The ice cream tickets will be handed out at the staff parking lot. One ticket per student valid for one ice cream. Parents can purchase additional tickets for extra fun! Siblings welcome!  RSVP link will be provided in next week’s PTSA eNews.

 

Winterfest at Somerset

Back by popular request, Somerset will host it’s second Winterfest event on Wednesday, December 16th.  Winterfest is our opportunity to affirm and celebrate our diverse community’s special traditions, festivals, and holidays during the dark winter months.  We are in the early planning stages and need help to make this event meaningful and memorable as we come together under the same bright stars! If you are interested in being a part of the planning committee to take on leadership of one part, please share your name and contact information by completing the following link to show your interest.  https://forms.office.com/r/q32zz6KcLa

Our first meeting will be on September 28th at 10:00 am in person.

 

UPCOMING IMPORTANT DATES

September 19th               Curriculum Night for all grades

September 20th               August/September Birthday Rocket Run with Principals

September 23rd              PTSA Ice-Cream Social

September 28th               Winterfest Planning meeting

September 29th & 30tth School Pictures-fliers with information have been sent

October 14th                   No school for students, Professional Learning Day for Teachers      

October 17-19                 Early release for k-5 students for parent-teacher conference days-Dismissal is 1:20

For more information and important dates please follow this link to our Somerset PTSA:  Link to Somerset PTSA

 

Bellevue School District Official Announcements

New Fall Hours for Hub

The Bellevue School District welcomes families from across the district to the new Bellevue Family Hub located at Highland Middle School. Families are invited to visit the Hub to meet with trained volunteers who can connect them to resources for clothing assistance, rent assistance, and BSD school support. The Bellevue Family Hub located at Highland Middle School (15027 NE Bel-Red Road) is a joint partnership between the Bellevue School District and Bellevue LifeSpring.

Since the Hub opened its doors on August 22, over 500 students have already been served. The Bellevue Family Hub continues to invite students and their families to come and receive access to three essential resources for a successful start to the year: 1) Online student verification and completion of the application for Free and Reduced-Price Meals; 2) Back-to-school clothing support for students and 3) Navigating resources for rent assistance.

The new fall hours for the Hub are: 

  • Tuesdays: 7:00 a.m. to 2:00 p.m.
  • Wednesdays: 10:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.

 

Apply to Join the Superintendent Community Advisory Council (SCAC)

Each year, the Superintendent Community Advisory Council (SCAC) makes recommendations to the superintendent on major issues impacting our district. This year’s focus will be on defining what effective community engagement should look like in BSD. The SCAC meets once per month, from October to April for two hours, with some pre-work and preparation required between meetings. The group produces an annual recommendations report to the superintendent and is supported by District staff. Applications are open until September 16 — please consider applying! Students who are selected to join the Council can count their hours toward community service time.

Apply to be a member of the council.

View the phases of work and learn more about SCAC.

2022-23 Official Notices

The 2022-2023 Official Notices, Weapons Policy and Truancy Laws are available on the district website.  English, Spanish and Simplified Chinese versions can also be found on the Official Notices page.

English
Linked are the Bellevue School District’s Official Notices for 2022-2023, including:

  • Student Education Records
  • Non-Discrimination
  • Harassment, Intimidation and Bullying
  • Weapons
  • Truancy

Documents listed above can also be found online at: www.bsd405.org/about/resources/notices

Spanish
Están vinculados los avisos oficiales del Distrito Escolar de Bellevue para 2022-2023, que incluyen:

  • Expedientes escolares de los estudiantes
  • No discriminación
  • Acoso, intimidación y acoso escolar
  • Armas
  • Ausentismo

Los documentos enumerados anteriormente también se pueden encontrar en línea en: www.bsd405.org/about/resources/notices

Simplified Chinese 

链接是 Bellevue学区2022-2023学年的官方通知,包括:

  • 学生教育记录
  • 禁止歧视
  • 骚扰、恐吓与欺凌
  • 武器
  • 逃学

上述文件在网上也有,网址:www.bsd405.org/about/resources/notices 

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.