Somerset’s January Principal Communication
Somerset Families,
Welcome Back to the second part of the 2022-23 school year. Although we are not quite to the halfway mark, the two weeks off does provide a natural break in the school year allowing for reflection and new energy. I walked through all 28 classrooms last week and saw students happy to see their friends, teachers excitedly welcoming students back and reintroducing the important classroom routines that set up for high quality learning.
January is an important month in the school learning cycle as student take district wide assessments to look at growth in the areas of math and reading. The assessment information is one important piece of information used to share student scores on their Progress Report. More importantly, it helps guide instruction, supports, and/or extensions students need as we head into the second semester.
This month also provides us the continued opportunity to celebrate the life and legacy of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Students will watch an assembly prepared by school staff and student leaders prior to the holiday on January 16th. There is no school for students on Monday, January 16th to observe the federal holiday.
Lastly, a leadership team of parents and educators will be developing a Heritage Language program at Somerset for our current kindergarten students as both a learning opportunity and an initiative to support Global Competency in our district’s strategic plan. Please read below for more information related to Heritage Language program.
Happy New Year! I look forward to the opportunities that 2023 will bring! Have you seen the Winterfest publicity on the district communications? Here is the link https://bsd405.org/2023/01/winter-celebrations-of-bsd-community/
Kindergarten Information Night will be held February 9th!
Calling all families with future Kindergarten students: We will host an Open House meeting for families with a kindergartener starting in the fall of 2023. The meeting will provide information about our school and kindergarten curriculum, a tour through the building and an introduction to some of our amazing staff. Please pass this information on to your neighbors and friends who have a new “superstar” starting K in the fall.
Thursday, February 9th 5:30-6:15 pm. We will meet in the café and guest should enter through the café doors.
2023-24 Tyee Middle School Information Night
Join us at Tyee Middle School the evening of Thursday, January 19th for our 2023-24 Information Night event. This event is designed for future Tyee students and families (current 5th grade, and 6th & 7th graders considering/applying for transfers to Tyee). Throughout the evening, guests will learn about our amazing school and the fantastic programs and services students experience. The event will be hosted from 6:00-8:00 at Tyee Middle School (13630 SE Allen Road, Bellevue, WA 98006). There will be a Welcome Session from 6:00-6:30 in the Gymnasium, followed by Breakout Sessions by topic from 6:30-8:00 in various classrooms. A full agenda will be posted to the Tyee website (www.bsd405.org/tyee) on January 17. For students or families unable to attend, resources will also be posted to our website Friday, January 20.
Somerset Elementary Information
PTSA Partnership
We are grateful for the ongoing partnership we have with Somerset PTSA in their support of our school vision, curriculum enhancements, and community engagement. I would like to acknowledge the generosity of our PTSA and the parents who financially support their fundraising efforts. In December, PTSA gifted our school with over $100,000 to support our General School Assistants (GSAs)which provides all students extra instructional support in the classroom and in our common areas such as recess and lunch. We would not be able to have the number of GSAs we have and provide the extra adult support in the ways that we do without this commitment. Thank you.
PTSA & Principal Coffee/Tea Connection
Join us!
January 27 & February 10: Parents are invited to start their morning having coffee/tea with the principals and the PTSA. I will provide a welcome and quick update and our PTSA presidents will provide information to learn more about the PTSA’s and volunteer opportunities, as well as hear upcoming plans for the rest of the year. At the end of the PTSA presentation, school leadership will provide a short tour of the school sharing our PTSA partnership and key strategies for school improvement.
There are a limited number of spaces (30) for the tours on both mornings. If you plan to attend and would like to sign up for a tour, click here and complete the quick Sign Up Genius to save a spot. We will take the first 30 sign ups.
Support us! Upcoming Fundraisers
Superstar Dine Out: Chipotle
Wednesday, January 11 – Chipotle (4000 Factoria Blvd SE) is donating 33% of sales to Somerset Elementary School PTSA！Take a night off from cooking and join us in eating for a great cause. Chipotle accepts Pick up orders made online at https://www.chipotle.com using code TJJ4XBN or showing this flyer in the restaurant. The fundraiser is between 4-8pm. Thanks in advance for your support!
Brown Bear Car Wash Fundraiser
Tickets are for 1 Beary Clean Wash and are redeemable at any Brown Bear Car Wash Tunnel location. Tickets will go on sale starting Saturday Jan 14 and end on Sunday Jan 29. More details to come.
Student Council Spirit Day
Somerset Student Council is made up of two students from each fourth and fifth grade classroom. They work under the leadership of Mr. Pelto and create monthly spirit days, a yearly service project and more.
Our next spirit day is “Get Sporty Day” scheduled for Friday, January 27th. The idea is to wear the gear of your favorite sport, club, or activity. The class that has the greatest percentage of students participating will get a special prize and an acknowledgement in the morning announcements.
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!
| January 11 |
| February 8 |
| Mar 8 |
| April 19 |
| May 10 |
| June 14 (June& July) |
Social Emotional Learning
To start the new year, Somerset is beginning a school-wide focus on problem solving. Conflict is a natural part of life, and at Somerset we have social emotional curriculum that teaches tools and strategies so that our students can problem solve independently. Over the next 10 days each class will be participating in a lesson around problem solving. There are several problem-solving tools taught at Somerset, and one of the best ways for students to internalize these strategies is to get lots of practice with them at school AND at home. We hope that you will consider reviewing and implementing one or more of these tools with your family as well!
| In our Kindergarten through Second Grade social emotional curriculum, students are taught STEP to solve problems: | In our Third Grade to Fifth Grade social emotional curriculum, students are taught the Blueprint to solve problems: |
| School-wide we teach Kelso’s Choices to help students come up with solutions to small problems: | School-wide we teach Bug and a Wish sentence stems to talk through conflicts with others:
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Middle of Year Testing & Progress Reports
All students k-5 complete three cycles of district provided assessments each year. The first window occurs in September, the second in January and the final window is in late May. K-2 students assess their foundational reading skills with DIBELS and TRC one-on-one with their teacher. We use school budget to release each teacher for one day to support this individualized testing. Students in grade 3-5 complete STAR math and STAR reading assessments on their computers. Students below the MOY benchmark in reading are also assessed individually by their teacher with DIBELS for more insight into their specific reading needs.
Somerset teachers collaboratively work together each month to plan high quality lessons and spend time together analyzing student work and data to inform their instructional practice. Once the testing window is complete, each grade level team meets with our student success team to look at data to determine interventions and extensions for individual students needing extra supports. We are excited to see the impact of our focused phonemic awareness and phonics instructions at grade k-2 and how the shifts to more systematic literacy instruction at grades 3-5 will show up in these middle of year assessments. In math, teachers have spent time each month in their professional development focusing on expanding language routines and deepening experiences to build conceptual understanding in each of their math units. This focus is to support all students expand the way they solve problems and communicate their strategies both verbally and in writing.
Progress reports will be shared with families. In the fall, each parent was invited to a parent-teacher conference to discuss their child’s strengths and goals. Progress Reports are a continuation of this conversation in a written document. Our progress reports are standards based and give teachers and opportunity to share your child’s individual progress toward grade level standards with you. The Progress Report will be available on Parent Vue after February 10th. You will need to log on to see the report.
In addition, students who qualify for multi-language learning services will take their once-a-year language development screener (WIDA) to check progress in the four domains of speaking, listening, reading, and writing. Students in grades 1-5 will be dismissed from class to meet with a proctor to complete the assessment on the computer. Kindergarten students meet with the proctor one-on-one for their assessment. Although this assessment is given in late January and February, the results are not reported until late spring.
Heritage Language Program for Kindergarten students
We are pleased to share with you a learning opportunity and an initiative for our Somerset School community —Heritage Language Program under the umbrella of Global Competency strategic plan.
At Bellevue, our vision is to affirm and inspire each and every student to learn and thrive as creators of their future world. To hold ourselves true to our vision, we are excited to expand bilingualism and multilingualism of our community.
Somerset Elementary School is highly diverse and values linguistic diversity as an asset for ALL students. We recognize when students can show up as their authentic self, they are affirmed and do better socially, emotionally, and academically. Therefore, Somerset is excited to pilot this opportunity later this school year. By building understanding of the Heritage languages for all learners within a community, we remove barriers and create bridges to form positive friendships and connections.
As with many piloting programs, we will start small so we can develop a successful program to launch to additional grades over time. This year, Somerset will offer the Heritage Language programming opportunities to our kindergarten students. What we offer will depend on the information we gathered from our kindergarten families in the fall survey. How much we offer and when it will be offered will be determined by our planning team after reviewing the family input and community support.
If you are wondering what heritage language is, please watch this short informative video: https://www.internationaledwa.org/resources_links/heritage-language/
January Safety Drill: Shelter-in-Place
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, we will be conducting a shelter-in-place drill and practicing what to do in the event of a hazardous materials release near our school.
During a shelter-in-place drill, students sit quietly while staff simulate sealing the room to limit outside air exchange.
Shelter-in-place procedures would only be used if officials determine there is not enough time to safely evacuate people out of the danger zone.
Please talk with your student about preparing for emergencies and disasters. Encourage them to talk about their concerns and express their feelings. Emphasize that even though sometimes things happen that we may not expect, there are lots of things we can do to help us stay safe.
For more information on shelter-in-place, you might want to visit the Washington Department of Health website at https://www.doh.wa.gov/Emergencies/BePreparedBeSafe/SevereWeatherandNaturalDisasters/ShelterInPlace or the Washington Emergency Management Division at https://mil.wa.gov/hazardous-material.
UPCOMING IMPORTANT DATES
January 11 November Birthday Run
January 16th Martin Luther King jr., no school
January 22nd Lunar New Year celebration at Somerset hosted by PTSA and Somerset Neighborhood Association
January 27th “Get Sporty” school Spirit Day
January 27 & Feb 10- PTSA coffee with the Principals and Presidents
February 20-24 Mid-Winter Break, no school
For more information and important dates please follow this link to our Somerset PTSA: Link to Somerset PTSA
Bellevue School District Official Announcements
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The following excerpts are from the Community Relations email sent from Dr. Jarvis letter on January 6th
New Superintendent
The arrival of 2023 marks a significant period for the Bellevue schools and community. In particular, January will mark the selection of a new Bellevue School Superintendent and an exciting new era for the school district. Thanks to the early process by the Board of Directors, we will have the opportunity to spend the next five months working in transition with that new leader. This transition time permits them to begin their new role on July 1, having been part of the key decision-making this Spring. In our case, the Spring of 2023 will be packed with significance and significant decisions for BSD.
Declining Enrollment
Among those issues will be the need to tackle declining enrollment and thereby stabilize the district for the next decade. The last several years, while masked by a pandemic, laid bare a new reality of sharply declining birth rates, staggering increases in home prices, and continuing urbanization of Bellevue. Our school district, which has earned immense praise for a twenty-year program of capital construction resulting in outstanding school facilities, now faces a future that will serve fewer students. Plans approved five years ago must now be rethought. It would be poor business for the district to continue adding facilities while classroom utilization drops.
This Spring, we will be unveiling a variety of scenarios to achieve consolidations in elementary schools. It will be challenging and uncomfortable, but absolutely essential to the long-term health of the school district. We will find stability, innovation, and progress while avoiding overbuilding and costly underutilization. Declining enrollment can be managed effectively to continue vibrant programs and outstanding achievement. Likewise, Bellevue can continue to draw upon its’ wonderful staff and adjust staffing through attrition rather than “layoffs .”Consolidation of facilities also opens the door to utilize modern, appropriate vacated schools to meet the needs of schools awaiting replacement facilities – namely Big Picture School, Jing Mei, and International School – all of which have been promised adequate replacement buildings in lieu of the current inadequate facilities.