Somerset’s May Principal communication
Somerset Families,
I want to share a few important upcoming events, needs, and updates as we approach the final two months of the school year.
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School Pool:
We are one of 16 schools that are participating in the Spring 2023 SchoolPool Challenge during the week of May 1-5! Bellevue SchoolPool is a program that encourages families and students to explore sustainable transportation options for their commute to and from school and alleviate congestion at drop-off and pickup times and locations. During the Challenge students and families are encouraged to walk, bike, carpool or take the bus to and/or from school. This year, students are encouraged to participate in the SchoolPool Challenge Art Contest. Students may draw a picture of their trip to or from school in an art contest brochure that their teacher provided. Students may return their drawings to the school office by May 12th with parent/guardian signature. The Bellevue SchoolPool team may select a drawing for future posters, signs, or web postings. SchoolPool also provides students with fun items such as pens, erasers, and special stickers. Participating in the SchoolPool Challenges helps raise money for our school.
For maps of walking and biking routes in our schools attendance area, visit the Routes to School web map. Click on our school to find a printable map for your route. If you would like to sign up for the quarterly editions of the Bellevue SchoolPool newsletter, click here.
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Reimagine Middle School Survey:
A team of parents, educators and district leaders have been working this year on a plan to Reimagine Middle School and develop a proposal for BSDs executive leadership team. Tomorrow, April 25th an email with information about possible prototypes and link to parent survey will be sent to all current 5th grade families. I encourage you to read through the information and provide your feedback on the survey.
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2023-24 Student Information Survey for all current k-4 families:
Each year in May we ask families to provide us information regarding their plans for the upcoming school year to better help us assign students to classroom and align our staffing allocation. This is an internal school survey to help our Somerset team proactively plan. Students currently enrolled will automatically transition into their next year’s classroom. There is no additional paperwork or forms needed for that to happen. This survey lets us know that your plan is to return so we place your child in a classroom, not returning so we remove them prior to making classroom assignments, unsure of your plans (we will assign them to a classroom, until we hear back from you). This year we have added questions related to transportation because we are reviewing our systems for arrival and dismissal. We recognize that family plans can change over the summer but we try our best to get the most accurate information in June because so much planning takes places during July and August. Click here to fill out the Forms survey. You will need to fill it out for each k-4th student. It should take less 3-5 minutes to complete.
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Field Trips:
We are very fortunate to have a supportive PTSA that covers the cost of experiences that students get on a field trip (admission cost or related fees). Due to state laws, PTSA cannot fund the transportation cost of getting students to and from the field trip location. For us to continue offering off-site field trip experiences to our students, we ask for parent donations to cover the rising cost of the bus fees which include driver, fuel, and mileage. When a field trip is announced, teachers will provide the average cost per student needed to cover the transportation fees. We are hopeful that parents will support donating to the transportation field trip fund. Donations can be accepted through BSD’s secure website: https://wa-bellevue.intouchreceipting.com/ . Field trip forms will also include a direct link to the donation page. You will be asked to type in the amount you wish to donate. Your generosity is greatly appreciated. Unfortunately, if we do not receive enough donations to cover the trips, we will need to cancel them. We currently have over $2,200 in unpaid transportation fees related to field trips earlier this school year. If your child has already experienced a field trip, please consider making a donation by clicking on the above link.
Teacher (Staff) Appreciation Week is May 8-12th. I am incredibly proud and grateful for our Somerset staff! They provide high quality instruction matching current research and exceptional levels of care to support the social and emotional needs of our students. They are great educators and fantastic humans!
In Partnership,
Somerset Principal
Somerset Elementary Information PTSA Partnership
May 12, 2023 (Fri) – Pizza & Bingo Night
Get ready for a night of fun, food, and games at Somerset PTSA’s Pizza and Bingo Night! Save the date for Friday, May 12, 2023, from 6:00-8:00PM at the school cafeteria. Come join us for an exciting evening of bingo with great prizes, delicious pizza, and the best company. I’m very excited to be emceeing the event and keeping the games lively and fun for all ages. RSVPs required, as space is limited. Please RSVP and/or sign up as a volunteer here. Bingo cards will be sold at the event for $1 each – exact cash only.
Pizza dinners are available by pre-order only. If you’d like to enjoy a pizza dinner while playing Bingo, please pre-order your meal here.
Field Day is scheduled for June 9th.
Many volunteers are needed to make this a fun and safe event. Please consider signing up when the link becomes live. We had over 60 parents volunteers last year and all reported it as a fun way to partner with students in celebrating the year.
Student Council Spirit Day- Clothing Chaos Day
Somerset Student Council has announced their May Spirit Day for Friday, May 26th!
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!
| May 15th* Date changed due to state assessments |
| June 14 (June & July) |
May Safety 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, we will be conducting an earthquake drill and practicing what we would do if we were at school in the event of an earthquake.
In the United States, the recommended actions to take in the event of an earthquake are Drop, Cover, and Hold On.
Please talk with your student about preparing for emergencies and disasters such as earthquakes. 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 earthquakes and general preparedness, you might want to visit the Washington Emergency Management Division (https://mil.wa.gov/personal) or Great Washington ShakeOut (https://www.shakeout.org/washington/index.html) websites. You may also find the https://www.ready.gov/kids site helpful. Please let us know if you have any questions.
PTSA is hosting a Parent Education Night on School Safety on Wednesday, May 31st @7:30.
Join Kelle Hansman, District Coordinator of Emergency Management, and Mr. Moe-Lobeda for an informational night to learn about district safety measures and protocols and how they are implemented at Somerset.
UPCOMING IMPORTANT DATES
May 1-5th: SchoolPool challenge: walk, carpool, bus, or bike to school.
May 12th: Pizza and Bingo Night
May 15th: Birthday Rocket Run with principals
May 29th: No School, Memorial Day
May 31st: PTSA Parent Ed on School Safety at 7:30pm
For more information and important dates please follow this link to our Somerset PTSA: Link to Somerset PTSA