Somerset’s April Family Communication
Greetings Somerset Families!
Next week (April 8-12) is spring break which means there is no school for students and staff. I will be out of town on vacation with my husband and will have limited access to email. I will respond to emails when I return on Monday, April 15th.
Smarter Balance Assessment (SBA)
There are only 9 full weeks of school remaining when we return and our students in 3rd-5th grade will be taking the Smarter Balanced Assessments (SBA) in English Language Arts and math. Fifth grade students have an additional science assessment. State testing does not need to be stressful – it can be seen as an opportunity to show how much our students grow each year! And our students know so much! You can encourage your child and decrease their stress by talking together about how much they have learned and grown this year. Please see our testing schedule below.
Enrollment for 2024-25 is open
School Enrollment for the 2024-2025 school year is open for new to BSD students and incoming kindergarteners. If you have a friend or a new neighbor, please encourage them to go to the district website and enroll as early as possible. This is very important as enrollment determines our teacher allocation and the specific number of classrooms needed for each grade. Students already enrolled in a BSD school do not need to do anything, they are automatically rolled up into the next grade.
2023-24 Student Information Survey for all current k-4 families:
Each year in late April, our office staff will send a Form’s survey for 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). 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.
Still time to contribute to BSF’s Spring For Schools and support Somerset and all BSD students
https://www.bellevueschoolsfoundation.org/
In Partnership,
Cathy Elder
Save the Date: Bellevue Transportation Forum
What can the district, City of Bellevue or Metro Transit do to engage and encourage parents to choose environmentally sustainable transportation options such as riding the bus, walking, biking or carpooling? Attend the Transportation Forum to collaborate with district and city leaders in creating solutions for transportation challenges.
Date: Thursday, April 25, 2024 Time: 4:00-6:00 p.m.
Location: Sammamish High School Address: 100 140th Ave. SE Bellevue, WA 98005
Somerset Elementary Information
PTSA STEAM month
PTSA is hosting an awesome month of events to support Science, Technology, Engineering, Art and Math! Utilizing a grant from the National PTSA, offerings include a something
Somerset Smarter Balanced Testing Schedule Spring 2024
Window March 4 – June 7
Somerset Smarter Balanced Testing Schedule Spring 2024 Window March 4 – June 7
| Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday |
| 22
APRIL |
23 | 24 | 25
5th ELA CAT Serafin Hunter Adams Tonning Rogers GZ |
26
5th ELA PT Serafin Hunter Adams Tonning Rogers GZ |
| 29
Make Up 5th Grade ELA |
30
4th ELA CAT Jackson Campbell Veit Pelto McLean |
1
MAY |
2
4th ELA PT Jackson Campbell Veit Pelto McLean |
3 |
| 6
Make Up 4th Grade ELA |
7
4th Grade + All AL Math CAT Palmer Wyant Jackson Campbell Veit McLean Pelto Tonning Rogers GZ *walk to math canceled* |
8
4th Grade + All AL Math PT Palmer Wyant Jackson Campbell Veit McLean Pelto Tonning Rogers GZ *walk to math canceled* |
9
3rd ELA CAT Lapov Bowen Rotz Abe/Latorre |
10
3rd ELA PT Lapov Bowen Rotz Abe/Latorre |
| 13
Make Up 3rd Grade ELA |
14
5th Grade Capital Tour |
15 | 16
5th Math CAT Adams Hunter Serafin |
17
5th Math PT Adams Hunter Serafin |
| 20
Make Up 4th Grade Math AL Math 5th Grade Math |
21
WCAS Hunter Serafin Adams Tonning Rogers GZ |
22 | 23
3rd Math CAT Lapov Bowen Rotz Abe/Latorre 3rd ELA CAT Palmer Wyant |
24
3rd Math PT Lapov Bowen Rotz Abe/Latorre 3rd ELA PT Palmer Wyant |
American Heart Associations: Kids Heart Challenge
We had a great time during Kids Heart Challenge and are so proud of our students and our school! THANK YOU for your incredible generosity and support in making our community heart healthy while helping others. We had 186 students participate in the challenge, and our schoolwide donations surpassed our goal of $10K. We had a total of $10, 890.
Ms. Jackson’s class had the most students registered, and Ms. Bowen’s class donated the most funds. Both classes will get an extra PE Choice Day. We had enough students register for KHC, so they earned the Fun Hair/Headwear Day incentive for all Somerset students to participate in. Students can wear their hair in fun, wild styles, or wear their favorite cap, hat, animal ears, etc. This will occur on April 19th.
The names of 10 students were drawn to participate in the incentive activity of Water Blasting Mr. Moe and Coach Boyd. Details coming when the weather warms up😎
We know how important it is to take care of our hearts year-round, so for additional tips and resources, visit the Parent Corner to keep your family healthy. If you haven’t completed Finn’s Mission yet, you can still log in on the Kids Heart Challenge App for Apple or Android or visit www.heart.org/schools to learn Hands Only CPR, the warning signs of a stroke, heart and brain facts, and more!
Student Council Updates
April Spirit Day- Wear Green for Earth Day
This month’s student council spirit day will take place on Earth Day – Monday, April 22nd. To show school spirit and commitment to protecting our planet’s environment, students and staff are encouraged to wear green for “Green Earth Day.” Because Earth Day lands on a Monday this year, it might be challenging to remember to wear green. We will have an announcement on Friday to help the kids remember. The Somerset class that has the greatest percentage of participants wearing green on April 22nd will be featured in the morning announcements and win a fun prize. Show your Earth Day spirit, Somerset!
Student Council Pet Supply Drive
Our student council students selected the King County Human Society to support for this year’s community service project. Somerset students collected 1,061 pounds of supplies to donate which was two and half truck loads worth of pet love! The picture is just a portion of the items the school collected. Thank you for your generous support.
April 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 a fire drill and practicing evacuating the building and accounting for everyone.
During a fire evacuation, 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.
Please talk with your student about preparing for emergencies and disasters such as fires. 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 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.
Please let us know if you have any questions.
Rocket Run: Birthday Fun Run with the Principals
Every month Mr. Moe-Lobeda, Ms. Yen and I host a Birthday Fun Run for all students who have a birthday in that month. Students 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 Speaks t-shirt on their Fun Run Day!
| April 17 |
| May 8 |
| June 12 (June & July) |
UPCOMING IMPORTANT DATES
April 8-12: Spring Break, no school
April 25-June 7: Somerset’s SBA testing window
May 6-10 SchoolPool Challenge: walk, carpool, bus, or bike to school.
Teacher Appreciation Week
For more information and important dates please follow this link to our Somerset PTSA: Link to Somerset PTSA
Bellevue School District Official Announcements
Care Solace Offers Mental Health Resources During Spring Break
As Spring Break approaches, we encourage students to fully embrace this time for relaxation and rejuvenation. Take a break from screens, reconnect with loved ones, and indulge in activities that bring joy. Should BSD students, staff or families need support during this time or any other, Care Solace is here to provide confidential mental health care coordination 24/7/365.
- Call: 888-515-0595 (Multilingual support available) · Visit: www.caresolace.com/bsd405
Learn about other mental health resources at BSD.