The Sailor Signal
Cottage Lake Elementary - September 19, 2020
A Note from Principal Welch
Dear Families,
The launch of this school year has been like no other! I am so proud of our students and each of you for your assistance with the remote learning. The lift this fall has been nothing short of amazing. Thank you!! Everyone is taking on new roles we never thought we would have to become experts on in record time... such as tech support, remote learning teacher, video editor, website designer, etc. Thank you for your understanding as our Northshore Learns 3.0 evolves.
Thank you to all our families who picked up student learning materials Thursday. I loved seeing your faces again and seeing you in person. This was just what I needed! For those of you who were not able to pick those up, I will be reaching out to you individually. The materials were assembled by your teachers and your student will need them for learning moving forward. I also want to share a Thank You to our PTA, as well. Working with our FunRun vendor to provide t-shirts for all students was such a gift for everyone. I love seeing the pictures you are posting on the Cottage Lake PTA Facebook page of our students in them. :)
As we look to this next week, our focus will pivot to incorporate academic areas of learning. We will continue to focus and support social-emotional learning, but we will also dive into other areas. Teachers have been reviewing strategies to engage students in learning, while also trying to find a balance of screen time and work time. To that, your teachers will be sharing a schedule with you for the upcoming weeks that will include both synchronous (live) and asynchronous (recorded or independent) times for our students. During live teaching times, students will be logged into Zoom and the teacher will be there in person. For the recorded or individual work times, students will watch a pre-recorded video and then begin to engage in the given work. For some cases, teachers may be live for the lesson, but then students log off Zoom to begin/complete work. The asynchronous times are also a great opportunity for our staff to meet with small groups or check in with 1:1 with students. Your student's day will be a mix of these types of activities.
On Wednesday's, you will notice almost all of the day is asynchronous. Teachers will open the day at 9:00 AM with a class meeting and within that meeting, they will share what students should be working on during the day. Teachers will also be working on checking in with small groups, 1:1 with students, and potentially holding "office hours" where students can log into Zoom to ask questions. Please remember email is also a great tool to reach your teacher, both for students and you.
As we get a few weeks under our belt, teachers may still be making changes to their schedules. Teachers are doing their best to predict what will work best, but we may find we need a few changes. I support this. Just as we would do in our classrooms, we monitor and adjust, based on what we see students need and what is working, or not working. This will be the same as we move forward. Should you have concerns or wonders, please reach out to your child's teacher to ask questions. I am also happy to chat with you, but I will also be looping back with the teacher.
An additional piece being added this coming week is our specialists instruction. Students will attend one live time with Music & PE each week. Students will also have one recorded Music & PE lesson per week. Library instruction will be every-other week, as Mrs. Sterling is working with the district to launch circulation of books back into our routine. As soon as we have more details on that, we will let you know. This is exciting to think about!
** One note to point out, our PE classes will look a little different for a few weeks, if your student has Mr. Darling as their PE teacher. Mr. Darling will be out for a couple weeks and I am working really hard trying to find a guest teacher for his classes. Your student may have recorded sessions from another school, so I can provide the PE opportunity to your students. I am trying to be be super creative right now, as finding a guest teacher is proving to be exceptionally challenging. Thank you again for your understanding and flexibility.
I am so proud of our Sailor family and all we are navigating together. This is not easy, but I believe in us! I hope you are able to relax a little this weekend and maybe even step outside again. :) The air quality is improving and at my house, the level is now, "Good." Hooray! I plan to get outside today, despite it being wet.
I wish you all a healthy and happy weekend.
Take Care!
Jen Welch, Principal
•• SCHOOL NEWS ••
Authentication Zoom meeting entry
First, your teachers did nothing wrong! Your classroom teachers shared the Zoom link with you all perfectly; they did just what they should have.
Then, I am encouraging all staff to move to authenticated Zoom meetings. This is part of the guidance the district has sent to staff and this is set so all students are safe and stay in a secured Zoom meeting. Unfortunately, there are people in the world that have joined meetings and said things and done things to disrupt meetings and the attendees. In an effort to secure our meetings, we move to authentication. This then only allows access to the student Zooms with NSD accounts, and we also continue to monitor names when we are admitting students from our "waiting rooms."
Next, this means there are a few extra steps for students to log in, in the morning. Here are the steps below:
Step 1. Students log into Clever. This can be done by clicking on the Clever tile, web extension or by visiting http://family.nsd.org
Step 2. Students click on the Zoom tile/picture
Step 3. Students will arrive at http://nsd.zoom.us
Step 4. Students click on the blue Sign in button
Step 5. Students enter their student email address "#######@apps.nsd.org". Click "Next".
Step 6. Students then enter your password. Click "Sign In".
Step 7. Students will be brought to their account profile. This window or tab should stay open. This is how Zoom knows who the user is.
Step 8. Return back to Clever and click on Schoology.
Step 9. Students find their course and then click on the Zoom link shared by the teacher.
Finally, the district is working on the one-click sign-in feature within Clever. I realize this is a lot of steps, but keeping our students safe and secure is our paramount duty. I also share this graphic with you that one of our teacher's shared with her class. Authenticated Zoom login directions. It is an excellent visual for the login steps above. You could also visit this link, which provides technology supports for students.
Introducing Mr. Wallinger, our School Counselor
Hello! My name is Stephen Wallinger, and I am the new part-time school counselor for both Cottage Lake and East Ridge Elementary. I completed the school counseling program and earned my master's degree from Western Washington University in 2018. My passion is working with elementary aged students, and for the past two years I have been a elementary school counselor for the Ferndale School District. I love the amount of growth and change that happens during this stage of life and value the amount of preventative work that can take place to facilitate lifelong success for students. I am a firm believer that strong relationships are imperative for success and do all that I can to facilitate this with students, families, fellow staff, and community members. This year I will support students through classroom lessons, small group instruction, and brief 1-on-1 counseling. For families, I hope to be a resource and partner for you so that we can ensure the success of your students. In the coming weeks I will have more information for you regarding my role as the part-time counselor for Cottage Lake and East Ridge Elementary.
As all of you know, our normal way of life has been turned upside down since February, and this has created a lot of stress and tension for many students and families. With mental health crisis and suicide on the rise across our country, it is more important now than ever that we all are familiar with the signs of emotional distress, and how to support those who are experiencing this type of hardship. As some of you may know, September 10th was World Suicide Prevention Day, and so in support of that I want to provide you with some helpful resources.
This first resource provides some good safety considerations that you may implement in your home if you haven't already:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1DUhhwg8MbDl9eMKTlQBFkts0bhjcIOJT/view?usp=sharing
Next, although this resources says it's for teens, it provides some great insight on behaviors to be aware of, and what to do if you find out that someone you know is thinking about suicide:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/1b2K5G2wlYaPS9MUfAzyiYw76cpbYZtO1/view?usp=sharing
Finally, it is so incredibly important that we are engaging in healthy coping during these trying times. We cannot fully support and care for others if we are not caring for ourselves. Not only does proper self-care have many benefits for us as an individual, it models healthy coping behavior for our kiddos as well. Starting in October, Space Between will be hosting a virtual 3-part series on mindfulness and well-being for families. If you are interested here is a link to register for that 3-part series:
https://drive.google.com/file/d/10-lewZ9A_6i8Xac7QG7yXnspbfF5Olyx/view?usp=sharing
I hope you find these resources informative and helpful. Soon, I will be launching a counseling website that will have a ton of resources for you and your children, so stay tuned for more!
i-Ready
As a parent and guardian, there are a few things I would like you to do to become knowledgeable about regarding the i-Ready assessments.
- First, I'd like to check the operating system for the devices your child(ren) use. If your student(s) are using a district-issued iPad or Chromebook, your operating system is already up to date. If you are using a family purchased/owned device, please visit https://cdn.i-ready.com/systemcheck/ to make sure your device will run the diagnostic assessment.
- Next, I ask that families review this website for helpful information. https://showcase.dropbox.com/s/At-Home-Learning-Partner-Site-for-Pacific-Northwest-Families-Q0R8MlJ2N3oh8cydiYSui On this website, you will have an opportunity to watch a short video about the assessment and find some useful remote learning and assessing tips and resources.
- Before your student takes the diagnostic, please ensure the sound on your computing device is working. If your student is using headphones, that is great, but please make sure the sound is on before the start.
- As students take the assessment, this is an adaptive measure. Students will be presented items that are hard for them and that is okay. This will help provide us an instructional level, where items are "just right." It is very important to know that neither you nor our instructional staff can help a student during the assessment. Yes, we will be encouraging all students and looking at encouragement, but not assistance.
The i-Ready assessment is something we will use all year long. We will administer the diagnostic assessment three times this school year and students will also be working in the online learning, as well.
Thank you for your support as we all navigate how to assess and teach remotely.
•• REPEAT of District News ••
Need Technology?
Does your Cottage Lake Elementary student need a device for online learning? Please use the link below to sign up and sign the waiver. After you submit your form, Mr. Paganini will be in contact with you to set a pick-up time for you. For students in Kindergarten & Grade 1, we are issuing iPads. For students in Grade 2 through Grade 5, we are issuing Chromebooks. Students will keep these devices at home until we return to school.
Meals during remote learning and hybrid learning
Beginning Wednesday, September 9, we are offering free meals for ALL children ages 18 and younger. Students do not need to be enrolled in the Northshore School District to receive meals. This is GREAT news for each of our families; these are your tax dollars at work. I am so pleased this funding has been continued, allowing us to extend these meal services until the end of December.
For quick links:
- CLICK HERE to place an order for DAILY MEALS. [The order window time will be 2:00 PM-11:59 PM the day prior to meal pick-up. Order include breakfast and lunch, including 16oz of milk. Orders placed for a Friday pick-up will also include meals for the weekend.]
- CLICK HERE to place an order for WEEKLY MEAL PACKS. [Weekly Meal Packs will include breakfast and lunch for an entire week, including a gallon of milk. The order window will open at 2:00 PM every Wednesday and close at 2:00 PM every Thursday. Pick up for these meals will be on Wednesday the following week.]
Please consider ordering food! Our district is committed to feeding our children during this challenging time.
Free & Reduced Applications
Remember: families must reapply every year! Only one application per family is necessary.
•• PTA NEWS ••
Ice Cream Parade - Thursday, September 24, 2020, 4:00-5:00 PM
PTA Ice Cream Parade!
Thursday, September 24th, 4:00-5:00 PM
Remember when we used to have ice cream trucks? Remember before COVID when we had our annual Fall Ice Cream Social? Well, your PTA is missing both right about now so we're bringing them back!
Join us for a movable treat feast in your neighborhood. We'll follow the same route the teachers used last spring and hand out ice cream as we go. Masked, gloved, and prepackaged for safety, of course!
Find your nearest point along the parade route or meet us at the Woodinville Library to get your sweat treats and learn more about the PTA! CLICK HERE to see the route.
- Our next PTA Meeting of the year is October 13, 2020 from 7:00-8:00 PM. (This will be virtual)
- Learn more about the PTA and get your 2020/21 membership at www.cottagelakepta.org.
- Your 2020/21 PTA Presidents are: Carrie Mizenko & Rachel Tarr and can be contacted at president@cottagelakepta.org.
Amazon Smile!
Search: Cottage Lake PTA.
[YES, our PTA accounted is listed in Tacoma, but it IS our school's PTA located in Woodinville, WA.]
After selecting our school's PTA, each time you want to shop, begin with visiting www.smile.amazon.com, and then shop. You must first log into the smile.amazon.com for purchases to be eligible for the cash back opportunity.
Cottage Lake Elementary
Email: jwelch@nsd.org
Website: ourwebsite.org
Location: 15940 Avondale Road Northeast, Woodinville, WA, USA
Phone: (425) 408-4200
Facebook: facebook.com/ourschool
Twitter: @ourschool