The Sailor Signal
Cottage Lake Elementary - September 4, 2023
Upcoming Events
SEPTEMBER
- September 6 - First Day of School Grades 1-5
- September 11 - Kindergarten First Day of School for last names A-G
- September 12 - Kindergarten First Day of School for last names H-Z
- September 12 - PTA Meeting, 7:00-8:00 PM
- September 13 - ALL Kindergarten students attend school together
- September 13 - Early Release Wednesday. Dismissal @ 2:30 PM
- September 18 - Curriculum Night for Grades 4 & 5
- ..... 5:30-6:30 - 4th Grade
- ..... 6:45-7:45 PM - 5th Grade
- September 19 - Curriculum Night for Grades 2 & 3
- ..... 5:30-6:30 - 2nd Grade
- ..... 6:45-7:45 PM - 3rd Grade
- September 20 - Early Release Wednesday. Dismissal @ 2:30 PM
- September 21 - School Picture Day!
- September 25 - Curriculum Night for Grades K & 1
- ..... 5:30-6:30 - Kindergarten
- ..... 6:45-7:45 PM - 1st Grade
- September 27 - Early Release Wednesday. Dismissal @ 2:30 PM
OCTOBER:
- October 4 - Early Release Wednesday. Dismissal @ 2:30 PM
- October 11 - Early Release Wednesday. Dismissal @ 2:30 PM
- October 12 - PTA Fun Run, Walk, & Roll, Time TBA
•• New & Important Information ••
Grades 1-5 First Day of School - September 6
Kindergarten First Day of School!
I'd like to welcome you to the 2023-2024 school year! This is an exciting time for you and your families. As we look to the beginning of the school year, I wanted to provide you with some very important dates to mark on your calendars. You will notice Kindergarten starts with family conferences and then we have staggard start days for students. This allows us the opportunity to learn about students before they start in our classroom and then on the staggard days, this provides us an opportunity to start small before all students are together. Please do review the dates below carefully.
Below you will find dates that pertain to the beginning of Kindergarten.
- Wednesday, September 6, 2023 - No School for Kindergarten students. Teachers will be holding WaKIDS family conferences where they will meet with each family during one of these three conference days. Families will be asked to sign up for a date and time.
- Thursday, September 7, 2023 - No School for Kindergarten students. Teachers will be holding WaKIDS family conferences where they will meet with each family during one of these three conference days. Families will be asked to sign up for a date and time.
- Friday, September 8, 2023 - No School for Kindergarten students. Teachers will be holding WaKIDS family conferences where they will meet with each family during one of these three conference days. Families will be asked to sign up for a date and time.
Monday, September 11 – Last Names A-G attend school, while last names H-Z stay home.
Tuesday, September 12 – Last Names H-Z attend school, while last names A-G stay home.
Wednesday, September 13 – All students are together at school
Please mark your calendars with the above information.
After September 13, your student will follow the regular Northshore calendar for elementary-aged students. We are looking forward to welcoming our youngest Sailors!
Welcome to Cottage Lake!
Picture Day! September 21, 2023
Some tips from Dorian are:
- Schedule haircuts 7-10 days prior to picture day
- Wear simple clothing
- Avoid Logos and text on clothing
•• Repeat Information ••
Want to be a Volunteer?
We cannot run this school without our fabulous volunteers!
- If you completed your volunteer paperwork last year, please know you must renew that each year.
- If you are new to Northshore and Cottage Lake and would like to volunteer in the classroom or attend a field trip with your child, you will need to complete a short virtual class and background check. We welcome all parents, guardians, and grandparents to volunteer and become active members of our school community! This process only takes minutes to complete, but we want to share there is a small cost associated with the background check.
If you would like to attend any off-campus events with your student (s), you will need a Level 2 volunteer approval. Please know your active volunteer status is good in all Northshore schools.
Volunteer information: https://www.nsd.org/get-involved/volunteer
Bus Routes
School Supplies
If you need assistance with school supplies for your student(s), please reach out to our Office Manager, Sarah McKinnon (smckinnon@nsd.org), in our front office. Thank you!
YMCA Childcare
Registration is OPEN to ALL FAMILIES!!
Keep in mind that capacity is limited, and spaces may fill quickly.
- Visit seattleymca.org/BASE, navigate to your school district page, and then navigate to your school. A registration button will be available under your school's name shortly before registration opens.
- Choose from a variety of flexible options including morning care, afternoon care, and one to five days per week.
- Registration for non-school days and breaks will occur at a later date.
If any of you have any questions about what the 2023-2024 school year looks like please reach out at registration@seattleymca.com or 206-382-4927. We appreciate your partnership and are excited to continue working together another year.
School Food and Nutrition Information
Please visit the website below for more information.
2023-2024 School Calendar
Important Dates:
- September 4 - No School for Labor Day
- September 6 - First Day of School for Grades 1-5
- November 10 - No School for Veteran's Day
- November 23 & 24 - No School for extended Thanksgiving break
- December 18 - through January 1 - No School for Winter Break
- January 2 - Welcome back to school!
- January 15 - No School for Martin Luther King Jr's Birthday
- January 29 - No School for teacher grading day
- February 19 - through 23 - No School for President's Day & Mid-Winter Break
- April 8 - through 12 - No School for Spring Break
- May 24 - Emergency Make-Up Day (possibly no school)
- May 27 - No School for Memorial Day
- June 19 - No School for Juneteenth
- June 24 - Last Day of School for Grades K-5
Connecting with our Office Staff
Email is always a great way to get a hold of any staff member.
To get a hold of the main office, please dial 425-408-4200.
Office Manager - Sarah McKinnon @ smckinnon@nsd.org
Secretary - Teri Negrin @ tnegrin@nsd.org
Principal - Jennifer Welch @ jwelch@nsd.org
Nurse - Brittney Schlee @ bschlee@nsd.org
School Counselor - Christie Pak @ cpak@nsd.orgDean of Students - Sam Maynard @ smaynard2@nsd.org
Attendance - clattendance@nsd.org
UPDATED.....Fall Curriculum Night Dates and Times
These curriculum nights are intended for parents and/or guardians only. There is no childcare provided for these events.
Monday, September 18
- Grade 4 @ 5:30-6:30 PM
- Grade 5 @ 6:45-7:45 PM (Updated date)
Tuesday, September 19
- Grade 2 @ 5:30-6:30 PM
- Grade 3 @ 6:45-7:45 PM
Tuesday, September 26
- Kindergarten @ 5:30-6:30 PM
- Grade 1 @ 6:45-7:45 PM (Updated date)
News from Nurse Brittney
News From the Nurse....
Welcome back to school! I hope you all had a fun and relaxing summer. I am excited to again be working as your School Nurse. My goal is to have a safe and healthy environment for learning and look forward to working with you and your child in the coming year.
Sometimes it is hard to decide if your child needs to stay home or can go to school. To help give you some guidelines I have enclosed the information flyer When Should I Keep My Child Home in this packet for you to review and keep as a reference. If you are still not sure if your child should come to school, please give me a call.
The reverse side of this letter explains Northshore School District’s Medication Policy, which reflects state law. If your child will need to take medication at school (prescription and/or over the counter) you may obtain the Medication Authorization Forms from me in the Health Room or on the District website (https://www1.nsd.org/resources/reference/frequently-requested-forms) Please do not send any medication to school without the proper authorization – it cannot be given. If your child takes regular medication at home that should not be interrupted (i.e. medication for a seizure disorder) I strongly encourage you to obtain the necessary authorization and keep a 3-day supply of medication at school in case of an emergency - such as an earthquake.
State law requires that a child with a life-threatening condition must have medication or treatment orders in place on or before the child's first day of school. As a result, students with severe asthma, allergies that require epinephrine, diabetes, or any other condition considered life-threatening will need to have medication/treatment orders signed and in place at school on or before the first day of attendance.
Each year in Northshore schools, students in grades Kindergarten, 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7 receive hearing and vision screenings. We are currently scheduled for vision and hearing screenings on October 18, 2019 (if you would like to volunteer to help please let me know – I always need volunteers!). If you would like to exempt your child from either of these health screenings, please contact me.
If you need any assistance with low-cost health insurance or other resources, please let me know. All information will be kept strictly confidential. You can also find a comprehensive list of community resources at: https://www.nsd.org/northshore-learns/community/assistance
I’m looking forward to a great year ahead! Please contact me if you have any questions or concerns about your child's health.
When Should My Child Stay Home?
Please see below for guidelines that the school nurse uses to evaluate students who may need to go home. If your child has any of the symptoms below, please keep them home until the symptoms subside.
- APPEARANCE/BEHAVIOR: unusually tired, difficult to wake, pale in color, irritable, lack of appetite; these are often signs of underlying illness.
- FEVER: temperature of 100 degrees or higher. A child may be sent home without a fever if other symptoms are present. Your child must be fever free for 24 hours (without the use of fever-reducing medications) before they can return to school.
- SORE THROAT: especially with fever and/or swollen glands.
- EYES: discharge, swelling, redness, itchiness, pain, and/or crusting may be signs of conjunctivitis. Medical evaluation may be necessary.
- NASAL DRAINAGE/COUGH: yellow or green nasal drainage, and/or cough, may prevent your child or other students from being able to concentrate. They may expose others to illness, especially if they cannot control their secretions.
- VOMITING/DIARRHEA: Your child must not have any episodes of vomiting or diarrhea for 24 hours before they can return to school.
- RASH: any rash of unknown cause should be considered contagious. Please have your child examined by a healthcare provider to determine the cause and communicability of the rash before returning to school. The school may require a note from the health care provider stating that the rash is not contagious.
It is not unusual for students to feel great in the morning and then worse as the day goes by. The school is not equipped for prolonged care of your sick student. We require that you or an emergency contact will pick up your sick child within the hour that you are called. Please notify your school of any changes to your emergency contacts, it is important to have a list of available contacts if we are not able to reach you.
Thank you for helping us keep our schools safe and healthy.
Brittney Schlee, RN
(425) 408-4206
•• District News ••
Free and Reduced-Price melas applications & School fee waivers
FREE AND REDUCED-PRICE MEALS APPLICATION:
Families whose income falls within specified guidelines set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture should apply for free or reduced-price meals for their students. Don't forget – families must re-apply every year.
If you qualify for free or reduced-price meals you may also qualify for:
School fee waivers – a fee waiver form must be completed.
Other services such as health insurance – contact your school nurse for more information.
The online application only takes a few minutes and is the fastest, easiest way to get approved.
SCHOOL FEE WAIVERS:
Families who qualify for free and reduced-price meals also qualify for additional school fees to be reduced or waived. All qualifying families must fill out a Fee Waiver Form in addition to their application or other form of qualification.
Fee waiver forms expire on August 31. To receive waived fees (ASB, sports, extracurricular activities etc.) for the 23-24 school year, families must fill out a new fee waiver form.
For a complete list of programs, view the fee waiver form.Parent-Square for families
Family Engagement and Resource Center
The Northshore School District Family Engagement and Resource Center is now available to families for the upcoming school year. Center staff support and advocate for our diverse families, especially immigrant families who are new to the U.S. education system, multilingual families learning English, and families that have faced and continue to face challenges in public schools. The Center provides families with various resources that are essential for the success of their children in school and beyond.
The Family Engagement and Resource Center is located at the Northshore Administrative Center where families are provided with resources and/or connected to the providers of various services by local non-profits, cities, counties, and state agencies.
The Center’s staff and the school-based family engagement specialists work closely with all Northshore schools to support their families in need.
For more information, please visit Family Engagement and Resource Center website.
•• PTA News ••
Cottage Lake PTA webpage
Cottage Lake Elementary
At Cottage Lake Elementary, it is our united mission to build a safe, engaging, and inclusive environment of resilient lifelong learners. In partnership with our vibrant community, we embrace our diversity and strive to foster trust and kindness.
Email: jwelch@nsd.org
Website: https://cottagelake.nsd.org/
Location: 15940 Avondale Road Northeast, Woodinville, WA, USA
Phone: 425-408-4200