Fernwood Elementary
3933 Jewell Rd
Bothell, WA 98021
425.408.4500
Dear Fernwood Families,
The beginning of the second semester in school always marks an exciting time of the year. We have the opportunity to look back and see how much progress students have made since September. It is also a time to pause and reflect about adjustments needed through the end of the year to support students’ success. At Fernwood, we recognize that a key part of students experiencing academic success is directly connected to students experiencing a sense of belonging and a feeling of value when at school. One way we work toward that desired outcome is by creating opportunities for students to personalize their learning experience. That personalization can extend beyond our school walls as well.
This past Friday, February 3rd, students brought their report cards home. We encourage you to talk with your students about their report card. Praise them for their efforts related to progress big or small. To personalize learning at home for your child, first help them identify their unique strengths and needs. Next, assist them to set goals, create a plan towards their goal, and then take steps to achieve their goal. Linked is a resource to guide you through this process. These conversations are essential to personalizing learning for your child and helping them to develop self-efficacy (a belief that they can set a goal and take steps to meet them) overtime.
Our teachers support our desired outcome of students experiencing belonging and a feeling of value not only on a daily basis in the classroom, but also through their time and effort in completing report cards that communicate each student’s progress to date. They work collaboratively with colleagues to calibrate scores as well as individually to communicate each student’s unique strengths and needs to families. Teachers consider a variety of data, including recently completed i-Ready diagnostic scores as well as student work samples to make these determinations. We appreciate their dedication to supporting student learning through strong communication about each student.
As always, it is our continued goal to work in partnership with you to support your child’s learning pathway. If you have specific questions in regards to your child’s progress, please reach out to your child’s teacher.
Kind regards,
Kate Eicher, Proud Principal
For the month of February students will be working through our tier one of social emotional learning (SEL) curriculum called Second Step within their classrooms. During the course of the school year, they will have access to at least 22 lessons around the four units of Skills for Learning, Empathy, Emotion Management and Problem Solving. Second Step Posters Link Here.
During these winter months, as a whole school, we are focusing upon developing empathy skills. We are highlighting what these skills can look like and sound like during our weekly morning announcements and our monthly school assemblies. Our Second Step Empathy Poster provides learning tools for students to practice their empathy skills. Students are making connections between what they know about empathy to what has been taught by Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. We asked the students: What is one action you can take to help someone or to show kindness? As parents you can help your child in their empathy skill development by talking about this question and asking them how they can spread kindness here at Fernwood each and every day.
If you have any questions or would like to request any additional support for your student, please do not hesitate to reach out! We are here for your student’s success!
Best Regards,
Jennifer Brisbine (Grades 1, 3, & 5) jbrisbine@nsd.org and 425-408-4570
Sarah Cue (Grades K, 2, & 4) scue@nsd.org and 425-408-4572
