Crystal Springs Beep! Beep! Blast
November and December 2022 Parent Newsletter
Principal Message
Dear Roadrunner Families,
Fall is here and is my favorite time of year with all the changes and beautiful colors in nature. Just like in nature change must happen in order to move forward and make way for something even more amazing than before. I want to say thank you to the Crystal Springs Community for the last couple years for accepting the changes to better our school. You are appreciated.
Conferences are in a few weeks and you will be able to connect with your children’s teachers during that time. At that time you will have a better understanding of how your student is doing academically and socially. The staff at Crystal Springs is dedicated to supporting our students and helping them form habits that will help them be lifelong learners. You are an important partner in the work we do to help students be successful learners. The staff and I are delighted to be spending our days with your children.
November is the month to remember our veterans and show our thanks and appreciation for their sacrifice. We hope to see visitors join our Veterans assembly on Thursday, November 10th at 9:40am. In November, we also recognize Native American Heritage month.
On behalf of the Crystal Springs staff, thank you for all you continue to do to support your child’s learning, the teachers, and the entire school. We extend our heartfelt wishes to each of you for a most enjoyable fall spending time with family and friends.
Keep Smiling,
Ali Airhart, Principal
Crystal Springs Elementary
In This Issue
- Dates to Remember
- In the Know!
- Veterans Day
- Neighborhood Parking and Traffic
- Getting the Most Out of Conferences
- Apex Fun Run Facts
- Visitors and Volunteers
- Office Will Be Closed
- Winter Break
- If You See Something, Say Something
- Safety and Security
- Roadrunner Pantry
- Message From the School Nurse
- Attendance Information
- Are You Moving?
- In Appreciation
- PTA News
- District News
Dates to Remember
Important Events in November
- November is Native American Heritage Month
- Final Cross Country Meet - Canyon Creek - 5:00-6:30pm
- Tuesday, November 1st
- Early Release Wednesday
- November 2nd, 9th, 16th, and 30th
- Daylight Savings - Fall Back an Hour
- Sunday, November 6th
- No School - Veterans Day
- Friday, November 11th
- Elementary Conference - Early Dismissal 12:35pm
- Thursday, November 17th - Wednesday, November 23rd
- No School - Thanksgiving
- Thursday, November 24th
- No School - Native American Heritage Day
- Friday, November 25th
Important Events in December
- Early Release Wednesday
- December 7th, and 14th
- No School - Winter Break
- Monday, December 19th - Monday, January 2nd
Mark Your Calendar for Upcoming January Events
- No School - Winter Break
- Monday, January 2nd
- School Resumes - Welcome Back!
- Tuesday, January 3rd
- No School - Martin Luther King Jr Day
- Monday, January 16th
- Non-Student Day/Grading
- Monday, January 30th
Veterans Day
Save the date for Crystal Springs Elementary Veteran’s Day assemblies on Thursday, November 10th. Three classrooms will perform: Ms. Williams 2nd grade, Mr. Herholdt 3rd grade, and Mrs. Thorsheim 4th grade along with a slide show. The slide show will be of family and friends of service members and veterans. The assembly will start at 9:40am-10:15am. There is limited space for Visitors. Please check-in at the office.
Neighborhood Traffic and Parking Lot
Please help our neighborhood stay safe by driving slowly near the school, obeying safety patrols, and watching for pedestrians.
At Crystal Springs, we offer 3 options for students coming to/going home from school:
- Ride the bus
- Park across the street and walk your student to school, using the crosswalk.
- Students should always be accompanied by an adult
- When leaving, please do not make a U-turns in front of the school, as this impedes traffic, as well as creates an unpredictable scenario for our Crossing Guard
- Drive through our student drop-off and pick-up line in the North Parking Lot
- Please do not park on campus during drop-off/pick-up times. Due to buses using our bus lane during parent-drop-off/pick-up, we need to keep the parking lot available as a fire lane. Traffic flow is also affected by cars exiting both parking lots
- Parking spots with disabled parking signs are always reserved for those with disabled parking permits. This is WA state law, as well as common courtesy
- For drop-off/pick-up, please stay in your car. A school employee is happy to help
- Please pull forward as far as possible. This helps us judge where we can walk students safely, as well as helps us move traffic along
- When entering parent drop off/parent pickup, please form two lanes, and pull up close to the car in front of you. We will move you up as we load cars
- Please be patient and follow the directions of the staff directing cars/loading cars. There are a lot of cars, and we need to make sure we are not blocking the flow of traffic on 9th Avenue
- If you are traveling north on 9th Avenue and trying to pull into parent, drop off/parent pickup and there is NOT enough room for you to pull in, please continue down the road and get into the turn lane. We cannot stop the flow of traffic on 9th Avenue
- Upon exiting parent drop off/parent pickup, please pull out slowly as there may be people in the crosswalk
Thank you for your partnership in keeping our students and staff safe, while keeping traffic flowing
Getting the Most Out of Conferences
Parents have so much to share with teachers. You are the holder of additional information that is so valuable to teachers. You hear the 'home' version of how they feel about school. They may mention what they like best, what is easy or hard for them and whether or not they have school worries. You know if your child is doing homework at night and how long it takes. You know what brings about the most excitement for your child and what gets the most airtime at the dinner table. Sharing these insights with your child's teacher is valuable.
Teachers have so much to share with parents too. Teachers watch how your child relates with others in a classroom. They see how your child performs academically in a variety of subject areas and what support is needed to make the most progress. They know whether your child is willing to take intellectual risks in the classroom. They know your child's reading level. They know whether your child is making friends in class and what behaviors help or hinder social progress. Teachers know if your child is on track to meet state academic standards. They also are working to see evidence of fixed or growth mindset tendencies, which is certainly a work in progress.
In order to make your conference a productive one, here are some questions you might want to ask and some information you might consider sharing with the teacher. Preparing what you hope to ask and share will help make the most out of the conference time.
Apex Fun Run Facts
The funds support:
- Field trips
- Classroom grants
- Playground Equipment
- School wide mission assemblies and projects
- School headphones
- School T-Shirts (every student gets a Crystal Springs shirt)
Visitors and Volunteers
To complete the forms at: https://secure.safevisitor.io/Safe/Volunteer/northshore/volunteer
Office Will Be Closed
Winter Break
If You See Something, Say Something
"Student safety is our highest priority. We believe that by providing families with information and preventative measures, together we can keep young people healthy and safe. We recognize that these conversations are challenging and hope your family finds the provided resources helpful.
The District has highlighted the importance of addressing student access to guns in the home. It is important that parents and guardians have conversations with their students to remind them that schools are safe places, where it is not appropriate to have weapons, toys that look like real weapons or talk about them with others. Learn more and download helpful resources about firearm safety including a secure storage fact sheet, talking to your children about guns, and facts and resources on child firearm suicide, at BeSMARTforKids.org/resources.
Families in Northshore and around the country are being warned of an emerging trend of colorful fentanyl. Named “rainbow fentanyl” in the media, this trend appears to be a new method used to sell highly addictive and potentially deadly fentanyl made to look like candy to children and young people. Brightly-colored fentanyl is being found in multiple forms, including pills, powder, and blocks that resemble sidewalk chalk. While we are not aware of rainbow fentanyl in any of our school communities, we are aware of its presence in the region and want to make sure our families know about this issue. We encourage parents and guardians to have meaningful conversations with your students about the dangers of fentanyl. This King County resource provides guidance on how to talk with your students about fentanyl.
SafeSchools Alerts allow students, staff, parents/guardians, and community members to anonymously report concerns to the District. Students, families, and staff are encouraged that if they see something, they should say something by either connecting directly with a trusted adult at the school or district or submitting concerns by:
Email: 1414@alert1.us,
Phone: 855.521.2665,
Text: 855.521.2665, or
Online: http://1414.alert1.us.
SafeSchools Alerts are not monitored 24/7, so in emergency situations, please call 9-1-1.
Safety and Security
Roadrunner Pantry
Happy Fall Roadrunner families!
The Care Team at Crystal Spring would like to let you know that the Roadrunner Pantry is up and running again this year. We have shelf stable food, paper products, hygiene products and more.
If you would like to come to check it out, please contact Nurse Jamey at 425-408-4306 or jaustad@nsd.org. You can also come to the office and ask to visit the pantry between 9:30 and 3:30. Times are changing here in the Bothell area with inflation, rent increases, cost of gas, etc., we want to give families in need, a little relief by offering these household products.
If you have any questions, please reach out to Nurse Jamey. Make it a Great Day Roadrunner Families!!
Message From the School Nurse
Attendance Information
When your child is absent or tardy from school, please call our 24-hour phone line at 425-408-4310 or email CSAttendance@nsd.org and copy your students teacher. Please leave a message or send an email by 9:00am. If your student is arriving late. Please provide the following information:
- Student Name, Student ID and Teacher
- Parent Name and Contact Information
- Reason for absent or tardy
Prearranged/Extended Absences:
In the event that your child will miss more than three consecutive school days for a reason other than health or medical issues, complete and submit the Request for Excused Absence form at least two week before the first planned day of absence.
Change in After School Plan:
If there is a change in your child's after school plan, and how they will be getting home, parents/guardians must send a note or email to your student's teacher in advance. You may also email CSAttendance@nsd.org by 2:30pm.
Are You Moving?
Information needed:
- Staying within the Crystal Springs service area, please notify our Registrar, Lynnea Webb at g.crystalsprings.office@nsd.org and complete the Change of Address form.
- Moving outside of the Crystal Springs Service area please notify our Registrar, Lynnea Webb at g.crystalsprings.office@nsd.org as soon as possible.
Please keep your students information current (new address, phone number, emails, and/or emergency contact) by contacting the office or updating in ParentVUE.
Hearing and Vision Volunteers
Thank you for all your help! You all made the testing go quickly by helping our student get to library and then back to class.
- Janis O'Connell
- Mary Kay Webster
- Ann Nuss
- Stacy Jordon
- Jennifer Lee
- Esther Smith
Picture Retake Day!
Clothing for the Health Room
Lost and Found
All items in the lost & found are available to view on the Lost & Found page on the PTA website. Check it out today and help us reunite your student with their stuff in 3 easy steps:
- Visit the webpage to view the inventory
- If something is yours, fill out the form at the bottom of the page
- PTA will deliver the item to your child’s classroom!
Stock the Staffroom!
PTA Facebook Group
Please join our PTA Facebook group to stay in the know! You can find us by searching Crystal Springs PTA 6.10.15.
Student Drop Off/Pick Up Safety Reminders
Our elementary schools have trained crossing guards to help support safety needs during student drop off and pick up in the afternoon. We appreciate these student leaders for helping ensure other students can enter and leave school campuses safely.
We ask families to please do your part! While our students are busy making sure crosswalks are safe, we need everyone to do the same in drop off and pick up areas around our schools. Many of our schools are located in busy neighborhoods. This may result in traffic congestion. Please obey traffic rules, be courteous of neighbors, do not park illegally, and stay alert for young people walking to and from school. If school busing is available in your neighborhood, please consider sending your student to and from school on the bus to reduce congestion.
Signing Up to Volunteer
If you are interested in volunteering for the District, please be sure to submit your volunteer application at least a week in advance for Level 1 checks and at least two weeks for Level 2 checks. There is still a bit of a delay with the processing of background checks, so the sooner you submit your application the better chance you have of your application being approved before your intended volunteer activity. Click here to become a volunteer.
Need Mental Health Support?
You are not alone. There are community supports for mental health, suicide prevention, substance abuse, self-harm and more. Click here for more information.