Greetings Mill Creek Families!
The leaves are in full color, and it’s been a wonderful October!
PTA THANKS AND APPRECIATION
We would like to start by personally thanking our incredible PTA and congratulating the entire Mill Creek community on an extremely successful PTA Cougar Craze Fundraiser. Thanks to your generous giving, the total amount our PTA raised was $51,000! One hundred percent of the money raised now goes directly back to our school to fund supplies and programs that support our students, staff and community. Following the fundraiser, each student and staff member received a free blue Cougar Craze T-shirt to celebrate our school’s fundraising success and spirit. Students were treated to a special in class movie day in celebration of this accomplishment. Many thanks to our PTA for yet another fantastic fundraising accomplishment that will benefit our school community all year long.
Many thanks to the PTA for a great Fall Family Dance last Friday with the Dance Dude! Fun was certainly had by all! Our students also thoroughly enjoyed his teaching in the days leading up to the dance. Once again, the successful fundraising within our school community make it possible to enjoy extra special events like this.
OCTOBER 13 LEARNING IMPROVEMENT DAY
We are grateful for opportunities to learn and grow together as a staff! The Learning Improvement Day on October 13 gave us time, across the entire district, to focus on the topic of equity. Resources were shared with all schools in EPS to create an aligned, common learning experience focused on culturally responsive education in the classroom. Staff worked together to learn about 6 themes of culturally responsive education including: engagement, cultural identity, relationships, vulnerability, assets and rigor. Instructional strategies and practices that make learning accessible to multi-lingual learners and all students were also a focus. We also spent time elevating and listening to diverse voices within our district, community and school to be more connected to the range of perspectives of students, staff and families in our community. Finally, teachers were given time to plan future instruction with this new knowledge, to put new learning into practice. It is important for our profession to have time to continually grown and learn together, and this day was a great example of how we make the most of our time to do this.
PARENT TEACHER CONFERENCES
Please be aware that Parent Teacher Conference Week takes place November 13-18. MCE will have 6 Early Release Days to accommodate these conferences. Please note that we will dismiss at 1:00 on November 3rd, and 13th-18th. Your scheduled conference time is an opportunity for you to learn how your child’s first two months of school have gone and how you can best support your child’s learning. It’s an essential time for you to share your feedback and work with the teacher to build a strong partnership on behalf of your child. If you haven’t yet received an invitation from your child’s teacher to schedule a conference, you will soon.
ATTENDANCE MATTERS
Our District Attendance Policy states “Families should not schedule vacations or travel while school is in session. If a family vacation or travel must occur while school is in session, it must be prearranged prior to the absence and approved by the principal (or designee). The principal (or designee) may excuse up to five (5) school days for a prearranged absence per student each school year. Assignments requested for a prearranged absence will be provided to the student or parent if requested five (5) school days prior to the absence.” Please contact the office for the Prearranged Absence form.
All students should be at school by 9:10, when the first bell rings. Classroom instruction begins at 9:15. Please know that 9:15 is the time that students should be in their classroom, not arriving at school. Students not in their classrooms at 9:15 should report to the office for a tardy/late slip. Please make every effort to plan your morning routine so that your child is on campus by 9:10 each day. On-time attendance is critical to student learning and success.
HAVE YOU BEEN TO ‘PARENT UNIVERSITY’?
Our district’s ‘Parent University’ aims to provide parents and guardians with resources and videos to support the needs of families and empower them to become leaders and advocates for their child’s learning. Please visit this page on our district website for a wealth of information on a variety of family focused topics. Currently there is a Social Emotional Learning video series, a ‘What Every Parent Needs to Know’ video series, a ‘Meet Your Region 3 Superintendent’ video introduction and more! Visit Parent University today!
Parent University / Overview (everettsd.org)
CELEBRATING ALL VETERANS for VETERANS DAY
Mill Creek Elementary will hold a Veterans Day Assembly to honor our family and loved ones who have served in the military, and we would like to include your military loved one’s information and picture in our slide show presentation. Please forward the following information:
- Name of veteran (first & last)
- Branch of military served in
- Name of Mill Creek ES student associated with (first & last)
- Relationship to student
- Attach a photo of your veteran
- Will veteran be attending the assembly
Please send the photo and information to Cfoster@everettsd.org by November 6, 2023. In order to be included in the slide presentation, all items must be included.
We would also like to invite veterans to attend the assembly in-person on November 9, 2023 from 9:45-10:45 at Mill Creek Elementary in the school cafeteria.
Due to limited space capacity veterans only are invited (a guest may accompany them if mobility is an issue). Please RSVP in-person attendance by clicking this link:
RSVP for MCE in-person Veteran Day Assembly
In closing, may the month of November bring you and your family opportunities to pause and experience gratitude in your daily lives. We are looking forward to the chance to honor our veterans and we are grateful for you and your continued support of our efforts to educate your children each day. Be sure to check out the photos of students who earned a Cougar Pride card and got to have their picture taken with Principal Foster. Scroll down to the end of the newsletter to view photos. We are proud of all our students working hard to meet our Cougar Pride behavior expectations!
Warmly,
Cindy Foster
Principal
Kristin Dickert
Assistant Principal
