The Sailor Signal
Cottage Lake Elementary - September 27, 2020
A Note from Principal Welch
Dear Families,
Welcome to the final weekend of September and our first official fall weekend. I hope this newsletter finds you healthy and doing well. I love the slight crispness in the air and the leaves that have started to change. I appreciate walks outside during this time of year, especially in the sunshine. As I look at my weather app, I see a sunny and warm stretch for this week ahead. I hope your family can get outside for a bit before our weather shifts to be a bit wetter.
The newsletter below shares several updates with you. Within the updates, please do let me know if you have further questions. Please note I am encouraging all teachers to move their Zoom meetings to include Authenticated users only. This means students need to be logged into their NSD accounts. I understand there are several steps to ensure this is done, but we also keep student safety and security very seriously. Thank you for your continued support in all our work.
I hope to see many of you this Thursday for our PTA's Ice Cream car parade from 4:00-5:00 PM. Please see information in the PTA section below on parade route. We will begin and end at the Woodinville Library. In addition to PTA, I will be joining the car parade and you might also see other staff, as well. This will be a great way for our community to come together and enjoy a special treat on a sunny day. Hope you can join us!
I wish you all a healthy and happy remainder of the weekend.
Take Care!
Jen Welch, Principal
•• SCHOOL NEWS ••
Music department change
You may have heard that Kelsey Hanning is currently on family leave, as she stays home with her daughter. Mrs. Hanning is due to return at the end of November. In her absence, we hired Jan Abrahamson as her long-term sub. At this time, I can only offer her this substitute job and she needed a bit more of a secure job and income. Ms. Abrahamson was offered a year-long contract in a neighboring district and this was an opportunity she couldn't pass up. We will miss Ms. Abrahamson very much and wish her the very best in her new adventures. Her last day with us will be Friday, October 2.
During this time of transition, I welcome Ms. Julia Gorordo as our new long-term substitute for Mrs. Hanning. Ms. Gorordo will be with us until Mrs. Hanning returns. Ms. Gorordo is a recent Music graduate from University of Miami, but she has roots here in WA. Ms. Gorordo attended school in Monroe, did a little music practicum work at Sunrise and has recently worked at Studio East in Kirkland. Ms. Gorordo will join music classes beginning tomorrow and will transition all week with Ms. Abrahamson.
Thank you for helping me welcome Ms. Gorordo and sharing our best wishes to Ms. Abrahamson!
2020-21 School Building goals
With that in mind, we have set the following goals for this year.
- Between October 2020 and June 2021, 100% of students who identified as not feeling seen, valued, safe, or connected with another student or adult at school in the school-wide survey, will be able to share that they feel seen, valued, safe, have established a connection with at least one student, and have at least one adult at school they can trust at the end of the school year. This will be measured by our school-wide survey, Second STEP instruction in all K-5 classrooms, small-group lunch or social sessions, school Counselor referrals and supports, and classroom teacher feedback.
- Between October 2020 and June 2021, at least 80% those students identified in the fall as performing 2 or more grade levels below in Phonics for K-2 students and Vocabulary for 3-5 students in Reading, will make no less than one year’s growth in either Phonics or Vocabulary development and skills. This will be measured by iReady diagnostic assessments, iReady online instructional outcomes, standardized assessments, and classroom based assessments.
Throughout the year, I will be providing updates on how our student are doing in achieving the goals. If you have additional ideas on strategies we could be doing as a school to support our students, I welcome your feedback and thoughts. We need your support and partnership to meet our goals.
Library Book Circulation is coming SOON!
Cottage Lake Library - NS Learns 3.0 - Book Circulation - Begins October 8
Mrs. Sterling is so excited to begin checking out books for you to enjoy at home! Our Bus Driver heroes and school assistants are helping with this project, too.
IMPORTANT INFORMATION TO READ THROUGH:
Thursdays are the Book Bus and Pick Up day for Cottage Lake Sailors.
Everyone gets a stack of books on Thursday, October 8. Your Bus Driver and a special guest from school will be on board to give you a surprise pack of 5 books! These library books are checked out to students and will need to be returned.
How will we know where to find you?
Please complete THIS GOOGLE FORM and choose the Bus Stop where you will pick up your books or your choice of picking them up at school.
The choices of bus stops and times are below. These may not be your individual regular stops. Students who usually walk or drive are encouraged to choose a bus stop below.
After you complete THIS GOOGLE FORM, we will back books in boxes according to which bus stop you have indicated you will use.
PICK-UP LOCATION CHOICES:
NE 168th ST @ 191st Ave NE (Beachclub) @ 11:05 AM
NE 146th Way @ 184th PL NE (Brook Trails) @ 11:35 AM
172nd PL NE @ 181st PL NE (Canterwood) @ 12:05 PM
185th AVE NE @ NE 179th ST (Blueberry Farm) @ 12:40 PM
School Curbside (for students who are not on a bus route) from 11:00 AM - 12:00 PM
After October 8 -
Students will alternate check out weeks. If your student has a live session, their circulation will be the following week.
Week of October 12 - Check-out for 1st, 3rd, and Ms. Roberts’ class
Week of October 19 - Check-out for Kindergarten, 2nd, 4th, 5th, Klinich, and Hakamada
The weeks continue to rotate from here.
You will fill out a Book Request for every check out so that Mrs. Sterling will know your choices and get to know you better as a reader.
Book request forms are due on the Friday night before your library book delivery week.
Books are due two weeks from the day of delivery. Return books to the bus stop when you go to gather your new ones.
Mrs. Sterling would love to answer any questions you may have. ssterling@nsd.org
Becoming a volunteer
At Cottage Lake, we have always had a very strong foundation of classroom and PTA volunteers. This year, we are all thinking outside the box and looking for new, creative ways we can welcome volunteers into the remote classrooms. As our classrooms continue to establish routines and systems, teachers will be ready to think about how volunteers could be helpful to them.
To prepare for becoming a volunteer, there are several steps we need you to complete. One important note is that our background check form will need to be updated EACH YEAR! In the past, we have asked for them to be updated every two years, but to keep our information the most up-to-date, this is a shift we are making district-wide.
Please visit this NSD LINK to find all the steps you will need to follow to complete your volunteer paperwork. Please click on the bar that says, "Online Volunteer Application Process" for all the steps that need to be completed.
Thank you for considering becoming a Cottage Lake volunteer!
Authentication Zoom meeting entry
I have had a few parents email me some tips for logging into students' NSD accounts. Thank you! One parent shared that her sons followed steps 1-7 below, but then she still had an error message where her boys were not logged in. On their screen, there was an option to join the Zoom meeting through a Google login. The boys entered their NSD account information again and it worked. Hooray! I offer this information in case this matches a message you receive. I am working to help students and families who have reached out, but please do share helpful tips you have found that work for login.
Below are the steps students should take to log in securely to their Zoom meetings.
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 the Schoology tile.
Step 9. Students find their course and then click on the Zoom link shared by the teacher.
i-Ready
Please remember to NOT help your student with the assessment, but encourage them to do their best. This is a reminder that students will encounter questions that are easy and hard. This help to create the "just right" zone for their individual instructional path.
I am also so proud of our students that they are not rushing through the work. The system will flag students who they feel are rushing and will provide two different levels of flags to us. One of the flags is a teacher discretion flag and the other one shares that we might highly consider having the student take the test again due to rushing so quickly. Your teacher would be in contact with you if we are planning on resetting a diagnostic assessment.
Thank you for your support as we all navigate how to assess our students remotely.
•• REPEAT of District News ••
Permission to Release Student Directory Information
Each year, the District provides an opportunity for families to opt out of releasing their student's directory information. Historically, this has been a paper form that families return to their school’s main office. This year, we’ve transitioned the form online! Below are the three ways families can complete this Opt-Out information:
- Families can choose to complete the form entirely online,
- Families can print the form or complete it via a fillable PDF and email a copy back to their school office, or
- Families can request a paper copy to complete.
In all of these cases, you are not required to send or take a paper form back to your student's school during this pandemic. Should you decide to complete the form, selecting one of the "opt-out" options for your student's information, we encourage you to follow up with your school's office to confirm your form was received.
Forms must be submitted by October 15. Forms will be accepted after the deadline, but the District cannot be responsible for the release of Directory Information if the Permission to Withhold Student Directory Information form is received after the October 15 deadline of the current school year.
Visit our District website for more information and to view the form.
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 ••
RESCHEDULED Ice Cream Parade - Thursday, October 1, 2020, 4:00-5:00 PM
Our RESCHEDULED Ice Cream parade is THIS week!
PTA Ice Cream Parade!
Thursday, October 1, 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: https://cottagelake.nsd.org/
Location: 15940 Avondale Road Northeast, Woodinville, WA, USA
Phone: (425) 408-4200
Facebook: facebook.com/ourschool
Twitter: @ourschool