East Ridge Suns Newsletter
August 24, 2020
First Day of School Car Parade! Wednesday, September 2nd, 3:15-4:15pm
- This will be a drive-through event only.
- We will not be collecting or distributing any materials at this event.
- We encourage each child to make a sign with their name, grade, and teacher's name, to hold up as they drive by!
- Our teachers and staff will be arranged in grade level or specialist groups so that you can more easily spot your teacher(s) to wave! (They will have signs, too!)
- We will publicize this event well to parents/guardians but it will not be a big focus of class meetings with students on the first day of school, in case some families are unable to participate. Classroom teachers will notify their families if they are unable to participate in person that day.
- We will video a "drive by" of the parade and make it available later in the week for those who are unable to come that day.
- We are still working out all of the details and will communicate more next week with the driving route and other details.
Student Materials Pick Up Event - Save the Date! Wednesday, September 16th (afternoon)
- A kit to make a "home learning area" for each child. This will include a small tri-fold board, some binder clips, a sturdy baggie for keeping supplies, and other items to help your child make their very own portable learning area.
- Curriculum workbooks as needed
- Other learning materials for your class or grade
Stay tuned for more details!
Need a Device? Do you currently have a NSD white Chromebook?
Does your student need a laptop? Is your student currently borrowing a white Chromebook* from school? Do you need Internet** access at your home?
If you've answered yes to any of these questions, please fill out this form by Wednesday, 8/26: https://form.jotform.com/202085825509053
**We will have a limited number of Hotspots for families without Internet. You will only need one Hotspot per household.
Device Pick Up
If you complete the Device Request form by Wednesday, 8/26, we will have a device ready for you to pick up on Friday, 8/28.
Device Pick Up Schedule, Friday, 8/28:
9 - 10 a.m. - Last Names beginning with A - H
10 - 11 a.m. - Last names beginning with I - P
11 - noon - Last names beginning with Q - Z
Pick Up Process - Important!
- Please have a sign with your student's name displayed on your dashboard.
- Enter East Ridge parking lot and wait in the student drop off area (along the curb in front of the main office). If there are many cars, please loop counter clockwise through the parking lot until a spot is open at the curb.
- Please do not get out of your car.
- East Ridge staff will be wearing PPE, we will verify your students' information and hand you your device(s) through your passenger side window.
Please contact our School Technology Specialist, Tiffany Dial, with any questions or concerns at tdial@nsd.org.
New to East Ridge?
Their photo will be entered into our student database program.
Returning students (including transfers within the District) do not need to send photos as these are currently in the system.
Thank you!
School Supplies
Every year the Northshore School District and East Ridge Elementary staff evaluate the list of needed school supplies for students to bring. In recent years we have worked to reduce the amount of money and time parents spend purchasing items, while still providing those basics needed for academic success. This year, as we start in an online format in the midst of a pandemic, that task seems even more important.
At this time we ask that all students have the following items for home learning:
- Writing utensils (pens and/or pencils)
- Paper for note-taking,
- A way to organize their subjects. This can be a series of bins or boxes, a notebook, an accordion folder, or some other way in which students can learn and practice keeping track of important work.
- Crayons and/or colored markers
- Glue sticks
- Scissors
- Sticky notes
It is important to us that these items not create a burden on family budgets. For the past 18 years the Northshore Schools Foundation (NSF) has collected, organized, and distributed school supplies to families who have needed them. We want to thank NSF as well as the many businesses, families, and individuals who have contributed. If you would like to order supplies from NSF, please use the following link: https://docs.google.com/forms/d/e/1FAIpQLScUS8Uw5xoMqo9IJa1hFImRwsoSp0-qbob3mPkt9P5d_NBeKQ/viewform
A Note About Class Placements from Mrs. White
We know that some families may have been able to log on to various digital platforms during the last several days and view their child’s tentative placement. Some families have gone ahead and shared this information with their children and friends and neighbors. Please remember that placements will not be final until Tuesday. Tomorrow morning, you will receive an email from our office to communicate your child’s placement. By the end of this week, you will receive a letter from your child’s teacher.
This year more than ever, we understand that the children are holding on to the things that are familiar for a typical beginning of the school year – seeing which buddies are in their class is a big deal! We also have many new students in each class who may feel worried about making new friends, especially in a distance learning environment. As we begin the year, our teachers will be focused on building relationships with and among students, and our teachers are committed to helping each child to feel a sense of belonging and connectedness in their class and with peers.
We understand that some families are choosing to create “pods” or other group arrangements in order to help their children to be more successful and to help to make distance learning more workable with their family schedules. As our teachers return to work this week, they will be making grade level team decisions about how they will closely align their instruction and schedules. This should help our families who are partnering with one another for their children’s learning, even if their children are in different classrooms. Our grade level teachers may be collaborating in many ways, including:
- Using the Schoology learning platform for student and family communication and for delivering instruction and learning tasks
- Sharing responsibility for teaching content-area lessons (live and/or recorded)
- Following the same learning schedule for whole-class meetings and content-area teachings
- Assigning very similar learning tasks for independent work and projects, and on similar timelines
(Although grade level schedules will be very similar for whole class activities and lessons, there will be a lot of variability for individual student schedules. Small group instruction is an important part of Northshore 3.0. Teachers will be regularly scheduling small groups/individuals for targeted instruction, based on individual student needs. Some students will also be receiving small group or individual instruction from intervention or special education staff.)
It is important to know that we are still adjusting class lists based on changing enrollment. Our priority right now is ensuring that all newly registered students are placed and balancing classes as those new students are added and/or others withdraw. Classes are balanced using a variety of factors, including academic and social/emotional needs, student behavior, previous engagement both in school and in distance learning, gender, participation or qualification for special programs, other information we know about students, and family input received during our spring process. At this time, we are not able to accommodate parent requests to change placements to put friends or neighbors together. Please plan to share information and concerns about friendships and learning schedule with your child’s teacher at your family connection meeting during the first few weeks of school. Your child’s teacher is looking forward to partnering with you!
We understand that this year brings more worries for kids and parents than ever. So much is different! Do you know what our teachers are thinking most about? Their biggest priority is not technology. It is not school supplies. It is not making the perfect schedule for every minute of the day. They are thinking most about how to connect with each child and how to make sure your child and your family feel welcomed and connected at our school. They are also thinking a lot about how to meet every child’s social/emotional and academic needs this year. Much of our planning and learning as a staff this week will be focused on strategies for building relationships and forming connections in order to set everyone up for success with distance learning. Teachers are looking forward to meeting with each family individually during the first few weeks of school.
Most of all, we are all thinking about how we can’t wait to see our students smiles next week!
Warmly,
Sarah White, Principal
Changes to your plan to attend East Ridge?
Calendar
Information from Northshore School District about Clever, and Schoology
Schoology: Our Learning Management System
We heard from many parents/guardians, students and teachers who wanted a single, easy location for classes. Schoology is our new learning management system. This tool provides students, parents/guardians and teachers a way to engage with learning materials from home, in the classroom and beyond. Families will be able to access course materials, grades, calendars and more! Invitations to create Schoology accounts will be emailed next week.
Clever: Your Gateway to District Applications
Many families also requested a way to simplify student logins. With many different tools, it can be challenging to find the correct link and password. To that end, we are excited to announce Clever, a one-stop solution to find and access your student’s applications, including the Schoology learning management system.
You should have received (or will receive shortly) an email invitation from Clever. Please follow the instructions in that email to activate your account. As this is a new platform, it is experiencing heavy traffic and some families may experience issues when logging in. We are working with the vendor to correct these issues as quickly as possible. If you have any issues logging in, please try again in 24-48 hours.
Important Notes
- After your Parent/Guardian Clever account is created, you can log in any time at https://family.nsd.org
- Students and staff can access Clever at https://my.nsd.org
- While you will see Schoology in Clever, you will not be able to login until your account is created next week.
- Our Technology team will provide an overview of Schoology and Clever beginning next week, and will continue to support families throughout the year. These virtual opportunities will be available live, recorded and in different languages.
- If you did not receive an email invitation for Clever, first check your email’s junk or spam folder, then contact the Student Technology Support Line at 425-408-7669.
Community Resources
A list of resources: https://www.nsd.org/summer/assistance
Threads&Treads is a free clothing bank located in Bothell at Canyon Park Junior High School. Northshore families in need of clothing assistance may shop once a month for 3 outfits, shoes, jackets and accessories. (https://cpptsa.org/programs-activities/threads-treads/) No referral required.
Clothes for Kids
Clothes for Kids is a referral-based program serving Snohomish County and the Northshore School District. Transforming lives since 1984.
Clothes For Kids provides school clothing (including socks, underwear, and shoes) to students in our community whose families qualify for free or reduced meals at school. We serve all of Snohomish County and the Northshore School District of King County. https://clothesforkids.orgOrganizations providing meals during Covid-019 shut down: https://k12wa.maps.arcgis.com/apps/opsdashboard/index.html#/af63ab4c79664accafdd2373c23df657
East Ridge Elementary School
Website: www.eastridge.nsd.org
Location: 22150 Northeast 156th Place, Woodinville, WA, USA
Phone: (425) 408-4400