We are excited to welcome our students back to Cleveland! Our staff have been hard at work all week preparing for their arrival, and we are excited to have students back in our classrooms on Wednesday.

We have lots of important information in this newsletter to share with you to help ensure a smooth start to the school year. If you have any questions about the start of the school year, please reach out to our main office directly so that we can best support you.

We hope you have a safe and joyful holiday weekend with your family and friends!

With Gratitude,

Principal Jeff Lam

Assistant Principal Jacklyn Cable

Assistant Principal Laura Roesener

• 9/5 | 9th Grade Orientation with Link Crew (see below for more information)
  
• 9/6 | First day of school (Note: this first Wednesday will not be an early release day. The School day will end at 3:40 pm)
• 9/6 | Picture Day
• 9/6 - 9/8 | CHS Strong Start Schedule (see below for more info)
• 9/12 | PTSA Community Meeting (7:00 - 8:00 pm, Cafeteria)

To help students adjust to the school year, we are going to run a "Strong Start" schedule for the first three days of school. On Wednesday, students will earn about the many opportunities and services available here, take their school picture, receive their student ID, receive their laptop, and get to know their classmates in advisory.

On Thursday, students will go to each class on their schedule to meet their teachers and new classmates. On Friday, students will again attend all of their classes and receive a course overview.

We hope our Strong Start plan establishes a foundation of community and connection so that all students are fully prepared to be successful in their classes.

Please use this guide to learn to access important digital resources for CHS students and families, including laptops, email, the Source, Echo, and Microsoft Teams. Please note that for day-to-day coursework and grades, Cleveland uses Echo, not Schoology.

If your student will be absent this week, please be sure to let our attendance office know by calling 206-252-7804 or emailing us at clevelandhs.attendance@seattleschools.org. Please click here to read more about attendance at Cleveland.

We are applying for a significant grant from the City of Seattle to support the mental health needs of our students, and we would love your input on what we should include with our budget proposal.

Please take a moment to consider the kinds of mental health services you would like to see provided for students on campus, and take a moment to share with us your ideas and suggestions on this survey. We will be collecting ideas.

If you are looking for a general shopping list as you prepare to return to school, please see below. Please note that some teachers may supply their own list as well.

• Large 3-ring binder
• College ruled notebooks (7)
• 6 dividing tabs
• #2 pencils and mechanical pencils
• Loose, white college ruled paper
• Loose, white graph paper
• Pens-black or blue ink
• 3X5 Index cards
• 2 pocket folders with fasteners for each subject
• Ruler
• Calculator- scientific suggested, graphing TI-84 is the preferred model (required for Algebra II or higher)

Official Schedules for Grade 9th grade will be printed at orientation. Grades 10-12 will receive their printed schedule in advisory class, students may also access their schedules via The Source.

It would be helpful for students to check now and confirm that they know their sign in information. For students new to SPS who don’t have student logins to the Source or the Student Portal yet, parents can set up their Source account in the meantime to view their student’s schedule.

Class Schedule Changes Priority

Very few class schedule changes can be accommodated/will be made. Changes will be prioritized for Seniors who are missing a class required for graduation, students in the wrong level of a class (ex: Spanish 2A instead of Spanish 1A), and students who have a hole in their schedule (nothing scheduled for a certain class period). We will not be making changes for electives or to request a different teacher. If there is an ERROR on your posted class schedule please email your counselor directly.

Do not call the front office to inquire about a schedule change. Counselors are not available for 1 on 1 appointments right now with families and students, but will reply to your email as soon as we are able.

If requesting a schedule change for one of the reasons listed above, students please continue to attend the classes that are currently listed on your schedule until you hear back from your counselor and/or a change is made. Due to the volume of requests school counselors receive at this time of year, it may take longer than usual to respond to your question or concern. Thank you for your understanding. We hope you have a great start to the school year.

Students can expect to see their schedules on Tuesday, September 5th. If you believe there is an error on your schedule, our counselors will share with you more information about the process for submitting a schedule change request.

Students at Cleveland who drive to school are invited to park on 15th Ave S, or on any of the side streets nearby, including Orcas, Lucile, or Bennett St. Students are not permitted to park in the staff parking lot. All vehicles in the staff parking lot will need to have the appropriate permit or risk being ticketed or towed.

We are fortunate to have ample street parking all around the school. The side streets highlighted in red are available street parking.

The district is no longer managing ORCA cards for students Learn more about ORCA cards.

Due to a state wide measure, youth who are under 19 years old are able to ride public transportation for free. This means that the district no longer provides cards to SPS students. Learn more on the district ORCA Card and Transportation page.

Request an ORCA Card

Students who do not have an ORCA card will need to create an ORCA account and request a card on the My ORCA website. While students wait for their card from Metro, they may simply show their student ID to a Metro operator or Sound Transit Fare Ambassador, or if a student does not have a student ID, they may ride without one and will not be denied ridership.

Replacement ORCA Card

Students who have already signed up for an ORCA account can request a replacement card from the My ORCA website. Students who have not signed up for an ORCA account will need to set one up so that they can request a replacement card from the My ORCA website.

Questions?

Call the ORCA Regional Call Center at 1-888-988-6722. Non-English: 1-800-823-9230 during regular business hours M – F from 8 a.m. – 5 p.m. PST (closed weekends and holidays). Visit myorca.com for more information.

Sample Transit Routes and Tips from SPS

The 60 and 107 stop in front of Cleveland High School.

Bus tip! Sometimes it’s quickest to walk, bike, or skate to the bus stop even if it’s more than a few blocks away. For example, a student in the Rainier Beach or Mt Baker neighborhood could walk to catch the light rail to get off at Beacon Hill and take the 60 or 107 to school.

Visit the SPS ORCA Card page for district updates and read more about the Free Youth Transit Pass on the King County website.

We are very excited to share with you that all Cleveland students will receive free meals for the 23-24 school year!

The student data verification form enables parents and guardians to update their household and student information online. This form includes the important student health information, emergency and family contact information, and much more.

To access, log in to your Source account and select Student Data Verification form from the navigation menu.

Did you know that Cleveland High School is home to its own Teen Health Center, operated by King County Health! You can learn more about the many services provided on site and available for students, here.

The Teen Health Center is free and available for all Cleveland students. The services they provide include: wellness exams, sports physicals, health screenings, management of chronic medical conditions, referral for lab services, prescription of medications, immunizations, reproductive health, mental health, dental/ vision, substance abuse, nutrition, health education, and more.

Please click here to fill out a registration form and return it to our Teen Health Center to begin accessing our incredible services.