Kokanee Elementary

Dear Kokanee Families,

We are so excited to start school on Wednesday, September 6th (for 1st-5th Grade)!

Below you will find our September issue of the Kodiak Express. Kokanee's monthly newsletter provides information about events happening at Kokanee, in the district, and in our community.

Please have your Kodiaks dress for the weather. Students will be outside to start and end the day and also during their 30 minute and 15 minute recesses.

Please reach out with any questions,

Joel Fagundes, Principal and Icis Tirado, Assistant Principal

September 6 - First day of School for 1st-5th grade students

September 6, September 7, September 8 - WAkids Conferences for Kindergarten Families

September 11 - First day of School for Kindergarten students

September 12 - K, 4th, 5th Grades - Curriculum Night 5pm-6:30 pm

September 19 - 1st, 2nd, 3rd Grades - Curriculum Night 5pm-6:30 pm

• We begin unloading buses and cars for arrival at 9:10am daily.
• Breakfast is available for those who need to purchase one between 9:10-9:30am.
• Students arriving by car will use the Pick-Up/Drop-Off Zone (no drop-offs in the bus circle). They will be greeted by adults and will walk directly to their line-up location.

• Students arriving by bus will be greeted by adults in the Bus Circle and will walk directly to their line-up location.
• Students who walk should say their goodbyes before they walk onto the blacktop to their line-up location.

• If your student arrives after the bell, they must sign in with the front office. This ensures that they are not marked absent for the day.

• Students riding the bus home will line up in their bus lines. Lines will be escorted to their bus by the bus supervisors.
• Students picked up by car stay with their teacher on the lower blacktop area and wait for their name to be called. Drivers present their BRIGHT GREEN windshield placard with their student's name(s) listed. The traffic supervisors will call the student up.
• If students are being greeted by an adult to walk home, parents/guardians should meet their students in front of the school, or by the stairs near the sand-field if walking home through the back gate.

Please call or email the designated Attendance Line at (425) 408 - 4910 or email koattendance@nsd.org

ABSENCES:

When you call or email, be sure to include the following information:

• Student's First and Last name
• Teacher Name
• Date(s) your child will be gone
• Reason for absence

TARDY ARRIVAL:

Students who arrive in their classrooms after the 9:30 AM bell rings for any reason will be considered tardy. Students MUST check in with the office for a tardy slip before going to the classroom. This is part of our attendance procedure and ensures they will not be marked absent for the day. Students arriving after the 9:30 AM time on district buses will not be marked tardy.

UNEXCUSED ABSENCES:

If we do not hear from you, our office will contact you at home or at work as part of our Safe Arrival Program. If communication is not received from the parent/guardian explaining the absence within 2 weeks, it will be considered an unexcused absence.

Becca Bill: Northshore School District implements provisions of the revised Compulsory Attendance Law, RCW 28.A225, known as the "Becca Bill". The intent of this legislation is to direct schools to initiate a series of corrective steps when a student is absent and unexcused from attending school. School attendance, by law, has been and continues to be compulsory.

EXTENDED VACATIONS:

These absences are highly discouraged. It is the responsibility of the student to find out what work was missed and complete it upon returning to school. Teachers may suggest activities/work for students during the period of absence but are not required to do so. Families who take extended vacations must fill out a Notification of Extended Absence.

Students who are absent for more than 20 consecutive school days due to an extended vacation, will not be reported as truant. However, those students will be withdrawn from their classroom. Students will be readmitted upon returning but are not guaranteed the same class placement.

Bus transportation is based on your address. As a general guideline, students who live more than one mile from school are eligible for bus transportation based on state law. Some students who live closer than the state-defined distances may still be eligible if the walk path to school is deemed hazardous by the district.

Find your bus assignment, stop locations, and stop times using your student's ID# at

https://www.nsd.org/our-district/departments/transportation

A bus pass is required and should be requested from the Kokanee front office if you want to ride a bus that is not your assigned bus (for example, riding a bus home with your friend). Please be advised that BUS PASSES ARE NOT APPROVED UNTIL MID-OCTOBER AT THE EARLIEST. Transportation needs time to properly assess available seats.

Bus drivers are only authorized to release kindergarteners, special needs students and preschoolers at their designated bus stop to a parent or pre-authorized adult, otherwise, students will be returned to their school at the end of the route.

Parents may hand the bus driver written permission if their student may be released to a sibling or another adult. It is recommended that younger students be supervised by an adult when walking to and from the bus stop or school.

If there are individuals who are able to receive your student OTHER THAN the parent/guardian please complete the following. Any adult receiving the student needs to be at the bus stop at the time school is dismissed.

PERMISSION TO RELEASE

DOWNLOAD MY STOP APP BUS TRACKING SOFTWARE

The NSD Transportation Department has implemented the My Stop APP - bus tracking software.

With this free application, parents and guardians can track bus route information and receive notifications from Transportation using the My Stop application. More details on the My Stop application and use are posted on the District website and can be found at https://www.nsd.org/our-district/departments/transportation/mystop

If you have questions or difficulty downloading the My Stop application, please contact Transportation at (425) 408-7981 or email mystop@nsd.org

Students can purchase breakfast and/or lunch each school day. Milk is included with breakfast and lunch OR can be purchased separately.

Breakfast $2.25

Lunch $3.75

Milk Only $ .50

You can pay by cash or check at your school, checks should be made out to Northshore School District. Or you can manage your student's meal account safely and securely online with LINQConnect.

FIND OUT IF YOU QUALIFY!

Parents whose income falls within specified guidelines set by the U.S. Department of Agriculture should apply for free or reduced price meals for their students. We encourage you to find out if you qualify with the NSD online application. It only takes a few minutes and is the fastest, easiest way to get approved! Don't forget... families must re-apply every year.

The lunch menu for the Northshore School District is posted online each month at https://www.nsd.org/schools/get-started/food-services/menus

CHECK BACK OFTEN as the menus may change without notice due to supply chain issues. Interactive menus will be updated as quickly as possible.

The Northshore School District continues to offer a computing device for every student.

Return iPads by September 6th.

1st and 2nd graders who checked out a summer iPad from their Kindergarten or 1st grade class last June should return that iPad + charger. Please deliver it to the Kokanee office 8am-4pm, Monday- Friday, or send it into school with your student on the first day. Fines will be assessed for iPads not returned by this date.

3rd - 5th graders- Power up and charge Chromebooks

Prior to the first day of school, please assist your student in some Chromebook housekeeping tasks:

• Fully charge their Chromebook ensures it's ready for use on day one.
• Power up and power down (power off, don't just shut the lid) several times to ensure operating system updates are installed. Updates do not properly install without full power cycles; leave the Chromebook powered for a few hours to allow updates to install. A slow startup, or delay in reaching the login screen often indicates updates are installing.
• Locate your students full Chromebook set: Device, charger, and carry bag.
• Per the Technology Use Agreement, notify your student's teacher, or Kokanee's STS, in a timely manner regarding device damage or loss.

New devices

• All 2nd graders will be assigned their own Chromebook set in the first week of school.
• 2nd-5th graders new to NSD will be assigned a Chromebook set by the first day of school.
• Kindergarteners and 1st graders will have access to an iPad in their class cart for use while at school.

New program and policy regarding device damage.

NSD Technology Use, Care, Expectations and the new Device Protection Program (DPP) are explained at

NSD Student Technology Use Overview.

Hi Kokanee Families!

I am Sophie Happold, Kokanee’s School Counselor. This will be my 4th year at Kokanee and I am excited to continue to work with all of our students and have another great year!

I am here to support our entire Kokanee Community. I work alongside teachers, parents and guardians to help all of our Kodiaks develop socially, emotionally, and academically.

I provide Classroom Guidance Lessons, Small Groups, Individual Counseling and Resources for families. To learn more, I have attached a pdf with additional information, or you can contact me at 425-408-4927 / snelson@nsd.org.

Threads & Treads is a FREE clothing bank providing Northshore School District families and community members with quality donated clothing for school-age youth, teens, young adults and parents/care givers.

Clothing items include appropriate clothing and fashions for school, special events, career, sports/recreation, and shoes & accessories. 3 pairs of new socks and 3 pairs of new underwear are provided to each member of the household once a month, limited by supplies available.

Conveniently located at Canyon Park Middle School, the PTSA oversees this resource in partnership with Northshore organizations, community volunteers, and the Northshore School District.

We cannot wait to welcome all our Kodiaks back to the library and get books into the hands of our Kokanee readers!

Book check out will begin as soon as possible. Books are checked out for one week for grades K-2 and two weeks for grades 3-5. To learn more about all our library has to offer, and answers to frequently asked questions, please visit our library website at: go.nsd.org/kolibrary

VOLUNTEERS NEEDED!

Volunteers are an essential part of our library program, and we truly appreciate the volunteers who help us out! Library Volunteers must:

1. Have up to date NSD background check and library volunteer agreement on file.
2. Be available for a weekly or bi-weekly time slot and sign up on the Sign-Up Genius

If you have the time and interest in volunteering, please use the Sign-Up Genius link!

~Happy Reading!

Mrs. McKnight (full-time librarian)

Mrs. Fagundes (part-time librarian)

Want to volunteer on campus? You can start preparing now!

All volunteers in Northshore are required to complete an online volunteer application. Volunteers who have completed a background check in the past need to renew their volunteer application annually.

Step One - Read through the Northshore School District Volunteer Orientation.

Step Two - Complete a background check (level 1) and submit your proof of vaccination through Safe Visitor Solutions. This background check is through the Washington State Patrol System. Please submit your application at least a week before volunteering.

Please call the front office with questions!

(425)408-4900

Hello Kodiaks!

Welcome back to Kokanee! We are very excited for the year, and wanted to give some reminders so we are able to maximize our time together in the gym.

On days that you have PE, please wear comfortable clothes that allow you to move freely. Wear sneakers and make sure your laces are tied. If you’re not good at tying your laces yet, practice. Like all things in life, when you practice you get better. There are many days when you will wear boots to school because of the weather. If you wear boots on a day you have PE please remember to bring sneakers that you can change into. We will not have students sit out if they are wearing rain boots, but improper footwear can limit the ability to fully participate in PE activities.

We will have many different PE units and activities throughout the year. Most units are 2-3 weeks long. We ask that students participate and try new things. Our goal is that all students enjoy learning and participating in the gym and that we can instill lifelong habits of participating in physical activities. If students are injured, please coordinate with the office, to provide medical documentation as to the injury and time period, when students need to limit or refrain from PE activities.

Please do not hesitate to contact us with any questions or concerns.

Greg Martin gmartin@nsd.org

Michelle Olson molson@nsd.org

Sara Lee slee@nsd.org

Registrations are done ONLINE except for the Athletic Emergency Information Form which needs to be a paper copy for coaches to have on hand at every practice and XC meet. Please download a hard copy or have your athlete pick one up from the coach or the front office.

Athletic Emergency Information Form

Uniforms will be issued at no cost to borrow, or you can purchase and keep your own for $14.00.
The jersey will be used for both Cross Country and Track & Field. If you would like to purchase, visit the shopify webpage and scroll to the very bottom for instructions. Jerseys will be delivered to the school prior to the first cross country meet.

Volunteers Needed!
We are looking for parents to volunteer at practices, no experience necessary. If interested please make sure you have filled out the required NSD background check and then email Mr. Martin gmartin@nsd.org or Ms. Lee slee@nsd.org.

Practice and Meet Schedules can be viewed here or your athlete can pick up a hard copy from the coach or the front office. Question please contact the coaches.

The YMCA is proud to partner with the Northshore School District to provide high-quality, active learning opportunities designed to engage and expand young minds. Through our Before and After-School Enrichment (BASE) program, we provide a safe, caring, and fun environment where kids can participate in sports, arts, STEM, and other hands-on learning activities.

Registration is open, please visit this link for more information Northshore School District | YMCA of Greater Seattle (seattleymca.org) The Y also provides scholarships for families. To apply for a scholarship, follow the instructions on the attached link or reach out to registration@seattleymca.org with any questions! We are looking forward to a great year with our Kokanee students and families!

By now you have had a chance to hear from your teacher(s) and learn that Kindergarten kicks off the school year different than the other grade levels.

This is part of the Washington Kindergarten Inventory of Developing Skills (WaKIDS) program, a legislatively mandated part of state-funded, full-day kindergarten. Family Connection takes place at the beginning of the school year, allowing Teacher, Student and Parent/Guardian conferencing the first 3 calendar days.

Please visit the OSPI webpage for more information.

Kindergarten

1. Courtney Knox
2. Erin Wilen - Student Teacher Holly Sassi
   
3. Emma Williams
4. Lauren Crabb
5. Amy Pak

1st Grade

1. Christina Cariker
2. Stacy Hansen
3. Val Kok
4. Alicia Blankenburg (Morford)

2nd Grade

1. Brittany Doyle
2. Melissa Douma (3rd Grade Math walk to model for all students identified as EAP or highly capable in math)
3. Amy Kostadinova (3rd Grade Math walk to model for all students identified as EAP or highly capable in math)
4. Kelly Leininger
5. Lauren Fuhr (Piloco)

3rd Grade

1. Colby Bishop (4th Grade Math walk to model for all students identified as EAP or highly capable in math)
2. Todd English (4th Grade Math walk to model for all students identified as EAP or highly capable in math)
3. Tiffany Hsieh
4. Kim Woodard
5. Lydia Mikhail

4th Grade

1. Michelle Gillebo
2. Dawn Hamilton (EAP and high-cap math)
3. Colleen McIntosh
4. Jen McNease (EAP and high-cap math)

5th Grade

1. Rich Butler (EAP and high-cap math)
2. Kaitlyn Flanagan
3. Scott Liu
4. Margie Muller (EAP and high-cap math)
5. Jordan Olson

Library:

1. Jenni McKnight - 1.0 FTE
2. Annie Fagundes - 0.4 FTE in Library

Library Secretarial/Clerical Support:

1. Susan Carr

Music:

1. Michelle Bergmans
2. Sara Lee - 0.6 FTE
3. Tamara Burnett - 0.4 FTE

Band and Strings:

1. Kayla Smith (Band)
   
2. Missy Newman (Strings)

PE:

1. Greg Martin
   
2. Michelle Olson- 0.8 FTE
3. Sara Lee - 0.4 FTE

Learning Center Certs

1. Jessica Cottrill
2. Ashley Hales - Student Teacher Tyra Lewis

Learning Center Paras

1. Tracy LeBel
2. Ilinda Bills (Pennant)
3. Lorie Trecker - part time
4. Cindi Thompson - part time
5. Frank Stevens
6. Janani Sowmya Narayanan
7. Claire Smith

Mid-Level Sensory Teachers

1. Lorie Kleve
2. Kris Harris
3. Parveen Mohammad

Mid-Level Sensory Paras

1. Emily Granberg
2. Claudia Bridenbecker
3. Molly Johnson
4. Viral Trivedi
5. Amy Clark
6. Sameera Shaikh
7. Tammy Mason
8. Betsy Rosenbaum
9. Manjula Senthilvelu
   
10. Sheri Fralick
11. Cindi Lorkowski
12. Emily Kent
13. Jana Abdurashidova
14. Thomas Vrhel

ELD and LAP Certs

1. Brynn Bond 1.0 ELD
2. Sally Bryan 0.8 LAP

ELD Paras

1. Jen Brown, full time with ELD Program
2. Megan Anderson, part-time with ELD Program

Counselor

1. Sophie Happold (Nelson)

Mental Health Specialist

1. Annelise Sullivan on Fridays

Office Staff

1. Marne Nienaber- Office Manager
2. Andrea Robinson - Substitute Secretary through October 3rd.

• *Michael Surber - Secretary on leave until February 1st.

Nurse

1. Lily Conahan

Psychologist

1. Andrea Karch - 0.8 FTE at KO, 0.2 FTE at Sunrise
   

School Assistants

1. Jenny Unruh - 6.5
2. Sara Casebeer - 6.5
3. OPEN - 12:00-2:30pm M,Tu,Th,F (contact Kokanee if you are interested in supporting and supervising recess from 12:00-2:30pm M,Tu,Th,F)

OT/PT

• Janet Prendergast - Student Teacher, Taylor Bingea
• Andy Wojcik
• Elizabeth Forman
  

SLP

• Megan Larson - 1.0 FTE
• Heather Ullrich - 0.8 FTE

STS

1. Megan Arrivey Hall

Kitchen

1. Kathy Tidwell - Kitchen Manager
2. TBD - Cook Assistant

Facilities

1. Shane Bailey
2. Ramon Velazco

Administrators

1. Joel Fagundes
2. Icis Tirado

Kokanee Elementary School’s Parent Teacher Association supports critical academic needs, is an active voice on decisions that impact your child’s health, safety and quality of education, and builds a stronger, more inclusive school community.

Our goal is 100% membership among parents - a larger membership means:

• a stronger legislative voice at the national, state, and local levels

• quality school enrichment with the programs and events we sponsor, such as Raz Kids, Scholastic News, and classroom Art Docents.
  

• better closing of the public school funding gaps via grants to the school for technology support, field trips, supplies and much more.
  

There is no wrong or right way to be involved – joining does not obligate you to volunteer, we invite you to join because we can do more together than apart.

We are the Northshore Schools Foundation, serving students, teachers and families in the Northshore School District communities of Bothell, Kenmore, and Woodinville.

Our work drives resources to help students reach the promise of their potential. Since our founding in 1995, we have granted over $2.7 million to schools, teachers and students. YOU, the Northshore community make this possible.

If you would like to partner with us to enrich the educational experience for students, supporting teachers and making a meaningful contribution to public education and the community, we invite you to learn more about ways to give.

Have a wonderful 2022-23 school year Northshore!

Injuries at School

The health and safety of our students is of critical importance to the Northshore School District. Even so, accidents may and do happen and the resulting medical bills can be expensive. However, many families are unaware that the district does not carry insurance for student personal injury costs and cannot assume responsibility for them.

What this basically means is that if your child gets hurt during the school day or during a school activity, you as the parent/guardian, are financially responsible for any medical bills incurred.

This includes students participating in athletics, PE, recess and after school activities. If your student participates in a sport, please make certain your family insurance plan covers athletic participation.

Optional Student Insurance

As a service, the district provides information on an optional student accident/sickness insurance plan. Other coverage such as Interscholastic Tackle Football and Exchange Student insurance are also available. Although not the only provider of this coverage type, Meyers-Stevens & Toohey has been recommended by our Washington Schools Risk Management Pool. This coverage plan is made available by many school districts across the state.

If you have questions regarding the available plans, please call Myers-Stevens & Toohey at (800) 827-4695 or visit their website at www.myers-stevens.com.

Downloadable forms and a link to applying online can be found on the district's website under Student Insurance. If you'd like a hard copy brochure and enrollment form, please contact ccash@nsd.org or 425-408-7630.

Kokanee is privileged to have a therapy dog program. We currently have six highly trained dogs supporting our school this year: Lottie, Mo, Klamath, Quinn, Gilly, and Thorton. These dogs are trained with specific skills to support the academic, physical, and social-emotional needs of our learning community. All dogs have been tested and certified to be safe with our students. Additionally, we have the privilege of partnering with Canine Companions, one of the oldest service dog organizations in the country, to have service dogs in training visit our campus. Being at our school helps prepare these dogs for life as working service dogs, and the children have the opportunity to follow the dogs' progress after they transition to advanced training in the specific skills needed to serve their forever person. The service dogs in training are vetted and determined to be safe on campus by local service dog trainers. If you would like to learn more about our dogs or the program, please ask Janet Prendergast, OT/PT, jprendergast@nsd.org

Email: jfagundes@nsd.org
Website: https://kokanee.nsd.org/
Location: 23710 57th Avenue Southeast, Woodinville, WA 98072, USA
Phone: (425)408-4900