Parent Newsletter

Hello Cedar Wood Families

Early in Trish and my marriage we had four kids and were struggling to make ends meet. The stress of making the holidays special for our kids, coupled with the additional financial challenges that come with this time of year, often made the holidays feel like a burden rather than the “most wonderful time of the year.”

Somehow, we always made do and got through the season. I remember the stress, the strategizing, and the feelings of not being able to give our kids what they wanted much less each other. It always felt like the kids were fighting more, my tolerance level was much lower than usual, and I began to dread this season.

Looking back now I recognize that I was often so caught up in getting it “right” for my family that I missed out on the joy of spending time with Trish and the kids. My kids look back on their childhood holidays with fondness. However, they often refer to it as the grumpy season for their dad!

I hope as we head into the holiday season, your circumstances do not get in the way of you enjoying time with your family and perhaps friends. The memories for your kids will be the time spent together and these will carry on much longer than any item they may want or get.

Respectfully,

Kevin Allen

Holiday Support for Cedar Wood Families:

All donations from our Toy and Gift card drive support Cedar Wood families and students. If you are interested in receiving support for the holidays for your family, please reach out to Amy Famelos-Villars at afamelos@everettsd.org or by calling 425-385-7710.

Bullying Prevention Unit:

By the end of this week, all classes in grades 3-5 will have completed the Bullying Prevention Unit Lessons from Second Step. If you are interested, below are Home Links for each grade that you can use at home to reinforce the skills learned during the lessons.

Grade 3: Grade 3 Home Links

Grade 4: Grade 4 Home Links

Grade 5: Grade 5 Home Links

Care Closet and Coat Closet:

At Cedar Wood we have a Care Closet and a Coat Closet that has materials to support students with many needs at school and at home. The closets have toiletries, clothes, warm coats, hats, gloves, and snacks. The Care Closet is located in Cedar Wood’s Sensory Room and the Coat Closet is in the Counseling office. Students are welcome to visit the closets if there is anything they need. Please reach out if there is something your student(s) need from one of the closets.

Monthly Emotion Management Strategy: Five Senses Calming Strategy

Five Senses is a great activity to support students of all ages to regulate when they are having a strong emotion. I prefer to do this activity outside, but it can also be done indoors. Start by doing this activity with your child, as they get more comfortable, they may be able to try this strategy on their own.

Thank you for viewing our CWE Counseling Corner!!!

-Cedar Wood School Counseling Team

Ms. Famelos - afamelos@everettsd.org (M, W, Th, F)

Ms. Muscatel - jmuscatell@everettsd.org (Tuesday)

Ms. Kawaihae - ckawaihae@everettsd.org (T, W, Th)

CWE Counseling Office Phone Number: 425-385-7710

• December 6 and 13 - LID Fridays - 2:15p Dismissal
• December 12 - Math Night - 6 - 7p, see flyer below
• December 12 - PTA's Multilingual Store Time - Cafeteria, 7 - 8:30p, see flyer below
• December 20 - Early Release - 1:00p Dismissal
• December 23 - January 3 - Winter Break - NO SCHOOL

Everett Public Schools' cell phone policy: What families and students need to know:

Did you know Everett Public Schools implemented our cell phone policy and procedures in 2019? The policy, which is designed to support an engaging learning environment, applies to cell phones as well as all personal electronic devices (PEDs), such as earbuds and smart watches. Below is a breakdown of what families and students need to know as we start the school year.

ELEMENTARY Students:

• During the school day: Cell phones and PEDs will be turned off and stored in backpacks. Students should not use cell phones and PEDs during the school day.
• Communicating with your child during the school day: If a student needs to contact a parent/guardian, they can do so through the school office. Likewise, parents/guardians can call the office for any urgent messages.
• Disciplinary action: If a cell phone/PED is seen or used during the day, school staff will hold it and return it to the student at the end of the school day. Repeated violations may lead to further consequences.

Cell Phone/PEDs District Policy can be viewed in the Student Handbook: https://www.everettsd.org/Page/4822

Please see the items below for: Attendance, Breakfast, Morning Drop-off, Lost & Found, and Transportation.

ATTENDANCE

When reporting an absence for your child(ren), please

SEND AN EMAIL TO: CWEAttendance@everettsd.org or

CALL THE ATTENDANCE VOICEMAIL LINE: 425-385-7705.

It is recommended to include your child(ren)'s teacher in your absence email. The school office is very busy in the morning and we may not be able to respond to your call in a timely fashion. Please use the attendance email or voicemail line to report an absence.

Your email or voicemail message should include the following information:

Student first and last name

Student ID

Date(s) absent

Reason for the absence

Parent/Guardian name

Parent/Guardian phone number (for verification)

When sending an email, please make sure you are sending the email from the email that is on record with the school.

The absence email and attendance reporting information are located on Cedar Wood’s website here: https://www.everettsd.org/domain/1616, or you can scroll below the revolving headlines and click on Attendance Reporting to the far left.

Planned Absence forms are also available on Cedar Wood’s website here: https://www.everettsd.org/Page/23561

Please complete these forms and return to the school office at least a week before the student will be absent. You may also scan/email this form to CWEAttendance@everettsd.org

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You may also use CWEAttendance@everettsd.org (and include your child's teacher) to let us know about:

Change in your child’s mode of transportation at the end of the day

Please send email with transportation change:

Mon-Thu before 2:30p

Fri before 1:30p

If you missed the email cut-off times above, please call the office 425-385-7700 between:

2:30-3:15p - Mon-Thu

1:30-2:00p - Fri

We will relay the information to your child’s teacher.

Please, DO NOT WALK DOWN TO THE BUS AREA AT DISMISSAL and ask for your child. Come to the office and let us know they will not be taking the bus and we will radio school staff to have your child walk to the office to meet you.

Late arrival to school and/or early pick-up from school

Please send an email if your child will be late to school or will be getting picked up early from school. For early pick-ups, plan to arrive with enough time to allow your child to walk to the office. Children will not be waiting in the front office, and some classrooms are located further away from the office and students can take longer to get to the office.

BREAKFAST & MORNING DROP-OFF

Breakfast is at 8:45am. Students enter the cafeteria through the back side door of the cafeteria.

If students are not having breakfast, students may line up at the undercover play area at 8:50am. Students should not be on campus before 8:50 a.m. (unless having breakfast or participating in a school program/event) as there is no adult supervision in the undercover play area until 8:50am.

LOST & FOUND

Our “Lost & Found” clothes rack will be rolled out before and after school near the front office. Students will also have the opportunity to check for items as they walk into the Cafeteria for lunch.

To keep personal belongings out of Lost & Found, PLEASE LABEL your child’s jackets, sweatshirts, lunch boxes and water bottles, etc. If there is a tag on a jacket/sweatshirt, please use a Sharpie marker or pen to label your child’s first name and last initial. For lunch boxes and water bottles, please label with a Sharpie marker.

At the beginning of every month, all items in the Lost & Found will be donated to local charities. Please encourage your children to check the Lost & Found before the end of the month.

TRANSPORTATION

If you are needing information regarding your child(ren)’s bus, please contact the Transportation Office at (425) 385-4144.