Family Newsletter
Cleveland STEM High School
May 10, 2024
Hello Cleveland families!
We had a great week celebrating and recognizing our amazing teaching staff at Cleveland! Thanks to our amazingly generous and thoughtful PTSA for spoiling us (again!) with an incredible meal this week. Thank you for going above and beyond to make us feel loved and supported. We appreciate you!
As we close out Teacher Appreciation Week, I want to encourage you one more time to reach out to the teachers who have made a positive impact on your student's life and let them know how much you appreciate their efforts. I know that supportive messages from students and families mean everything to us, so thank you for taking the time. It truly lifts our spirits!
We hope you have a restful and restorative Mother's day weekend.
Principal Jeff Lam
Assistant Principal Jacklyn Cable
Assistant Principal Laura Roesener
Admin Intern Jenn Kekuna
Admin Intern Trisha Pilapil
Important Dates and Events to Know
- 5/15 | East African Family Night hosted in partnership with Bridging Cultural Gaps, 5:30 pm
- 5/17 | Cultural Night hosted by Pacific Islanders Club
- 5/18 | Prom
- 5/25 | K-POP Community Performance
- 6/1 | PTSA-sponsored fundraiser (more info coming!)
- 6/10 | Senior checkout
- 6/11 | Senior Breakfast and graduation rehearsal
- 6/17 | Graduation, 8:00 pm
CHS Spring Sports Schedule
Spring sports are now underway! Check out the full spring sports schedule using the link below. If you have any questions, please reach out to Athletic Director Dan Jurdy at dgjurdy@seattleschools.org
Important Info to Know
East African Family Night is May 15th!
Please spread the word that we will be having a Family Night hosted in partnership with Building Cultural Gaps (BCG) on May 15th for our East African students and families at 5:30pm in the Cleveland cafeteria.
Why?:
- Bring in family voice with student voice, especially our Black/EA families who are not directly involved in our school-based decision making.
- Foster the "power" of EA families to build community for students who are prospering in school and students who are struggling in school; thus improving motivation, academics, and a sense of belonging at our school.
- With family support get our students out the hallways and into classrooms.
- Create a welcoming, safe, and inclusive environment for all.
Please reach out to your student families who identify as East African and invite them to our Family Night. THANK YOU!
There will be dinner, speakers, and prizes.
SBA Math Testing - 5/20 - 5/31
Tenth grade students will be pulled out of math classes starting the week of May 20 for testing with our assessment coordinator, Ms. Kekuna.
Cleveland's PTSA is hosting a fundraiser!
Seniors: pick up your cap and gown!
If your senior did not get their cap and gown, please reach out to Ms. Kekuna at jmkekuna@seattleschools.org to schedule a pickup date.
Spring Student Led Conferences
There are three SLC format options: a recorded presentation from your student to you, a virtual online meeting, and an in-person conference.
Please reach out to your student's advisory teacher with any questions you might have about our process!
Info for Seniors
5/18 | Prom, 7:00 - 10:00 pm. More details will be shared soon!
6/10 | Last day of classes for seniors and senior checkout
6/11 | Senior breakfast and graduation rehearsal
6/17 | Graduation at Memorial Stadium, 8:00 pm
Our Family Co-Design Work
We have invested part of our Mental Health grant money into family and youth co-design work, and I'm thrilled to share with you that Mx. Jimenez and Ms. Keegan serve as our Family Co-Design leads. This work is done in collaboration with like-minded schools and supported by a facilitator from the Family Leadership Design Collaborative. You can learn more about the vision behind Family Co-Design work, here.
Learn more about their work:
Family Co-Design - Tymmony Keegan
I am delighted to share that in addition to piloting a Black Studies course here at Cleveland, I am now a member of Cleveland’s Co-Design Crew! In collaboration with SPS School & Family Partnerships staff, our levy liaisons with the City of Seattle’s Department of Education & Early Learning, and a brilliant facilitator with the Family Leadership Design Collaborative, we are beginning to take on the challenge of redefining relationships and partnerships between school and family. I’m really looking forward to supporting this critical work with Cleveland families and staff.
Youth Co-Design - isaura jiménez guerra
I’m excited to continue working on youth empowerment work through an AIS role focused on youth leadership and organizing. Through our work with co-design, my role is to support young people in identifying the issues that directly impact them so that they can organize and build collective power. I bring to this role my prior experience as a youth organizer and labor organizer and am excited to continue creating space where young folks can build connections and take action. I’m grateful for the opportunity to collaborate with young folks, community members, and our co-design crew.
What is Co-Design?
In short, in co-design, diverse stakeholders come together in order to collectively identify issues or problems of practice, and to design solutions. Co-design is an iterative process made up of cycles in which people:
- Build relationships & theorize around shared issues
- Design and develop tools, practices, processes, and other solutions that push beyond the status quo
- Enact or pilot these solutions and collect data on what happens
- Analyze & reflect on what was learned, in order to revise theories and designs
If you are interested in being a part of the Cleveland Co-Design Crew or just have questions, please reach out!
- Family Co-Design contact → Tymmony Keegan – tjkeegan@seattleschools.org
- Youth Co-Design contact → isaura jiménez guerra – isjimenez@seattleschools.org
Free Mental Health groups!
Are you interested in your child joining free and confidential groups this semester? Cleveland is offering several different groups which will take place on a rotating schedule during the school day starting in March. Filling out this referral form does not guarantee a spot in a group. The results of this survey are confidential and only read by a school counselor or social worker. Please fill out this interest form to see what group options are available.
Access for mental health services
Joon is a Seattle-based company that provides online therapeutic services for 13-24 year old clients. When students are signed up for services, they are matched with a therapist with expertise in their particular areas of need.
If this sounds like a service your student might benefit from, you can refer them right now, using this link. This service is free for Cleveland students and it is available through, at minimum, the end of this school year.