The Sailor Signal

SEPTEMBER

• September 9 - Kindergarten students with last names between L-Z attend. Others stay home.
  
• September 10 - ALL Kindergarten students attend
• September 10 - PTA Meeting, 7:00-8:00 PM in the Library
• September 11 - Early Release Wednesday. Dismissal @ 2:30 PM
• September 16 - Curriculum Night #1
• ..... 5:30-6:30 PM - Grade 1
• ..... 6:45-7:45 PM - Grades 4/5 (all three classrooms)
• September 17 - Curriculum Night #2
• ..... 5:30-6:30 PM - Grade K
• ..... 6:45-7:45 PM - Grades 2, 2/3, & 3 (all three classrooms)
• September 18 - Volunteer Training @ 10:30 AM
• September 18 - Early Release Wednesday. Dismissal @ 2:30 PM
• September 19 - PICTURE DAY!
• September 20 - Volunteer Training @ 3:15 PM
• September 20 - PTA's Ice Cream Social, 5:30-7:00 PM
• September 23 - Volunteer Training @ 3:15 PM
• September 25 - Volunteer Training @ 12:00 PM/Noon
• September 25 - Early Release Wednesday. Dismissal @ 2:30 PM
• September 30 - Volunteer Training @ 10:30 AM

Say "cheese". picture day is this Thursday September 19th. It is individual pictures for students.

Volunteers are needed to help picture day run smoothly on September 19th. Looking for three volunteers 9:30-12:00 and a volunteer 1:00-2:30PM. Please email Sarah McKinnon at smckinnon@nsd.org if you want to volunteer. Thank you.

Calling all Kindergarten parents. After dropping off your Kindergartener for their first day, stop by for a Tears & Cheers gathering outside the cafeteria. Coffee and breakfast items provided, 9/6 and 9/9, from 9:45-10:15 AM.

We hope you still stop by to meet new families and celebrate the beginning of your student's school career.

This is an annual reminder that food treats are NOT allowed to celebrate birthdays. This is a building-wide decision.

Your child's teacher will share their plan for how birthdays are celebrated in class during Curriculum Night or other classroom communication. Please do not send any treats (food or goody bags) for the class on birthdays. Invitations for birthday celebrations should not be distributed at school, unless you are inviting the entire class. If birthday treats are brought to school, we will share that the treats could be taken back home or placed in our staff lounge.

Lastly, each classroom usually plans two parties during the school year. Teachers will communicate information about class parties in their classroom newsletters.

As students arrive on campus, below is what they can expect.

• Students should arrive on campus no earlier than 9:15 AM.
• Breakfast will be available between 9:15-9:35 AM
• If students arrive to campus through either of our side gates, students should walk straight to their classroom line-up location.
• If students arrive to campus by bus, students walk to their classroom line-up location and leave their backpack.
• If students arrive to campus by car, students will be greeted by adults in our car loop. Students should plan to exit their car on the passenger side of the car, whenever possible. Students then walk to their classroom line-up location.

As students are dismissed from campus, below is our protocol for dismissal.

• If students are riding the bus home, students will line up in their bus lines and then the lines will be escorted to their bus.
• If students are riding home in a car, students will stand on the dots at the front of the school until their name is called to come forward to meet your car. Family members should stand together on the same dot.
• If students are being greeted by an adult to walk home, parents/guardians should meet their students on the walkway that is parallel to the front office. This is separate from the car pick-up area.
• If students are meeting parents/guardians at the back gate, students can walk to this location.

Attention NEW to Cottage Lake families,

At Cottage Lake, we hold Volunteer Trainings for all adults working at our school. These are similar to the district volunteer video/training, but specific to Cottage Lake. I ask that each adult who volunteers at Cottage Lake to participate in the training once while I am the Principal. During this training, I will note specifics about supporting students at Cottage Lake and volunteering in general. Parents do not need to sign-up or register for a training. Each training will run approximately 30 minutes in length.

The Volunteer Trainings that have been scheduled so far this school year are:

• September 18 @ 10:30 AM
• September 20 @ 3:15 PM
• September 23 @ 3:15 PM
• September 25 @ 12:00 PM/Noon
• September 30 @ 10:30 AM

Parents do not need to attend multiple trainings; you need to attend one if you are new to Cottage Lake.

You can find our 2024-2025 requested school supplies list by CLICKING HERE. You can also find all school supplies listed on our Cottage Lake website.

If you need assistance with school supplies for your student(s), please reach out to our Office Manager, Sarah McKinnon (smckinnon@nsd.org), in our front office. Thank you!

Bus routes and stops will be posted on the E-Link the week before school starts. Bus routes will not be mailed out.

http://versatrans.nsd.org/elinkrp/Login.aspx

We are getting ready to welcome our youngest sailors! Below is information regarding the start to the school year for our Kindergarten students and families.

I'd like to welcome you to the 2024-2025 school year! This is an exciting time for you and your families. As we look to the beginning of the school year, I wanted to provide you with some very important dates to mark on your calendars. You will notice Kindergarten starts with family conferences and then we have staggard start days for students. This allows us the opportunity to learn about students before they start in our classroom and then on the staggard days, this provides us an opportunity to start small before all students are together. Please do review the dates below carefully.

Below you will find dates that pertain to the beginning of Kindergarten.

• Monday, September 9 – Last Names L-Z attend school, while last names A-K stay home.

• Tuesday, September 10 – All students are together at school

Please mark your calendars with the above information.

After September 10, your student will follow the regular Northshore calendar for elementary-aged students. We are looking forward to welcoming our youngest Sailors!

Welcome to Cottage Lake!

Below you will find the link to our district's lunch menus and nutrition information. We typically have three lunch choices per day, with one option being vegetarian. Breakfast and Lunch are available daily for a fee.

Please visit the website below for more information.

https://www.nsd.org/schools/get-started/food-services/menus

To see the one-page calendar for this school year, please click the button below. Below you will find a few dates to mark on your calendars.

Important Dates:

• September 2 - No School for Labor Day
• September 3 - First Day of School for Grades 1-5
• November 11 - No School for Veteran's Day
• November 28 & 29 - No School for extended Thanksgiving break
• December 23 - through January 3 - No School for Winter Break
• January 6 - Welcome back to school!
• January 20 - No School for Martin Luther King Jr's Birthday
• January 27 - No School for teacher grading day
• February 17 - through 21 - No School for President's Day & Mid-Winter Break
• April 7 - through 11 - No School for Spring Break
• May 26 - No School for Memorial Day
• June 17 - Last Day of School for Grades K-5

Email is always a great way to get a hold of any staff member.

To get a hold of the main office, please dial 425-408-4200.

Office Manager - Sarah McKinnon @ smckinnon@nsd.org

Secretary - Marne Nienaber @ mnienaber@nsd.org

Principal - Jennifer Welch @ jwelch@nsd.org

Dean of Students - Sam Maynard @ smaynard2@nsd.org

Nurse - Brittney Schlee @ bschlee@nsd.org

School Counselor - Christie Pak @ cpak@nsd.org

Attendance - clattendance@nsd.org

The connection with our families is a critical component of your student's success. One way we do this is through our annual curriculum nights. This is a time for adults to come to school to listen and learn from your child's classroom teacher about their classroom, the curriculum used, and other specific ways you can support your student.

These curriculum nights are intended for parents and/or guardians only. There is no childcare provided for these events.

• Monday, September 16

  • Grade 1 @ 5:30-6:30 PM
  • Grade 4/5 @ 6:45-7:45 PM

  
  

  Tuesday, September 17

  • Grade K @ 5:30-6:30 PM
  • Grade 2, 2/3 & 3 [all three classrooms] @ 6:45-7:45 PM

My goal is to achieve at least 95% attendance at these curriculum nights, though I always strive for 100%. If at least one parent can attend, we sure appreciate that! Thank you for your support!

We cannot run this school without our fabulous volunteers!

• If you completed your volunteer paperwork last year, please know you must renew that each year.
• If you are new to Northshore and Cottage Lake and would like to volunteer in the classroom or attend a field trip with your child, you will need to complete a short virtual class and background check. We welcome all parents, guardians, and grandparents to volunteer and become active members of our school community! This process only takes minutes to complete, but we want to share there is a small cost associated with the background check.

If you would like to attend any off-campus events with your student (s), you will need a Level 2 volunteer approval. Please know your active volunteer status is good in all Northshore schools.

Volunteer information: https://www.nsd.org/get-involved/volunteer

Families 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. Don't forget – families must re-apply every year.

If you qualify for free or reduced-price meals you may also qualify for:

• School fee waivers – a fee waiver form must be completed.

• Other services such as health insurance – contact your school nurse for more information.

The online application only takes a few minutes and is the fastest, easiest way to get approved.

The Device Protection Program (DPP) covers the device (Chromebook, Macbook, or iPad) loaned to your student against accidental damage for the school year. This program does NOT cover damage resulting from misuse or loss of the device. The standard payment to enroll in the Student Device Protection Plan is $25 per year; free for students who have qualified for free or reduced-price meals and who have provided consent to share their status for fee waivers. If the assigned device is accidentally damaged, families will be charged according to a deductible schedule if enrolled in the Device Protection Program. If there is no DPP on file for a student when damage occurs and the fine is assessed, the full repair cost will be charged.

Learn more about the program on our website.

Aug. 20, 2024

Dear Northshore Families,

Annually, the District provides parents/guardians with notifications that must be acknowledged, including:

• Washington State Attendance Letter

• Rights and Responsibilities Handbook

• Weapons Letter

• Student Housing Questionnaire

• Tech Use Agreement

• Meningococcal/HPV Letter (Secondary Only)

• Permission to Withhold Student Directory Information (optional form)

Parents/guardians who have not already acknowledged the notifications in ParentVUE will be required to complete them before they can access student grades and other information. If you need help with this process, please review this step-by-step guide on the District website. Your school office may also be a helpful resource and could provide either a device to acknowledge these electronically or print copies, if needed.

We ask that parents/guardians log in to ParentVUE today to view these notices. If you have never logged into ParentVUE, you will find instructions on how to do so when you click the ParentVUE link above. Once logged in, you will be prompted to download, read, and take action for each of the notices listed. Additionally, secondary students will be prompted to download, read, and acknowledge the Rights and Responsibilities Handbook when they log in to StudentVUE. Families with elementary students are encouraged to review the handbook together in ParentVUE with their students. Again, please refer to this website for the step-by-step guide to completing these notices. These must be completed no later than Oct. 15, 2024.

If you have any questions about these notices, please contact Student Services at (425) 408-7725 or by email at studentsvcs@nsd.org.

Calling all Kindergarten and new families of Cottage Lake Elementary! Please join us for a PTA hosted Tears and Cheers Breakfast after dropping your student off at school on Monday, September 9th! Coffee, juice, pastries and fruit will be provided from 9:30-10:15 a.m. right outside the cafeteria. We hope you’ll stop by to meet some of our community and celebrate the beginning of your students' first year at Cottage Lake Elementary!

Please join us on the Cottage Lake Elementary playground on Friday, September 20th for a school year kick-off with sweet treats from 5:30-7:00 p.m. Your PTA will have a variety of frozen goodies on hand, including some non-dairy options. Come bring the kids together, meet other families and learn more about some of the exciting events the PTA has in store for our school this year, plus ways you can get involved! We hope to see you there!

⚓Why should you join?⚓

At Cottage Lake Elementary School, the PTA plays a crucial role in supporting academic needs, advocating for your child’s health and safety, and enhancing the overall quality of education. By becoming a member, you help us provide essential resources, address key issues, and build a more inclusive and connected school community. Your participation, even as a single new member, makes a significant impact. We invite you to join us and see how much more we can accomplish together!

• Membership is valid for the 2024 - 2025 school year.
• Volunteering is not required, and it can look different for everyone. Whether you choose to contribute time or service in a way that fits your schedule, your involvement is always appreciated
• Each membership fee contributes $10 to the Cottage Lake PTA, with the remaining funds going to Washington State National PTA dues and Northshore Council fees, which help sustain our PTA’s framework.

✨Don't forget! If your company has an Employee Donation Match program, you can have your membership fee matched. Just include Cottage Lake Elementary PTA in your donation submissions!

CLICK HERE TO JOIN - https://wspta-00023195.givebacks.com/store?limit=21&live=true

Our First PTA meeting will be held Tuesday, September 10th in the Library! Doors open at 6:45 p.m. for conversation and refreshments, meeting starts at 7:00 p.m. Come learn about all that we have in store for the upcoming year and get updates from Principal Welch.

Can't make it in person, no problem. Join us virtually:

Meeting ID: 425 408 4200

Password: Sailors!

https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4254084200?pwd=bHk3QWt6WXNjUlRNTkxpNEVjK001QT09

You can stay up to date with our PTA by reading through newsletters I send, but you can also visit their website: https://www.cottagelakepta.org. We are looking for a great year of partnership ahead.

At Cottage Lake Elementary, it is our united mission to build a safe, engaging, and inclusive environment of resilient lifelong learners. In partnership with our vibrant community, we embrace our diversity and strive to foster trust and kindness.

Email: jwelch@nsd.org
Website: https://cottagelake.nsd.org/
Location: 15940 Avondale Road Northeast, Woodinville, WA, USA
Phone: 425-408-4200