Welcome you to the 23-24 school year! We hope that you have found time to enjoy rest and restoration with family and friends over the summer. Here at Cleveland, we have been hard at work preparing for this school year, and we are so excited to welcome you and your scholar back to our beautiful campus.

Cleveland has a well-earned reputation as one of the premier high schools in the region: I have already come to learn that this staff works tirelessly to ensure students are known, loved, challenged, and prepared for college and career, and we love seeing scholars rise to the challenge. We are excited this school year to form a genuine learning partnership with you to help your scholar achieve their fullest potential.

While we are still a few weeks away to the official start of the school year, we want to share some important information (see below) with you to help you prepare for the start of the school year. When the school year starts, you can expect to receive a newsletter from us each week to help you stay informed.

Thank you for the gift and honor of serving as your scholar's Principal. I am looking forward to partnering with you this school year!

With Gratitude,

Principal Jeff Lam

Assistant Principal Jacklyn Cable

Assistant Principal Laura Roesener

• 8/19 - New Holly Back to School Event
• 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

All Cleveland students will begin the first few days of school using our "Strong Start" plan. All students will begin their day with their advisory class, build relationships, and get acclimated to being back in school. During this time, students will learn about the many services offered at Cleveland, opportunities for getting involved, receive their laptops, have their picture taken, and receive their school ID.

We will have picture day on Wednesday, September 6th! School picture make up day will be scheduled for a later date.

Fall sports are starting this week! Please click here for directions on how to register for Fall Athletics using our online platform, Final Forms. You may also access the Final Forms page directly, by clicking here.

Scroll down to How to create a Final Forms account for directions on how to get started.

• If your child is new to CHS Athletics, you can register an account in Final Forms by selecting New Account.
• Parents/Guardians of returning students, please log in and update with the participating sport for the 2023-24 schoolyear.

Please note that every student must have a physical completed every two years.

Here are the start dates and times for the fall sports 2023-24 school year:

• Football – August 16 at 4PM Cleveland football field. Head coach is Leonard Hicks, email leonard@cfinalclean.com

• Cross Country boys and girls – August 21 at 7PM Cleveland football field. Head coach Dan Hamilton, email hamiltondaniel9@gmail.com

• Girls Soccer – August 21 at 230PM Cleveland lunchroom. Head coach Elana Willet-Caoagdan, email elana.willettcaoagdan@gmail.com

• Golf/Boys & Girls – August 21 at 3 PM at Jefferson golf course clubhouse . Head coach Robert Mathews, email rfm9@comcast.net

• Girls Softball – August 21 (To be Determined)

• Girls Swim & Dive – August 21 at Rainier Beach HS pool, time to be determined. Coach Mark Nichols, email mcnichols@seattleschools.org

• Volleyball – August 21 at 4 – 6:30PM at Cleveland gym. Head coach Lorna Considine, llconsidine@seattleschools.org

All student athletes: Email your coach as soon as possible if you are interested in participating on a team. If you have any further questions, you may contact the Athletics Director, Dan Jurdy, dgjurdy@seattleschools.org

If you live in the New Holly community, come say hi to us! We will be joining the New Holly community for their back to school event on Saturday, August 19, from 11:00 - 4:00 pm. We will have many staff there to meet with you, including counselors, representatives from our various academic departments, the Teen Health Center, our activities coordinator (so you can learn about our many school clubs!), our Athletics Director, and some of our Fall Sports coaches. We can't wait to meet you on Saturday and talk to you about how to get involved in the life of our school community.

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!

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.

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.

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

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