Connections NewsletterNews from the Northshore School District October 14, 2024
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Message from the Superintendent |
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Dear Northshore Community: I want to again congratulate Kim Broomer, kindergarten teacher at Ruby Bridges Elementary School for being named the 2025 Washington State Teacher of the Year! On October 2, I had the opportunity to pop in and surprise Kim and her students during class. Kim is unwavering in her commitment to inclusion and making sure that each and every student is supported, knows they belong, and thrives academically and socially. This commitment was clear during my visit. It was also clear just how much her students love her. Congratulations to Kim on this well-deserved recognition! I am excited to see how she uses this new platform to accelerate the use of inclusionary practices across our state. This month is full of celebrations and observances. Throughout October, we are celebrating a really special group of leaders in our Northshore family – our school principals. Thank you to our dedicated school leaders who play such an essential role in shaping our students’ futures and the wellbeing of our entire community. I know our students and families appreciate our school leaders as much as I do. Please help me in wishing all of our fantastic principals and assistant principals - a happy National Principals Month! Additionally, earlier this month was National Custodian Appreciation Day. As I have shared previously, I spent some time as a school custodian - refinishing floors - so, I have a unique perspective on this important job. Our school custodians help ensure our buildings are safe, comfortable, and welcoming. Thank you to our dedicated custodians - you help make Northshore great. |
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Over these last three weeks we have held groundbreaking ceremonies at Fernwood, Sorenson Early Childhood Center/Westhill, Crystal Springs, Kenmore, Woodin, and Maywood Hills elementaries (listed in the order of events). These six campuses are part of the 2022 voter-approved bond projects and once complete will increase the number of permanent classrooms, decrease portables, and improve site circulation (flow of traffic around the schools). It was wonderful to see so many of you there as we celebrated future improvements for our staff, students, and families. And of course, thank you to our generous voters for making this possible for our entire community. As I have shared before, my favorite part of the job is being in classrooms with educators and students. Thank you to Arul, a freshman at North Creek High School, for inviting me to his 9th grade English class to share about my professional journey. I offered our NCHS students advice that has served me well throughout my career:
I am so glad that Arul reached out to invite me. |
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We also launched my Fall Listen and Learn Sessions on Saturday, September 28 with our Spanish-speaking families. We had over 100 families in attendance and numerous community organizations present to provide resources and answer questions. During my part of the program, I asked parents for feedback on the presence of cell phones and other mobile devices in schools. In the coming weeks, we will also seek feedback from families and secondary students about this topic in a districtwide survey. All the data will be shared back with the new Mobile Device Task Force. The task force will be developing recommendations for my review by late December. You can review the full list of Listen and Learn Sessions on the Superintendent webpage. I hope to see many of you at an upcoming event. Finally, I want to again thank School Board President Cast for her ongoing advocacy for our students, staff, and community. Recently, she provided an interview with KIRO news about the state underfunding of public K 12 schools and what this means for Northshore and other neighboring districts. You can watch a portion of her interview here along with perspectives from other district leaders. This year’s legislative session is critically important in helping to address the systemic budget challenges we face. We will begin our 2025-26 School Year Budget Development process today, October 14, at a public Board Study Session. You can view the conversation live streamed by visiting the Board’s webpage. In partnership, Michael Tolley Superintendent
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News and Updates |
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During October, please join us in recognizing several different observances, including:
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If you have not already, by Friday, Oct. 18 please log in to ParentVUE to acknowledge the annual notifications for all parents/guardians, including:
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 required to complete any missing state-required information, and then you will be prompted to download, read, and take action for each of the notices listed above. Each parent/guardian must acknowledge these notices the next time they log into ParentVUE. Typically, only one parent/guardian per household will need to provide updates to the state-required information. This is required annually to ensure we have current information for each of our families. These steps are required before parents/guardians can access student grades and other information. If you need assistance, please review this step-by-step guide on the District website or contact your child’s school. Please note: When you begin to confirm/update your family information in ParentVUE, please select “2024-25 Annual Update,” rather than the “2024-25 Student Enrollment” button. Only use the “Student Enrollment” button if you are enrolling a new student in Northshore. |
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The cities of Bothell and Kenmore both have photo enforcement programs in place to enhance student safety and enforce school zone speed limits. These initiatives reinforce responsible driving and our community’s efforts to ensure a safe environment for everyone. During student drop-off in the morning and pick-up in the afternoon, you will see flashing beacons and speeding tickets will be issued with the help of photo enforcement to drivers who violate the 20 mph school zone speed limit near:
The majority of our schools have school zones with flashing beacons to warn drivers of the reduced speed limit. However, not all school zones have cameras to issue speeding tickets – only those listed above currently. The City of Bothell and City of Kenmore provide additional details about their use of photo enforcement to issue tickets online. Thank you to the cities for your partnership and care in protecting our students’ safety!
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Successful Students and Schools |
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School Board News |
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Bond and Levy Dollars at Work |
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Upcoming Events |
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Families of current students in grades K-4 are invited to the PACE (Parents Active in Cooperative Education) Information Night Events on Tuesday, October 15 at 7 p.m. at each of the three PACE elementary schools. This is an opportunity to learn if this choice elementary program is right for your family before the application process opens for the 2025-26 school year. More information can be found on the PACE website. |
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Superintendent Tolley’s fall and winter Listen & Learn sessions are an opportunity to share information and hear back from families and students. School Board representatives will also be present at each session. A full list of dates are available on the Superintendent’s website, and the next sessions will take place on:
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Later this week, organizations across the country will participate in the earthquake preparedness event called the Great Shakeout, including many of our schools. In Northshore, schools practice emergency preparedness with a drill each month, helping to improve and refine processes for student safety outlined in the schools’ safety and security plans. The plans are designed with the help of school emergency preparedness representatives, as well as local law enforcement, emergency management, and public health officials. As a reminder, each fall you will be required to complete any missing state-required information in ParentVUE, which includes confirming or revising your emergency contacts. If you have not already completed this, please log in to ParentVUE. Find additional resources on our Safety and Security website as well as the Safety Squad series of cartoons for our youngest learners to help explain why we do drills, what to expect, and more. |
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E-Flyers |
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Below are links to community E-flyers that were recently approved for sharing with District families. These activities are not sponsored nor endorsed by the Northshore School District or any of its schools.
The District assumes no responsibility for the conduct during or the safety of the activities. Northshore School District shall be held harmless from any cause of action, claim, or petition filed in any court or administrative tribunal arising out of the distribution of these materials including attorney's fees and judgment or awards. |
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Partnerships & Volunteers |
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The Northshore School District is pleased to share two current opportunities for our community to help shape the District through work on task forces and committees: We invite you to learn more about the opportunities using the links above and if interested, submit an application prior to the Oct. 20 due date. |
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Important Dates |
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The following section features non-school days, Northshore School Board meetings, and religious and cultural observances, including dates listed on the Days of Highest Impact and Days of Fasting charts that are part of Northshore’s Religious and Cultural Observances Calendar. This aims to expand awareness about the multiple forms of diversity among our students and families, the days that students may not be at school due to religious observances, and the days that students may be fasting. *Begins at sundown of previous day/ends at sundown Oct. 16-23*
Nov. 1
Nov. 3*
Additional Religious and Cultural Observances The following section features additional important dates, including those listed on the Full Religious and Cultural Observances chart three, which is part of Northshore’s Religious and Cultural Observances Calendar. Sept. 15-Oct. 15
October 1-31
Oct. 14
Oct. 17-23*
Oct. 31
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Northshore School District is enriched by the many experiences and perspectives each individual member brings to our District and community. Therefore, our District prohibits discrimination based on age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, honorably discharged veteran or military status, or the presence of any sensory, cognitive, or physical disability or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability.
Civil Rights and ADA Coordinator for Staff: Jerred Kelly 3330 Monte Villa Parkway Bothell, WA 98021-8972 425-408-7622 or 7604 TitleIXOfficer@nsd.org
Title IX Coordinator: Jerred Kelly 3330 Monte Villa Parkway Bothell, WA 98021-8972 425-408-7622 or 7604 TitleIXOfficer@nsd.org The Northshore School District shall provide equal educational opportunity and treatment for all students in all aspects of the District’s academic, activities, or employment programs without discrimination. In addition, the District provides equal access to the Boy Scouts and other designated youth groups in its programs and activities. Section 504 and ADA Coordinator for Students: Rick Ferrell Director of Student Services 3330 Monte Villa Parkway Bothell, WA 98021-8972 425-408-7632 rferrell@nsd.org Any Northshore School District staff and community member has the right to raise concerns or make a complaint regarding discrimination under this policy without fear of retaliation. The above-listed employees have been designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged unlawful discrimination. |