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We create and maintain a safe and consistent learning community by establishing positive behavioral supports and a culture where all students achieve social, emotional and academic success.
In this issue:
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Principal’s Message
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Dates to Remember
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Counselor Corner
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In the Know
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District Information
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PTSA Information
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Dear Fernwood Families,
With the arrival of June and the end of the school year, we often reflect on the challenges, growth, and success we experienced. Our theme this year for understandable reasons was “Under Construction- Building Excellence”. This has been our guiding mantra for 2024-25 as we navigated the complexities of actual construction on campus. We have been watching with excitement the framing and raising of the new building and can’t help but relate that to the growth of our students.
It can seem like growth is slow at times and then all of a sudden things are coming together at such a rapid pace, it is dizzying. Our students have demonstrated such growth this year in all areas, academically, socially and emotionally. They have been laying the foundation for building knowledge and skills that prepares them for a future we can only dream about.
These are just a few of the ways students built their knowledge and grew their own student agency over their learning this year. Classes were able to go on field trips to enrich their studies, visiting Olympia, the Oxbow Farm, the Bothell Landing and of course fifth grade’s outdoor education at Camp Cedar Springs. While some learning experiences were brought into Ferwood such as the Reptile Man, and our Gravity Catastrophe Assembly. With your support, students partnered with our Sister Schools in Uganda, held musical performances, and collaborated on assemblies to honor our rich and diverse community at Fernwood. In the classroom, teachers cultivated learning environments that fostered student collaboration with one another, learning to be critical thinkers and honoring one another’s strengths while giving space for individual growth.
Our students are building their leadership skills and strengths through their empathy for one another, perseverance through challenges and resilience as learners. Our educators’ dedication to students, modeling and guiding students in their social-emotional and academic growth creates the framework to support all the complex levels of learning still to come.
I want to take a moment to thank our wonderful PTSA for your partnership and ongoing dedication to building an enriching Fernwood for our students. Through PTSA sponsorship, we were able to host community events such as the Glow Dance, Spelling Bee, Multicultural Night, Positive Parenting Class, as well as our many after school enrichment classes for students. Your support and partnership contribute to a community in which our students experience belonging and value.
Out of school, we know the construction of learning continues through experiences with family, friends and times of solitude. I hope you all find ways to construct new learning together. Have a restful and wonderful summer!
Celebrating our Staff Moving On
As we begin to prepare for our 2025-26 school year, we know that some staff will be retiring, returning to work at another school within the Northshore School District, or moving on to a new journey in education. It is important we acknowledge those staff that will not be returning next year so students and families can share their goodbyes. Please be sure to read our weekly update on June 8th for a reflection of those educators moving on, who have shown dedication, commitment and a deep caring for our students.
With appreciation,
Cassie Morton, Principal
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JUNE
| Date | Event | Location | Time |
| 6/3 | PTSA General Meeting | Library | 7:00-8:00pm |
| 6/6 | Volunteer Appreciation | Cafeteria | 9:30-10:30am |
| 6/9 | School BBQ Lunch | Cafeteria | Lunch Times |
| 6/16 | 5th Grade Celebration | GYM/Cafeteria | 1:45-3:00pm |
| 6/17 | 5th Grade Field Trip | 9:45-2:30pm | |
| 6/18 | Full Day of School - Dismissal at 3:50pm | 3:50pm | |
| 6/18 | Field Day | Playground | 11:00 -1:00pm |
| 6/19 | NO SCHOOL - Juneteenth Day Observed | ||
| 6/20 | Last Day of School | 11:50am Dismissal |
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For the month of June students in grades K - 4 will have their last monthly lesson with their school counselor. This lesson will follow a class meeting format and its main focus will allow students to name any mixed feelings that can be typical for students as they near the end of the school year. This discussion will provide an opportunity to reflect upon the school year and give a sense of closure while also naming tools students can try when coping with mixed feelings, which can be challenging for young children. We want students to know that while the end of the school year brings about change in their daily routines, they have many adults that always care about them. We also encourage students to take care of themselves by practicing self-care, creating healthy habits, and seeking out activities they enjoy.
5th graders’ June lesson will focus upon their exciting transition to middle school! They will have the opportunity to share aloud any worries they may have, getting those persistent questions answered, and explore what about middle school they are most looking forward to. Even though this change of schools can bring some nervousness and possibly worry, it’s important for our 5th graders to name what excites them about this change to help them cope with their mixed feelings.
Lastly, we would like to share data with you about our school counseling program to give you a better picture of what made up the FW school counseling program this school year. We strive to keep our program relevant and integral to the student experience. As you know, our direct service to students includes whole groups (through classroom lessons), in small groups, and working with students 1:1. Below you can find a snapshot of the many lessons, small groups, and student requests that took place this 24-25 school year:
FWE’s School Counselor Program (Direct Student Service Summary):
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Tier 1: Universal Supports for All Students |
All students received a monthly counselor lesson and were invited to attend Lunch Bunch. We taught over 282 classroom lessons and we held over 72 Lunch Bunches! 80 students volunteered in grades 3, 4 & 5 to serve as Panther Resolution Seekers (PRS) to help students in grades K, 1 & 2 to solve small problems at recess |
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Tier 2: Specialized Supports for Some Students |
Small group topics included newcomers, friendship, emotional regulation, self-regulation (self-control), growth mindset, worry and sportsmanship. Over the course of the school year, we taught 42 small groups that spanned 6 to 8 weeks and served over 200 students on those topics named above. |
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Tier 3: Individualized Supports for a Few Students |
Students in grades 2-5 can request to see the school counselor (1:1). Students in grades K -1 work with their teacher to access school counselor support. This year, we received about 110 student requests, while last year we had over 232! We believe our Tier 1 efforts are paying off as students learn to solve small problems independently! |
This summary of our direct service to students shows that school counselors are taking an active role in the Fernwood student experience!
Lastly, below you will find additional resources that are pertinent to this time of year:
Resources:
Child Development & Positive Parenting
Washington State Department of Social and Health Services
Keep Your Child Safe: Summer Tips
Link to Last June’s Counselor Corner (Corporal Punishment Info for Parents)
If you have any questions or would like to request any additional support for your student, please do not hesitate to reach out! We are here for your student’s success! Have a great summer and thank you for your support and partnership!
Best Regards,
Jennifer Brisbine (Grades 1, 3, & 5) jbrisbine@nsd.org and 425-408-4570
Sarah Cue (Grades K, 2, & 4) scue@nsd.org and 425-408-4572
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Biking, Parking Lot Safety, and More!
With the increase in warm weather, we recognize many families may adjust their mode of transportation to and from school. Spring is also a good time for all of us to pause and revisit procedures to ensure we maintain our procedures during arrival and dismissal to ensure the safety of our students, staff, and families. Please revisit our arrival and dismissal procedures linked here.
*Please note: Any student biking to school (even when accompanied by an adult) must have a consent form turned in and approved. Only students 10 and older can bike alone once their form is approved.
Is Your Family Moving Over the Summer?
If your family will not be living in the Fernwood service area for the 2025-26 school year, please notify your current teacher and Mrs. Bickhaus (tbickhaus@nsd.org). Sharing this information in advance helps us to keep updated on our numbers for next year in relation to our goal of creating balanced classrooms. We believe balanced classrooms are the first step in setting all students up for success for the 2025-26 school year. We are sorry to see your family go and wish you the best in the future! Once a Panther, always a Panther - the Panther Pride is part of each one of us and cannot be forgotten!
End of Year Dates
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Monday, June 9th - School BBQ Lunch
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Thursday, June 12th - Safety Patrol Field Trip
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Monday, June 16th - 5th Grade Celebration - 1:45-3:00pm - Immediate family ONLY and RSVP ONLY
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Tuesday, June 17th - 5th Grade Field Trip 9:45-2:30pm
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Tuesday, June 17th - Yearbook Distribution
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Wednesday, June 18th - PTSA to Sell Yearbooks - Limited Quantities
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Wednesday, June 18th - Field Day
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Thursday, June 19th - NO SCHOOL - Juneteenth Observed
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Friday, June 20th - Last Day of School, Dismissal @ 11:50am
Volunteer Appreciation
Our volunteers do so much to support our partnership around carrying out our school’s mission. We will be holding a Volunteer Appreciation Celebration on Friday, June 6th to honor those that have provided ongoing support for us this school year. Specific invitations with more details were emailed to our volunteers, if you did not get one and have volunteered this year, please call the main office.
Fernwood BBQ Lunch
Thank you to NSD Food Services for offering to provide a special BBQ Lunch! On June 9th, we will be having a special BBQ lunch for students only. Please fill out the BBQ lunch form by June 2 to let us know if your students will be getting a meal from school for our picnic here: https://forms.gle/ETkeQBpfL9qhuxzA7
Field Day
Students will be able to participate in Field Day on Wednesday, June 18th. Field Day is a chance for students to engage in fun and safe activities as a celebration for all their effort and hard work over the course of the year.
Schedule
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Intermediate classrooms (3, 4, and 5): Students will engage in Field Day from 9:45-11:15.
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Primary classrooms (K, 1, and 2): Students will engage in Field Day from 1:45-3:15.
Items to Bring
Students may get wet! They can wear a swimsuit under their clothes. No stomachs can show. Please make sure to have your child wear closed-toed shoes. All students may also bring a towel.
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Intermediate Students: They can bring (but do not have to bring) a change of clothes and shows. We are going to set up a sign up for classes to change between the end of field day and lunch and provide supervision proximal to changing areas that will be in the third grade foyer, the gym bathrooms, within the gym with changing areas we are going to create, and in the portable restrooms. More details to come. Within the Panther Pride, we will only communicate that students need a towel and then as a teacher, you can choose if you want your students to change. If so, you will need to share the details with your families.
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Primary Students: They will go home soon after field day, so they just need a towel. Even if you send them with a change of clothes, they will not have time to change before packing up to go home.
Color Day
Students can wear the color below to represent their grade level:
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5th grade - red
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4th grade - green
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3rd grade - blue
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2nd grade - purple
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1st grade - yellow
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Kinder - pink
Volunteers for Field Day
We are in need of 30-40 volunteers for each section of Field Day. Please watch for a notice about needing volunteers. To help us out, you must be an approved NSD Volunteer. Please click here for information on how to be an approved volunteer.
5th Grade Celebration
Our Fifth Grade Teachers and the PTSA Chairs are creating a 5th grade celebration to acknowledge the changing of a chapter; their elementary experience comes to a close and their secondary experience begins. This will be held on Monday, June 16th from 1:45-3:00pm in the gym and cafeteria.
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1:45pm, Students will be acknowledged and celebrated in the gym.
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2:30-3:00pm, Students will enjoy light refreshments in the cafeteria.
Due to limited space, we ask that attendance is reserved for immediate family only, with TWO per family, INCLUDING a sibling. To help us ensure we have adequate space, please RSVP by clicking on this link.
**With limited parking, you can park on the street but ALL CARS must be moved from the street by 3:00pm for our dismissal process.
Medications and Medication Pick Up
Medication your child has leftover at school will need to get home in a safe manner. Please plan to pick up the medication at school by your child’s last day.
If the only medication your child has is an inhaler, you can give written permission to the nurse to have them take their inhaler home. All other medications need to be picked up by a parent/guardian on or before 12:30 PM on Friday, June 20th, 2025. We cannot store any medication over the summer. Please note that emergency rescue medications such as epinephrine, Valtoco and glucagon must stay in the Health Room through your child’s last day of school. If you need to make special arrangements to pick up medication, please contact Nurse Jean Christensen at 425-408-4506 or jchristensen@nsd.org
Medication forms for the 2025-26 school year will be distributed to you when you pick up your students’ current medication. Forms are also available HERE
Thank you and if you have any questions, please contact Nurse Jean Christensen at 425-408-4506 or jchristensen@nsd.org
Report Cards
Report cards will be viewable in Parent Vue on June 26th. The information within the report card is more robust as compared to your child’s progress report from the fall. For assistance in understanding the scores provided, please see review the following documents based on your child’s grade level:
Class Placements for 2025-26
Our teachers put a lot of thought and care in creating balanced classes for the next school year. We appreciate your patience and understanding as this takes time and careful consideration of many factors, many of which are not finalized until August. Student classroom placements will be sent out in late August through ParentVUE. You will be notified when this information is available.
LOST AND FOUND
It’s that time of year when our students come to school with coats on but by the afternoon it's too warm to wear them and they get left on the playground! Our lost and found racks are starting to fill up! If you notice a coat or sweatshirt is missing, please have your students check the lost and found collection located by the gym foyer. Any items that are not claimed by noon on June 20th will be donated to charity!
Community Serve Day at Fernwood
Join us on Sunday, August 24th for Community Serve Day! This one day, thousands of volunteers at 30 local schools will gather to help them prepare for the first day of school. CSD volunteers will help teachers organize their classrooms, spruce up the school landscaping and prep the playgrounds for students. This is a community event, so invite your friends, family and neighbors to join you on Sunday, August 24th from 9am-1pm to volunteer at Community Serve Day 2025.
Registration for volunteers to sign up for Community Serve Day is now open. Registration can be done at Communityserveday.org.
Questions? Contact the school leader, Kristie McVay @ kmcvay@nsd.org.
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Welcoming New Fernwood Students- Enrollment for 25-26 School Year
Do you know someone with a child entering kindergarten in 2025-26? If you do, please share that Fernwood is actively enrolling new students for the 2025-26 school year! Early enrollment helps us prepare for our students and future panthers. Enrollment online can be found here.
Pre School Program
The Ready Start program is a multi-age, preschool program utilizing a co-teach model to serve students with and without disabilities. We are currently enrolling at both locations Sorenson ECC and Woodmoor Elementary for the 2025/2026 school year. Classrooms are taught and supported by a general education teacher, a special education teacher, and a para-professional. Inclusive classrooms create a dynamic learning environment for all students. The average class size is 16 students, with class make-up of 8 students with Individual Education Program, 4students who pay tuition, and 4 students who are income eligible.
Classrooms utilize The Creative Curriculum & Teaching Strategies GOLD Assessment Tool. The staff is committed to fostering student learning and cultivating friendships while creating a sense of community for our students. Utilizing developmentally appropriate teaching strategies to support a whole child approach to learning an inclusive environment, fosters high levels of student learning and social and emotional growth for all students.
The application can be found on the Northshore School District website @https://www1.nsd.org/schools/programs-services/early-childhood/ready-start-tuition-program or contact Sorenson at (425) 408-5570Return all forms including deposit to: Sorenson Early Childhood Center19705 88th Ave NE Bothell, WA 98011
Two different session per day: 8:15 am - 10:45 am / 12:00 pm -2:30 pm Program days - Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
Requirements:• Toilet Trained• Parent Transport• Birth Certificate• Certificate of Immunization• No Kindergarten Eligible StudentsTuition Cost:$500 per month
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PTSA General Meeting
The general meeting is on June 3rd. Please join us in the library for the awards celebration and board elections.
Date: Tuesday, June 3rd Time: 7pm-8pm Location: Fernwood Library & Zoom Link
PAST NEWSLETTERS AND WEEKLY UPDATES
- Link - Follow this link to Fernwood's past newsletters for the 23-24 School Year.
- QR Code
