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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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Construction Update
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Counselor Connection
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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,
It has been so wonderful to see our students arrive at Fernwood for our 2024-25 school year. The beginning of a new school year always brings with it such anticipation and hope for new beginnings, connecting with old friends and the excitement of making new friends. As we are physically under construction with our Fernwood Expansion Project, we are also under construction ourselves, building our academic as well as our social and emotional skills. Our teachers and support staff have all been intentional in making connections with students this week, building our community of learners and creating an inclusive environment of belonging and value. Please be sure to read your teacher’s newsletters to learn how your student(s) are constructing their own community within their classrooms through class meetings, class charters and the sharing of one another’s strengths and interests.
I want to thank our Fernwood Community of staff, parents and families for your patience and understanding as we worked to establish safe arrival and dismissal routines these first few days of school. With new construction constraints, we found ourselves trying new systems to help keep dismissal safe and organized in a changing landscape. Reflection is always a critical element of growth. As we reflected on our dismissal, especially for car pick up and walkers, we adjusted to fit the number of students we support and the safe area we had for students to wait. The Household Numbers you received will continue to be your Household Number. These numbers will be important in other situations, such as future dismissal procedures or reunifications in an emergency evacuation. To help in clarifying adjustments we have made, I have included some specifics about arrival and dismissal within my message and you can find other relevant school-wide information within the rest of our newsletter below.
Parents on Campus in the Morning
Thank you for being mindful of the extremely limited parking situation around Fernwood and allowing your student to walk themself to class. We will continue to have additional staffing and PTSA volunteers present to help students find their way to class over the next few weeks.
In support of a smooth transition to the school year for our kindergartners, we will allow kindergarten parents to escort their students to class prior to the school day through Friday, September 13th.
After Monday, September 16th, If you need to go on our campus beyond our main office prior to the school day, you will need to sign and wear a visitor badge or a sticker showing you are permitted to be on campus. This is to support safety across campus so our staff can quickly identify someone that should not be on campus. Thank you for your partnership in supporting safety for all.
Adjustments to our Arrival Procedures This Year
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When Arriving on Campus - Students will have two paths to walk when arriving on campus, depending on whether they arrive by car or walking.
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Students entering through the walking gate will be able to walk straight onto campus, behind the gym and in front of the portables to their class. We will have staff supervising these areas and welcoming our students to school.
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Students arriving on campus through car drop off will walk along the sidewalk in front of the office to their class.
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Morning Bells - School begins at 9:20am. Parents will hear a bell at this time indicating the start of the school day. There will also be a bell that will be sounded at 9:18 to let students and families know that the school day is about to begin.
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Tardies - We understand that it can take some time for students and families to get into the school day routine. We will grant some grace to families at the beginning of the year. However, beginning on Monday, September 25th, students that are not past the office when the bell rings at 9:20 will be considered tardy. Being present first thing allows students to settle in and be ready for the day ahead. We encourage families to arrive closer to 9:00am when supervision on campus begins to avoid tardies. *The principal will determine if adjustments need to be made on days of inclement weather or other scenarios that may arise to ensure safety for all within the arrival process.
Arrival and Dismissal
If your family is new or if you would like to refresh your memory about our arrival and dismissal systems based on how you get home, please visit our transportation slide show for more detailed information. As a reminder, families need to stay in their cars or behind the gate until students dismiss. *Also, if you have not yet communicated with your child’s teacher about how they will be getting home, please take a moment to send an email now.
Safe Walk Path Through North Creek
For those families living in surrounding neighborhoods, North Creek High School has designated a safe walking path through its campus within the school day. The use of this walking path ensures safety for Fernwood families and students in getting to school as well as for North Creek students and staff in monitoring those on campus during the school day. The safe walking path is highlighted in blue in the image above.
We look forward to partnering with you this year as we continue to build excellence in our Panther Pride at Fernwood!
With appreciation,
Cassie Morton, Principal
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SEPTEMBER
Date | Event | Location | Time |
9/9 |
Staggered Start for Kindergarten Last names M-Z Begin Today |
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9/10 | All Kindergarteners Attend | ||
9/10 | PTSA Tears and Cheers | Cafeteria | 9:20-10:30am |
9/10 | PTSA General Meeting | Library | 7:00-8:00pm |
9/11 | Early Release Wednesday's Begin - Dismissal @ 2:20pm | 2:20pm | |
9/17 | 2nd Grade Curriculum Night | Cafeteria | 5:30pm |
9/17 | 3rd Grade Curriculum Night | Cafeteria | 6:30pm |
9/19 | Picture Day | All Day | |
9/24 | 4th Grade Curriculum Night | Cafeteria | 5:30pm |
9/24 | 5th Grade Curriculum Night | Cafeteria | 6:30pm |
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We See Progress!
While we wait for permits to clear, we have seen progress being made! Abbot Construction has been supporting safety at Fernwood by setting up and adjusting walking barriers for our students to use in arrival and dismissal. They have also ensured our students who love to play four square have their courts to play on by painting the necessary squares that were covered by fencing. Below are other updates related to construction:
- Half the Upper Field is expected to be open for student use during recesses on Monday.
- The North Parking lot is expected to be completed by mid-October. This will again create an adjustment to our car drop off and pick-up traffic patterns. Stay tuned!
- We will have an official Ground Breaking Ceremony on September 25th!
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Welcome to a new school year! We are so excited to serve Fernwood as your school counselors. This year we counselors have looped up with your students. This means Mrs. Brisbine will support grades 1st, 3rd, 5th grades and Mrs. Cue will support Kindergarten, 2nd, and 4th grades.
In addition, we are welcoming back Hannah Dickinson to our counseling team, as our mental health specialist. Ms. Dickinson served Fernwood during the 21-22 and 23-24 school years.
As we settle into the 24-25 school year, you may find your child has mixed feelings about school. At the start of each school year, students and teachers alike can experience mixed emotions (excitement with unease, for example). As a parent you also may have similar feelings at this time. Please know that as a school community, we consider their social-emotional well-being as our top priority. Take comfort in knowing we strive to nurture a safe and welcoming learning environment. We will begin our classroom lessons soon after school starts to re-introduce ourselves to students, teach and review some self-regulation strategies, and share how they can access their school counselors.
You may be wondering what you as a parent can do to help your child who may be struggling with anxiety or school refusal.
Here are some tips and resources (repeated from our August newsletter) linked below:
*Talk to your child about their feelings, explore and answer their questions
*Without judgment, validate your child’s feelings (talking about worry makes it smaller)
*Follow routines with consistent bedtime and wake-up schedule
*To manage wellness, make good nutrition choices, and keep sleep and exercise a priority
*Practice deep breathing to help regulate the body’s stress response
*Use Second Step’s strategies when big feelings show up: Stop, Name the Feeling, Calm Down
If your child needs additional support from your school counselor, please do not hesitate to reach out.
Resources for returning to school:
Johns Hopkins: Managing Anxiety for Return to School
Second Step’s Mind Yeti: Guided Mindfulness Sessions
Best Regards,
Jennifer Brisbine (Grades 1st, 3rd & 5th) jbrisbine@nsd.org and 425-408-4570
Sarah Cue (Grades Kinder, 2nd & 4th) scue@nsd.org and 425-408-4572
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24-25 Fernwood Parent and Student Handbook
Our 24-25 Fernwood Parent and Student Handbook is linked here. This handbook offers specific information about the policies and guidelines at Fernwood Elementary.
Early Dismissals on Wednesdays
Just a reminder that early dismissal times will begin on Wednesday, September 11th. Students will be let out at 2:20pm. Thank you for adjusting your schedules accordingly.
Curriculum Nights
Please make it a priority to attend your child’s Curriculum Night. This is an important opportunity to meet your child’s teacher, find out about the instructional focus for your child’s grade level, and learn about our school-wide focus and goals. This year, Curriculum Nights will be held in-person. We appreciate your attendance in our shared efforts to form a strong home-school partnership in support of each child achieving their greatest potential. *If you need an interpreter for Curriculum Night, please contact LeAnn Edison @ ledison@nsd.org
Grade Level |
Date |
Time |
Kindergarten |
August 29th |
5:15pm |
First |
August 29th |
6:45pm |
Second |
September 17th |
5:30pm |
Third |
September 17th |
6:30pm |
Fourth |
September 24th |
5:30pm |
Fifth |
September 24th |
6:30pm |
Back to School Reminders
School Hours
Daily Schedule |
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Campus supervision begins (students may arrive) |
School Begins |
Dismissal Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday |
Dismissal Wednesdays Only |
9:00am |
9:20am |
3:50pm |
2:20pm |
Note from the Librarian, Mrs. Zager
It is with a very heavy heart I share that I will no longer be your lucky Fernwood librarian. 😢
Due to displacements, I was reassigned by the district to Cottage Lake Elementary and will be taking over for the retiring librarian there. I learned of this at the last minute, and it is with bittersweet feelings that I leave the community that I have come to love so much over the past five years. This will be my sixth year with NSD as a librarian, in the past working as the overload for the full time librarian. It will be the first year that I will have a library of my own, something I have always dreamed of! 😊
I want to thank the Fernwood community for being such a kind, welcoming place over the years. I have felt such a strong sense of belonging at FW and have built so many positive relationships. I feel fortunate to have had the opportunity to learn, grow, and have fun together!
Please feel free to reach out at any time via email or even better, send me a letter at Cottage Lake - I promise I’ll write back! Farewell for now but not forever, I’ll be back for some of the FW special events this year to say hi so just know this is not goodbye…
With much love and appreciation 💓💓💓
Andrea Zager, MLIS
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Northshore Required Documents
Annually the District provides parents/guardians with notification of forms that must be acknowledged, including:
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WA State Attendance Letter
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Rights and Responsibilities Handbook
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Weapons Letter
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Student Housing Questionnaire
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Permission to Withhold Student Directory Information
We ask that you login to ParentVUE today to view these forms. If you have never logged into ParentVUE, you will find instructions on how to do so when you click the link above. Please know that when you next login to ParentVUE, you will be prompted to download, read, and take action for each of the forms listed above. Additionally, secondary students will be prompted to download, read and acknowledge the Rights and Responsibilities Handbook when they login to StudentVUE. Families with elementary students are encouraged to review the handbook together in ParentVUE with their students. These forms must be completed no later than Oct. 15.
The forms are available in English, Spanish, Chinese Simplified, Chinese Traditional, Russian, Portuguese, Vietnamese, Korean, Hindi, Tamil and Telugu. If you would like to access a paper copy of these forms, please contact your school’s main office.
If you have any questions about these forms, please contact Student Services at (425) 408-7725 or by email at studentsvcs@nsd.org.
Meal Information
Please use this link to the Northshore’s information page about meals at schools.
Parent Square
We encourage you to sign up for Parent Square, Northshore’s communication platform
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Translation options in a family's preferred home language
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Opportunities to message back in a family's preferred language
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One location to view and read messages from school at your convenience
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Families will receive school-wide communication regardless
Volunteering in Northshore
All persons interested in volunteering in the Northshore School District must complete their volunteer application and background check online. Family members of students and community members who volunteer at more than one school will only need to complete the application once a year. Once approved, applications will be available for all school office staff to access districtwide. Volunteers can learn more and complete an online application here.
Please note: The District has two levels of background checks. A Level 1 Background Check, or Washington State Patrol Background Check, is required of all classroom volunteers that will only have interactions with students while District staff is present. If a volunteer plans to chaperone, serve as an athletic volunteer, drive students in their own car or another role that could require the volunteer to be alone with a student(s), the District requires a Level 2 Background Check, or National Background Check, which has a cost of $12.95. A Level 2 Background Check is only required once during the duration of the volunteer's time in the District. In subsequent years, the volunteer will renew with a Level 1 Background Check. For more information, please visit www.nsd.org/volunteer.
Student Device Protection Program
Families who purchased the Device Protection Program plan during the 2023-24 school year have coverage for their student device from the date purchased through Sept. 6, 2024 to allow families time to report damage sustained during summer when schools are closed. Any family who has not already purchased but would like to have coverage in place for the summer is able to purchase a plan online using TouchBase until August 1. Beginning on Aug. 15, 2024, families will be able to purchase the DPP plan for coverage beginning on Sept. 3, 2024 and continuing for the 2024-25 school year.
As a reminder, the Device Protection Plan program 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. Learn more about the program on our website.
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1st Day Packets
Please use this 1st Day Packet link to view the contents of the Fernwood/PTSA 1st Day Packets.
Fernwood PTSA New Board of Directors for 2024-2025
Name |
Role |
Koushik Upadhyayula |
President |
Suma Rambhatla |
President Elect & Treasurer |
Shannon Estrada |
Secretary |
Ankush Gupta |
Assistant Treasurer |
Jessica Castle |
VP Fundraising |
Annie Yandl |
Fundraising Co-Chair |
Amruta Palaskar |
VP Membership |
PTSA Meeting
You are invited to the first PTSA meeting of the year! It is scheduled for Tuesday, September 10th from 7-8pm. The meeting will be held in the school library and virtually via Zoom.
In the meeting we will review and approve this year’s budget, discuss all the programs that will happen this year, and have a chance to socialize.
If you wish to join via Zoom, use the link below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/82931673151
You don’t have to be a member to join the PTSA meeting - everyone is welcome!
Join Fernwood PTSA
PTSA memberships must be renewed annually so if you haven’t signed up already, please consider joining the PTSA today.
Being a PTSA member does not sign you up to attend meetings, volunteer or be on the board. By becoming a PTSA member you are supporting Fernwood events and programs. Thank you to everyone who has already joined the PTSA for the 2024-2025 school year.
https://fernwoodptsa.givebacks.com/store?limit=21&live=true
Room Parent
It’s been a few years since the PTSA has had designated room parents to help bridge the needs between individual classrooms and the PTSA. As a room parent you will help provide timely communication between the teachers, school and PTSA to help keep everyone informed of all the events and happenings around school and in the classroom.
Please consider signing up to be the designated room parent for your child’s classroom.
https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/10C0F4FAEAF28AAFAC70-50776371-fernwood
PTSA Program Volunteer Opportunities
Take a look at all the amazing volunteer opportunities available in 2024-25 at Fernwood. See something of interest? Signup and join the team. Please help make this year the most memorable year for all our kids!
https://m.signupgenius.com/#!/showSignUp/10C0F4FAEAF28AAFAC70-50943946-fernwood
Just a reminder – if you are interested in volunteering you will need to register to be a volunteer with the Northshore School District. This will allow you to be on campus with students for special events and chaperone class trips. Linked here is the NSD website to register.
After School Programs
Welcome back families and I hope everyone had a great summer! PTSA's after school enrichment program already has fun classes lined up for the fall. The class schedule is shown below. Please scan the QR code for more details. Interest form is due 9/22. Please reach out to fernwoodptsaafterschool@gmail.com if you have any questions.
PTSA After School Enrichment Program Chair: Manli Huang (fernwoodptsaafterschool@gmail.com)
Fernwood PTSA Social Media
Keep up on events, key dates, spirit days, and more by following us on social media.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/FernwoodPTSAOfficial
Instagram: fernwood_ptsa
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PAST NEWSLETTERS AND WEEKLY UPDATES
- Link - Follow this link to Fernwood's past newsletters for the 23-24 School Year.
- QR Code