November 12, 2009   

 Dear Chase Lake Families,
We’ve made it through October, and now we’re racing to the end of the year. The recent storms provide us with conversation about power going out, and waking up to thunder and pounding rain. And still, it’s hard to convince kids to wear a jacket!
As the weather changes we begin to see visitor and attendance patterns change. We would like to ask your cooperation with a few reminders that will help us all know where kids are on school days. The main office plays an important role in tracking the attendance and dismissal of students on each day. We need your help in cooperating with safety procedures. During school hours, adults visiting the building should sign in at the office and wear a sticker while in the building. The only exceptions are before and after school when parents drop off or pick up kids at childcare. If you are only here to pick up a student at dismissal, please wait at the “big steps” in the main hallway so that the flex areas are clear for students exiting classrooms.

Dismissal time is 3:10, and the office closes at 3:40. If we have not heard from a parent by 3:30, we call emergency contacts to pick up a student.

The best way to ensure the safety of all students is to inform us of any changes to your child’s dismissal plan. We will enforce a student’s normal routine, unless we have a note with written permission to do otherwise. Students are not permitted to use the office phone to make play dates or to call for instruments, lunch or other forgotten items. This results in congestion in the office, interrupts the learning time in a child’s day and can result in confusion about why a child did not return home after school. You can help by working with your child to learn his or her schedule together, quiz each other on which day is orchestra, or gym day, or show them how to see the school calendar online or on your refrigerator.
We are happy to introduce a new Family Resource Advocate to Chase Lake. Eileen Jowell joined us on November 2nd, and comes with a wealth of experience. She plans to be at Chase Lake on two days most weeks, and can be reached at 425.431.1125. The Outreach Project for the holidays is well underway. Vonya King-Norton is volunteering her time to continue this Chase Lake tradition. The Food Drive and the Mitten Tree will kick off November 16th.  If you can help in any way or know an organization who can adopt a family, please contact Vonya or Eileen.
We had our Veteran’s Day assembly on Tuesday morning, and were pleased to have the McCoy brothers as guest speakers. As our former custodian, Kevin McCoy is a member of our Chase Lake extended family. He and  all his brothers served in the armed forces, and he was gracious enough to ask them to come join us. John McCoy talked to students about the variety of work he and his brother have done for the army in Iraq and in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Mike McCoy was answering questions from the audience when one student asked, “Do you know Ashley?” Ashley is a member of his family currently serving in the army. This brave 7 year old had a meaningful connection to our guest soldiers. His question reminded us that in any community, we have families of soldiers who need us to remember their loved ones. Thank you to the McCoy family, and to all veterans and their families.

Sincerely yours,


Karen Nilson
Principal