Charger Beat

Ms. Mykela and many staff members had a blast dressing up as Beanie Babies for Halloween! Students enjoyed last week’s Fall Harvest celebrations, honoring Diwali, Halloween, Día de los Muertos, and the season. Thank you to everyone who volunteered to plan and support these events!

November is here — many of you will be meeting with teachers for fall conferences. If you haven’t signed up yet or missed your chance, please contact your child’s teacher to schedule a conference. These meetings are a great way to build a strong partnership and ensure a successful year of learning.

This month we’re also honoring our community’s veterans. On Thursday, November 6, students participated in an assembly to recognize veterans and learn ways to thank the veterans in their families and neighborhoods. I’ve linked a few videos and resources below. We’re also observing Native American Heritage Month: students will soon take part in an assembly to learn about the important role Native peoples play in protecting our land and water.

Thank you for your generous donations to our Essentials Drive — we truly appreciate the support. The drive runs through November 14; details are below.

Your voice matters!

For non-urgent communication, please expect a 48-72 hour turnaround and response time. For more urgent matters, I will strive to respond within 24 hours. For immediate support related to your child needs, please call our main office line at 426-456-4900.

My email: stedmane@bsd405.org

Join Mrs. Stedman on the first Friday of every month on teams from 9-10 AM!

Join the meeting now

October Coffee Recording

November Coffee Recording (NEW!)

• Nov 1 – Dia de los Muertos
• Nov 2 Daylight Saving Time Ends (fall back)
• Nov 3-7 Parent Teacher Conferences

• Nov 5 – Spelling Bee Prelims, 6:00-8:30pm
• Nov 10 – No School
• Nov 11 – Veteran’s Day – No School
• Nov 13 – Picture Retakes
• Nov 14 – Family Engineering Night, 5:00-7:00pm
• Nov 18 – Lockout Drill @ 9AM
• Nov 20 – Vision Testing Grades K-3, & 5th Grade
• Nov 20 – Family Literacy Night: Understanding Reading Skills and Assessments 6:00-7:00pm At WISC

• Nov 24 – G3 Nature Vision (Rescheduled from 11/3)
• Nov 27-28 – Thanksgiving No School

• • Fri, Nov 14 @5:45-7:45pm, STEM Night

Dear Cherry Crest Community and PTSA,

On behalf of the entire school, I want to extend our deepest thanks to every family, staff member, volunteer, and PTSA leader who helped raise an incredible $120,000 for our school.

Your generosity and hard work will make a meaningful difference for our students — supporting classroom resources, enrichment programs, staff support, and experiences that inspire learning and growth. This achievement reflects the strength of our community when we come together for a shared purpose.

Special thanks to the PTSA for leading this effort with outstanding organization, creativity, and dedication. Your leadership in planning, outreach, and fundraising made this possible.

We are truly grateful for every donation, every hour volunteered, and every idea shared. Because of you, our students will have more opportunities to learn, explore, and succeed.

With sincere appreciation,

Principal Stedman and Cherry Crest Staff

Join us for Family STEM Night for 5 STEM challenges, 6 STEM explorations, 6 robotics teams, and 5 robotics activities. Event is 5:45-7:45 and adults must attend with students (no drop-off).

Brought to you by the Cherry Crest Elementary PTSA in partnership with the school, the much beloved Family STEM Night is November 14, 2025! Bring the whole family to work on 5 STEM challenges, explore engineering with 6 exploration stations and learn from 6 robotics and rocketry teams, and try your hand at coding 5 different robots and programs. Event is 5:45-7:45 and adults must attend with students (no drop-off) Families will explore engineering concepts through quick interactions about wind resistance, arches, volume, amplification, water conservation and building concepts. Families will also engage in the engineering design process with 5 big challenges – building boat, mining for chocolate, designing and building catapults, building towers under design constraints, and using a single supply to reach the sky.

As you may know, SNAP benefits for 888,000 Washingtonians will not be paid beginning November 1st. Beginning next week, Cherry Crest is hosting an Essentials for All Drive. Please consider dropping items off by Friday, 11/14. We will donate essential items to a local organization. See flyer attached for more specific details on what items to donate. Thanks for your support! Together, we can help our community.

‼️Need our support? Please reach out to me, Erin Stedman, at stedmane@bsd405.org, or our school counselor, Mykela Fantone, at fantonem@bsd405.org. We are here to partner with you to get you the resources you need.

https://fantonem.wixsite.com/counselingcorner/financial-resources

BSD Family Resource Center Application

Cherry Crest's Family Engagement Specialist -

Judy Hunsberger: hunsbergerJU@bsd405.org

To support families during this time, please know we partner with the following local organizations:

• Bellevue LifeSpring has allocated funds to provide support during this period and will be running a special fundraiser to help families impacted by the SNAP disruptions. For details or to donate, please visit their website.

• Renewal Food Bank offers groceries and essential food items for families in need.

• Hopelink supports families with food, housing and other essential services.

• Jubilee REACH runs a grocery program available only by referral through our Family Engagement Team.

Saints Robotics, in partnership with Interlake’s Pacific Program, is hosting a food and essentials drive! To support unhoused students and families within BSD (4 high schools and 1 middle school), we ask for any donations in the following Amazon link: https://www.amazon.com/hz/wishlist/ls/134WO2ZLTRE7X?ref_=wl_share

To ensure that families can receive these items before Thanksgiving, we ask that any donations be made (either ordered online or physically delivered to Interlake’s main office) before November 20th.

Thank you all!

With upcoming holidays, we want to remind parents to please plan ahead and fill out prearranged absence form minimum 5 days prior:

• Click here for BSD 2025-2026 school year calendar.
• Click here for BSD Elementary School Absence form. Please type in all necessary information, save your file, and email it to your child’s teacher and cherrycrestattendance@bsd405.org
• We urge parents to plan any travels according to BSD calendar to minimize absences. Every day a student misses school, there are academic and social learning opportunities that can’t be made up.
• We do not provide learning materials to families for trips/parent’s choice. Your child will makeup missed learning when possible upon return.
• Please return all CCE Library books, BSD electronics and accessories before your travel.
• BSD electronics must stay within the US, not to be taken out of the country.
• Please plan your return so student(s) have time to adjust to jetlag over the weekend and monitor any health concerns.
• Please monitor health conditions for cold/flu symptoms before sending your child back to school.
• Please email if you have any questions: cherrycrestattendance@bsd405.org

Bellevue School District is partnering with Seattle Visiting Nurse Association (SVNA) to provide vaccine clinics for the public.

SVNA is offering flu vaccines to anyone aged four to adult, and the COVID-19 vaccine to anyone aged five to adult. SVNA clinics require insurance (most insurance accepted) or payment.

Make Your Vaccine Appointment

1. Find a date and location that is convenient for you and your family. These vaccine clinics are open to all in the BSD community. You do not have to be a student or staff member of a particular school to make an appointment.

2. Register for an appointment online.

3. Come to your appointment.

Inclement Weather and Potential Closure Reminders

Winter is approaching and may bring unpredictable weather to our community. Families are encouraged to take the time to revisit the district’s emergency closure schedule protocols and learn about our emergency closure decision-making process. While some decisions are made for the whole district, conditions may vary across different communities, which may result in different decisions for some schools. We encourage families to make personal decisions based on their specific circumstances.

Read the full article to learn more about:

· Receiving emergency communications

· Transportation during severe weather, including snow routes

· Changes to childcare options in the event of delays, closures and early dismissals

· Special circumstances like power outages

Hello Bellevue School District Families,

We hope you’re enjoying a wonderful year so far! While it may feel early, Preschool is already excitedly planning for the 2026–2027 school year—and we have great news: current elementary families get priority enrollment before we open spots to new students!

If you have a 3-4 year old student you want to join us for preschool next school year, please complete the survey linked below. This quick form helps us tentatively reserve your child’s place for next year. The survey will close on December 19th.

A $500 non-refundable deposit will be charged on January 5 and applied toward September tuition. This will officially hold your spot in the program. Tuition assistance is available for qualifying families. Current monthly rates are $1,575 (in-district) and $1,890 (out-of-district); updated rates will be shared in March on our website.

Please note that our preschool program does not include before- or after-school care. For childcare options, contact Right at School or the Boys & Girls Club.

Survey Link:

https://forms.office.com/r/XuKigvVee0

Thank you for being part of the Bellevue School District community!

Family Literacy Night: Understanding Reading Skills and Assessments

Join BSD Teaching and Learning for an informative evening designed to help families understand how students learn to read and how schools assess foundational reading skills. We will share insights on:

· What reading development looks like

· Understanding assessment

· How assessments support your student’s learning

Whether you're new to literacy assessments or looking to deepen your understanding, this session will offer practical insights and resources to help you support your student's learning. Let’s work together to support strong readers and confident learners!

Event Details

Date: Thursday, November 20

Time: 6:00–7:00 p.m.

Location: Wilburton Instructional Service Center

Address: 12241 Main street Bellevue, WA 98005

Topic: What do families need to know about reading skills and assessments?

Every month we conduct an emergency drill so students and staff stay prepared and know how to respond if an emergency or disaster happens while we're at school.

So far, students have practiced the following drills:

September - Fire evacuation drill

October - Earthquake drill as part of the Great WA ShakeOut

Upcoming drills include:

November - LockOUT (If something were dangerous outside of our building, we'd remain in the building)

December - Shelter in place (If something were unsafe in the air)

As students learn about emergency preparedness, this is always a great time to discuss your emergency plans at home and practice what you would do if an emergency occurred.

ACRS is a social justice organization that promotes the health and well-being of Asians and Native Hawaiians/Pacific Islanders (A&NH/PIs) and other communities by providing and advocating for responsive community-based services.

ACRS is offering virtual Lunch & Learn sessions for families to explore topics that support parenting strategies. These opportunities provide a great way to connect, learn, and share helpful tips for family life. Please see the attached flyer.

Attend the Inspiring Change: Paths to Environmental Leadership Event

The Bellevue School District Sustainability Design Team invites school leaders, staff, and students to join us for an inspiring conversation on how people find their way into environmental work and create meaningful change in their communities.

Event Details

Date: Wednesday, November 12

Time: 4:00–5:00 p.m. | Workgroup Sessions 5:15–6:00 p.m.

snacks provided.
Location:

· Wilburton Instructional Service Center, 12241 Main St, Bellevue, WA 98005

· Online MS Teams (for 4:00 – 5:00 p.m. only)

Speakers

· Viccy Salazar, founder of the new nonprofit, EcoLearn, and longtime leader in sustainability, equity and climate action.

· Jan Keller, People for Climate Action – Bellevue, community advocate advancing local climate solutions.

This session will highlight diverse career paths, community leadership, and ways to take action right here in our district. All are welcome — and we encourage you to invite teachers, students and staff who are interested in sustainability and climate leadership. Workgroup meetings will follow from 5:15–6:00 p.m. for anyone who would like to help shape districtwide sustainability projects.

Join our Sustainability Design Team mailing list.

Resources for students - https://www.twinkl.com/resource/us2-h-44-thank-you-veterans-cards?utm_source=Youtube&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=5819%21USA%3FCR-YouTube-Resource-VeteransDay24

🤎🤎🤎