Silver Lake Elementary
October 2026, VOLUME 12 ISSUE 2
Wednesday, October 7
- Soccer Club
Friday, October 9
- Teacher Work Day - No School
Tuesday, October 13
- School Spirit Day - Wear College/Trades Gear
- Natural Leaders Parent Meeting 4:00-5:00 pm - Library
Wednesday, October 14
- Soccer Club
Friday, October 16
- LIF Friday 2:15 pm Dismissal
Wednesday, October 21
- Soccer Club
Friday, October 23
- LIF Friday 2:15 pm Dismissal
Wednesday, October 28
- Soccer Club
- McTeacher's Night 5:00-8:00 pm 3316 132nd St SE, Thomas Lake Shopping Center
Friday, October 30
- LIF Friday 2:15 pm Dismissal
- PTA Trunk or Treat 5:00-6:30 pm
Monday-Tuesday, November 2-3
- Conferences - No School
a look ahead...
November 4 - Picture Retakes
November 5 - Dental Screening
November 6 - 1/2 day 1:00 pm Dismissal
November 9-13 - Food Drive
November 11 - No School, Veterans Day
November 12 - Multicultural Night
November 13 - PTA Movie Night
November 16 - SLE Concert
November 20 - PTA Meeting
November 25-26 - No School - Thanksgiving Break
FROM THE PRINCIPAL
Silver Lake Families,
We’re off to a fantastic start to the 2026–27 school year!
It was truly wonderful to see so many families join us for our September Open House and Annual Title I Meeting. The turnout was amazing, and the energy in the building was even better!
We loved seeing students and families exploring the school together, participating in the scavenger hunt, and engaging with staff to learn more about our programs and community. Events like this remind us how special it is to partner with our families in support of student success.
Silver Lake Elementary is a Title I school!
What exactly does that mean?
Title I is supplemental funding provided to schools with a high incidence of students living in families with limited resources.
It recognizes that typically, those students need additional support and opportunities to reach standard.
It also recognizes that a high proportion of students with limited resources impacts all students in a school.
How does it help your student and family?
We have hired additional support staff:
Behavior Interventionist (James Allred)
.5 School Counselor (Katie Seaward)
Family Support Specialist (Buffy Osborn)
.5 Intervention Specialist (TBD)
Title One Paraeducators (Kirsty Wong, Marian Finicle, and Bidisha Nandi)
We have additional resources:
Staff Development and Materials
Extended Day Classes (after school)
Parent Involvement Activities ($5000 budget for events/activities)
What is required?
A compact, or agreement, between parents, staff, and students is agreed upon together:
The compact spells out each individual’s responsibility to help a student be successful.
The compact must be reviewed each year and signed.
Which of the suggestions for the School-Parent-Student Compact are most important to you?
See the link to the feedback form below for your opportunity to provide input.
A written Parent Involvement Plan documenting how the money will be spent:
The Parent Involvement Plan must have parent input and suggestions
Some school planned events include:
Teacher Meet and Greet
Open House/Annual Title I Meeting
SLAM Night (Science, Technology, Arts, and Math)
Multicultural Night
Spring Play/Musical
Winter Music Program
SEL/PBIS Night
See the link to the feedback form below for your opportunity to provide input.
A parent survey at the end of the year:
- To measure how well parents and students were served.
What are your ideas?
What activities would you and your child enjoy doing together?
How can we, as a school, support you as you help your child?
Please complete the feedback form and return it to your child’s teacher or the SLE front office by Friday, October 16th.
The final copies of the Title I documents will be shared with all families at Fall conferences in November.
In Partnership,
Silver Lake Principal, Theresa Berow
THANK YOU, KROGER
FROM THE ASSISTANT PRINCIPAL
The Power of Reading Together
Reading just 15–20 minutes each day builds vocabulary, strengthens comprehension, and creates wonderful family moments. Let your child choose books they enjoy, take turns reading, and ask simple questions like, "What was your favorite part?" The goal is to help children see reading as something enjoyable, not just schoolwork.
Try this month: Read together for 15 minutes.
FROM THE COUNSELORS
Hello, Silver Lake families!
We wanted to take a moment to share what your students are learning with us this year. At Silver Lake, we use two programs to help students learn skills that matter just as much as reading and math: how to stay calm, how to treat others with respect, and how to solve problems. These programs are called Second Step and RULER.
Second Step
Second Step lessons happen in classrooms throughout the year. The program was created by Committee for Children, a nonprofit right here in Seattle. The lessons are split into four parts:
- Growth Mindset and Goal-Setting: Students learn that practice helps their brains grow, and they work on setting goals and not giving up when something is hard.
- Emotion Management: Students learn to notice when they are having a strong feeling and practice ways to calm down before they react.
- Empathy and Kindness: Students learn to think about how others feel and how to be a good friend.
- Problem-Solving: Students learn simple steps to work through disagreements in a calm and fair way.
RULER
RULER was created by researchers at Yale University. It gives everyone at Silver Lake, students and staff, the same words and tools to use every day. That way, students can practice their Second Step skills everywhere, from the classroom to the lunchroom to the playground.
We Want to Teach You One RULER Tool: The Mood Meter
The Mood Meter has four colors, and each color is a group of feelings:
- Yellow: lots of energy and feeling good, like excited or happy
- Red: lots of energy and feeling upset, like angry or worried
- Blue: low energy and feeling down, like sad or tired
- Green: low energy and feeling good, like calm or ready to learn
To figure out your color, you ask yourself two questions. How much energy do I have? How good or bad do I feel? For example, if you have a lot of energy and you are upset, you are in the red.
Here's how it works at school. If a student gets angry at recess, they can stop, notice that they are in the red, and take a deep breath before they react. We practice this a lot, because it is much easier to make a good choice once you know what you are feeling.
At Home
You might hear your student talk about being "in the red" or "in the blue." If you'd like, you can ask them, "What color are you today?" Here's what that might sound like:
Adult: What color are you today?
Child: Red. I couldn't finish my drawing.
Adult: What could help?
Child: Maybe I can finish it tomorrow.
We know every family has its own way of talking about feelings, and we respect that. Our goal is simply to give students tools to stay calm, get along with others, and be ready to learn.
Please reach out to us anytime. We would love to hear from you, and we are always happy to help!
A MESSAGE FROM MR. ALLRED
Visual Schedules & Checklists
Visual schedules and checklists can be simple but powerful tools for helping children become more independent, reduce reminders, and feel successful with everyday routines. Instead of relying on adults to repeatedly tell children what comes next, a visual schedule or checklist gives children something they can look at, follow, and eventually manage on their own.
What Is a Visual Schedule?
A visual schedule shows the steps of a routine in a way that is easy for a child to understand. Depending on the child's age and needs, this might include pictures, words, or a combination of both.
For example, a morning routine might look like:
For an older child, this could simply be a written checklist that they can cross off as they go.
Bedtime is a great place to start because it often includes several steps and can become a time when adults find themselves giving lots of reminders.
Post the checklist somewhere your child can easily see it. You can use a dry-erase board, paper, pictures, or even a checklist on a tablet.
A Few Tips for Success
Keep it simple. Start with only the steps that are important. A long list can become overwhelming.
Make it appropriate for your child. Younger children may benefit from pictures, while older children may prefer words.
Teach the routine. Don't assume that giving a child a checklist means they automatically know how to use it. Practice walking through the routine together.
Let the checklist do the reminding. Instead of repeatedly saying, "Did you brush your teeth?" or "Go put your pajamas on," try redirecting your child back to the checklist: "What's next on your list?"
Celebrate independence. Notice when your child completes a step without a reminder. Specific feedback such as, "You checked your list and got ready for bed without me reminding you!" helps reinforce independence.
The Goal Is Independence
Visual schedules and checklists aren't meant to add more work—they are meant to transfer responsibility from the adult to the child. Over time, you can gradually reduce reminders and allow your child to take more ownership of the routine.
The next time you find yourself repeating the same directions over and over, ask yourself: Could I make this routine visible instead?
Sometimes, a simple checklist can make a big difference!
In partnership,
James Allred
Behavior Interventionist/Coach
Silver Lake Elementary
425-385-6975
FAMILY SUPPORT
Happy Fall to our Silver Lake Families from Mrs. Osborn in Family Support!
I have been a Family Support Specialist in the Everett School District for going on 5 years. I am here to connect families and students with resources. I have two adult children, I am a military mom of an Airman, wife, and dog mom to an adorable overseas rescue cocker spaniel named Theo. We love going to the woods or the ocean. I love supporting students and families which helps impact their lives in a positive way.
Please read the Family Support portion of Silver Lake's Elementary's Newsletter every month to get updates on local resources. If your family is experiencing hardship, I am here to help connect you with resources. I have shoes, coats, clothing, backpacks and other resources here in my room.
Clothing:
The new Bright Star Clothing Program has kicked off for the year. Many families have received their forms to fill out and send back. For families or students needing a bag of clothing, please contact me for forms on Parent Square @Buffy Osborn.
Food:
We will have food drives throughout the school year for families wanting to donate. I also have a pantry here for families with urgent food needs. Please contact me if you have any questions @ Buffy Osborn on Parent Square.
Housing:
If your housing situation is unstable, please contact me so we can fill out a questionnaire together to see if you qualify for the district's KIT (Kids in Transition-McKinney-Vento program).
Be on the lookout for Thanksgiving and holiday resources in the next Newsletter.
Would you like to know what is happening in Natural Leaders?
We invite you to be part of our Parent Square communication group. You will be able to see when our monthly meetings are, what special events are happening at school, and we can also answer any questions you may have.
We would love for you to be part of our group!
CLICK the link below to join
PTA NEWS
Hello Mustangs,
We are already a month into the school year, my how time flies by. We want to take a moment to thank all of our families who have either come to our first PTA meeting, stopped by a booth or have donated or joined the PTA already. Your support keeps us going! We as a PTA have been moving along, getting together some fun things up and running, so with that here are our October announcements:
What’s New and Upcoming?
Spirit Wear
We are excited to announce that we will be launching our new Silver Lake Elementary Spirit Wear online store this month! We have partnered with Spirit Wear Corner and will be launching our ongoing online store in the coming weeks. We will have an assortment of items available to order and have shipped right to your home. We will have short and long sleeve tee’s, hoodies, hats, tote bags, and so much more! If you have a request for a certain style of item, go ahead and send an email to our PTA President Ashley at sleptapresident1@gmail.com.
Trunk or Treat
One of our favorite community events is almost here! If you are interested in hosting a trunk this year go ahead and visit our Signup Genius page for all of the information. Click on the hyper link above or scan the QR code. Please keep in mind that this is an event where you bring your set up and candy and we provide the space.
When: Friday, October 30, 2026
Event time: 5pm
End time: 6:30pm or when candy runs out
Where: Back of Silver Lake Elementary, under Basketball Court.
Why Join the PTA?
Your PTA membership is more than just a membership; it gives you a voice in our school community. When you become a PTA member, you have the opportunity to help make important decisions that impact our students and school. Membership also allows you to stay connected with what is happening within our school and provides opportunities to support events, programs, and activities throughout the year.
You don’t have to volunteer at events or attend meetings to be a member! Every membership helps strengthen our PTA and gives our families a greater voice in our school community.
Join or renew your PTA membership today! Whether you are a returning family or new to our school, we would love to have you as part of our PTA family! Visit our website for all SLE PTA information or purchase a PTA membership in our online shop at https://silverlake.givebacks.com/shop
You may have notice that our PTA Givebacks website was a bit outdated; well we have given it a bit of a makeover and will continue to keep it up to date with upcoming events, volunteer opportunities, and all things PTA related. Go ahead and check out our Givebacks Site.
Help Shape the Future of Our PTA!
We also want to start an important conversation about the future leadership of our PTA.
Our current PTA board members have children who are in their final year at our elementary school. After this school year, our children will be moving on to middle school, which means we will need a new group of parents and caregivers to step into PTA leadership roles for next year.
This is a great opportunity for families who have been looking for a way to become more involved in our school community!
We will be looking for families who are interested in learning more about PTA leadership and potentially serving on the board next school year. You do not need previous PTA experience to get involved. Our current board would love to help answer questions, share what we’ve learned, and make the transition as smooth as possible.
We welcome you to co-chair a position this school year to help train you as you go!
Whether you’re interested in becoming a board member, helping with events, volunteering when you can, or simply becoming a PTA member, there is a place for you!
E-mail your PTA President Ashley for any questions or interests at sleptapresident1@gmail.com.
Next PTA Meeting
Friday, November 20th
4:30pm-5:30pm
Come discuss all things PTA with us!
During the meeting, we will:
- Review and discuss our PTA budget
- Share PTA events and activities for the school year
- Discuss opportunities to support our students and school
- Talk about volunteer opportunities and ways families can get involved
- Answer Questions and hear from our school community
Everyone is welcome to attend, regardless of membership status!
Password: SLE
Fred Meyer Rewards: Attention: Please make sure to re-enroll for community rewards annually to help us continue receiving donations.
Make sure to register for the Fred Meyer Community Rewards. In your Fred Meyer App open your menu and select Rewards>Community Rewards.> then search Silver Lake Elementary PTA. This way Fred Meyers makes donations to our charitable organization www.fredmeyer.com/communityrewards
Be sure to follow us on Facebook for all your up-to-date PTA information:
Or visit our website at https://silverlake.givebacks.com/
Let’s have a great year Mustangs!
-Your PTA Crew
Parking Lot Safety & Patience During Dismissal
With 560 students all dismissing at the same time, our parking lot can be a very busy place at the end of the school day. The entire dismissal process—from the first students being released to the last car leaving—takes only about 15 minutes when everyone works together.
We know it can feel hectic, but please remember to drive slowly, stay alert, and be kind to one another. A little patience goes a long way in keeping our students and staff safe.
Our parking lot is small, and space is limited, so we ask that everyone follow staff directions, pull forward when possible, and stay in designated areas for pick-up. Your cooperation helps dismissal run smoothly and ensures every child gets home safely.
Thank you for your understanding and for helping make our school a safe and positive place for everyone!
Please write your student’s name inside their coat—this simple step makes it much easier for us to return lost items to the right student.
EPS and SLE cell phone policy: What families/students need to know
Did you know Everett Public Schools implemented our cell phone policy and procedure in 2019? The policy, which is designed to support an engaging learning environment, applies to cell phones as well as all personal electronic devices (PEDs) such as earbuds and smartwatches. Below is a breakdown of what families and students need to know as we start the school year.
At Silver Lake Elementary:
- During the hours of 8:50a.m. to 3:30p.m. (or respective dismissal time): Cell phones/PED will be turned off and strored in backpacks. Students should not use these personal devices during the school day.
- Communicating with your child during the school day: If a student needs to contact a parent/guardian, they can do so through the classroom/school office phone. Likewise, parents/guardians can call the office for any urgent messages.
Disciplinary action: If a cell phone/PED is seen or used during the day, school staff will hold it in the office where a parent or guarding will need to pick it up during office hours. Repeated violations may lead to further consequences.
Special accommadations will be made if a PED is part of a student's Individualized Education (IEP), 504 Plan, or Individual Health Care Plan (IHP).
DOWNLOAD THE VERSATRANS MY STOP APP TO TRACK YOUR STUDENTS BUS
We are using a new Versatrans My Stop application for bus route tracking and information. The Versatrans My Stop application provides you with an estimated time of arrival for your student's school bus. Please continue to arrive at the scheduled bus stop location 5 minutes prior to the scheduled stop time.
How to Log In
All information is transmitted securely and protected. No data is provided without proper credentials being provided.
1. Enter your student’s ID number in the username field.
2. Enter your student’s date of birth in the password field. Use the mmddyyyy format with no slashes. For example: if your student was born on Jan. 1, 2017, your password would be 01012017
3. If you have more than one student, their names will appear in a drop-down list in the top left corner. To view a different child's bus information, select their name from the dropdown list.
4. In your phone settings, under Notifications, scroll to the Versatrans My Stop app and make sure:
- show notifications are in the on position.
- pop on screen is also in the on position.
5.This will allow you to see any notification that Everett Public Schools sends through the Versatrans My Stop App.
CALL THE OFFICE AT LEAST 30 MINUTES BEFORE DISMISSAL
FOR ALL TRANSPORTATION CHANGES
ATTENDANCE
If your student is absent or tardy from school, please email the attendance office at sleattendance@everettsd.org to let us know the reason for the absence or tardy.
- Absences must be reported (by ParentVue, email or note) within 30 calendar days after a student returns back to school, not including Holidays or weekends, in order to have the absence excused. Emails or notes turned in past the 30-day timeframe will be accepted; however, the absence is not excused and will be coded as such.
- Automated attendance calls will be sent out daily. If your student will be absent or tardy you must notify the office before 9:15 a.m. If it is reported after this time you may receive the automated call.
- Please view the Everett School District Attendance Procedure 3122P for more information (including definitions of absences).
- Did you have a medical appointment for your child, or they were sick, and you brought them to the doctor? If so, make sure to ask for a medical note from the provider. Email or bring the note to the attendance office so those absences can be coded as a medical note excused absence.
- Please fill out a prearranged absence form if your student will be going on vacation/traveling or will miss school for an extended period of time. As per district policy, the principal or designee may excuse up to five (5) school days for a prearranged absence per student each school year.
SILVER LAKE ELEMENTARY
Email: SLEATTENDANCE@EVERETTSD.ORG
Website: https://www.everettsd.org/silverlakees
Location: 12815 Bothell Everett Highway, Everett, WA, USA
Phone: 425-385-6900