Family Newsletter

We've had a really encouraging start to our school year and I have enjoyed the opportunity to meet our new students, all of whom have brought positive energy and enthusiasm for learning into the community.

I want to talk with you about cell phones. Last year, Cleveland implemented a cell phone policy at the start of the year called "No Cell, Bell to Bell," and we were pleased to see a districtwide policy put in place last spring using the same name. The development of our policy took time: we talked to students, we talked to staff, and we talked to other schools to figure out what a good policy should look like. We valued teaching students to be responsible users of technology who could independently make decisions about using their cell phones at appropriate times.

But we came to learn and realize that asking students to make their own choices around cell phone usage was setting everyone up for failure, and we needed to only look at our own habits as adults to realize that this would not work. While a student might make the right choice to start the class, they will inevitably choose their phone later in the day.

This is why we ask students to put their phones in a wall pocket or lock box before every class. We want to free students from having to make the choice so that they can be fully present in their classrooms and fully present to one another. This is so important to us that our staff are also expected to have their phone away from bell-to-bell.

As I visited classrooms this week, I was reminded that the policy works. If we as a school hold the expectation, students will meet the expectation. Students have shared with me that they like the policy because they know that being on their phone all the time is not good for them, but they want us to make the decision for them. As a result, I have seen students talking to their peers, sharing their thinking, and engaged in classroom activities.

As you can imagine, maintaining a ban on cell phones in high school classrooms is not easy. It takes high collective effort and conviction that this is good and necessary, and our families have a key role in this. We ask that you talk with your students about their cell phone usage, ask how it's been to be without their device during classes, and encourage them to keep it going. I think you'll find your student will admit that being forced to be away from their device is a breath of fresh air.

We hope you have a restful and restorative weekend.

Jeff Lam, Principal

Jackie Cable, Assistant Principal

Jenn Kekuna, Assistant Principal

• 9/23 | PTSA Meeting (5:30 - 7 pm - more details coming soon)
• 9/30 | Picture retake day
• 10/7 | Eagle Night (5:30-7:30 p.m.)
• 10/9 | Teacher in-service day (no school)
• 10/15 | CHS College Fair 2026
• 10/15 | Homecoming Volleyball Game
• 10/17 | Homecoming (save the date!)

Hello, Cleveland families! As many of you may have heard, we have an unprecedented number of students this year and our largest ever 9th grade class. This has been both exciting, and, from a scheduling standpoint, very challenging. We want to thank you all for your patience and grace as we've been working through student schedules over the past few weeks. We know many of our students did not get their dream schedule, and while we wish it could be so, we've put our best efforts into making the best schedules possible for everybody. Schedule changes have now closed for this semester. We're glad to now have more time and energy to spend interfacing with families and students directly.

Due to our changing student body and shifts in our staff, counseling caseloads have been updated again this year.

Napsiyah Sallee: A-Da

Izzy Steiger: De-Ha, T-Z

Claire Abe: He-Ng

Theresa Le (long-term sub Kacey Campbell): Nh-S

Our team was very sad to say goodbye to Chloe Kimiai at the end of the 2025-2026 school year. Chloe was an invaluable part of the Cleveland community, and we wish her all the best.

Chloe's former caseload, which consists of students with last names beginning with Nh-S, has been transferred over to Theresa Le, an experienced counselor from Ingraham High School who will join us at Cleveland in November. In the interim, these students will be supported by Kacey Campbell. Kacey has taught at Cleveland for many years and previously interned with our counseling department, and we couldn't ask for a better long-term substitute in this time of transition.

We understand that the transition between counselors puts some students, especially our seniors, in a difficult position. The rest of our counseling staff is here to help as much as we can during this time. Any seniors with last names beginning with Nh-S should have received an email from another counselor this week offering additional support in completing any applications for schools, scholarships, or programs.

If you need to connect with your child's counselor for any reason, please don't hesitate to reach out to us! Our contact information is listed on our website.

Our previous college and career exploration software, Naviance, has been phased out by the school district, and we are introducing a new program called SchooLinks. SchooLinks will be a central hub for students to explore career and education opportunities, work on their High School and Beyond plans, and track documents for their applications. Currently, our staff and our students are exploring this new resource together and discovering what it can do; hopefully it will be a powerful tool for our students!

As our families with 12th graders begin to think about what comes next, we want to support as much as possible. For our seniors applying to four-year-colleges, we know questions are arising surrounding Common App, recommendation letters, financial aid, and scholarships. We want to encourage all seniors, especially those who take classes through Running Start or Skills Center and are not always on campus, to check their school emails frequently for information from counselors. Every year, our team teaches lessons and hosts events to support students in this process. We will be sending out information about these opportunities, along with scholarships and information about application procedures, via email. More updates will be posted here as well as we plan our calendar.

Our first meeting this year will be September 23rd at 5:30PM. Hear from Principal Lam, learn more about what’s ahead this year for PTSA and more! Additional details to follow.

• Instagram lead: Instagram is one of our regular communication channels for our community, and our current lead is ready to hand over the reins. If you are interested, please email to learn more about the role and ask clevelandptsa@gmail.com
• Dance lead: Cleveland has three dances a year (Homecoming, Winter Formal and Prom), and we are looking for someone who would be interested in being the lead coordinator for these events. There’s good documentation and institutional knowledge to pass on if this sounds like something you’d like to do to contribute! Please email to learn more. clevelandptsa@gmail.com

Cleveland celebrates its 100 Year Anniversary with a special Yearbook. Students are hard at work capturing photos and memories of the new school year. Pre-Order your copy of the Yearbook now. They will arrive at the end of the year and might sell out.

Yearbook price is $50.00. A price increase to $60.00 is effective January 1, 2027. Option to add Senior Grad-Ad or Nameplate is due December 31, 2026 (see below).

Two ways to buy

1. Pay Online with (SchoolPay) OR
2. Pay In Person with Ms. Clark in Room 1113

Questions?
Please reach out to Dan Truog (Yearbook teacher) with any questions. Room 1162. Email: drtruog@seattleschools.org

Senior Grad Ad or Nameplate Due December 31, 2026

1. Senior Nameplate: $10.00
2. Senior Grad Ads: Families can purchase space in the yearbook to celebrate their Senior. Prices are: Full Page = $60, Half Page = $30, Quarter Page = $15.

• Families must purchase their Ad by December 31, 2026 on SchoolPay.
• After purchasing your Ad by Dec. 31, 2026 in January 2027, families will receive an email with instructions to submit their photos and message. Yearbook designers will then design the ad.

Did You Know? All Student Can Choose Their Yearbook Photo

All students in Grades 9-12 can choose the photo they would like in the Yearbook from the photos that were taken on the Picture Days. You must select your photo online by Oct. 26, 2026

1. Visit Rowland Studio’s website to access and view your school photos.

• You’ll need your Access Code, so go to Photo Access Codes if you need to look it up.
• Select Order Online and enter your access code.

2. Select your photo

• In the Yearbook photo selection box, click Change photo.
• Choose your favorite and select Confirm Selection

We are asking that 100% of Cleveland families complete the CNEEB application. Will you take 5-10 minutes right now to complete the application?

Our school district uses the Child Nutrition Eligibility & Education Benefit (CNEEB) application to help families access vital benefits. By filling out this single, confidential form, your family may qualify for:

• Free or reduced-price school meals.
• Summer grocery benefits (SUN Bucks).
• Waived fees for school sports, activities, and field trips.
• Discounts on college applications, SAT/ACT/AP tests, and home internet.

How it helps our school:
Even if your child already receives free meals at school, filling out this form is incredibly important. The state funds our school based on this household data. High completion rates directly secure extra funding for classroom reading and math support, tutoring programs, extra counseling resources, and smaller class sizes. When families fill out the form, our entire school community wins.

Please click here to access the form or use the link below.

Student Orca Cards are no longer distributed at school. However, students are eligible to order a free Youth Orca Card pass to ride the metro bus and light rail directly through the Orca Card website. Students will need to upload a copy of their K-12 student ID, state ID, driver’s license, birth certificate or passport to confirm their age. They do not need to add money or a pass to the card. Order Free Youth Orca Cards online.