Family Newsletter

This week, I want to tell you about an important opportunity that we want every senior to take full advantage of: the Seattle Promise.

The Seattle Promise is a program launched by Seattle Colleges, Seattle Public Schools, and the City of Seattle through the Families, Education, Preschool and Promise (FEPP) Levy that we believe every Cleveland student should take advantage of, regardless of their current post secondary plans. Whether a student hopes to attend a university thousands of miles away or is unsure if college is for them, completing a Seattle Promise application guarantees they will have the opportunity to graduate with their first degree or credential completely debt-free.

Best of all, this opportunity is available for all of our students, regardless of GPA, income, ability, or country of birth.

• For students who aspire to graduate from the University of Washington, the Seattle Promise is a great way to get there: the program offers a variety of services and events designed to increase students' academic readiness, facilitate the transfer process, and build a sense of community. 82-85% of Seattle Promise Path to UW participants achieved a transfer admission to UW.
• For students who want to pursue a career in the trades, Seattle Colleges offer programs that will prepare students to earn high-demand careers and living-wage jobs.
• For students who want to continue their education in STEM after Cleveland, Seattle Colleges have many programs that extend what they learned in our School of Life Sciences, School of Engineering and Design, and School of Tech and Society.

***Applications are now open through February 12th. Click here to apply.***

If your student has questions or needs support with completing an application, we are excited that Jacob Shapiro, from Seattle Colleges, will be on campus supporting Cleveland students with accessing this opportunity again this school year. He is a tremendous resource, understands the process inside out, and is great with supporting our students from beginning to end. Students can find him in our Graduation Success Center starting September 30th.

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 HOSA is hosting a Vaccine Clinic with Seattle Visiting Nurses after school on October 29th!!!

You will need to make an appointment and log your insurance information. For students without insurance the Teen Health Clinic can provide free vaccination.

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.