Family Newsletter

Despite all the uncertainty regarding the start of this school year, we had a great opening week. Thank you for your support and participation in the festivities over the past few days. I enjoyed the opportunity to meet many of you on Tuesday during the new family orientation, and I appreciated hearing from some of you directly about your hopes for the year. Most of all, it was truly a joy to welcome so many new members of the community on the first day of school, alongside our returning students. Our students brought a lot of positive energy into the building.

Next week, students will experience our normal bell schedule with 80-minute classes. Many of you know that the Class of 2030 is one of the largest in Cleveland's 100 year history, and that our total enrollment is actually beyond our school's capacity. We are grateful to be in a position where we continue to grow, but growth often comes with growing pains, and your student may experience that with their schedule.

Currently, our class schedule is full and gridlocked, leaving little flexibility to change student schedules. Our ability to change student schedules will be limited to students (particularly seniors) who need a specific course to fulfill graduation requirements. Our desire to match students with their top choices will be challenged by the realities of our staffing and class sizes. We appreciate your understanding.

Thank you for a great start to the school year! We hope you have a restful and restorative Labor Day Weekend. We'll see your student on Tuesday morning.

Jeff Lam, Principal

Jackie Cable, Assistant Principal

Jenn Kekuna, Assistant Principal

• 9/23 | PTSA Meeting (5:30 - 7:00 pm - more details coming soon)
• 10/7 | Eagle Night (5:30-7:30 p.m.)
• 10/15 | CHS College Fair 2026

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.
• 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.

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.

Students who applied for a locker will receive their locker by Friday, Sept. 11 next week. If a student couldn’t apply for a locker, and still wants one, please have them use this link: Apply for a Locker at CHS – Fill out form. The form will close at the end of the day Tuesday, Sept. 8th.

This policy is important to us, and we need to work together to ensure it is properly enforced. Students benefit socially and academically when cell phones are put away during class, and most students report to us that they recognize that the policy is good for them.

As students get acclimated to the school year, teachers will communicate to students our expectations around cell phones. Please remind your student this weekend of the expectations. After teaching the policy to our students, we will begin enforcing the policy the following week.

Due to the 3-day weekend, we will have an 8 period bell schedule on Tuesday the 8th. Students will have their normal A/B day schedule starting Thursday the 10th. For our full bell schedule, please see below.

Please note: the Student Verification Form will be available for parents via The Source Sept. 1. The online Student Data Verification form includes the Emergency Release Form and the Student Health Information Form

It is not too late to sign up for Fall Sports & Club Sports on Final Forms. Please use the link below to get signed up now. Questions? Reach out to Athletics Director Alison Havran at achavran@seattleschools.org.

Cleveland has ample parking in our surrounding neighborhood. Please remind your student to park in the surrounding neighborhood. The staff parking lot is only available for staff, community partners, and visitors. Thank you for your support with keeping our parking lot spaces available!

Cleveland's building layout is unusual and can be confusing for people new to the community. Take a look at the map below. Please note that the main office is located in Building 1, and the front doors are in the "back" of our campus, facing the football field.

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.