IN THIS ISSUE

• Principal's Message
• Important Dates
• Kenmore Elementary Support Night
• Our Monthly Focus
• Lost and Found
• Thank You!
• District News
• YMCA Break Camp

Principal's Message

We’ve reached the last month of 2025, welcome December!  Hope everyone enjoyed a lovely November filled with parent meetings, the Scholastic Book Fair and our first PTA sponsored movie night. It was great to see you on campus and we thank all volunteers for supporting our school.  Our Kenmore Elementary Strategic Action Plan (SAP) was board approved last month and we’d like to share it with you here. For our new families, the work on the Strategic Action Plan (SAP) began in the spring of the 2024-2025 school year with input from staff. In August, our newly appointed Shared Decision Leadership Team (SDLT), department or grade level reps met to discuss how teams are identifying students’ needs, providing support and monitoring progress. The discussions are rooted in the mission and vision of our school. The entire document can be a lot to digest.  Here is a snap shot of the goals and measures voted by staff.  KE School SAP Goals  Goal 1 Success in the Early Years. Measures By June of 2026, students in grades K-2 will have an increased percentage to 80% (from 72% in 2024-25) of achieving and maintaining grade level in the five components of Literacy Development: phonemic awareness, phonics, fluency, comprehension, vocabulary, writing and spelling. By June of 2026, students in grades K-2 will have an increased percentage of 75% (from 67% in 2024-25) students achieving and maintaining grade level in the components of Mathematics Development: number sense, algebra and algebraic thinking, measurement and data, and geometry. Goal 2 Responsible, Resilient, Empathetic Learners. Measures By June of 2026, Kenmore Elementary Increased the percentage of students reporting a perception of safety, fairness, inclusiveness and support for emotional, behavioral, mental, and physical health.  Goal 3  Growth for Every Student, Elimination of Outcome and Opportunity Gaps. Measures By June 2026, all students will have a minimum annual academic growth rate of one year for students at/above grade level, and more than one year for students below grade level. Additionally, subgroups of the following students who identify as Latinx/Hispanic, Black or African American will demonstrate the following:

Supporting our KE Cubs For the third consecutive year, our generous donors, in collaboration with the Kenmore Elementary PTA, are helping to make some holiday wishes come true. You can learn more and complete the brief application here. The KE Food Resource List has been updated. Note the generous update and meals provided by the Episcopal Church of the Redeemer for our families during the school holidays.This month presents both exciting times and challenges for our families. It's important to remind our KE Cubs about the value of empathy, understanding, and support for their peers. Encourage your student to practice empathy, recognizing that friends may come from different home environments, and promote acts of kindness. These traits are among the character qualities we celebrate at our school. Encourage your KE Cub to reach out to friends who may seem withdrawn; a small gesture, like inviting someone to join a game at recess or sit together at lunch, can make a big impact and show support. On a side note, please remind them to keep safe hands and bodies—this is a timeless reminder while we play at recess to avoid “play fighting” as they like to call it. As the year comes to a close, we want to extend our warmest wishes to you and your loved ones. May this holiday season bring you joy, peace, and cherished moments with family and friends. Whether you're celebrating Hanukkah (Dec.14-22), Las Posadas (Dec. 24), Christmas (Dec.25), Kwanzaa (Dec. 26-Jan 1), New Year’s Day (Jan. 1), or simply enjoying the holiday merriment, we hope you find time to relax and reflect on the past year. Happy holidays to everyone!

 

Important Dates                    

December 22 - January 2 - NO SCHOOL (WINTER BREAK)

Kenmore Elementary Support Night

 

Our Monthly Focus

Dear Families,

This year we are using PurposeFull People, a program that teaches skills to help students be successful in school and in life. We just finished up last month’s focus of Responsibility and are moving on to focusing on Gratitude.  

Gratitude Overview

We are looking forward to focusing on Gratitude this month! One way to think about Gratitude is “choosing to appreciate the people and things in our lives.” Practicing Gratitude can increase our well-being and even our happiness!.

In the classrooms

For the next month, each classroom will be focusing on different aspects of what it means to show gratitude. Below you will find the overall focus for each grade.

Family Connections 

Conversations Starters: 

1. Can you share or show what it means to practice Gratitude?
2. What is something you are Grateful for every day?

Activities:

• Find a place in your home to display a jar. Cut up small slips of paper and place them next to the jar. Find a time each week to add slips of Gratitude to the jar, writing down special people, places, events, and memories that your family is thankful. Having a gloomy day or a challenging time as a family? Pull out the slips of Gratitude and read them aloud together as a reminder of your Grateful moments.

Lost and Found 

Our lost and found has many unclaimed clothing items at this time. Parents can come before or after school to  check for any missing items and students can look during their recess time. The lost and found rack is located outside of the gym doors. Any items that remain unclaimed will be donated during winter break in December.

 

 

 

 

Thank You!                                                   

Our Book Fair was a big success, raising over $2500 for our library!  

These funds help purchase books and other materials for our school library. 

Thank you to everyone who purchased items and thank you to the many families that gifted books to our school! We appreciate your support. 

Thank you to all the volunteers who helped with set-up, take-down, and cashier duties! 

Thank you to everyone who donated to “Share the Fair,” providing every student with $5.00 toward a book purchase!

 

District News

Winter Weather Reminders 

As winter weather approaches, this is a good time to remind our Northshore community about the District’s snow and hazardous road condition response. The decision to close or delay schools due to inclement weather is made by the District as early as possible, typically by 5:30 a.m. Please keep in mind, Northshore is a large district that covers over 60 square miles. While conditions may seem normal in your neighborhood, it may be unsafe in others. All of this is taken into consideration when a decision is made to cancel, delay, activate snow routes, or keep everything on a normal schedule. If the district does not make an announcement, it means schools are open and buses are operating normally. Please review this website for detailed information about the potential school schedule change options in advance so you can be prepared.

Progress Reports and Grading Information in ParentVUE

The end of the first quarter of school means that student progress reports and mid-term grades are now available in ParentVUE for families to review. For our families of grades 1-6 students, these progress reports provide the foundation for your conference with your student’s teacher. Please note, only general education progress reports for grading periods are available in ParentVUE. Students with an Individualized Education Program (IEP) will continue to receive IEP progress reports through IEP Connect or by email. Please review this website for guidance on how to access grading period progress reports in ParentVUE.

YMCA Break Camp

For winter break, the YMCA will offer camps on December 22, 23, 29, and 30, and January 2. Our Northshore camps are open from 7am to 6pm at Kenmore, Woodmoor, and the Carol Edwards Center in Woodinville. 

Families currently attending BASE programming are charged at $60 per kid, per day. All other participants are charged $75 per kid per day. 

Here is the link the register: School Break Camp | YMCA of Greater Seattle | Community Programs Fitness & Youth Development