Welcome to the 2019-2020 school year!

Welcome to the 2019-2020 school year!
Posted on 08/21/2019
Dear CRES Otter Families,

What a beautiful summer we are having here in the PNW. I hope you have been enjoying the sunshine and making wonderful family memories! This summer I have spent a lot of time hiking with my daughter and taking in the breath-taking views in our area.

The purpose of this message is to give you some updates as you prepare for the 2019-2020 school year at Cedar River Elementary School. But, please do not let this information impede the remaining weeks of summer fun ahead of you. Just want to make sure I’m communicating with you.

FACILITY:
Due to population growth and the addition of new classrooms, there have been a few room assignment changes. First, updates to the stage in the commons occurred in order to accommodate the STEM/Art class. This opened up a room in the 400 building for a new third grade classroom. In addition, the library is now more accessible to students as it will accommodate the Future Ready Specialists. We are close to being ready for students in the 200 building, which is housing the summer kindergarten the week of the 19th. We are very grateful to our outstanding custodial summer and maintenance staff.

STAFFING:
There are a number of new faces joining the CRES staff. We are pleased to introduce the following to you:

1. Mandy Keller is joining our kindergarten teaching team. Mandy came to us from the Puyallup School District, where she taught kindergarten at Spinning Elementary School. We are thrilled that Mandy has chosen to become an Otter!

2. Celine Huerta is teaching first grade this fall. Celine comes to us from the Kent School District where she just completed a long-term substitute position in grade two. Celine and her husband were recently married and found a home in the Maple Valley area.

3. Ashleigh Rocco is joining our second grade team. Ashleigh spent that last several years teaching third grade in the Lake Washington School District. She and her husband were also recently married and made their home in Maple Valley.

4. Kari Angeline is teaching second grade as well this fall. Kari spent that last several years teaching second grade in the Issaquah School District. Kari and her husband are long-time Maple Valley residents and have two children who attend Tahoma Schools.

5. Lauren Duty is teaching second grade a good deal of the school year while Kelsie March is on maternity leave. Lauren comes to us from Shadow Lake Elementary School, where she did a bang up job interning in grade two.

6. Megan Domoszlay is joining the third grade team. Megan comes to us from the Kent School District, where she taught multiple elementary grades at Springbrook Elementary School. Megan also has a kindergartner joining us in the fall.

7. Rachel Griffus is a retired Tahoma School District teacher who will be the long-term substitute for Amy Thompson. While Amy is on maternity leave, Rachel will be teaching third grade Discovery.

8. Teri Johnson is teaching fourth grade Discovery in the fall. Teri comes to us from Lake Wilderness Elementary School, where she taught fourth grade for the past several years.

9. Lea Lai is our new school psychologist. Last year, Lea was a school psychologist in the Lake Washington School District. We are grateful that Lea is joining the CRES special education team.

10. Jennifer Donohue is our new Administrative Assistant. Jennifer comes to us from Lake Wilderness Elementary School, where she served as the school registrar. We are looking forward to benefiting from Jennifer’s skill set and experience.

11. Renee Crawford is joining our special education team. She is our new Speech and Language Therapist. She most recently worked in private industry, and in California prior to that. We are excited to be getting such an experienced therapist on our staff.

In addition to new staff, we have the following staff changes:

1. Sarah Lichtenberger, formerly one of our STEM teachers, is one of the Future Ready Specialists beginning this fall.

2. Kathy Johnson, formerly one of our first grade teachers, is the other Future Ready Specialist.

3. Tatjana Henninger, formerly our Art specialist, is both our Art and STEM specialist this fall.

4. Doug Schlicter, formerly our administrative assistant, is our building manager supporting both CRES and SLES.

5. Lisa Crider, formerly a third grade teacher, is teaching fourth grade in the fall.

FROM THE MAIN OFFICE:
Mr. Schlicter, Mrs. Pabisz, and Ms. McDaniel have been busy working in preparation for the start of school. Our office hours are 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. Starting on August 26, we are open 8 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. Please note that we close on Fridays and on August 27 for our all-staff retreat.

PROGRAM ADDITION:
As many of you know, the CRES staff has been working on championing Tahoma School District’s Future Ready Skills initiative. Last year we started recognizing students monthly for excellence in demonstrating the Future Ready Skill of focus. This year we are delighted to have Future Ready Specialists meeting with students at least once per week depending on grade level. Students will engage in Future Ready related lessons and activities, which will take place in our library. We are excited to engage our students in the acquisition and demonstration of these important skills through this opportunity.

IMPORTANT DATES:
There are several dates to be aware of in August and September. Please mark those that pertain to you on your calendar.

August 12, 2019 – CRES Main Office Opens
August 19, 2019 – Kindergarten classroom placement letter distributed via district office
August 20-24, 2019 – Kindergarten Camp
August 28, 2019 – CRES supply drop off (please refer to the notification from your child’s teacher regarding time frame for your child’s grade level)
September 3, 2019 – 1st Day of School Grades 1-5
September 3-5, 2019 – Kindergarten Family Connections
Wishing you all a relaxing rest of your summer break. Looking forward to seeing you soon!
September 6, 2019 – 1st Day of Kindergarten

Warmly,
Fritz
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