Coyote Howler

April 2013
Volume 12, Issue 8
CASCADE RIDGE PTSA 2.6.2
SAMMAMISH, WASHINGTON
Coyote Howler
PTSA PRESIDENT’S MESSAGE
Calendar of Events
April:
3:
As this edition of the Howler hits the website, we are close to starting Spring Break. Time is
certainly flying this year and once we return our kids will be starting the last third of their
school year. I know from past experience that those last few months fly by, but the great
news is that we still have a lot planned at the school and our PTSA will continue to avidly
support the school and our children’s experiences through the school year.
Back by popular demand, our Talent Show will be Thursday & Friday, April 25 -26th. This
will be our second year hosting this event and tons of fun was had by all so even if you’re
not participating in the show, please mark your calendars and come see all the amazing
talent Cascade Ridge has to offer.
As you have heard throughout the year, we owe our ongoing success to the many
volunteers who provide their time, energy, and passion to ensuring great programs and
opportunities for our kids and community. Every year we recognize volunteers who go
above and beyond and who eagerly and tirelessly say “yes” for the benefit of others
through the PTSA Golden Acorn awards. Many congratulations and thanks to our recent
winners: Ann Brooks, Helen DiMeco, Angie Lukens, Bona Park, and Nichole Wengert! If you
see any of our winners around, please give them a hearty “congratulations” and “thank
you”!
Speaking of great volunteers, what amazing events and programs we had in March: Book
Fair, Spelling Bee, Eager Reader, Science Fair, and Fine Arts night!! We hope you were able
to make time in your busy schedules to participate in at least one of the events—hopefully
all of them!! Thanks again to all of our volunteers who made these events possible.
Also this month, we will have the third of our four planned General Membership meetings
on Friday, April 19th right after drop-off. This is another important meeting to have a great
turnout as we will be electing our Board members for the next school year and voting on
changes to our standing rules. We have a strong slate of nominees who will continue to
lead our PTSA in the next school year and it is important to recognize them and show our
support through attendance at the meeting. We hope to see you there!
Finally, don’t forget that the annual ISF Nourish Every Mind luncheon us coming up on
Thursday, May 9th. We would love to have a great turnout from the Cascade Ridge
Community to show all of Issaquah how much we really care about our kids. More
information for this can be found on our PTSA site and also at http://isfdn.org/. To reserve
a table with our Cascade Ridge parents, please contact me directly.
Here’s hoping for a great spring for everyone!
Deanne King, PTSA President
[email protected]
Science Tech Open House,
6:00p
5:
Dad’s Play Day
8-12: Spring Break
19: Coffee with Principal/
PTSA General Membership
Mtg, 8:30a
25-26: Talent Show, 6:00p
26: Spirit Day - Tacky/
Mismatched Day
May:
1:
3rd Grade Concert, 6:30p
1-17: MSP Testing
3:
Dad’s Day
6-10: Staff Appreciation Week
6:
Site Council, 6:00p
7:
1st Grade Concert, 6:30p
9:
ISF Luncheon, 11:00a
14: Camp Chaperone Mtg, 6p
16: Gen Member Mtg, 7:00p
21: KG Concert, 6:30p
27: Memorial Day-NO SCHOOL
29-31: 5th Grade Camp
Inside this Issue
PTSA News
2
Golden Acorn Winners
3
Spelling Bee/5th Grade
4
Mark Your Calendar
5
Programs
6
ISF
7
Fundraising / Parent Ed
8
Volunteer Recognition
9
Editor: Nichole Wengert
President: Deanne King
April 2013
1
PTSA News
PTSA General Membership
Meeting & Coffee with the principal
Friday, April 19th @ 8:30 am
Coyote Cafe
Please plan to attend our next PTSA General Membership Meeting & Coffee with the Principal, on Friday,
April 19th at 8:30 am in the Coyote Café. This is an important meeting for the community as we will be
electing the 2013–2014 PTSA Executive Committee and voting on our Standing Rules. As always, it is
also the perfect forum for gaining insight into the PTSA activities and for providing feedback.
Please let Deanne King ([email protected]), PTSA President know if you have any questions and we
hope to see you there!
2013-2014
PTSA Executive Committee Nominees
The 2013 Cascade Ridge Nominating Committee proudly submits the following slate of
nominees to the general membership for election to the 2013-2014 PTSA Executive
Committee.
President
Ann Brooks
VP Fundraising
Nathalie Fusaro
Executive Vice President
Helen DiMeco
Co-VPs Programs
Kelly Huber
Secretary
Laura Fortner
VP Volunteers
Erinn Chapman
Treasurer
Juli Kubicki
Co-VPs Community Relations
Ganga Pingli & Marci Bartholomae
VP Communications
Monica Futty
Many Thanks to this year's PTSA nominating committee: Juli Kubicki, Helen DiMeco, Erinn
Chapman, Lauri Kinnan
April 2013
2
PTSA News Cont.
Congratulations to our 2012-2013
Cascade Ridge Golden Acorn Winners!
The Golden Acorn is a
PTSA award given
every
year
to
outstanding
volunteers for their service to our school and community. The Golden Acorn specifically recognizes the
contributions individuals have made at Cascade Ridge Elementary and within our local community.
Congratulations to this year’s Golden Acorn Winners! We acknowledge and appreciate your commitment
to Cascade Ridge and our community!
Nichole Wengert, Angie Lukens, Helen DiMeco, Ann Brooks, and Bona Park were honored at a
reception held at Pacific Cascade Middle School on March 26 th. When you see these deserving
recipients, please give them a pat on the back and thank them for all of their hard work on behalf of our
school and community – and look for their names on the Golden Acorn plaque displayed in the front hall
of our school.
… Many employers match your charitable contributions
to our school, but did you know that many of them also
match your volunteer time?
Many of our area employers--Amazon, Boeing, Costco, Expedia, Microsoft,
Nordstrom, to name only a few--will pay our school $17 per hour for your volunteer time. This can be time
helping out in your child's classroom and/or helping out at one of our PTSA sponsored events. This is "free"
money to our school to support our programs and your children. So, if you are volunteering your time in any
way, please check with your employers HR dept to see if they match volunteer hours and submit your hours
today. Please contact our matching funds chair, Janet Jacobson at [email protected], if you have any ques-
April 2013
3
Special Recognition
Students and Volunteers Make 2013 Spelling Bee
an Unbeelievable Success!!
The first weak of March was a wirlwind of exsitement as nearly 180 Cascade Ridge
studants took center stage and brilliently spelled words like reverseable and
desendant. We’re so prowd of each of you!
Additional thanks to Zahid Arab, reporter for KING TV/channel 5 who guest announced and to all the
volunteers who helped make a buzz-worthy event: Susan Sansing, Kevin Bartholomae, Erick Pong, Lori
Harnick, Kimberlee Hansen, Krystl McCandish, Kelly Taaffe, Sanji Munoth, Neena Rana, Nancy TrappChen, Bhavani Arutla, Nathalie Fusaro, Teresa Mundel, Rajeev Goel and Ann Brooks!!
Special congratulations go to the following spellers:
Kindergarten
Winning word: “below”
1st – Ethan Go
2nd – Andrew Scurrell
3rd – Dave Yoon
3rd grade
Winning word: “interrupt”
1st – Jeslyn Chen
2nd – Nayantara Vijay
3rd – Jordan Ballo
1st grade
Winning word: “carefully”
1st – Allyse Nguyen
2nd – Lauren Kwak
3rd – Ronan Belding
4th grade
Winning word: “reversible”
1st – Pranav Kammili
2nd – Jane Huber
3rd – Karina Lam
2nd grade
Winning word: “chorus”
1st – Albert Weng
2nd tie – Sunny Xu &
Kevin Yin
5th grade
Winning word: “multiplication”
1st – Anjali Goel
2nd – Nabiya Alam
3rd – Bryce Harnick
Thank you to Jaycee Cooper and Diana Verrue for organizing the 5th grade service project. We are so
proud of the 5th graders for raising over $6,000 for Children of the Nations and for packing 24,000
meals for children around the world. Thank you to all of the parents and the teachers who were there
that day and helped out!
April 2013
4
Mark Your Calendar
So you think you have what it takes to be on the next America's Got Talent? Well, practice makes
perfect so Get Ready to Shine at Cascade Ridge's 2 nd Annual Talent Show. All acts welcomed - Individual
or Group performances – Students and Staff. For more information visit the PTSA website.
Register by April 1st.
DAD’S
PLAY DAY
April 5th
10:55-11:20 (3rd/4th)
11:20-11:45 (1st/2nd)
11:45-12:10 (Kindergarten)
11:50-12:15 (5th/Science Tech)
Questions?
Lynette Springborn
April 2013
5
Programs
We pulled it off! What an amazing few months leading up to a great day and night! We wanted to
personally thank all our Scientists that participated in this year's Science Fair. Their Science Projects
were AMAZING!!
The Science Fair needed everyone's help to make sure every exhibit was stationed and fun activities
were available to all our young scientists and their families. We were able to judge approximately 300
kids in some tight and narrow pathways.
A big thank you goes out to all the teachers for the tireless hours they put into helping our kids realize
their full potential. Their support and personal involvement in our Science Programs and Fair are so
important to our future!
Thanks to all our great exhibitors this year: Microsoft XBOX Kinect, Kate Poaster Science on the Go,
NASA with Mike Powell, Water Rockets, Issaquah Valley Rock Club, Strawberry DNA, First Lego League,
Pacific Northwest Herpetological Society, and all our scientists. This event would not be the same
without you!
Lastly, thank you to all the parents and middle school volunteers who made this event a HUGE
SUCCESS!!! We could not have done it without them!
Thank you again for making Science Fair 2013 a great success!
April 2013
6
Got Lunch?
Want to enjoy the most energizing, informative and inspiring lunch of the year? Join us at the Issaquah Schools
Foundation’s 15h Annual Nourish Every Mind Benefit Luncheon, Thursday, May 9 from 11 am – 1 pm at the
Issaquah Community Center. Nourish Every Mind is THE place to meet, mingle and learn how much our students
benefit from your support. Everyone is invited and there are no tickets to buy in advance. To join us, contact your
PTSA or ISF Rep to reserve a seat at your school’s table. We are extending a special invitation this year to our
Kindergarten parents! We are saving seats at all our school’s tables for our existing and incoming Kindergarten
parents. Contact Cathia Geller, [email protected]. She’ll give you all the details. See you on May 9.
What Makes a Great School?
Leadership … grades … graduation rates? Share your thoughts and discover what the State Board of Education
and local legislators think about great schools at the next Community Conversations, Thursday, April 4 from 6:30
p.m. – 8:30 p.m. at the Issaquah High School Theatre. Learn about the Achievement Index and a proposed law
to ‘grade’ all schools, then participate in a panel discussion with District staff, parents and students. Community
Conversations is free and sponsored by the Issaquah Schools Foundation, Issaquah PTSA Council, Issaquah
School District and Issaquah Education Association. Call 425-391-8557 for more information.
Our Version of March Madness
Foundation volunteers bearing balloons and cheer surprised winners of Kateri Brow Big Idea/Biggest Need Grants
on March 15. Awards ranged in amounts from $1,000 - $10,000 and covered a myriad of projects (see complete list
at isfdn.org). We found Grand Ridge teacher Darrel Nichol’s proposal for student created animated math tutorials
especially exciting. Check out the Issaquah Reporter's article on the grants, then watch a video created by one of
Darrel Nichol’s students.
What a Year
The Foundation’s Annual Report to the Community was mailed to all donors the week of March 18. If you did not
receive your copy, or would like an extra, contact Michelle Weldon, [email protected].
Thank you for support.
April 2013
7
Passive Fundraising
Get ready to take the challenge. From April 1st
to June 1st bring in your box tops in Ziplocs or
brown paper bags clearly marked with your
teacher’s name and grade. I n J une we w ill
tally all the box tops and the class with the
highest number of box tops submitted will win
an extra recess in June!
Get a clean
car,
save
money and earn $$ for Cascade Ridge PTSA! For
every $5 ticket purchased CRE PTSA earns $3.50
(normal price for basic exterior car wash is
$6.39). To purchase tickets email Nathalie Fusaro
at: [email protected] and
provide the following information:
We will need a few volunteers to help with
tallying in the first week of June, if you are
interested
please
contact:
[email protected].
•
•
•
•
•
Your name
Your email address
Your child’s name
Your child’s teacher
How many tickets you would like to purchase
Then place a check payable to CRE PTSA
($5/ticket) in the black PTSA box in the school
foyer. Tickets will be delivered to your child’s
classroom within a week of your payment being
received.
PARENT EDUCATION
DATE
TIME
LOCATION
CLASS
CONTACT
4/29
11:30am1:30pm
Boys & Girls
Club Teen
Center, EX3
Sammamish Plateau Parents
Networking Group
Cherry O’Neill
[email protected] or
206-550-3809 cell
4/29
7:00pm9:00pm
Boys & Girls
Club Teen
Center, EX3
Sammamish Plateau Parents
Networking Group
Cherry O’Neill
[email protected] or
206-550-3809 cell
The LOST AND FOUND is overflowing with coats,
jackets and miscellaneous items. Please swing by and
take a look for anything your child may be missing.
ALL REMAINING ITEMS WILL BE DONATED
TO CHARITY DURING SPRING BREAK IN APRIL.
April 2013
8

A huge thank you to Kelly Huber for organizing and executing the 3rd Annual Spelling Bee! Kelly stepped up to
chair this popular event, even though this is her first year at Cascade Ridge and she had never been part of the
bee! Kelly’s amazing promotion of this year’s bee led to record school participation and even a guest announcer
from KING TV/channel 5, Zahid Arab. Thank you so much Kelly!

Thank you Melanie Kusmik for launching the new Scratch Club that began a few weeks ago. It is people like
Melanie who are passionate about ideas that they feel would benefit our students that keep Cascade Ridge
programs exciting and models for other elementary schools in our district! We look forward to expanding this
club next year.

Thank you to Peter Wengert, aka Science Pete, for chairing the Science Fair for the 3rd year in a row! Under his
visionary leadership, the Science Fair continues to be one of the most talked about and well attended events at
Cascade Ridge. Thank you Pete for the countless hours spent organizing this event and making it such a
success! A special thank you to his committee: Jaycee Cooper, Stephen Rozmiarek, Mary Jo Webb, Rajeev
Goel, Angie Lukens, Neena Rana, Krista Gale, Nichole Wengert, and Grace Lee.

The 2013 Science Fair would not have come together without an amazing team of individuals who have been
working behind the scenes for months in preparation for the event! Anyone who attended this year's fair
recognized the tremendous amount of effort it took to pull off such a great day and night for our young
scientists. We'd like to thank all of the parents, teachers, staff, students, exhibitors and all other volunteers for
their help!

Many thanks to Michelle Brady and Grace Lee for organizing our Book Fair! The many hours each of them put
into the fair resulted in a very successful event, with excited kids walking out with new books to enjoy. And
thank you also to our librarian, Ms. Moore, for graciously letting us take over the library for a week. Thank you
to all the Book Fair Volunteers- we couldn’t do this without YOU!

Kudos to Kristin Hunter for chairing our Library volunteers for the year!! Ms. Moore gets amazing help in the
Library thanks to all your hard work!!

And to our PTSA Board Nominating Committee: Ann Brooks, Erinn Chapman, Helen DiMeco, Juli Kubicki, and
Lauri Kinnan, THANK Y OU for pulling together a great slate for the next school year ’s Board!

Way to go, Golden Acorn Committee (Jaycee Cooper, Angie Lukens, and Mary Jo Webb) and everyone who
submitted nominations for the award. We have so many worthy candidates in the community, and thankfully we
have a great scoring process that helps to make a subjective review more objective. Thank you for your
participation in the process!

Thank you 5th grade service project Coordinators Jaycee Cooper and Pam Gross, and all the volunteers who
helped organize the 5th graders as they packed all those meals! Awesome!
April 2013
9