We are so excited to welcome you back to a brand-new school year! I’m sure you’ve noticed that the Crystal Springs campus looks quite different from when we left in June. Over the past nine weeks, construction has been in full swing, and we are almost ready to unveil some incredible upgrades that truly knock it out of the park:
- A new inclusive playground
- A turf field
- A new undercover play area with an improved hard surface play space
- A two-story classroom building
- A sparkling new gymnasium
- And a beautiful new lunchroom (commons space)
We are incredibly grateful to our Crystal Springs community for supporting these improvements. Your commitment has been a home run, and the impact will benefit our students and staff for years to come.
We also have a new bus loop and parent drop-off/pick-up area. In the past, buses used the south lot and parent drop-off/pick-up happened in the north lot. This year, the two have swapped. We now have new traffic circulation routes that we need everyone to follow in order to keep students safe and traffic moving smoothly. Please see the circulation map further down in the Beep Beep.
The parent drop-off/pick-up expansion area to the south is still under construction and will be completed by mid-November. At that time, we’ll have a much longer queuing line available, which will help reduce congestion during arrival and dismissal.
While the campus may look different, what hasn’t changed is our staff’s excitement to step up to the plate and welcome our students. Together, we’re ready to set the course for a grand slam year of learning, growth, and community. With these wonderful new spaces will come some new expectations and processes to keep everyone safe and ensure a smooth season of learning. More information will be coming soon.
Additionally, please note that our district has a new Mobile Device Policy – Off & Away (Policy 3245). Please review this section in the Beep Beep so you can familiarize yourself with the expectations and partner with us to help every student stay in the game and maximize their learning.
We can’t wait to kick off the school year with you—let’s play ball!
In Partnership,
Ali Airhart
Principal
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4th grade, 5th grade, and music for all grade will be in classrooms in our new buidling |
A new playground for ALL our students |
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- Wednesday September 3: First Day of School Grades 1-5! Full day Wednesday, No Early Release
- Monday, September 8: First Day of School for Kindergartners!
- September 15-26: APEX Fun Run!
- Tuesday, September 16: Grade 4 & 5 Curriculum Night 6:00-6:45pm (New Family Orientation 5:30pm)
- Thursday, September 18: PTA Dinner Night Out (DNO) at MOD Pizza
- Tuesday, September 23: Grade 2 & 3 Curriculum Night 6:00-6:45pm (New Family Orientation 5:30pm)
- Thursday, September 25: PTA Back to School Social
- Tuesday, September 30: Grade K & 1 Curriculum Night 6:00-6:45pm (New Family Orientation 5:30pm)
- Tuesday, September 30: Picture Day
- Tuesday, October 7: Hearing and Vision Screening
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Arrivals:
- 9:05 am: Students may be on campus
- 9:20 am: First bell rings - students should be on campus heading to classrooms
- 9:25 am: Tardy Bell; School Begins
Dismissals
- 3:55 pm: Dismissal Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Friday
- 2:25 pm: Dismissal on Wednesday
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- The first day of school will NOT be an early release Wednesday. Students will attend school until 3:55pm
- Kindergartners will start school on Monday, September 8
- If your student will miss the first day of school for any reason, please email csattendance@nsd.org as soon as possible
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Please expect changes to how parents will drop-off and pick-up their students this school year. The image below describes how traffic will flow through the parking lot at the start of the school year. |
The Bus Loop (YELLOW) and Parent Loop (GREEN) have changed positions.
- Bus loop will use what was the previous middle driveway and exit north drive.
- Parents will utilize the south entry – temporary for Sep/Oct until new permanent entry/remainder of loop can be installed.
Parent loop direction is REVERSE of what it was last year
- Parent entry only from South bound; Continue utilizing the middle lane to queue before entering campus
- Do NOT block bus exit/entry
- Please change side of car students exit to passenger side.
Walkers (PINK):
- Walkers from South and Northwest will use west side of street and use crosswalk at north end of 9th, cross bus loop entry and use sidewalk between bus and parent loop.
- Walkers from Southeast side will have to cross to west side since southern portion of campus frontage will be closed off due to construction.
- Walkers from North East can use the new sidewalk adjacent to the bus loop to enter campus.
For safety, please obey all traffic signs and any instructions given to you from a staff member or the construction crew. Additional information about parent drop-off and pick-up is available on the Crystal Spring website.
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Teacher assignments will be visible in ParentVue and StudentVue on Wednesday, August 27 by 9:00am. Teachers will also send home communication to parents after that time.
For information about accessing ParentVue, click here. Most parents already have a ParentView account, and do not need an account code. If you do not remember your password, there is a "forgot password" link on the log-in screen that will allow you to reset your password. You may be required to do an annual update on your student information, and review and sign the yearly mandatory letters, before accessing your ParentVue account.
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Dear Families,
We are excited to share that this year our students will be eating lunch in our brand-new lunchroom "Cafe"! This is a big change from eating in classrooms, and we want to share some important information as we begin this transition together.
Key things to know:
- Students will have 20 minutes to eat lunch.
- If your child brings lunch from home, please remember that microwaves will NOT be available. Be sure to pack food that is ready to eat.
- An allergy-friendly table will be available for students who need this option. Friends are welcome to join them if their lunches are allergy-safe.
- Because lunch periods have a quick turnaround, students will be responsible for cleaning up their area and disposing of all trash before leaving.
How families can help:
We would love your support in talking with your child about our lunchroom expectations. Some of the routines we will be teaching include:
- Using a “restaurant-style” voice so the lunchroom does not get too loud.
- Staying seated while eating.
- Raising their hand if they need something or wish to leave their seat.
- Using lunchtime to eat. We encourage them to be social with their friends, but our number one focus is for them to eat. They will be reminded of this if we see they have not been eating. So please remind them to use lunch time to eat.
- Practicing opening their lunches and lunch items on their own. Especially good for kindergarten and 1st. This will help them be able to eat quicker when they enter the lunchroom.
Over the first few weeks, we will practice and reinforce these expectations as everyone learns the new routines. Please be patient with our staff as we navigate this new space and establish systems that work best for all students.
As always, we will continue to share updates and reminders through the BEEP BEEP throughout the year.
Thank you for partnering with us to make this a smooth and positive experience for our students.
Warmly,
Patty Allen
Assistant Principal
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Regular school attendance plays a major roll in student academic achievement. Children with chronic absences (2+ days per month) are less likely to read at grade level. Poor attendance can also have a negative effect on children’s social and emotional development. It is important to develop good attendance habits early by only keeping your child home for illness. We look forward to seeing your student each and every day at Crystal Springs!
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If your child will be absent from school, arriving late, or leaving early, please contact the main office at csattendance@nsd.org or call the attendance line at 425.408.4310.
You can also report a full day absence by logging into ParentVue and using the "report an absence" button.
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Nurse Jamey is excited to take care of our Roadrunners again this year! Please click here for her back to school message and important information regarding medication at school.
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Due to high demand, school breakfast and lunch will be free for all students at Crystal Springs this year! Click here for links to see school menus or to follow the Northshore Food and Nutrition on social media.
Families who qualify should still apply for Free and Reduced Meals, as this will enable you to access additional assistance. For additional information and to apply online Click Here. Once you have completed the free and reduced application, you can complete this form to waive school sport and activity fees.
Paper forms will also be sent home with your student, and can be returned to the school office or your student's teacher.
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The Northshore School District has implemented a new district-wide mobile device policy. For students in grades K-5, all mobile devices should be "Off & Away All Day." This also includes when students are on buses & district transportation.
🔒 Off = At home, or silent/powered down
🎒 Away = in backpacks (not pockets or hidden under desks)
Mobile devices include:
- Mobile/Smart Phones
- Smart Watches
- Smart Glasses/Eyewear
- Personal Laptops or Tablets
- Gaming Tablets or Consoles
- Any device that connects to Wi-Fi/cellular and can send messages or access the internet
If you need to reach your child during the school day due to an emergency or change of plans, please contact the school office.
By limiting mobile device use, we create space for students to grow academically, socially, and developmentally. If students rely on texting parents every time they have a question, they miss opportunities to problem-solve and think independently. ✨ Thank you for your partnership in supporting your student!✨
👉 Medical exceptions are reviewed by a student’s IEP/504 team.
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Crystal Springs is thankful for all of the parent and community volunteers that share their time with us! If you are interested in volunteering in the school, you must obtain a free level 1 volunteer clearance from the district: www.nsd.org/get-involved/volunteer/become-a-volunteer. If you are interesting in volunteering for a field trip, you will need a level 2 clearance.
Any volunteering at Crystal Springs must be pre-arranged with a a teacher or office staff member.
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Please contact Cindy Tidball, ctidball@nsd.org, to update your address. |
The Crystal Springs PTA (Parent-Teacher Association) is a volunteer organization dedicated to supporting students and the school community by fostering collaboration between parents, teachers, and school staff.
Upcoming PTA Events:
- Our first Dinner Night Out (DNO) will be @ MOD Pizza on Sept 18th. In partnership w/ MOD, a portion of proceeds of orders placed that evening will be donated to our school! Details coming soon.
- Back to School Social set for the evening of Thursday, September 25th at Crystal Springs Elementary. More details coming soon!
Support your child and their school, JOIN THE PTA
Now is the time to join our Parent Teacher Association. We invite every teacher and family to participate because we can do more together than apart. Your skills, your ideas, and your voice are needed and welcome. However you choose to PTA is up to you - membership can involve as much or as little time as you have to offer. Simply joining our PTA, even without volunteering or attending a meeting, still helps our students. Our goal is to increase membership to 20% of all teachers and parents this year.
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We hope everyone had a restful break and we look forward to welcoming students back to Crystal Springs. Back to school can be stressful for students and families. Please refer to some strategies here that can help ease the transition to this 2025-2026 school year.
Sleep: It can take at least a week, sometimes more, to get back into asleep routine. Now is the time to start transitioning your student(s) back to their school sleep schedule to set them up for success that first week back.
- Shut down screens 1-2 hours before bed.
- Engage in sleep prompting activities (e.g. readingdrawing, coloring, crotchet, puzzle).
- Dim lighting
- Elementary aged students need 9-12 hours of sleep.
Worries: It is very normal for students to have some worries as they head into a new school year. Some ways to help:
- Start casually talking about school (goals, worries, routine, what ifs).
- Drive or walk by the school to start exposing your student to the environment again, and talk through any feeling they might be having.
- Normalize and validate their feelings: "You know, I used to get really nervous about starting school too. It can be very normal to feel this way when we don't know what to expect..."
- Remind them that they can do hard things and that you'll be there to hear all about that first day!
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The health and safety of our students is of critical importance to the Northshore School District. Even so, accidents may and do happen and resulting medical bills may be expensive. Please know the district does not carry insurance for student personal injury costs and therefore cannot assume responsibility for the costs. This includes students participating in athletics.
If your student is injured during school activities you, as the guardian, are responsible for any medical bills. When a student is injured or ill at school, or during any school sponsored event:
- A staff member will provide immediate care to the student unless or until the staff member is relieved by a nurse, doctor or emergency personnel.
- The parent/guardian will be contacted except in the case of very minor injuries that, in the judgement of the school nurse or staff person, do not pose a serious risk to the student.
- In the case of a medical emergency 911 will be called.
- Transport to nearest hospital may be necessary.
Parents/Guardians please note: It's important keep your emergency contact information up-to-date with your child's school!
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Crystal Springs Elementary
21615 9th AVE SE
Bothell, WA 98021
425-408-4300
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