Hawk Herald March
From Principal Bailey
Arrowhead community,
These sunny spring days have been a joy. Students respond to the sunshine and the warmth and spirits are high. Our Valentine’s Day celebrations were full of love.
It reminds me of a day in 3rd grade. I can still feel the thrill. I walked onto campus at my elementary school and as soon as I was through the gates Steve Grebing, my crush, yelled, “KRISTIN!!!!!” and came running across the playground so excited to tell me something he was simply electric. Unfortunately, despite the pages and pages of “Mrs. Kristin Grebing” I’d carefully practiced in my diary, he was not running to tell me he’d seen the light and wanted to be my love. What he was excited to tell me was that he brought a hamster for his girlfriend’s birthday. His girlfriend (I am using that term very loosely here. We were eight.) was my best friend Diane, a cruel twist of fate that taught me early on how to have grace in the face of crushing rejection.
Let us pause this story for a moment and imagine how Diane’s parents appreciated her coming home from school that day with a hamster in a shoe box. And let’s be glad that’s not us.
I can still feel the absolute joy of having someone SO excited to see me, of someone waiting for me and having something precious that needed to be shared with me. It was wonderful.
I think about that for our children. Children don’t need a huge group of friends. They won’t always have their affection returned or get a hamster from their crush. Life is full of close moments, painful moments, and too distant moments with others in our lives. Sometimes we walk alone. Sometimes we’re met at the gate by someone who lights up our days and that person has been waiting for us. That feels wonderful.
We really look out for our students here at Arrowhead. We know that some of them need solitude at recess to decompress from the busy setting of the classroom. Some of our students do best with just one or two friends at a time. Some are comfortable in a big crowd. Some need help finding their special people. As we get to know our children, we try to help them understand what they need, too.
How can you help your little ones? You can ask them what their favorite thing to do at recess is. What really makes them happy? You can ask them who they like to be around – not necessarily who they want to be around, but who they like to be around. Whose presence makes them happy? Who is excited to see them? Who is kind to them?
I never got to “go with” my friend Steve, but we did stay friends through our schooling. He grew up to be a successful, kind man and father. And I have often wondered if his children ever came home with a gifted hamster, and how perfect that would have been.
Kristin
kbailey@nsd.org
Around the School
Spirit Week is March 24-28!
March is a long month. Join in the fun of Spirit Week hosted by JEDI!
- 3/24 - Blue & Gold Day!
- 3/25 - Fabulous Hair Day!
- 3/26 - Inside Out/Backwards/Mixed Up Clothes, Shoes & Socks Day!
- 3/27 - Rainbow/Favorite Color(s) Day!
- 3/28 - Pajamas/Comfy Day!
Track & Field Season is almost Here! Come join the fun!
Calling all 3rd, 4th, and 5th graders to participate! Practices will begin after Spring Break, twice a week during lunch recess. There will be four meets at Kenmore Middle School beginning April 29 - May 20 every Tuesday at 5:00pm.
Watch your ParentSquare for detailed information to come in the next few weeks.
Registration and more information can be found on the district elementary sports web page.
If you have questions, please contact Coach Barstow or Coach Ginny. For Touchbase online payments access, please reach out to the office staff.
Go Hawks!
5th Grade Camp Reminders
Camp is at the end of this month and we want all students to go. Please see important deadlines and the Packing List below. Please reach out to the Office or your child's teacher if you need help or have concerns.
- March 10 - Student Registration, waiver, medical paperwork and student fee due.
- March 17 - Chaperone paperwork and fee due.
- March 24 - Transportation Plan, School Sack Lunch Order, and all medications due to school and/or Nurse Anne.
- March 28 - All luggage labeled with name, teacher, and school due to Arrowhead (covered sidewalk by the Library) by 10:00am.
From the Office
Arrowhead Calendar and Website
Kindergarten Enrollment is Open
Enrollment is completed online. Directions on how to enroll, including what documentation is required, can be found on the District enrollment webpage.
By enrolling in early for the 2025-26 school year, there are a number of benefits:
- Connection to your child’s school community including information about school tours and Kindergarten events;
- Early enrollment helps the district correctly staff classrooms, services, and prepare for great learning environments for our students
If you need help enrolling your child or children for school, please contact your child’s future school for enrollment information and support. Your neighborhood school is based on your home address. You can find your child’s neighborhood school by using the Address Look Up Tool.
Kindergarten Open House
Welcome Kindergarten families! Join us Friday, May 16 from 5:15 pm - 6:00 pm to meet our Kindergarten team, see our classrooms, playground, and stay for the PTA Art Night & Auction in the Gym beginning at 6:00pm.
School Closures and Delays
Emergencies such as inclement weather, power outages and hazardous road conditions can alter school schedules and affect bus transportation. The decision to close or delay schools is made by the superintendent as early as possible, usually around 5:30 a.m. Early dismissals will occur only if a delay in dismissal significantly increases hazards.
New Process for Reporting an Absence: 4 Simple Steps
We have a new, easy way for families to let our school know when their student is absent! While we know regular attendance is one of the most powerful ways to prepare your student for success, we also know that sometimes students must miss school for a variety of reasons. Next time that happens for your family, let us know through ParentVUE:
- Login to ParentVUE
- Click the “Report Absence” button next to the name of your absent student
- Fill in the fields with the date(s) of the absence and provide an explanation
- Click to submit, automatically notifying the school of the absence
Learn more or view step-by-step images and instructions. You can use this method to report an absence of up to 4 days. As a reminder, an absence of 5 days or longer requires families to submit a Notice of Pre-Arranged Extended Absence Form.
Volunteering and Visiting Arrowhead
The season for volunteering is here! Please remember that in order to be a volunteer in the classroom you need to have your level 1 volunteer status. If you would like to volunteer for a field trip this year, please make sure to have your level 2 volunteer status. If you have had level 2 in the past, complete the following form and double check that your level 1 is status is up to date as well.
We love having you in our classrooms and on field trips so please make sure to get your clearance in time for celebrations, classroom activities, 5th grade Camp, and field trips.
Please plan a few extra minutes the next time you are campus to volunteer or visit for us to print your visitor badge. You will be asked for your license the first time. We can also access your information with your name and birthdate. For people who visit/volunteer frequently, we will save your badge to reuse. All visitors must check out of this system before leaving every time.
We appreciate your patience and partnership as we get this new system running smoothly and ensuring our campus is safe.
Health Room News
Winter Weather
Spring is here soon! but we still have some very wet &/or cold days ahead and many students need help making appropriate clothing & footwear choices. We have a limited supply of items to borrow in the health room. Please consider putting an extra pair of socks in your students' backpack, or a pair of sweats if your student insists on wearing shorts to school in the morning.
If your student has borrowed any clothing items or shoes from the health room, we appreciate these being returned so we are stocked up for other students in need.
Camp Cedar Springs, 5th grade
All medication and over the counter products going to camp must be signed in with the nurse by Monday, March 24th.
ANY medication or over the counter product, MUST have a medication authorization form completed and signed by both Health Care Provider and parent/guardian.
- We cannot accept any medication without this form completed
- Please make sure the name of the medication on the form, on the container or bottle, and on the pharmacy label match exactly and are not expired.
- Parents/guardians attending camp as volunteers who carry and dispense their own students’ medications, do not need to complete this form.
- No medication will be accepted the day of camp departure.
- Please DO NOT put any medication or over the counter product in your student’s luggage or backpack.
Please contact the nurse if you have any questions regarding this policy or health services at camp.
Illness Reminder
To reduce the spread of illness at school, if your student is feeling ill, or they require medicine in the morning to feel better, please keep them at home. We continue to see a steady state of flu, colds, and other illness in our wider community. Frequent hand washing is always encouraged to prevent illness as well.
Students may not return to school after illness until they have been symptom free for at least 24 hours (no fever, vomiting, diarrhea etc. in the last 24 hours – without the use of medications - and general symptoms have improved). See the district link for more detailed information on when to keep a student home.
Please do not send your student to school with medicine in their pocket or backpack, this includes over the counter products; these can never be given at school without the required documentation in place.
Free Family Resources
Are you or someone in your family struggling to access and/or afford health, dental or vision care? The community health event listed below may be able to help.
Upcoming Annual community health event from Seattle/King County:
Seattle/King County Clinic is a volunteer-driven, free health clinic that occurs for four days each year at Seattle Center. The Clinic welcomes anyone in the region who struggles to access and/or afford healthcare.
Thursday, April 24 through Sunday, April 27, 2025, at the Seattle Center.
Download an informational flyer available in multiple languages: English | Amharic ( አማርኛ) | Arabic (عربى) | Chinese (中文) | Chinese (傳統的) | Dari (دری ) | French (Français) |Khmer (ខ្មែរ) | Korean (한국어) |Marshallese (Kajin M̧aje) | Oromo (Afaan Oromoo) | Portuguese (Português) | Russian (русский) | Somali (Soomaali) | Spanish (Español) | Tigrinya (ትግሪኛ)| Ukrainian (Українська) | Vietnamese (Tiếng Việt)
Read frequently asked questions
Mental Health and Crisis Support:
You are not alone. There are community supports for mental health, suicide prevention, substance abuse, self harm, and more. Click here for more information.
Nurse Anne Janssen, RN
ajanssen@nsd.org
425.408.4006
Library News
MOD Pizza Give Back Day/Night Fundraiser...
...for the Library is March 11. Buy some pizza and our school library will get 25% back! Thank you for your support!
Soda Float Challenge Continues
The deadline is the Friday after Spring Break, (April 18)!
Is your 4th and 5th grader getting close to completing the challenge? Many students are in the home stretch of this year-long challenge of reading 13 or more of the chapter books on this year’s Soda Float list! For more details, see here.
March is Women’s History Month
Celebrate the contributions of women in our society with great books from our library. See here to get you started with ideas!
Arrowhead Library is open each morning at 8:35 am! Stop by and start the day with reading and exploring the library!
Check out our Library Website here!
Ginny Allemann, Teacher-Librarian
vallemann@nsd.org
PE News
Welcome to PE!
Technology Corner
Assessments
Spring is the time of year when our schools administer state required assessments. These assessments are used for state and federal accountability, to monitor student progress toward grade level standards, as well as an option for high school students to meet their Graduation Pathways requirement. The English/Language Arts (ELA) and Math Smarter Balanced Assessments are administered in grades 3 through 8 and 10, while the Washington Comprehensive Assessment of Science (WCAS) is administered in grades 5, 8, and 11.
The Spring assessment schedule can be found on the Arrowhead website. If you have any questions, please contact your child's teacher or the assessment coordinator, Amy Smith at asmith@nsd.org.
Thank you, Volunteers!
We are so grateful to PTA and this amazing community for their support!
Thank you Troy Domke for donating and fixing our flag pole hardware that was missing.
We would be lost on Class / Groups Photo Day without Rachel Blackburn, Katie Miller, and Sarah Skogsberg helping things go smoothly!
A huge thank you to Rosemary Warren who graciously hosted the Missoula Children's Theatre directors at her home the week of Missoula Children's Theater!
WE are blessed to have PTA and this community for our partners! PTA provided pizza and water for hungary Community Serve Day volunteers, hosted Kindergarten and all school playdates this summer and kicked off a great Welcome Back Event for families. They approved recent Staff and classroom funds, SEC grants for multiple field trip entry fees, Art Docent training and support for art in every classroom, OT/PT handwriting supplies, and more!
Field Trip and Classroom Volunteers
Our classes wouldn't be able to go on field trips without our numerous volunteers who chaperone students and assist school staff with small groups, projects and lead art docent lessons.
Library Volunteers
Our amazing Library volunteers keep our Library in top shape, checking books in and out, helping find that just right book, and assisting Ms. Ginny with special projects.
PTA Corner
Arrowhead Elementary Parent Teacher Associations mission is to positively impact the lives of all children and families within the Arrowhead community. We strive to support and advocate for our children by partnering with staff, families and the wider community to create a safe, inclusive and healthy learning environment allowing our students to excel personally, academically and socially.
March PTA General Meeting:
Tuesday, March 18th at 6:00pm in the Arrowhead Library. There is a lot coming up this winter and spring so don't miss out!
PTA Membership:
It's not too late to join the PTA! Please join or renew your membership. Cost is $15 per person (or $25 per family). Join HERE
Congratulations to our lucky PTA member Elizabeth Boss who won our dinner and movie gift card package! Thank you for being a PTA member!
Childcare for PTA meetings
The PTA is currently assessing if there is an interest in our community for childcare during our PTA meetings. Champions program, who run the before and after school program at Arrowhead, have graciously offered to help provide childcare for our PTA meetings to allow parents to attend. Please let us know if you are interested so we can work to set this up, execteam@ptaarrowhead.org
Save the date for STEM Night!
Tuesday, March 25th at 5:00-6:30pm in the Arrowhead Gym
Highlights: Arrowhead PTA Weekly Newsletter
Our weekly newsletter provides the latest on what’s going on through the Arrowhead PTA and helps you stay connected! Subscribe HERE
PTA Meeting minutes:
View last month's minutes from the PTA General Meeting:HERE
Password: H@wksAw3s0me20
Arrowhead Hawks SOAR by being Safe, Kind, and Responsible
At Arrowhead, we create resilient and empathetic learners who confidently navigate their world through being innovative, creative, critical thinkers.
Nondiscrimination
Northshore School District is enriched by the many experiences and perspectives each individual member brings to our District and community. Therefore, our District prohibits discrimination based on age, sex, marital status, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, race, creed, religion, color, national origin, honorably discharged veteran or military status, or the presence of any sensory, cognitive, or physical disability or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal by a person with a disability.