NES Families,

Looking forward to a wonderful week ahead with Spring Break on the horizon. We hope to see our 4th and 5th grade families at the music performance on Thursday at 2:00pm. Please read below for a change to our dismissal routine.

If your child turned in a talent show application, auditions are Tuesday after school. Best of luck to all! We can't wait to see their gifts and talents and confidence. And all students are welcome to add to the Wall of Talent!! Details below.

Sincerely,

Katie Brown, Principal

At the end of the grade 4 & 5 music performance Thursday, students will return to their classrooms for the remainder of the day. They will not be dismissed to the gym or foyer to meet families, and families will need to leave the building after the concert and connect with students after. Students will follow their usual end-of-day routine.

Safety is our top priority. After concerts, the gym and foyer become very crowded, making it difficult for students to find their families safely. We've seen children in tears, trying to locate parents, and parents waiting in long lines to fill out pink notes or ask us to call down to classrooms. By the time we account for all students, it’s dismissal time. In some classrooms, only a few students are left behind, and we are concerned about how they feel when their parents couldn’t attend. Additionally, calling down siblings disrupts learning in classrooms across the school.

Thank you for your understanding and cooperation as we do our best to care for children while keeping routines calm and safe for all. 

Sincerely,

Katie Brown, Principal

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For the past two years, we have had a full-time early learning program called Transitional Kindergarten (TK). TK is a legislatively established and authorized program for children who are at least 4 years old by August 31 and have been identified through a screening process to need additional preparation to be successful kindergarten students in the following school year.

Currently, we have not received official notification from the Washington Office of Superintendent of Public Instruction around what TK will look like next year, however, as a district we would like to continue to plan for early learning opportunities for the upcoming year.

If you have a child who is scheduled to enter kindergarten in the fall of 2026, (child with a birthdate between September 1, 2020 and August 31, 2021) we are accepting applications for the 25-26 school year for our potential TK programs.

While we are accepting applications, until we know more about what TK can look like for the 25-26 school year, we will not be able to register or formally offer spots in our TK program until later this year. We understand this can be challenging for families to wait so we encourage you to apply and plan for other opportunities if possible.

FAQ

Q: When will we know if our child got a spot?

A: Not before May

Q: Is my child age eligible for TK?

A: students who have birthdays between September 1, 2020, and August 31, 2021. If your child is kindergarten eligible and you have questions about program placement, please contact the district office to discuss options.