STAR
GAZER
GAZETTE
Monthly Newsletter
May 2017
Star Lake Elementary
Federal Way Public Schools
UPCOMING EVENTS
Monday, May 29
NO SCHOOL
Memorial Day
Tuesday, May 30
REGULAR SCHOOL DAY
Thursday & Friday, June 1 & 2
EAGLE MART OPENS AT 1:35
Saturday, June 3
CHAMPIONSHIP TRACK MEET
QUALIFIERS ONLY!
2:00 PM FW Memorial Stadium
Wednesday, June 7
EARLY DISMISSAL at 1:05 PM
Thursday & Friday, June 15 & 16
EAGLE MART OPENS AT 1:35
Friday, June 16
SPIRIT DAY—Hawaiian Day
PTA will be giving every student a
Free ice cream/popsicle at lunch recess
LOOKING AHEAD
Tuesday, June 20
KINDERGARTEN GRADUATION
8:30 AM, Gym
Tuesday, June 20
5TH GRADE GRADUATION
1:30-2:15 PM, Gym
Wednesday, June 21
FIELD DAY
Wednesday, June 7th
EARLY RELEASE
Students at Star Lake will be dismissed at 1:05 pm. Breakfast
and lunch will be served as usual.
Students who ride the bus will have regular bus service transportation at 1:05.
Parents who usually pick up students may pick up at 1:05. Contact
our Star Lake Office if there is a hardship.
Thursday, June 22
AWARDS ASSEMBLY
8:30 AM, Gym
Thursday, June 22
LAST DAY OF SCHOOL
Dismissal time TBD
Dear Star Lake Families,
As I am writing this message, the calendar shows
twenty-seven school days remaining! Wow, we are
moving fast now! Although I am most certainly not a runner
(and I envy those who are), the analogy that I always use at
this time of year is “running through the tape.” This is a
phrase that runners use to remind themselves to keep up
their intensity all the way through the end of the race.
During our May and June early release days, our staff will be
digging into IRLA, attendance, and discipline data. We will be
looking at our student growth, how we are progressing toward
meeting our School Improvement Plan goals and creating action plans that both help us intentionally finish the end of
this year instructionally strong and to guide the revision of
our goals for next year. The structure we use to look at the
data is called a “4 lens protocol” and it gives us information
about student growth over time, consistency between classrooms and grade levels, equity between different groups of
students and our progress toward meeting standards. Great
work has been going on here at Star Lake and I am excited to
celebrate our growth!
I had the great honor to see staff and students honored at
our School Board Recognition night on May 10th. Staff members recommended students and other staff for growth or
contributions related to our two strategic plan goals. Goal 2:
Whole Child and Goal 4: Content Area Competency. Please see
the article in this newsletter highlighting those we recognized.
In addition to all the fun end of year events that are right
around the bend (field day, kindergarten and 5 th grade graduations, field trips, and our last day assembly) we still have a
great deal of learning and growing to do in
these last five weeks of school!
Best Regards,
Kris Rennie, Principal
CONGRATS TO THE STUDENTS AND STAFF
RECOGNIZED BY THE SCHOOL BOARD:
Goal 2: Whole Child
Students for attendance and social/emotional growth: Angel R, Selena R, Grant H, Javion N.
Staff for PBIS : Katherine Hinkle and Dr. Natasha Scott.
Goal 4: Content Area Mastery
Students for accelerated IRLA growth: LaQuisha S, Angel A, Jenelle
G, Gabby M, George L, Aaliyah S, Tiffany K, Erik B,
Devin T, K'Lumaya B.
Staff for PLC leadership: Monica Humphrey, Lisa Mata, Emily Whitling, Amy Nelson, Erin Bartlett, Cherie Blair, Penny Peterson.
UNIFORM REMINDER:
We are noticing many girls wearing LEGGINGS
alone. This IS NOT approved uniform attire. Girls
may wear leggings under a
uniform skirt or jumper,
but may NOT be worn
alone. Leggings must also
be a solid color.
Uniform bottoms must be blue or khaki pants,
shorts, jumpers or skirts. JEANS may only be worn
on Fridays.
Students may wear any color SOLID polo shirt everyday. Also remember to wear appropriate shoes
for recess and PE… not flip-flops or sandals.
Eagle Academy:
Hello Star Lake families!
Eagle Academy is excited to announce that
summer camp forms are now available (in the case
with all the papers by the fish tank). We are partnering
with NOAA and the Environmental Education Center to
offer a curriculum called Salmon Heroes. In addition we
will be taking several field trips this summer. In addition to that we'll be doing lots of fun camp type stuff
like tie dye and outdoor games. I hope you can join us.
As you may have heard this is Eagle Academy's last year
at Star Lake, we have concluded our 5 year grant cycle.
Our last after school day will be June 16th. So please
swing by and say goodbye to our amazing group leaders.
Miss Amy
THANKS FOR YOUR DONATIONS!!
A Huge Thank You to all of the generous families
and the following businesses who shared food at our
recent amazing multicultural night!
Please let them know how much we appreciate
their support the next time you stop in!
Circo Circo México
25440 Pacific Hwy S
Viva México
26015 Pacific Highway South
Apple Teriyaki
27400 Pacific Hwy S #B
Emerald Thai II
27227 Pacific Hwy S
Positive Behavior Intervention System
(PBIS)
Star Lake scholars continue to do an excellent job focusing
on being SAFE, KIND AND PRODUCTIVE during our state
testing window and it shows. Congratulations to our 3rd, 4th
and 5th grade scholars who will have completed their testing
by the end of this week! Classes are being awarded Eagle
Wings for following our PBIS guidelines in Music, PE, Lunch
room, Hallway and keeping their classrooms clean. Winning
classrooms are announced on Fridays. So far over 160 Eagle
Wings have been presented to classrooms. Eagle Mart has
collected data for the past two sessions and we have collected over 4160 tickets at Eagle Mart. Ms. Van De Riet’s class
has redeemed over 535 tickets followed by Mrs. Hall’s class
with 420 tickets. Keep saving up for the Individual Pizza Party in June! Congratulations Star Lake Eagles! Keep up the
great work!!
The following students redeemed over 20 tickets this last
session:
Crystel, Asani, Rachel and Edgar in Dyer
Andres, Xsiyana, and Jasmyn in Pizarro
Jacob, Isaia, Pedro, Rylee and Sofia in Stroud
Kaiden and Jakob in Friedman
Dominique, Meghan, Mustaf, Henok, Odysus, Mark D. in
Blair
Amoriah, Percy, Brayan and Jacksen in Whitling
Dante in Withrow
Alex, Destiny, Richelle, Yahaira, Caylee, Evan, Kamilah, Kevin,
Jordan, and Daniel in Hall
Isaac , Tatum (2X), Rebecca, Bailey, Oeric, Natalia, Samanta,
Amore, Dylan, Diana, Grant, Maryam, and Eleanor in Van De
Riet
Noah in Dine
Hayden in Daud
Johannah in Nelson
Beginning in September, school will start at 8:35 am and
dismiss at 3:05 pm every day. Please begin planning your
schedules accordingly. If you have questions about this
new schedule, please go to the district’s website at: http://
bit.ly/2qptOZQ
The best part of this time change is that our students who
ride the bus will not be on the same bus with the older
Totem students. We will also have more availability of
buses for field trips, and it will help buses stay more on
Change in Afterschool Programs
for 2017-2018
The Puget Sound ESD Grant from Washington State ends
this school year. It was a 5-year grant. That grant funded
our Eagle Academy Program so there WILL NOT be Eagle
Academy at Star Lake in 2017-2018. Star Lake is working
with the Kent Parks & Recreation Department to have a
program here 1 day per week, however, there is currently
no funding for an afterschool activity bus.
Stay tuned next fall for other occasional afterschool learning opportunities, but there will
be no long-term daily afterschool program at
Star Lake in 2017-2018. Please make afterschool care plans accordingly.
Symphony in Bartlett
Reanne and Carson in Caldara
NEW SCHOOL TIMES FOR
2017-2018
*HEALTH ROOM NEWS*
IMMUNIZATIONS NEEDED BEFORE
MIDDLE SCHOOL
5th Grade Parents, you should have received
a letter from the health room regarding your
5th graders needed immunizations. Please
make sure your student is current on ALL
immunizations. If your student is 11 years of
age, it is time for their Dtap/Td vaccine,
which the State of Washington requires your student to
have before entering Middle School. Students are also
required to have their 2nd Varicella vaccine.
Please bring proof of immunizations to the Star Lake office if immunized before the last day of 5th grade OR to
your student’s middle school if immunized during the
summer.
You should have received a letter from the health room
regarding your 5th graders needed immunizations.
WAY TO GO!
LOST AND FOUND
Please remind your student to check our Lost and Found bins. We will be donating all left-behind items to
the clothing bank after the last day of school. We would hate for your student to go without a jacket or
sweater all summer long.
PTA NEWS:
Mileage Club
THANK YOU SO MUCH, everyone, for making our Yankee Candle Fundraiser such a
tremendous success! Together, we raised $3,593.40 for our school! The online store
will remain open until July 31st to purchase dad, grad, teacher and summer gifts.
We have over 100 2nd and 3rd graders participating in our mileage club this year.
The following students have completed
32 laps or more. Congratulations to:
Because of the amazing results of our spring fundraiser, Star Lake PTA is pleased to
announce we are able to host an end of the year celebration for our students! On
Friday, June 16, Star Lake PTA will host its greatest Hawaiian Spirit Day EVER, and
instead of selling popcorn, we will be bringing in an ICE CREAM TRUCK and giving
away 1 FREE ice cream or popsicle to every student in attendance during lunch recess!
Thank you so much to those of you who voiced your concern for keeping our Spring
Fling tradition. We would love to try and host a grander event next year if everything can begin coming together this fall. Until then, we are very excited to be able
to offer this celebration for our students!
SLPTA is also hosting a FLASH SPIRIT WEAR SALE to get rid of our current inventory
and prepare to manage our Spirit Wear items ONLINE next year. For a limited time
only, ALL polos and sweatshirts will be on sale for $5 EACH on a first come, first
serve basis. Order forms are available in the main office.
Lastly, SLPTA is excited to welcome newly elected Secretary Melissa Maldonado to
next year's Executive Board. Shelby Beeler was also re-elected as Treasurer. Vacancies are still in the positions of President and Vice President. Please contact current
President Karin Schuyleman if you are interested in running for either of these positions at: [email protected] .
Sincerely,
Star Lake PTA Executive Board
2016-2017
REGISTER FOR KINDERGARTEN
Delana C.
Eden C.
Maryangel H.
Michael B.
Nathalia N.
O’iana T.
Rylee C.
Suzanne N.
Tiffany K.
Victoria S.
Martin A.
Ryan N.
Mileage Club Lap Leaders: Brianna C.
with 91 laps & Victoria S. with 86 laps.
Keep up the great work Mileage Club
Members!
Join us 2nd lunch every Friday where you
can walk, jog, or run your way to a
healthy lifestyle, and earn some neat prizes too! Please contact Patrick Mullins if
you have any questions: [email protected] or 253-945-4008.
KINDER CAMP
Kindergarten Registration for 2017-2018 is now available. If you have a
child who will be turning 5 by August 31, 2017, they are eligible to enroll in
Kindergarten. A registration packet is available in the main office or you
can register online. To enroll online, visit: www.fwps.org/kiosk, and click on
the “Student Registration” link to start the process (make sure to select the
2017-18 school year). The following documents need to accompany the
completed registration packet:
We have a fun camp
for our incoming kindergartners
on August 22-25, 8:30-11:30 AM.
If you are interested, please contact the office so that we can get
your child signed up. Kindergartners must be registered for
Star Lake to attend!

Proof You Live In Our School’s Service Area

Copy of Birth Certificate

Immunization Record
This is a great opportunity to
meet the Kindergarten teachers
and begin learning the expectations for Kindergarten. We want
our incoming students to be
ready and excited for their first
official day of school.
Please pass this information along!
SAFETY PATROL NEWS:
Congratulations to our Star Safety Patroller Alexandria A. At a recent Safety Patrol Meeting, she received a Certificate of Achievement from AAA in recognition of her efforts to protect the lives of her
classmates and serve her school as a member of our Safety Patrol. Way to go Alex! We appreciate all
your hard work!!
Kindergarten & 5th
Grade Graduation
Our graduation day is Tuesday, June
20th. All students are required to remain in
uniform for graduation ceremonies. Parents, if
you are bringing balloons to celebrate, you will
need to sit in the back of the gym so that other’s view is not blocked. Doors for Kindergarten Graduation will open at 8:15 with the ceremony at 8:30am. 5th Grade Graduation doors
will open at 1:15pm. Ceremony is 1:30-2:15.
Please remember that graduation is NOT the
last day of school. This is a ceremony only and
students will still be expected to attend school
through Thursday, June 22nd.
Library News:
The Star Lake Library received 33 new Library
books from the City of Federal Way’s Diversity
Commission. Mayor Jim Ferrell visited Star Lake
Library on May 10th and read two of the new
books to three of our classes. The new library
books are about a wide variety of cultures.
Reminder: All library books are due by Friday,
June 9th! Please look through your
house for any books that belong to
Star Lake Library and get them
turned in.
TRACK
The Championship Track Meet for
students who have qualified is
scheduled for June 3rd at 2:00 PM.
Reminders: It is always cold and windy at
Memorial Stadium so please dress accordingly. The kids cannot wear their coats onto
the field.
Parents are required to stay at the meet. If
you do not stay, your child will not be able to
participate. Parents must check in their
child with their coach.
Any questions? Please contact Mrs. Nelson
at [email protected] and 253-945-4035 OR
Ms. Dine at [email protected] and 253-9454027.
5th Grade Celebrations:
On June 20th, 5th Graders will need parent support for serving our
special lunch. If you can help serve lunch from 11:20-12:30,
please contact Mrs. Blair (253) 945-4037 or [email protected].
Soda and water donations would also be appreciated.
On the morning of the 20th, 5th Graders will be
able to participate in a duct tape fashion show.
Students may work at home to create a fashion
piece out of duct tape. This could be clothing,
hats, shoes and even accessories. Students will
bring their design the morning of the 20th in a
bag and then wear it over their uniform in the
fashion show. If you have any questions, please contact your
child’s teacher. This is an optional activity, but all students will get
to enjoy the show!
Attendance Matters!
Every Day Counts!
At Federal Way Public Schools, we encourage our scholars to finish the year strong by attending school every day.
When student-scholars aren’t at school, they may miss out on important learning to help them be successful at school. Lesson
plans are built upon foundational knowledge from previous exercises, and missing one day can impact a scholar’s ability to
grasp future lessons. It can be difficult to realize how much learning a student has missed until the end of the school year.
A student who misses 10 days or more during a school year is 20
percent less likely to graduate from high school and 25 percent
less likely to ever enroll in college.
Enroll For Preschool!
There are two kinds of preschools available through
the Federal Way School District:
Free Preschool for Income Eligible Families
(Head Start & ECEAP):
For an application, email [email protected] or call 253-9452379. Paper copies will be available at Truman Head Start Center—31457 28th Ave S and the district office—33330 8th Ave S, or
they can be downloaded from the website. Classrooms are currently located at: Brigadoon, Decatur HS, Norman Center, Sherwood Forest, Star Lake, Thomas Jefferson HS, Truman Center,
Wildwood & Woodmont. http://www.fwps.org/Page/338
Tuition Preschool:
Current cost is $1900 for the school year, 9 payments of approximately $210. Enroll at the school site. Current locations are: Brigadoon, Camelot, Enterprise, Lake Grove, Meredith Hill, Rainier
View, Sherwood Forest, Twin Lakes & Wildwood.
http://www.fwps.org/Page/337