Dear Chautauqua Parents and Families,    

Fall brings many opportunities to connect, celebrate, and strengthen our school community. We look forward to spending time with you at the Harvest Festival, Día de los Muertos celebration, and upcoming Veterans Day assembly—and especially at family conferences. Conferences give us time to learn from you, celebrate your child’s progress, and work together to support their continued growth.

Belonging grows through our everyday connections—greeting one another, listening, and making room for each family’s experiences and traditions. We want every child and family to feel that they are valued and have a place in our school community.

Lots of important information in this update - please read and take note:0)

Important Dates and Information 

• Thursday, October 15th 6:30-8:30 PM Harvest Festival! 

  • Please sign up for a volunteer slot. to help make our Harvest Festival a success.

  • Purchase tickets and meals in advance

• Friday, October 16th PD Day - No School for Students

• Tuesday and Thursday,  October 20th and 22nd  7:30am - 10am - Vaccination Clinic @  McMurray

• Friday, October 23rd @ last recess - Popcorn Day!

• Tuesday, October 27th - Picture Retake Day

• Tuesday, October 27th - Offrendas set up 

• Wednesday-Friday, October 28-30 Parent/Teacher Conferences

  • Sign up information will come in a separate communication

• Wednesday, October 28 - Early Release at 11:50 AM and Costume Day 

  • No lunch served

  • See below for costume expectations

• Thursday-Friday October 29-30 No school for students

• Monday, November 2nd 6:00-8:00 PM Cena de Dia de Los Muertos

  • See details below

• Friday, November 6th - 1:15 PM Veteran’s Day Assembly

District Vaccine Clinics

• High school students ages 12+: October 20, 7:30–10:00 AM, VHS gym. Register by noon October 19.
• Middle and elementary students ages 5+: October 22, 7:30–10:00 AM, McMurray gym. Register by noon October 21.

PTO Events

Vashon PTO is holding a bake sale on Saturday, October 10, at Thriftway. Stop by to say hello and pick up a treat! If you enjoy baking and would like to donate baked goods, please sign up here.

The Harvest Festival is Thursday, October 15, from 6:30–8:30 p.m. Be sure to purchase tickets and meals in advance, as only a very limited number of meals will be available for purchase at the festival. Volunteers make this event possible—please consider signing up for a volunteer slot.

Keep an eye out for spirit wear sale information, coming soon!

Costume Guidelines for October Events

Schools are responsible for ensuring that student attire, jewelry, make up and personal items do not interfere with the health or safety of any student and does not contribute to a hostile or intimidating environment for any student. 

Masks and inflatable costumes are a safety hazard and not allowed at school. Please save them for the evening :0)

Students must wear:

• Top (shirt, blouse, sweater, sweatshirt, tank, etc.);

• Bottom (pants, shorts, skirt, dress, etc.); and

• Footwear. Footwear must be appropriate for recess and PE activities .

Students may NOT wear clothing, jewelry, make-up and/or personal items that:

• Promote illegal or violent conduct such as the unlawful use of weapons (not even make believe ones), drugs, alcohol, tobacco, or drug paraphernalia

• Demonstrate hate group association/affiliation and/or use hate speech targeting groups based on race, ethnicity, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, religious affiliation, or other protected groups;

Please see our Family/Student Handbook posted on our website for complete dress information.  

Parent/Teacher/Student Conferences

Conference days are non-student days for students in PreK through grade 5. As a school community, we greatly value scheduling time for parents and families to meet with teachers regarding individual student progress at school, both successes and areas for growth.  

Expectations for conferences:

• Teachers will provide enough conference opportunities during this week for all of their families. Conferences will be available this week only. We set aside this time specifically for families, and this is the time that ALL teachers and specialists are available.  

• Conferences will be on the hour or half-hour, and be scheduled for 20 minutes.  

• On Thursday, 10/29, teachers will provide evening conference availability for working parents.  The last conference will be scheduled at 7:00 PM.  

• Teachers may offer later hours on Wednesday

• Families may ask for a virtual conference.

  • Individual teachers will let families know the specifics of their virtual conference availability and access.

Conferences will be scheduled again in Skyward Qmlativ, available on Wednesday, October 21.  Look for a message from Caleb Johns, our registrar, to schedule your student’s conference. 

Día de los Muertos / Day of the Dead

¡Hola, amigos! We warmly invite our community to honor and remember loved ones during our annual Día de los Muertos celebration. Ofrendas (altars) will be set up on Tuesday, October 27, at all three schools.

Then please join us for a community potluck dinner on Monday, November 2, from 6–8 p.m. at McMurray. Our students and moms have been practicing dance performances to share! We look forward to gathering with families, students, and staff to celebrate culture, community, and the traditions that make our community special.

How to participate:

• Teachers are welcome to make flowers or other decorations with students for their school’s ofrenda.

• Families may contribute photocopies of photos, paper flowers, drawings, small nonperishable offerings, or written remembrances.

• Please label items with your student’s name and teacher. No candles, open flames, or food that can spoil.

• Items can be picked up after the dinner event.

¡Muchas gracias por su participación! Thank you for helping us create a meaningful, inclusive celebration of memory, love, and community.

Veterans Day Assembly Slideshow

Our Veterans Day Assembly gives us the opportunity to honor the veterans in our community, both in our past and our present.  If  your family includes a veteran or a close connection to a veteran, please invite them!  

We’d also like to include them in a slideshow at the assembly.   To be included, kindly email Ms. Gill (agill@vashosnd.org ) with:

• a photo of the veteran

• the name of the veteran

• their dates of service

• their branch

• their connection to a CES student/staff member

Here is last years slide show. Please check the slideshow for your veteran and be sure the information is correct.  A reminder that:

*All photos must be devoid of weapons.

Ms. Gill will accept photos until Monday, 11/2. We will not be able to include

photos submitted after that time.

Spring State Assessment Dates for Grades 3–5: May 3–14, 2027

We are sharing our spring assessment dates now to help families plan ahead. Students in grades 3–5 will take the Smarter Balanced Assessments (SBA) in English language arts and math. Fifth graders will also take the state science assessment. These assessments help us understand students’ progress and how well our instructional programs support their learning.

Our assessment window is May 3–14, 2027. Students in grades 3, 4, and 5 will test on the same days for their shared assessments. During this two-week window, we will adjust our daily schedule to provide a calm, focused, and well-supported testing environment.

Please avoid scheduling appointments, vacations, or other planned absences during this window whenever possible. Attending on scheduled testing days allows students to participate alongside their classmates and reduces the need for make-up sessions. As testing approaches, we will share more details. Thank you for planning ahead and helping your child arrive well-rested, on time, and ready to do their best!

We look forward to connecting with you in the coming weeks at the Harvest Festival, Día de los Muertos celebration, and Veterans Day assembly—and especially during family conferences.

Best,

Julie Kangas,

Principal