Welcome Back Letter from Principal Zillig

Hello Timber Wolves!

It is exciting to start gearing up for staff, students, and families to join us in our Cedar Park community.  I hope you have all had a fun, relaxing, and rejuvenating summer.  I wanted to take a moment to introduce myself to new Cedar Park members, give some reminders about the school, and share some important news.

For those of you who have not met me yet, I am the proud Principal of Cedar Park, Andrew Zillig.  I have been an educator with Seattle Public Schools for the past 14 years and have worked in a leadership role for many years in a variety of capacities in the district.  I am a father of 4, ranging from one in college all the way down to my youngest entering 3rd grade this school year.  My family enjoys spending our time together hiking, camping, watching movies, playing board or card games, and building LEGO.  Actually, most of my family has grown out of the LEGO phase except for me and my 3rd grader.

This is an exciting time for students, families, and educators who are anxious to get into our school building and engage in learning and friendship and Cedar Park is the place to do it!   I will, as I did last year, continue to use this platform to send out a weekly communication, the Friday Howl, to let you know about the amazing community of learners at Cedar Park, what students are doing in the classroom, the amazing instructional practices of our staff, and important news to share about our community.  Ms. Kelley, in our office, will also occasionally send out timely notes to inform you of upcoming events, due dates, and other important information from our office.  Check out the “Notes from Ms. Kelley” at the bottom of this email.

I want to share some important news with you about the start of our school year.

• There is still a shortage of bus drivers that will impact student bussing.  It is highly likely that Cedar Park families will not have access to school buses at the beginning of the school year.  The district is working to recruit, hire, and train drivers as fast as they can.  More information will be coming from the district soon so please be on the lookout for more information and make contingency plans for transporting your students to and from school.
• KidsCo. is back at Cedar Park for after care.  Unfortunately, the program is already full.  They are working to expand the program as soon as they are able to find more staffing. If you know of anyone interested in joining their team or if you are interested in after care yourself, visit their website. You can register your students so they can be put on the waitlist.  Our hope is that a growing waitlist will demonstrate the need to prioritize expanding our site.
• Each student will be checked out a device again this year.  This year iPads and laptops will stay at school and not travel back and forth between home and school, unless otherwise directed by a classroom teacher for a special project.
• Our enrollment numbers still dictate the need for a split classroom.  I am meeting with staff to discuss where this split will give us the best possible outcomes for students.  We will email student class assignments to families on Wednesday, August 31.

I look forward to the start of the new school year.  We Timber Wolves take pride in how we learn and grow together.  We are going to have an outstanding school year and I hope to see you in the halls soon.  Go Timber Wolves!

Principal Zillig

Notes from Ms. Kelley

First week packets

In the first few days of school, your student will bring home an envelope with various forms and information. It is important to return the required forms as soon as possible. Send them to school with your student and their teacher will make sure they reach the office.

School Supplies

To ensure that each student has exactly what they need on the first day of school, Cedar Park purchases all school supplies before the start of the year. To help us offset the cost, we ask for a voluntary fee of $45.00. This fee includes all school supplies that students will need for the entire year as well as a license to Raz-Kids Plus, an online literacy program that students will use during independent work time.

You can pay the school supply fee online or by bringing cash or a check to the school office (we cannot accept credit card payments at the school). All students will receive all supplies regardless of ability to pay the fee. If you would like to make a donation to provide a scholarship for supplies, you can do so online, or at the school office.

Donate online

School Lunch

Due to the expiration of a federal nutrition program, school lunch will not be free for everyone this year. Prices and menus are not yet posted, but you can set up a student account online.

Applications for the Free & Reduced Lunch Program will come home in the First Week Packet. We encourage everyone to apply, even if you don’t think you will qualify or never intend to use it. Approval for the program not only increases family access to other benefits, it increases the amount of federal dollars Cedar Park receives that pays directly for our Tutoring program.

Not Attending

If your plans have changed and your student will not be attending Cedar Park this year, please contact me at kshofmann@seattleschools.org. It is important that we have an accurate picture of enrollment for class placement and planning purposes.