Hello to our Cascade Ridge Students, Parents and Staff and WELCOME BACK TO SCHOOL! I hope you all had an enjoyable summer break and are ready for what is sure to be another great year at Cascade Ridge. A big welcome goes out also to all our new students including our kindergarteners and Science and Technology program kids who are transferring to Cascade Ridge this year.

This special edition of the Coyote Howler includes most of the information you’ll need to make your way through the first few chaotic weeks of school. It is the PTSA’s hope that we can ease you into the transition of school schedules, paperwork, and activities, and that you can use this Howler to answer many initial questions. Note that as in recent years, in our continued efforts to minimize paper use and waste, this is the only issue of the Howler that we will print during the year; future issues will be available for viewing, download, and printing from our website at cascaderidgeptsa.org . We hope that you will rely each month on the Howler and every day on our website to bring you important information and keep you current with our activities throughout the year.

Speaking of our website, our new Webmaster, Rajeev Goel has been revamping our website to make some useful and exciting modifications. He has developed and is working on many exciting changes that will continue to push our PTSA forward and to increase our effectiveness of communicating within our community! You will continue to receive more information on this and we encourage you to mark this website as a “favorite” and visit it often to stay informed and current about the PTSA organization and the many programs and events we are planning throughout the year.

In addition, another exciting change this year is related to our beloved “First Day Packet” process. The Communications and Membership crew have worked hard to move many of the forms and information online, including membership, yearbook orders, Coyote Wear, and much more. We need everyone to please visit the website at cascaderidgeptsa.org and make sure your information is current and accurate.

Of course, we are extremely excited to welcome our new principal, Natalie Fowler! I hope everyone will take the opportunity on Thursday, September 2nd to stop in right after student drop-off at 8:30 to grab some coffee and treats and meet and greet Natalie. This will be an informal gathering to welcome everyone back and I know Natalie will be glad to have this chance to connect with our great parents.

This year, as in the last, we, as a PTSA continue to focus on supporting the core educational needs of our students, while encouraging community involvement and solidarity. Thus, we have diligently worked to develop a budget that focuses on central requirements of the school based on feedback from our staff and parents. We plan to do this primarily through direct project-specific and grade-level funding and grants as well as programs and community events that meet those needs.

It will be a busy and fun year with some old favorites as well as new program opportunities. Our plans for this year include:

• Continuing and expanding support of our amazing staff through funding and grants for Art and Science Enrichment, Staff Grants, and much needed Reading Support,
• Working with our state and council units to continue to be engaged in student needs at the state level and to support successful legislative focus and prioritization, as well as our Issaquah Schools Foundation,
• Resuming and expanding many programs that our community has grown to love and expect, such as Reflections, Destination Imagination, Fine Arts and Dinner Night, Eager Reader, the Book Fair, Science Fair, and more,
• Bringing the community together through fun events and fun activities just for the purpose of building friendships and our sense of community. We are bring back some old favorites like Winterfest, continuing traditions like Family Bingo Night and Dad’s Day, and our Festival of Cultures Night that continue to be popular events for families.
• Adding some new programs such as a Spelling Bee, and researching new possibilities such as Foreign Language and expanding the Math Olympiad.

Of course, these great programs and events are only made possible through your participation in our fundraising efforts. Over recent years, we have received community feedback relating to the support of fewer fundraisers that provide 100% of donations to the school, as opposed to production-driven fundraisers where the PTSA receives just a percentage of the funds. Last year, the PTSA continued with our new plan to kick-off the year with a new Walkathon format that (1) brought the community together early in the school year with a fun and back-to-school atmosphere and (2) encouraged giving in a single main fundraiser that would collect enough money at the beginning of the year to support the entire year’s budget. Thanks to an amazing Walkathon Committee and the overwhelming participation of our parents, staff, and students (AND despite the onslaught of rain throughout the event); our PTSA was very successful in exceeding our program and financial goals. In our survey, we continued to receive positive feedback for the format and results of the event. With active involvement from everyone in the community, we plan to build on that tradition this year to have another successful Walkathon and Fall Festival in October.

Without a doubt, Cascade Ridge has excelled in parent, teacher, and student involvement, and our success in providing quality educational and social experiences to our school is tied directly to continued enthusiastic participation from all of you. There are many ways to be a part of this shared endeavor, and I encourage you to support our students and school through active involvement:

• Come to our General Membership Meetings to gain visibility to our budget and to understand where our PTSA funds are expected to meet our Mission and make a big difference in our children’s educational and social experiences. Our first meeting will be on September 14th, immediately following Curriculum Night activities,
• Proactively seek information regarding our PTSA through the various forms of communication we provide—particularly our newly improved website, the monthly Howler Newsletter, and the weekly communications,
• Get to know our PTSA Board members and express your desires, priorities, and interests related to PTSA activities,
• Participate on committees in areas that excite you. When you see “call-outs” for help, please find out more and get actively involved by volunteering at an event. Be sure to check our volunteer activities and needs listed in the Volunteer Form that is included in your First Day Packet.

I look forward to my second year in this role and to an exciting year for our school. As always, please feel free to contact me with any comments, concerns, questions, or feedback.

Here’s to a great year!

Tina Yerges,
PTSA President
tinayerges@msn.com