Welcome to Kindergarten: August 2026

Dear Clyde Hill Kindergarten Families,

Welcome to your child(ren)'s kindergarten school year!  With the beginning of kindergarten just a few weeks away, I wanted to send a short letter to our kindergarten families that highlights what will be happening to welcome and support you at the start of the 2026-27 school year.  For some families, Clyde Hill is a familiar place either from older siblings who attend Clyde Hill or having attended preschool at Clyde Hill.  We also know that for many families, we are a new school.  We look forward to meeting you and welcoming you into the community! 

We have several events planned over the first several weeks to help you gain familiarity with Clyde Hill and build connections with other families.  I think the easiest way to share what will be happening is to share events in chronological order!

• Wednesday, August 26^th 9:00 – 11:45 AM - Kindergarten Camp  Students enrolled in kindergarten at Clyde Hill can select to attend one of three sessions, 9:00 - 9:45, 10:00 – 10:45 or 11:00-11:45 where they will have an opportunity to meet and engage in a classroom activity while parents/guardians meet with school administration to learn about the first days of kindergarten.  This includes information about breakfast, snack, and lunch; recess; bus-loading; end of day pick-up, a typical day's schedule, and more!  After students and their adult(s) are reconnected, students will have an opportunity to ride a school bus around the block (this is a great photo opportunity!).  You can sign up for your preferred time using the following SignUp Genius link.  Please sign up for only one time. 
  • Families 26-27: Kindergarten Camp 26-27

 

• Thursday, August 27th:  4:30 – 5:30 PM  Staff will be leading families new to Clyde Hill Elementary on a tour of the school.  Tours typically last about 20 minutes.  Tours will start near the main entrance. While these tours are intended for families with students in grades 1^st – 5^th, we recognize that students in these grades may have siblings in kindergarten.  Additionally, we know that some students need multiple experiences in a school to begin feeling comfortable. 

 

• Friday, August 28th:  Class Placement Email    Kindergarten class placements will be emailed to families.  As part of your email, your teacher will send you a link to sign up for a beginning of the year family meeting.  As part of our state's kindergarten program, each kindergarten teacher meets with each student’s family prior to the start of the year to begin building the incredibly important home-school partnership.  These family meetings will occur on September 2^nd, 3^rd, and 4^th.
  • Because each kindergarten student and family will be spending time with their teacher during the family interviews, the Kindergarten teachers will not be participating in the Family Meet and Greet on Monday, August 31^st which you will read about in other school communications. 

 

• Tuesday, September 8^th:  First Day of School for Kindergarten!  Our school day is from 9:00 AM until 3:30 PM.  School doors open for breakfast at 8:40 AM and 8:50 AM for all other students.  Families are welcome to walk with their student(s) to kindergarten on the first day of school, and our Clyde Hill PTA will be waiting to welcome you with coffee and tissues outside the main office after you have said goodbye to your child(ren). 

 

Lastly, if your child has medication for a life-threatening health condition such as an inhaler or epi-pen, this medicine and the paperwork that accompanies it need to be completed and turned in prior to your child starting school.  These health conditions were indicated on your enrollment forms for kindergarten.  The main office of Clyde Hill will be open each day beginning August 17^th from 8 AM – 3 PM, and our office manager, Holly Westerberg, can be reached via phone during these hours at 425-456-5000 or via email at westerbergh@bsd405.org.

We know that the days leading up to the beginning of kindergarten are filled with excitement along with a bit of nerves.  Know that the team of educators at Clyde Hill Elementary are here to support your family on this journey!   

Sincerely,

Amy MacDonald

Principal, Clyde Hill Elementary School 

 

 

 

Bellevue School District does not discriminate in any programs or activities on the basis of sex, race, ethnicity, creed, religion, color, national origin, age, honorably discharged veteran or military status, sexual orientation, gender expression, gender identity, homelessness, immigration or citizenship status, the presence of any sensory, mental, or physical disability, neurodivergence, or the use of a trained dog guide or service animal and provides equal access to the Boy Scouts of America and other designated youth groups. The following employees have been designated to handle questions and complaints of alleged discrimination:

Civil Rights, Racial Discrimination, and Gender Expression or Identity Discrimination: Civil Rights/Nondiscrimination Compliance Coordinator Nancy Pham, (425) 456-4040 or phamn@bsd405.org.

Sex-based Discrimination, including Sexual Harassment: Title IX Coordinator: Nancy Pham, (425) 456-4040 or phamn@bsd405.org.

Disability Discrimination: Kerince Bowen, (425) 456-4168 or bowenk@bsd405.org.

Mailing address for all three: 12111 NE 1st Street, Bellevue, WA 98005. Members of the public with disabilities who have specific concerns about the effectiveness of the District’s communications to them should contact Janine Thorn, Chief Communications and Engagement Officer, at 425-456-4000 or thornj@bsd405.org.