FAQ

See our school schedule here.

Our dynamic Cougar Club provides loving care and enriching opportunities outside of regular school hours. The fee is a separate tuition, based on the number of hours for which the student is enrolled each week. There is also the opportunity to utilize the program on a drop-in, as needed basis. Parents may enroll their students in the program by filling out the application and contracting for the days required.

Yes, we offer Variable Tuition. Once a student is accepted and enrolled, the family may apply for Variable Tuition.

We do not offer transportation through our school district. Most children come to school in carpools arranged by their parents. To help facilitate this process, the school office is able to direct parents to other CCS families who live in the same vicinity.

Students begin computer classes in first grade, focusing first on computer literacy—learning the parts of the computer and the language of technology. By sixth grade, students will have had opportunities to apply Microsoft Word, Excel, and PowerPoint in classroom projects.

Students in our schools do not wear uniforms. The complete dress code is stated in Section E of the District Parent/Student Handbook. In general, students are expected to be well-groomed in clean, properly fitting clothing appropriate for school activities and suitable for a Christian school environment.

All elementary students experience the following specialist classes as part of their regular curriculum: Physical Education, General Music, and Library. First through sixth graders have computer class. All sixth grade students experience instrumental music through our Elementary Band program.

We conduct MAP (Measure of Academic Progress) testing at set times during the year, and teachers review results to maximize student learning.

All K-12 teachers at CCS are Washington State–certified and teaching in their field of expertise. In addition to state certification, our teachers are further trained as Christian school–certified.

In most cases, an elementary school classroom would be 20-25 students to 1 teacher. On occasion, classrooms might be larger, in which case a classroom assistant would usually be assigned to aid the teacher. Kindergarten classes have part-time or full-time assistants, depending on the enrollment in the classroom.

Our entrance testing and interview process help our administrators determine whether we are able to serve and support the individual needs of students. We are open to enrolling any student with any additional support needs as long as we feel we are properly equipped to serve them well.

Our educational philosophy is to strive to meet the individual academic needs of each student. Classroom teachers strive to differentiate their instruction according to student needs. The Accelerated Reader Program encourages continued growth in children's reading skills and advances their individual success level. Our Elementary Enrichments provide many other enriching opportunities for children before school and after school.

No, kindergarten students do not take naps. On occasion, the teacher might provide a brief quiet time for the students as needed.

No, we do not accept state assistance to pay for tuition. (For more information on financing, see Variable Tuition.)

Our behavior and discipline expectations and processes can be found in Section E of our District Parent/Student Handbook.

CCS offers a variety of athletic opportunities for elementary-age students through our Recreation Department.

Cascade Christian Schools is an independent, interdenominational Christian school system. Faculty, staff members, and CCS families worship at a variety of Christian churches in our area. All CCS staff and faculty must be born-again Christians and actively participate in a local church.

Our Parents for Cascade (PfC) group meets once a month for event planning and fellowship time. Call the office for the next meeting date. All parents are welcome! We also invite dads to participate in WATCH D.O.G.S. (Dads of Great Students).

Our CCS director of safety & security works to establish programs, procedures, and training to increase the safety of all CCS campuses. Emergency preparedness is a key way that we keep children safe on campus. We routinely rehearse procedures that our staff would use in the event of an emergency incident. We regularly conduct drills for fires, lockdowns, shelter-in-place scenarios, evacuations to a mutual aid site, lahars, and earthquakes.

Other safety procedures on campus include the following:

• All staff members wear staff identification badges.
• All visitors are instructed to check in and out at the school office and to wear an identification badge while on campus.
• All outside doors remain locked throughout the day, and main doors are monitored.
• Safe routes for traveling around campus are taught to students and reinforced routinely.
• Playground times are supervised by a team of trained playground supervisors.
• Dismissal procedures are monitored carefully.
• Playground areas and routes to playground areas are off limits to vehicles during school hours.
• Students are always supervised and are not allowed to walk around campus alone.

You may contact your child’s teacher through our communication platform, SchoolStatus Connect. This platform will allow you to communicate with your child’s teacher through our messaging system or email, depending on your communication preferences. You may also contact your child’s teacher by emailing through the faculty directory on our website. Or you may call the school office, where office personnel will either connect you to the teacher if the teacher is available or give the teacher a message to return your call. Your child’s teacher will attempt to reach you within 24 hours.

Parents are asked to let the office know before 9:00 a.m. by phone or email if their child will be absent that day. If you know ahead of time that your child will be absent, let your child’s teacher and the office know. Prearranged absences for vacations must be approved by the principal. You may also notify us via the Absent/Tardy Notification on SchoolStatus Connect.

Cougar Family Groups meet once a month during our weekly scheduled time slot for chapel. These are small groups of students who meet for the purpose of connecting with each other and with God through the study of His Word. All elementary students are divided into one of these small groups on their campus. Cougar Family Groups also provide awesome leadership development opportunities for sixth grade students, who are prepped ahead of time to lead these groups, under their teacher’s supervision. Students can expect fun, engaging, and immersive lessons from Scripture, along with sharing and a time of prayer.

Thank you for your interest in CCS Puyallup Elementary. To set up a personal tour, follow this link. We also have an annual Open House, where you can learn more, meet staff, and see a few classrooms. To learn more about Open House, click here.

If you would like to make an inquiry or schedule a tour, see our Admissions page. To see our tuition rates, click here. And if you’d like to ask more specific questions, contact Puyallup Elementary’s campus enrollment manager.