Cottonwood Eagle Eye
December 2022
Seasons Greetings from Cottonwood!
We hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving and that you were able to enjoy good food, and good company. As we move into the holiday season, we hope you know how much we love and admire your students. We are privileged to work with your students. They are gift to each of us!
Family Folk Dance Night
A big shout out to Ms. Warren for organizing a family folk dance night. Students performed for families and then taught all in attendance how to square dance. What a fun few evenings!
Deck the Halls
Cottonwood is feeling quite festive. Looking forward to a wonderful holiday season.
Smiling Eagles
We had our first quarter Eagle Awards Ceremony. Congratulations to all our students who won awards for growth, being kind, believing they can, or giving it their all.
Well done!
Capturing Kids’ Hearts Survey Results
Here are the results of our Capturing Kids’ Hearts’ survey so far. There is still time to participate. Please see the link below!
Our School Goals and Priorities
We want to make all of our families aware of our big goals as a school this year. These are linked to our strategic plan as a district. We’d love your help in making these goals a priority for our students.
1. Increase student writing at every grade level by adopting a school-wide writing rubric
2. Increase positive culture at Cottonwood by utilizing Kickboard software to track how often we are recognizing students positively at our school.
3. Increase communication with our community via various communication efforts and evening events at the school.
Capturing Kids' Hearts Survey
We are working towards being a National Showcase School through Capturing Kids' Hearts which prioritizes positive school culture and building character in our school. But we need your help! Please take a minute to fill out the survey below to give us feedback on what we are doing well and where we need to grow as a school. Thank you in advance!
Important Links:
- We will be hosting a holiday movie night on Dec. 9th from 6:00-8:00 PM. Parents can drop students off with staff member to watch a movie and enjoy some popcorn while parents get some shopping done. $10 per student or $25 for three or more. Please sign up here.
Cottonwood Happenings
Here are some upcoming events we want families to be aware of:
- December 5th - PAC Meeting 7:00 PM
- December 6th - Chili’s Give Back Night
- December 8th - K-1st Folk Dance Night 5:30-6:30 PM
- December 9th - Cottonwood Movie Night 6:00-8:00 PM
- December 19th - January 3rd - No School
Quick Reminders to Families
- We are having lots of conflict around Pokémon cards at school. Although we love Pokémon as a school, please leave cards at home to avoid any problems here at school.
- As the weather is getting colder, please make sure students are coming to school with coats and appropriate footwear. Whenever possible, we are sending students outside for recess.
- Please note we will be having our holiday parties on the afternoon of December 16th. Please be allergy aware and if you are bringing food for our classrooms (first off thank you) please buy store bought goods. Thank you!
Monthly Capturing Kids' Hearts' Character Trait: Responsibility
What is Responsibility?
Responsibility is the willingness and ability to take ownership of our thoughts, words, and actions. We have a responsibility to our school, family, and community to be accountable for our choices and how they impact ourselves and others.
Why focus on Responsibility?
- Responsibility teaches resilience. It is not possible to persevere and achieve our dreams without taking personal responsibility seriously.
- Responsibility empowers us to own our actions. There is great power in being able to make conscious, calculated choices to reach goals and manage those things in our control.
- Responsibility teaches us to manage our time and resources. Responsibly organizing and prioritizing needs is an executive function of the brain that improves with practice.
Responsibility in Action:
- Give students roles and responsibilities. When students have a leadership role in class, they are accountable for contributing positively to the classroom culture.
- Empower students with self-management tools. Provide students with tools to help manage stress and impulsivity while motivating them to meet goals.
- Clearly communicate consequences. Empower students to make choices and experience the consequences of their actions, both positive and negative.
Quote of the Month:
“The price of greatness is responsibility.” - Winston Churchill