Greetings! It is difficult to believe that the holidays have arrived and the end of the first semester is just two weeks away! The students and staff have worked very hard to make this a successful first half of the 2022-2023 school year. We will begin second semester focused on strong instruction to prepare our third, fourth, and fifth grade students for those important statewide assessments that will arrive later in the spring. I am confident that the second half of the year will be as successful as the first one has been!

As the New Year arrives, please take a few moments with your student to set some goals for the second half of the school year. What are some things that the students would like to accomplish or improve on by the end of the school year? Create a SMART (specific, measurable, attainable, relevant, timely) goal with your student and then monitor progress throughout the semester. Some examples of goals could be to participate and engage more frequently, set up a routine to manage schoolwork, or to ask for help more often. Work together to develop a goal and then plan a celebration once it is attained! The students will greatly benefit from this collaboration and it will have a direct impact on their overall success in school.

I wish everyone a safe and happy holiday season! Enjoy Winter Break!

Mr. Buckler

I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving break! The next few weeks are going to fly by! We have started our winter NWEA testing and should be finished by December 12th. You will receive a copy of the family report after the testing window closes for the district. I will have those for you the week we return from winter break.

In the months of October and November, we have been focusing on the character trait respect. At the end of the unit, each teacher nominated a "Knight in Shining ARMOR" for their classroom- a student who has been an outstanding example of showing respect. Way to go! Thank you for making our school a better place!

Enjoy the upcoming holidays!

Mrs. Rollings

Hello!

Thanksgiving came and went before I even got the chance to tell you all how thankful I am for this CGES family. Your generosity in all things; whether it be donations, sponsoring a child, volunteering, or continuous support of what we do here has not gone unnoticed. This is truly a special place to be, and I am honored to be a part of it.

A quick reminder as we approach Christmas break, it is easy to assume that everyone is looking forward to some time away, but please also remember that many kids do really well with some structure. It is important to keep in mind that while they are at school, nearly every minute of their day is planned for them, and it is no surprise to hear how busy they are. While it may be true that most kids are resilient and can “go with the flow”, the research shows that providing structure such as consistent bedtime routines, “jobs” or chores to help around the house, and time for them to have some downtime can have an amazing impact on your time together. Some suggestions include having them write or read the grocery list while you shop, have them read a book to a younger sibling, their pet, or a favorite stuffed animal, cut out snowflakes to decorate your front door, or break out a favorite board game. Whatever you (or they) choose, let yourself truly enjoy it. It’s easy to forget that sometimes our kids just want US…it doesn’t matter what we do with them; they just want our attention. Take time to make memories, laugh, and celebrate. I promise that it will be worth it.

Happy Holidays!

Mrs. Taylor

Our CGES 4th & 5th grade Choir is performing at the High School in the auditorium through the Hall of Excellence (Door 9) on Tuesday, December 13th at 7 p.m. The concert is free to attend for families and friends! Hope that you can join us for this event! The students have been working hard for many weeks in preparation!

Friday, December 16th the PTO will be providing a hot chocolate to all students. Please let your child's teacher know if your child needs a dairy free option or if you would prefer your child not participate.

Congratulations to our Spell Bowl team for their performance on November 14th at Walnut Grove! Our team of fourth and fifth graders, led by Mrs. Petersen and Mrs. Lasiter, did a terrific job representing CGES. Special Congratulations to Surabhi Vishwanatha with a perfect score, and near perfect spellers Rishon Khisty, Varun Prabahar, and Devanshu Dholaria. Awesome job to the whole team!

Outstanding job to our students and families for this year's Kids' Heart Challenge! Our final total was $13,829.74! The top student was Finely Wehr who will be PE teacher for a day and to Mrs. Kennedy's Room 31 for being the top class. They will receive a popsicle party and extra recess! Thanks to everyone for their contributions and for the fantastic participate of our students as well as Mr. Briles for his hard work and effort with this event!

CGES will be collecting non-perishable food items for the Good Cheer Fund. The Good Cheer Fund provides meals to Johnson County residents during the Christmas season. The Food Drive concludes the morning of Wednesday, December 14th. If you would prefer to send a monetary donation, please send cash or checks made payable to the Good Cheer Fund. Monetary donations will count as 2 items per dollar toward classroom totals. The classroom with the most items collected will receive a pizza party.

Thank you in advance for your support of such a great cause!

Mrs. Watters and CGES Student Council

The fifth graders were challenged to create a design for the 22-23 yearbook cover. We have almost forty entries. After narrowing down to ten, the fifth grade then voted and the design team of Anna Bell and Clara Hutton were selected for the cover! The designs of Emily Moore & Ella Keeton, Sophia Fugett, Elizabeth Tin & Payton Sanders, and Kierston Mason & Ashlyn Faust will be featured on the back cover. Congratulations to all students who participated! We have many talented artists!

Mark your calendars for the events that will be taking place in December!

November 28 - December 15 - Good Cheer Canned Food Drive

December 7 - Early Release

December 7 - Dine to Donate at Domino's, Early Release

December 13 - Choir Performance

December 12 - Winter Blast Week Begins

December 14 - Early Release

December 16 - End of 2nd Nine Weeks & First Semester

December 18 - January 2 - Winter Break - No School

January 3 - School Resumes for 2nd Semester