April showers…please bring us those May flowers! Thank you to our PTO and parents for a wonderful Sweetheart Dance. The treats were scrumptious, and the students looked amazing. Truly a special night!

We are gearing up for end of the year events and spring assessments. We are confident that our students are well prepared for these assessments. As the final stretch is upon us, please continue supporting reading at home & homework, daily routines and daily attendance…we still have units of instruction to complete to meet grade level expectations.

To help prepare your child for these tests we ask parents to assist us in the following areas:

1. Get a restful night’s sleep

2. Provide a nutritious breakfast

3. Assist in getting your child to school on time daily.

4. Complete homework nightly.

**Testing starts promptly at 9:30am…late arrivals will have to take make-ups.

May 1st-May 5th

In the spirit of National Teacher Appreciation Day, May 2nd, I extend my heartfelt ‘thank you’ to all our Cook Hill teachers and support staff for their outstanding job each and every day. Their incomparable dedication and commitment to our students and school is evident by our students’ smiling faces and efforts in the classroom. Please help me in thanking our fabulous staff!

Please let us know if you are NOT planning for your child to return to Cook Hill/ Wallingford Public Schools this fall. This is most helpful as we prepare class lists for the 2023-24 school year. You may contact Kara Piper in the main office for a withdrawal form - 203-284-5400, kpiper1@wallingfordschools.org or through ParentSquare.

Please remember when using the Kindergarten doors for physical drop off in the morning or pick up in the afternoon to park in a designated space in the front of the building or in the lot near the gym entrance. Cars parked in the front of the building are for car drop off only. For your convenience, here is CH 2022-2023 Arrival and Dismissal . Please use caution when driving in the Cook Hill School parking lot. Also, please do not park in the fire lines or between the cones that are in fire lanes. At arrival and dismissal, there are many cars and it becomes congested. Please adhere to designated parking lines. Handicapped spaces are reserved for those with State of CT/ DMV issued tags only. Finally dogs are not permitted on school property during school hours.Thank you for your patience and putting safety first.

In partnership,

Mrs. Yost

May is:

Military Appreciation Month

Asian and Pacific Islander Heritage Month

Mental Health Awareness Month

Jewish American Heritage Month

National Clean Air Month

Monday, May 1st - Friday May 5th - Teacher Appreciation Week

Monday, May 1st - Grade 1 Field Trip to Auer Farm

Monday, May 1st- 5th - STAR & iReady Assessments Administered

Tuesday, May 2nd - K-Kids Meeting in the Library 8:10 a.m.

Tuesday, May 2nd - PTO Cook Hill Meeting - 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm - Virtual

Thursday, May 4th - Star Wars Day! May the Fourth be with you!

Thursday, May 4th - Cook Hill Art Show - 5:30 -7:30 pm

Thursday, May 4th - Author Janet Lawler to visit Cook Hill - Thank you PTO!

Friday, May 5th - Cinco de Mayo!

Friday, May 5th - National Lunch/Aides Appreciation Day

Wednesday, May 10th - National School Nurse Appreciation Day

Friday, May 12th - Cougar Day - Wear your Cougar Blue or your CH spirit wear!

Friday, May 12th - Family Spring BINGO Night - 6:00-8:00pm

Sunday, May 14th - Mother's Day

Tuesday, May 16th - National Speech Pathologist Day

Wednesday, May 17th - PTO Scholastic Book Fair BOGO

Thursday, May 18th - Student 2-Hour Early Release

Friday, May 19th - PTO Scholastic Book Fair BOGO

Friday May 19th - 2nd Grade Field Trip to Beardsley Zoo

Sunday, May 21st - World Dog Day!

Monday, May 22nd - Board of Education Meeting - 6:30 - 9:00 pm

Tuesday, May 23rd - Kindergarten Orientation

Tuesday, May 23rd - Step Up Day for Grade 2

Wednesday, May 24th - Masonicare Friends Visit @ 9:30am

Wednesday, May 24th - SCOW's Holiday & Traditions Event 5:30-7:30pm...see flyer below

Friday, May 25th - Kindergarten Concert @2pm

Friday, May 26th - Red, White, and Blue Day! Show your pride for our country by wearing red, white, and blue on this day!

Friday, May 26th - Cook Hill Town Meeting @ 9:15am

Friday, May 26th - Statewide “Get Out and Play” for Children's Mental Health Day

Monday, May 29th - Memorial Day - No School

Tuesday, May 30th - Grade 2 Celebration - 2:00 - 3:30 pm

Tuesday, May 30th - PF Tour for Incoming Gr 3 Parents Open House 5:00 - 6:00 p.m.

Last day of school Thursday, June 15th

Cook Hill and Parker Farms families,

Get ready for your schools upcoming Field Day with a custom t-shirt for your student! Flyers should be sent home on Monday, but you can also print the attached flyer and send it! We apologize for the late notice, but due to the processing time, all orders need to be received by this Friday, May 5th to get them sorted and distributed in time for Field Day. Please note these are for students orders and measurements are listed for each size. Cost is $8 per shirt unless otherwise noted on larger sizes. Click here for flyer link. These are optional and we will be sending out the shirt colors for each grade, so you are welcome to wear the color to match your classmates.

Please contact Anna Patchell at thepatchell6@gmail.com with any questions.

Thank you,

Parker Farms/Cook Hill PTO

Please save the date and spread the word that Cook Hill School's Kindergarten Orientation will be held on Tuesday, May 23rd, 2023. We are located at 57 Hall Road. The orientation will begin at 9:30am and conclude by 11:00am. Upon arrival through the gym doors, parents will need to show photo identification to enter the building. Once inside please stop by the greeter desk to sign-in and receive a visitor badge. Parents and students should proceed to the gym. Once in the gym, our kindergarten teachers and staff members will escort the students back to the classrooms for a brief activity. The activity may include such readiness skills as letter/number identification, coloring, cutting activities and block play. Parents will remain in the gym for a presentation and will have the opportunity to ask questions. Parents will also be given a tour of the school. At the conclusion, students will be brought back to the gym to be reunited with their parents.

Once registrations have been sent to Cook Hill School, families will be contacted with an RSVP form to be completed.

We are excited to welcome the newest members to our Cougar Family!

Kindly,

Mrs. Yost

Hello Cook Hill Families,

It is nearing that time of year again for the Spring Plant Sale at Beaumont Farms!

This sale will begin 5/1 and end 5/31. As done since 2020, the fundraiser will take place during the month of May at Beaumont Farms. Families will go to Beaumont Farms to purchase their flowers/plants/herbs. A portion of each purchase will go towards our schools. Families just need to either bring the flyer, show it on their phone or mention the name of their school at time of checkout. Thank you in advance for supporting a local business in our community and our schools!

PF/ CH PTO

Dear WPS,

The International Celebration Committee is excited to announce the date/theme of the 2023 International Celebration as HOLIDAYS & TRADITIONS, to be held on Wednesday, May 24, 2023 from 5:30-7:30 at the Spanish Community of Wallingford (284 Washington Street)!

The International Celebration is an annual event. WPS partners with the Spanish Community of Wallingford to host a multicultural celebration every May. Students and families create beautiful displays about their heritage countries with artifacts, information, food, and activities. There are also musical performances. If you would like to see photos from last year’s event, the Record Journal wrote up a nice article. We also have Facebook and Instagram pages that you can follow and see videos and pictures from previous years!

We are looking for participants and volunteers in any of these capacities:

1. Share your culture at a provided booth (students/staff). You can choose to present information and pictures, wear traditional clothing, provide a sample of traditional food, or show a map, cultural artifacts/objects. If you or any of your students are interested, please see this Participant Letter. (The EL/BIL staff at your school are aware of the event and could be a good resource.)

2. Spread the word about the event to your students. Feel free to share the Participant Letter and the Event Flier with students and families who are interested. You can direct any specific inquiries to Sara Fallahi (sfallahi@wallingfordschools.org) or Christine Olt (colt@wallingfordschools.org).

3. Help on the night of the event (staff). In the past, this event has been very large-scale. We could use an extra set of hands to help either with set-up, clean-up, or work as a point person in an assigned area of the event. Please reach out to sfallahi@wallingfordschools.org or colt@wallingfordschools.org if interested!

4. Attend the event even if you do not want to participate. Last year we had nearly 800 visitors pass through our event! It was the most successful International Celebration yet. The students and families LOVE seeing you out & about in the community, and this is a great way to get to know the Spanish Community of Wallingford!

We appreciate ANY and ALL of the support you can offer to help us make the event this year - the 7th year! - the best yet!

Sincerely,

The International Celebration Committee

School Hours: 9:05 AM - 3:30 PM

(Parent drop off 8:50am-9:05am)

Delayed Openings

2 hour: 11:05-3:30

No AM Preschool class

Early Dismissals

2 hour: 9:05-1:30

2 hour and 45 minute: 9:05-12:45

No PM Preschool class