Cottonwood Creek Cougar Chronicle
October 1, 2018
From the Desk of Mrs. Johnson
- Making recommendations to the principal concerning priorities for spending school funds
- Making recommendations concerning the preparation of the school’s Performance, Improvement, Priority Improvement, or Turnaround plan
- Providing input and recommendations to District Accountability Committees and district administration concerning principal development plans and principal evaluations
- Meeting to discuss implementation of the school’s plan and other progress pertinent to the school’s accreditation contract with the local school board.
According to the Education Accountability Act of 2009, our SAC must consist of the following members:
- The principal of the school or the principal's designee
- At least one teacher who provides instruction at the school
- At least three parents or legal guardians of students enrolled in the school
- At least one adult member of an organization of parents, teachers, and students recognized by the school
- At least one person from the community
If you are interested in being a member of the COT SAC, please complete this google form.
https://goo.gl/forms/0vO0zi1hjYGGAhit1 no later than Monday, October 7th.
Our first COT SAC meeting is scheduled for Thursday, October 25th from 6:00-7:00 PM, and is open to everyone. At this initial meeting, we will review the purpose of SAC and I will also provide information regarding our school goals for the 2018-19 school year. It is my hope that you will utilize this opportunity to learn more about the Cottonwood Experience.
Sincerely,
Katie Johnson
Principal
Cottonwood Creek Elementary School
Playground after School
The PE Post-It
Happy October Cottonwood!
Students have been enjoying team games and fitness stations. We have related our fitness stations back to different sports and activities they may enjoy outside of school. Fitness Testing will be coming up for grades 3-5 and each grade level will participate in our gymnastics unit after our second Specials rotations. Key skills practiced: team building, time management, and leadership roles
New Event: Health and Wellness Career Month! October 26, November 2, November 8, and November 16! A SignUpGenius will be sent out through email inviting any parent to come in to present/speak about their wellness career on the above Friday of each week! Are you a doctor, nurse, personal trainer, or dentist? The list goes on! The students in the PE classroom would love to hear about your career and passion for wellness. Email and sign up coming soon!
Get Fit! Have fun!
Ms. Jehn
The ART Room
From the Library
Hi Cottonwood Families,
The library has been a busy place this year! All of our books are back on the shelves, and students are using our new space to check in/out books, create videos in our green screen room, and work on projects in our new maker space. I love seeing the learning, creating and innovating taking place here.
Thank you to those of you who have volunteered already this year. We couldn’t do this without you. If you would like to be on our volunteer list, please contact me at shammershaimb@cherrycreekschools.org.
Gratefully,
Sarah Hammershaimb
STEM News
From the Music Room
Students have been stretching their imaginative and creative abilities this month in the music room. Kindergarteners have been practicing their steady beat and singing skills with several songs and games. “Frog in the Meadow,” has been quite the favorite as students pretend to catch frogs by scaring them out of the grassy meadow with a growing number of frog catching sticks. First and Second grades have really honed their listening skills as we classified all the classroom instruments and explored questions like, “How quiet can an instrument get?” and “Knowing what we know about sound and vibrations, how can we change the sound of that instrument from long to short?” Second grade has taken this one step further and developed sound charts that utilize abstract, student created symbols that represent the sounds of these instruments, inspired by the book, “Niko Draws a Feeling.” Third, Fourth, and Fifth grades have been a blur of activity as they worked in cooperative learning groups to create word chains and body percussion ostinati. This has proven to be quite the challenge as groups were assigned at random. But given the proper “Rules and Tools,” students were able to power though the inherent social-emotional difficulties that arise when working in groups. I have been wowed by their effort both musically and interpersonally.
Choir has begun and is in full swing with regular after-school rehearsals. Emphasis on proper tone production, vowel shape, and diction and set this Fourth and Fifth grade group on a path of beautiful music making. Work has started on literature selected for our concert which includes several fun rounds and a few choral pieces that represent a variety of styles and cultures. We’re looking forward to showing off all our hard work during our December concert.
Mr. Pedregon
October Cafe News
From the Clinic
As part of CCSD’s Safe Routes to School grant, we encourage you to consider the many benefits of safe, active transportation to and from school for you, your children and our community!
Students who walk, bike or roll to school
- Exhibit increased concentration on academics after getting physical activity
- Help reduce traffic congestion, pollution and stress during school drop off and pick up times
- Are more likely to get the recommended 60 minutes of daily moderate to vigorous physical activity
- Develop a better sense of direction and connection to their community
- Gain confidence and independence when old enough to travel alone or with friends
- Spend quality time with a parent or caregiver when accompanied by an adult
What can you do to support safe, active transportation to and from school?
- Teach children rules of the road, use crosswalks and practice safety at all times
- Always wear a helmet when biking, riding a scooter or skateboarding
- Organize a walking school bus (http://www.walkingschoolbus.org) where a group of students meet and walk together with adult supervision
- If you live far away, park a distance from school and walk the rest of the way
- Walk, bike or roll to school at least one day a week with your child or encourage them to go with friends
- Learn more by checking out the links below
For research summaries and more information visit
http://activelivingresearch.org/SRTSreview
http://www.pedbikeinfo.org/community/index.cfm
Important Upcoming Events
- Wednesday, October 3: District Accountability Committee (DAC) /Partnerships for Academically Successful Students (P.A.S.S.) 6:00PM at Overland High School
- Friday, October 5 Cottonwood Creek School Carnival, 3:00-6:00 PM
- Monday, October 8: Board of Education (BOE) Meeting 7:00 PM at Infinity Middle School
- Wednesday, October 10: Walk/Bike/Run to School Day
- Wednesday, October 10: 6th Annual Cardobard Challenge 4:30-7:00 PM at Smoky Hill High School
- Monday, October 15-Friday, October 19: Fall Break, School Closed for Staff and Students
- Thursday, October 25: School Accountability Committee (SAC) 6:00-7:00 PM at Cottonwood Creek Library
- Friday, November 2: Report Cards Come Home
- Monday, November 5-Friday, November 9: Conference Week
- Wednesday, November 7: Veterans Day Assembly (more information to come)
- Friday, November 9: Non-Contact Day, No School for Students
COTTONWOOD PTO WEBSITE
Remember you can also find a full list of upcoming events and other helpful information on our Cottonwood PTO Webiste www.cottonwoodcreekpto.com.