Cougar Corner
August 20, 2021
Message from Dr. Goyette
Dear Cottonwood Families,
I hope you and your family enjoyed a relaxing summer doing the fun things we dream about all school year - taking time to slow down, enjoy our families, and enjoy the great Alaskan outdoors. We were so excited to have children back in the building this week and are eagerly awaiting the first day of preschool and kindergarten.
There have been a few staffing changes over the summer and I am excited about our new hires. Please join me in welcoming the following staff members:
- Mrs. Holly Kennedy – Federal Programs Preschool
- Mrs. Tonya Hannah – Administrative Records Specialist
- Mrs. Sabrina Shelton – Special Education Records Specialist
We currently have the following open positions posted on the MSBSD website. If you are interested, I encourage you to apply. It is always great to hire from our Cottonwood Community. Be sure to check internal and external postings to view all available positions for the school.
- Full Time Evening Custodian – Interviews On-going
- .875 Preschool Instructional Assistant – Closes Monday, August 23
- .25 Tutor Advisors – Closes 8/25 (Please apply for all positions if you are interested)
Kindergarten parents, please join us for Cheers and Tears in the library on Wednesday, August 25 at 9:20am. This event is hosted by the PTO and we will be sharing Tips for a Successful Kindergarten Year.
On behalf of the entire staff, we welcome you to the new school year!
Sincerely,
Monica Goyette
Upcoming Events
8/18 to 8/23 - Kindergarten Roll-In
8/25 - First Day of Kindergarten
8/25 - Tears & Cheers - 9:20 AM - Library
8/25 - Color Days begin (see below)
8/30 - Flag Football starts at 4pm
9/6 - Labor Day - No School
9/7 - PTO Meeting - 4 PM - Library
9/11 - Color Craze Fun Run- 1 PM
9/17 - Picture Day
9/29 - District Cross Country Meet - Palmer High School
Cross Country Running
Please CLICK HERE to pay the participation fee in SchoolPay.
Flag Football
4th and 5th Grade Boys and Girls – We are starting a Flag Football Team sponsored by Coach Adam Clark. Practices start on Monday, August 30 and will run on Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 4pm to 5pm. Cross Country students are welcome to join. Coach Bleicher and Clark will be doing fun activities together on Wednesdays. Activity permission slips will be available on Monday, August 23. The fee to participate is $30. There is no physical required to participate.
SchoolPay payment link coming soon...
Birthday Celebrations
Students are welcome to bring in non-perishable items to share if they would like on birthdays. Please do not send in food items. We will not be able to distribute them. Thank you for your understanding.
COVID Case Updates
In the event of a positive case at school, any potential close contacts will receive a ‘Possible Exposure Notice’ from the school. Students will be allowed to stay at school. Parents will be asked to closely monitor symptoms for 14 days. Positive cases will need to follow Public Health timelines for quarantine.
Positive cases will be reported in the S’more. We will not do a mass notification on the day of a positive case except for students directly impacted. As of today, we have had two cases associated with Cottonwood Creek. Neither individual had been in the building so there were no Potential Exposure Notifications made.
We were so proud to be open every day last year with the exception of the District-Wide Shut Down. Please help us stay open every day this year by monitoring your child and keeping them home when symptomatic.
Click the button below for more info.
School Dismissal Manager
Hello Parents!
An email with important instructions was sent to you from School Dismissal Manager on Thursday (8/19). Please use the login and password to verify that the your child's
default transportation setting is correct. Please contact the office at 864-2100 if you need assistance or did not receive the e-mail. Once the default setting is set, please create exceptions to change where your child should go at dismissal time.
**Free apps are also available for Android and iPhone users. SDM's apps are located on the schooldismissalmanager.com website, not in the App Stores. Important: Returning parents must uninstall last year's app before installing the new app.
Android – Go to the Install tab from the dropdown menu within your SDM account or open a Chrome browser window, go to www.schooldismissalmanager.com, tap Add to Home Screen, and follow the onscreen instructions to install the app.
iPhone – Go to the Install tab from the dropdown menu within your SDM account or open a Safari browser window, go to www.schooldismissalmanager.com, then tap the Share button, scroll down, and tap Add to Home Screen. Enter the name SDM and select Add to install the app.
Through the on-line dismissal management system, you can:
- Schedule after-school activities such as scouting, enrichment classes, sports...., and
- Make transportation changes as late as 3:15 PM the effective date of the change.
Thank you for your cooperation in this matter!
SchoolPay
SchoolPay is integrated with ParentVUE. Here’s how it works:
- Login to your ParentVUE account and select "Fee" on the left side menu.
- Click on the "Pay Fees" button at the top of the page.
- You will be redirected to the SchoolPay website where you can select your items and pay fees electronically with a credit/debit card or electronic check.
Note:
- The first time you select "Pay Fees" from the "Fees" menu in ParentVUE, you will be required to do a one-time authentication.
- Fees will be added at the start of school and throughout the year.
- You are not required to store payment information to make payment, but it does make it convenient if you will be making multiple payments throughout the year.
- SchoolPay is PCI-DSS certified (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards).
New Parent Support Number: 1-833-731-2600
From the PTO...
PTO stands for Parent - Teacher Organization. We are an organization consisting of parents and teachers working together to support and enrich our students and school. The objective is to provide our school with funds, programs, resources and services that will help maximize the education of every child.
PTO Activities and Fundraisers:
- Fall Auction
- Selfies with Santa
- Family Science Night
- Teacher Appreciation
- Popcorn Fridays
- Halloween Carnival
- Field Day
Lunch Times
K - 12:10
1 - 12:15
2 - 11:35
3 - 12:35
4 - 12:30
5 - 11:45
COLOR CRAZE IS BACK!
Get ready for the event of the year! COLOR CRAZE is BACK! Saturday, September 11 at 1 PM - there will be even MORE color and exciting action! Cost is only $10 per person. If your work or business would be willing to be a sponsor for this year (or next) tax deductible donations are greatly appreciated! Teen or parent volunteers are also needed to work stations.
Contact Mrs. Ethridge - jennifer.ethridge@matsuk12.us - (907) 864-2123