Cornerstone Connection

Thanks to everyone who attended CSA Open House this week. We had a great turnout. I hope everyone got the information they needed to support their kiddo and help finish this grading period strong. Speaking of the grading period, there are only two more weeks until it ends. Please check Skyward and Canvas with your child to make sure they're set up for success.

This week's staff shout-out is a teacher who has really found her niche over the past couple years. When she came to CSA, she was actually a 6th grade Language Arts teacher, but it did not take long to find out where her real passion and curiosity lies. This teacher is inquisitive, hardworking, student-focused, and quirky (which is a valued trait at Cornerstone). She just keeps getting better every year, and we're so happy to have her here. Thank you to one of our 7th grade science teachers and NJHS sponsor, Mrs. Beans! You make CSA a better place to be!

It's time to sign up again. CESITS sign-up for Session 2 happens on Wednesday, September 27. Sign-up forms will go home next week. Don't forget to sign them!

• 2nd session course catalog
• Parent CESITS volunteer sign-up

Do you want to know when your child has a missing assignment in a class? How about when his/her grade falls below an 80? You can set notifications in Skyward to let you know when these things happen. In fact, you get to set the criteria for being notified. Use the picture below to set your notifications up today.

Check out these reminders and upcoming events from Ms. Johnson:

8th Grade Guthrie Center Visits are next week! CSA 8th graders will visit Guthrie on Wednesday from 10:30 to 2:00. Students will have a very early lunch before the trip and might want to bring a snack for the afternoon.

Parent U- Overcoming Anxiety- Please see the flyer attached below. Heather Lambert will be presenting to families on overcoming anxiety, which is an issue for so many teenagers.

Guthrie Center Community Open House- The Guthrie Center will be hosting their annual Community Open House on Tuesday October 3 from 5:00 to 7:00 pm. This is a great opportunity for students and families that are considering Guthrie Center courses for the 2024-25 school year. This is a come-and-go event, and students will be able to visit the Guthrie Center programs in which they are interested and be able to meet teachers and see the high level work students are producing.

SBISD College Night- All high school students and families are encouraged to attend SBISD’s College Night at Northbrook High School on Thursday, October 5 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm. If you have older children, don't miss this opportunity to meet college reps from around the country.

8th Grade Parent Series- 8th grade families are encouraged to attend our sessions on October 11 (Four Year Planning) and October 19 (Advanced Academics in High School).

Destination Success CTE and Career Fair- Mark your calendars for Destination Success on October 14 from 10:00 to 1:00 at Northbrook High School. For more information, check out the website- https://www.springbranchisd.com/success

Parents, if you get a chance this weekend, please ask to see your child's school ID. If the ID is fully in tact with a lanyard and no stickers over the student's face...pat your child on the back. He/she is doing a great job. However,...

• If there is a sticker over the picture, please remove it.
• If it looks like the ID has been purposely bent or cut...IDs don't crease themselves...please send $5 for a new ID and lanyard on Monday.
• If your child yanks it off his/her neck before handing it to you, please discourage that way of removing the ID.
• If there is no ID to see when you ask, please send $5 on Monday for a new ID and lanyard.

Thank you!

If your child is in NJHS or Student Council, here are the upcoming meeting dates for October.

NJHS

• October 16th
• October 30th

Student Council is doing things a little different and splitting our groups up based on grade level first semester and then they will be switched around 2nd semester to make the meetings more useful!

• October 2nd (6th grade only)
• October 23rd (7th and 8th grade only)

If you have not already ordered your child's CSA Yearbook...it's a great time to do that. Please see the information in the picture below, or the flyer is attached at the bottom of this form in clickable PDF that takes you straight to the website.

As you know, one of our 6th grade moms, Danielle Monroe, hosted a Zoom earlier this week to help CSA parents learn more about Canvas. She was able to record important info from that session and create a video for anyone who was unable to attend. Here's the LINK.

Additionally, our technology support specialist, Ms. Allen, is available to parents as well as students and staff. She has created a brief survey to assess the tech needs of parents. Please take a couple minutes to complete this SURVEY.

It's almost time for student-led conferences! These conferences are a Cornerstone expectation, and they're only a few weeks away.

If you're new to CSA, these conferences are just what the name says -- conferences led by your student. Students will present teacher observation, self-reflections, current MAP data, and their first report card. Teachers are on stand-by for questions, but this should be about the student taking responsibility for his/her learning and presenting it to parents.

This year, student-led conferences are all in-person. We are holding conferences on our first early dismissal day, Wednesday, October 11 in the gym.

We will offer two sessions, and you choose the one that works best for your family's schedule.

• Option 1: 1:00 to 2:00 (right after dismissal)
• Option 2: 3:45 to 6:00