Cooks Chronicle
September 2019
Principal's Chat
Nurse Notes
A healthy school environment requires the cooperation and effort of us all working together.
During this time of year we tend to see a higher incidence of strep throat, respiratory and gastrointestinal illnesses. I would like to remind you all that you can help protect yourselves and your families from many of these airborne illnesses. Try to follow these guidelines and make them a part of your every day routine.
Habits for Good Health
- Cover your nose and mouth with a tissue when you cough or sneeze-throw the tissue away after you use it and wash your hands! If you do not have a tissue, cover your mouth and nose with the inside of your elbow.
- Wash your hands often with soap and water especially after you cough or sneeze. If you are not near water, use an alcohol based hand sanitizer.
- Stay away as much as you can from people who are sick.
- If you or your child gets the flu, stay home from work and school. Do not go near other people so that you don't make them sick too.
- Try not to touch your eyes, nose or mouth. Germs often spread this way.
- Dress for the weather. Come to school dressed for the weather. Wear layers, mittens, gloves and hats. Remember, the air that is trapped inside your clothing, warmed by your body heat, is the best protection from the cold.
Let's make this a healthy year!!
Chris Wendahl BSN RN
Textbook Rental
As a reminder, textbook rental is due. You are able to make payments online through your Skyward account, or by sending payment with your child in an envelope labeled "tuition" and with your child's name. Payments can be made with cash or check made payable to Cooks Corners Elementary
Volunteer and Visitor Process
There are two parts to our process for allowing visitors and volunteers access to the building. In order to be able to come and have lunch with their child, chaperone a field trip, volunteer in the classroom, cafeteria or playground, or to attend and/or volunteer at any school event during normal school hours, a "green" limited criminal background form must be current and on file with the school.
Once the form is turned into the school, a limited criminal background check is run through the Indiana State Police and results are provided to the school within 5-7 days. In the past, these background forms expired after (1) year. There has been a district-wide policy change and those are now good for (2) years from the date results are received. If you are unsure whether you have a current limited criminal background form on file or you aren't sure when it will expire, please call the school office to inquire.
A second part to our approval process for visitors and volunteers to gain access to the building involves a program called SafeVisitor. With this process, all visitors and/or volunteers must present their photo ID when coming in to the school. At that time, your photo ID will be scanned, which allows SafeVisitor to check the sex offender registry. Results are immediately available on the screen. Upon approval, you will then be provided with a SafeVisitor label to wear at all times when you are in the building.
Both of these steps must be completed to visit or volunteer in the school.
If you receive emails from SafeVisitor regarding your account expiring soon, please disregard. We are working to resolve this issue. There is nothing you need to do.
Birthday Book Club
Celebrate your child's birthday at school by adding a book to our Library!
For a donation of $12 (PTO funds subsidize books costing more), your child may choose a new book from our Birthday Book Club Shelf. Or, if you prefer, you may purchase a new hard cover book of your choice and donate it to be designated as your child’s birthday book, no paperbacks, please.
After a book is chosen, a special book plate with your child's name, birthday, and the year the book was donated will be placed in that book. He/She will be the first to check out the book. The book then becomes a part of our library collection and will be a lasting reminder of your child's special day and will be enjoyed by other students for years to come.
See the attached form for more details.
Forms are also available in the Office and in the Media Center.
Happy Birthday
When it is your child's birthday, be sure and ask them what they got to do in the office that morning because it was their birthday.
Upcoming Birthdays
9/3 Eugene Zhang
9/4 Benjamin LaGard, Sloane Mumaw
9/5 Reid Cataldo, Alexander Huerta Reyes, Dominic O’Keefe
9/7 Lillian Jobbe
9/8 Trevor Chaddock
9/9 Luke Hansen
9/10 Christopher Moutaw, Manuella Ndongte Seigning, Margarte Pikula & Mrs. Esola
9/11 Dashaya Cain, Emma Mulcahy
9/12 Travis Coffman, Addison Esola
9/13 Amber Bradley
9/14 Alaina Wood
9/15 Emily Frey
9/17 Kiley Buckmaster
9/20 Jason Burdett
9/21 Colin Rehlander
9/22 Evan Courtney, Drew Howlett
9/23 Azrael Power
9/24 Alice Burlingham
9/25 Madison Dorgan
9/26 Owen Cheuk
9/28 Madeleine Hicks
9/30 Brandon Amaya & Mrs. Vincent
10/2 Kobe Brown, Henry Elder, Molly Lawson, Quinn O’Connor
10/4 Gavin Cibulskis, Kyler Music
10/5 Sarah Beato, Ellie Mulcahy, Mateo Paredes
10/7 Kaci Krause, Shelby Ruggaber
10/9 Nicholas Parker & Mrs. Keith
10/10 Kayla Garcia-Ortiz, Ellie Wood
10/11 Nicolas Anguiano, Holden Ripley, Amiah Villanueva, Bailey Webb
10/12 Tanner Jones, Ella Morris, Maddox Nelson
10/14 Nathan Lashenik & Mrs. Winters
10/15 Trinity Clemans
10/15 Ian Johnson, Ava Mount, Davee Polisson, Jude Tipton
10/16 Isabelle Depew, Rydan Marcotte
10/17 Mia Trapp & Mrs. McGinley
10/18 Caroline Norris
10/20 Cameron Boozer
10/21 Marin Anderson, Grace Frazier, Daniela Villaba
10/23 Griffin Ehler
10/24 Easton Worsham
10/26 Aubree Moore
10/29 Eason Krischke
10/30 Salvador Luna
Riding Bicyles to School
Does your 4th or 5th grade student know that they are allowed to ride their bike to school with your permission? We have a bike rack at Cooks located by the main entrance to the school.
There is a permission slip that must be completed and turned into the office giving parental permission. If a permission slip is on file in the office and your child will be riding his bike home from school, please notify the school by sending a handwritten note to your child's teacher, or by emailing your child's teacher and Mrs. Plemons in the office. This allows us to know how students are going home in case there is ever an instance of safety concern where parents of bike riders must be notified. A permission slip is attached.
Student Opportunity Flyers
As a reminder, a district-wide change in policy is in place regarding flyers that are received at the school offering students opportunities outside of school-related clubs, teams, etc. Instead of these flyers being sent home with students, 100 copies of each flyer will be made available in the school office.
As flyers are received, an announcement will be made during our morning announcements. Any student interested in taking a specific flyer home should come to the office to pick one up.
Flyers for additional student opportunities are also uploaded regularly to the Valparaiso Community Schools website under District, then Community. Or, by clicking below:
https://www.valpo.k12.in.us/apps/pages/index.jsp?uREC_ID=1221136&type=d&pREC_ID=1455877
BOX TOPS
This year Box Top$ For Education has changed their program. Most of the box tops have gone electronic and some companies have chosen to continue with the clipping method. The electronic process is as simple as Buy, Scan and Earn!
A link to download that app to start scanning along with additional information on how you can help Cook's Corers EARN can be found here:
https://www.boxtops4education.com/How%20To%20Earn
If we meet or exceed our $1000.00 goal for the year, our children will be able to vote on one of 2 rewards that will take place at the end of the school year:
1. Movie night in the gym
2. After school dance
Please see the attached flyer below for additional information on these updates to the program and our exciting incentive for the kids to keep clipping and start scanning!
PTO News
Thank you to all who came out for the PTO meeting on September 4th!
Our meetings will be held monthly on the first Wednesday of every month.
date changes due to a holiday or school break will be communicated in advance.
We are looking forward to a great year!
If you still have not filled out a volunteer form and would like to do so, there are extras in the office. If you just want to be on the general volunteer and meeting reminders email list, please email ptocookscorners@gmail.com and we will put you right on!
Looking for a way to celebrate your child's birthday at school?
Remember only non-food items are allowed, eg. pencils, glow sticks, stickers, etc. Another option is to give a classroom gift! Contact your child's teacher and find out what the class could use, then donate that in your child's name for their birthday!
PTO Happenings
We will had our first Moms Night Out of the year on Thursday September 20th at ElSalto! A fun time was had by all and we are looking forward to the net one!
Everyone is always welcome and if you would like to be added to the MNO email updates contact raynellehowlett@yahoo.com and she'll be happy to include you!
Read-A-Coaster Readathon
Our annual readathon is started this Monday and is in full swing! Details have been sent home and we have many fun activities planned as the kids read and raise money over the next two weeks! Hope on board the Read-a-Coaster and help us meet our goal of raising $15,400 or $35 per child to support PTO funded activities and Cooks Corners! Dates: Sept. 23-Oct. 18th.
Save the Date/Upcoming Events
We have a lot of fun and exciting events and activities comping up in September and October!
Please save the date and look forward for more information on these fun and exciting events!
SAVE THE DATE! Our Annual Fall Fest will be held the evening of October 10th! This year we will be having a CARNIVAL! Keep an eye out for the invitation coming home in folders and backpacks!
The first Book Fair of the year will be October 7th-11th and the evening of October 10th to coincide with our Fall Fest!
Follow us on Facebook
Don't forget to follow us on Facebook for updates and news!
Our Facebook pages to "like" and "follow" are:
Cooks Corners PTO and Cooks Corners Elementary School
Yearbook News
We are looking for more volunteers to help out with the Cook's Yearbook! It's fun and you will get help! We especially need parents for the following classrooms, but all are encouraged!
K - Staal
2 - Kennedy
2 - Vincent
3 - Gonzales
3 - Yatsko
4 - Allison
5 - Humpfer
5 - Zromkoski
If your child is in one of those classrooms and you would like to help out please email Jessica Warren at cookscornersyb@gmail.com.
October PTO Meeting
Our October meeting will be held on Wednesday October 2nd at 6pm at Cooks Corners.
If you want to help out anyway, feel free to email Nicole McGee, PTO President, at ptocookscorners@gmail.com, anytime!
Thanks for your support and contributions to the PTO!
Upcoming Dates
Every Mon. (10/8-11/26): Chess Scholars - ends @ 4:20pm
Every Other Mon. - Student Council @ 7:45am
Every Wed. @ 3:20pm: Drama Kids - ends @ 4:20pm
Every Wed. @ 7:45am: Choir
Every Fri. (10/5 - 12/7): Let's Build It - ends @ 4:20pm
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9/23-10/4: Read-A-Coaster Read-A-Thon
9/23: Student Council Mtg @ 7:45am
9/23: Read-A-Coaster Kick Off Assembly
9/27: 1/2 Day of School - dismissal @ 12:00pm
9/26: 3rd Grade Field Trip to Gabis Arboretum
10/2: Read-A-Coaster Pep Assembly
10/4: Read-A-Coaster Ends
10/9: 1st Grade Field Trip to Kregel’s Pumpkin patch
10/7-11: Book Fair
10/24-25: 1/2 day for students and Parent/Teacher Conferences