March Newsletter
March 2023
Message from Mrs. Yost
Although February was a short month, we had so many special learning opportunities. March is following the same trend. When you glance at the calendar below, you'll see so many special educational events that we will be celebrating/ recognizing. March is Irish American Heritage Month, Women’s History Month, Music in our Schools Month & Read Across America Month. There will be many opportunities to integrate these themes throughout our lessons. We are excited to launch our Cougars Read Together month-long event. See below for all the details.
I would like to thank all that participated in our PTOs Raise Craze this year. Cook Hill and Parker Farms raised over $17,000 with more than 1500 Acts of Kindness. Although we did not reach our $30,000 goal, we did reach our Acts of Kindness goal, which means students will have Kona Ice in April! Although our fundraiser has ended, we can continue to spread kindness daily in our community.
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. 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 issued tags only. Thank you for your patience and putting safety first.
In partnership,
Mrs. Yost
Important Dates
March is ...
Irish American Heritage Month
Women’s History Month
Music in our Schools Month
Read Across America Month
Author Focus - Prominent women in history & a variety of women authors
Monday, February 27th - Read Across America Month Launches
Monday, February 27th - Stuffed Animal Day-Reading is better with a Buddy! Bring a favorite stuffy to school.
Tuesday, February 28 - Rare Disease Day - Wear your stripes (snow date Wed., March 1st)
Tuesday, February 28th - Flashlight Day -Read with a flashlight! Bring your own small flashlight. We will have some finger lights.
Wednesday, March 1st- Read with a Buddy Day! -Spend time with another class reading your favorite books.
Thursday, March 2nd - DEAR Day - Cook Hill School drop everything and read together!
Friday, March 3rd - Cougars Read Together Book Reveal - Find out our K-2 School-wide book for the month !
Friday, March 3rd - PTO School Store
Friday, March 3rd - National Day of Unplugging
Tuesday, March 7th - K-Kids Meeting @ 8:10-8:50am
Tuesday, March 7th - Virtual PTO Meeting@ 7pm - link is below
Wednesday, March 8th - International Women's Day
Friday, March 10th - End of Second Marking Period
Sunday, March 12th - Daylight Savings - Spring forward with your clocks 1 hour
Wednesday, March 15th - Eli Whitney onsite Learning Experiences
Thursday, March 16th - Early Release Day @1:30pm
Friday, March 17th -Go Green Day ~ Happy St. Patrick's Day
Friday, March 17th - CH Town Meeting @2pm
Monday, March 20th - All About Trains Presentations
Tuesday, March 21st - Crazy Sock Day
Tuesday, March 21st - All About Trains Presentations
Wednesday, March 22nd - No School for student - Professional Development for Staff
Thursday, March 23rd - All About Trains Presentations
Friday, March 24th - Book Fair
Monday, March 27th - Book Fair
Monday, March 27th - Board of Education Meeting 6:30-9pm 45 S Main Street
Tuesday, March 28th - PreK-2 Conferences 5-8pm
Wednesday, March 29th - Special Education PTAC Meeting
Read Across America
Virtual PTO Meeting Tues., March 7, 2023 @7pm
Cougars Read Together
During the month of March, Cook Hill will be embarking on a special project, an all school reading event called Cougar’s Read Together. Thanks to help from our PTO, each family will receive a copy of the same book, which will be revealed to our students on Friday, March 3rd. Chapters will be read daily in school, and we ask our families to reread the chapter at home together.
Reading aloud at home is valuable, because it prepares your child to be an effective reader, but is also a fun, worthwhile family activity. With this project, we aim to build a community of readers at our school. Everyone- students, parents, teachers, support staff, and administrative staff will be participating.
Your child will receive his/her copy of the book at a special school-wide assembly introducing the program and book. When the book comes home, you will receive a reading schedule so you can keep up at home. You will be asked to read a chapter a night (14 chapters total), about 15 minutes per night.
In school, your child will be asked to answer trivia questions based on the chapter read. You will find that your child will take pride in knowing and anticipating the details of the story. In class, the teacher will be reading and discussing the book as well for additional discussion.
Have fun with this adventure! We look forward to talking about the main chapter and the lessons taught to the students and adults in the book. We will be hosting a “Cougars Read Together Family Night” on Monday, April 3rd @ 6pm incorporating literacy, numeracy and art activities with the book's theme. More information will follow. When a whole school reads a book, there’s a lot to talk about. With your help, we can build a Community of Readers at Cook Hill School.
Happy Reading!
National Day of Unplugging
- Digital platforms have detached us from our surroundings, be it with nature or human connection
- Deteriorating mental well-being and health
- Increased stress
- Responsible for sleep deprivation, distraction, and other health issues
- Technology and social media affect human bonds
Some benefits of unplugging:
- boost mental and cognitive wellness
- engages you in more physical activities
- more time to amplify your intellectual well-being
- increase your energy levels
- helps your to relax your eyes and neck
- increase human connections
Tips to Unplug:
- Go offline
- Exercise
- Meditate
- Family walk
- Family game night
- Treat your eyes to blue skies, trees or other beauties in nature
- Surround yourself with those that make you laugh
- Grab a good book
- Bake a healthy new treat
- Make a new craft
WHY NATIONAL MUSIC IN OUR SCHOOLS MONTH IS IMPORTANT
WHY NATIONAL MUSIC IN OUR SCHOOLS MONTH IS IMPORTANT
Music can make you smarter
Studies have shown that music helps to wake your brain up. There’s also been research that indicates listening to music may be linked to increased academic scores. So, the next time you need some serious brainpower, try turning on Mozart.
Music helps you relax
We can all use a little relaxation in our lives. Research has shown that playing a musical instrument can be a fantastic stress reducer. If you feel overwhelmed, put on some soothing, classical music and feel the tension melt away.
Musical education increases college acceptance rates
Researchers believe that there is a link between musical appreciation and test scores. One study indicated that students who have received exposure to music education scored significantly higher SAT scores than their non-music listening counterparts.
Raise Craze
The results are in...Thank you!
The results are in!!!
$17,275 with 1510 acts of kindness and 218 participants!
Top classes at CH are:
- Mrs. Nedinsky PM pre k 3 (beat Braunstein AM by 1)
- Mrs. Wilson
- Mrs. Sorrentino
- Mrs. Velardi
Top students are as follows:
Acts of Kindness:
- Prek : Brianna Sheades (Nedinsky PM)
- Kindergarten : Ailey Houston (Sagnella)
- 1st grade: Richard Nesto (Sigel)
- 2nd grade: Amelia Yagovane (Watrous)
Top Donation Earner:
- PreK: Carolyn Herman (Braunstein PM)
- Kindergarten: JJ Orsini (Wilson)
- 1st grade: Lucas Torres (Cuticelli)
- 2nd grade: Thomas Saas (Nagel
Although we did not meet the goal of 30K, we greatly surpassed our Acts of Kindness!!! CH students have earned Kona ice in April and the opportunity to Silly String Mrs. Yost!
WITH MUCH GRATUTIDE AND APPRECIATION!!!!
Rare Disease Day - February 28th
Rare Disease Day is February 28th. To bring awareness and support to Rare Disease Day we encourage staff and students to wear stripes which signify a zebra, the symbol of rare diseases. If you would like to make a donation, please send a $1 in an envelope that day with your child. All money that is collected would go to N.O.R.D. (The National Organization of Rare Disorders). Thank you for helping to make a difference.
Alone we are rare, together we are strong!
School Hours
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
School Contact Information
Amy Yost ~ Principal
Kara Piper, Secretary - kpiper1@wallingfordschools.org
Aimee Heinrich, Office Clerk - aheinrich@wallingfordschools.org
Amy Yost, Principal - ayost@walllingfordschools.org
PreSchool Office
Kelly Vallancourt, Secretary - kvallancourt@wallingfordschools.org
Email: ayost@wallingfordschools.org
Website: https://ches.wallingford.k12.ct.us/
Location: 57 Hall Road, Wallingford, CT, USA
Phone: (203)284-5400