December 2019
Cedar Rapids Home School Assistance Program
Our Mission
The mission of the Cedar Rapids Home School Assistance Program is to provide an educational alternative that considers the best interest of the student, benefits home schooling families, meets the educational requirements of the school district, and complies with state law.
2301 J Street SW
Cedar Rapids, IA 52404
Phone: (319) 558-2088
________________________
Home School Teachers and Staff
April Tierney, Lead Teacher
Mary Rasmussen, Secretary
Matt Cossolotto, Wayne Fritch,
Mary Gahring, Jeannie Johnson,
Josie Norton, Cheryl Scherbaum,
Kristin Schmaltz, and Peggy Ziemer
_______________________
A note from our office
We want to send a heartfelt thank you to everyone in our program. We've enjoyed working with families during home-visits, teaching enrichment classes, supporting curriculum and attending events. We hope you're surrounded by love of friends and family during the holiday season.
Sincerely,
CRHSAP staff
________________________
Winter is coming!
________________________
Weather Related
If an early release is announced by the district, we will assess the situation and may also dismiss early that day, taking into account the weather, when we typically dismiss, and when Wilson dismisses. Exact times will be communicated to families via e-mail and school messenger.
________________________
Late Start Schedules
________________________
PAJAMA WEEK
Be sure to send appropriate clothing for outside recess and shoes for PE/boots to school if needed.
________________________
Important Reminders
Holiday Extravaganza, December 2, 2019 from 5:00 - 8:00 pm, Wilson MS Cafeteria
Robotics Competitions, November 23 & December 14 (See below for more information)
Barnes & Noble Fundraiser and Volunteer Event, Saturday, December 14, 2019
Lifetouch Picture Retakes, Monday, December 16, 2019, 9:00 am -11:00 am
Winter Break - December 23, 2019 - January 3, 2020
* Classes resume the week of January 6, 2020
_________________________
Happy Holidays from the P.A.T.T. board!
We have had an eventful first few months getting PATT up and running. Starting a non-profit organization is not as easy as it sounds, but it has all been worth it! We were able to open a bank account thanks to an anonymous donation from a homeschool family and have raised other funds from our Hy-Vee coupon book sales.
We also had a great time Haunting for Homeschool at Bloomsbury Farms and raised over $500 for PATT. We are hoping to do this again next year. If you think you might be interested in participating next year, let us know!
Important info:
1) Barnes & Noble: We need volunteers to work the Information and gift-wrapping tables in two-hour blocks between 11am and 6pm. This will be our code to use starting 12/14 and good for 5 days after the event (12576658)
Please use this link to sign up for a time.
2) We will not be having a December Mom’s Night Out/PATT meeting, so that everyone can enjoy the season with their families. The meetings will resume in January. We will meet at Island Flavorz, 2000 Wiley Blvd. SW #107, at 6:30 on January 14th. This authentic Caribbean restaurant is locally owned and not to be missed! Mark your calendars and join us for a fun night out!
3) The Book Club will be meeting at the downtown library, children’s program room, on Saturday December 7th from 9:30 to 11:30. We are all reading Alice in Wonderland and we will be having the Mad Hatter’s Tea Party! Please bring a snack to share.
4) Hy-Vee Coupon books are for sale in the CRHASP office.
RSVP for Mom’s Night Out, Book Club,to join our email list and any other questions at:
cedarrapidspatt@gmail.com
_______________________
2019 Holiday Extravaganza
_______________________
As some of you know, this is an event that we had previously done for several consecutive years a few years ago and are excited to revive it for 2019! This event is a combination of bake sale, silent auction, children’s performance, table vendors (with great cash and carry items to help you complete your holiday shopping list!) and we’ll also have pizza by the slice and beverages for sale. All of the proceeds will go directly to our parent-teacher group, PATT-CR, which has also been revived just this school year and is better than ever! PATT-CR has been working hard to raise funds to help meet the needs of our classroom teachers and help our CRHSAP become an even better and more enriching program for our children.
MARK YOUR CALENDARS!
Our Extravaganza will be held at Wilson School in both cafeterias and the hallway that they connect to, on Monday December 2nd from 5-8pm. We have lots of wonderful table vendors including East to West Boutique, K & J Kards, Scentsy, Young Living, Music on the Movie, Creations by Paige, Damaso Pies, Krafty Kemer and many others!!
We also have some great items on our Silent Auction this year, including a beautiful, one-of-a-kind holiday wreath from Creations By Paige, an awesome family pack of meal cards from Chick-Fil-A including 4 regular meals, 2 kids meals and 4 desserts, a piano tuning by Don Winchester and many other fun and fabulous things to bid on!
Come enjoy a fun evening with other families from the CRHSAP, do some Christmas shopping, pick up yummy bake sale treats, pull up a chair and listen to the k-2 graders sing and some of our other program kids show us their talents on the piano and be sure to have some pizza with your family and friends! Should be a fun night for all!
HOW YOU CAN HELP
We need bake sale items baked fresh and dropped off at Wilson that day. Please sign up here if you can help bake some holiday goodies for our bake sale.
We are always looking for more volunteers to help the evening of Extravaganza. Sign up here.
We are also looking for more piano players to sign up for time slots to play holiday music (your choice of music) throughout the evening. Sign up here
_______________________
_________________________
STEAM II - 7th Graders Only
STEAM II INSTITUTE
Read all about an exciting STEAM opportunity through Kirkwood on Thursday, December 19th @ 8:45-11:15 am! It is located at Linn County Regional Center 1770 Boyson Road, Hiawatha, Iowa 52233
At STEAM II Institute students participate in three interactive sessions hosted by businesses and organizations related to Science, Technology, Engineering, Arts and/or Math. This provides a window into the world of careers and connects them directly with community opportunities.
Through exploration and self-discovery students participate in project based activities from Corridor Businesses in order to improve youth engagement and awareness.
We look forward to seeing you there for a day of learning and fun!
Please sign up using this link.
________________________
3rd - 5th Grade Music Enrichment
Music can express feelings and ideas better than words.
Music can create appropriate moods for special events.
Music can help us understand other times and places.
Music can help us understand the world in which we live today.
All families will meet their student(s) at 2:30 in the CRHSAP hallway for pick-up.
If you have questions, please contact Peggy Ziemer. pziemer@crschools.us
________________________
Robotics Competition Reminders
White Arrows
Saturday, Nov. 23
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Prairie Point Middle School (College Community SD)
Come between 9:30am - 1:00pm
Green Arrows
Saturday, Dec. 14
Marion, Iowa
Excelsior Middle School
Come between 9:30am - 1:00pm
Fiery Arrows
Saturday, Dec. 14
Marion, Iowa
Excelsior Middle School
Come between: 9:30am - 12:00pm
________________________
FIELD TRIPS
________________________
Kaleidescope
Walk on: The Story of Rosa Parks
In Montgomery, Alabama, a determined activist named Rosa Parks refused to give up her seat on a city bus. The resulting uproar launched the Civil Rights movement and changed our country forever.
The Snowy Day
Follow Peter and his friends through winter, spring, summer and fall as they romp and play, start snow ball fights and make snow angels, journey in space and under the sea, and more, all in this imaginative musical play. Using innovative shadow puppetry, THE SNOWY DAY celebrates the magic and boundless possibilities of childhood and the challenges of growing up.
Walk on: The Story of Rosa Parks
Friday, Jan 31, 2020, 12:30 PM
Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center, Dakota Street, Cedar Falls, IA, USA
The Snowy Day
Tuesday, Feb 18, 2020, 12:30 PM
Gallagher Bluedorn Performing Arts Center, Dakota Street, Cedar Falls, IA, USA
YMCA Stoney Point
Friday, December 6th, 10:00am - 12:00pm
Monday, December 16th, 10:00 am - 12:00 pm
What a great way to get out and enjoy swimming during the cold Iowa months!
We are fortunate to work with the staff at the Stoney Point YMCA and offer swim and gym time specifically to our families. If you decide to attend, you can bring your own goggles, pool balls, and inflatable nets. They do offer a variety of kick boards and noodles for use. Please make sure you follow pool rules and respect lap swimmers. They encourage all swimmers to swim with a buddy and will give a deep end swim test if requested.
When you attend, please show your membership card. If you are not a member of the Y, please sign in on the CRHSAP sheet located at the front desk and fill out an emergency contact card (only first time of the school year).
Cost is $5.00 per family
Below are the YMCA Rules:
1. Parents need to accompany their children at this event.
2. Any non-swimmers must wear a flotation device; plan to bring your own.
3. The non-swimmer must have their parent in the water and within an arm’s length reach at all times.
4. Pool toys are allowed, but use may be constrained depending on patron usage of the pool during that Open Swim time.
5. Lifeguards have the authority over all of the posted pool rules and rules that only appear in the YMCA’s handbook.
________________________
January Field Trip
The Iowa Children's Museum
Our group will meet out front of the entrance and head inside at 1:00 pm. Please arrive at least 5 minutes early. Everyone will pay $3.50 for each student attending (Ages 1 and under are free). One chaperone per family is free. If you are a member, you will still need to pay for your student.
Please use this link to RSVP. Thanks!
Friday, Jan 31, 2020, 01:00 PM
The Iowa Children's Museum, Coral Ridge Avenue, Coralville, IA, USA
_____________________
Edgenuity
ROOM 106
Monday - 8:00-9:30 am
Tuesday - 1:30-3:00
Wednesday - 1:30-3:00
Friday - 8:00-9:30
Testing times may be cancelled if Mr. Cossolotto is absent.
Please check with your resource teacher or call the office before coming to Wilson.
_____________________
Hy-Vee Receipts - Keep saving!
The Cedar Rapids and Marion Hy-Vee stores have kindly provided a local fund raising program for area schools called Cash 4 Students the past several years. Once again, we are participating in this fundraiser this year.
The program is simple and based on the collection of Hy-Vee grocery receipts. Simply save your Hy-Vee grocery receipts and turn them into the CRHSAP office. At the end of the school year, a donation from Hy-Vee will be made to CRHSAP based on the receipt total.
The amount donated will be $1 for every $200 in receipts collected.
Start saving your receipts today!
____________________
BOX-TOPS 4 EDUCATION
We all shop for groceries, sometimes two or three times a week ---- or more. Now turn those shopping trips into easy cash for CRHSAP. Just look for the Box Tops logo on hundreds of products like Cheerios®, Hamburger Helper® and Kleenex®, in almost every aisle of the store. All you need to do is clip and then turn them into the CRHSAP office — each one is worth 10¢ for our program.
To see a complete list of all products that have Box Tops on them, click on this link
www.boxtops4education.com/earn
This truly is a no hassle fundraiser and each box top helps to provide money for the “extras” for CRHSAP that are not covered by other funding.
______________________
Nondiscrimination Policy
It is the policy of the Cedar Rapids Community School District not to discriminate in educational programs on the basis of race, creed, color, gender, sexual orientation, marital status, gender identity, socioeconomic status, national origin, religion, disability, age (except for permitting/prohibiting students to engage in certain activities) or genetic information and in employment opportunities on the basis of age, race, creed, color, gender, sexual orientation, gender identity, national origin, religion, disability or genetic information. There is a grievance procedure for processing complaints of discrimination.
If you have questions or a grievance related to this policy, please contact Rod Dooley, Executive Director of Equity, (RDooley@cr.k12.ia.us), and/or Linda Noggle, Executive Director of Talent Management, (LNoggle@cr.k12.ia.us), Educational Leadership and Support Center, 2500 Edgewood Rd NW, Cedar Rapids, IA, (319) 558-2000.