Cougar Connection
January 2022
Cactus Valley Elementary
222 Grand Ave. Silt, CO 81652
Main Line: 970-665-7850
Attendance Line: 970-665-7874
Our vision is to develop happy, high achieving students and staff
A Message From The Principal and Assistant Principal
Happy New Year to all of our CVE families! We hope you enjoyed time spent with family and friends over the holiday break. As we ring in 2022, we look forward to all the possibilities and new learning that await our CVE students. We’d like to take a moment to remind everyone of our vision at CVE which is to develop happy, high achieving students and staff. Our teachers are committed to not only making sure your child is learning the expected standards, but they are also devoted to making sure your child is engaged in learning that encourages cooperation, critical thinking, and fun!
As our partners in education, we encourage you to take time to work with your child whether it be practicing his/her math facts, reading together, or writing a fun story together. When kids know parents are interested in their academic lives, they take school more seriously as well.
As we move into the second semester of our school year, CVE will continue to focus on decreasing the amount of students who are tardy, as well as decreasing the amount of students who are picked up early from school. Please remember that school starts at 8:00 and students can be dropped off as early at 7:30 for breakfast. Dismissal begins at 3:40 and students should not be leaving prior to that time. We can’t emphasize enough how important it is that your child is present for the entire school day so their exposure to instruction is maximized.
Our students have worked hard to continue their learning in the first semester of our school year. December iReady testing shows that schoolwide we have growth of 59% in math. That means that we are just over the halfway mark for a year’s growth, and students and staff are excited about that progress. For reading, our December testing marked growth of 74% schoolwide. That’s almost ¾’s of a year’s worth of growth! You should have received iReady and DIBELS reports from your child’s homeroom teacher. Please look these over and if you have any questions or concerns, contact your child’s teacher for information.
LockDown Safety Drill
At CVE, your child’s safety is of utmost importance. We are required to have either a monthly fire drill or lockdown drill to practice our safety procedures in the event of an emergency. Our school follows the Standard Response Protocol, and you can see the basic information we use when conducting a lockdown. Teachers have been trained and have additional information as to steps to take in the event of a lockdown. More information can be found at
https://iloveuguys.org/The-Standard-Response-Protocol.html
We are excited about the possibilities that each new year brings, and we have no doubt 2022 will be a year of learning, growing, and sharing among our Cactus Valley community! Please don’t hesitate to contact us if you have any questions. Our door is always open to you!
Best Wishes,
Kelly Detlefsen, Principal
Simone Richardson, Assistant Principal
Counselor’s Corner
Happy New Year! I hope you all had a nice end to 2021 and are ready for “New Beginnings” in 2022.
In Character Education, our focus is on kindness and compassion. The last week of January, 25th through the 27th, is the Great Kindness Challenge.
4th and 5th grade will discuss what kindness is and learn how we can show compassion to our fellow classmates. The students will get into teams and come up with ways they can show kindness at school.
In 3rd grade we will read Sorry! by Trudy Ludwig, to understand the power of an apology and learn that taking ownership of hurtful behavior and trying to make right their wrong, will teach empathy and compassion.
2nd grade will read, The Invisible Boy by Trudy Ludwig, and practice kindness by giving their classmates compliments.
In 1st grade we will read, Have You Filled a Bucket Today? by Carol McCloud, and practice being bucket fillers.
In Kindergarten we will focus on how to show kindness to our classmates, then learn and practice how to introduce ourselves to someone new.
Now that Winter is upon us, if your student is in need of coats, hats, gloves or boots, please call or email me and I can help your student get what they need. Also, The River Center delivers 6-7 non perishable food items weekly to supplement food for families who need extra support. It is distributed on Wednesdays. If you are a family that could use the supplemental food, please contact me and I can get you signed up.
If your student needs mental health support, IMatter is a program that will provide 3 FREE counseling sessions for ANY Colorado youth. Visit the IMatter website (www.imattercolorado.org) to get your student connected with a therapist. For social/emotional or other types of assistance, please contact me, Amy Chabin, at 970-665-7764 or achabin@garfieldre2.net.*Please click on the link below to get information from the River Center regarding Community Out Reach Programs, Totes Of Hope, Meal Monkey, and much more:
Nurturing Parent Class
Kindergarten News
1st Grade News
2nd Grade News
3rd Grade News
4th Grade News
Math: We are busy working with fractions. We have been working on comparing and ordering fractions and learning to find equivalent fractions. We will move into multiplying, adding and subtracting with fractions and decimals. Students are still practicing multiplication fluency too.
Science- Students are working with vision and light. We are exploring the structures of the eye and how the eye works. As a class, we are exploring why certain animals can not see in their environment and why that might be contributing to the animals going extinct.
Reading: Students will be working on their first informative piece this month. We are starting off with how to analyze a prompt and then working into a multi-paragraph essay. Students will learn how to write an introduction and conclusion paragraph to go with their three main idea paragraphs.
Writing:
We are starting a unit on persuasive writing. We have already created a rubric with students on what a persuasive paragraph should have. Our focus is going to be using quotes from the text to support our opinions. Students will need to have at least one direct quote in their writing to be proficient.
Important News/Dates:
-Remember all fourth graders get a free pass to Sunlight Mountain, all you need to do is fill out the sheet that came home and bring it with you to the resort. They will take care of the rest. If you are in need of a new sheet, reach out to Mr. Krein and he will get you another one (jkrein@garfieldre2.net)
1.11- Culvers Night
1.13- Q2 Award Assembly
5th Grade News
PE News
Music Notes
Hello families,
it’s 2022!
This year will be filled with a performance art unit. Each class will be diving into a theater performance experience. They will learn the art of acting, storytelling, and engaging in expressive elements for a final showcase. The plan is to explore the aspects of theater, and each student can participate in a class performance. I will be directing each grade as they self-evaluate their performance, and then we will provide a final showcase for you to enjoy. The goal is for them to be creative, and respect the art of performance. It takes a village to put on shows, and feel free to reach out if you want to jump on board with helping create a few new set pieces. This will be an experience that they hopefully won’t forget. See you under the lights!
Musically yours,
Jennetta Howell