Cottonwood News
May 3rd, 2019
Cottonwood Redesign
Relationships -- We will foster healthy relationships with students, families, and our community.
Student well-being--Students will feel valued and connected. They will develop skills to listen, empathize, manage emotions, and problem solve.
Student opportunities and success--Cottonwood will provide experiences that allow for personalized learning and give students the chance to make a difference in their world.
Using these goals, we have researched best practices and visited other schools. We have met in small groups and as a staff to determine our areas for focus. This semester we have piloted a few of our ideas. In order to enhance our relationships with students and provide experiences, we have provided time for Explorations. Exploration groups meet on Thursdays from 8:50-9:30. The Cottonwood staff and a few community members have been able to share their talents with our students. A few examples are: Irish dancing, African drumming, room design, lego construction, science, book clubs, yoga, healthy eating, scrap-booking, bracelet making and physical fitness. Because this is a pilot, not all students have participated this year. As we plan for the 2019-20 school year, Explorations will built into our schedule so that everyone can enjoy. Look for a Google survey in early August asking parents and family about their talents or interests.
One of our goals is that students develop a healthy well-being. Part of that development is a strong, consistent social-emotional learning (SEL) curriculum. We have chosen a curriculum called Second Step. It is designed to help children better understand, manage, and express emotions and empathy, develop positive relationships, and make responsible decisions. SEL curricula teach children techniques that help them gain confidence, set and achieve positive goals, collaborate well, and navigate the world more effectively—adding a highly valuable dimension to education in the classroom. We will receive more training on this program in August and teachers will utilize the lessons during class meetings. Our goal is that we continue to develop relationships and help our students become stronger citizens.
We are currently working on a flyer that we can send home to share more about Redesign. If you would like more information regarding our plans or process, please don't hesitate to contact Mrs. Rooks or the teachers. We would love to share our plans.
News You Can Use
Cottonwood Field Day--Mr. Smith is starting to plan for the annual Cottonwood Field Day, so mark your calendars for May 16th. K-2 will participate in events from 9:15-11:15 and then 3-5 will have their turn from 1:00-3:00. Parents are welcome to walk around with their children during the events and join their students for lunch. Tennis shoes, water bottles, and sunscreen are all encouraged.
Lost and Found--We have several jackets, coats, gloves, hats, and sweatshirts in Lost and Found. We try to remind students to check it out, but we seem to have more lost than found. Lost and Found is located by the nurse's office. All lost items will be taken to Goodwill on May 28th.
Nurse's News
Per district policy, Over the medication may not go home on the bus with a student. A parent will need to pick it up before the last day of school. If your student is a car rider and the health office receives a written note requesting, over the counter medication may go home with a student.
All medication left in health office will be disposed of on 5/23/19
Upcoming Events
May 6th Boxtop Lunch with Mrs. Rooks
May 7th Site Council 5:30-6:30
- PTO 7:00
May 9th 2nd Grade to Tanganyika
- 5th Grade to AMS 10:30-2:00
- 5th Grade Band Concert @ 6:00
May 10th 3rd Grade to Cowtown 9:00-2:30
- 2:45-3:15 4th Grade States Tours
- Last day for library classes
May 13th 5th Grade field trip
- All books due today
May 14th Last day for 5th Grade Band
May 15th AR Party in the Park (2nd-5th)
May 16th Field Day K-2 9:15-11:15 3-5 1:00-3:00
May 17th 5th Grade Amazing Race
May 20th Buddy Olympics in the AM
- Student/Staff BB game in the PM
May 21st 11:00 Kindergarten Celebration
- 1:30 5th Grade Promotion
May 22nd Early Dismissal-Out at 1:45
Cottonwood PTO
At our April meeting, we nominated officers for the 2019-2020 school year. If anyone else would like to run for a position on the PTO Board or nominate someone, they are asked to email Michael Scolari at guntherlab@att.net.
Officer Nominations for 19/20 being taken now through April 19th
- President - Tijen Owings (current) - Tijen Owings (nominated)
- Vice President - Mike Scolari (current) - Carrie Lindemann (nominated)
- Secretary - Rachael Neibling (current) - Rachael Neibling (nominated)
- Treasurer - Sarah Osburn (current) - Sarah Osburn (nominated).
Spring Fling--Our Spring Family Night will be at All-Star Sports on April 28th from 6:00-9:00. All families are welcome. Wristbands will be sold at the gate. Only those people riding need a wristband.
Check out our Facebook page for more information.
School Safety
Breafast is served from 8:20-8:50.
After school dismissal is at 3:45. Please continue to follow the traffic patterns. It helps the adults if you have the name cards in the side windows. If you have suggestions on how to make our process and flow of traffic safer, feel free to share your ideas.
Communication is Key
School website: http://cottonwood.usd385.org/
Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/CottonwoodElementary
PTO Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/cottonwoodelementarypto/
Andover Twitter: https://twitter.com/AndoverSchools
Cottonwood Twitter: https://twitter.com/CottonwoodElem
Teacher Facebook/Twitter pages:
Mrs. Defebaugh https://www.facebook.com/MrsDsClass/
Mrs. Fox https://www.facebook.com/foxin5th/
Mrs. Gallagher https://www.facebook.com/mrsgallaghers5thgradeclass
Mrs. Plank https://www.facebook.com/Mrs-Planks-Fourth-Grade-1490196337947267/?fref=ts
Mrs. Ralston @Mrs_Ralston
Mrs. Rich https://www.facebook.com/emmonsa/?fref=ts
Ms. Wright https://www.facebook.com/wrightces/?fref=ts
Mrs. Hachen https://www.facebook.com/HachenHighlights/?fref=ts
Mrs. Davis https://www.facebook.com/dayswithdavis/
Mrs. Highfill https://www.facebook.com/highfill2nd/?fref=ts
Mrs. Barscewski https://www.facebook.com/Mrs-Barscewskis-First-Grade-1295655550474548/?fref=ts
Mrs. Kindle https://www.facebook.com/kindle2014/?fref=ts
Ms. Hinz https://www.facebook.com/1stgradehinz/
Mrs. Hanna https://www.facebook.com/MrsHannasKindergarten/?fref=ts
Mrs. Wagner https://www.facebook.com/Wagner-Kinders-826576851066135/
Mrs. Wood @woods1stgrade, https://fb.me/woodslittlelearners
Mrs. Wilson https://www.facebook.com/Wilsonart2015/?fref=ts
Mrs. Nobach https://www.facebook.com/groups/2114346102210974/about/
Peachjar-- Peachjar is an “electronic backpack” system where schools post calendars, activity information from enrichment providers, and school letters. This system is used exclusively for distribution of school-approved fliers. Your email address will not be shared or used for any other purpose.
Andover Food Service-- Andover School Lunch Menus are digital. Look for the link on our district website at USD385.org, or go to usd385.nutrislice.com. There is also an app available. Just look for Nutrislice in your app store. Please call Nutrition Services, 316-218-4603 with any questions.
Next Cottonwood News--April 19th
Cottonwood Elementary
Email: rookss@usd385.org
Website: http://cottonwood.usd385.org/
Location: 1747 N Andover Rd, Andover, KS, United States
Phone: 316-218-4620
Facebook: facebook.com/CottonwoodElementary/
Twitter: @CottonwoodElem