Cottonwood Creek Cougar Chronicle
January 15, 2021
A Brief Message from your Principal, Katie Johnson
This is always an exciting time in schools. While we are still deep in the 2020-21 school year, we slowly begin to prepare for the 2021-22 school year. Before you know it, we will receive our staffing for next year. As we begin to prepare, please review the following information:
- Address Information: Have you recently moved or are planning to? Please remember to update your address. You can submit your new lease agreement or deed of trust along with a current Xcel bill and a copy of our drivers lisence to the Registrar’s office (madler@cherrycreekschools.org), and we will send it on to the Admissions Department for verification. It’s extremely important to keep your home address and contact information current in order to continue receiving important communications from Cottonwood and the District.
- Are You Moving or Switching Schools? If you are moving, and your student will not be attending Cottonwood, or if your student will be attending another school for any other reason prior to the end of our school year, you must withdraw your student from Cottonwood. Please contact the Registrar (madler@cherrycreekschools.org) to obtain the necessary withdrawal paperwork. We will be happy to work with you to ensure your student’s records are forwarded to their new school.
Thank you for your continued support of our staff during this school year.
Respectfully,
Katie Johnson
Principal
Please remember
Joint District DAC/PASS Meeting
The USDA has extended FREE BREAKFAST & LUNCH UNTIL JUNE 30TH!
Saliva PCR COVID-19 Testing
This is a reminder that we are offering random, no-cost COVID-19 testing at school in partnership with COVIDCheck beginning this week. Testing (saliva PCR, NOT rapid) is not mandatory and will only be performed with parent/guardian permission.
If you would like your student to participate, click here: https://www.primarybio.com/l/cherry. Be sure to click yes on the questionnaire before the consent form.
Please watch this video for additional information :https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SIX2tBAIX9s&feature=youtube
Parents/guardians will be notified prior to testing each time. We strongly encourage your family to participate as it is a critical strategy in identifying asymptomatic students and staff.
Mrs. Lynn Baer
Mrs. Heidi Burris
Hello! My name is Heidi Burris. This is my 20th year teaching in the district and my third year teaching 4th grade at Cottonwood Creek. I am originally from Minnesota, which is also where I received my Master's Degree in Elementary Education. I have lived near downtown Denver for the past 19 years, but am soon venturing to Parker. My husband and I are building a house there and hope to be moved in by the end of February. I have two step children who are in their early twenties and starting their careers. We also have a miniature schnauzer, called Lucy. In my spare time I enjoy snowboarding, hiking, scrapbooking, reading, and traveling.
Mr. Darren Gaines
What an honor and a privilege to be a fourth grade teacher here at Cottonwood Creek. My name is Darren Gaines, and this is currently my 13th year teaching in the Cherry Creek School District. I have been an elementary classroom teacher for 32 years. In addition to fourth grade, I have taught first, third, and fifth grades during my career.
I grew up in Springfield, Missouri, and attended Missouri State University for my undergraduate degree. While my family and I were living in the Chicago area, I earned a Master’s Degree at St. Xavier University. We have lived in Colorado for the past twelve and half years. We simply love it! When I am not at school, I enjoy spending time with my family. My wife, Marybeth, and I have four children, a son-in-law, and two terrific granddaughters. I also enjoy playing the piano, hiking, bicycling, running, cooking, and reading.
Mrs. Lisa Gelwick
Hello Cottonwood Creek Families! I am Lisa Gelwick and this is my third year teaching 4th grade here and my 16th year teaching overall. I spent thirteen years with Denver Public Schools where I taught 1st, 3rd, and 4th grades. I also had the amazing opportunity to work in a specialized role coaching teachers and supporting them by designing and facilitating professional development and collaborating on their evaluations. I loved the deep involvement at the administrative level, and I learned so much, but I missed my family!
I was thrilled to return to full-time classroom teaching in Cherry Creek when I was hired here at Cottonwood. Classroom instruction is my passion and I find incredible joy and energy in working directly with children. I have a Bachelor's Degree in History and am nearly finished with my Master's Degree in Teaching. I also have a Gifted and Talented Endorsement. I am a life-long learner and enjoy figuring out how educational theory and brain research translate into practical classroom implementation that works for the needs of kids and teachers.
When I am not teaching, I am all about Hygge! You will most likely find me at home with my husband (we are high school sweethearts who recently celebrated 31 years together!), my daughter Charlotte who is a 9th grade Orchestra major at Denver School of the Arts (cello), and my son Henry who is a Kindergartener at Altitude Elementary. We laugh, play, and spend lots of time together. I enjoy cooking, baking, reading, gardening, listening to music (all kinds, but kids know I love the Foo Fighters!), and just generally "nesting" at home. I love Colorado's mountains too, but I am originally from SE Michigan and miss the water! My word for 2021 is "Nature" and I plan to go for more hikes, camp, and visit our State and National Parks safely distanced, of course!
SHARE YOUR PHOTOS FOR THE 2020-21 YEARBOOK!
Share photos of your Cottonwood Cougars for the yearbook! Please use the link below to SHARE and UPLOAD your photos of 1st Day of School, Spirit Wear Fridays, and Spirit Week. Let's embrace this different year and share those remote learning pictures too. Thank you to the parents and teachers who have already provided photos for the yearbook!
Upload your photos here:
https://tr5.treering.com/school/139988/photos/shared-photo-folders
Support in your Native Language
English:Please contact (name of liaison) at (email) for support with this resource in your language.
Amharic: እነዝህን መረጃዎችን በተመለከተ በቋንቋዎ ዕገዛን ለማግኘት ከፈለጉ እባክዎን ተሊሌን በዝህ እሜይል ያግኙዋትthirpa@cherrycreekschools.org
Arabic:يرجى الاتصال بـ (جميعة صباحي أو جاودة العلمي) على (jsebbahi@cherrycreekschools.org أو jdajanialami@cherrycreekschools.org للحصول على الدعم مع هذا المورد باللغة العربية.
Chinese: 如有需要,请经由ahan10@cherrycreekschools.org,与韩馥联系,以您的语言获得此资源的支持。
Korean: 귀하의 언어로 이 자원에 대한 지원을 원하시면 (리아 리) 에게 (llee6@cherrycreekschools.org) 로 문의하십시오.
Russian: Пожалуйста, обращайтесь к Ларисе Бака по адресу: lbaca3@cherrycreekschools.org для получения поддержки с помощью этого ресурса на своём языке.
Somali: Fadlan la xiriir Omar Nur cinwaanka emaylka-onur2@cherrycreekschools.org si aad u hesho macluumaad ku qoran luqadaada.
Spanish: Si necesita ayuda con este recurso en su idioma, póngase en contacto con Ilse Chavez Maldonado en ichavezmaldonado@cherrycreekschools.org, Rosa Han en rhan4@cherrycreekschools.org, Helena Gognat en hgognat@cherrycreekschools.org o Milagro Nuanes en mnuanes@cherrycreekschools.org
Vietnamese: Vui lòng liên hệ với Thuý Ngọc tại Lchung2@cherrycreekschools.org để được hỗ trợ về tài nguyên này bằng tiếng Việt.