Cougar Weekly Update
September 6, 2019
Principal's Message
We were honored this week to welcome Mrs. Northam, First Lady of Virginia, to Cougar. Mrs. Northam believes in the value of Preschool and wanted the opportunity to see the wonderful program we have here at Cougar. She spent time in several classrooms and then read a story to Mrs. Warren's class about bees. She even brought a live insect to share with students. I appreciate the time she took out of her busy schedule to spend some time at Cougar!
Second Grade Back to School Make and Take was a great event. It was wonderful to see many families come to learn more about second grade and how to support their students. Coming to events is a great way to build the home/school partnership!
Next week is Color Week in kindergarten. Each year we dedicate a week to helping our kindergarteners learn their colors. Days are designated as follows:
Monday Sept. 9- BLUE
Tuesday Sept. 10- GREEN
Wed. Sept. 11- RED
Thursday Sept. 12- PURPLE
Friday Sept. 13- ORANGE and YELLOW
All students are encouraged to wear the special color each day.
Have a wonderful weekend!
Mrs. Gwynn
Students helped Mrs. Northam act out a story.
Students shared what they love about school.
The bee story was wonderful!
We Will Miss Mrs. Krafsig
It is with profound sadness that we share that Ms. Elizabeth Krafsig, a Special Education Teacher at Cougar Elementary School, passed away unexpectedly over the weekend. She was a true beacon of positivity and encouragement for both students and staff, and her impact on our community will truly be missed.
Ms. Krafsig worked with MPCS for more than 8 years, first as an Instructional Assistant and this year as a Teacher of Special Education. Her dedication and commitment toward her goal of becoming a Teacher of Special Education was an inspiration to those around her, and her devotion to her students was tremendous.
Elizabeth was also incredibly devoted to her family and always expressed such pride when she spoke of her own children. She and her family were great supporters of MPCS and the Cougar Community. As we grieve her passing, our thoughts, prayers, and heartfelt condolences are with her family.
Attendance is Essential
Every Student, Every Day!
School attendance is essential to academic success. Research shows that missing as little as two days every month, or ten percent of the school year can have a significant impact on students. Missing school can translate into third-graders unable to master reading, sixth-graders failing courses and ultimately, teens dropping out of high school. In Virginia, missing ten percent of the school year is considered chronic absenteeism. Chronic absenteeism includes excused and unexcused absences. Please be sure to send your child to school each day ready to learn!
We Want to Hear from YOU!
In order to ensure that Manassas Park City Schools’ budget is designated in the way our community sees most fit, we are asking you to complete a short survey.
Your responses can directly affect the outcomes of the fiscal year 2021 budget and how we can best meet our goals!
Visit
to complete the survey.
Survey closes on Monday, 9/16 at midnight.
Survey results are confidential and anonymous.
Division Calendar 2019-2020
Please download and refer to the Division Calendar for important dates and times of school holidays and early closings.
Join The Manassas Park Cougar PTO
JOIN THE MANASSAS PARK COUGAR PTO!
Support your child, support your school! Join the Manassas Park Cougar Parent-Teacher Organization. Any parent or guardian of students at Cougar Elementary and Manassas Park Elementary can be a PTO member. Membership is free! The first PTO meeting of the school year will be on Tuesday, September 10th at 6:30 p.m. at Cougar Elementary. We hope to see you there!
My School Bucks
Manassas Park City Schools now offers MySchoolBucks. This convenient online payment service provides a quick and easy way to pay for school-related purchases. You can now pay for items such as meal payments, fieldtrips, and more using your credit/debit card or electronic check. Register for your FREE account today at https://www.myschoolbucks.com/ver2/login/getmain?requestAction=home.
Stay Connected
You can stay connected by:
- Checking your child's Friday Folder each week
- Reading the CES weekly online newsletters emailed out each Friday afternoon
- Following CES on Twitter @CESMiniCougars
- Following MPCS on Twitter @MPCSchools
- Liking and following the Manassas Park City Schools Facebook page
- Checking the MPCS website frequently at www.mpark.net
Upcoming Events
September
10th PTO Meeting Cafeteria 6:30
12th 1st Grade Back to School Night 6:30 and Special Education Advisory Committee 5:30
17th PTO Ice Cream Social and Olweus Kick-Off 5-7
19th Family Market MPHS 4:00
23rd School Board Meeting 6:59
26th PreK Back to School Night 6:30
October
4 Special Olympics - Meet in the Middle
10 Kindergarten Back to School Night 6:30
14 Columbus Day NO SCHOOL
15 Teacher Workday NO SCHOOL
17 Family Market MPHS 4:30
21 School Board Meeting 6:59
22 Fall Picture Day
24 Multicultural Festival
Principal Ann Gwynn
Email: ann.gwynn@mpark.net
Website: www.mpark.net
Location: 9330 Brandon Street, Manassas Park, VA, United States
Phone: (703) 392-1317
Facebook: www.facebook.com/MPSchools
Twitter: @CESMiniCougars