The Foghorn - Issue #3 | 12/01/2023
12/01/2023
What's Happening
Paint and PJs - 12/5
Join us for the return of our annual Paint and PJs event!
Get dressed in your comfiest clothes and head to the cafeteria for creativity, cocoa, and cookies with friends, 5:30-7:30pm on Tuesday, December 5th.
Redmond Art Works will be onsite with a selection of ceramics and glazes for your family to purchase and paint. Make treasured keepsakes for your home or give them as holiday gifts.
Select from a variety of seasonal paint your own pottery pieces including reindeer, snowmen, and Christmas tree trucks ($12) Make a custom serving dish ($35) plate ($22) mug ($18) or holiday characters ($40 for 6 characters), all ready in time for your child to take home the week leading up to winter break. The perfect way to make a memorable piece of art together for your home or create a meaningful gift! Visit the Cottage Lake PTA website for more information.
Finished masterpieces will be delivered to classrooms the week of 12/12.
As always, the Cottage Lake PTA offers PTA event scholarships for Cottage Lake students in need. Please reach out to Sarah McKinnon (smckinnon@nsd.org) or Nurse Brittney (bschlee@nsd.org) if your student would like to participate with financial assistance.
Want to help us host this fun family event?
Visit our SignUpGenius to snag a spot. We're looking for a few adults and responsible teenagers to help make this event great! Volunteer hour credit for middle and high schoolers is available.
December Event Volunteers Needed!
Want to get involved in your child's school at upcoming events? Do you have teenagers needing volunteer hours?
Here are a few quick, one-time volunteer opportunities in December.
Find more information and register in SignUpGenius:
- Paint & PJs - 12/5: 4:30-8:00: Setup & Event Support
- Scholastic Book Fair - 12/4-12/8: Mornings, Recess, and After School Sales & Student Support
- Staff Potluck - 12/8: Creating Delicious Dishes & Setup/Cleanup
- Popcorn Friday - 12/14-12/15: Popping Corn & Giving Out Goodies
Scholastic Book Fair - 12/4-12/8
Reading is sweet and so are the faces of the students taking in the excitement of one of the most coveted events of the year: The Scholastic Book Fair is here!
Students have filled out their wish lists and are excited for our winter book fair. Start exploring together and set up your student's eWallet.
The book fair will be open before school, at lunch recess, during classes, and after school. Get ready to share in the book joy!
While Ms. Capps has worked hard to curate a magical experience, we still need the help of our Cottage Lake Elementary Elves to bring it to life. Check out the variety of volunteer options on our SignUpGenius, and register to experience the joy of those sweet faces.
And Thank You, because without your volunteer power, we couldn’t make this happen!
Book Fair Hours:
- Tuesday Family Night - During our Paint & PJs Event
- 5:00pm-7:00pm
- Come and say hi to our special guest volunteer, Mrs. Sterling!
- Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
- 8:00am-9:00am
- 12:00pm-1:00pm
- 4:00pm-5:00pm
- Wednesday
- 8:00am-9:00am
- 12:00pm-1:00pm
- 2:30pm-4:00pm
PageAhead Book Donations:
Want to share the joy of reading with families in need? This year our school is teaming up with East Ridge and Sunrise to donate new books to Page Ahead, a local literacy nonprofit. Our goal is to donate 50 books. Donations of new books purchased onsite or brought from home can be placed in the designated bin at the book fair. They will be delivered to PageAhead in Seattle for distribution. Books in Spanish are in high demand.
Reach out to our Librarian, Kristin Capps (kcapps@nsd.org), with any questions.
Snapdoodle Fundraiser – 12/3-12/7
We're partnering again this holiday season with Snapdoodle Toys and Games, December 3rd - 7th.
Mention Cottage Lake PTA while shopping at any Snapdoodle location and 20% of each sale will come back to our school!
Staff Appreciation Potluck – 12/8
The Staff Appreciation Committee needs your help by bringing food items and a few helping hands for our PTA hosted Potluck Lunch. December’s theme is Appetizers, Favorite Festive Dishes, and Cookie Exchange, taking place on Friday, December 8th.
Visit our SignUpGenius for more information and to register your dish.
Cottage Lake Holiday Giving Tree - 12/8
The Cottage Lake Elementary Holiday Giving Tree is up in the office!
Stop by the office, take a tag, and deliver a gift to the office by Dec. 8th! The gifts go directly to a Cottage Lake family. Reach out to Sarah McKinnon (smckinnon@nsd.org) with any questions.
Thank you for your generosity, our community is always so amazing!
December PTA Meeting - 12/12
When: Tuesday 12/12 @ 7pm - 8pm
Where: Cottage Lake School Library & Zoom
Meeting ID: 425 408 4200
Passcode: Sailors!
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/4254084200?pwd=bHk3QWt6WXNjUlRNTkxpNEVjK001QT09
Join us for our December PTA meeting and see what we're all about. Meet other PTA members, hear updates from Principal Welch and learn about how the PTA supports our school. We'll also share info on upcoming events and fundraising activities planned for the year.
The winner of our PTA Membership drawing for a $25 SweetSide gift card will be announced during the meeting so sign up if you haven't already. All Cottage Lake PTA members who've registered since July 1, 2023 are eligible.
Refreshments provided. Everyone is welcome! We look forward to seeing you there!
PTA Membership Drawing - 12/11
Calling all Cottage Lake Families and Staff to join the PTA!
Join by 12/11 and be entered to win a $25 SweetSide gift card! Anyone who has signed up for Cottage Lake PTA membership since July 1st is eligible. The winner will be announced at the PTA meeting on 12/12.
Register on the Cottage Lake PTA website for your chance to win! Encourage your friends and fellow CLE families to sign up too! We welcome parents, grandparents, community members, teachers and staff...anyone who would like to have a positive impact in the lives of our students.
Contact president@cottagelakepta.org if you have any questions.
Why should you join?
More important than the chance to win a tasty treat, the Cottage Lake Elementary School’s PTA supports vital academic needs, is an active voice on decisions that impact your child’s health, safety and quality of education, and builds a stronger, more inclusive school community. Join PTA for your child because increasing our membership, even by one, makes it possible to provide important educational resources, speak up on important issues at the regional and state level, and create a stronger school community. We invite you to join because we can do more together than apart!
Annual Membership Dues
- $20/year for an Individual (1 adult)
- $15/year for a Teacher/Staff member
- $25 for a Family (2 adults)
Scholarships are available and will be granted anonymously. Please email president@cottagelakepta.org to request a scholarship membership.
Member Benefits
As a member, you have a voice and a vote in the PTA. Contribute to the discussion with those topics and issues that are important to you and your family. Use your vote to help guide the direction and allocate the PTA budget. Your membership does not obligate you to attend meetings or volunteer your time. Your membership alone is an appreciated contribution to our efforts. Members also receive exclusive discounts available through the Washington State PTA.
Ice Skating in Downtown Bellevue - 11/17-1/15
Enjoy a family night out at the Bellevue Downtown Ice Rink, featuring the region’s largest covered open-air ice (real frozen water) skating experience, located at the Bellevue Downtown Park south of Bellevue Square.
Reservations can be made online now for admissions now through January 15th.
Mention Cottage Lake PTA when checking in at the rink and $3 from each paying visitor will be donated to our school.
The Bellevue Downtown Ice Rink is presented by Symetra hosted by the Bellevue Downtown Association, a 501(c)(6) non-profit organization.
School Play - Treasure Island - 1/27
Mark your calendars for your children to participate in this year's school play, Treasure Island! It will be a grand adventure brought to us by Missoula Children's Theatre.
Auditions are January 22nd with all grades encouraged to join! Rehearsals take place after school the same week, culminating with two performances on January 27th. More details coming soon on our website.
School Calendar of Events
DECEMBER:
- 4th-8th - Scholastic Book Fair
- 5th - Paint & PJs
- 11th-15th - Spirit Week
- Monday: Pajama Day
- Tuesday: Sports Day
- Wednesday: College Day
- Thursday: Twin Day
- Friday: Winter Sweater Day
- 12th - PTA Meeting, 7:00-8:00 PM
- 18th - January 1 - No School for Winter Break
JANUARY:
- 1st - No School - New Year's Day!
- 2nd - Welcome back to school!
- 9th - PTA Meeting, 7:00-8:00 PM
- 15th - No School - Martin Luther King Jr. Day
- 22nd - 27th - Missoula Children's Theater @ Cottage Lake. Our play is Treasure Island
- 27th - Performances of Treasure Island - Times TBA
- 26th - End of Semester 1 of school
- 29th - No School - Grading Day for teachers
Get Involved
We are 100% dependent on family volunteers. If we want to be able to keep hosting fun events and supporting our classrooms, we need your help!
PTA hosted events and sponsored school services that don't have volunteers step up to run them will have to be cancelled.
We've seen our volunteer numbers drop steeply in the last few years. Come help us build our community and have some fun while you're at it!
Whether you can spare an hour to help setup an event, pass out popcorn, or would like to step into a board position, everyone is welcome and appreciated.
More information can be found on the Cottage Lake PTA website or by contacting president@cottagelakepta.org.
Watch DOGS
Are you looking for a way to make an impact in your child’s life at school? Do you love dad jokes? Want to get to know your kid's friends, classmates and teachers while helping keep our school a positive place for learning?
WATCH D.O.G.S. is a national organization or parents who volunteer at least one day during the year in their child’s school. Cottage Lake Elementary is thrilled to have partnered with this organization and help provide an extra set of eyes and ears to enhance school security, reduce bullying and provide a greater sense of campus safety allowing students and teachers to focus on learning and instruction. This can only be successful with your help.
Please sign up to be a WATCH D.O.G.S. during the 2023-2024 school year.
Popcorn Fridays are back!
Our first Popcorn Friday on October 20th was a huge hit! The kids were all smiles as they raced to claim their bag from our volunteers. Our next Popcorn Friday event is on December 15th.
We're looking for a few volunteers to help make popcorn and hand it out to the kids. Popcorn is made on Thursdays and handed out on Fridays at 2nd recess. Popping takes about 3 hours and distributing takes about 1 1/2 hours, so this is a quick, low stress way to give back to the school.
Check out the SignUpGenius to grab a timeslot.
Recent Events
Monster Mash Memories
Thank you to Jackie Phairow Photography for bringing back our Monster Mash photo booth! She once again volunteered her time and expertise to provide keepsakes to our families and only charged enough to cover photo printing costs.
Digital downloads are available on the Cottage Lake PTA Monster Mash file share.
Remember to upload your photos to our Yearbook photo file share so we can capture those memories for our kids!
Dining for Dollars - November Fundraising Nights
Thank you to everyone who joined us at the Pizza Coop and the SweetSide for our November fundraising events! We raised $500 with The Pizza Coop and $148 and 2 pies with The SweetSide. Teachers and staff can look forward to sampling the sweet treats at our December staff potluck.
Thank you to everyone for participating and thank you to our fundraising partners for your support!
Stay tuned...we'll add new dine out events throughout the year. More information can be found on our website.
Stay Connected
With Our PTA
There are many ways to stay connected and informed.
Follow us on social media and our website.
Visit our website www.cottagelakepta.org
Join us on Facebook
Follow us on Instagram
With Our School
Learn more about our school through the website and newsletters.
Visit cottagelake.nsd.org
Read the Sailor Signal newsletters
These activities are not sponsored nor endorsed by the Northshore School District or any of its schools.The district assumes no responsibility for the conduct during or safety of the activities. Northshore School District shall be held harmless from any cause of action, claim, or petition filed in any court or administrative tribunal arising out of the distribution of these materials including attorney's fees and judgments or awards.
Our definition of success is connecting school, home and community...
coming together to give every child one voice.