THE COUGAR COURIER November 3, 2017 Cottonwood Creek Elementary 11200 E Orchard Rd Englewood, CO 80111 Dear Cougars, Next week, we will celebrate the incredible academic growth of our students through parent/teacher conferences. Also, we will sing the praises of our Veterans for their service, contributions and sacrifices through an assembly at Cottonwood Creek. Join us! Parent/Teacher Conferences We would love to see all parents at conferences at Cottonwood Creek next week. Truly, these conversations about our Cougar students are a HUGE celebration of each student s effort, achievement and growth. If you have not signed up for a conference, please sign up ASAP and join us in your child s acknowledgement of self! Veterans Day Assembly and Concert On Thursday afternoon(november 9) at 1:45P.M., we will celebrate our Veterans service and leadership with our Cottonwood Creek family through a choir program and guest speakers. If you know a Veteran or have a family member who is a Veteran, please encourage them to join us at Cottonwood Creek for the Veterans Day assembly. Also, email me at jjaeger@cherrycreekschools.org to RSVP their attendance, and we will have reserved seating for them. No Students at COT on Friday, November 10 Students will not be at school on Friday, November 10, 2017, as numerous parent/teacher conferences will be taking place at Cottonwood Creek. Enjoy the gift of time next Friday with your Cougar students! Have a lovely week! Take care, Julie Julie Jaeger, Principal
Important Dates: November 3 Report Cards 6-10 CCSD Veterans Week 6-10 Conference Week 10 No Contact Day School Phone Numbers: Main Office: 720-554-3200 Fax: 720-554-3288 Attendance: 720-554-3295 Kids Club: 720-554-3266 Before and After School Cottonwood Kitchen: 720-554-3271 Cottonwood Nurse: 720-554-3208 SCHOOL HOURS: 8:00 a.m. to 2:45 p.m. 15 Cultural Connections Potluck Dinner 22 No Contact Day 23-24 Thanksgiving-No School Class schedules are available on the COT website: http://cottonwoodcreek.che rrycreekschools.org/
It s book fair time, Cottonwood Community! Mark your calendars for November 6 th, 7 th, 8 th, and 9 th as Cottonwood Creek hosts the Scholastic Book Fair. Students will visit the fair with their teachers on Monday to look at the available books and fill out their wish lists. You can go over the list with your child and send cash or a check to purchase the books if you so choose. Parents and community members are also invited to shop at the fair. The hours are: Monday, Nov. 6 Tuesday, Nov. 7 Wednesday, Nov. 8 Thursday, Nov. 9 11: 15 am 3:00 pm 7:45 am 4:00 pm 7:45 am 4:00 pm 7:45 am 6:30 pm If you cannot make it to school, or if you have out-of-town family who would like to participate, you can shop online and Cottonwood will still receive the credit. The profits from this fair benefit the library directly with great new books for your students to read and author visits. Books are available for all ages of children and adults. Come and find a treasure to read, or stock up for some great gifts!
Many thanks to our wonderful PTO for funding our Inside the Orchestra assemblies over the past two weeks. This is a new program to Cottonwood and I was very impressed by its educational and interactive nature. All grade levels enjoyed the initial presentation immensely, and the 5 th graders were fortunate to have a special follow-up session Inside the Conductor s Head. Thank you, PTO, for making it happen! As many of you know, my husband and I are expecting our first Little Lavrisha at the beginning of November. We are very excited for this new adventure! I will be taking an extended maternity leave through the end of the 2017-2018 school year. Starting on October 30 th, Roxanne Herbert will be my long term substitute for the remainder of the year. Ms. Herbert has been teaching music privately as well as in schools since she received her degree in music education in 2000. She loves every student she has worked with, and enjoys singing, playing the piano and guitar. Her favorite thing is putting on concerts and seeing her students shine on stage. She looks forward to meeting all of you and continuing to make musical memories with our precious little ones! In an effort to foster continuous learning and musical exploration for all of our cougars, Ms. Herbert and I are collaborating frequently to facilitate a smooth transition. Many of our students have already met her, and we will continue this process over the next couple of weeks to ensure we are all on the same page as we move on with the school year. Please join me in welcoming Ms. Herbert to our Cottonwood Family! Sing cerely, Natalie Lavrisha Cottonwood Creek Elementary Music Education
Hello from the ART ROOM!!!!! Fall is in the air.and the hallways of Cottonwood! Be sure to take a tour of our latest projects including: 5th grade- Southwest Cactus Pots
4th grade and 3rd Grade- El Dia de los Muertos 2nd- Old Bear Winter is Coming 1st Paul Klee Pumpkins
Kindergarten Pumpkins and Fall Fox in the Aspen New art is in the museum! Be sure to check it out at http://www.artsonia.com Welcome, Parents & Family! Artsonia is the world's largest kids' art museum. Our dream is that every child will have a special art gallery online, reflecting their masterpieces from pre-school through high-school, preserved for all time! Thank you to all of you who have made purchases from Artsonia! Did you know that we receive 20% of all orders and we are able to purchase unique materials including charcoal pencils, texture tools for clay, metallic paint, print making ink and plates all because of our amazing art fans. Thank you! Thank you! Art Room Volunteers Sign up Genius link for volunteer slots is up and running. Thank you to Amanda Prager for organizing our volunteers. http://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0c4baaad29a75-group Thank you for always supporting the art room at Cottonwood Creek! I couldn t do it without you! Dawn Thompson Wish list: Paper plates Acrylic craft paints that you may have laying around - assorted colors
There have been exciting things happening in the S.T.E.M. Lab which focus on aerospace engineering and materials engineering. As always, students can access all of the links we use in the class at home and describe what they have accomplished by going to: https://sites.google.com/a/cherrycreekschools.org/cottonwoodelementary-technology-department/ In fifth grade, we continued our first PBL (Project Based Learning) project focused on Aerospace Engineering. Students started to solve a real-world problem and started to design kites as a solution to the problem. Students will finish construction of kites, test, and make any improvements. Fourth grade started working on Space Exploration and will eventually construct rockets that will carry a payload to a distant planet. Third grade started to participate in a design challenge that requires them to construct a boat that can cross a distance of water the quickest. Students will define a simple design problem reflecting a need or a want that includes specified criteria for success and constraints while generating and comparing multiple possible solutions. Additionally, the S.T.E.M program is in need of the following items: Coffee Filters Foil Used LEGO s Plastic wrap and paper cups Used mechanical toys for a reverse engineering project ddennstedt@cherrycreekschools.org Darren Dennstedt S.T.E.M./Technology Teacher Cottonwood Creek Elementary
Creativity is flowing in Primary STEM this rotation. All students are working on problem solving skills in a variety of ways. We are practicing thinking and creating like engineers! In Kindergarten, students were introduced to computer coding through a variety of means. They ve been creating algorithms for a family going on a bear hunt, for a dog finding a tennis ball, and for Colby, a robot mouse, to find his cheese. Students get to apply what they ve learned by using one of our school s ipad coding apps. In First Grade, students learned about the jobs that zookeepers perform. Each student chose a zookeeper and brainstormed a problem that this particular zookeeper would have. Then, students designed hats using STEM materials to help solve the problem. Sharing our creations is building our communication skills. Second Grade students are working with our Lego Learn2Learn kits. Students explored the pieces and moving parts, practiced building under constraints using limited pieces, and followed complex directions. Finally, students were introduced to the concept of a machine. They then used their Legos to build a machine, which would solve a problem important to them.
CCSD Challenge School Application is now available on their website! challenge.cherrycreekschools.org Challenge School is a Kindergarten-8th grade magnet school in Cherry Creek School District charged with the mission of meeting the needs of academically advanced and motivated students. Any student in the district may apply to Challenge. The purpose of the admissions process is to select students who demonstrate advanced academic achievement in math and/or language arts and possess the attributes that reflect the school mission and purpose to inspire, empower and challenge motivated students who are academically advanced and/or gifted. Online applications can be found on their website under the Prospective Students tab or by following this link: http://challenge.cherrycreekschools.org/pages/prospective-students.aspx The online applications will be available from Wednesday, November 1, 2017- Wednesday, January 17, 2018. Challenge School also offers Prospective Parent Information Sessions on Tuesday and Wednesday mornings throughout their application season. Please call the Challenge Office at 720-747-2100 to RSVP for a Parent Information Session. Are You Missing Something?
Has your student misplaced a jacket, water bottle, or perhaps a lunch pail? Please check our lost and found to rediscover your lost treasure! Any items not recovered by Monday, December 4 th will be boxed up for donation. Thank you!
Beyond Mama Bear How to Survive the Balancing Act of Parenting Teenagers Tuesday, November 7th, 9:15 11:15 a.m. Wednesday, November 15th, 7:00 8:30 p.m. Is your adolescent rushing in on you like a high tide? Come learn how you can be the safe harbor, a lighthouse, a beacon, the safety of home and shore. Is your teenager driving you crazy? Don t take it personally. Discover the signs of trouble and understand when they might need help! Visit www.pinccsd.org for Podcasts and Meeting Highlights There is hope for frazzled families! Join Lisa Lane Filholm, a high school teacher (and parent) who has seen it all, at the next PIN presentation for some some frank, funny, practical advice for staying vigilant during these topsy-turvy years. Lisa will share how the role of parenting must change from mama bear, when our kids are cubs, to a peregrine falcon (to watch them), a ninja (to disarm them), a personal trainer (to work them), and a mentor (to guide them) as they become teenagers. Parents who know, protect and honor their teenagers can find balance for the whole family. Parents, school administrators and community members are welcome and encouraged to attend PIN s presentations. No need to RSVP! Presentations are FREE and are held the first Tuesday of each month at: Student Achievement Resource Center (SARC) 14188 E. Briarwood Avenue, Centennial (South of Arapahoe Rd., between Potomac and Jordan Roads) Nov. 7th & 15th: Beyond Mama Bear: Surviving the Balancing Act of Parenting Teenagers Dec. 5th: This is Only a Test: Reducing Anxiety, Learning Strategies, Improving Results
Jr. Bruin Cheer Clinic (Winter) K 8th Grade Are you interested in cheerleading? Are you looking for a Winter activity to attend? We have just the right clinic for both returning and first-time Jr. Bruin Cheerleaders Clinic Date: Saturday, December 16th Cheer Clinic Time: 1:30 pm 5:00 pm Location: Cherry Creek High School South Gym Cost: $75 Staff: CCHS Cheer Coaches and CCHS Cheerleaders Register: www.milehighsportscamps.com/cheerleading Performance Date: Friday, January 26th Performance @ CCHS South Gym Cherry Creek Coaches & Cheerleaders will be teaching Jr. Bruin Cheerleaders a routine to perform during half-time at the January 26th Varsity Boys Basketball Game! Registration includes a newly designed t-shirt and photo with the Varsity Cheerleaders! Don t miss out on this SUPER FUN opportunity! Please email questions to: cccheerbooster@gmail.com