Cougar Community Connection

Dear CRUNFamily,

It was a beautiful week coming off of "Snowmageddon". Sunny skies and warm temps allowed us to play outside and enjoy whatever is left of fall. These last few weeks are going to go fast before the new year so buckle up, ya'll because it'll be here before we know it. Right when we get back from Thanksgiving break we will be starting our midyear diagnostic assessments. We value this data because it allows us to see the impact of instruction thus far on the academic growth of our kiddos. These will be in the areas of reading and math although classrooms will be collecting writing growth data using their own tools. We use this data in our data protocols to make instructional next step decisions for our kids going into second semester. What kiddos need more support in certain areas? What kids are flying and need to be pushed more? What tweaks can we make to our classroom groups as well as our WIN groups? Knowing that this data is used in meaningful and targeted ways, we need your help. Please ensure that your kiddos are getting good sleep and good meals at home to feed their brains to be ready for the assessments. We also feed our babes breakfast and lunches at school to fuel them while they are with us. It takes a lot of brain power to stay focused and do your best on these assessments so thank you for also having those conversations with your kids about home about how important it is to do your best so teachers can see how much our babies have learned this first half of the year. As always, we appreciate your partnership and couldn't do this without our fabulous parents!

Hello #CRUNfamily
We have some upcoming events to put on your radar in December:

• December 5th from 5-7 is Art & Cultural Night! Join us as we do crafts and learn about the cultures represented in our school! If you are interested in hosting a table, or helping us out that evening follow the link to this signup form: https://signup.com/go/DAXPJAd We will be offering a $200 food supply budget to families hosting a table.
• December 10-12 will be the Holiday Market! Soon we will be displaying the array of gifts your kiddos will be able to purchase. As a reminder, proceeds go to giving families in our community gift cards that may need a little extra help purchasing gifts for the holidays!

The CRUN PTA

Jeffery Jones is our kitchen manager here at Cougar Run. He runs a stellar cafeteria and has established a culture of love and welcoming in our kitchen. He has a fantastic crew of folks who are genuinely excited to see our kids and serve them meals every single day here at Cougar Run. They work hard to learn our kids names and even a little bit about them, helping to create another place in our building where kids feel welcomed and valued each and every day. Lilu Echegavay is our newest member of our kitchen team, also joined by Wanitaya Newberry. Together these folks feed our kids tummies and hearts in our CRUN cafeteria daily. We are grateful for their service to our staff and kids.

Next Week - Volunteer Opportunity

Mrs. Woody could still use several volunteers for next week’s Book Fair, especially clean-up on Friday the 22nd. Please sign up to help HERE.

December Volunteer Opportunities

Thursday, December 5th 5-7pm

Our phenomenal PTA, along with Mrs. Joines is hosting our 2nd Annual Art & Cultural Night. Please use this SIgnUp https://signup.com/go/DAXPJAd to volunteer for Art Night.

December 10th-12th

The PTA is raising funds for CRUN families in need at the Holiday Shop. The PTA could use adult cashiers. Please use this SignUp https://signup.com/go/GCjOjgJ.

Attention all book-loving bookworms! Are you ready to unleash your imagination and escape the digital doldrums? Then mark your calendars, because the ultimate page-turning extravaganza is coming your way – the Book Fair!

During the upcoming breaks, treat your little ones to the joy of holding a real, tangible book in their hands. No screens, no scrolling, just the satisfying heft of paper and the promise of adventure.

So gather your family, friends and neighbors and come on down to the Book Fair. Let's fill those shelves and ignite the spark of wonder in every child's eyes. After all, there's nothing quite like the thrill of discovering your next literary soulmate.
See you there, bookworms!

Monday, Nov. 18th - Student Previews
Tuesday, Nov. 19th- 8:00am-6:30pm
Wednesday, Nov. 20th- 8:00am-6:30pm
Thursday, Nov. 21st- 8:00am-5:00pm
Friday, Nov. 22nd-8:00am-3:30pm

Lastly, as you know, these events just can't happen without the help of our awesome volunteers. There are numerous opportunities for you to support and help out. You can sign up HERE!

Hello Folks,

We have a few choir events coming up so check them out below.

5th and 6th grades interested in DCSD Honors Choir

Rockin Cougar Choir Concert December 19 at 6:30pm in the Gym

Art To Remember

Hi families and friends,

Our school is participating in a creative fundraiser with Art to Remember that allows you to purchase keepsake products customized with your child's art. There are over 60 products and many are less than $20. These make great gifts and a percentage of every purchase goes right back to our school. Click on the link below and enter the online order code shown on your child's order form or to search for your child's artwork. Then, have fun shopping!

https://arttoremember.com/school/4WEEK9

The Open Enrollment window for the 25-26 school year is opening on November 1 - December 2nd. This is only for families who live outside of Cougar Run boundaries and have a NEW student for next school year. IF you have a NEW student who you would like to attend Cougar Run for the upcoming 25-26 school year AND your address is out of the Cougar Run boundaries, then you will need to apply for Open Enrollment for your NEW student. You can go to this link to apply for Open Enrollment.

All current students will be automatically enrolled into the next grade level. No need to enroll your current Cougar Run student for next year.

Dear Families,

We will be having a cultural celebration on December 5th from 5:00-7:00. We would love to have your family participate. In the gym, we will provide a table for you to display your family’s culture. You will present information from your country through dress, food, a drink, a craft, and/or flags. For the food, it would be a bite-size finger food of an item. Please let me know if you are interested or if you have any questions about this event. I will send more details once I hear back from you. Please email me at aakendall@dcsdk12.org.

Thank you,

Allena Kendall

Bellisimo Blu Salon and Academy presents Junior Beauty Night for kids aged 8-13 November 22. See the flyer HERE!

Parents,

We are excited to create a memorable keepsake for students this year, but we cannot be everywhere to photograph every event nor every classroom. We have to depend on YOU to submit photos in order to create this keepsake. Please submit your information and photos to this form. You can fill out the form as many times as you would like! Thank you for being the eyes and the photographers to make this successful!

HERE is the Yearbook Submission Form.

November 18-22- CRUN Book Fair

November 25-29- NO SCHOOL THANKSGIVING BREAK

December 2-6- NO CRUN BUS THIS WEEK

December 5- 5:00PM Art and Culture Night at CRUN

December 9-13- CRUN Holiday Shoppe (Hosted by PTA)

December 10-CRUN Restaurant Night

December 12- ROCKS Assemblies 9:00 PK-2nd Grade, 2:15-3rd-6th

December 13- 8:45am PTA Meeting in the LC (All Are Welcome)

December 20-January 6- NO SCHOOL WINTER BREAK-School Resumes January 7th

January 10-8:45 PTA Meeting in the LC

January 14-CRUN Restaurant Night

January 17-No School for Students Professional Development Day for Teachers

January 20-No School DCSD Closed Martin Luther King Jr Day Holiday

January 21-24 NO CRUN BUS THIS WEEK

January 31-7:30 Muffins with Mentors