The Bobcat Brief

Monday, April 15-Friday, April 19: Spring Break for Students

Monday, April 22: Military Appreciation Week Begins: Support Your Favorite Military Branch of Service & Earth Day

Tuesday, April 23: Camo Day; Parris Island Marine Band, and Military Appreciation Lunch (see below)

Wednesday, April 24: Purple Up Day - Wear Purple

Thursday, April 25: Wear Red, White, and Blue Day & STEM Night 5:30-6:30

Friday, April 26: Wear Red to Honor Deployed Service Members (College Colors Day Cancelled)

Coosa's Drumline performed this morning at our car rider drop off area. They did an amazing job and we are so proud of the growth they have made this year under Mrs. Smith.

Congratulations to the Coosa students who were identified as Artistically or Musically Gifted and Talented. These students were screened and auditioned for this designation (two students not pictured).

Just a reminder as we move into Spring Break, BCSD issued devices (laptops and iPads) are to be used for academic purposes only. Mrs. Roberts has had conversations with several students recently about searching for non-school related things or listening to music videos via YouTube. The snip below is directly from the Connect2Learn Handbook that is provided during yearly registration/re-registration for BCSD. The full handbook can be viewed here: https://www.beaufortschools.net/families/technology If you have any questions, please reach out to Mrs. Roberts at renee.roberts@beaufort.k12.sc.us. Thank you for your support!

GENERAL USE OF THE MOBILE DEVICE

● The intended use of the device is for academic purposes (classroom activities, homework, research, communication, etc.) and the privilege does not extend to family members.

● Students who take their device home are required to bring their mobile devices to school each day fully charged. Students who leave mobile devices at home will be required to complete alternate assignments as determined by the teacher. Students may be subject to disciplinary action for repeatedly failing to bring the mobile device to school.

● Each student is responsible for all usage of and content stored on the device issued to them.

● Students are not permitted to lend their device or accessories to anyone or borrow another student’s mobile device or accessories.

● Student devices are subject to routine monitoring by teachers, administrators, and technology staff. Users shall have no expectation of privacy while using the mobile device. Teachers, school administration and/or technology staff may conduct an individual search of a student’s mobile device at any time, including any content stored on or communication conducted using the device.

Our Annual STEM Night is approaching. This is a fun event for our students and families as they engage in STEM activities that require critical thinking and creativity. When arriving, students will report to their grade specific locations (PreK/K- yellow pod; Grade 1 and 2 - red pod; Grade 3- blue pod; and Grade 4 and 5 - cafeteria and gym. When students finish with their grade level activity, they will visit the "STEM Personality" station in the foyer with Mrs. Isley to complete a short survey and enter the raffle for a chance to win a STEM related door prize (grade specific). Students can visit other pods after completing their grade level STEM activities, if they choose to do so (based on interest and level of difficulty).

Did you know April is the Month of the Military Child? Beaufort County School District has officially designated April 22nd to April 26th as Military Appreciation Week. We are SUPER excited to have the Dirty Boots Brass Band (Parris Island Marine Band) performing at our student assembly on April 23. Our chorus will be singing the National Anthem and the Drumline will perform as well.

* The information in the flyer below is also listed above.

Coosa will be hosting a family cookout on Tuesday, April 23rd as an additional way of showing appreciation for our Military families. All families are welcome to attend, not just military families.

PreK- 10:00, Kindergarten-10:20, 1st grade-12:05, 2nd grade-11:40; 3rd grade-11:05, 4th grade- 11:20, and 5th grade- 12:35. Please arrive early to ensure you are checked-in (with your ID) to make it to lunch on time.

Menu:

Hot Dog, Hamburger, or Grilled Chicken

Baked Beans

Green Beans

Watermelon

Water or Ice Tea

The preferred method of payment is through the OSP link or QR code below. Cash or check is accepted prior to the event. Individuals can pay exact cash the day of the luncheon, if needed. The deadline for RSVP is today. Link to payment- click here.

The Wellness Team's April Challenge is in full swing. This month's challenge is focused on promoting conversational turns for our students and their families. Your student should have received supplies to create “Let’s Talk! Boxes” – supplies include a foldable white box (for your child to decorate), cutting sheets with conversation topics, and a calendar. To participate, families will choose a different topic each day to initiate intentional conversations. Students can color in a box each day they participate in the challenge, and the flip side of the calendar includes valuable facts and research to show you, parents, the benefits of talking with your kids!

Students who participate in the challenge will be entered into a drawing (more entries for more boxes colored!) for baskets that include fun, engaging games and activities that promote conversation at home. (The prize baskets are awesome!) Drawing will take place after April 30 – the deadline for turning in completed calendars. Have fun and Happy Chatting!

Each year, the Friends of Port Royal Cypress Wetlands hosts an event at the wetlands to celebrate the nesting season. “Birthday for the Birds” is family friendly, but geared toward elementary school-age children. This year’s event is quickly approaching! The date is Sunday, April 28th, and festivities begin at 2:00pm. Attendees can look forward to:

• Port Royal Sound Foundation will bring a live alligator, turtle, and snake for kids to see up close.
• Lowcountry Raptors will bring live owls and perhaps a hawk or other birds of prey.
• A Scavenger hunt to give kids a chance to identify the various animals/birds/plants they see.
• Master Naturalists will be posted along the boardwalk to answer any questions that participants may have.
• They will have cupcakes and sing “Happy Birthday” in celebration of another successful nesting season, greeting the new hatchlings that we hope will make an appearance right around this time.

Find out more here: https://www.facebook.com/events/1529611020966873/?acontext=%7B%22event_action_history%22%3A[]%7D

** This is not a school-sponsored event. However, we thought it would be a great family event for those interested in attending.

The end of the year is quickly approaching, and we wanted to ensure your calendars are marked for SC Ready Testing for students in Grades 3 – 5. Below are our school-specific testing dates and a few important notes.

Coosa Testing Dates:

Tuesday, May 14: Reading (Gr. 3, 4, 5)
Wednesday, May 15: Writing (Gr. 3, 4, 5)

Tuesday, May 21: Math (Gr. 3, 4, 5)
Wednesday, May 22: Science (Gr. 4 ONLY)
Thursday, May 23: Writing Field Test (Gr. 3, 4, 5)

• We ask that all students come to school well rested, well fed, and on time prepared to do their best.
• Testing begins promptly at 8:00am. Students that arrive late will not be allowed to enter the testing environment. They will be required to test at an alternate time or date.
• This testing allows your students to demonstrate their mastery of grade level standards.
• During testing students may not be in possession of any electronic device that can be used for communicating, recording, timing, creating images, or storing images. These devices include, but are not limited to, cell phones, media players, electronic readers, smart watches, and headphones. Parents and students should be aware that these devices will be collected by the TA before testing begins. During testing students are prohibited from using the testing device to create, store, or transmit by any means any documents or images. This is a state requirement.

Please contact your child’s teacher or our testing coordinator, Mrs. Roberts, with any questions or concerns. More information will continue to be provided about these important assessments as we get closer to the administration dates.

The Parent and Guardian School Climate Survey deadline is nearing. We sincerely appreciate you taking the time to complete this 5-10 minute survey as these results will be reflected on our SC School Report Card and will be used to inform decision-making on the school, district, and state levels.

Parents can take the survey up until April 12th in the PowerSchool Parent Portal. Parents who HAVE already accessed their child’s PowerSchool – the directions to take the survey are included below. For those parents who HAVE NOT created a PowerSchool Parent Portal account, the access instructions specific to your student were included with your child's 3rd quarter report card.

Please read each statement and choose the best response from the choices given. As you read each statement, please consider the entire year rather than isolated events. Your answers will be anonymous and confidential. School administrators will receive only a summary of the answers.

Thank you for taking time to give us your honest opinions and feedback. Working together helps to ensure that we have better schools and brighter futures for every student. A strong partnership with families is instrumental in making our education system successful.

PowerSchool Parent Portal: https://beaufortsc.powerschool.com/public/home.html

Step 1: GO TO PowerSchool Parent Portal: https://beaufortsc.powerschool.com/public/home.html

Step 2: Click on forms on the left side of the page and then click “2024 Parent and Guardian School Climate Survey”.

Step 3: Follow prompts to complete survey.

Thank you to our 2023-2024 Champion, Gold and Silver Business Partnerships:

Bobcat Champion:

• Harris Pillow Supply

Bobcat Gold:

• Williams Group PR LLC

Bobcat Silver:

• Beaufort Massage & Bodywork
• Sea La Vie Salon
• Lighthouse Overhead Garage Doors
• Coastal Waste and Recycling