Cougar Community Connection
Principal, Shannon McPherson
1/10/25
Dear CRUNFamily,
Happy New Year! we hope you all had a wonderful holiday break. It was a strange week of weather, to say the least, but we made the best of it being back together with our sweet CRUNFamily. We are at the midyear point in the school year and our teachers are busily analyzing our diagnostic growth data, celebrating the incredible progress our kids have made thus far and making instructional decisions for the rest of the year. Academic excellence is a priority at Cougar Run and we use our PLC time, (Professional Learning Communities) each week to collaborate with teaching teams and support staff around student learning to ensure we are supporting kids where they are in their academic journey every single week. When we get to our summative assessments, we have a great idea of how our kids will perform because we keep a steadfast eye on their progress weekly throughout the year in our cornerstone subjects of reading, writing and math. We look forward to parent/teacher conferences in February to share the data in greater detail with you as well as the plan for your kiddos for the remainder of the school year ensuring your child's readiness for their next grade. Links to sign up for conferences will be in your teacher's newsletters or you can access ALL GRADE LEVELS sign ups here - https://signup.com/go/KxQPNoi
A Note From PTA
Hello #CRUNfamily
We hope you all had a great Winter Break!
Our next event is MUFFINS WITH MENTORS Jan 31st from 7:30-8:30! We are excited to see you all there!
As a reminder, we do not have a PTA meeting g this month, Please feel free to join our next PTA meeting in February in person or join on Zoom. We always love seeing new and returning faces! Join the Zoom: HERE
Don’t forget to check out the PTA website for all things PTA, reserve the Rock, and keep up to date on School happenings! As always, THANK YOU to our business sponsors this year!!! We are so grateful for the community support you provide:
The CRUN PTA
Spotlight On~2nd Grade Team
Mrs. Halvorsen, Mrs. Dimino and Mrs. Giuffria head up this fantastic 2nd grade team. They are supported by none other than the fabulous Mrs. Kozal as their interventionist and together they make this last year of primary elementary school an incredibly rigorous and fun experience for our 2nd graders. Once you leave 2nd grade, you shift from 'learning to read' to 'reading to learn'. Comprehension becomes the cornerstone domain focus in 3rd-6th grade because reading to understand is the whole purpose of reading. This team ensures that the foundational reading skills are mastered and the kids are learning and practicing comprehension skills and strategies along with those emergent reading skills in order to be ready for that big jump to third grade. Math is no joke either in the upper grades, so they keep the kids engaged and focused on all things foundational in mathematics balanced with the problem solving skills needed to succeed in the upper grade math curriculum. It sounds all business, but these ladies are masterful with making learning be filled with joy, love and lots of fun. We are so grateful for the expertise and passion on this team and see how much the kids love being in second grade during their time in these classrooms.
Universal Screening CogAT 2nd Grade
Dear Parents/Guardians,
DCSD is committed to implementing equitable practices to increase access to advanced/gifted learning opportunities. Based on state and national recommendations and requirements, we implement Universal Screening for students in 2nd grade (February).
2nd Grade Universal Screen
As part of this process, ALL students in 2nd grade not identified for gifted programming will take the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) February 4, 5, & 6. This assessment indicates the level and pattern of cognitive development of a student in comparison to grade and age mates. These general reasoning abilities, which start developing at birth and continue through early adulthood, are influenced by experiences gained both in and out of school.
If your child is already identified for gifted programming, they will not participate in this universal screen testing. Your Gifted Education Facilitator will contact you directly with information about this process.
Kindergarten/ 1st Grade Gifted Identification Referral Testing
If your child is in K or 1st grade and you believe he/she needs evaluation for Gifted Identification and Services, you may refer your child for testing by initiating the Gifted Identification Process.
NOTE: Requesting this assessment automatically initiates the process to evaluate for Gifted Identification.
Please request CogAT testing for your child by completing the Referral for Gifted Identification linked HERE
Upon receipt of this form the Gifted Education Facilitator will connect with you to discuss next steps in the gifted identification process.
3rd-6th Grade Homework Club
Cougar Run Homework Club
**SPRING SEMESTER 2025**
Provided by Cresthill Middle School Students
Starting January 15, 2025, students from Cresthill Middle School will provide homework support to 3rd-6th graders at Cougar Run. Teachers will also be there to supervise and help students. Students will be expected to come prepared with their homework, work independently and quietly, and follow ROCKS behavior during this time.
Time: 3:30 pm to 4:00 pm
Day: Every Wednesday from January 15th to May 14th when school is in session. (**NO HW CLUB February 12 due to conferences or April 9 due to CMAS testing.)
Where: Cougar Run Learning Commons
Who: 3rd, 4th, 5th, and 6th graders
*The sign-up form is in your Friday folder.
*Please see Mrs. Kendall for a form or if you have any questions
Get Your 24-25 Yearbooks Starting Now!!!
It’s the time of year to start ordering your 2024-2025 Yearbook! See the information in the graphic to order yours today.
A Note From Your Volunteer Coordinator~Katie Busch
Please be on the lookout for SignUps for the following events:
January 31st: Muffins with Mentors
February - Help with Little Cougar & Kindy Graduation Photos
March - Spring Photos & Family Glow Dance
May - Field Day, Staff Appreciation, & End-of-the-Year Carnival
Upcoming Dates to Remember
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 31-7:30 Muffins with Mentors
February 7 8:45 PTA Meeting in the LC (Also Virtual Option)
February 10-13- Parent/Teacher Conference Week (See your teacher's schedule for sign ups)
February 14 & 17- NO SCHOOL PRESIDENT'S WEEKEND HOLIDAY
March 14- 8:45 PTA Meeting
March 14-PTA Family Glow Dance
March 17-21-Spring Break No School
April 7-11- CMAS Testing Grades 3-6
April 11-8:45 PTA Meeting
April 25- No School- Staff Compensation Day
April 28-No School For Students DCSD Professional Development Day
May 2- Field Day
May 5-9- Staff Appreciation Week
May 15- Kindy Graduation
May 23- Last Day Of School/PTA Sponsored Cougar Run Carnival
