CGE Family News

February 11: CGE Spirit Wear Day

February 12: Read my shirt day (wear a shirt with lots of school appropriate words)

February 13: Friendship Day and Kindness Shirt Day (wear a shirt that spreads kindness and joy)

February 14: No School

February 17: No School

February 19: Books and Breakfast- First Grade Families

February 21: Color Wheel Dress up Day- wear your favorite color or ALL the colors.

February 20 and 27: Evening Conferences and Art Show

February 26: Books and Breakfast- 3rd grade Families

March 7: End of Tri 2

March 10-14: Spring Break- No School

Calendar and Schedule Updates

The latest calendar updates are available at sowashco.org/calendar.

Happy Friday!

Conferences are February 20 and February 27. Conference Sign Up Link We strive for 100% participation in conferences so please sign up for a time to meet with your child's teacher and learn about the amazing things they are doing at school.

I hope you have a nice weekend!

Sincerely,

Mrs. Gram, Principal.

February is I Love to Read Month and we are all boarding the reading train! Please see the flyers below for more detailed information. It is going to be a great month!

We will be celebrating Friendship Day on February 13th. This is a day to celebrate friendship and kindness. Your child is welcome to bring in cards to share with their classmates for this fun day. We are asking that NO EDIBLE treats be brought in to share. This includes candy and chocolate which are common treats to celebrate this day. If your child brings in something edible, we will ask them to bring it home to share with your family. Please don't put our teachers in this position and refrain from sending in edible treats (just like we do for birthdays). Many students have severe allergies or families prefer their child not consume too much sugar. Thank you for respecting these wishes and keeping all of our students safe.

Buy your Yearbooks NOW! Don’t miss out on the memories of an AMAZING School Year!

Buy Your Yearbook HERE

CGE PTO is working to build a distribution list for parents who are interested in learning about volunteer opportunities for classroom and school events. This is not a commitment to volunteer but rather looking to understand interest in volunteer opportunities so the PTO/Teachers have a targeted list of parents to reach out to.

If you are interested in receiving communication related to volunteer opportunities, fill out this short form with your preferred contact method and general availability. Please complete the form by February 14th.

Note: You can still complete the form after the 14th as we will periodically check back to keep the distros up-to-date. However, if you complete it after 2/14/25, there may be a delay in being added to the distribution list(s).

SoWashCo Community Education Youth Activities

South Washington County Schools (SoWashCo Schools) offers activities and classes for youth through SoWashCo Community Education. Activities and classes are conveniently offered at your child's school, partner locations within our community and online.

The latest activities and classes can be found on our website under Get Involved > Youth Activities.

Stay Active this Winter

Available now! Register for SoWashCo Community Education winter classes and activities.

View Catalog

Register

Featured Courses

February Non-School Day Activities

There is no school on Friday, Feb. 14 for K-5 and Monday, Feb. 17 for K-12. Check out the upcoming non-school day activities for your child:

Skyhawks Multi-Sport Camp 9 a.m.-3:30 p.m., Fri, Feb. 14, Hillside Elementary, Age 5-10

Open Swim 10 a.m.-1 p.m., Mon, Feb. 17, Lake Middle School, All ages

Parents Day Out 9-11 a.m. or 1-3 p.m., Mon, Feb. 17, Conquer Ninja in Woodbury, Age 5-13

Intensive Sewing 9 a.m.-1 p.m., Mon, Feb. 17, Nena's Designs in Oakdale, Grade 4-8

Intensive Etiquette 2-5 p.m., Mon, Feb. 17, Nena's Designs in Oakdale, Age 8-12

Register

Find More Classes and Activities

Registration for 2025 Summer Kids Club is Underway

Registration for summer Kids Club began on Monday, Feb. 3. Registration will remain open until 11:59 p.m. on Monday, Feb. 17.

Requests from families already enrolled in Kids Club during the current school year will be reviewed and placed for enrollment with priority. The summer program is open to children who have completed grades K-5.

Registration for the 2025-26 school year Kids Club will be held in April.

Learn More

PTO Meeting Calendar:

All start at 4:30 pm in the Media Center at CGE

Tuesday, Feb 11th - Tuesday, Mar 11th - Tuesday, Apr 15th - Tuesday, May 13th

Fundraising Nights:

• Mar 4 – Culver’s
• Apr 1 – Culver’s
• May 6 – Culver’s

Books and Breakfast hosted by the PTO

Each grade level will have a chance to participate throughout the year. Here are the future dates for Books and Breakfast.

Feb 19th – 1st Grade

Feb 26th – 3rd Grade

May 8- 2nd Grade

May 15th – 4th Grade

CGE will be able to host limited lunch time visitors between , October 22– May 1 this school year. Based on space and safety requirements, one family member listed in Parent Portal may sign up using our February Sign Up to accompany their child at our guest lunch table. Our reservation link for February is live CLICK HERE We ask families to review the process below so that we can ensure this practice is available:

1. Sign up for the visit no later than the day prior to your visit. One guest only.
2. Upon arrival for the visit, present identification and complete the Raptor screening.
3. Wear the visitor badge so that it is visible during the entirety of the visit.
4. Go directly to the lunchroom and eat in the guest space with your student.
5. No friends or additional students will be permitted to join the guest space.
6. Visitors may not visit recess time.
7. The visit is limited to guest space during the student’s identified lunch period.
8. Any outside food brought in can only be shared with your student.
9. Do not take pictures, record, or film while at school. Use of cell phones is strongly discouraged for safety and privacy.
10. You may sign up for one spot a month to allow for other families to sign up as well.
11. PLEASE delete your reservation if you are unable to come to allow for other families to sign up.

We ask that you limit your visit to the lunchroom and not accompany your child back to the classroom. We also ask that you not visit your other children in their classroom or drop something off for them.

You will get a new link monthly to reserve your spot.

It has been a common practice to provide treats for the class in honor of a child’s birthday; however we are asking that NO EDIBLE TREATS be sent in to celebrate birthdays. We will make your child’s birthday special in the classroom without edible treats.

If you would like to send a little something to honor their day please consider an alternative birthday treat such as pencils or a book donated to the classroom. We ask that no edible treats be sent in due to varying allergy conditions and other issues related to edible treats in the classroom. Thank you for your help with following this new practice of celebrating birthdays in the classroom.

Birthday “parties” are not given in the classroom and dispersing non-edible treats is expected to take minimal time away from classroom instruction. In addition, teachers are not responsible for handing out birthday party invitations or sending email invites/RSVP reminders to the entire class. Thank you for respecting these guidelines.

If you wish to volunteer at CGE you MUST HAVE A CURRENT BACKGROUND CHECK Completed. You can visit:

https://www.sowashco.org/get-involved/volunteer

Click on The Volunteer Process.

There is a volunteer application and a link to complete your background check. It is helpful to do this early in the year so you are set in case a volunteer opportunity arises such as field trip or helping at track and field event.

If you have had a current background check WITH THE DISTRICT in the past two years and have volunteered during that time you do not need to complete another one at this time. Unfortunately we cannot accept background checks from any other organization. You must have one on file through our district.

7:30 am - School office opens

8:25 am - School opens to students

8:40 am - School day begins

3:10 pm - School day ends

3:30 pm - School office closes

NOTE: The earliest students can arrive at school in the morning is 8:25 am. All students must be picked up at 3:10 pm if not riding the bus home.

Candy Gram, Principal: cgram0@sowashco.org / 651.425.5803

Pam Olson, Office Coordinator: polson@sowashco.org / 651.425.5801

Desi Faletti, School Social Worker: dfaletti@sowashco.org / 651.425.5808

Marci Patchett, School Psychologist: mpatchet@sowashco.org / 651.425.5824

School Website: https://cges.sowashco.org/

District Website: www.sowashco.org

CGES Office: 651-425-5800

CGES Attendance Line: 651-425-5806

CGES Health Office: 651-425-5802

CGES Fax Number: 651-425-5815

SoWashCo Student Information: 651-425-6218

SoWashCoTransportation: 651-425-5303

Email: cgram0@sowashco.org
Website: https://cges.sowashco.org/
Location: 7447 65th Street South, Cottage Grove, MN, USA
Phone: 651-425-5800