Cougar Corner

Saturday 4/6 Elementary Chess Tournament @ CMS

Wednesday 4/10 K-5 Math MAP (AK STAR 3-5)

Thursday 4/11 2nd grade Language MAP

Wednesday 4/17 K-5 Reading MAP (AK STAR 3-5)

Thursday 4/18 Music Festival @ PHS

Friday 4/19 Josh the Otter Presentation (Kindergarten)

Friday 4/26 Professional Learning - No School for Students

Thursday 5/2 Kindergarten Concert 6:00pm

Monday 5/6 PTO Meeting in the Library @ 4:00pm

Wednesday 5/8 Kindergarten Night (4:30-5:30)

Thursday 5/9 Band/Choir/Orchestra Concert 6:00pm

Thursday 5/9 Dominos Fundraiser night

Friday 5/10 Science Fair

Monday 5/13 3rd Grade trip to AK Wildlife Conservation Center

Thurs. 5/17 & Fri. 5/18 4th Grade Trip to Seward

Tuesday 5/21 Awards Assemblies

Tuesday 5/21 5th Grade Incentive Trip

Wednesday 5/22 5th Grade Promotion 2:00pm

Thursday 5/23 Field Day / Last Day of School

Our spring testing season kicks off next week and we have some important reminders for families:

On testing days is important for children to arrive to school on time and preferably stay for the full day. Late arrivals and early dismissals are disruptive to the other students in class and also give your student less time to complete the exam.

It is also important that your child come to school on testing days ready for success. Be sure your children are getting a good nights sleep the night before and also have a good breakfast on testing days.

We are now accepting boundary exemption applications for the 2024-2025 school year. Boundary exemptions do not renew automatically and must be submitted every year prior to competing school registration. Applications are to be submitted online through your ParentVUE portal. Instructions on how to apply available by following the link below.

Save the date - Our Kindergarten open house will be Wednesday, May 8, from 4:30-5:30!

If you have an incoming kindergarten student this fall be sure to come to our open house. You will have a chance to meet all the teachers and explore their classrooms. We will also have sign ups open to schedule your roll-in date for this fall. Can't wait to see you there and meet some future Cougars!

Our Lost & Found is overflowing again. We'd love to see these items get back to their homes. Please stop by or ask your student to stop by and take a look and reclaim what they're missing.

We want to give a big congratulations to all the Cottonwood students who competed at the district Science Olympiad tournament last weekend! You all worked so hard! The following students earned medals in these categories:

Egg Drop - 1st Place - James Rinck

Mystery Boxes - 3rd Place - Zenelle Carlson & Kasila Udy

Paper Rockets - 2nd Place - Madison Seaboalt & Lincoln Chud

Paper Rockets - 3rd Place - Zenelle Carlson & Landon Hannah

Tennis Ball Catapult - 1st Place - Madison Seaboalt

Tennis Ball Catapult - 3rd Place - Landon Hannah

Write it, Do it - 3rd Place - Kasila Udy & Landon Hannah

We are now celebrating spring, ALASKA style. That means increasing daylight hours. In the month of April, the sun sets at the beginning at 9:29 PM, and by the end of the month the sun will set at 11:02PM. The hardest thing for all parents right now is getting your children on a regular sleep schedule. Teachers cannot teach students who are sleeping in class or who are too tired to do the work required during a school day. Poor concentration, decrease in attention span, mental alertness, and ability to learn are signs of sleep deprivation. Sleep is an essential element of success for children. Please take time to check out this Mayo Clinic web page on good sleep habits for children and families. https://www.mayoclinichealthsystem.org/hometown-health/speaking-of-health/sleep-an-essential-element-of-success-for-children

The National Sleep Institute recommends these hours of sleep:

· 12–17hrs for newborns and infants

· 11–14hrs for ages 1–2

· 10–13hrs for ages 3–5

· 9–11hrs for ages 6–13

· 8–10hrs for ages 14–17

· 7–9hrs for adults

Your School Nurse, Suzanne Chapelle RN

We're hopeful the weather will cooperate and allow us to bring back Popcorn Fridays soon. In order to run that event we need 2-3 adult volunteers each Friday beginning mid-late April through the end of school. If you're willing and able to help please sign up on the sheet in the office. Thank you!

Our last Dominos Fundraiser of the school year will be on Thursday, May 9! Be sure to save the date and order some Dominos that night to support our school.

The results from the Spring 2023 AK STAR administration are now available for you to view in ParentVUE if your child tested in Mat-Su in spring 2023. Directions on how to view these reports are attached as well as the AK STAR Family Guide to Assessment Reports. If you child tested in another district in Alaska in spring 2023, you will need to contact the previous district for results.

Please review the attached AK STAR Results Flyer to see the timeline from the Department of Education and early Development to understand the delay in releasing these results. You may also view Commissioner Bishop’s short video on Adopting New AK STAR Cut Scores here.