CGE Family News

January 13-17: Spirit Week (see below)

January 14: PTO Meeting- 4:30 in the media center

January 20: No School

February 14: No School

February 17: No School

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

February 20 and 27: Evening Conferences and Art Show

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 New Year,

Our first week of school in 2025 is complete. It was a busy week of getting back in to the routine after 2 weeks off.

This month we are focusing on Building our Curiosity and Mindfulness. Classrooms are re-reading our beginning of the year book The Magical Yet and adding the companion book The Curious Why to remember that we may not be able to do something yet but to stay curious and know that with work we may be able to do it soon.

I hope you have a great weekend. Make sure to take a peek at the student council spirit week days for next week listed below.

Sincerely,

Mrs. Gram, Principal.

1/13 - My Teacher and I Swapped! Monday

Students: Dress like your favorite teacher or staff member – “professional” clothes, coffee mug or water bottle, lanyard

1/14 – Favorite Sports Team Tuesday

Wear the jersey/gear of your favorite team to watch or a team that you play on!

If you don’t play sports or watch, CGE gear is always a great option 💚

1/15 – Wacky Wednesday

Get wild for Wednesday!

Silly hairstyles, mismatched/backwards clothes, bright colors, and more 🤪

1/16 – Rhyme Without a Reason

Pair up with a friend or small group and find rhyming words to be! You could even do it on your own and have both rhymes in one outfit.

Example: Golf Pro and “Let it Go” (dress as a golfer and Elsa from Frozen)

They don’t go together, but they rhyme!

There are TONS of awesome ideas online!

1/17 – Fancy Friday

Wear your most sophisticated, upscale, and dashing outfits on Friday!

Dress shirts, skirts, dresses, bowties, and blazers are all great options.

Whatever makes you feel confident!

Make sure that whatever you choose to wear during Spirit Week will be comfortable for P.E. and warm enough for outdoor recess!

Please be advised of our cell phone and e-device policy at SoWashco

"Away for the Day"

Cell phones and E-devices are not allowed during the school day. Students must keep cell phones and E-devices in lockers or in the main office.

Please note this also includes:

• AirPods
• Smartwatches
• And any wearable electronic devices capable of sending/receiving messages and phone calls.

All students identified as English Learners (EL) will be taking the ACCESS assessment between January 27-March 7. This assessment is a federal requirement to assess English proficiency for students learning English. There are four domains tested - Reading, Writing, Speaking and Listening. For more information about the ACCESS test, please visit the Assessment and Grading website. If you have questions, please contact Emily Johnson at 651-425-5880.

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

Art Memes, Grade K-5

Master the art of exaggeration and facial expressions, bring to life cuddly polar bears and craft hilarious stories through sequential art.

• 2:30-3:30 p.m., Fridays, Jan. 17-Feb. 28, Royal Oaks Elementary
• 3:15-4:15 p.m., Thursdays, Jan. 23-Feb. 13, Cottage Grove Elementary
• 3:15-4:15 p.m., Tuesdays, Jan. 28-Feb. 25, Grey Cloud Elementary
• 3:50-4:50 p.m., Tuesdays, Jan. 28-Feb. 25, Valley Crossing Elementary
• 3:15-4:15 p.m., Wednesdays, Jan. 29-March 5, Middleton Elementary
• 3:50-4:50 p.m., Wednesdays, Jan. 29-March 5, Red Rock Elementary
• 3:15-4:15 p.m., Thursdays, Jan. 30-March 6, Pine Hill Elementary

Register

There is no school on Monday, Jan. 20. Check out non-school day activities at bit.ly/nsdSWC

Find More Classes and Activities

Mark Your Calendars: Registration for 2025 Summer Kids Club is Feb. 3-17

Families can begin registering for summer Kids Club at 9 a.m. 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.

• Date: Friday, March 21st, 2025
• Time: 7:00 pm game start time
• To Purchase Tickets: TIMBERWOLVES.COM/GROUPOFFERS + PROMO CODE: 2425COTTAGEGROVE
• Ticket Order Deadline: January 21st

Once ticket sales close, we will have a drawing for those who purchased tickets for 15-18 kids to stand next to players for the national anthem. It will be standing with the opposing team, New Orleans Pelicans. For the kids not chosen in the drawing, they will be able to shoot a free throw on the court following the game.

If you have any questions, please contact Cameron Schwarz at 612-268-0002.

PTO Meeting Calendar:

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

Tuesday, Jan 14th -Tuesday, Feb 11th - Tuesday, Mar 11th - Tuesday, Apr 15th - Tuesday, May 13th

Fundraising Nights:

• Feb 4 – Culver’s
• 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 January Sign Up to accompany their child at our guest lunch table. Our reservation link for January 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