Cougar Community Connection

Dear CRUNFamily,

What a great first week it was being back together as a #CRUNFamily. This week was all about being welcomed into new classroom families and learning the routines and expectations in our classrooms. The kids have all grown so much and getting to hear how they all spent their summers was fantastic. We look forward to welcoming our kindergarten friends to our CRUNFamily on Monday, August 12th. Back to School Night is upon is next Thursday, August 15th where you get the opportunity to come hear from your child(ren)'s new teacher about how life works in their classroom. We will start together in the gym and then break out into the two classroom sessions, following our time together as a CRUNFamily first. You decide how you want to break up your time as far as attending the two breakout classroom sessions. We will announce when it is time to head to the next session. For those with more than two kiddos, often what families do is split up in order to see multiple classrooms at the same time.This is a night that is primarily for you, the grownup, as it is a "sit and get" presentation from the teachers. Kids can certainly come, but the content is designed for you, the parent, to learn about the procedures in each classroom and allow you to ask questions of your child's new teacher. We hope you all were able to get back into your school routine this week and that kids came home feeling excited about their new school family. We look forward to seeing you all at B2SN!!!!!

Hello, Cougar Run Family!

The PTA is so excited for the upcoming school year. We will be having meetings the second or third Friday of each month. If you would like to get the inside scoop on our school and to get involved, then we would love to have you there. You can reach out to the PTA officers at crunpta@gmail.com to get on our mailing list. We have many community events throughout the year, so watch for our emails requesting volunteers.

For our new families, we have switched from several small fundraisers to ONE big fundraiser, our 2nd Annual (In-House) Fun Run. Rather than working with companies that take 40% of your donations, we will handle everything in-house. This will include a CRUN t-shirt, donation-level prizes, set-up, and running of the event. The Fun Run will be on Friday, October 4th, so expect to see fundraising information heading your way. We are looking for CRUN business sponsors for the Fun Run and this school year. If you are interested, then please go to https://www.givebacks.com/causes/crunpta/campaigns/c863e86efacebd to see our sponsorship levels and make your donation. We do not have student donation pages ready yet, but check back in late-August or early-September.

The PTA is here to help the whole CRUN community. We are always available at crunpta@gmail.com.

Sincerely,

CRUN PTA

Most of you got to know Mrs. Hinkle as our PE teacher for the past few years. But what you may not have known about her is that she is a Reading Specialist and first grade teacher by trade, as well as a dedicated community member as a mom of two girls who go to school here at Cougar Run. Stephanie is a bundle of joy and love, which is what draws everyone to her first and foremost. Her passion for literacy and her in depth understanding of intervention and reading made her stand apart from the rest when we were interviewing candidates for this role. Her personal investment in CRUN having two kids here, as well as her dedication and hard working spirit were two pieces that stood out to us. But the deciding factor was truly the love that she has for our students and our community. We are so happy to have Stephanie in this new role and look forward to the awesome things that she brings to the leadership team here at Cougar Run.

Our babies are our most prized possessions. Please, please, please help us to keep them safe by respecting the crossing guards who walk into the street to help our kids safely get across. We had some near accidents this week with folks not being patient enough in our crosswalks and coming through them before everyone was safely on the sidewalks. Thank you for taking the extra time to wait a couple of extra seconds before pulling through the cross walk.

Your child’s school photo will be available to view soon. You can order (or pre-order) HERE! Kindergarten, new students and any students that did not have a photo taken on August 2nd will have their photos taken on August 30.

Our District Vision and Hearing Crew will be here August 16 & 19. Please see the letter from district regarding testing. Thank you!

Hello CRUN Parents,

We are in need of volunteers next week for Vision & Hearing Screening. No prior experience is needed. There is a morning session and afternoon session, so we are hoping we can get at least eight volunteers. Please click the sign up link below:

Vision & Hearing Screening Volunteer SignUp

If you intend to volunteer in any capacity this year and haven’t already, please fill out this Parent Volunteer Agreement.

Please be on the lookout for more information regarding Volunteer Orientation.

Are you interested in after school activities at Cougar Run? Please see our website page and our Extra Curricular Activity calendar, also on our website. The description has the contact information and how to register.

8:25-8:40 Soft Start/ 3:30 PM DismissalThe entry doors open at 8:25 for students to be welcomed into school. Adult supervision outside begins at that time, so please drop your kiddos no earlier than 8:25 to ensure they are supervised and safe.

8:25-8:40

Front Door Entrance (west side of school)-Grades Kindy and 1st

Lower Playground Doors-2nd Grade

Venneford Ranch Rd Entrance (North Side of school) 3rd Grade

Garden Facing Mobile-(Next to lower playground) 4th Grade

Bus Loop Doors (East Side of school) 5th and 6th

3:30 Dismissal

Most kids exit out the doors they entered. We escort K and 1 to busses and to after school care. 1st and 2nd grade teachers walk their kids out to the lower playground at dismissal, so plan to pick your child up there as they release when they see your face. Please plan your pickup and drop off based on the doors that your student will enter/exit in all other cases, based on what grade they are in. Staff are at those doors welcoming and saying goodbye to our kids daily.

Express Check-In is now open. Please click on THIS Express Check-In and complete the check in process for each of your students before August 7th.

Log in using your Parent Portal username and password.

The Express Check-In process confirms that your student will be attending Cougar Run this school year. It also allows you to verify and update any contact information, pay school fees, view volunteer opportunities, apply for free and reduced lunches if needed, buy a bus pass and more.

Thank you in advance for taking care of this before school starts. Go to the Cougar Run website for more information.

If you are having problems getting into your Parent Portal account or using the Express Check in tool, please contact our IT department on 303-387-0001 and choose option #1 twice.

August 12th- FIRST DAY OF SCHOOL KINDERGARTEN

August 13- Cougar Run Restaurant Night

August 15th- 4:30-6:30 Back to School Night (Meet in the Gym First)

August 16th- 11:30 First PTA Meeting in the Learning Commons

August 30th- Volunteer Orientation with Katie Busch our Volunteer Coordinator

September 2nd- No School Labor Day Holiday

September 9-13- No CRUN Bus Service This Week

September 10- Cougar Run Restaurant Night

September 13- 11:30 PTA Meeting in the LC

September 16-19- Parent Teacher Conference Week (Teacher Sign Ups Will Come Soon)

September 20th- No School For Students, Teacher Professional Development Day

September 23rd- Highlands Ranch High School Homecoming Spririt Day, WEAR BLUE AND BLACK

September 25-27- 6th Grade Outdoor Ed Trip

October 4th- Annual Cougar Run Fun Run

October 8- Cougar Run Restaurant Night

October 11- 11:30 PTA Meeting

October 14-18- Fall Break