CPA Tiger Talk

Monday October 28: Quarter 2 begins

Tuesday October 29: School Picture Retake Day (see below)

Friday November 8: No School for PreK-4th Grade, Digital Learning Day for Grades 5-12

Wednesday November 13: PreK-12th Grade Evening Conferences

Thursday November 14: No School for PreK-4th Grade ONLY Due To Conferences (5-12th grade has a normal school day)

Thursday November 14: PreK-4th Grade Daytime Conferences

Thursday November 14: 5-12th Grade Evening Conferences

Friday November 15: No School

Tuesday November 19: CPA's Multicultural Celebration, 6-7:30pm

Wednesday Nov 27 - Friday Nov 29: No School (Thanksgiving Break)

For the full 2024-2025 CPA Calendar, please visit the CPA website.

Free Breakfast is available to all students 7:40-8:30am every day.

Please encourage your students to arrive on time and eat a free breakfast!

All Minnesota students are able to receive a free lunch every day. Students who wish to purchase a second lunch may do so. Students or staff can add money to their lunch account using the SchoolPay system.

Current breakfast and lunch menus can be found on the CPA website.

The CPA middle school and high school basketball season is beginning soon!

• HS Girls will have their first practice November 11. Open gym will take place on Wednesdays from 3:30-5pm beginning on October 23 in the RGA.
• HS Boys will have their first practice November 18. Open gym will take place on Saturdays from 10am-12pm in the RGA beginning on October 26.

Students must have a sports physical on file to play on the high school teams. For more information, visit the CPA website or contact CPA's Athletic Director Kenan Moore at kenanm@cpapk12.org or 651-280-4527.

Registration is now open for the Wilder Rec Center basketball teams!

Registration forms are available outside the PreK-8 office. Bring complete forms to the Wilder Rec Center to get signed up! For more information, contact the Wilder Rec Center.

CPA is not in charge of this program, and CPA staff members will not be present. For information about the CPA basketball program, contact CPA's Athletic Director Kenan Moore at kenanm@cpapk12.org or 651-280-4527.

CPA's 30th Annual Dedication Day was on Thursday, October 24. Dedication Day is a CPA tradition where the members of the CPA community recommit ourselves to our Vision, Mission, and Core Values. Our celebration included a program featuring student performers and speakers; a video of the program and a collection of photos are below for all members of our community to enjoy!

Thank you to all students and staff for your help in ensuring the CPA community remains dedicated to our Vision, Mission, and Core Values.

Make sure you are following CPA on social media to see all the amazing things that are happening at our school!

Follow CPATigers on Facebook and Instagram and subscribe to Rusty the CPA Tiger on Youtube!

CPA Families, Fall Conferences will take place on Wednesday November 13 and Thursday November 14. Please watch for an email from your child’s teacher with information about scheduling your conference. We are looking forward to connecting with you about your child’s progress.

Do you know a community member who would be interested in getting involved at CPA? Our Board of Directors is currently seeing a Community Member.

A community member representative cannot be a current staff member or parent. Former staff, parents, or students are welcome to apply. Anyone who is interested should contact Sarah Zosel at sarahz.board@cpapk12.org.

The 2024 Ann Bancroft Foundation Girlhood Summit will take place on Saturday November 2 at the Minnesota History Center. This in-person event is a unique, no-cost opportunity for girl-identifying youth to come together, learn from each other, and grow in confidence.

Participants will hear from inspiring speakers, participate in interactive workshops, and connect with other girls who are passionate about making a difference. Visit the Girlhood Summit website to register or to learn more!

Community of Peace Academy is not in charge of this event, and CPA staff members will not be present.

School pictures from our original picture day are ready! To order, log in to your account on mylifetouch.com or create an account using your student's student ID number. You can receive 10% off your order by using the code: F202410OFF. All families can also log on and order a FREE Digital SmileSafe card. Learn more about the Smilesafe program here.

Anyone who missed picture day or needs a retake can get their photo taken on CPA's School Picture Retake Day, Tuesday October 29. Please note: Picture Retake Day is NOT a free dress day. Students are expected to be in uniform unless they are participating in picture retakes.

Mark your calendars: the CPA Carnival will be on Saturday February 8 from 11am-2pm!

Plans for the CPA Carnival are underway. Anyone who would like to get involved in helping plan the carnival is welcome to participate. Contact Sadie Fischer at sadief@cpapk12.org or 651-280-4564 for more information about how to get involved!

October is College Knowledge Month in Minnesota and to celebrate, the colleges and universities of Minnesota State are waiving their application fees for the entire month!

October is a great time for seniors to explore one or more of the 26 colleges and seven universities of Minnesota State and apply for FREE. More information is available at: https://MinnState.edu/MinnStateMonth.

North Star Promise was created to provide free tuition and fees to make higher education after high school possible for more Minnesota families.

Any age. Any degree program. Any time. Minnesota residents enrolled in a public college, university, or tribal college with an annual income of less than $80K, can have up to 100% of their tuition and required fees covered.

To learn more about this program, please visit the Office of Higher Education website.

Join Gillette Children’s on Saturday November 9 for a fun day of learning, mentorship, and networking as they work toward building a stronger and more equitable future for the medical field. The event will bring together students, parents, educators, clinicians, and community leaders to inspire youth to consider careers in healthcare. Over the course of the day, students will engage in hands-on activities and network with healthcare professionals from diverse backgrounds.

Participants of all genders are encouraged to attend, ages 9 and up.

Visit the event webpage to register, and please select the appropriate session when registering:

• Session 1 from 9:00-12:00 p.m. is for youth ages 9-13.
• Session 2 from 12:45 - 3:45 p.m. is for teens and young adults ages 14+.

There is no cost to attend this event and a meal will be provided for all registered attendees.

Please contact Jess Tabbutt (jessicaltabbutt@gillettechildrens.com) with questions about the event or if transportation is a barrier to your participation.

Community of Peace Academy is not in charge of this event, and CPA staff members will not be present.

CPA partners with a transportation management company called 4MATIV. Please call or text the transportation hotline at 651-478-2482 if you have any of the following:

• Daily transportation changes (cutoff 12pm)
• Questions about pickup or drop off
• Questions about the current location of your vehicle
• Transportation concerns

If you are planning on picking up your student early from school, you must notify the office by 2:00pm.

• PreK-8th Grade: 651-776-5151
• 9-12th Grade: 651-280-4589

To change your student's bus arrangements (either from bus to pick-up OR from pick-up to bus) you must call 651-280-4588 by 1:30pm.

After 1:30pm, staff are attending to students for end-of-day procedures and are unavailable to deliver messages to students.

We discourage parents from picking up their children ten or fifteen minutes before dismissal time. This is a valuable time when teachers are putting closure to the day and it is very distracting to the children when the classroom is receiving phone calls to have a student sent to the office. We want ALL of our students to receive the optimum learning environment and appreciate your understanding in this matter.

CPA partners with SchoolNow for mass communications. Here's how it works:

• In urgent situations, such as snow days, reminders about planned school closures, and unexpected incidents, we will communicate with phone calls or texts (you can choose your preferred method)

• For general communications, such as the weekly Tiger Talk newsletter and invitations for special events, we will communicate via email (you can choose to opt out of this service)

Visit the SchoolNow page to update your phone number and email address. You will need to log in with the email address or phone number that is on file with the school, because this secure system pulls family information directly from our database. If you are unable to log in, please ensure the school office has your correct contact information.

Please note that we cannot use this system to contact students directly from our database. However, families can add as many additional phone numbers as desired. If students have their own phone and/or email address and wish to receive communications, their families can add those by logging into SchoolNow.

CPA students are expected to in uniform every day for school. Families, please help ensure your children are wearing proper uniform clothing each day.

All students must wear:

• A CPA shirt as the outermost layer
• Blue, Black, Khaki or Gray Solid Color Pants or Shorts
• OR Navy Uniform Jumper, Skirt or Skort (elementary only)

Please review the full uniform policy in our Family Handbook for further details. Thank you!

CPA is again partnering with the Every Meal program to provide free weekend food bags for interested families.

All participants need to re-enroll in the Every Meal program to receive support during the 2024-2025 school year. Students should have received a paper registration form from their teacher. Additional paper forms are available in the office. Families can also sign up electronically by completing this form.

To learn more about the Every Meal program or to make a donation to support their work, please visit the Every Meal website.

Please let us know if your child is absent from school. Families can report absences in any of the following ways:

• Elementary School Attendance Line: 651-280-4534
• Middle School Attendance Line: 651-289-3740
• High School Attendance Line: 651-280-4535
• Email: CPAAttendance@cpapk12.org
• Attendance Online Form: Available through the CPA Website

The schoolwide Lost & Found is located in the cafeteria. Please encourage your students to check for any missing items as soon as they are lost. All items that remain in the Lost and Found on the first day of each month will be discarded or donated. Thank you!

This newsletter can be auto-translated using the buttons on the top right of the page.

If you prefer, our liaisons will be happy to translate or explain any announcements in Tiger Talk or answer any questions you have about CPA. Contact Maikao Lee at 651-280-4545 (Hmong), Mariana Majil at 651-289-3742 (Spanish), or Paw Nay Bu at 651-280-4591 (Karen) for support.

Teaching Peace. Building Community. Developing Character.

Website: cpapk12.org
Location: 471 Magnolia Avenue East, Saint Paul, MN, USA
Phone: 651-776-5151
Facebook: facebook.com/CPATigers