February 2025 Newsletter

Greetings Cottonwood Families,

I hope this newsletter finds you well. February is a special month as it marks the celebration of

love, friendship, and the start of a new year for many cultures. It is also an opportunity to reflect

on our progress so far and the goals we have set for the future.

At our school, we are dedicated to providing your child with the best education and

opportunities to grow and succeed. We are proud to report that our students have made

progress this academic year, and we are committed to continuing this trend. Please

encourage your children to read at home to help continue this growth.

One way we are supporting our students and creating connections with our families and community is through our Community School Grant. As the year goes by we will be sending out information and surveys to help guide the process and how we will spend the money on our scholars and community.

This month, we celebrate Black History Month. Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., once said, “We are not

makers of history. We are made by history.” This month, we plan to celebrate those

individuals who paved the way for us to continue building on the foundation. I want to encourage our

young scholars that their voices and words have power and can bring significant change when

used positively.

Please note that our school will be closed for Presidents' Week from February 17th to 21st.

Classes will resume on February 24th. ELOP will be hosting Extending Learning days on the 18th - 20th.

A huge shout out to our staff and parents who met for our Parent/Teacher Conferences. I hope each family walked away with valuable information and data about their scholar's academic, behavioral, and social growth from fall to winter. I am always excited to witness the collaboration between home and school to ensure the academic success of all our scholars. We thank you for spending the time to support our scholars as a team!

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to contact me. I am here

to support you and your child in any way possible.

Take Care,

Mr. Trudel

It's the Year of the Snake!

The year of the snake holds profound meaning and special significance in Chinese culture. It symbolises wisdom, spirituality, elegance and renewal

Elementary School collaborated with Miss Tamar at the Library to craft beautiful lanterns in honor of Chinese New Year!

Every February, the U.S. honors the contributions and sacrifices of African Americans who have helped shape the nation. Black History Month celebrates the rich cultural heritage, triumphs and adversities that are an indelible part of our country's history.

We celebrate Groundhog Day every February 2 since 1887, Punxsutawney Phil in Pennsylvania has made his weather prediction. If it's sunny and he sees his shadow, it's said we'll see six more weeks of winter.

The American School Counselor Association has recognized school counselors as true superheroes! These champions are instrumental in guiding students toward academic success and career prospects. We applaud Mrs. Niaves for her dedication and hard work in helping our scholars at Cottonwood.

Join us for Cottonwood's PTO Family Bingo Night. We look forward to seeing you there; fantastic prizes are in store!

Scholars wishing to earn back a day of attendance must stay the full 4 hours to receive credit.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Each gram comes with a festive rubber ducky and Hershey Kisses.

Sometimes it’s the smallest act that makes the biggest impact.

The last day to enroll is February 7th

Our February PBIS Skill is Disagreeing Appropriately.

For the month of February, Cottonwood will focus on the Character Trait of Empathy.

The word Empathy means understanding and connecting to others people's feelings.

The characteristics of Empathy are:

• I will see things from other people point of view.
• I will imagine myself in their place.

In order to help us reinforce Empathy, feel free to send in pictures of your child demonstrating Empathy to (aniaves@hemetusd.org) so that we can celebrate their efforts.

We’d love for you to see all that Cottonwood has to offer for our students, families, and community! Your feedback is important to us, and we’re always looking for ways to improve. We’ve put together a short survey to hear your thoughts—it only takes a few minutes, but your input will help shape the future of our school. Click the link to share your ideas. LINK

Our Cottonwood Cougars had a great time at Legoland. They walked through city scenes made of Legos, built cars, raced boats, rode roller coasters, spent time with friends, and visited the aquarium. They had fun and learned along the way. It was a day full of adventures they’ll remember forever.