CPA Tiger Talk

Monday September 9: Board of Directors meeting, 6pm

Tuesday September 10: Virtual Informational Meeting for Spring Break 2026 trip to Washington DC, 6pm (see below)

Wednesday September 18: School Picture Day (see below)

Friday September 20: Early Release Day (dismissal at 12:30pm)

Friday September 27: Early Release Day (dismissal at 12:30pm)

Monday September 30: No School for PreK-4th Grade, Digital Learning Day for Grades 5-12

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.

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!

Registration is now open for the Wilder Rec Center basketball team for grades 5 and under!

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, see Kenan Moore, CPA's Athletic Director.

Wilder Rec Center is offering a free basketball skills clinic with the goal of teaching the basics to help develop basketball skills for young ballers. This is a drop in program; no registration is required!

Where: Wilder Rec Center (958 Jessie St., Saint Paul MN 55130)

When: 6-7:30pm on Mondays, beginning Sep 9 and ending Oct 14

Who: 8-12 year old youth

Cost: FREE!

If you have questions about the program, contact Coach Warren Graves at warren.graves@spps.org or 651-470-7415.

CPA is not in charge of this program, and CPA staff members will not be present.

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.

CPA's picture day is on Wednesday September 18. Families can order photos using the instructions on the envelope that will be sent home with students, or families can order online by visiting mylifetouch.com and entering Picture Day ID EVTQCT4RH. All students will have their picture taken, regardless of whether the family orders pictures.

Picture day is a free dress day. Please review the free dress day policy (below) as a family and ensure students are dressed accordingly.

On free dress days, students must still wear clothing that is representative of the philosophy of Community of Peace Academy. Clothing, such as shirts or pants that feature pictures, phrases, or statements, must represent or promote peace and a non-violent/healthy lifestyle. All items of clothing must fit comfortably and be school appropriate.

1. Spaghetti straps, off the shoulder tops, halter or strapless tops are not allowed
2. Coats, jackets, caps, hats, and outerwear must be kept in lockers
3. Skirts and/or shorts must be mid-thigh or longer
4. Pants/shorts with holes are not allowed
5. Clothing items that are transparent or sheer must have clothing worn under that meets the above criteria

If it is ever a question as to whether or not you may be out of uniform or whether or not your choice of dress is appropriate, please contact your Principal.

The Saint Paul Fire Department invites homeowners in Saint Paul to take part in Project Safe Haven. With this FREE program, you will be able to obtain free smoke alarms, carbon monoxide detectors, and StoveTop Fire Stops. This program was created to help ensure you have working smoke and carbon monoxide detectors in your home. Keep yourself and family safe with early detection of hazards.

Learn more or get signed up by visiting the Project Safe Haven website or calling 651-228-6273.

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 students 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.

On Tuesday September 10 at 6pm there will be a virtual Informational meeting about the Washington DC trip that will take place during Spring Break 2026. The trip is open to current 8th-11th grade students. Attend the meeting to learn more about this exciting opportunity!

Sign up to attend the informational meeting using this link, or by scanning the QR code on the handout that was sent home with students. For more information, contact Megan Cina-Bernard at megancb@cpapk12.org or 651-280-4515.

The Music Department is once again offering free piano lessons during lunch! Interested high school students can sign up outside of the music room.

Stop by the music room if you have any questions!

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 will again partner 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 registration form from their teacher. Families can also sign up electronically by completing this form. We will begin distributions later this fall, and we will include updates in the Tiger Talk Newsletter.

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

CPA parents and guardians are encouraged to sign up to be a field trip chaperone or classroom volunteer. Everyone who works in our classrooms must complete an application and background check each year.

If you are interested in getting involved, please read the Volunteer Handbook and complete the application found at the back of it. Turn in your application along with a photo of a federal or state-issued ID to sadief@cpapk12.org or the school office. Paper copies of the Volunteer Handbook are available in the main office.

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