Cottonwood Elementary

In the blink of an eye, it's September. As we begin our first full month of school, I look forward to all the challenges and successes that the month brings. There are a lot of exciting events that take place at the start of the school year. September is a month of adjustments as students get used to the routine of the daily schedule, adjusting to their teacher and friends within their class.

My newsletters are meant to be informative, to give you an idea of what is happening throughout the month. As we implement new programs and share student experiences this is a resource for you as parents to receive communication. Please make sure you are signed up for textcaster and follow our Facebook Page to receive additional information. I also send out reminders of major events via Infinite Campus.

As always, if you have any questions or concerns, please don't hesitate to reach out.

Regards,

Mr. Troast

August PAW AWARD WINNERS

The following students were recognized during the month of August for doing something positive for the staff or other students. Each student who is nominated receives a certificate of recognition and each month we randomly select students to receive a fun prize from Mr. Troast. August PAW Award Winners are:

Kindergarten: Camden Compliment and Liam Yackle

1st Grade: Virginia Moore and Ryder Smith

2nd Grade: Paislee Penedergraft and Logan Burke

Parents,

As we get into the month of September- You will ask your child the famous questions, What did you do at school today? Hopefully, they share all the fun and exciting things we do at Cottonwood, but I wanted to take the time to share one of the programs we have at Cottonwood that hopefully your child will bring up!

Each grade level at Cottonwood has a part of our day dedicated to meeting students where they are academically in Reading. We call this time "WIN time".WIN stands for WHAT I NEED. It's a 30-minute block of time where students are split into small groups based on academic screeners. Each group works on a unique skill that they need to master based on our screeners. Not everyone in a classroom learns at the same rate, so providing support at each child's level helps them grow academically. 1st and 2nd grade will start WIN time in September. In Kindergarten, we wait until January to provide additional exposure.

Parents,

Exciting news will be shifting how we do WATCHDOGS. We loved our WATCHDOGS and everything they did to help Cottonwood Elementary. With the feedback from parents last year, we are shifting to a program that meets the needs of our students and staff. This year, WATCHDOGS be shifting to Panther PALs (Parents AS LEADERs).

This new shift will come with different opportunities and open-up experiences for all of our families. The biggest shift is that this program will be open to all parents/ guardians of our students. The second big shift is that there will be opportunities inside and outside of our building to support Cottonwood. I look forward to sharing more details about this program and sending the sign-up link on September 15th! This new program will start Monday, October 2nd. The Link will be posted on Facebook, sent via email, and IC on September 15th.

Cottonwood Families,

We have a new staff member at Cottonwood ready to help meet the needs of our students. Michele will be assisting with providing intervention and support to Cottonwood students and assisting Mr. Troast with behaviors in the building. She may reach out to you regarding your child from time to time.

Hello, my name is Mrs. Hunt and I am excited to be at Cottonwood Elementary as the Student Services Coordinator. This is my 16th year in education and I live in Eudora with my husband, two children Hailey and Blaine, and my four four-legged children. We spend a lot of time at sporting events for my kids but in my spare time, I love to read. This year I will be working with families during the SIT process, student behaviors, organizing support for students, and communicating with parents. Please do not hesitate to reach out with any questions or stop by my office at Cottonwood. I am located in the office across from Mr. Troast.

michele_hunt@usd368.org or Extension 4317

As you may have noticed Arrival and Dismissal can be stressful times for students and parents. As students get to understand the routine, our arrival and dismissal times get faster. I just wanted to share again a few helpful hints to keep the line moving for morning arrival and afternoon dismissal.

Arrival- Please remember if your child needs to eat breakfast please arrive before or at 8:00. Students arriving after 8:05 will report directly to their rooms.

• Please make sure your child is ready to exit the vehicle. This means that their backpack and lunch are ready to go. Our staff is ready to assist if they need help stepping out the door.
• Please make sure your child is awake and ready to exit the vehicle.
• Don't be afraid to practice with your child if they struggle, practice makes perfect.
• You may have noticed staff encouraging students to exit their own vehicles in the morning. Our students have been doing a fantastic job of this! You will notice this month the number of staff members assisting with arrival for car riders will be smaller. They will be ready to assist struggling students, but students should exit their own vehicles when it has come to a complete stop.

Dismissal- Parents, we have a larger number of car riders this year compared to years past. We have over 100+ students who are daily car riders! We are getting faster each day, but here are a few reminders.

• Please remember the car line is two lanes wide. Please be cautious as you go through the line.
• If you need to secure your child's seat belt or car seat, please pull into a parking spot space after you pick your student up in the line. This keeps the line moving.
• To exit Cottonwood faster, you can make a right-hand turn out of Cottonwood towards the armory. Although there is no sign mandating a right turn, I promise it's much faster!
• If you don't want to wait in line, come at 3:25. Our line is much smaller or completely empty at this time.
• Please have your car rider sign on display in your vehicle. We appreciate those who memorize the numbers, but we are truly the fastest when we can just look up and see the number.
• We do not share iDismiss Numbers with family members not listed in Infinite Campus. Feel free to duplicate the sign as necessary if you want multiple signs for your vehicles.

Parents, please communicate with the school about any transportation changes by 2:30. That way we are aware of where each and every child is going after school. Please report it to the office. You never know, your child's teacher may be absent or an email may not get read at the end of the day. Always call the office!

Have you heard about Sunflower and Cottonwood's PTO? They are organizing lots of fun events and they have a monthly newsletter. Check out their first newsletter with the link below:

https://www.canva.com/design/DAFq9p4fMQ8/P5UqLhJgB-w6JfnFy2-nkA/view

Picture Day for Cottonwood Elementary is scheduled for Wednesday, September 27.

Order at www.inter-state.com with code 78617GF

September 4th- No School Labor Day

September 11th- School Board Meeting 6 pm

September 22nd- Homecoming Football Game and Parade

September 27th- Fall Picture Day

Are you interested in helping Cottonwood serve its community? Do you want to work closely with Mr. Troast to help and provide feedback that improves Cottonwood? Do you have ideas that could help Cottonwood grow and improve for your child?

Cottonwood is looking for parent volunteers to serve on our 23-24 Cottonwood SITE Council. SITE Council meets 3-4 times a year to discuss everything Cottonwood. It's a great time to provide feedback to Cottonwood staff and share any ideas that you may have. If you are interested in serving, please email Mr. Troast at corey_troast@usd368.org by Tuesday, September 5th.

If you have any questions or concerns please feel free to email me: corey_troast@usd368.org or call the school at 913-294-8050.

Email: corey_troast@usd368.org
Website: https://www.usd368.org/vnews/display.v/SEC/Cottonwood%20Elementary
Location: 709 Hedge Ln, Paola, KS 66071, USA
Phone: 913-294-8050
Twitter: @ourschool