Todd Mathews – Principal
(360) 652-4517
November 2014
Mission Statement
Cougar Creek Elementary creates a safe, caring learning environment that
supports a diverse community in reaching academic and social excellence.
Dates to Remember
November
Sunday, 2
Daylight Savings Time Ends, ‘Fall Back’
Set Clocks ‘back’ 1 hr
Tuesday, 4
Veterans’ Day Assembly, 9:30 a.m.
Friday, 7
Book Fair in the Library, 8:30-3:00 p.m.
PTA Movie Night, 6:30 p.m. (NOTE NEW
TIME)
Monday, 10
EARLY RELEASE, 12:10 p.m. Dismissal
Parent/Teacher Conferences & Book Fair
Tuesday, 11
NO SCHOOL, Veterans’ Day
Wed-Fri, 12-14
EARLY RELEASE, 12:10 p.m. Dismissal
Parent/Teacher Conferences & Book Fair
Thursday, 20
Picture Retakes
Tuesday, 25
1st Trimester Ends
Thurs-Fri, 27-28
NO SCHOOL, Thanksgiving Break
December
Thursday, 4
Report Cards Go Home
Thursday, 11
4th Grade Field Trip to Stillaguamish Fish
Hatchery
Friday, 12
PTA Gingerbread Night
Mon-Fri, 12/22-1/2 NO SCHOOL, Winter Break
January
Monday, 5
School Resumes
Principal’s Message
Dear families,
Just around the corner are our fall
parent/teacher conferences. This is a time for
teachers to report progress to parents; to celebrate
achievements, and to help address student needs as
a united team with parents. It is also a time for
parents to bring your own questions and concerns
to the conference table, to share information about
your child that may be useful for the teacher to
know, and to show your child that we are all
working together as a team to help support
him/her. If you have questions regarding the
schedule for your child’s conference, please
contact your child’s teacher or our school office.
These first two months of school have been
filled with several community-building events, all
hosted by our incredible PTA, and more are on
their way soon. Our 1st annual Cougar Challenge
was a tremendous success. Hundreds of families
turned out to have fun and raise money for our
school, and since this event was co-hosted by
English Crossing Elementary, it was a wonderful
way to bring the greater Lakewood community
together. McTeacher Night at the Smokey Point
McDonald’s restaurant was also jam packed with
families streaming through from beginning to end.
More recently, Lakewood’s Hi-Jinx Carnival was
fun and festive, with students attending from across
the Lakewood community. The first Family
Movie Night will be happening soon, on
November 7, showing Mr. Peabody and Sherman.
Thank you for sharing your kids with us each
day. Every student is a unique and special gift to
our school. It’s been a great start to our school
year so far, and I look forward to the rest of our
year together.
Todd Mathews
Music Notes
 Mrs. Hoback’s students are preparing
a Veterans’ Day assembly to be presented at 9:30 a.m. on
Tuesday, November 4. All community members are invited to
this concert of famous and not-so-famous patriotic songs in
honor of our veterans and active duty military personnel. We
would be honored if you would attend in uniform. The classes
participating in the Veterans’ Day assembly are Mrs. Seek,
Mrs. Petrie, Mrs. Burtt, Ms. Ricci, Mrs. Hamre/Mrs. Moll, Dr.
Zylstra, Mrs. Waldrop, and Mrs. Shinkle.
 Select students in music classes will be invited to join
Honor Choir soon. These students will be performing at the
District Choir Festival in February. Be looking for an
invitation!
Lakewood Cougar Challenge Overview
The Lakewood Cougar
Challenge Fun Run
was our first combined
fall fundraiser, joining together the Cougar
Creek Parent Teacher Association (PTA)
and English Crossing
PTA. It was a way to eliminate magazine sales while providing
students a great new, fun, and active way to participate and
contribute to our PTA’s General Fund. The PTA provides
money for field trips, Literacy Night, Missoula Children’s
Theater, Sasquatch Books, the RAH assembly, Gingerbread
Night, classroom supplies, and many other educational materials
to enhance our children’s education.
We would like to send out a very special thanks to Coach Joe
and his amazing team from Coach Joe's Fitness Academy in
Stanwood for helping organize and setup the course. We
would also like to thank all our amazing sponsors, volunteers,
and Fun Run committee. Finally, thank you to all the students,
staff, family, and friends for supporting the Cougar Challenge.
Because of all the hard work and support from everyone: from
our sponsors to our students, we made over $7,500 for this
year’s Cougar Creek PTA General Fund. This year’s goal was
to raise $10,000. We had 32% student and staff participation
but we can only imagine what we would have been able to
raise with 50% or 100% participation!
Again thank you all for your support and hard work. For more
information on how to volunteer, sponsor, and/or donate next
year please visit www.lakewoodcougarchallange.com.
Library News
Fall Book Fair!!
Nov 7, 10, 12, 13, 14
Don’t forget that our fall book fair
will be kicking off on Friday,
November 7. We will be open the
7th, 10th, 12th, 13th, and 14th during
school hours (8:30-3pm). We will
have special hours on Monday night,
Nov 10th, when we will stay open
until 7pm and on Friday the 14th we
will be closing by 10am. We are
asking that you please do not send
your students to school with large
amounts of change. This slows
down our lines quite a bit and we
would like to be able to offer speedy
service to everyone. A good rule of
thumb is to have them bring no more
change than they can hold in their
hands. Thank you for your help and
understanding with this!
If you are interested in being a book
fair volunteer, there is a signup sheet
at the main desk in the Cougar Creek
Office. Your help is needed and
appreciated. Thank you!
Acknowledgement
Thank you for the Cougar Painting
that was made and donated to PTA
by our parent, Mrs. Swanson, and
then purchased by our volunteer,
Darlene Hooper, and donated to
CCE in honor of her grandchildren.
November
Wednesdays
Nov, 5: 10:00-3:10
Nov, 12: 8:30-12:10
Nov, 19: 10:00-3:10
Nov 26: 8:30-3:10 (Full Day)
Health News…
What’s the big deal about COUGH DROPS?
You may have heard that Lakewood School District has a policy stating that students are not allowed to carry
or consume cough drops during school. It’s TRUE!
It may seem like an unusual policy, but it is in effect for good reasons. First and foremost, cough drops contain
ingredients that could be an allergy trigger for other students. If your child shares cough drops with someone
who is allergic, it could lead to a life-threatening condition. Another reason they are not allowed is because
students tend to “pop” a cough drop in frequently - more than recommended by package instructions. While it
is highly unlikely to overdose, too many cough drops can make you feel sick.
Thankfully, there are alternatives if your child has a cough or scratchy voice. Some suggestions are: Life
Savers, Jolly Ranchers, or Lemon Drops. We ask that they keep them in the health room, their pocket, or
backpack.
Remember, if the cough is accompanied by a fever of 100.4 or greater, your child must be kept home until
he/she is fever free for a full 24 hours.
From the Desk of Ms. Wilson, LAP Reading Specialist…
Read With Your School-Age Child
IT’S THE MOST IMPORTANT
20 MINUTES OF YOUR DAY
Raising a Reader
Relax and enjoy 20 happy minutes with your child.
Share insights and ideas with each other while you read.
Have fun reading together!
Take turns reading; you read one paragraph or page and your child reads the next.
Have fun reading together!
Be enthusiastic and encouraging. Talk about the book and appreciate your child’s effort.
Have fun reading together!
Go to the library often. Find topics that interest your child, such as animals, jokes, or heroes.
Reread favorites.
Have fun reading together!
Ask your child’s teacher for a list of books that are good for your child’s age and reading level.
Have fun reading together!
Chapter and series books provide lots of practice and entertainment.