Cottonwood Elementary
March 2017
Vol 6
330 Foster Rd NE, Bremerton WA 98311
Bethany LaHaie, Principal
School website: cottonwood.ckschools.org
COMETS OF THE MONTH
February
Kindergarten - Aliza Bahaghighat, Andrew Inforzato,
Daniel Newbaker-Crawford, Elyana Parker, Brooklyn Polanco,
Chloe Schaser
1st Grade - Chayden Buswell, Henry Greenlaw, Kierra Hing,
Devin McCormack, Adryan Miller, Azuri Moore, Zoey Repine,
Adrien Wagner, Justice Wood
2nd Grade - Evan Baumgarten, Osami Green, Jace Marquis
3rd Grade - Rylee Brashear, Darien Brennan, Zackary Eck, Keegan
Kurtz, Kiyomi Moore, Deejay Nitura - Corpuz, Coco Ortega,
Moana Tuitasi
4th Grade - Seth Danielson, Brooke Flanery, Jack Wallace
5th Grade - Jacob Brown, Lily Dibler, Chris Inabnett, Zack Marquis,
Giana Rivera, Emma Waag
Year Book Pre-Sales have begun!
Now accepting payments for Cottonwood’s 2016 / 17 Year Book.
The cost is $17.
Payment can be made in our office with cash
(exact amount only), check, or money order.
(Made out to Cottonwood Elementary)
or online at:
https://touchbase.cksd.wednet.edu
Don’t Forget! Daylight Savings Time:
Sunday, March 12th at 2:00 am.
This is also a good time to check your smoke detector’s batteries!
Call for Variety Show Auditions:
3rd through 5th grade students are invited to audition for the Variety Show.
Teachers and staff are also invited to perform!
The Variety Show will be Tuesday, May 23rd.
Possible acts could include:
Singing (must turn in written lyrics with audition form), dancing,
playing an instrument (band, guitar, song flute, piano, other), doing a
gymnastics routine, doing a skit, juggling, doing a martial arts demonstration,
doing a comedy routine, or other pre-approved type of act.
Criteria for being accepted to perform include:
Acts must fit on the lunchroom stage, acts can be solo (one performer) or with
others, singing may have accompanying music (like karaoke, piano, etc.) or be
unaccompanied (no music), lip-syncing (vocals on music) will not be accepted. Acts other
than singing can also have music (gymnastics, juggling, etc.) but any music with lyrics must
be approved. Acts can be up to 3 minutes but no longer than 3 minutes. Any costumes worn
by performers must meet Cottonwood’s dress code. Each participant (everyone in an act)
must turn in their own form with a parent signature by end of school
Thursday, March 16th
Acts for auditions need not be perfect.
Acts will be expected to show preparation and the
possibility of improvement.
DATES TO REMEMBER
March 2nd: Skate Night
School Spirit Day - Dr. Seuss
March 10th: Snow make up day
School is in session.
March 13th: Standards-Based
Assessment Day
Half-Day Early Release 11:45
No lunch served
March 14th:
Parent Conferences
Half-Day Early release 11:45
No lunch served
April 3rd - April 7th:
SPRING BREAK
April 10th: First day back
after Spring Break
April 11th: Mod Pizza
Outdoor Education Takeover.
Congratulations to
Linda Brazeau!
She is a 5th grade
teacher at
Cottonwood and
will be receiving an
Outstanding Educator Award
from the Delta Kappa Gamma
society. Well done!
2017-18
KINDERGARTEN
REGISTRATION
Now Open
9:30 am - 3:30 pm
To register for
kindergarten, a child must be five
years old on or before
August 31st. A copy of your
child’s birth
certificate, proof of
immunization, and
verification of your
current address is
required prior to
being enrolled.
Dear Cottonwood Community,
What is with this weather? I am ready for the warm sunshine and signs of spring. I am
sure you feel the same way. It is hard to believe that we are quickly approaching the end of our
second trimester of school.
This is the time of year when we start planning for next year. If you have a student that will be
entering kindergarten next school-year, do not delay. Kindergarten registration is now open and
enrolling early allows us to ensure we have enough teachers and can plan ahead. If your child attends
Cottonwood and this is not your home school, please be sure to fill out the proper paperwork so that
they can be considered for attending during the 2017-2018 school year. If your child will not be
returning to Cottonwood next year, it is also important to let us know. Over the next few months, we
will be watching enrollment carefully in order to make staffing adjustments and prepare for the next
school year.
I hope you have had an opportunity to check out our Facebook page. Mrs. Lowe, our librarian, has
done an amazing job posting new photos and announcements each week. Please check it out if you
have not had a chance. It is a little window into all the wonderful things happening around our
school.
Thank you to everyone that was able to attend our McTakeover to raise funds for our Outdoor
Education program. We raised $700, which will go towards paying all the additional costs for camp.
In addition, you will soon see information coming home regarding a PTSA fundraiser called Square 1
Art. Please support this fundraiser, as it helps our PTSA continue to support our school.
Our office has received phone calls lately from home owners in the neighborhoods that surround our
school. Apparently, some parents choose to have their children walk to the neighborhoods and pick
them up there instead of at school. They often park too close to people’s driveways and impact the
traffic flow in these neighborhoods. If you are not a resident of the neighborhood, please refrain from
doing this. I know that the traffic is difficult, but if we are all patient and respectful all kids will get
picked up safely. I know the new staff parking lot has opened up additional parking. I appreciate
your help with this!
Soon our 3rd – 5th graders will be taking the Smarter Balanced Assessment. Between now and then,
teachers will be continuing to help prepare students to show what they know! We also have some
little surprises planned to help make “testing season” a bit more exciting. Thank you in advance for
making attendance a priority for your child for the remainder of the school year.
Finally, is there something you wish we were doing that we are not? Please feel free to use the Wish
Jar in the main office. Your input is important to us and we want to hear from you! Thank you again
for your support. We truly believe Cottonwood is a special place and you are a big part of that.
Sincerely,
Bethany LaHaie
Principal
As a reminder:
You can check your student’s meal account at:
www.schoolpaymentsolutions.com
Check balances, see what meals your student has purchased.
PLEASE SAVE
PTSA Events March
2nd: Skate Night. 6:30 - 8:30
Spirit Day: Dr. Seuss
Friday Sales
3rd : K & 1st
10th: TBA
17th: 4th & 5th
24th: 2nd & 3rd
31st: K & 1st
PTSA is continuing to
collect Box Tops and
Labels for Education.
It’s easy - all you have to do is clip them from
select products and submit them to your child’s
teacher, or the front office
Each Box Top submitted will earn the school $.10
and every Label nets us points. A complete list of
products can be found at
http://www.boxtops4education.com/participatingproducts
http://www.labelsforeducation.com/Earn-Points/
Participating-Products
We are at the point in the school year Time to check your
students’ school
when many of your students' school
supplies!
supplies and classroom
tissue boxes may need to be
replenished
Students may need items such as pencils (plain yellow
pencils are best), pencil top erasers, crayons, glue sticks,
etc. to help them continue to do their best at school.
Please check with your student and/or your students’
teacher to see if any school supplies may be needed.
Thank you!
5th Grade Outdoor Education Program in May
We want to provide a Great Outdoor Appreciation and Learning. The Outdoor Education
curriculum teaches outdoor applications of science, social studies, health and language and
an awareness, respect, and appreciation for nature and others.
Students experience this through classes such as beach, water and nature studies, a climbing wall,
safety in the northwest woods, and initiative course, as well as the overall camp program.
The 5th Grade program will take place at Camp Colman, south of Purdy, Washington,
from May 31st to June 2nd, 2017.
The camp offers enclosed cabins with complete bathrooms.
Camp Colman staff plans and prepares the meals.
The Cottonwood Outdoor Education Program is self-supporting without the use of district funds.
To support this program, we are seeking corporate sponsorship as
fundraisers and charging a registration fee per student.
The registration fee will be $140 for each student camper's food, lodging and transportation.
Online payment is available.
If you have any questions about the program, please feel free to call
Cottonwood Elementary at 662-8300
and direct your questions to Mrs. Brazeau or Ms. Brown
Outdoor Education Program Co-Directors
On February 23, Noah Bahaghighat, Bristol Hubbard, and Devin McCoy
joined 107 other elementary singers for the CKSD Honor Choir at GracePoint Church.
Each school prepared the songs individually and in only
one rehearsal worked to sing as one large choir.
Their performance of The Papaya Song, The Bull Frog, and Something Told the Wild
Geese was a roaring success. The middle school and high school honor choir performers each
sang three selections and the grand finale was all 250 elementary, middle, and high school
musicians singing What a Wonderful World.
It was a tremendous performance, and I could not have been more impressed
by the students' singing and excellent behavior and musicianship!
What talented students are in Central Kitsap!!
Our school nurse, Sarah Lewis, visited students in grades K -2nd grade during their PE time to
discuss the importance of handwashing to reduce the spread of germs.
Through the use of “Glo Germs” which are simulated germs that glow under an ultra violet light, we
were able to see how quickly germs moved from surface to surface as “infected” hands touched other
hands and items like markers and walls. Hands should be washed with soap for at least 15 seconds. A
good way to help your student with this concept is to have him or her sing their ABCs through once or a
short song like Happy Birthday or Twinkle Twinkle Little Star through twice before rinsing. Please review
good handwashing practices with your student(s) and remind them to always wash hands before eating.
Did you know the thumbs and nails are the most commonly forgotten parts when washing hands?
The focus in PE this month
has been on My Plate a great visual of a dinner plate with color-coded sections to help
students understand what a healthy and balanced meal looks like.
Ask your student(s) to tell you what food groups are represented on his or her plate at meal
time and see if, as a family, you are eating a healthy and balanced diet!
Intermediate students are also learning how much to eat from each food group each day.
The following website is a great resource for families if you would like more information on
how to plan healthy meals.
https://www.choosemyplate.gov/
Advanced Unicycle Performance
May 16th 2:00 and 6:00
Gym
The last day for beginning
unicycle
is March 31st
Girls on the Run uses running and fun to inspire and
motivate girls, encourage lifelong health and fitness, and
build confidence through accomplishment.
The program
is non-competitive
and ends with
the girls
being physically and emotionally
prepared to
complete a
celebratory 5k
running event.
Who? : All girls 3rd through 5th grade
Cost? : $165.00 Includes 20 uplifting lessons, a GOTR
t-shirt, healthy snacks, 5k race registration, end of
season party, a finisher’s medal and more.
Scholarships are available,
please contact us to learn more.
When? : Spring Season starts April 3rd or 4th
Registration / More Info
www.girlsontherunwestsound.org
Email: [email protected]
Phone: 360-621- 4855
[email protected]
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Try to drink plenty of fluids
Get enough sleep/rest
Get enough to eat
Encourage Frequent Hand washing
Germ-Lice prevention: Do not share anything with friends. Love them from a distance
Cover the cough and stay home if feverish or ill
Take parent approved medication if sick, or seek medical care.
Head Lice and Schools
Unfortunately, head lice in school-aged children is a common occurrence throughout the country.
Our school district is no exception. There are some simple steps that you can take at home to
drastically reduce the number of cases seen in our district each year. Control of head lice depends on
prompt identification and treatment. Your help in spending 5-15 minutes each week inspecting your
child for the presence of head lice would make a huge difference.
The following procedure is recommended for inspecting your child for head lice:
 Under a bright light, begin looking at your child’s head.
Start with the areas just above the back of the neck & behind the ears.
 Part the hair into small sections and look closely for head lice or nits (eggs).
Head lice are about the size of a sesame seed. Nits are gray or whitish and attached firmly
to the hair shaft near the scalp.
 If you find live lice on your child’s head, start treatment as soon as possible. Your local
pharmacist or health care provider can recommend appropriate treatment options.
 Notify the office staff at your child’s school. Your child can return to school the day after
treatment provided there are no remaining live lice. This information will be kept confidential.
If your child is found to have head lice, it is a good idea to check all family members for lice as well.
If you have further questions please contact your school’s nurse. More information can be found on
the Center for Disease Control website at http://www.cdc.gov/lice/
Could You Be Eligible?
Children need healthy meals to learn. Central Kitsap School District offers healthy meals every
school day. Your children may qualify for free meals or for reduced price meals. Please visit
www.applyforlunch.com for more information and to fill out an application.
You may also find more information at
http://www.ckschools.org/services/food_services
This program applies to school lunches as well as breakfast served daily.
Applications are accepted year-round.