Parent Post- November 2, 2016

Posted November 1, 2016

Principal Updates

It is FINALLY feeling like fall weather!  I hope your Halloween and Fall Festivities have been full of memories. We had a wonderful time here at Cory celebrating our annual “Fall Festivus” with time for students to dress up, participate in a parade and enjoy yummy fall themed food!

November kick-starts our focus on the Personal Success Factor of Gratitude.  I wanted to take a moment to thank those of you who have contributed food for Parent Teacher Conferences, breakfast and other ways you have shown our team YOUR gratitude for what they do everyday for your child.  THANK YOU for taking the time out of your day to recognize them, I know the team really appreciates it!  We will be celebrating the PSF of “Gratitude” all month long in our classrooms, so many more thank you’s are ahead!

A few quick reminders:

  • Thursday, November 3 (TOMORROW)- BLUE Day!  In celebration of our BLUE RIBBON AWARD as well as our BLUE DISTINGUISHED STATUS, we have proclaimed tomorrow as BLUE Day! Wear as much blue as you can in celebration! We will also be sending off members our Blue Ribbon Team to Washington DC, so it will be a celebration day all around!
  • Thursday, November 3 (TOMORROW)- Picture Re-Take Day
  • Thursday, November 3 (TOMORROW)- November CSC Meeting.  Click HERE for agenda.
  • Friday, November 4th- NO SCHOOL- Parent Teacher Compensation Day for Teachers

In gratitude,

Jennifer Harris, Principal

jennifer_harris@dpsk12.org

PTA Updates

Monthly PTA Meeting: Thank you to everyone who attended the PTA meeting Tuesday evening. Minutes will be posted soon.  Since we do not have school this Friday, the first Friday morning coffee will be moved to November 11 at 8:45 a.m.

Cory Annual Auction:  The Cory Annual Auction planning committee is working hard to bring you a terrific evening next April.  Please click HERE for more information on donating much needed live and silent auction items, swag bag items and corporate sponsorships or contact Haven Smith.

ShoppingCoryCougarChoose Cory @ Checkout!  (aka Grocery Cards):  This year, Cory is expanding our reloadable grocery cards program!  In addition to continuing our partnerships with Safeway and King Soopers, we are adding new retailers who will give a percentage of your purchase back to Cory!

What if a store offered to give $5 to a cause you believe in, every time you spent $100?  These days, dozens of retailers do.  All you have to do is choose a cause to support.  We hope you will choose Cory.  Through Cory’s new Choose Cory @ Checkout program, we are making it easier to support Cory no matter where, when or how you shop.

This is MORE than last year’s grocery card.  Last year, Cory’s Safeway and King Soopers grocery card programs were used by about 20 participants and raised just over $5,000 for Cory.  This year, we hope to grow our program to include MORE families and MORE retailers because…free money is a shame to waste!   While 5% of your purchase might not sound like much, the potential is as big as our community:  If every family used a Cory-connected gift card for just $100 of routine monthly purchases, Cory could raise over $21,000 this year!

I want to Choose Cory @ Checkout!  What do I do? 

First, our new program keeps our existing Safeway and King Soopers reloadable grocery card programs in place, so keep Choosing Cory @ Checkout by reloading and using those grocery cards!  (Need a grocery card?  Email coryelementarypta@yahoo.com to get one.)

Second, we’re adding the opportunity to support Cory at dozens of new, mainstream retailers through Benefit Mobile.  The Benefit Mobile app takes the place of traditional, plastic gift cards by letting you purchase digital gift cards online, and support Cory with each purchase.  Your digital gift cards appear upon purchase in your Benefit Mobile app, and work immediately for in-store or online purchases at dozens of retailers – from Whole Foods and Walmart to Target, Zappos, Starbucks and more!

Ready to support Cory with the purchases you make every day?  Hooray!   Reload your Safeway and King Soopers cards (or get one now by emailing coryelementarypta@yahoo.com), and download the Benefit Mobile app for iPhone or Android, choosing Cory Elementary School PTA as your Beneficiary, today!

Cory Scholastic Book Fair

Shiver me timbers!  The Cory 2016 Scholastic Bookaneer Book Fair is getting closer. Thank you to those of you who have already signed up to volunteer! There are still lots of slots to fill from 11/10-11/18. We need many hands on deck to help promote reading and literacy at Cory. (Book fair profits will benefit the Cory library and your student’s classroom.)

View the sign-up sheet:  https://volunteer.scholastic.com/#/experience/login/XXXuzGitK  (If you don’t have a Scholastic account, follow the link and click on “Register Today”.  It is fast and easy!)

Thank you, Danielle Duffy and Cathy Holland (Book Fair Co-Chairs)

Collaborative School Committee (CSC) Update:

  • Personnel Committee Representatives and Community Member Representative Needed- Three more Parent Representatives are needed for our Personnel Committee. In addition, we also need a Community Member to serve on our CSC.   For both of these applications, click HERE
  • CSC Fall Forum on Thursday, November 17th:  It is time for our Annual Fall Forum!  At the forum, Jennifer Harris (Principal) will provide an update of the school performance updates and growth scores for the school we will also have the opportunity to hear feedback from all of you regarding the breakout sessions. Childcare will be provided.   Below is our schedule for the evening.  

4:00-5:00 PM- School Performance Updates and Break-Out Sessions.  We will also hold small group discussions on matters that are important to the community. We have come up with a few suggested topics for the break-out sessions based on parent feedback and last years parent satisfaction survey results. We would like to know which of these topics you would most like to see discussed and would love to hear suggestions for any additional topics.   Please click HERE for a survey to help us develop the breakout sessions.

5-5:30- Mystery Readers- Mystery readers will be reading some books from our Book Fair that celebrate our Personal Success Factor strengths!

5:30-6:00- ELA Parent Advisory Break-Out-  ELA Parents! Join our new ESL teacher, Kara Butte, in Room 209A from 5:30-6pm for a time to meet and greet other ELA parents at Cory. We will hear more about the new English Language Development curriculum we are using at Cory this year. Please bring a favorite snack from your culture to share.

5:30-7:00 Book Fair Open

Kindly RSVP HERE if you are planning on attending this fun filled evening! 

Cory’s Annual Thanksgiving Lunch

Cory will be hosting our Annual Thanksgiving Lunch this year on Thursday, November 17th.  Look for ticket forms to come home with your student today.  You can also access the form by clicking THANKSGIVING PAYMENT FORM.  Ticket prices are $5.00 per adult and $3.00 for non-students.  Cash or check only.  Please make checks payable to the Cory Lunchroom.  Tickets need to be purchased by November 11.

Cory Dines Out

Our next Cory Dines Out is November 10th at Potbelly! CLICK HERE for details. SEE YOU THERE!

Grounds Clean Up

Cory Grounds Clean Up Day is Sun, Nov 13

Calling all leaf-rakers, wheel-barrow-riders, and donut-eaters!  Cory’s next community event is our annual Grounds Clean Up Day, happening on Sunday, Nov. 13 from 9am – 12pm!  We’ll be raking leaves, spreading mulch, and helping put the Cory Garden to bed for the year, all while enjoying refreshments (namely, donuts!) and good company!  Students, parents, siblings, alums, grandparents, and any other Cory fans welcome.  Sign up to bring some gear, or just yourself:
www.SignUpGenius.com/go/20F0F4CAAA629A20-2016

FAMILY Science Night

Have any fun plans on Tuesday, November 29th?  We have a fun plan for you! You are invited to a special event featuring exciting science activities, live animals, and more.  All students must be accompanied by an adult.

Free pizza served until 6pm.  Pizza is provided at no cost!
TIME:  5:30-7:00, Cory Cafeteria!
Kindly RSVP by clicking below ( if you already handed in your hard copy RSVP you do not need to fill it out electronically).
http://www.slyreply.com/app/sheets/jp1uikanv8xj/

REGISTRATION FOR WINTER MINI ENRICHMENT SESSION IS OUT!

Brochure of classes and registration for the WINTER 2016 MINI ENRICHMENT SESSION is posted on the Cory website at  http://cory.dpsk12.org/our-school/before-after-school/. Register for Parkour, Improv, Golf, Tennis, Skateboarding, and MORE for the months of November and December. FULL winter enrichment schedule will be out November 14th!

ATTENTION FIFTH GRADERS AND PARENTS! The transition to middle school can be a stressful and daunting one, but THE NEIGHBORHOOD CENTER AT CORY & C3 is here to help…We have enlisted the help of Cory/C3 alumni to serve as “Ambassadors” and to answer questions for our current fifth grade students in the process of finding a middle school for them. Any questions, for an individual ambassador at a certain school or group as a whole, can be “delivered” via email to coryc3ambassador@gmail.com.

Now on Wednesday, November 30th (SAVE THE REVISED DATE!) from 6:00 pm to 7:30 pm in the Cory cafeteria, come get more information on each of the middle schools IN PERSON at our First Ever Cory/C3 Fifth Grade Fair Night. All student ambassadors, alongside adult representatives from many middle schools (Highline, DSST: Byers, Merrill, Morey, GALS, Grant Beacon) will be present to answer questions and lead discussion in break out rooms. Come get more information on middle schools at this informative, personalized event…grab some free food, too!!

For more information or with any questions, please contact Todd Moore at todd_moore@dpsk12.org.

Open House

TELL YOUR FRIENDS! TELL YOUR NEIGHBORS!  We are hosting an OPEN HOUSE for prospective parents on Friday, December 2nd from 9:00am – 10:30 am.    Thank you for SENDING THIS link to your friends and neighbors.

https://docs.google.com/a/dpsk12.net/forms/d/1UmwJ2zE4WEJvsPjDe02CXhmoJdBd-mleslgKNejBu6o/edit