Parent Post – August 26, 2016

Posted August 25, 2016

Principal Corner

What a wonderful week of learning we have had!  The Cory Crew (staff) has enjoyed getting to know your children and has worked diligently to set up rituals and routines (how to line up, where to line up, playground expectations, etc).  The building is certainly more “alive” when children are present and we could not be happier!

This is your first official edition of the Parent Post.  This will be released every Friday morning and you will receive an APP notification, email notification and Facebook post that it is ready.  It is important that you read this every week, as it will contain news and announcements that you do not want to miss.

A few quick updates:

  • Arrival and Dismissal Reminders:  Please remember that we do not have any supervision on the playground before 8:30 AM. Students may not be dropped off before that time unless there is an adult with them.  I want to thank all of you for following our Drop-Off and Pick-Up procedures as they have been running really smoothly!  Click here for a quick review.   This link also includes our Family Handbook so be sure to get updated!  Thank you for helping keep our students safe!
  • Back to School Night- We are looking forward to seeing all of you at Back to School Night next Wednesday, August 31st beginning at 6:00.  Please click Back to School Night Agenda for more details!
  • DPS Handbook:  The 2016-17 Denver Public Schools (DPS) Handbook for Families and Students is now available! The handbook summarizes many resources, programs, services and policies often referenced by DPS students, parents and guardians.  Click DPS Family Handbook for a peek!  We also have hard copies of the handbook in the office, so please email Dawn Eddy (dawn_eddy@dpsk12.org)  if you would like a hard copy.  
  • Spread the News!  We have extra seats to fill!  We currently have 18 slots open at Cory in grades 2-5. It is important that we fill these seats, as enrollment directly affects funding for our school. Without filling these seats, we risk having to cut over $76,000 from our current budget. This is not challenge that is only at our school, as many other DPS schools are facing the same problem with a decline in enrollment.  Thank you for spreading the news to your friends and family to come to our great school!  More information is HERE regarding how to get registered.  Deadlines are fast approaching, so let your family and friends know to come register ASAP.

Lastly, I wanted to thank all of you who gave feedback on our recent Homework Survey.  We had an incredible 316 responses!  I had neglected to mention that this survey was a direct action taken by the CSC from our Spring Forum, where we received feedback and input from our parent community regarding the heavy load of homework.  Our staff and CSC thoughtfully went through the responses and will have an update on the findings and refinements early next week (right before Back to School Night).   Your feedback is critical to helping our school continue on the trajectory of excellence and I cannot thank you enough for the time you took to complete this survey (especially with the tight turn-around time).

In partnership,

Jennifer Harris

Proud Principal of the Cory Cougars

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Collaborative School Committee Updates

CSC Community Representative Needed AND Parent Representatives for the Personnel Committee Needed: Please click THIS LINK with all of the information regarding these two positions. These are great volunteer opportunities and we hope you choose to apply- we would love to have you on our team!  Deadline to apply is September 8. 

Fall Enrichment

FALL ENRICHMENT REGISTRATION IS HERE! Parkour and skateboarding and fashion and more!!! Enrichment info and registration for Fall 2016 is up on the website…check it out here: http://cory.dpsk12.org/our-school/before-after-school/. Check out info on Discovery Link (formerly Kaleidoscope) here, too!

Cory Semantics Club

Do you love spelling? Are you interested in how other languages have influenced our language, English? Come one, come all 3rd, 4th and 5th grade students to Semantics Club every Tuesday morning at 8:00 in the library! If you like spelling competitions or just like to learn about words, this club is for you! Each club member can decide how competitive they want to be (or not competitive).

Students in the Semantics Club are there for a number of reasons but the culminating event is the Scripps Spelling Bee Competition that begins right in the schools. Students can compete for the 10 sports for the regular school bees, city written test and possibly to advance to STATE! Cory has had a strong field of spellers the past several years and are always looking for new up and coming language buffs who enjoy getting together with other students to learn about words and to improve their vocabulary in the process.

If your child is interested, send an email to Grace Hopley, G/T Specialist and Cory Semantics coach to sign up for this fun and spirited club at (grace_hopley@dpsk12.org. Semantics Club will begin Tuesday, August 30 at 8:00 a.m. in the library. Please email Grace before sending your child to the club so she can prepare the semantics materials your child will need this year and to establish a club roster. Please include your child’s name, grade and room #. Hope to see you all there!

PTA News

PTA will be discussing moving the meeting times to evening, allowing MORE parents and teachers the ability to share their ideas and participate.  Stay tuned.

FIRST FRIDAY COFFEE will continue as an informal setting to share and socialize.

We still need a new PTA Treasurer for the PTA Board. This opportunity to get involved is rewarding and a great way to get involved with the school!   Training and help is available. If you are interested please contact Pam Wandry at pammerscush@gmail.com.

Looking for Photographer and  Videographer

Would you like to donate your photography skills by helping to take pictures throughout the year (especially this month of our staff).  We also have great ideas for videos, but are in need of a professional videographer to help our ideas come to life!  If you are interested, please contact Jennifer Harris at jennifer_harris@dpsk12.org.