Cory Caregivers,
Each spring, students across Colorado participate in the Colorado Measures of Academic Success (CMAS). The testing window for CMAS is April 7 - 24. We know testing can bring questions, so we want to share why CMAS matters and how it supports your child and our school community.
How CMAS Supports Students:
Identifying Strengths & Opportunities
CMAS scores are one data point used to help identify students for Gifted and Talented services.
Scores may also be included in a student's body of evidence for exiting English Language Development (ELD) services.
Planning for Instruction
Teachers use CMAS data at the beginning of the school year to:
Plan targeted instruction
Provide appropriate acceleration for students ready to move ahead
Identify students who may benefit from additional intervention or support
Building Life Skills
Test-taking is a part of life-whether for academics, careers, or certifications.
CMAS helps students practice perseverance, focus, stamina, and resilience.
Cory CMAS Schedule
We are excited to share an important instructional change for next school year. Beginning in 2026–27, we will discontinue the looping model in grades 4 and 5. Instead, we will have dedicated 4th grade and 5th grade literacy and math teachers, allowing students to transition to new teachers and peer groups each year.
Rationale for This Change:
Data trends: We have observed that our 4th grade students have traditionally made tremendous growth when they transition to a new teacher from 3rd grade to 4th. By giving students the same opportunity when they transition from 4th grade to 5th grade we are confident that we can mirror this same high level of growth.
Teacher expertise: Specialized 4th and 5th grade teachers allow us to deepen grade-level expertise, instructional focus, and targeted interventions specific to each grade's standards and developmental needs.
Peer relationships: While strong teacher-student bonds are valuable, changing peer groups annually provides students with opportunities to build diverse relationships, develop social flexibility, and experience new collaborative dynamics.
Transition preparation: Moving to a new teacher each year mirrors the transitions students will experience in middle school and beyond, building adaptability and resilience.
Instructional coherence: Dedicated grade-level teachers can align curriculum, pacing, and support more precisely within each grade's scope and sequence.
These are the teaching positions for next year. Full time staff will teach two different classes each day. We are still in the process of filling two literacy positions.
LITERACY TEAM
Meghan Miller- 4th grade literacy (AM and PM class)
Open Position - half time 4th grade literacy (AM class)
Rainy LaVenture- half time 5th grade literacy (PM class)
Open Position - 5th grade literacy (AM and PM class)
MATH TEAM
Sarah Weaver - 4th grade math (AM and PM class)
John Egland - 4th math and 5th math (AM 5th and PM 4th)
Maddie Sherrill - 5th grade math (AM and PM class)
MLE TEACHER
Dawn Gibbs - .5 MLE teacher
We believe this change will strengthen student outcomes and create renewed excitement for learning. Thank you for your continued partnership.
Updates for Next Year:
Congratulations to Diana Golden who is retiring!
We will miss Elise Tilson as she embarks on a new life adventure outside of Cory!
Ms. Javernick and Ms. Clark will be staying in the building as Senior Team Leads.
We have hired a new SPED teacher, so we will have 2 SPED teachers next year. We will be sending out new staff introductions in the coming weeks.
We are in the process of hiring for our open ⅘ positions and for 2nd grade.
Our next Community School Committee (CSC) meeting, where the School Leadership Team (SLT) and Mental Health Team will host a parent education night focused on behavior management at Cory on March 19.
This session will help families understand:
How we support students' social-emotional learning and positive behavior
Our tiered approach to addressing behavioral challenges
How school and home can partner to reinforce expectations and skills
Our restorative and supportive practices
We want to address your questions and concerns! If you have questions about behavior management, our approaches, or how we support your child, please submit them by next Friday. This will help our team prepare and ensure we address topics that matter most to you. Please submit questions here.
Thank you for your partnership and engagement. We look forward to connecting with you!
Joan and Anna
UPCOMING EVENTS
March 8th - Daylight Savings
March 10th - Choice 2nd Round Opens @ 10:00
March 11th - Individual Spring Picture Day
5th Grade group picture Day (first thing in the morning)
March 16th - Spring Family Conference Day - No Students
March 19th - CSC Meeting @ 4:00
March 30th - April 3rd - Spring Break
April 7th - CMAS Testing Begins
April 10th - PTA Meeting
April 16th & 17th - 5th Grade Trip to Balarat
April 24th - Cory Auction
April 29th - 1st Grade Musical @5:00
May 6th - 4th Grade Cory Cafe - Music & Art Show @ 5:00
May 7th - 5th Grade Cory Cafe - Music & Art Show @ 5:00
May 1st - No School for students
Food for Families
We are partnering with the Merrill Middle School food pantry/ backpack program to ensure all families have access to food. If you are in need of food during this time for your family, please read below! If you would like to receive extra groceries one-time per month, please complete this private and anonymous survey, so we can provide the food items that your family likes to eat and match your preferences. Anonymous survey
Food will be anonymously dispersed on: Friday, April 10 / Friday, May 8
