Parent Post- September 9, 2016

Posted September 9, 2016

Principal Updates

I wanted to take the opportunity to thank all of you for attending our Back to School Night last week.  We had a tremendous turn-out and our team is appreciative of you taking the time to attend and partner with us this school year!  If you missed this evening, please be sure to reach out to your child’s teacher to get all of the important information. 

We have great news to share.  A few weeks ago I had shared that we had not met our projected enrollment by 19 students, which equals a $76,000 deficit to our budget.  I am thrilled to share that we were able to cover this deficit and will NOT have to cut any staffing for this school year.  We were able to cover this with the following funds:
  • Carry-over funds from our 2015/16 Budget (approximately $31,000)
  • Not hiring one of our open Para Positions.  This position was to replace Mrs. Nagel, who was a paraprofessional last year (saving us $20,000)
  • A generous gift from our PTA of $25,000, which originates from a money market account created years ago that was due to be liquidated in October.  Special thanks to the parent(s) who created this account knowing it would one day be needed for a time such as this!
In order to plan for future years, we will be working with our staff and CSC on  plans to market our school and increase enrollment throughout the years to help ensure we are meeting our enrollment projections. 
Everyone have a wonderful weekend and enjoy the start of the NFL Season (GO BRONCOS!).
In appreciation and partnership, 
Jennifer Harris
Principal
jennifer_harris@dpsk12.org

Check Out the New and Improved Parent and Student Portal Mobile App

This is an example of a DPS Portal mobile app Spanish profile Encourage parents/guardians and students at your school to use the DPS Portal mobile app to facilitate academic conversations and monitor student progress at their fingertips. New features include updated user interface, language translations, and color coded grades/assessments to better understand student academic progress.

Use the DPS Portal mobile app to:

  • Provide an equitable resource: Now available in multiple languages including Spanish and Vietnamese
  • Increase academic engagement and partnership with your students and their families
  • Keep parents/guardians informed about student’s grades, attendance, and assessments as they are posted

Empower your students and their families to facilitate meaningful conversations by staying informed about academic progress. Encourage them to download the DPS Portal app today in the Apple and Google Play app stores.

Friends of Cory Annual Giving Campaign Begins!
Friends of Cory is one of two major PTA fundraising efforts for Cory Elementary. From September 12 to October 14, our goal is to raise $65,000 and have 100% student family participation. Every dollar benefits your child and every dollar is appreciated.  Look in your child’s Friday Folder for a letter and contribution form or you can donate online now. (link to http://cory.dpsk12.org/supportcory/annual-giving/) . Thank you for participating and for “Growing Together” with Cory Elementary!

PTA News 

Thank you to all who joined and volunteered to assist the PTA thus far! We continue to have committees that are in need of chairs or co-chairs. Please consider chairing one of the following:

Open Committee Event Date # of Chairs Needed
Spring Auction Saturday, April 8, 2017 2 or 3 people
School Directory Fall 1 person
Grocery Cards Year round 1 person
Volunteer Handbook TBD 1 person
Specials Classroom Assistant Year round 1 person
Please note: Please feel free to create co-chairs (2 people) for any of the 1 person committee positions

If you don’t want a leadership role but still want to help, we want to hear from you too.

Reminders:

Friends of Cory: The Friends of Cory fundraising drive begins on Monday, Sept 12th. These funds are needed to provide para-professionals, technology and educational resources. Please reach out to Haven Smith, havencsmith@gmail.com, or Dana Kang, dana.kang@gmail.com regarding donations.

Farmers Market: The next Farmers Market is scheduled for Friday, Sept 16th. Please stop by to purchase great produce and herbs. This is a nutritious and delicious way to support Cory.

Cory Carnival: The Cory Carnival is quickly approaching and is scheduled for Sunday, Sept 25th from 12:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. This is a fun family event and one that you don’t want to miss! We look forward to seeing you there!

Join the PTA!  You can join online at http://cory.dpsk12.org/parent-involvement/pta/.  There’s no better way to know what’s happening in your school, effect positive change and demonstrate the importance of education to your child. We are currently working on creating a meeting time that might be more inclusive for both parents and teachers.  There should be an announcement by the next Parent Post.

Fall Enrichment Updates

Fall enrichment start the week of September 12th…there are still many seats available for fencing, ballet, tap dancing, computer coding, STEAM-powered discovery, and MORE! Sign up by SEPTEMBER 8th at http://cory.dpsk12.org/our-school/before-after-school/.

Library News

The school year is off to a great start.  All of the classes have had a chance to visit the library and check-out books, as well as begin a variety of library and technology lessons.  As a reminder, students are allowed to check-out books for 2 weeks.  If a book is lost or damaged, it is a $5.00 fine for paperbacks, $10.00 for older hardcovers, and $20.00 for a hardcover that has been in the library collection for less than a year.  Also, please visit the library/technology wiki at:  http://corylibary.wikispaces.com to see the latest classroom news, projects, and book club information, as well as links to many resources.

-Dawn Miller

Teacher Librarian & Technology Teacher