Congin School

Good Morning Congin Cougar Families,

1. Prior to break, we were working on our theme of kindness. Students were challenged to participate in a variety of activities relating to kindness, and they did a fantastic job. We celebrated with 3 spirit days, and again, students had a great time coming to school in their spirit wear!

2. Since coming back from break, we had a whole-school assembly on Monday where we rolled out our new theme of mindfulness. Students learned about what it means to be mindful, and we had some brave kindergarten students model how we can be mindful throughout our day at school. Classrooms will be participating in "mindful minutes" where they will practice being mindful using a variety of resources, such as videos. Classrooms will be tracking their mindful minutes, and we will have a whole school visual for students to see all of our mindful minutes! We have a goal of 500 mindful minutes by the end of the month!

3. Winter weather is in full swing. We determine whether or not we have outside recess each day and it is determined based on the "feel-like temperature." If the feel-like temperature is 13 degrees and above, we go outside for recess. If it is below 13 degrees, we stay inside. In any event, please make sure that your child is bringing their winter gear (jackets, gloves, snowpants, etc.) to school so that students can stay warm and enjoy being outside!

4. Please remember that students need to be dropped off at school BY 8:40. If students come in after 8:40, they will be considered tardy. Please make sure that students are arriving at school on time. Additionally, parent pick-up started at 3:25, and students must be picked up by 3:35.

5. We are partnering with Brea Lu! Students will be receiving Brea Lu bookmarks in their classrooms today. When students read 5 books, their teacher can sign the bookmark, and the bookmark can be redeemed for one free pancake at Brea Lu Cafe!

6. Reader's Theater started this week after school! These sessions will be taking place on Tuesdays from 3:30-4:30. Please make sure to pick up your child at 4:30 in the front of the school. Please let Miss E know if you have any questions!

7. Game Club is also starting this week on Thursdays for grades 1 and 2. These sessions will be taking place from 3:30-5:00. Again, please make sure to pick up your child on time. These sessions will be taking place on 1/9, 1/16, and 1/23. Please let me know if you have any questions about Game Club!

8. We will be sending out permission slips for Game Club for grades 3 and 4 today! Please make sure to get these permission slips in by January 17th. We can only accept 20 students for this club, so not all students who turn in a permission slip will be able to participate. If we get more than 20 permission slips, we will choose students in a random draw. I will notify families the week of January 21st.

9. We are gearing up for Kindergarten orientation and screening! Help spread the word! Kindergarten Orientation will be taking place at Congin on February 27th at 6pm. This is a great night to gain information about registering your child, and what kindergarten at Congin looks like! Additionally, we will be screening students on March 27th and 28th! Please reach out to the office if you have any questions.

10. Just a reminder that we will have no school on January 20th for Martin Luther King Jr. Day.

11. We have a lot of free family engagement activities coming up to support the entire district. We will be having the Northern Stars Planetarium coming on January 28th at 5:30pm to the Westbrook Middle School. This will be a great night to explore the Winter Night Sky with some experts, and free hot cocoa will be offered to all who attend. Additionally, all of our cougars will be having a field trip to the middle school on the 28th to participate in a planetarium experience!

12. There will be a free workshop at Canal School on January 21st at 5:30pm. The workshop is titled "The ABCs of Racism." This workshop is dedicated to fostering conversations and action about race and justice with kids. I have attached a flyer if you are interested in attending.

13. Are you interested in learning more about our school budget? We will be holding two information sessions to discuss how our budget is created, and how we prioritize how our money is allocated. The first session will be on Thursday, January 30th at Saccarappa School at 5pm! A spaghetti dinner will also be served. The second session will be on Saturday, February 1st at 9:00am at Westbrook High School. Pancakes will be served at 8:30am for anyone who is interested! We hope you can join us!

14. It's a great day to be a cougar!