Cole Miners' Dig

The time change was challenging for all of us, but we managed to have a great week at Cole School. Many thanks to Mr. Kaszuba and his friend Dave for coming to Cole School on Monday to play some Irish music to get us in the spirit for St. Patrick's Day. Everyone just loves this new tradition! 5th graders participated in the North and South Rivers Watershed enrichment program on Monday thanks to the support of the 5th grade teachers and parent volunteers. Students and parent volunteers gathered around 3D models showing how water moves across their town, how pollution travels down our streets when it rains and ends up in our rivers, and how dirty water gets treated. Most importantly, they learned how to conserve water by making small changes.

We have some upcoming staffing changes to share with you. We are excited to welcome Mrs. Walsh back as our school counselor on Monday. Ms. Mullen will transition into her role as a special education teacher for Mrs. Sokolowski when she takes her family leave soon. Mrs. Sherburne will be returning to her first grade classroom on Monday, April 13th and Ms. Carroll will transition into her next role as Mrs. Lynch's first grade substitute for the remainder of the school year. Ms. Bou Raffoul will make a seamless transition into her role in kindergarten as Mrs. Marshall's substitute when she takes her family leave in early May through the end of the year. A familiar substitute, Mr. Mashburn, will work as the kindergarten aide with Ms. B. during that time as well. We are so fortunate to have found such wonderful educators to substitute this year!

I am looking for one or two parents to serve on the interview committee for the new assistant principal. We will be interviewing the week of April 13-17 (days and times TBD). If you are interested in participating on the interview committee, please email Mrs. Burns by Friday, March 20th.

The Lost and Found is filling up quickly with winter gear, sweatshirts, hats, and mittens. We'll put these items out during the upcoming conference week on April 6th, but please encourage your child to look in the Lost and Found for any missing items.

The Conference Sign Up letter will be emailed home on Friday, March 27th. Conferences will be held during the week of April 6th.

We will be celebrating Neurodiversity Week next week. Neurodiversity Week is a worldwide celebration of individuals who think, move, communicate, and process information differently. Students will share information about Neurodiversity Week on the morning announcements and resources and read aloud stories have been shared with classroom teachers to share during Morning Meeting and class time. Ne

Several of this week's Meerkats were nominated for mastering their facts or excelling in the area of writing while others were nominated for helping a friend who was having a tough day. These Magnificent Meerkats are shining brightly at Cole School and help to make it a wonderful place for learning!

Hi Cole Families! Mrs. Walsh will be returning from maternity leave next week to the role of the school counselor. It has been a pleasure to work with the students at Cole School in this role!

I wanted to embrace the theme of “Spring” and share some information about growth mindset. Growth mindset is all about embracing challenges, putting forth your best effort, and learning from mistakes. The way that a child speaks to themselves makes a huge impact on their mindset. If your child says, “This is too hard! I can’t do it.”, help them switch their mindset to “I can’t do this YET! I will keep trying.” It also helps to model that language yourself if you make a mistake or are dealing with a challenge. This Spring, let’s encourage a growth mindset and positive attitude!

March Madness continued with our Basketball Unit. K-2 practiced dribbling and the push shot while remembering the BEEF. Grade 3 played a fun game called Knockout. Grades 4-5 used their skills of dribbling, passing and shooting in half court games of basketball.

March

March 16 - Celebrating Neurodiversity Week

March 18 - PTO Variety Show Rehearsal 3:30-6:30pm

March 19 - Kangaroo Math Contest (prior registration necessary) 4-5:30pm

March 20 - Trimester 2 Ends

March 23 - Gr. 3 Mad Science Enrichment Program (Thank you, PTO!)

March 25 - Elementary Early Release - all students dismissed at 12:20pm

March 27 - Report Cards Available in Aspen

March 30 - Crocodile River Dancers at Cole School for Grades 1-3

April

April 1 - 2 classes of Grade 5 Field Trip (Thank you, PTO!)

April 2 - Parent Input for Placement Form sent out via email

April 3 - No School - Holiday

Week of April 6 - PTO Book Fair with Buttonwood Books

April 6 - Assistant Principal Appreciation Day

April 6 - Gr. 3 Field Trip (Thank you, PTO!)

April 6 - Gr. 4 High Tech High Touch Enrichment Program (Thank you, PTO!)

April 7 - MCAS Grade 4 ELA Session 1

April 7 - Schwa Day (organized by students)

April 8 - 2 classes of Grade 5 Field Trip (Thank you, PTO!)

April 8 - Ms. O'Malleys Grade 3 Class to Council on Aging

April 8 - MCAS Grade 4 ELA Session 2

April 8 - School Council Meeting 3:30pm

April 9 - Early Release for Parent Conferences

April 10 - MCAS Grade 3 ELA Session 1

April 13 - MCAS Grade 3 ELA Session 2

April 14 - MCAS Grade 5 ELA Session 1

April 15 - MCAS Grade 5 ELA Session 2

April 15 - School Secretary Appreciation Day

Looking Ahead:

May 27 - Art Show 5-7pm

June 5 - Field Day

June 11 - Grade 5 Celebration (for grade 5 parents and grade 5 students only) 6-8pm

June 22 - Last Day of School - Early Release (tentative)

Variety Show: All are welcome to come see their friends perform at this fun event! Tickets are $10/each and go on sale Saturday 3/14 on the PTO website!

Yearbooks: Everyone is welcome to order a yearbook to commemorate a fun year at Cole School! Info below

Steering Committee Nominations: Looking to roll up your sleeves, get involved and have some fun?! Nominations for Steer Co Elections are open through 3/18 please consider nominating yourself, or a friend!

https://forms.gle/G4mwsBexFcWCkknA9

Book Fair: Mark your calendars for another great event celebrating literacy and benefitting Cole PTO. See flyer below