The Cardinal Connection

Dear Families,

Welcome to an exciting new school year! This year, we are proud to introduce our school theme, "Ya Gotta Believe," inspired by a favorite saying of our school's namesake, William F. "Buzzy" Cooke. These simple yet powerful words remind us that a positive outlook and belief in ourselves and others can make extraordinary things possible.

Throughout the year, we will encourage our students to believe in their abilities, embrace challenges, support one another, and never lose sight of what they can accomplish through perseverance and determination. Together, we will continue to foster the values that Buzzy believed in—kindness, optimism, hard work, and the unwavering belief that every child has the potential to succeed.

At Cooke Elementary, we know that when we believe in ourselves and in each other, there is no limit to what we can achieve. Ya Gotta Believe!

In Partnership,

Mrs. Jacobs & Mrs. Gearheart

Due to a stormy weather prediction for Thursday, we have changed the Kindergarten Playdate to Wednesday, 8/19!

IT’S TIME FOR YOUR ANNUAL UPDATE!

A successful school year starts with staying connected! Beginning August 17, families can complete the 2026–2027 Annual Student Information Update through the Infinite Campus Family Portal.

Take a few minutes to make sure we have the most current information for your student, including:

Parent/guardian contact information

Mailing address

Emergency contacts

Student health information

Preferred language for family communications

Already have an Infinite Campus account? Simply log in and select Annual Update / New Student Registration to get started.

Need an account? Check your email on August 17 for an activation message from Red Clay. An automated email will be shared every Monday until you create an account.

PLEASE DON’T SKIP THIS IMPORTANT STEP!

Accurate information helps us stay connected with your family and ensures we can best support your student throughout the school year.

Get instructions and complete details here.

*Please note that while homeroom assignments are visible, these are still a work in progress and may change. Class lists will be finalized on 8/27 and the final homeroom will be available at our Family Walkthrough event.

Let’s start the year connected and ready to move Forward Together!

There’s still time to enroll, and we’re excited to welcome our newest learners into safe, caring, and engaging kindergarten classrooms. At Red Clay, children build confidence, make new friends, and develop the skills they need for a lifetime of learning and success.

What Families Need to Register

• 📋 Photo ID
• 🏠 Proof of Residency
• 👶 Birth Certificate
• 💉 Immunization Records

Children must be 5 years old by August 31, 2026.

Families can register online or in person at any Red Clay elementary school.

Get the Best Start at Red Clay

Whether you're a parent, guardian, grandparent, neighbor, or friend, you can help a child begin their educational journey in a place where they are known, supported, and inspired to thrive.

Learn more and enroll today:RedClaySchools.com/kindergarten

All car rider families and new to Cooke students (including all Kindergarten families) will be issued new 2026-2027 car tags. These must be picked up between now and the first day of school. They will be available for pick up on our Cooke Walkthrough Night on 8/27 as well.

Please do not use old car tags. Your family will be issued two new tags for use this year. Please discard old car tags.

We do request that your child's form of transportation remains consistent. If there is an emergency and you must change your child to car rider for the day, please send in a note and/or email to inform the teacher AND the front office.

Main office contacts:

Secretary: Desiree Nabors: Desiree.Nabors@redclay.k12.de.us

Clerk: Rebecca Johnson: Rebecca.Johnson@redclay.k12.de.us

This ensures that if your child's teacher is absent, someone in the main office also receives this communication.

*If your child's form of transportation has changed from last year, you must contact the main office as soon as possible!

It is very important to read through our Cooke Family Handbook! It is full of information about our school and may answer questions that you have about routines, procedures and expectations at our school. We are going paperless with our Family Handbook this year!

Many of you have reached out looking for ways you can support our school. We would love to have donations for our MTSS School Store. Students visit this store once per month and use their Cardinal Credits they've earned for being respectful, responsible, and ready. We put together an Amazon Wish List. If you choose to donate, the items will be shipped directly to Cooke Elementary School. As always, thank you for your support!

If you plan to volunteer at Cooke (chaperone a field trip, help in the classroom, help at a school event such as the Book Fair or Holiday Shop, etc.) you must complete the State of Delaware process to become an approved volunteer.

There are three documents you need to turn in:

1. Confidentiality Agreement

2. TB Risk Assessment

3. RECEIPT for the $14 online fee for the Child Protection Registry

These can be turned in to the office now and once school begins, to the homeroom teacher.

Documents must be received in the office BEFORE the date of the volunteer opportunity/field trip.

Volunteer approval is good for ONE calendar year. So, if you completed this last October, you are cleared through October 2026. Then you must resubmit the three documents. If you are unsure when you expire, you can call the main office at 302-235-6600.

Some parents have expressed trouble with the Child Protection Registry site. We do not have tech support for this. We have learned that it is best to do this on a computer versus a phone. That seems to be more successful.

We have a translate feature! Simply click "translate newsletter" and you can pick from many different languages!

¡Tenemos un botón de traducción! Simplemente haga clic donde dice "translate newsletter" y podrá elegir entre muchos idiomas diferentes.

The Red Clay Consolidated School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, creed, color, national origin, religion, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, handicap, veteran status, domicile, genetic information, or any legally protected characteristic. Inquiries should be directed to Human Resources at 302-552-3783.