Courtade Newsletter

Our Back to School Night will take place on Wednesday, September 2nd at 4:30. Parents and students will get the chance to see their new classroom and meet their teacher. Our new school shirts will also be passed out at this event. Mr. Phillips will be on the playground (weather permitting) with popsicles for everyone. The in school open house concludes at 5:30, but families are welcome to mingle on the playground for as long as they want after the event is over.

Kindergarten Signing Day is Thursday, August 27th from 2:00-6:00 PM. This event is for incoming kindergarten and junior kindergarten students. Families can sign up for a timeframe to come and visit our campus! Students will have the opportunity to get to know the kindergarten staff. We’ll also get to know your child a little more by conducting a 15 minute screener to support his/her needs for the start of the year. The total visit will be about 30 minutes. Please sign up for a Kindergarten Signing Day here. Click on a time and select "Sign Up" at the bottom to secure that time for your child. You and your kindergarten or JK child should attend.

We invite everyone to wear our brand new, matching school shirts on the first day of school. This way, whether you've been at Courtade for a long time, or the first day of school is your first day as a Cougar, you feel like you're an official part of our school.

Doors open at 8:45 each day. Mr. Rob and Mr. Phillips are always outside when doors open with high fives for all of our students (and some parents). We always ask parents to say all of their goodbyes outside of our front doors. We have another smiling greeting line of happy staffers welcoming students into the school as students get inside. If any of us see any students who need a little extra TLC or some extra help getting things in lockers and organized, it is always offered. Thank you for following our safety protocols and allowing your Cougars to enter the school all by themselves.

Dismissal each day is 3:57. Teachers walk all students riding the bus to their buses. Mr. Phillips will walk all students being picked up outside using the main front doors. Pick up families have two options. The first (and best option for younger students) is to park in a parking place in our parking lot and congregate at the flagpole. Your child will run up to you and you can hold hands back to your car. The second option is to use the pickup loop. Cars line up, starting at the end of the loop. Staff will be stationed along the loop and will radio to Mr. Phillips to send specific students to their cars.

We thank everyone for their patience as we work together to provide safe pick up and drop off procedures for all of our students and families.

• Am I getting breakfast? - Breakfast is offered at no cost to all students in the cafeteria. Students should know before they enter school if they are getting breakfast or not. We'll often find students who already had a good breakfast at home may go to the cafeteria to get breakfast also.
• Am I getting lunch? - Lunch is also offered at no cost to all students. You can always find the lunch menu for the week in this newsletter. We usually have three different choices (one of which is always what we call "salad bar"). Many students also will bring their own lunches (no glass containers, please). Learning and being active in school requires lots of fuel! All students should be eating something good for lunch each day.
• How am I getting home? - All students should know how they are getting home every day. This is especially critical in the first part of the school year. For our youngest students, make sure your child's teacher also knows the plans.

If plans ever change, the best way to make sure your child gets the information is to call the school office well before the end of the day. The sooner the better!

The Transportation department will be sharing bus route information via the MyRIde app. They will not be sending emails to families as they have done in the past. Please be sure to download the app and check your student's details often in the next few weeks. Information to download the app can be found by clicking here.

Taking first-day photos is a great way to celebrate heading back to school! The Michigan State Police reminds families to be careful when posting these pictures online. Even with strict privacy settings, sharing too many details can help scammers or strangers learn about your child.

What to Leave Out:

• School names or locations

• Grade level or age

• Teacher or classroom information

• Physical descriptions such as height or weight

• Other identifying details that could be used to answer security questions or reveal personal information

Safe Ways to Share:

• Snap close-ups of new shoes, a fun backpack, or a big smile.

• Focus captions on excitement rather than specific details.

Have fun celebrating the big day while keeping your family's personal information safe!

The Community Events & Resources tab on the TCAPS website has links to access information for several Community Partners - everything from gymnastics to Little League to local nature centers. Take a moment to browse through the wealth of opportunities in the Grand Traverse region!

The Open House is around the corner and we are thrilled to welcome the students and families back to school. Stop by our table and check out the supply raffle for the students, our Box Tops info table and more! We will also be supplying popsicles on the playground immediately following the open house.

The ROAR Restore is ready to launch! While we will continue to collect items year-round, we'd like to get this first round back into the hands of our Cougar Families. Items will be significantly reduced and we will put out everything we have available. Our hope is to offer this annually as we continue to receive items. Cash or check is preferred, but we will have the credit card machine available as well.

We are looking for vendors for this year's Farmer's Market. If you personally have/operate a booth, or know someone that would be interested, please let us know and we'd love to invite them to the Courtade Farmer's Market in October.

Cougar Night at Mt. Holiday is back by popular demand. Mark your calendars for Wednesday, September 16th, 4-8pm, to celebrate the kick off to the new school year. 15% of all food sales will come back to the school.

September 15

October 13

November 10

December 8

January 12

February 9

March 9

April 13

May 11

It's time to get those Oleson's receipts out of hiding and bring them back to school! We will accept them at the Open House and they are always welcome to be dropped into the red box by the pencil machine or directly to the office.

Box Tops totals restarted on July 1st and we're already making a significant dent in our goal. If you're already connected via the app, please continue to scan those receipts. If you don't know about Box Tops and how you can help, please stop by and chat at the Open House! It's an easy way to get a few more dollars back to the school with limited effort.

Questions for the PTO? Please reach out at ptocourtade@gmail.com

• The TCAPS Sex Education Advisory Board meets five to eight times per year to review sex education curriculum, materials, and methods of instruction. The meetings are typically scheduled from 5:30 - 7:00 p.m. on the second Wednesday of the month. Membership terms are for 3 years, and members must attend at least 50% of the scheduled meetings for the year to maintain their seat.

Selection of members will be based on three criteria – expressed interest, ability to attend meetings as required, and that you meet one of the following categories:

• Parent of a student attending TCAPS

• Educator

• Local clergy

• Community health professional
  
  

According to the committee bylaws, 50% of the membership shall be the parents of current TCAPS students. If there are more volunteers than there are openings, a lottery system will be used to select members.

If you are interested, please apply on or before September 28, 2026, using the 26-27 TCAPS Sex Education Advisory Board Application.

Any questions can be directed to Erin Johnson, TCAPS Sex Education Coordinator, at johnsoner@tcaps.net.

Per state requirements developed in collaboration with Michigan Tribal Nations, families have the option to annually report their student’s tribal affiliation. This optional data helps strengthen communication with Tribal Nations and allows our district to explore potential grant opportunities to support Indigenous students. All submitted information is strictly confidential and protected under privacy laws, including FERPA.

How to participate: If you choose to share your family's affiliation, please complete the 2026-27 Tribal Affiliation Questionnaire by September 30, 2026. To learn more, visit the Tribal Affiliation Data in Michigan Schools page.

TCAPS District Calendar