The Cardinal Connection

Do you know a Red Clay classroom teacher who is dedicated, inspiring, and making a difference? If so, please take the time to nominate this person for the 2026-2027 Red Clay Teacher of the Year award by completing this form.

Please submit order and money to your child’s teacher by Friday, February 6th

T-shirts are $8.00 – Exact amount Cash or Check payable to Cooke Elementary

Please note that this is not a fundraiser. T-shirts are sold at cost to help raise awareness about the campaign.

2026 T-shirt color is yellow and the 2026 slogan is: INCLUSION: The Bridge That Unites Us

As we step into the new year, we are energized and have already jumped back into our learning!

Our staff are continuing the important work of helping every student grow academically, socially, and emotionally. We are hitting the ground running, building on the progress and momentum we’ve already established this school year.

As a school, we are constantly analyzing and reflecting on our student data. This includes diving into academic, behavioral, and other key indicators that we know impact student success.

With that in mind, it’s imperative that we focus on student attendance.

There’s no question that there is a direct correlation between regular student attendance and student achievement. All indicators confirm that a missed day of school is a lost opportunity to learn.

Chronic absenteeism is defined as missing 10% or more days in a school year – and this includes both excused and unexcused absences. While 10% may not sound like a lot of school to miss, that equates to just two or more absences per month.

It’s important to note all absenteeism, whether chronic or below that threshold, still has an enormous impact on our students. When students aren’t in class they miss opportunities to learn which can compound over time.

Our goal through the remainder of this school year is to partner with our families to analyze attendance and work together to do everything we can to ensure our students are at school.

We must work together to achieve this goal.

If your child is absent, please send in an absence note when they return.

If you email your child's teacher with the absence excuse, please include the ladies in the main office: Desiree.Nabors@redclay.k12.de.us and Rebecca.Johnson@redclay.k12.de.us, so that the attendance can be updated in Infinite Campus for your child.

These are reminders to all families who drop off students in the car rider line in the morning.

• Please pull all the way up to the end of the sidewalk, usually where you see Mrs. Quinn standing.
• Do not stop in the middle of the car lane to drop your student(s) off. There have been several near accidents in the line as cars are dropping off at various points on the driveway and then trying to scoot around each other.
• Do not drive around other cars to exit. Remain in a single file car line lane.
• Students should exit the car as soon as the car comes to a stop. Students should be exiting on the passenger side only.

What is One School, One Book? This is a shared reading experience among all students and families across the entire school!

Our annual One School, One Book will kick off on February 2nd! Every student will come home with their own copy of our shared reading title to read with families during the month of February! We thank our Cooke PTA for contributing to our OSOB program!

Daily clues will be posted on our bulletin board and we will share photos on our Cooke social media pages each day so families can see the clues as well! What book will we read???

As part of our safety plan, we conduct different types of drills during the school year. We have our second lockdown drill scheduled for next week. School safety is a priority and practicing drills helps with our preparedness. We are informing you so that you can discuss this with your child and/or answer any questions they may have. The teachers will review the procedures with the students. The school will send a message to families after the completion of the drill.

Cooke Elementary School, in partnership with the University of Delaware’s Center for Economic Education and Entrepreneurship, the State Bank Commissioner, and First Citizens’ Community Bank (FCCB), will be launching the Bank at School program in which students will have the opportunity to open a non-custodial savings account (child’s name only).

Based on State Economic Standards, the Bank at School program is designed to teach students about economics and financial literacy using hands-on, contextualized learning. Every Tuesday bankers from FCCB will make weekly visits to the school to accept student deposits and help students learn about the world of banking. This real-life banking experience will help students practice the life skills to become wise consumers and prudent savers.

• This is an interest-bearing savings account and First Citizens’ Community Bank charges no fees on this account.
• Only deposits can be made at school. Withdrawals and summer deposits may be conducted at any FCCB branch.
• Students in grades K-5 will be able to participate in the program.
• The bank will be open for business every Tuesday from 8:45-9:05 A.M.
• A quarterly statement will be mailed directly to the student’s home.

In order for your child to participate, please complete the attached form and return it to the school with a minimum $1.00 opening deposit. After the initial deposit, no requirements exist for how much or how often a student must deposit. If they have signed up in previous years, you do not need to complete the form again to sign up.

This program is a unique opportunity for the Cooke Elementary students. We encourage all students to participate, but participation is strictly voluntary. If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact Mrs. Jacobs. If you have any banking questions, please reach out to Lura Taub, FCCB Branch Operations Officer at Lmtaub@myfccb.com .

How to Submit:

Option 1 - Complete the form via link below

Option 2 - Email to yearbookcover@cookepta.org

Option 3 - Drop the physical paper to the main office with Mrs. Nabors & Mrs. Johnson.

If you have any questions, please email us at yearbookcover@cookepta.org

The State of Delaware conducts state testing starting in Grade 3. We are providing the dates so that you can plan ahead to ensure that your child is in school on these dates.

Grade 3:

ELA: 4/27, 4/30

Math: 5/5, 5/7

Grade 4:

Social Studies: 2/11, 5/11

ELA: 4/27, 4/30

Math: 5/5, 5/7

Grade 5:

Social Studies: 1/23, 5/11

ELA: 4/27, 4/30

Math: 5/5, 5/7

Science: 5/14

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