The Cougar Connection

As we work together to support your child’s learning and growth, open communication between home and school remains essential. Please join us for our upcoming Parent-Teacher Conferences on Monday, November 2nd, between 10:00 AM and 6:00 PM. These meetings provide a dedicated opportunity to celebrate your child’s achievements, discuss their academic and social progress, and set collaborative goals for the remainder of the school year. Partnering closely with you ensures that we are all aligned in helping your child thrive, and we strongly encourage every family to attend.

At school, we are continuously encouraging students to speak and write in complete sentences to strengthen their communication and literacy skills. Expressing complete thoughts helps children organize their ideas, build confidence, and expand their vocabulary. At home, you can support this daily habit by encouraging your child to answer questions with full sentences rather than single words. Because children often need a little guidance to frame their responses, offering sentence starters—such as repeating the question back to them (e.g., "My favorite part of the story was...")—gives them the structure they need to express themselves effectively.

To help deepen your conversations at home, please take a look at the Higher Order Thinking (HOT) Questioning Chart included below. This tool helps move children past basic recall (Level 1 questions like "Who is..." or "What did...") toward critical thinking, reasoning, and problem-solving (Level 3 and "HOT!!!!!" questions like "Why would..." or "How might..."). Try picking a higher-level phrase from the chart during daily reading or dinnertime discussions to push your child's thinking beyond simple surface-level facts.

Some general reminders (these and more can be found in our Handbook linked below):

- When sending in items for student birthdays, please let your child's teacher know ahead of time and DO NOT include any food items. Even if they aren't meant for an "in school treat" kids could potentially have access to food items on the bus and it's very difficult to monitor allergies on the bus.

- The use of the app "Remind" is no longer supported in Manassas Park City Schools. Please work with your child's teacher to ensure you are maintaining communication in the most effective way.

To view our updated Parent/Student Handbook, please click HERE.

You can also access this throughout our website by hovering over "Families" and clicking on the handbook. If you have any questions, please let us know!

Thursday, October 29th - Family Science Night! - 5:30pm-7:00pm

Monday, November 2nd - No School for students - Parent/Teacher Conferences scheduled between 10am and 6pm

Monday, November 2nd (5:00pm) - Title 1 Parent Night (see information below)

Tuesday, November 3rd - No School for students (offices closed)

Tuesday, November 10th - PTO Meeting at MPES - 6:00pm

Wednesday, November 11th - No School (Veterans' Day)

🎃 The Little Cougars PTO is excited to host a Trunk or Treat TODAY starting at 5:30pm! See information on the flyers below!

Our next PTO meeting will be on Tuesday, November 10th at MPE in conjunction with their Parent Resource Night. There will not be a virtual option for this meeting given the event that is happening at the same time.

Connect with The Little Cougars PTO on social media or email us at:

📧 President.littlecougarpto@gmail.com

📧 Treasurer.littlecougarpto@gmail.com

Let’s make it a great year for our Little Cougars! 🐾🖤💛

The Children's Science Center will be bringing their Family Science Night activities to Cougar. This fun, engaging event is free for our students and families.

This event will go from 5:30pm-7:00pm on Thursday, October 29th in the Cougar ES cafeteria.

In honor of Veterans Day, we are creating a special display to recognize and celebrate the brave men and women who have served our country in the United States Armed Forces.

We invite all veterans, as well as family members and friends of veterans, to submit a photo of their loved one who has served or is currently serving in the military. ❤️🤍💙

Please include the following information with each photo:

• 📸 A photo of the veteran

• Full Name

• Rank

• Branch of Military Service (Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps, Coast Guard, or Space Force)

Submission Deadline: Friday, November 6th

Submit Photos To: Malia Hayes at malia.hayes@mpark.net

Thank you for helping us honor our veterans this Veterans Day!

You are invited to join us for our annual Title I Parent Meeting! This event is a great opportunity to learn more about how Title I funding supports our school and how you can be involved in your child’s academic success.

Event Highlights:

• Learn about Cougar Elementary’s Title I Program

• Discover how Title I funds are used to benefit your child's education

• Get tips on how to support learning at home

• Meet district staff and ask questions

Meeting Details:

• Date: Monday, November 2nd

• Time: 5:00 PM

• Location: Cougar Elementary School Room A203/204

We look forward to seeing you there! For more information, please contact Pam Kalso at pam.kalso@mpark.net

Title I Parent Engagement Surveys

Thank you for partnering with us in your child's school experience! Please answer these questions to help us plan family events and activities. Please use a new form for each child in grades PK-5.

Parent Engagement Survey Links:

• English

• Spanish

Our Kindergarten Cougars were such great audience members when the amazing Hylton Performing Arts Center came to visit and put on a fun puppet show!

Make a difference in our students' lives while keeping total control over your schedule! Cougar Elementary is actively looking for passionate, reliable substitute teachers to join our vibrant school community.

Whether you are a certified educator, a recent graduate, a retired professional, or a parent looking to give back, substituting offers the perfect blend of purpose and flexibility.

Why Join Our Team?

• Ultimate Flexibility: Choose the days, half-days, and grade levels that work best for your lifestyle.

• Supportive Environment: We provide ready-to-use lesson plans, welcoming staff, and an active administrative support team to ensure your day runs smoothly.

• Competitive Pay: Earn competitive daily rates while building valuable professional connections.

• Direct Impact: Be the reassuring, engaging presence our students need when their regular teacher is away.

Help us keep our classrooms thriving! Apply today through our district portal at the link below!

https://jobs.redroverk12.com/org/mpark?search=substitute

We are creating a STEM Recycling Station! We are asking families to help us collect clean, reusable materials that can be used for hands-on STEM activities throughout the school year. We are looking for:

• Grocery bags

• Plastic bottles (water bottles/soda bottles)

• Cardboard boxes
• Paper towel and toilet paper rolls

These simple materials can become amazing tools for young engineers and inventors! Students will use them to build models, test ideas, create solutions, and practice important STEM skills such as creativity, collaboration, communication, critical thinking, and problem-solving.

If you have any of these items at home, please consider sending them to school for our STEM Recycling Station. It is located in our front office. Thank you for helping us turn everyday items into opportunities for learning and innovation!

PROCEDURES TO FOLLOW WHEN YOUR CHILD IS ABSENT:

1. You must call or send an email to notify the school of your child’s absence. A note MUST be sent in with your child when they return for the absence to be excused.

   • Call the front office by 9:30am (703) 392-1317

   • Send an email to the absence email address by 9:30am (CESattendance@mpark.net)

2. If we do not receive a phone call or email letting us know the student will not be attending that day, you will receive a call from the automated system notifying you of your student’s absence.

3. Parents must contact the school within one three days from the date of the absence, explaining the absence

4. It is the student's responsibility to make up all missed assignments within a reasonable amount of time. Assignments that are not made up will be reflected in the student's grades.

5. When a student misses three or more consecutive days of school due to illness, a parent/guardian is encouraged to call the teacher and request class assignments.

EXCUSED ABSENCES:

The following are the only legitimate excuses for absences from school:

1. Personal illness
2. Death of a family member
3. Medical or dental appointment
4. Court appearances
5. Observance of religious holiday

The following may be excused by the principal with written permission:

1. Illness of a family member
2. Emergencies
3. Trips/activities which enhance or extend the student’s education

If the parent has not informed the school with a written excuse of the student's absence, the absence will be unexcused.

UNEXCUSED ABSENCES:

If a student is absent from school for any reason other than listed above even with a parent’s note, the absence is unexcused unless approved by the principal in advance (Pre-Arranged Absence Form).

If the parent has not informed the school with a written excuse of the student's absence within three days of the absence, the absence will be unexcused.

If a student misses school with more than five unexcused absences, the parents/guardians will be contacted in order to set up a meeting to discuss an attendance plan.