The Cougar Connection

Dear Cougar Families,

Welcome to the 2026-2027 school year! We are thrilled to be connecting with you through The Cougar Connection, our school-wide newsletter designed to keep families informed about important events, celebrations, reminders, and opportunities happening at Cougar Elementary. You can expect Cougar Connection to be published twice each month, providing a consistent way for us to share school updates and strengthen the partnership between home and school.

As we prepare for another incredible year, our administrative team wants you to know that the safety and well-being of every student remains our highest priority. Whether it's physical safety, emotional well-being, or creating a welcoming and inclusive learning environment, we believe students learn best when they feel safe, supported, and valued. By working together with our families, we can ensure every Cougar has the opportunity to thrive.

We are incredibly excited about the year ahead and have so many great things in store for our students, staff, and families. We encourage you to pay special attention to the Open House information below. Open House is one of the best ways to start the school year, giving students the opportunity to meet their teacher, explore their classroom, and begin building the relationships that will help make this a successful and memorable year. We can't wait to welcome you to Cougar Elementary and begin another amazing year together!

Open House is an exciting opportunity for students and families to begin the school year with confidence! By attending, you'll have the chance to meet your child's teacher, see their classroom, learn important information about the year ahead, and start building the strong home-school partnership that helps every child succeed.

Dates/Times:

• PreK and Kindergarten - Wednesday, August 13th 11:00am-1:00pm

• 1st and 2nd Grades - Wednesday, August 13th 3:00pm-6:00pm

What to expect:

• Meet your child's teacher
• Explore the classroom
• Learn more about the school year
• Bring in school supplies
• Connect with our school community
• Ease those first day jitters!

We can't wait to welcome our Cougar families! Open House is the perfect way to kick off a successful school year, and we look forward to seeing you there as we begin another year of learning, growing, and achieving together.

Join us for National Night Out 2026: Presented by the City of Manassas Park Police Department

Please join your neighbors, family, and friends for an evening of fun, community, and camaraderie! We're excited to share this special event with you, filled with good food, great conversation, exciting giveaways, and engaging demonstrations.

Meet and connect with your local Manassas Park Police officers, as well as members of Local, State, and Federal Law Enforcement agencies. Hope to see you there!

FREE FOOD, FUN & MORE!

Free admission to the Signal Bay Waterpark from 5pm-7:30pm.

What is National Night Out? An annual community-building campaign, held on the first Tuesday in August, that promotes partnerships between police and neighbors to make communities safer.

For More information, contact: Officer M. Barrett at 571-259-2144 or m.barrett@manassasparkva.gov

www.manassasparkpolice.com

This year, our school community is focusing on the following priorities:

• Big Focus: Creating a safe, welcoming environment where every student can succeed

• Teaching & Learning: Supporting strong instruction and consistent expectations across classrooms

• Student Well-Being: Reinforcing positive behavior and social-emotional learning

• Attendance: Encouraging daily attendance and on-time arrival

This year Cougar ES and Manassas Park ES will be partnering with you, our parents, to support our new campus PTO! We are very excited about the possibilities this will open to supporting our students! Please be on the lookout for more information to come in the future about this opportunity to support students on our campus throughout the year!

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.

To find our 26-27 school supply lists by grade level, please click on the link below:

https://ces.mpark.net/academics/school_supply_lists