The Cardinal Connection

Dear Parents and Guardians,

As we head into winter break, we want to extend our heartfelt thanks to you for your generosity this holiday season and for your continued support of our Cooke students and staff. Your kindness and partnerships mean so much to our school community, and we are truly grateful.

We wish you and your families a joyful, restful winter break filled with special moments—whether you are traveling or enjoying time at home together. Thank you for being such an important part of what makes Cooke such a special place.

We look forward to welcoming everyone back in 2026. Until then, warm wishes for a happy, healthy, and peaceful new year!

With sincere appreciation,

Mrs. Gearheart and Mrs. Jacobs

Our school would like to extend a HUGE thank you to our families for donating gifts, household items, and food to support Cooke and Forest Oak Elementary Families. In all, we helped 16 families! It is so important that we continue to spread kindness in our community and beyond!

Cooke Elementary School will participate in the Delaware Science Olympiad’s Elementary Division this year. This is a program for 4th and 5th grade students. The Science Olympiad team consists of ten members. Each student will compete in 2 events with a partner.

We will meet once a week after school on Wednesday’s, beginning on January 14th, so that the students are ready for their events at Dickinson HS on April 18th. By agreeing to participate in SO, you are agreeing to support your child and his/her partner, and commit to the April 18th date. I am always here to provide support and any materials I have on hand. Please fill out the google form if your child is interested. If you have any questions, please reach out.

Thank you!

Nicole Murphy

nicole.murphy@redclay.k12.de.us

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

Please turn in all of the documents at one time to your child's 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 2025. 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.

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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