Cook Cub Communicator

This school year is off to a great start! Thank you for all that you do to support your child and his or her success at school.

We need your help to keep both morning drop-off and afternoon pick-up running smoothly.

Morning Drop-Off
All students should be dropped off using the BACK PARKING DROP-OFF LINE. Recently, many parents have been parking in staff spaces, leaving our teachers without places to park and delaying their arrival to classrooms. Please support them by using the drop-off line.

Staff begins assisting at 8:30 a.m., and students should remain in vehicles until then. Early drop-offs create a safety concern because students are left unsupervised.

If you’re worried about the line being “too long,” consider arriving between 8:40–8:45 a.m.—at that time the line moves quickly, and you’ll be through in no time! Please note, the line closes promptly at 8:45 a.m.; after that, parents must walk children into school through the front doors.

Afternoon Pick-Up
The gates to the Latchkey Lot will open at 3:35 p.m. for Cook parents to park. When entering and exiting, please drive carefully. It's okay to go slowly around the line UNTIL cars start exiting then it must return to two-way traffic.

Please note:

• Only vehicles with a valid handicapped license plate or placard may park in the designated handicap spaces.

• The front parking lot is reserved exclusively for buses and for parents picking up students from special programs.

Thank you for helping keep our parking lots safe for all students and staff.

Hispanic Heritage Month runs from September 15th to October 15th. At Cook Elementary School and throughout our district, we are committed to learning about and appreciating the differences that make us unique. Understanding and valuing these differences is crucial for success in our diverse school community and beyond. Hispanic Heritage Month celebrating the culture, history, and contributions of Hispanic and Latino Americans

Grand Blanc’s Homecoming Parade will be held Friday, September 25th at 5:00 p.m. We would love for staff, students, and parents to participate. Students must be accompanied by a parent or guardian to walk in the parade. Permission slips will be sent home and are due in the Cook office by Wednesday, Sept. 23rd.

Our Lost & Found is already growing! Please help us return items by labeling your child’s coat, sweatshirts, and pullovers with their name (or initials). We do our best to get items back to the right child, and your help makes this easier.

Please know that your child’s safety and success are our number one priority. If you have any questions, concerns, or information to share, please call us at 810-591-7910 or email me personally at tdale@gbcs.org.

Sincerely,
Tia Dale
Principal, Cook Elementary School

Looking for a Part-Time Job?

We are always looking for noon-hour supervisors to join our Cook Team!

This is a Monday–Friday position from 11:00 a.m.–1:45 p.m. We make every effort to place our noon-hour supervisors with their child's classroom so they have the opportunity to see their child each day.

If you are interested, please apply HERE or give our office a call for more information.

• 5:00 Cook/Mason PTO Meeting @ Cook Cafeteria

September 14th-18th

• P2 Strength - Being Present and Giving Others My Attention

September 21st-25th

• Spirit Week - see flyer for each day's theme below

• P2 Strength - Perspective

September 25th

• Dance A Thon - pledge forms and money due
• 12:17 Dismissal
• 5:00 Homecoming Parade - join us to walk in the parade - permission slips due by Sept. 23rd

September 28th-October 2nd

• P2 Strength - Forgiveness

October 2nd

• 5:30-7:30 PTO Sponsored Family Fun Fest - see flyer below

October 8th

• Cook/Mason Picture Day - see info below for how to order pictures

Look for us on Facebook!
Cook & Mason Elementary - https://www.facebook.com/CookMasonElementary

Cook Mason PTO - https://www.facebook.com/cookmasonpto

At Cook Elementary School we participate in the Positivity Project. Please read the letter below and look over the 24 Character Strengths that we talk about daily. The P2 project is based on positive psychology and the belief that when we know about our own character strengths, we will then be more open to seeing other's areas of strength. This in turn helps us build positive relationships with others. Students will spend a few minutes each day learning about the Character Strength of the week. Be sure to ask your child about the strength we're working on and maybe find ways you can include it at home as well. If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out. There is also good information on their website posproject.org

As we move into cold and flu season, you might ask yourself when to keep your child home. The Genesee County Health Department recommends we all follow these guidelines:

• Severely ill:
• Lethargic, difficulty breathing, or rapidly spreading rash
• Temp greater than 101F
• Student should not return until 24 hours of no fever without the use of medication
• Diarrhea:
• 2 or more loose or watery stools not due to underlying chronic condition
• Student should not return until no diarrhea for 24 hours
• Vomiting:
• Vomited 2 or more times not due to underlying chronic condition
• Student should not return until no vomiting for 24 hours
• Abdominal Pain:
• Stomach pain continues for more than 2 hours or intermittent pain associated with fever or other symptoms
• Rash:
• Rash AND fever or change in behavior without documented noninfectious cause
• Exclude until rash subsides or a healthcare provider has determined it is not infectious
• Skin Sores:
• Weeping sore on an exposed area that cannot be covered with a dressing
• Respiratory Symptoms
• Worsening symptoms not explained by noninfectious cause
• Communicable Diseases
• Consult Nurse
• Michigan Communicable Disease Guidelines for Schools
• Lice
• Office staff check head, Call home if lice is suspected or confirmed
• Student is allowed to stay through the end of the day and even ride bus
• Confidential - notify teacher so extra care can be taken to avoid head-to-head contact
• Office Send home Lice Checklist Lice Home Checklist
• Office Send Home instructions for lice removal How to Remove Lice
• Cannot return until treatment is done and inspection in office
• NO live lice AND no nits within ¼” of scalp
• 2 or more cases in classroom from different families notify Nurse for letter

Meal Magic Family Portal provides a convenient, one-stop place to check your child's meal purchases, make deposits, order food and apply for benefits. If you have not done so, please take a moment to complete the Educational Benefits Form. This form helps determine valuable support for school programs throughout out district. It's an easy form to fill out and normally takes about 2 minutes of your time. Visit your family portal today by going to: https://grandblanc.familyportal.cloud/

We have a feature in ParentVue that you can use to report your student's absence from school. The picture below shows the steps or you can continue to call the Cook Attendance Hotline at 810-591-7915. Please remember absences need to be reported to the office daily.