Cottonwood Compass

This month, we are challenging students to choose to do the right thing, no matter who is watching. We each aim to live with the ability and willingness to exist with honesty and excellence. We want to partner with you to highlight your child’s integrity. As you do this month’s activities, look for opportunities to celebrate your child’s integrity and character growth.

Ask each member of your family to write a trait, a behavior, or an attitude that demonstrates integrity or honesty on a sticky note. Put all the notes on a wall or table and develop a family definition of integrity based on your responses. Altogether, brainstorm ten ways that personal integrity makes a difference. Consider how it impacts your family, school, community, and world. Facilitate a discussion about what happens when integrity is compromised.

Ask your family to watch out for any positive behaviors — such as integrity or honesty — that they observe during the week. At the end of the week, encourage everyone to share their observations. Then, ask each family member to write affirmations to individuals who exhibited positive behaviors and deliver them. Finish the activity by having everyone describe what they learned by looking for positive behaviors.

Ask each family member to share a time when they didn't act with integrity. Perhaps they were dishonest or didn't treat someone with empathy and respect, or maybe they didn't step up when something wrong was happening. Whatever it is, commit to owning the behavior and apologizing to the person or people your behavior may have impacted. Come back together as a family and share what happened when you apologized.

• When have you demonstrated integrity, even though it was difficult?
• How does breaking a promise impact your relationships? Your integrity?
• What do you think it means to be true to yourself?

Visit this link for more information about this recognition:

We have compiled a document with links to resources our teachers recommend to support student learning at home. These tools connect to classroom learning and can be used for practice, enrichment, or extra support as needed. We will continue to share this document so families have easy access to helpful resources throughout the year.

Drop-off and pick-up can feel stressful, especially with lots of cars and busy traffic. Our amazing PAC created a short video to help families better understand our arrival and dismissal procedures and how we can all keep things moving safely and smoothly.

If you are new to Cottonwood or just want a quick refresher, please take a few minutes to watch the video linked below. Thank you for your patience, teamwork, and for helping keep our students safe during these busy times.

Visit our website to stay up to date about upcoming events, lunch and breakfast menus and other important information.

At Cottonwood Elementary, we prioritize focused learning and student safety. To support this, all smart devices, including phones and smartwatches, must be powered off and kept in student backpacks throughout the school day, including during dismissal while students wait to be picked up.

This policy is in effect to minimize distractions, promote safety and encourage social interactions.

If you need to communicate with your child during the school day, please contact the front office, and we will ensure they receive your message promptly.

Thank you for helping us maintain a productive and safe environment for all students

May Update: Finishing Strong and Celebrating Growth

May is a special time at Cottonwood. As we approach the end of the school year, classrooms remain focused and purposeful, while also filled with excitement, celebrations, and memorable experiences. Students are continuing to work hard, and it has been wonderful to see their growth, confidence, and pride in their learning.

End-of-Year Assessments and Student Growth

Students are completing end-of-year assessments, including NWEA and DIBELS. These assessments help us understand the progress students have made and guide our planning for continued growth. We are proud of the effort students are showing and the steady support provided by our teachers throughout this process.

Core Knowledge Science & Real-World Connections

Science learning continues through hands-on experiences, field trips, and real-world applications. These opportunities allow students to connect what they have learned in the classroom to the world around them. It has been exciting to see students engaged, curious, and making meaningful connections.

Math Growth and Strong Foundations

In math, students continue building strong foundations and confidence. Teachers are supporting learning through small-group instruction, practice, and ongoing feedback. Students are recognizing their own growth and gaining confidence in their abilities as mathematicians.

Finishing Strong with Integrity and Joy

As we close out the year, our focus is on finishing strong with integrity, perseverance, and care for one another. At the same time, this is a season to celebrate, enjoy our students, and create lasting memories through end-of-year events and activities. The positive relationships and strong culture across our school continue to make Cottonwood a joyful place to learn and grow.

Thank you for your continued partnership and support.

Be Kind, Believe You Can, and Give It Your All.

Cottonwood has two committees that depend on the support and involvement of families. We encourage you to consider joining one of these teams. If you're interested, please reach out to the front office.

This committee is dedicated to organizing enjoyable activities, such as family and student events, fundraising efforts, and staff appreciation initiatives

This committee plays a key role in reviewing budget decisions, school-wide academic and behavior data, and setting goals for the year. It’s a great opportunity to gain insight into the decision-making process and understand how and why we implement various strategies at Cottonwood.

Core Knowledge Science & Community Connections

During the 2025–2026 school year, Cottonwood Elementary will implement the Core Knowledge Science curriculum across all grade levels. Teachers will focus on building student engagement and deeper understanding of science concepts through hands-on, expeditionary learning and community partnerships. Science instruction will be aligned with district priorities in Mastery Learning, MTSS, and Student and Family Engagement.

Increased Math Achievement

By the end of the 2025–2026 school year, Cottonwood Elementary will improve students’ overall math achievement through standards-referenced instruction and increased family engagement. All grade levels will use Proficiency Scales to guide differentiated instruction and monitor progress toward mastery of foundational math skills. As part of this work, grade-level teams will identify and implement developmentally appropriate strategies—such as math fact fluency routines—to support student growth.

Create Consistent, Rigorous, and Responsive Classrooms

By the end of the 2025–2026 school year, 100% of Cottonwood classrooms will consistently demonstrate strong classroom management, active monitoring, rigorous instruction, and differentiated small-group instruction to support student engagement and academic success.

Cottonwood families and community,
We want to hear from you! Please let us know what we are doing well, where we can improve and if you have any safety concerns that need to be addressed.

May 12 - 4th grade resource festival

May 13 - PAC Meeting @ 8:30

May 14 - Report Cards Go Home

May 15 - We Love Cottonwood Spirit Day

May 19 - 5th Grade Graduation 8:30

• Kindergarten Graduation 1:30

May 20 - Field Day

May 21 - LAST DAY OF SCHOOL

• 1/2 DAY for students