Tiger's ROAR Newsletter

• Begins promptly at 7:40 am
• Early check-out Ends at 2:00 pm
• School day Ends at 2:20 pm
• Office Hours 7:10am-3:30pm

Dear College Park Families,

Reading iReady is MONDAY. We are excited to share the amazing progress our students are making in math this year! At the end of last school year, 43% of our students met their typical growth goals. As of mid-year, 59% of our students are already on track toward meeting their typical growth goal—an incredible jump and a reflection of our students’ hard work and your partnership.

We are so proud of our Tigers and will continue to challenge and support them every day. Please continue sending your children to school ready to learn, grow, and be stretched academically. Attendance matters, and every day of learning makes a difference.

Pajama Day Fundraiser – December 12

To help us celebrate our students, we are hosting a Pajama Day fundraiser on December 12.
Students may participate by sending in $2. All proceeds will support our student celebrations and mid-year activities.

Upcoming Student Celebrations

• Mid-Year Goal Setting & Recognition: Students will reflect on their progress and set goals for the second semester.

• House Party: Students will celebrate with their House and House Buddies as part of our leadership and community-building work.

• Class Parties: End-of-semester class celebrations will take place on December 19.

Thank you for your continued support and for trusting us with your children. Together, we will keep pushing toward excellence and celebrating our students’ success along the way.

With Tiger Pride,

Dr. Maisha N. Otway

Principal, College Park Elementary School

December

Dec. 3 iReady Math Diagnostic

Dec. 5 School Spelling Bee

Dec. 8 ELA iReady Diagnostic

Dec. 12 Pajama Day $2

Dec. 12 Photos With Santa

Dec. 15-19 5 Days of Cheer Dress Days

Dec 18 Typical & Stretch Growth Celebration K-5

Dec 18 House Party & Class Parties

Dec. 22-Jan 2nd Winter Break

Reminder: The iReady ELA Diagnostic will take place on Monday, Dec. 8th and Tuesday, Dec. 9th. Please ensure your child is present, well-rested, and ready to shine. ‘Tis the season to be present and focused—let’s keep up the great work!

We are thrilled to share that this week’s iReady Math Diagnostic testing had an outstanding 98% attendance rate and an 89% completion rate. Our goal is 95% completion, so we’re almost there—thank you for your continued support in helping students finish strong!

iReady Diagnostic Time! 🎉

We’re excited to see all the growth our students have made so far! Our midyear diagnostic schedule for K–5 students is as follows: December 3: i-Ready Math Diagnostic & December 8: i-Ready ELA Diagnostic. Please ensure your child arrives to school on time, gets a good night’s rest, and comes ready to do their best.

If your family has been impacted by recent SNAP changes or could use extra support, we’re here to help. Through our partners—Communities In Schools, Anthem, and Feed the Children—we’re offering resources for families in need. This is the last week to sign up. Pick-up is Friday.

We’re excited to kick off our Five Days of Cheer with Pajama Day on Friday, December 12! Students are welcome to wear their coziest school-appropriate pajamas but must bring $2 if they would like to participate. All proceeds will support our upcoming school activities and celebrations.

Santa is coming to campus! Students will have the chance to take festive Photos With Santa on Friday, December 12, 2025. Families can conveniently pay for pictures online by clicking the link.

Novel Engineering in the Media Center

K-2 Students participated in Novel Engineering in the Media Center. Students enjoyed reading Creepy Carrots and creating their very own Carrot Character using materials from our Makerspace.

Parent Volunteers needed in the Media Center

Parent Volunteers are needed in the Media Center on Wednesdays 9:00am-12:00pm

Volunteer Sign up form

The reading data reveals a strong cohort of top performers, with four students,

Asia Grier, Martin Facio, Nakaiya Ausbrooks, and Aalana Davis—leading the group at 120 minutes logged each. Emily White follows closely with 119 minutes. A notable drop occurs after Sophie Ezoua at 109 minutes, suggesting a clear tier of engaged readers.

The middle group shows moderate engagement, while ten students have logged exactly 60 minutes, indicating either consistent baseline participation or a potential plateau. Overall, there's a clear distinction between high-engagement readers and moderate participants, with the top tier logging roughly double the time of the lowest-logging students.

Our school is now an Igniter School. We have successfully moved from Spark Status with 10% of our students participating in Beanstack to 25% of our students participating in Beanstack.

This Week’s Leadership in Me Focus

Check out this week’s Leader in Me Article of the Week: Better Together. Families play a vital role in a child’s success not just in academics, but in their growth as leaders and individuals. This week’s article highlights the importance of synergizing.

We couldn’t be prouder of our amazing scholars in grades 3–5 who participated in this year’s Spelling Bee! Each participant showcased true leadership and courage as they stood confidently in front of their peers and teachers—demonstrating the heart, grit, and growth we celebrate at College Park Elementary. Events like this remind us how important strong spelling skills are in helping our scholars build confidence, expand their vocabulary, and become powerful communicators.

Congratulations to 5th-grade scholar Aisha Ceesay, who will proudly represent College Park Elementary in the District-Wide Spelling Bee! We are so excited for her and know she will continue to shine.

Thanksgiving Highlights at College Park Elementary

College Park Elementary had a wonderful Thanksgiving celebration with our families! Our parents and guardians joined their scholars for lunch, filling the building with laughter, smiles, and warm holiday spirit. Scholars also enjoyed fun Thanksgiving-themed activities, including crafts, writing what they are thankful for, and sharing stories with their classmates. The building was buzzing with excitement and gratitude, creating memories to last a lifetime.

💛 A Special Thank-You

We are incredibly grateful to the Love Purpose Foundation and Anthem for generously providing turkeys and Thanksgiving meal items for our families. Their support brought extra joy to our community and helped ensure that everyone could enjoy a warm, festive holiday.

🙏 What We’re Grateful For

To wrap up the week, our scholars shared heartfelt reflections on what they are thankful for—family, friends, teachers, and the little joys that make each day special. Their words reminded us all of the power of gratitude, kindness, and togetherness.

From our CPE family to yours, we hope everyone enjoyed a joyful, relaxing, and memory-filled holiday season!

We want every student to feel confident and ready for school each day.

If your family could use assistance with school uniforms, please don’t hesitate to reach out.

You can call us at 470-254-8040. Let us know, and we’ll do our best to provide assistance and support.

College Park Mission

Empower the whole child to become a lifelong learner to ensure that they reach their full potential academically, socially, and emotionally.

College Park Vision

Consistently provide high quality learning experiences that cultivate, nurture, and promote academic excellence

College Park Six Core Beliefs

Everyone can be a leader, Everyone has genius, Change starts with me, We lead our own learning, Develop the whole person, WE ROAR

College Park 8 Habits

1. Be proactive 2. Begin with the End in Mind 3. Put First Things First 4. Think Win-Win

5. Seek First To Understand, Then to Be Understood 6. Synergize 7. Sharpen the Saw

8. Find your voice, and inspire others to find theirs