The Cougar Connection

Dear Cold Spring Families,

As we welcome November, I find myself reflecting on how much we have to be thankful for at Cold Spring. Above all, I am grateful for the incredible community that surrounds our school. Your partnership, engagement, generosity, and unwavering support make Cold Spring such a special place to learn and grow. Whether you volunteer your time, participate in school events, support learning at home, or encourage your child each day, please know that your contributions make a difference. We are stronger because of you!

A 5-Star Achievement Worth Celebrating!

I am incredibly proud to share that Cold Spring has earned a 5-Star rating on the Maryland State Department of Education (MSDE) Report Card! This achievement represents the hard work, dedication, and collective commitment of our students, staff, and families. Our students demonstrated growth in every area, and the intentional work and focused efforts of our school community throughout last year helped us achieve an impressive overall score of 85%!

Even more remarkable is the progress we have made over time. Since beginning my principalship in 2021, Cold Spring has grown from the 90th percentile to the 99th percentile! What an incredible accomplishment! This growth reflects what is possible when a community comes together around a shared commitment to student success. I could not be prouder of our students and staff, and I am so thankful for the partnership of our families who support this important work every step of the way. This is truly a community achievement!

As we close the first marking period and begin the second, we have much to celebrate. Our students have worked hard, embraced new learning, built friendships, and demonstrated PRIDE in so many ways. The end of a marking period gives us an opportunity to pause, reflect on growth, celebrate accomplishments, and identify new goals. As we turn the page to marking period two, we look forward to building on this momentum, continuing to challenge our learners, and supporting every child on their individual journey toward excellence.

November is also a wonderful reminder that gratitude is something we can demonstrate every day. A kind word, a helping hand, a thoughtful gesture, or a simple thank-you can make someone's day. I encourage our Cougars to look for opportunities to spread kindness and appreciation throughout our school and beyond.

Thank you for trusting us with your children, partnering with our staff, and helping make Cold Spring a community where everyone feels welcomed, valued, and supported. We are truly thankful to be on this Quest for Excellence together!

Wishing all of our families a wonderful November filled with gratitude, joy, and meaningful moments together.

Principal Hambrecht

Cold Spring Elementary School Website

Cold Spring Elementary School Phone Number: 240-740-4390

November 2nd - No School for Students

November 3rd - No School for Students

November 5th - Patrol Meeting 12:40pm

November 6th - Grade 5 Field Trip to B&O Railroad Museum

November 9th - Mental Health Awareness Week

November 12th - Classic Photography Retakes

November 13th - Cougar House Celebration for Marking Period 1

November 16th - Math Olympiad Practice 7:45am

November 17th - PTA Meeting Virtual 7:00pm

November 19th - Grade 2 Field Trip to Strathmore Music Center

November 20th - PTA School Musical, Shrek the Musical

November 21st - PTA School Musical, Shrek the Musical

November 23rd - Early Release Day

November 24th - Early Release Day

November 25th - Early Release Day

November 26th - No School for Students - Thanksgiving

Parent-teacher conferences are an important opportunity to strengthen the partnership between home and school. These conversations allow families and teachers to celebrate student successes, discuss progress, identify areas for continued growth, and work together to support each child's learning and development.

As you prepare for your conference, consider a few helpful tips:

• Celebrate the positives! Begin by recognizing your child's strengths, accomplishments, and areas of growth.

• Come with questions. Think about what you would like to better understand about your child's academic progress, social-emotional development, classroom experiences, or areas where additional support may be helpful.

• Share what you see at home. Your insights about your child's interests, experiences, strengths, and challenges help teachers develop a more complete picture of your learner.

• Focus on partnership. Approach the conversation as an opportunity to work together and identify ways to help your child continue to grow.

• Identify next steps. Leave with a shared understanding of your child's progress and one or two areas of focus moving forward.

  
  

Please remember that conference times are brief, and we ask everyone to be mindful of the scheduled time so that all families have an opportunity to connect with their child's teacher. If additional conversation or follow-up is needed, teachers can work with you to arrange another time but please make sure to give them time to get through all their students and families.

Most importantly, we value the partnership we share with you. When families and teachers work together, our students benefit! Thank you for taking the time to engage in these important conversations and for being an active part of your child's educational journey. Together, we are helping every Cougar reach their fullest potential!

We value our partnership with families and know that your voice plays a vital role in helping us create the best possible learning environment for all students.

We invite you to share your feedback by participating in the Family Survey. This short survey gives you the opportunity to share your experiences and opinions about our school and the broader school district. Your honest input will help us understand what’s working well and where we can improve.

The survey is easy to complete, takes only a few minutes, and your responses are completely confidential. The results will be used to guide our efforts in strengthening programs, services, and supports for students and families.

The survey is open from November 8, 2026 through November 20, 2026.
Please look out for the upcoming climate survey in your email. It will be sent to the primary email address linked to your child’s student profile.

We deeply appreciate your time and commitment to our school community. Your feedback makes a difference!

Take it Off Your Plate Day - November 13th

Our teachers have been working overtime to do their very best for our students. With November being a month of gratitude, we thought it would be nice to take what we can "off their plate." Take it Off Your Plate Day will be November 13th and we need you! If you are willing to support this small gift by copying, laminating, cutting, refreshing bulletin boards, creating student centers, and more...please sign up using the Sign Up Genius below. Teachers will be turning in items they need help with to school administration (with all necessary directions and materials) and we will set our volunteers up in the staff lounge during the allotted times. Thank you for your consideration and help!

Sign Up Genius

School Closure and Consolidation Study: Last Round One Virtual Session; Nov. 2

MCPS is wrapping up the first phase of community engagement sessions on the elementary and middle school closure and consolidation study. The final opportunity to provide feedback in a virtual meeting is: Join on Zoom — Mon, Nov. 2, 6-7 p.m.

If you’ve already attended one of our sessions, please take the time to share your perspective on our feedback form. Your valuable input will be reflected in our updated FAQs, which will be available in the coming weeks. The form is open through Wednesday, Nov. 4.

A second round of engagement sessions will be held in late November and early December.

Visit mcpsstudy.org to review study information, explore frequently asked questions, learn about the process and find opportunities to share your feedback. Learn more.

Lift Every Step Shoe Drive

A local non-profit has begun collecting new and gently-used shoes to give local Montgomery County Title 1 school children. See all details below and please start donating. We will be holding a Cougar House competition to see which house can donate the most!

Shoe Drive

Classic Photography

Your student should have brought home a proof from their Fall Portrait Day. Please follow the instructions on your proof to place an order. Your ordering instructions and code are specific to your student, please use the code on the proof you received. Pictures will be mailed back to your home address. Thank you!

View this year's PTA events on one convenient page. Print it out to hang on the fridge. Link to the Calendar. Save yourself some time and click the link to Add our PTA Google Calendar to your device.

Volunteers Needed

The Department of Food and Nutrition Services has made it easier than ever to see your school’s breakfast and lunch menus and get nutritional details. Visit the MealViewer webpage.

Families can also learn how to add money to your child’s account through MySchoolBucks. This optional online service is for parents/guardians to make prepayments with a credit or debit card to a student's cafeteria account for breakfast, lunch and à-la-carte items.

Please contact Principal Hambrecht or Assistant Principal Clark with any questions!

Email: Natalie_M_Hambrecht@mcpsmd.org
Website: https://www2.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/schools/coldspringes/
Location: 9201 Falls Chapel Way, Potomac, MD, USA
Phone: 240-740-4390