Cowlishaw News

8/30/2024

Our class is a FAMILY!

Our first full week is in the books! Our kick off theme of the year is Our School & Class is a family! The classrooms were alive with community building and learning. Students in Ms. Zuleg's 5th grade class engaged in a friendly puzzle competition!

You are INVITED!

iReady Assessment

Dear Families,

Please read the following PDF letter from the district regarding iReady assessments:

2025 iReady Notification Letter.pdf

2025 iReady Notification Letter - Spanish.pdf

Indian Prairie School District 204 administers i-Ready benchmark assessments in the fall, winter, and spring to students in kindergarten through eighth grade. The i-Ready assessments evaluate student academic performance and growth in the areas of reading and mathematics.

Cowlishaw students will begin taking the fall iReady benchmark assessment on September 4 (September 5 for Kindergarten). The test is broken into two days for math and two days for reading for 1st-5th, and three days for math and three days for reading for Kindergarten.

Parents, please ensure that your child:

gets a good night of sleep
eats breakfast
has their headphones and chromebooks charged

Student scores (National Percentiles in Reading and Math), as well as “For Families” reports, will be released in ParentVUE on Friday, October 11th.

Thank you!

For additional information about iReady, please feel free to check out these parent resources:

iReady Math and Reading Domain Overview

Video: Understanding iReady Diagnostic for Families

Please reach out to Mrs. Hereford elizabeth_hereford@ipsd.org if you have any questions or concerns regarding iReady benchmark assessments.

Looking for a Parent Representative

Cowlishaw is looking for a parent representative to volunteer for the district PDAC group. PDAC stands for Parent Diversity Advisory Council. Below are the responsibilities for the PDAC Liaison.

Attend (virtual or in person at the CEC) PDAC Community Meetings, generally Tuesday or Thursday evenings 7 PM - 9 PM.
Share information about PDAC with your school community.
Develop PDAC-related programming that meets the needs of your school community, in consultation with school leadership.
Provide an “equity lens” when volunteering in your school community.
Be willing to be an advocate for those with equity concerns.
PDAC liaisons will meet regularly with their principal or principal's delegate to be informed and/or participate in the work of their Building Equity Leadership Team (BELT).

Please reach out to Mr. Azcoitia at carlos_azcoitia@ipsd.org if you are interested in volunteering on the PDAC committee.

Cowlishaw LMC Updates!

Are you looking for a fun way to honor your child’s birthday? Donate a book to the Cowlishaw library! Submit the information at any time during the school year and we will invite your child to choose a book from the Birthday Book Club cart during the month of their birthday (or half-birthday)!

Birthday Book Club Information

Register at the PushCoin Webstore

LOTE4Kids Ebooks

Cowlishaw Elementary School is thrilled to announce the launch of LOTE4Kids, a database of children's eBooks and audiobooks in various world languages, allowing children and families to enjoy books and learn language through the magic of storytelling.

Each book within the LOTE4Kids collection is paired with English translations to enhance language learning and comes available in many formats including bilingual editions and interactive flipbooks. The platform offers thousands of books in over 65 languages, with 150-200 new books and new languages added monthly.

In addition to books, LOTE4Kids enriches children’s reading journey with comprehension quizzes and engaging learning activities that deepen their connection to the stories they love.

Accessible through a user-friendly web App and the free, secure, and ad-free mobile App for iOS and Android, LOTE4Kids ensures your children can access their best-loved books in their native language at school, in the library, at home, and on the go!

Explore the world of LOTE4Kids today and give your children the gift of reading in their language. To get started:

1. Visit the LOTE4Kids website or download the mobile app here.
2. Search for Cowlishaw Elementary School, if needed.
3. Enter the access code sent via email.

Please reach out to Becky Allen, LMC Director, at becky_allen@ipsd.org with any questions. Happy reading!

Emergency Drills

Thank you for choosing Cowlishaw Elementary School to provide educational services to your child. We are proud to be able to serve you and your children and we will continually strive to provide a safe and positive learning environment for them as we prepare them to be lifelong learners.

The safety of your child and all children in our schools as well as the safety of the school staff and support personnel is very important to us. In order to maintain a safe environment for our children to study and learn, it is necessary that we practice our emergency and crisis response plans by having drills designed to practice our procedures.

We will be conducting several safety drills this year. This letter is to help you understand the importance of this as well as to understand each type of drill.

The students and staff at Cowlishaw will be practicing four emergency drills each year. They are “LAW ENFORCEMENT (ALICE) DRILLS”, “SHELTER-IN-PLACE”, “FIRE/EVACUATION DRILLS”, and “BUS EVACUATION DRILLS.” Tentative dates and a summary of each drill is listed below.

LAW ENFORCEMENT (ALICE) DRILL (Lockdown): October 24th at 2:00 pm

The school will conduct a “Lockdown Drill” periodically throughout each school year. This type of drill will secure the school building and safely shelter all students, staff and visitors inside the building. The purpose of this drill is to keep the students safe from any danger outside or inside the building. During a “lockdown drill” all of the perimeter and classroom doors will be locked and will remain locked until the danger or issue outside or inside the building is removed. To enable everyone to remain safe, no one will be allowed to enter the building or leave the building until the drill is completed.

SHELTER-IN-PLACE DRILL: October 10th at 9:30 am and Spring Drill TBD

The “Shelter-in-Place” drill will be conducted twice each school year. The purpose of this drill is to be prepared to move to a safe location within the building in case of severe weather or tornados.

FIRE DRILL: Week of September 9th, September 11th at 9:30 am and October 2nd at 9:30 am

The school will conduct a “fire drill” three times this school year. We want each student to understand and be aware of the evacuation procedures and not be afraid when the fire alarm is sounded. By practicing they will know what to do and how to do it.

BUS EVACUATION DRILL: September 23rd at 9:30 am

During the “Bus Evacuation Drill'', students will learn how to safely evacuate off of a school bus in the unlikely event of an emergency. Students will learn the procedures and be safely escorted off of the bus using the rear door.

For the safety of everyone involved and to maintain order, we respectfully ask that you would abide by the following during these drills:

Avoid coming to the school campus during a scheduled drill.
Do not call the school offices
Do not contact students or staff members via cell phone or social media

Other safety reminders:

In the unlikely event of an actual emergency avoid social media posts. Correct information will be disseminated through our automated system as soon as possible.
Please make sure that your contact information is current at all times so that you can be reached without delay in the event of an emergency.

Please remember that these safety practice drills are done to help maintain our schools as a safe place to learn and work. If you have any questions regarding any of these safety drills or other safety concerns, please contact the main office at 630-428-6100.

Sincerely,

Mr. Carlos Azcoitia

Principal

Become a volunteer today!

Become a School Volunteer
You can make a significant impact by volunteering in our schools. Your unique skills and experiences will help our students succeed. Whether you prefer a set schedule or occasional opportunities, there’s a role for you.
Ways You Can Help:
There are a wide range of volunteer opportunities district-wide, with various options available at each school. Opportunities include roles with Boosters, Fine Arts, LMC, PTA, and IPPC, ensuring a perfect fit for every volunteer. No matter where your interests lie, there's a way for you to get involved and make a difference in our schools.
How to Get Started:

Complete the Application: Please click the link and fill out two forms: a consent form (English and Spanish version) and an online application (English and Spanish). Complete the consent form, then upload it into the online application.
Approval: After submitting your application for review, you will receive an email informing you of your approval status or if additional information is needed.
Placement: Once your application is approved, you will work with the building or school organization on any volunteer opportunities that are available.

PTA Updates

The PTA is in need of your help!! Memberships were at an all time low last year, as well as minimal fundraising participation. We are in desperate need of your support to continue to fund events such as Culture Night & the Science Fair. Additionally, we will have to cancel classroom parties & seasonal events due to funding, if we don’t see an increase in memberships. Membership cost per family is only $25!

To help boost memberships the PTA will be hosting a competition. Battle of the grades! The grade with the most memberships will receive a special surprise, courtesy of the PTA. (MORE INFO TO COME)

Note: All memberships received prior to the contest start date will also be included in the contest.

Our 2024-2025 school year goal is 250 memberships. If you own a business, or know someone with a local business you/they can purchase a business membership. All businesses that purchase a membership will have their name & website included in every PTA schoolwide update, and other perks throughout the school year.

The PTA is also currently accepting monetary donations & volunteer support. The PTA is a non for profit organization, so all donations are tax deductible.

Don’t forget, it doesn’t matter what grade your child(ren) is/are in. Everyone reaps the benefits of the PTA!!!

SPECIAL THANK YOU TO ALL THE TEACHERS & FAMILIES THAT HAVE ALREADY PURCHASED PTA MEMBERSHIPS. THE PTA BOARD TRULY APPRECIATES YOUR SUPPORT!!!

Please visit our website to sign-up: https://cowlishaw.givebacks.com/

Like & follow us on social media for up-to-date news & events:

https://www.facebook.com/CowlishawPTA

https://twitter.com/CowlishawPTA

Want to volunteer, or learn more about the PTA? Please reach out to us via social media or email us at: CowlishawPTA.President@gmail.com