The Bobcat Brief

Dear Coosa Families,

As we head into Thanksgiving break, I want to take a moment to say how grateful we are for your children and for each of you. Thank you for the countless ways you support learning at home, show up for school events, and partner with us to make Coosa a safe, joyful place to learn and grow.

We hope you’ll join us this Tuesday for our annual Thanksgiving Luncheon. It’s one of our favorite traditions of the year—a time to slow down, share a meal, and celebrate our school community together.

If your schedule allows, please come eat with us, snap a few pictures, and enjoy time with your child and their classmates. Your presence means so much to them and to us.

From our Coosa family to yours, we wish you a restful, safe, and happy Thanksgiving.

With gratitude,

Principal Goudy

Monday, November 24:

Author Visit with Joy Corley (1st Grade)
Artistic GT Screenings Referral Form Due
No Community AfterCare (Lady's Island Baptist)

Tuesday, November 25:

Annual Thanksgiving Luncheon with Families (see information below)
No Community AfterCare (Lady's Island Baptist)
No Coosa After-School Tutoring

Wednesday, November 26-Friday, November 28: Thanksgiving Break - No School

Tuesday, December 2:

CES iReady Reading Diagnostic
National Special Education Day

Tuesday, December 9: CES iReady Math Diagnostic

Wednesday, December 17: Winter Chorus Concert for Faculty, Staff, and Students

Thursday, December 18:

Clemson Exchange for 4th Grade
SIC Meeting, 4:30 PM

Winter Chorus Concert, 6:00 PM - 7:00 PM

Friday, December 19:

College Colors Day
Coosa Clubs Day

iReady Winter Diagnostic

Our Winter iReady Diagnostic assessment window is just around the corner, and we are excited to celebrate our students’ hard work and growth! Throughout the testing window, students will have the opportunity to earn points that lead to our iReady Minute-to-Win-It Celebration on Thursday, December 18th.

Students can earn points for:

Being on time and ready to test on their scheduled day.
Meeting 50% of their stretch growth target.
Completing their assessment with no rushing flags.

Students who meet their typical growth target for winter will receive bonus points! Points will be converted into game tickets that students can use during our Minute-to-Win-It event.

Please begin talking with your child now about the importance of taking their time, focusing, and doing their very best on the Winter Diagnostic. Their effort truly matters and helps us see how much they’ve grown!

Testing Dates:

Tuesday, December 2nd: iReady Reading

Tuesday, December 9th: iReady Math

As we enter winter and illnesses increase, please remember our absence policy: students have one day to complete make‑up work for each day they are absent.

If a student is home sick, allow them to rest — they do not need to pick up work while ill.
When the student returns, classroom teachers will teach the missed skills; once taught, students may complete the associated assignments.
The same process applies to absences for family travel or events: instruction is provided upon return, then students complete the related work.

Students can also continue lessons independently via their personalized i‑Ready Reading and Math paths.

For the next four weeks, we will focus on student progress before our upcoming winter diagnostic. Each week will focus on a new domain. Students in grades 3-5 will receive a challenge tracker, while Mrs. Isley will monitor progress for grades K-2. The goal is to complete 2 lessons and 45 minutes each week. Trackers will be submitted after 5 weeks for the following rewards:

Week 1: Popcorn
Week 2: Popsicle
Week 3: Hat or favorite stuffed animal day
Week 4: Day out of uniform
Wee 5/Bonus Week: Extra recess for completing at least 4 lessons in the last two weeks.

Please email Mrs. Isley with any questions about the challenge!

Do you know of a family in need of extra support during this time? Please use the resource provided below to discover local food pantries that are available in our community!

GT screening recommendations for dance, music, theatre, and visual arts are open! Please use the link below to submit students to be screened for GT designation.

Referral does not itself guarantee acceptance into the artistically gifted and talented program.

The deadline is MONDAY, November 24, 2025

Artistic GT Screening Referral Form

Our school library's Family and Library Book Challenge can be completed multiple times throughout the year and can be restarted each time a student completes the challenge. If you have any questions or need a copy of the form, then please email Ms. Kabel at Ashley.Kabel@beaufort.k12.sc.us.

We are looking for Coosa family members or community members to volunteer or donate to our beloved school garden!

How you can help:

Volunteer to prep, plant, water, and maintain the garden with our students
Donate items such as wood chips, a fig tree, a peach tree
Support special garden clean-up and improvement days

Interested in volunteering or donating? Please email Mrs. Sluder at the link below.

Email Mrs. Sluder

Use the link below to give a shout-out to a Coosa faculty or staff member. Shout-outs will be shared directly with the faculty/staff member. Thank you for taking a moment to recognize our faculty and staff!

Shout-out to a Coosa Faculty/Staff Member

Help Us Spoil Our Amazing Teachers & Staff!

Our Sunshine Committee is dedicated to showing our teachers and staff how much we appreciate their hard work and dedication. With your support, we provide monthly treats and little surprises to brighten their days and say thank you! All funds donated go directly to our Teacher Fund Account to make these special moments possible every month.

Thank you for helping us spread sunshine and gratitude throughout our school community!

Donate to the Sunshine Committee

Thank you to the following businesses and families for partnering with Coosa for the 2025-2026 school year! We are so grateful for their financial partnership, and we encourage you to join us too! There are many partnership opportunities for the 2025-2026 school year. If you or someone you know is interested, then you can learn more about our family and business partnerships here: https://ces.beaufortschools.net/about-us/business-partners

2025-2026 Partners:

Bobcat Champion