New Cole Cubs Join the Teaching Staff

We welcome many new faces to Cole this school year. Please see the Cole website for news stories featuring these talented individuals who are committed to educating your children to the best of their abilities. All of these staff members are excited to become Cole Cubs. Please welcome: 

Heather Burton, Counselor: Mrs. Burton has joins us as our school counselor from Butler University where she has been working to attain her counseling license. 

Tiffani Earley, Kindergarten Teacher: Mrs. Earley worked at Cole last year as an instructional assistant in kindergarten and is excited to join the teaching staff this year.

Sara Furbush, Art: Mrs. Furbush will work with both Cole and Wea Ridge Elementary School this year teaching art. She previously has taught at Frontier Junior/Senior High School.

Kendra Garrett, IDEA Teacher: Mrs. Garrett will join the Cole Staff as the IDEA Teacher, working with kindergarten and first grade students. Mrs. Garrett most previously taught at Mayflower Mill. 

Tonya Jinks, Custodian: Mrs. Jinks comes to Cole after previously working at McCutcheon High School. Mrs. Jinks will serve as the night custodian during the school year.

Jacob Johnson, Grade 4 Maternity Leave: Mr. Johnson will be workng with Mrs. Bredar's Class beginning August 30 up to Thanksgiving as Mrs. Bredar is away on maternity leave. Mr. Johnson has previous teaching experience in Muncie and most recently has worked with ESL students at Woodland Elementary School.

Ashley Lord, Kindergarten Teacher: Mrs. Lord comes to us from the Lafayette School Corporation with previous teaching experience in Texas.

Eric Russell, Grade 5 Teacher: Mr. Russell joins the fifth grade team after a year at North MIami in fifth grade. Mr. Russell has also taught in Rensselaer.

Amber Wykoff, Instructional Assistant: Mrs. Wykoff will be working with students in the classroom for additional support and also will be the third grade lunch and recess teacher. 

We Learn Better When We Feel at Home

Morning: There are procedures that need to be followed at the beginning, during, and at the end of the day to ensure that students and staff are safe and that learning can be maximized. Each morning, students may be dropped off at 8:45 for breakfast or at 8:50 for the start of school. Because of our school setting, there is not a drop-off or pick-up lane. To that end, we ask that parents walk their child to the sidewalk in front of school  or to the lobby each day. We do not want students navigating the parking lot without parent asisstance. Breakfast in the cafeteria ends at 9:00. Students who arrive after that time will be marked as tardy.  Students and parents who arrive before the 8:50 bell to start school are asked to sit in one of the many chairs that line our lobby.  Once the bell is dismissed, children are able to enter both corridors. We ask that parents say their good-byes on the sidewalk in front of the school or in the lobby and do not walk down the hallway to the classrooms.  

School Day: The front doors lock at 9:00 a.m. If you visit the school during the day, please ring the buzzer and the door will be unlocked for you to enter. Please report to the office to sign in and please sign out at the end of your visit. We are always seeking volunteers to work with children. Information is listed at the end of this newsletter to assist you with background checks that are required to volunteer. 

Dismissal: If you are picking your child up from school, please call or email the school by 3:00. Students will be dismissed for parent pick-up as part of announcements which begin at 3:20. Students are expected to listen to afternoon announcements, participate in classroom recap of the day, and also help clean up floors and the classroom before they will be dismissed. We ask that you follow the morning procedure of waiting for your chiid in the lobby for him/her to join you. Please do not walk down the corridor to the classroom. Also, please assist us by modeling active listening by stopping your conversations and listening to the afternoon announcements. Thank you for making our school safe and as much like home as we can make it. 

How To Raise An Adult

n the book, How to Raise An Adult by Julie Lythcott-Haims, the author discusses many aspects of childhood and the different approaches that parents take in their journey toward raising adults. One thought that resonates throughout the book is the need to allow our children a chance to be independent, but also to gather an arsenal of skills that will help them when they eventually leave our homes and become productive citizens. At Cole, we work toward this end in a variety of fashions. One such approach is our afternoon procedure of cleaning the classrooms. You will hear Mr. Pinto on the announcements say, "At Cole, Mrs. Jinks cleans the room each night, but she doesn't clean up after us. So look at the floors, look at the closet doors, stack the chairs, make sure the desk tops are clear and everything is off the floor. That's part of being a Cole Cub." We are reinforcing what we hope is also a procedure in your home - when something is taken out, it is put away.  It's a simple approach, but many hands make light work. Please feel free to use the "Cole Cub Way" when speaking with your child about cleaning up after him or herself. When you "Do the Right Thing and Treat People Right", that includes cleaning up after yourself and realizing that we are part of something bigger than just ourselves. As our mission statement offers, "We Grow Kind Citizens". Together, we can do that.

Welcome Back!

It is with much enthusiasm that Cole Elementary welcomes back Mrs. Tracey Harris, Second Grade Teacher, and Mrs. Angie Gibson, Health Assistant, after successful fights with cancer. As the picture states, "No One Fights Alone." Mrs. Harris and Mrs. Gibson would like to thank everyone for their offerings of support and kindness on their journey.  Welcome back, Mrs. Harris and Mrs. Gibson, we're glad to see you healthy, smiling, and posiitve.  

Kindergarten Color Days

It's a Cole Tradition, that we begin the year with different days highlighting different colors. This is a school-wide event with students and staff K-5 participating.  You will see these dates on the Cole website, but please make not and join in the fun.

August 21: Red Day                    August 28: Purple Day

August 22: Green Day                August 29: Orange Day

August 23: White Day                 August 30: Black Day

August 24: Yellow Day               August 31: Brown Day

August 25: Blue Day                  Sept. 1:       Rainbow Day

Keep Stockwell Beautiful Community Celebration

Please plan to attend the Stockwell Community Celebration to celebrate the tenth anniversary of Keep Stockwell Beautiful. The event will be held on August 19 with a parade, a bike decorating contest, free food, and a DJ.  The bike contest begins at 2:00 with the parade at 3:00 and the dinner and music from 4:00-7:00. Keep Stockwell Beautiful is a strong community partner with Cole. Our students in fourth and fifth grade help with the annual Cole Kids Clean Up Stockwell and KSB has been instrumental in the revitalization of the Cole Outdoor Education Center. We'd love to see you there. It will be a lot of fun.

Family Media Use Plan

Do you have a family plan for media use? The American Academy of Pediatrics recently announced new guidelines for media use (screen time) in the home. At school, children are often on screens completing projects, practicing skills, and collaborating. At Cole, we look at technology as a tool that will help children learn, but there are other methods as well that our teachers employ.  Looking at the amount of screen time your child is exposed to when home with you is a good step toward helping them learn and grow. Read the article shared by Dr. Darren Reed in the link below.

Parent Meetings

Grade levels will be holding Parent Meetings at the beginning of the year to explain procedures, get to know you better, and to have questions answered. There will be childcare provided in the gymnasium compliments of the Cole PTO during those days.  The dates for each meeting are:

Kindergarten:  August 16 (9:00-11:00 a.m.)

First Grade: August 29 (5:30-6:30 p.m.)

Second Grade: August 24 (6:15-7:00 p.m.)

Third Grade: August 24 (5:30-6:15 p.m.)

Fourth Grade: August 22 (5:30-6:15 p.m.)

Fifth Grade: August 22 (6:15-7:00 p.m.)

Cole PTO

The Cole PTO is very active in its support of the students and staff at Cole. Every parent is a member of the Cole PTO. We would love to have you join us for meetings and lend your assistance to the many programs they have in place. Please find some important dates listed below and please, plan to attend our first meeting. 

August 18: PTO Cookie Dough/Trash Bag Sales Kick-off

September 5: Cole PTO Meeting (6:00)

September 8: Cookie Dough/Trash Bag Sale Orders Due

September 15: Cole Carnival (5:30-8:00)

October 6: PTO Movie Night & Cookie Dough Pick-up

November 10: Grandparents Day (1:00-3:00)

NWEA Testing

 Students in grades K-5 will be taking the Northwest Evaluation Association (NWEA) test three times this year. The first round of tests will measure reading and math in grades K-2 and reading ,math, and language arts in grades 3-5. The students in grades 3-5 will be taking their assessment on Chromebooks. Students in grades K-2 will be taking their assessment on either iPads or in the teacher's lounge.  Your child's progress will be shared with you once the testing window is completed. Students in grades 1-5 will be able to see growth data for their child from last year's assessment as well. 

Professional Academy

This year Cole is launching the Cole Professional Academy. This academy will target soft skills that students need to be exposed to in order to become productive citizens in the job market.  We have been blessed with sponsors who have helped us launch this program which will include one afternoon per month called Academy Days which will feature guest speakers and a variety of topics that students can then follow-up with afterward to earn badges toward earning Academy Graduate status.  More information will be shared throughout the year on this endeavor which we are very excited aobut and hope will offer lasting skills for our students well into the future.

Lunch with Your Child

Parents are always invited to eat lunch with their child at school. We ask that parents call the school and let us know you are coming and we will order a meal for you. Your meal can be charged directly to your child's lunch account. Students are welcome to bring a lunch from home. Students will not have access to the microwave to heat meals, so thermoses are encouraged for hot items. We ask that meals be packed which are healthy. Please do not bring fast food items to school for lunch.  An alternate location outside the cafeteria may be offered for parents to eat lunch with their child if fast food is brought to school for lunch. On a different note, please do not hesitate to send a fun and encouraging note to school with your child in his/her lunch box. It's a great way to spread a smile to your child.

Kindergarten Lunch Help

The first day of kindergarten lunch is something to behold. There is the stress of punching in your lunch code, the balancing act of a tray, silverware, and all the food. Then there is the noise, sights, and sounds of the caferia. It's like dropping marbles on a terrazzo floor watching the kindergarten students at lunch the first day and the first weeks of school. We need help! If you can volunteer to assist with lunch from 12:00-12:35 any day between the first day of school and September 1, we will take it.  You will see trays dumped into trash cans and arms shoved down the silverware chute. You will see new lunch boxes with great food inside that needs hands to open and of course lots of help with milk cartons. We love our kindergarten students and we love them to have a successful lunch. If you can lend a hand, please join us. We will use all the help we can get.

Eclipse 2017

On August 21 there will be a total solar eclipse over part of the skies across the United States. In our area, this event will result in about 90% darkening of the skies during the eclipse window.  There are many educational insights to be gathered from this natural phenomenon and the Cole teachers will be studying this with their students on the day of the event. There are some concerns to vision if a student were to look directly into the sun during the eclipse so we are taking a common sense approach to this event. Because the eclipse window will fall on and around the lunch and recess hour, Cole will have indoor recess on that day.  We will offer our students in grades 3-5 a chance to use their Chromebooks during recess to watch the event live if they choose. By the time dismissal occurs, the eclipse will have passed.  We are excited about Eclipse 2017 and are striving to make the day both educational and safe for all students.

Chromebooks and iPads

It is an exciting time in TSC elementary schools. This year all thrid, fourth, and fifth grade students will have their own Chromebook assigned to them for use during the day. This teaching tool will benefit our student in their educational journey by providing opportunities for purposeful practice, real-world video experiences, collaboration, and also the ability to showcase their knowledge through a variety of finished products.  These Chromebooks will be housed at Cole and will not travel home each night with the students. Once students reach middle school, then the devices will be sent home.  In grades K-2, students will have access to 10 iPads in their classrooms as well as access to the computer lab for practice, web activities, and product creation.  It's an exciting time to be an elementary student in TSC.  You will be amazed at your child's knowledge that comes from their interaction with these devices. 

TSC Safety Measures

There are many measures in place to ensure your child is safe while at school. TSC uses a Standard Response Protocol when addressing a variety of situations that might arise during the school day. The link below will give you more information. Please also know that you can sign up for alerts to be received via email and text for events like closings and delays, and in the event that one of these protocols is needed to be used during the school day. The information is linked at the top of this Cole Courier about the steps to sign up for such alerts. We will be conducting a variety of drills throughout the year to ensure your child is safe. The first set of drills will occur on Friday, August 18 after lunch as we walk through all of the different safety protocols as a school. In the event of an emergency, please look to alerts for the latest updates.  Calling the school during these times is a natural reaction, but can often cause phone lines to be jammed and attention to be diverted away from the important tasks at hand.  Safety is a priority for all of us in TSC. Please find information linked below to make you even more informed.

Volunteer Information

As per Tippecanoe School Corporation Policy 8120 – Volunteers, each volunteer who is in direct contact with students will be required to submit a Limited Criminal History Record Check in order to volunteer within the school. Any chaperone who wishes to attend a field trip must also have a completed and approved Limited Criminal History Record Check as well. These forms are available on the TSC website and have been sent home already. Please contact Kelly Kesterson in the Cole Office if you have any questions.

E-Flyers

TSC supports 'green' efforts and as such to help ensure students receive information about community services or events, flyers from non-profit outside organizations are posted online in a section called E-Flyers. All E-Flyers can be accessed from any TSC School Website: www.tscschools.com by clicking the 'students' or 'parents' link in the upper right hand corner of the webpage. E-Flyers will be posted on the 15th and 30th of the month so be sure to check regularly for newly posted information. If your qualifying organization is interested in posting an E-Flyer, go to www.tscschools.com E-Flyers section to submit the information.

Register for TSC Alerts and Notifications
With the launch of the new TSC websites, the TSC and each of its schools will be transitioning away from Pinwheel for SMS (text) alerts and notifications and will instead utilize the communication options available within the new website. Parents/guardians, staff, and students can sign in to the website and register to receive alerts, calendar reminders, athletic updates, and more.