The first grade enjoyed some fun holiday books and activities before our break. We are well-rested and ready to get back into growing our brains. One of the first things we looked at coming back was "Pumpkin Jack," our science experiment. We wanted to see all the changes he had made. Boy, has he changed? Jack is looking less like a pumpkin and more like a wrinkly blob. He has been decomposing well, and we are very hopeful that he will sprout into a new pumpkin plant by spring.
Welcome back Pirates! School is back in session for the second semester, starting today, January 4, 2021. We look forward to the second half of the school year. Parents and students, please reach out to the school if you have any questions or concerns. School website - www.cotopaxire3.org
Cotopaxi School District phone number - (719)942-4131, Early Learning Center (719)-942-3676, Transportation Department (719)942-4142.
Winter SEL Challenge!
Use the following link to see fun activities you can do over the break!
https://5il.co/13hvj
Please be aware, due to today’s weather the school has been experiencing brief intermittent power outages, affecting the school’s electrical, heating and internet systems. Staff is familiar and adjusts accordingly as weather often impacts the area. Instruction and activities continue as scheduled with adjustments as appropriate. In the event of a major outage parents will be contacted with further updates.
The Band Concert originally scheduled for Wednesday, 12/15, has been postponed to January 31 @ 7:00PM. There was a significant loss of rehearsal time due to the two weeks of remote learning and the
Thanksgiving Break. Moving the performance will give the students an adequate time to prepare for their concert. Thank you for your patience!
Please join us next month if you are interested in joining Booster Club or PTC (Parent Teacher Club). We are having an informational meeting for you to learn about these clubs. Both clubs do great things for our school, but they need volunteers to continue to do great things. If you have ever thought about being involved with the school, please come to this meeting. Everyone has different strengths that they can contribute to these clubs. If you have any questions, please reach out to us!
It's been said many times, many ways, but 'Thank You' to our generous community and staff for making the season bright for our Christmas Angels! Distribution to our District families will begin this week before our students leave for Christmas Break!
Imagine the life of a colonist? That's exactly what the 5th grade is doing during Social Studies. This week we are diving into the early stages of colonization in the Americas. To understand what people were going through during this time period we have been researching and writing. Students have been writing journal entries from the perspective of a new colonist. Students are also creating flipbooks! This was a very fun activity where students took notes about the geography of the colonies on the Eastern coast of America. Students also used their knowledge of fractions from our math class to create their flip book. It is safe to say the 5th grade is busy learning!
Thank you to our generous community members and staff for picking all the angels from our angel tree! Our office is soon to be brimming with presents that will be sure to brighten the Christmas of students in our district!
Please join us for the Conversation with the Superintendent - Community Town Hall, tonight starting at 5:30 PM. The public is welcome to attend and discuss and share thoughts and concerns .
Zoom Meeting Link: https://us04web.zoom.us/j/76671924538?pwd=VTRVNUMyd3lRd2dyTGV2bExwMDJIdz09
Meeting ID: 766 7192 4538
Passcode: WGR9aa
Congratulations to Dane DeVries for being selected as the Marine Corp League Student of the Month. This is an award that is given to a deserving senior and Dane has worked diligently through his years at Cotopaxi to earn this honor. Make sure you let him know how proud we
are of him. Dane received this award on Nov. 29th in his Civics class.
Last quarter, the seniors worked diligently on college research and the college admissions process. Several took advantage of Colorado's free application days October 19-21. Seniors in English IV have also been focusing on writing personal essays in class. Among the types of essays they have written and are working on now are "This I Believe" and "Personal Statement" essays. These essays will be invaluable when students begin applying for scholarships in the near future.
On October 27, the State of Colorado launched I Matter, a program that provides up to three free counseling sessions for any Colorado youth. Youth and their parents can visit the I Matter platform to take a confidential online survey about their mental health and schedule sessions with a licensed behavioral health clinician, primarily via telehealth. All Colorado youth ages 18 or younger—or 21 and younger if receiving special education services—are eligible to receive free services. Youth 12 and older can sign up for counseling sessions without a parent or guardian's consent.
COVID-19 Vaccines are now available for children 5-17. Please see this website for detailed information regarding the vaccines, frequently asked questions and availability in Colorado.
https://covid19.colorado.gov/kids-vaccines
Security Incident Update 11/5/21: The Fremont County Sheriff's Department has all information and have taken appropriate action. We appreciate their involvement and they will continue to be a valuable member of our Emergency Response Plan.
Sixth grade social studies students navigated the ancient Mayan ruins of Chichen Itza during a virtual field trip using Google Earth. Students researched the physical geography and analyzed how ancient Latin American civilizations adapted to their environment, using techniques such as a terracing, aqueducts, and floating gardens called chinampas.
First-graders have been working on personal narratives. This week they will be writing their first book on something they have done. Some of these topics include riding a horse, getting new pets, and going fishing. They will practice writing complete sentences and descriptive words, then drawing pictures that help the reader understand their writing. Once the students have finished, they will have the opportunity to share their book with the class and give each other feedback on how to improve their stories.
This afternoon the school had it's first lockdown DRILL of the year. All staff and students did a great job following initial protocols and were given the opportunity to debrief. Feedback will be used to continue to improve our plans. If you get the chance, please talk to your student(s) about the drill today. If you have any questions please call the school.
Our 4th grade is full of mathematicians, they even have their favorite numbers! We are mid way through our algebra unit and students are having tons of fun! We decided to finish our lesson by creating posters. Each poster tells you a little about why the number is special to them, some quick facts about the number's factors and multiples. Plus, all of those numbers could give you a clue as to how to solve their multiplication or division story problems! Oh, and did I mention they are completing these even during virtual learning? How cool that we can keep up the learning from home!
4th grade has just wrapped up our first language arts unit on personal narratives. The students and I have worked very hard to grasp the concept elements that are involved in reading and writing personal narratives. We are to begin Unit 2 which is all about informative text. We will focus on the Middle Ages for this unit and I believe the students will enjoy learning about knights during the Medieval Times. In this unit, students will gain a deeper understanding in report or informative writing.