November 2022

Principal Message

Dear Cottage Grove Families,

Happy November! We have so many exciting things to share with you. Thank you all who made conferences a success! I am happy to share that we had almost 100% of our families participate in this year's conferences! Way to go Wolves! We are looking forward to continuing our conferences at CGS in a hybrid model of in-person and virtual for the remainder of this school year.

The 2nd graders at CGS did an excellent job at the Capitals Hockey Game! It was so much fun to watch them sing the National Anthem! They represented us so well and I'm so proud of them! For the friends who did not sign up to sing at the game they had the opportunity to sing in front of the whole school during a schoolwide assembly. Ms. Schram did an excellent job teaching our students the National Anthem and it was amazing to see how proud our students were to sing in front of everyone.

In partnership,

Dr. Danyelle Wright

Principal

Cottage Grove School

Winter Wishes

Winter Giving & Recieving

Dear MG Community,

We want to share with you some upcoming changes to our Winter Wishes program. After careful consideration, we are looking to provide support throughout the year to families when in need. This follows many months of discussion, as well as gathering feedback from the families we have supported in the past. We have found that we can best support by providing food and resources throughout the year, rather than focusing on December. While this may in part be due to the COVID-19 pandemic, it is a trend that is not going away and we anticipate supporting our families in different ways moving forward. If your family is interested in receiving support for holiday gifts specifically, the Empty Stocking Club is accepting applications in November for the gift distribution on December 14-15 at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison. Please visit this site to apply and for more information: https://www.emptystockingclub.com/toy-depot. You can also call United Way by dialing “211” to find out about programs available.

We are so appreciative of the generous support over the years and we know that giving back to the community and helping those in need is important to many of our Monona Grove families. For families who wish to give, we are asking for donations of gift cards in $15, $20, and $25 denominations to grocery stores such as Woodman's, Piggly Wiggly, and Pick N' Save, as well as larger retailers such as Walmart or Target. Gift cards to gas stations such as Kwik Trip are also appreciated. Donations can be brought to your schools' main office and will be distributed to families when they are in need.

If your family is in need of support, please reach out to your student services contact at:

Julianne Snyder, 608-839-8089, julianne.snyder@mgschools.net

Michael Bergemann, 608-839-8093, michael.bergemman@mgschools.net

Thank you for your flexibility and support as we adapt and grow with this new change.

Please see your email for information about the Winter Wishes program.

Regalar y recibir durante el invierno

Estimada comunidad de MG

Queremos compartir con ustedes algunos de los próximos cambios en nuestro programa Winter Wishes (Deseos de invierno). Después de una cuidadosa consideración, en cambio, buscamos brindar apoyo durante todo el año a las familias cuando lo necesiten. Esto sigue a muchos meses de discusión, así como a la recopilación de comentarios de las familias que hemos apoyado en el pasado. Hemos descubierto que podemos apoyar mejor proporcionando alimentos y recursos durante todo el año, en lugar de centrarnos en diciembre. Si bien esto puede deberse en parte a la pandemia de COVID-19, es una tendencia que no va a desaparecer y anticipamos apoyar a nuestras familias de diferentes maneras en el futuro. Si su familia está interesada en recibir apoyo para regalos navideños específicamente, el Empty Stocking Club está aceptando solicitudes en noviembre para la distribución de regalos el 14 y 15 de diciembre en el Alliant Energy Center en Madison. Visite este sitio para presentar su solicitud y obtener más información: https://www.emptystockingclub.com/toy-depot. También puede llamar a United Way marcando “211” para conocer los programas disponibles.

Estamos muy agradecidos por el generoso apoyo a lo largo de los años y sabemos que retribuir a la comunidad y ayudar a los que necesitan ayuda es importante para muchas de nuestras familias de Monona Grove. Para las familias que deseen donar, estamos solicitando donaciones de tarjetas de regalo en denominaciones de $15, $20 y $25 a supermercados como Woodman's, Piggly Wiggly y Pick N' Save, así como a minoristas más grandes como Walmart o Target. También se agradecen las tarjetas de regalo para gasolineras como Kwik Trip. Las donaciones se pueden llevar a la oficina principal de su escuela y se distribuirán a las familias cuando las necesiten.

Si su familia necesita apoyo, comuníquese con su contacto de servicios estudiantiles en:

Julianne Snyder, 608-839-8089, julianne.snyder@mgschools.net

Michael Bergemann, 608-839-8093, michael.bergemman@mgschools.net

Gracias por su flexibilidad y apoyo a medida que nos adaptamos y crecemos con este nuevo cambio.

Consulte su correo electrónico para obtener información sobre el programa Winter Wishes.

Apple Crunch

Students show off their apples during our Apple Crunch event!

A Note from the Nurse's Office

Hello CGS Families!

As we know, winter is just around the corner and with that brings wet and cold weather! Please pack extra clothes and send them with your child! Having an extra pair of socks, pants, undergarments, and shoes will help tremendously. The children can keep these extra clothes at school on their shelf outside their classroom. Also, please remember to send your child with their coat! We have outside recess every day and do not have extra coats for the students to borrow.

Because we have limited resources we are asking for donations. If you are able to donate any of the following, please drop them off in the main office:

· Coats

· Tops

· Bottoms

· Socks

· Shoes of various sizes

We cannot accept undergarments. Thank you for considering!

If you have any questions or concerns, please contact the health office.

Thank you!

Ashley Kraft

ashley.kraft@mgschools.net

(608)-839-2184

Pumpkin Fun

In October our second graders learned all about pumpkins! They got to open them up and see what's inside and did various other activities with them! Enjoy some of the photos from that week!

Celebrating Holidays Around the World

We want to know which holiday(s) your family celebrates!

Please let us know by taking our poll!

Madison Capitals Game

On October 29th, our second graders sang the national anthem at the Madison Capitals hockey game. To prepare they practiced singing in front of the first graders. They all had so much fun and did a wonderful job!

Elementary Report Card

Our MGSD Elementary Report Card is designed to communicate what is occurring in the classroom. Teachers use grade-level content area standards in their planning and intentionally align learning targets and instruction to those essential grade-level standards.

It is worth noting that essential standards listed on report cards capture the most vital grade-level learning; however, other content standards are included in classroom instruction.

Our goal with essential year-long standards is that each student is secure in those grade-level standards by the end of the year. Many students will be “beginning” or “developing” throughout the year as they continue to practice grade-level skills.

Elementary Report Cards will be issued twice during the 2022-23 school year, in January and in June. The year-long essential standards require repeated opportunities to practice, to receive feedback, and to practice again. Learning takes time! To provide sufficient time for repeated practice before communicating Academic Performance Levels, the elementary report cards will be issued at the conclusion of each semester.

Report cards are just one communication tool we use with families. Teachers can also communicate progress with work sent home, through Seesaw, or other digital communication, phone calls and emails, and student conferences.

Illustrative Math

MGSD commits to ongoing curriculum review and renewal on a six-year cycle so that all teachers are able to use high-quality instructional materials when engaging their students in standards-based grade-level learning. Every content area is given time and attention, and 4K-12 teachers, along with principals and curriculum specialists, participate in the process of instructional materials selection.

To start the 2022-23 school year, our elementary school teachers are using new materials for mathematics: Illustrative Math. The IM K-5 curriculum provides teachers with coherently sequenced materials based on the standards and research-based learning trajectories to support students’ learning in these early years. IM K-5 Math is a problem-based core curriculum that sparks discussion, perseverance, and enjoyment of mathematics. IM utilizes an intentional lesson design that promotes mathematical growth and develops learning communities.

If you are interested in learning more about Illustrative Math, please contact Lisa Heipp, our Director of Instruction, or feel free to explore the IM website.

Be Brave and Give Blood!

On January 16, 2023, I would like to invite you to BE BRAVE and participate in the

9th Annual BE BRAVE Blood Drive. Two weeks ago, I sat in a small room at the hospital while my mom waited to receive two units of blood. The quick part was verifying her blood type - that took about 45 minutes. We waited TWO HOURS to see IF they would be able to locate enough of it to do the transfusion. The only reason my mom got the life-saving blood she needed is because of donors like you.

Roughly 1.9 million people will be diagnosed with cancer in the United States this year - many of whom will need several blood and/or plasma transfusions over the course of their fight to survive. An estimated 15,780 children between the ages of birth and 19 years of age are diagnosed with cancer each year. They need your help - their lives depend on it. Can’t donate but want to help?

We will need a few volunteers to help with Registration and in the Cantina. You can email me (jennifer.klotzbach@mgschools.net) with your interest.

When: January 16th, 2023 from 12:00 PM - 5:00 PM

Where: St. Patrick Church - Parish Hall

Go to 9th Annual BE BRAVE Blood Drive to schedule your appointment!

Thank you for your support!

Ms. Klotzbach