February 2023

Principal Message

Dear Cottage Grove School Families,

Happy February Wolves! This month we will continue to focus on staying safe even when no one is watching, while practicing keeping our bodies safe in and out of the classroom. It is Black History Month! Black History Month is the perfect time to teach children about the many accomplishments and achievements of African Americans throughout history.

Here at CGS we will continue to learn about Black authors, leaders and influential people who had a big impact on the Black community and the community at large. In the Library, your student will participate in a PebbleGo Research Project and each class will be researching a famous Black person who contributed to the Civil Rights movement and whose inventions we currently use today. Our teachers at CGS are really excited to create an activity in the makerspace for Black History Month. We will be reading excerpts from Stitchin’ and Pullin’: A Gee’s Bend Quilt by Patricia C. McKissack and doing an activity for students to create their own quilt square. If you are looking for resources or books to read to your children on Black History, Joy, and Love, please click here.

Morning drop off- Just a friendly reminder that morning drop off is at 7:20am. Please make sure that your child is not being dropped off earlier than 7:20am. Our staff need time to set up for morning supervision and cannot supervise students until 7:20am.

In partnership,

Danyelle Wright

Principal CGS

OFFICE HOURS:

7:00 a.m.–3:30 p.m.

CONTACT:

Main Office: (608) 839-4576

Attendance: contact via email

UPCOMING EVENTS:

Feb. 8 - Dress Like Mr. B Day
Feb. 24 - No School
Feb. 27 - No School
March 16 - Parent/Teacher Conferences
March 21 - Parent/Teacher Conferences
March 24 - No School
March 27-21 - Spring Break

This month at CGS, we are celebrating:

Kindness Week and Food/Hygiene Drive

Thank you to all who donated during Kindness Week! The students had a wonderful week filled with kindness activities and dress up days!

Celebrate Mr. B with us the week of February 6th-10th during National School Counseling Week! We are so lucky to have Mr. B as our school counselor and are excited to celebrate him! Here are some ways your student and family can participate: draw him a picture, write a letter or email to him, tell him how much you appreciate him, and participate in "Dress Like Mr. B Day" on Wednesday 2/8!

Thank you Mr. Bergemann for all you do!

michael.bergemann@mgschools.net

A Note From the Nurse's Office

Hello CGS Families!

My name is Nancy Zingg and I am delighted to have recently been hired as the new health assistant as Ashley has returned to her previously-held rotating role between the high school and middle school. With a grandchild at CGS, I couldn’t be happier. The majority of my career has been as an operating room nurse, but I have been subbing in the Monona Grove School District in the various health offices for the past 3 years.

As a reminder, please make sure to pack shoes with your child when they come to school with their boots on. We have very few shoes that we can lend out and they go quickly. On the same note, if your child has outgrown any of their shoes, please bring them in and we can add them to our backup supply. Thank you for your help with this!

I have some Covid home testing kits here in the office if anyone would like one. We are still requiring Covid tests for certain symptoms and I would like to be able to make this process as easy and painless as possible for everyone. Our goal is to keep all our students and staff safe.

For any concerns or questions, please feel free to email me at nancy.zingg@mgschools.net or give me a call at 608-839-2184.

Farm to School

Check out this month's F2S newsletter by clicking the Farm to School(F2S) Program tab on the MG School Nutrition Page.

This month we are very excited to be part of the WI Chili Lunch on February 23rd! Make sure your student plans on school lunch to enjoy a delicious chili packed with local ingredients!

We are featuring dairy as our harvest of the month in February so you can expect local dairy products on the menu this month as well! This newsletter is loaded with lots of great information including: nutrition education, recipe ideas, all about our harvest of the month. Take a look at the F2S Website for even more resources.

Please contact Wes with any questions!

2023 Summer School

June 19-July 14, 2023 (no school held on July 3 and 4 for holiday observance)

Summer School

More information to come!

School Board Authorizes Operational Referendum Question for April

The Monona Grove School Board has unanimously approved an operational funding question on the April 4 ballot. Across the country, here in Dane County and in Monona Grove, public education is facing an increasingly urgent fiscal crisis. In the last two years, schools have received no increase in per pupil revenue from the state of Wisconsin, which is a primary driver for budget shortfalls in districts across the state. Rapidly increasing operational costs and the expiration of one-time federal COVID money are also key factors.

We encourage our community to make an informed decision on April 4. We are planning a variety of opportunities for you to learn more and to provide feedback and ask questions beginning on Monday, February 6; please visit this page for more information and to see a full calendar of events.