the growl - Cotswold PTA

March 2012 | Volume 4 | Issue 4
THE GROWL
The Newsletter of the Cotswold PTA
Paws with the PTA Presidents
Alison Busch & Susan Lueders,
pta co-presidents
2011-2012
TRACKING THIS ISSUE
Paws with the PTA
Presidents . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Cotswold Rocks Auction . . . 2
Community Partners
Grants . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Daddy-Daughter Dance . . 3
Family Night at the Rink . . 4
Jump Rope for Heart . . . . 4
LIFE Participants Go
to Bobcats Gamer . . . . . . . 4
Welcome to Spring at Cotswold School!
Hoop Shoot Update . . . . . . 4
Dear Cotswold Families,
Magnet Schools Poster
Contest . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
This school year has already brought so
many great programs and events but believe
it or not, the spring time is the busiest time
of the year for our school. Here are a few
things to look forward to as you think about
the last few months of school:
Celebrate Cotswold . . . . . . 5
• On March 17, the PTA will host the
Cotswold Auction which gives families a
chance to come out and fellowship in a more casual atmosphere. Join us at Leroy
Fox as we get to know one another better and celebrate the wonderful things going
on at our school. All proceeds from the auction go to Technology purchases at the
school.
Literacy and Technology
Summer Camp . . . . . . . . . 7
Friends and Family
Database . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5
History Comes Alive
in the Media Center . . . . . 6
Spring Crossword . . . . . . . 8
Birthday Book Club . . . . . . 8
Summer Readathon . . . . . 9
• Running for Change on March 29 will be held in memory of Mrs. Hankinson,
former Assistant Principal. Students and staff will be running laps and collecting
donations for cancer research.
• Spend time with the special student in your life at the Daddy-Daughter Dance
on April 13 and the Mother-Son Outing on April 15.
• Staff Appreciation Week is April 23-27. We will shower the best staff in
town with food, gifts and good wishes and thank them for the wonderful work they
do with our children.
• Our Spring carnival, Celebrate Cotswold, will be on May 11. Don’t miss the
fun of one of our largest Cotswold events.
• And our 5th graders will go out in style with the end of year events in their honor:
a kickball game vs. the staff on June 6, a Recognition Ceremony on June 7
and a 5th Grade Dance on June 8.
The PTA cannot do all that it does without the resources that our families provide.
There are so many times during the year when we ask for donations of your money,
time, talent and other resources. We understand that sometimes the “asks” can
seem overwhelming. Our hope is that each family will give in the way that suits
them best. We do not expect our families to give every time we ask. But that is what
makes this school the great family that it is...our needs are always met.
We cannot thank you enough for your support this year. As the spring approaches,
if you have not yet found a way to get involved at Cotswold School, please
consider the many opportunities we have coming up. Contact us or your child’s
teacher to find out how to get plugged in.
COTSWOLD SCHOOL
300 Greenwich Road
Charlotte, NC 28211
980.343.6720 Telephone
980.343.6739 Fax
Alicia Giles Hash, Principal
Alison Busch & Susan Lueders,
PTA Co-Presidents
CotswoldPTA.org
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Cotswold Auction Ready to Rock!
2012 Cotswold Rocks Auction
Saturday, March 17, 2012, 7:00pm
LeRoy Fox (705 South Sharon Amity)
Come be part of the 2012 Cotswold Rocks Auction and help raise money for new technology at our school! The
cost is $25.00 per person, which includes admission, heavy hors d’oeuvres, and a cash bar. This is sure to be a fun
and successful fundraiser night so make sure to purchase your tickets before it’s sold out!
This year’s event will feature the Sonic Automotive Technology Raffle! The Sonic Automotive Technology Raffle
is open to anyone and you do not need to be present to win. There will be two raffles.
D
D
One raffle will be for a 27” iMac.
The second will be for an iPad 3 and Apple TV.
Raffle Tickets are $10 per ticket, 8 tickets for $70 or 12 for $100. Tickets may be purchased in advance or at the
door of LeRoy Fox on March 17.
Check out these exciting items on the block this year…
Getaways!
Exciting Camps & Party Packages!
D The Umstead Hotel getaway
D The Sanctuary, Kiawah Island
D Blowing Rock Getaway
D 1 or 2 weeks at Camp Rockmont--Boys
D My Gym camp
D Jamie Masters School of Dance Camp
D Mad Science Birthday Party
D Charlotte Bobcats Birthday Party with Rufus
Restaurant Gift Certificates!
D Taco Mac
D Mac’s Speed Shop
D Osso Restaurant
D Blue Restaurant
Specialty Items!
D Extra 30 minutes of recess for your child’s class
D American Girl Doll
D Mrs. Hash’s parking spot for schoolwide parties
D Lunch with Mrs. Hash with 3 of your friends
Event & Park Tickets!
D Carowinds tickets
D Strike City bowling package
D Disney World tickets
D Bobcats tickets
D Harlem Globetrotters tickets
D Inner Peaks
Go to www.cotswoldpta.org to see the most updated auction items! Questions? Please
contact Wendy Wilson, wendycwilson@yahoo.com or Kate Newman, kitnewman@bellsouth.net.
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Grants support teacher training,
special projects and more
With an infusion of funding from the new Community Partners program, the PTA, and donations from Cotswold
families and friends, the Enrichment Committee has amped up the teacher grant program this year.
Each month, the committee considers funding requests from
Cotswold teachers, for as little as a few bucks to as much as
hundreds of dollars for classroom supplies, workshops, equipment,
special projects and field trips. So far this year, the committee has
approved dozens of requests.
For more information
To read about all of the grants,
check out the Enrichment Updates on
the PTA website’s Community Partners tab:
cotswoldpta.org/community-partners/.
One of the largest grants also touches all teachers and students at
Cotswold: the writing workshops at UNC Charlotte. Community
Partners paid for $3,000 of the cost of the training. Ten teachers
attended the summer 2011 writing and technology workshop. This workshop focused on showing teachers how to
integrate technology into writing instruction. The teachers who attended have implemented what they learned in their
classrooms – plus shared those tips with other teachers at Cotswold.
“I learned how to integrate some great technology with writing,” said Sylvia Moras, Talent Development Catalyst
teacher. “Glogster is an interactive presentation tool. Storybird enables students to use provided artwork to enhance
their writing, and also serves as a presentation tool. Kidsblog provides students with opportunities to express their
opinions and share them with other students.
“These have motivated students and supported 21st century skills.”
And the training continues. Cotswold has maintained a partnership with UNCC’s Writing Project, which partners with
schools to improve students’ writing and learning, spread the use of writing into all disciplines and offer high-quality
teacher development throughout the state.
Since the start of the winter semester, two Writing Project members have come to Cotswold to work with teachers in
the lab, and another visited classrooms to model a writing lesson for a whole grade level.
“So, the training kind of started with the summer workshop and is being continued throughout the school year,” said
Tara Brown, fourth-grade teacher.
Calling All Cowgirls!
Grab your partner and come to the Daddy-Daughter Dance!
Cotswold’s 14th annual Daddy-Daughter Dance — which will have a Western
theme this year — will be held Friday, April 13. Look for an invitation in
your March 12 Cougar folder, or you can print one out at the PTA website
<cotswoldpta.org/events/daddy-daughter-dance>. Also, kindly spread the
word to rising kindergartners that you know will be attending Cotswold next
year. If you’d like to sign up as a volunteer or have any questions, please
contact Heather Sule and Kelly Lojk at DDDvolunteers@gmail.com.
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Cotswold Family Night at the Rink
Mr. Clutts,
physical education
Cotswold families and staff are invited to enjoy an evening of Charlotte Checkers hockey on
Sunday, March 18th . The Checkers reduced lower-level seats to $8.00 per ticket (normally $18.00)
for our group and their mascot “Chubby” visited our school on March 1st. All in attendance are
also invited to a “post-game skate” with the team. Last year, more than 400 Cotswold students,
parents, and staff had a great time at the game – don’t miss out on the fun! Contact Mr. Clutts with
questions: randy.clutts@cms.k12.nc.us
Jump Rope For Heart
Cotswold students will “Jump Rope For Heart” during Physical Education classes April 23-27.
Our children will learn about the benefits of regular physical activity and heart health, and raise
funds for the American Heart Association to support educational programs and vital heart and
stroke research. Parents will be invited to join their children during PE classes to participate
and/or help turn ropes. More information will come home at the end of the month.
LIFE Participants Go to Bobcats Game
As a reward for participation in Cotswold’s LIFE (Learning the Importance of Fitness
and Exercise) program, more than 400 students, parents, and staff attended a
Bobcats game on January 28. Ninety lucky students went onto the court before the
game to high five players as they entered the court, watch players warm up, or stand with players on the
court as the National Anthem was presented. Everyone was treated to an exciting game and received a
Bobcats jersey, winter hat, and a free ticket to another game. Remind your child to fill out their LIFE log
(http://schools.cms.k12.nc.us/cotswoldES/Documents/LIFE%20Log.pdf) so they can qualify for the next reward.
Hoop Shoot Update
In December, 80 students took part in Cotswold’s “Hoop Shoot” free throw shooting
competition. Winners from our school traveled to Winston-Salem in January to compete
in the State Hoop Shoot. Congratulations to Jaye Winborne (in Ms. Menzo’s class)
for finishing 3rd in the state among 8 and 9 year old girls, Caleb McReed (in Mr.
Eberhardt’s class) finished 3rd in his group, and Logan Hall (in Ms. Laine’s class)
finished 4th in his group.
ANswers to the Media center challenge (page 6)
A. 2,9,14 D. 1, 15 B. 7, 10, 13 E. 4, 16, 17 C. 3, 6, 8, 12 F. 5, 11, 18
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Breaking Barriers through
Theme-Based Magnet Schools
Magnet Schools of America recently held a national poster
contest. Thank you to all of the students who submitted artwork
and congratulations to Lily Carl Richards. Lily Carl’s poster will
represent Cotswold Elementary in the district contest. Top poster
winners in CMS will continue to the national level. National
winners are awarded a plaque and monetary prize at the MSA
conference held in Dallas, TX in May. Cotswold was recognized
as a School of Excellence along with 40 other magnet schools
across the nation. The International Baccalaureate Primary Years
Programme, or IB PYP, is the magnet theme offered at Cotswold
Elementary to all students.
Lily Carl Richards, poster above, will represent
Cotswold Elementary in the Magnet Schools of
America district contest. Other poster contributors
included Ariana Taylor, at right, and Savannah
Hurley, far right.
S a v e the D ate
Celebrate Cotswold
Spring Fling 2012
May 11
Friday,
, 5:30–8:30
$2 person/$10 family max
Train, games, rock wall,
moon walk, rides,
food, prizes
Fun for all!
Contact David Thorne at
dhthorne@carolina.rr.com
for volunteer opportunities
or questions.
Friends and Family Database
Calling all grandmas, grandpas, sisters, brothers,
friends, neighbors, co-workers: we want to reach
you! We are currently collecting contact information for our
extended community— people other than your immediate
family — who may be interested in receiving updates about
our school, or in giving their time, talent, or financial resources
to support our efforts. Please forward contact information,
including how you know them (i.e., neighbor with a rising
K next year), to Gail Oliver at goliver@carolina.rr.com. Or
complete the form below and send it to school in your child’s
book bag. Thanks for helping us expand our Cotswold
community!
Name(s):______________________________________________
Address:______________________________________________
Phone:________________________________________________
E-mail:________________________________________________
Interest(s) in Cotswold:__________________________________
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History Comes Alive in the Media Center
Ms. Harding,
media specialist
The Media Center doors have been swinging in and out at an amazing pace in recent weeks. Students come
from the first bell in the morning until Cougar’s Call at the end of the day. They are returning and checking out
books at an increasing rate. With this increased activity, I must give a huge “shout out” to our faithful volunteers
who help with the flow of students and books in and out of the media center.
This year many more students have learned how to request books for the favorites which
never seem to make it to the shelves before being checked out again. These include the Bone
series, Diary of a Wimpy Kid, A-Z mysteries and even some of our nonfiction series which
have generated a notable following.
Even though our collection contains many books across various reading levels and genre, I’d like
to take this opportunity to highlight some of our historical fiction. Fifth graders have been studying
the American Revolution and are getting ready to take a look at the Civil War. A second grade class has been
reading from the Little House on the Prairie series by Laura Ingalls Wilder. There is great value in reading historical
fiction as it helps us understand and gain insights about our past. Below are just a few historical fiction titles in our
media center. Can you match these books with the period of history in which they are set? Answers to the challenge
are on page 3.
The Challenge: Match the book titles to their historical settings.
Historical Era
Historical Fiction Titles
A. American
Revolution
1. Out of the Dust, Karen Hesse
B. American
Frontier
3. Billy and the Rebel, Deborah Hopkinson
C. Civil War
D. Depression Era
E. World War II
F. Civil Rights Movement
2. Changes for Felicity, Valerie Tripp
4. Number the Stars, Lois Lowry
5. Watson’s Go to Birmingham, Christopher Paul Curtis
6. After the Rain, Mary Pope Osborne
7. Buffalo Before Breakfast, Mary Pope Osborne
8. Pink and Say, Patricia Polacco
9 Scarlet Stockings Spy, Trinka H. Noble
10. Sarah, Plain and Tall, Patricia MacLachan
11. Ruth and the Green Book, Calvin H. Ramsey
12. Ghost Soldier, Elaine M Alphin
13. Crooked River, Shelley Pearsall
14. Daughter of Liberty, Robert Quackenbush
15. Lucky Beans, Becky Birtha
16. Run, Boy, Run, Uri Orlev
17. The Yellow Star, Carmen Agra Deedy
18. Freedom on the Menu,
Carole Boston Weatherford
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Spring Crossword
Across
4. To begin to grow and give off shoots or buds.
7. Baby duck.
11. Larval form of a butterfly.
12. Sow these in the ground in spring to get
a harvest in the autumn.
Down
1. Yellow flower that makes a nice spring bouquet.
2. Dutch springtime flower.
3. Wear this on your head to fancy picnics or parades.
5. A small pool of water.
6. Fragrant purple flowers that grow on a bush.
8. Wear this to keep warm
9. The season between winter and summer.
10. Break out of an egg.
Word List: bonnet, caterpillar, daffodil, duckling,
hatch, jacket, lilacs, puddle, seeds, spring, sprout, tulip
Honor Your Child or a Special Teacher
with a Book from the Birthday Book Club
The Birthday Book Club Cart is of wonderful books for all ages and reading levels that
Mrs. Harding would love to have in the media center! By honoring your child for his/her
birthday, we get more of the books the media center needs in circulation. If you haven’t
thought of the perfect gift for your child, a book from the Birthday Book Club is a great idea
for their birthday or other special occasion! Honor a special student, teacher or staff member
by donating a book to the media center permanent collection. Celebrate a birthday, special
accomplishment or other milestone and make a contribution the entire school can enjoy!
Library-bound books are ordered in consultation with Mrs. Harding in order to meet our
Media Center’s needs. The honorees will choose from a pre-ordered selection of books that
reflect a range of reading abilities. Each book will have a book plate identifying the honoree
and the honoree will be the first to check out their special book.
An order form is provided below. Fill out the form and return the form either to your child’s teacher or to the Parent
Center Birthday Book Club Mail Slot with cash or a check in the amount of $20.00. Checks should be made payable
to Cotswold PTA. Please contact Dawn Royle at 704.365.1010 or dawn.royle@atcmail.com
llll Birthday Book Club Order Form llll
Person to be honored_________________________________________________ Birth date ________________________ name as it will appear on bookplate
month & year
Parent Name________________________________________________________ Phone_ __________________________
Teacher_____________________________________________________________ Grade___________________________
Honor is for birthday ________ other occasion _____________________________________________________________ specify
Please complete a separate form for each honoree. For each honoree, please include cash or a check
for $20.00 (made out to Cotswold PTA). Thank you for your support!
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