The CPES BobChat
January 14, 2024
What Did Martin Luther King, Jr. Say?
Last week, I talked about determining one word of focus for the year. Tomorrow, we recognize the contributions and life of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. As parents and teachers, our goal is always helping our children know what to be which determines what they do. We are familiar with many of the famous words of Dr. King. Here are a few lesser known quotes from him that may help us think about ways we can encourage our children in their character growth. 1. "I have decided to stick with love. Hate is too great a burden to bear." I think this may be one way our children lead us as adults. It is so easy to be quickly offended and determine that someone else is the enemy. I am always amazed how children have a conflict today and are able to talk through it so they can be friends tomorrow. They are such a great example for us as adults. 2. "The time is always right to do what is right." At Cherry Park, we stress the importance of doing the right thing the first time. Our children know our rules and we discuss why those rules are important. We want our children to also understand that doing the right thing is a moment by moment and day by day decision. We can make the right choice in this situation but the challenge is doing that in the next instance as well. This is such an easy say and a hard do for all of us. Our support and conversations with our children can help them build consistency in their decision making (and inadvertently remind us how we need to do the same.) 3. "Everybody can be great, because everybody can serve...You only need a heart full of grace. A soul generated by love." Our culture defines greatness in many misleading ways. It can be about winning at all costs. It can be about who gets the most "likes." It can be about pursuing the perfect performance. Achievement in any area of life can be a good goal. Taking it to the unhealthy extreme is where it becomes dangerous. There is always greatness in serving others and valuing everyone around us. We win most when we can help others around us win as well. We want our children to know that life is not all about them and that they can be great "because everybody can serve."
These quotes challenge me and I am not sure that I embody all that they mean every moment of every day. I think they can be a great guide, though, to help us lead our children well to become people who make a difference to others and in others. Thank you for all the ways you, as parents and teachers, live out these words in our school, in our community, and in your family.
Strength and Blessings,
Mr. Maness
Tomorrow is the Martin Luther King, Jr. Holiday. There is no school tomorrow.
Our next SIC and PTO Meetings will be Tuesday, January 22 at 5:30 and 6:30 PM.
January Teacher Appreciation
Sullivan Academic Night for Fifth Graders on 1/24
Valentine's Day
Notes and Reminders
1. January Teacher Appreciation--What better way to start off the new year than with a new planner! For this months staff appreciation event on Friday January 19th we will be passing out CPES logo'd planners and collecting supplies for a restock basket raffle. Please review the sign up options below and we kindly ask to drop off any donations and/or supplies to the front office with your name and PTO on them by Thursday January 18th. We couldn't support our incredible staff without your help and we are grateful for all that you do! Click here to sign up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0D49A4A923AAFBC70-47113255-january
2. School of Choice Applications--The Choice Application Window opens January 22 through February 23. All rising kindergarten students who currently have siblings in the program will need to complete the Choice application to secure a spot for next year. We will host parent meetings and will soon send a schedule for when those will be.
3. Sullivan Academic Night for Fifth Graders--Please see attached flyer about the Sullivan Middle Academic Night on Wednesday, January 24 from 5:00-6:00 for Fifth Graders. This is a time to visit with Sullivan and connect with their faculty and staff. You can also learn about programs at Sullivan and services that will be available to your child and family. This is not the "Official District Middle School Orientation" that will be later in March but it is a great time to get to know Sullivan better. Click on picture above for more information.
4. Valentine's Day Parties--Valentine's Day is just around the corner. Our Valentine's parties are the one time when we can have additional options that are not on the District Snack List. We still need to be mindful of food allergy issues in our homerooms. Our teachers know best what is the right balance of fun, food and activities for that day. They will communicate what they may need to celebrate "The Day of Love." If you have questions, let them know.
5. 5th Grade Parent Information--Here is the link to the presentation from Tuesday night about the Middle (and High) School Immersion Program. At the end of the presentation, there is a QR code for the Letter of Intent to continue in the program at Sullivan Middle. There is also a button below for the Letter of Intent. This is due on February 24, 2024 but we wanted you to have this now.
https://docs.google.com/presentation/d/1oOWWAqum-RZXHnDtno3W__HXVpZND7xm/edit#slide=id.p6
6. Yearbooks--Are now on sale. To guarantee your student receives a copy of the yearbook be sure to place your order no later than 11:59pm on Sunday, April 21, 2024. For more information to order, click on tab below.
7. Fifth Grade Recognition--We know it is a bit early, but we wanted to be sure you have on your calendar that our 5th Grade Recognition will be Friday, May 31 at 9:00 in the Sullivan Auditorium. Please do not arrive any earlier than 8:30. We want to allow Sullivan to complete their arrival process before we use their drives and parking areas.
School Calendar
January 15--Martin Luther King Jr. Holiday--No School
January 16--Report Cards Go Home
January 22--School of Choice Application Window Opens; 5:30 PM SIC; 6:30 PM PTO (Rescheduled due to Bad Weather)
February 12--5:30 PM SIC Meeting; 6:30 PM PTO Meeting
February 14--Valentine's Day
February 15--Student Holiday and Teacher Professional Development Day
February 16--Student Holiday and Teacher Workday
February 19--President's Day Holiday (Bad Weather Makeup Day)
February 23--School of Choice Application Window Closes
May 31--9:00 AM 5th Grade Recognition at Sullivan Auditorium
Parent Organizations
Parent Teacher Organization--This group has three main goals: Raising funds for the school, appreciating the staff and securing volunteers as needed. The Cherry Park PTO is a 501c3 tax deductible organization. Meetings are held at Cherry Park on the second Monday of each month at 6:30 PM (right after the SIC meetings.) All parents are invited to attend. All financial records are distributed and updated at each month's meeting. Officers this year are Amanda Winters (President), Emmanuel Daniel (Vice-President), Celia Kerr (Secretary) and Michelle Dawkins (Treasurer). We appreciate all of our sponsors (above) who contributed to our Bobcat Dash this year.
Previous Newsletters for 23-24 School Year
"Can One Word Make a Difference This Year?" January 7, 2024 https://www.smore.com/p9n3v5
"How Can We Manage Expectations during the Holidays?" December 17, 2023 https://www.smore.com/ceswg
"How Can We Give the "Best Gift Ever?" December 10, 2023 https://www.smore.com/1p0kd
"How Can We Find a Silent Night?" December 3, 2023 https://www.smore.com/n/p2zes
"What Reminds Me to Be Grateful?" November 12, 2023 https://www.smore.com/pvds3
"Is It about the Grade or the Learning?" November 5, 2023 https://www.smore.com/4hkq0
"Who Made a Difference at the Bobcat Dash?" October 29, 2023 https://www.smore.com/wcqun
"What Do You Need to Know about Bobcat Dash?" October 22, 2023 https://www.smore.com/f19ry
"What Special Events are Coming Up?" October 15, 2023 https://www.smore.com/brvz5
"What's It Really Like at CPES?" October 8, 2023 https://www.smore.com/a7chr
"How Do We Respond to Safety Situations? Part 2" October 1, 2023 https://www.smore.com/k9uet
"How Do We Respond to Safety Situations? Part 1" September 24, 2023 https://www.smore.com/n4c67
"How Can I Volunteer at CPES?" September 17, 2023 https://www.smore.com/7v8ky
"What CRAzy Model Do We Use for Math Instruction?" September 10, 2023 https://www.smore.com/kfbg7
"What Do We Need to Know about Arrival?" September 3, 2023 https://www.smore.com/fc0kd
"Did You Know that a Bobcat 'ROARS?"' August 27, 2023 https://www.smore.com/0g7qv
"What Do We Need to Remember as We Start Back" August 20, 2023 https://www.smore.com/yrt38
"Techno
logy Forms and Fees"--August 25, 2023 https://www.smore.com/72qcg
"How Can We Work Together to Keep Everyone Safe?" August 13, 2023 https://www.smore.com/6cbtm
"How Can Checklists Help You Start a New Year?" August 6, 2023 https://www.smore.com/0jyx61
"Who Are the Newest Hires and What Are the Latest Changes with Technology?" July 30, 2023 https://www.smore.com/z6qnp
"What's the Latest News at Cherry Park" July 16, 2023 https://www.smore.com/w9pth
"Challenger Be Great Academy Update" June 23, 2023 https://www.smore.com/8hqka
"What Staffing Changes Have Been Made at CPES?" June 18, 2023 https://www.smore.com/e0vr2