Sunset Elementary School Newsletter
November 2023
3101 Sheridan Avenue, Cody, WY 82414
307-587-4279; FAX: 307-587-6405
Like us on Facebook at Sunset Elementary Cody
November 1 - Miss Holly from the library visiting 1st grade
November 5 - Daylight Standard Time begins, fall back an hour!
November 6 - Parenting Workshop, Second Step, 5:30-6 pm, Sunset Commons
November 7 - Mrs. Galagan's 4th grade to Absaroka Assisted Living
November 7 - Student Council meets, 3:15-3:45 pm
November 9 - Veterans Program
November 10 - Veterans Day, No school!
November 14 - Sunset PTO meeting, 3:30 pm, Sunset Library
November 15 - 1st grade field trip to Center of the West
November 16 - 2nd and 3rd grade Thankful Pies!
November 17 - End of 1st Trimester
November 17 - Town for 4th and 5th grade students
November 20 - 24 - Thanksgiving Break, No school
On Thursday, November. 9th, our students will be bused in the morning to the CHS Sweitzer Gym for our District 2023 Veteran Program.
We would like all Sunset students and staff to dress in their best red, white, and blue for the program. Please remember no face paint or hair dye. Nice jeans, dress pants, patriotic shirts, and dresses and leggings will look great.
- 1st, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade classroom ambassadors are being asked to dress in camo shirts and jeans.
- 3rd, 4th, and 5th grade student council representatives are being asked to dress in nice clothes for the veteran pie social after the program.
Thank you for all your support of our veterans!
The 4th and 5th grade classrooms are busy busy working on our music program. We will be performing the musical, Twas One Crazy Night Before Christmas, on Tuesday, December 12th at 6:30 p.m. The performance is at the Cody High School Wynona Thompson Auditorium. Please remember to mark your calendar!
If you have any questions, please call the school and I will return your call as soon as possible.
Kari Pinney
At Sunset Elementary, 4th and 5th grade classrooms have an educational adventure called “Town.” Town is an experience where our students busily hawk goods and services to prospective buyers; money is counted with fervor; and conversations abound, all the while improving their communication skills, math, English, and social sciences. Our 4th and 5th grade classes at Sunset build towns, have elections and establish laws. Our citizens are paid with “Town” money which covers any fines, pays desk rental fees, utilities, as well as goods or services to purchase on “Town” day.
Why do you do Town?
Town helps develop academic and social skills. Town includes subjects like math, economics, and citizenship. It serves to motivate character traits and reward responsible independent reading habits. Citizens who don’t meet the reading requirements for the trimester aren’t able to participate in Town. Students who need additional time for reading have study hall during Town.
Which state standards does Town support?
We believe that the 60 to 75 minutes once every trimester used for Town is a good use of learning time. Some of the state standards students work on during town include Careers, English, Mathematics, and Social Sciences.
How much money should we spend for Town?
Each student may only spend a total of $10 (real money) per town. Our desire is for students to use their own money or earn things they need. We do not want town to be a burden on family expenses. . There are lots of businesses that children can do that have little or no outside cost.
What businesses will there be at Town?
Students work with a partner to come up with a business plan. The plan includes developing goods or services, a plan for sharing the workload, financial partnership guidelines, and accounting procedures. Students business plans need to be cleared with parents and teachers before they are approved. Students must go through the same process if they change what they are selling or if partnerships need to be dissolved.
How often do you do Town?
Town usually occurs once a trimester. It is our hope that this schedule allows most students the time to be successful in completing their independent reading.
How do the children earn Town?
Students must have all work completed and turned in to the teacher by a week before the date of town. Students are given notice of missing work well in advance, so it should not be a surprise if they have missing work. In addition to independent reading, students need to have a balance of $1500 or more in their checking account. Students will be excused from town if they have forgotten their town supplies.
Parent Involvement
We love having parents come to TOWN. However, we want the focus to remain on the students/entrepreneurs and the hard work they put into their business with their partner. Parents can drop off supplies for their child’s TOWN business on the morning of TOWN. Parents will be invited along with other classes from Sunset to the final TOWN (third trimester) from 12:30-1:00. Also, parents will be given a set amount of money to spend to keep it equitable. If you have any questions about these new guidelines, please contact your child’s teacher.
Thank you,
The 4/5 Grade Team
Free swimming lessons are being offered by the Rec Center to 2nd graders, the last session is November 6 through November 16, Mondays through Thursdays, unless otherwise noted. Class sizes are limited to 10 students per class. Due to class sizes and to maximize the time allowed for teaching swim classes, there are two different time slots; 3:40 to 4:10 p.m. and 4:15-4:45 p.m. Once all lessons are complete all children still in the pool will be directed to the locker rooms to change.
Rec Center registration forms and information about the swimming lessons were sent home September 4, information about the lessons are also on the Sunset website at https://5il.co/23mhs. Completed registration forms need to be returned to the Rec Center. A bus will transport students from Sunset School to the Rec Center, parents will pick up their student after the lesson. Parents must pick their student up at the Rec Center NO LATER than 5:00 p.m.
Make sure your student leaves home with their swimming clothes and a towel!
