CPA Tiger Talk

"The kindest word in all the world is the unkind word, unsaid."

~ Anonymous

Ever noticed how difficult it can be to tame your tongue … to keep it from vocalizing unkind thoughts?

Small as it is, the tongue is one of the most powerful muscles in the body. Consider the image of a large ship being steered through a storm with just one small rudder. That's the power of this little muscle. It can hurt or heal, discourage or empower. So next time this smallest of muscles tries to steer you into murky, unkind waters, take the helm and head for the clear waters of a kind heart.

Friday March 25: High School Video Game Night from 3-6pm (see below)

Saturday March 26: Light Up the Night, CPA's Annual Fundraiser at 7pm. Online auction closes at 10pm. (see below)

Thursday March 31: Free COVID Vaccine Clinic in the Cafeteria from 3-4:30pm. Enter Door A. (see below)

Tuesday March 29: Middle School In-Person Conferences

Thursday March 31: Middle School Virtual Conferences

Monday April 4-Friday April 8: Spring Break (no school for staff or students)

Monday April 11: Board of Directors Meeting, 6pm

Tuesday April 12: Free COVID Vaccine Clinic in the Cafeteria from 3:30-6:30pm. Enter Door A. (see below)

Tuesday April 19: ACT Exam for CPA juniors and select seniors (see below)

Saturday May 7: High School Prom

Make sure you are following CPA on social media to see all the amazing things that are happening at our school!

Follow CPATigers on Facebook and Instagram and subscribe to Rusty the CPA Tiger on Youtube!

Please help us congratulate CPA senior Alliyah Lee! Alliyah will be attending North Central University in the fall thanks to a full ride Act Six Scholarship.

Act Six is a program that helps find and prepare diverse, transformative community leaders so they can have a positive impact on their communities. You can learn more about the Act Six program on their website.

Alliyah has a wealth of leadership experience at CPA, a passion for social justice, and a 4.0 GPA--and we are so excited she has received this honor and opportunity! Way to go Alliyah! We are proud of you and we can't wait to see the impact you have on the world.

As part of Light Up the Night (CPA's annual fundraiser), we are having an online auction. The auction is open now and closes on Saturday March 26 at 10pm. There is no cost to participate in the auction, unless you are the winning bidder.

Our auction includes sports memorabilia, tickets to venues around the Twin Cities, gift certificates, and more! Bidders can also purchase items for CPA classrooms. More items will be added right up until the auction opens. Visit biddingowl.com/CPA2022 page to join in on the fun!

CPA's annual fundraising gala, Light Up the Night, will be virtual this year!

Mark your calendars for Saturday, March 26 at 7pm, and join us for an evening of fun! There will be games, prizes, and opportunities to connect with others who support Community of Peace Academy--plus, we will be raising money for a great cause!

Tickets to the virtual gala can be purchased at biddingowl.com/CPA2022 for just $10 per household. The deadline to purchase tickets is Friday March 25. Thank you!

Saint Paul Parks & Rec is partnering with Project Fairy Godmothers to host a prom dress giveaway event for Twin Cities Youth on Saturday April 2 at Martin Luther King Rec Center.

Registration is required for this event. Register here for a time slot to browse gently used prom dresses, shoes, and accessories. All items are free.

Mr. McGowan, CPA's Executive Director, recommends the book To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee.

Mr. McGowan says: "To Kill a Mockingbird by Harper Lee will forever be my favorite book. I completely resonate with the main character, Scout, when reading from her perspective and seeing the world through her eyes. Beyond Scout it provides an intricate depiction into racial discrimination along with great insights into parenting."

We hope you enjoy it as much as he does!

Since returning from our move to distance learning we have seen a steady decrease in COVID transmissions at school and throughout Ramsey County. Over the past two weeks we have had less than 1% of our Community restricted from the building, which is great news! As a result, Community of Peace Academy will be transitioning to a Mask Optional policy until further notice.

Beginning Monday, March 14, 2022, face coverings are strongly recommended, but no longer required on school buses and in CPA Pre-K-12 classrooms. This adjustment follows new guidance from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC).

Things to note:

• This does not change our quarantine and isolation procedures for staff and students. Anyone who tests positive for COVID-19 should still follow isolation procedures. Unvaccinated close contacts will continue to follow quarantine guidelines.

• Individual classrooms or the entire school may shift back to increased health and safety measures, including the return to required face coverings, based on our criteria for COVID-19 decision making.

If your child is sick, please keep them home. Have your child tested for COVID-19 if they show symptoms such as fever, sore throat, cough, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea, chills, muscle pain, fatigue, severe headaches or new onset of nasal congestion or runny nose. Parents will be asked to pick up their child from school if their student shows symptoms listed above.

We have free at-home Covid test kits available to families upon request.

On Tuesday, April 19, all CPA 11th grade students and select CPA 12th grade students will be taking the ACT exam. The ACT is a standardized test used for college entrance.

The ACT will take the majority of the day on April 19, and students and families should be aware of the following:

• Testing will start at the beginning of the school day. Students should eat a good breakfast and bring a snack (there will be a short break before lunch).
• Students will need to bring their school issued laptop to take the test.
• There are no personal electronic/internet capable devices allowed in the testing environment. Students should not bring a phone, smartwatch, fitness tracker, or any other internet capable device into the testing environment. Accessing any device during the day, even during breaks, will result in a testing violation and the test will be invalidated.
• Each student's first ACT exam is free (paid by the Minnesota Department of Education).

For more information, please visit the following links:

Taking the ACT
ACT Practice Test

Middle School Spring Conferences will take place on Tuesday March 29 (in person) and Thursday March 31 (virtual).

Teachers will be reaching out to families with the link to sign up for conferences. Our goal is to have 100% parent participation in conferences. A parent’s involvement in their child’s education results in positive achievement for the child. We know how busy family schedules become and we want to ensure that we do not miss out on this important opportunity to come together to discuss your child’s achievement.

Thank you! We look forward to connecting with you at Middle School Spring Conferences.

CPA is currently accepting enrollment applications for the 2022-2023 school year. Currently enrolled students do not need to reapply, but you do need to turn in your Intent to Return Form so we save your seat.

If you have any family or friends who are looking to join a new school community, please encourage them to apply and send them this link! Thanks for your support.

We are excited to announce that CPA will be starting a partnership with Every Meal. Through this program, CPA families can register each enrolled child to receive a bag of food to take home each week. This program is entirely free and is open to anyone who is interested. We expect this program to be up and running later this winter.

There are 5 types of food bags available to suit your dietary preferences. On the registration form, you can see the kinds of food each bag contains and choose your preference.

Register here! We apologize that the link did not work in the previous Tiger Talk--it will work now. If you have any questions, please contact Chelle York (651-280-4509) or Sadie Fischer (651-280-4564).

CPA will be hosting several free COVID Vaccine Clinic for ages 5+, and you and your family are encouraged to attend. Below is a list of upcoming COVID Vaccine Clinics at CPA that will be open to age 5 and older:

• Thursday, March 31, 3:00-4:30pm
  
• Tuesday, April 12, 3:30-6:30pm
• Tuesday, May 3, 3:30-6:30pm
• Tuesday, May 24, 3:30-6:30pm
• Tuesday, June 14, 3:30-6:30pm

The COVID Vaccine is free, and these clinics are open to the public. Pfizer and Moderna boosters are also available for those who are eligible. Participants should enter CPA through Door A on Magnolia and wear a mask.

Click here to read the COVID Vaccine Letter that was sent home with PreK-6th grade students on Friday November 5, which contains additional vaccine resources.

This newsletter can be auto-translated using the buttons on the top right of the page.

If you prefer, our liaisons will be happy to translate or explain any announcements in Tiger Talk or answer any questions you have about CPA. Contact Maikao Lee at 651-280-4545 (Hmong), Mariana Majil at 651-289-3742 (Spanish), or Paw Nay Bu at 651-280-4591 (Karen) for support.

Teaching Peace. Building Community. Developing Character.

Email: connect@cpapk12.org
Website: cpapk12.org
Location: 471 Magnolia Avenue East, Saint Paul, MN, USA
Phone: 651-776-5151
Facebook: facebook.com/CPATigers