Tue, March 7th - Charter School Legislative Advocacy Day
Thur, March 9th - Board Meeting, 4:30pm (at school or on Zoom)
Wed, March 15th - Friends of Cottonwood Mixer at Elephants on Corbett, 2pm
March 20th - 24th - Spirit Week
Wed, March 22nd - CSCS Family Night: Winter Plant Teachings, 6 - 7pm, RSVP!
Fri, March 24th - BIPOC Affinity Club, 12:30 - 1:30pm
March 27th - 31st - Spring Break
Import the full school calendar to your own Google calendar by clicking here
Info Sessions for Prospective Students
This past week, we held a successful (and fun!) Open House for prospective families. If you know anyone who wished they could have attended but weren't able to make it happen, good news! We will be hosting additional Info Sessions throughout the spring on 1st Tuesdays:
March 7, 2023 at 9:30 am
April 4, 2023 at 9:30 am
May 2, 2023 at 9:30 am
Please feel free to share this link with anyone looking for more information.
Star Thrift!Brought to you by 7th graders, Avery, Remi, Sokhonna and Karsyn!
Join us for a CSCS Family Night
Winter Plant Teachings
Where: The Cottonwood School
When: Wednesday March 22nd, 2023, 6-7pm
What: Classroom teachers and students from the kindergarten, 3rd grade and Sara's 1st/2nd grade will lead stations about our three winter plant teachers... plus a sing-along! Plant teachers this season are alder, willow and dandelion.
The February board meeting earlier this week included discussion of the enrollment plans and policies with a focus on how best to have clear information for potential and current families, as well as practices that help us align with our equity action plan and mission.
Weighted Lottery: The board reaffirmed our weighted lottery practice and committed to continuing to learn, evaluate, and revisit this plan annually.
Placements During School Year: The board discussed the challenges and needs related to managing openings that arise during the school year and the different impacts on both students and staff. We affirmed our policy to fill open spots in all classrooms and grades until the last day of school before Winter break; open spots will only be filled after Winter Break if:
Individual grade or classroom has 3 or more openings.
Cottonwood as a whole has 11 or more openings. If this is the case then the Director can prioritize grades and/or classrooms for reopening.
March Meeting
The Cottonwood School Board meets monthly and community members are always welcome. Please join us for our next meeting which will include guest presentations from Tara O’Neil, PPS Charter Program Director, and Iris Maria Chávez, Director or Oregon Coalition of Community Charter Schools. This meeting will include information and discussion about current state legislation related to charter schools, information about charter school boards, and more
Thank you,
Mari and Amy, Cottonwood Board Co-Chairs
Want to learn more about Friends of Cottonwood?
When: March 15th at 2:00pm What: Join Friends of Cottonwood/PTO for a mixer before school pick up! Where: Elephants on Corbett
Upcoming Community Events
More ways to get involved with activates and events around the city!
BIPOC Affinity Group News
Dear BIPOC Families,
Gabby, Paola, and I have been having fun hanging out with students during the after-school BIPOC club. We have heard from two guest speakers so far. Kaen, a member of our own CSCS family, and Cay, a DJ and queer artist from Japan (who will be working with us until the end of the school year), shared their stories and artwork with us. Dr. Khalid White, a Black author from Oakland, CA, will join us via zoom for a Q&A on March 24th (this meeting is on a Friday from 12:30-1:30, instead of a Thursday). We encourage parents to come and be part of this.
We are excited for our April 6th club meeting. We will be taking a field trip. Our BIPOC affinity club will be taking the streetcar to PSU's Art Museum. Please see the permission slip here for more info. Unfortunately, without an RSVP and permission slip your student(s) will not be able to attend.
Upcoming meetings:
Friday, March 24, 2023 (12:30pm-1:30pm)
Thursday, April 6, 2023 (Fieldtrip PSU's Art Museum) Please RSVP
Thursday, April 27, 2023
Thursday, May 4, 2023
Thursday, May 18, 2023
Thursday, June 8, 2023
Kindly,
Sade, Gabby, and Paola
2023/24 Before and After School Care
Champions enrollment starts March 13th for the 2023/2024 school year.
Hours of Operation:
7:00 am M-F
3:00 - 6 pm M-T
12:30 - 6 pm F
Tuition Rates:
AM program : 1-2 days $ 25.00/ 3-5 days $42.00
PM program : 1-2 days $ 53.00/ 3-5 days $87.00
Additional Fees:
Registration: $50 p/child or $75 p/family
Friday Early Release: $15 p/child
Drop-in Care: $30 p/child p/session
Discounts:
Multi-Child, Multi-Session, Military, or School District Employee: 10%
Fundraising Auction In the Works
Get out your bell bottoms, tie-dye and polyester! That 70’s Auction is coming your way May 6th at The Multnomah Arts Center!
We need help procuring awesome items for the auction! Next time you are at your favorite business, ask for a donation. Or even better - do you know someone personally who wants to contribute? Or maybe you have the perfect thing laying around to regift! Just enter the details on this 2023 Donation Form and help us meet our goals!
Registration is OPEN for Adventure Play Summer Camp! Sign up HERE.
Check out our offerings for this summer's camps, run by our amazing and beloved Cottonwood aides: Joe, Yuri, Paola and Gabby! Sign up for one week, or multiple. Each week will be full of fun, imagination, learning and cooperation.
We are offering a sliding scale fee, and can help arrange payment plans if needed. Reach out to Jillian to discuss your options.
Share Your Photos
Have you taken photos of the Arts Park Run, when you volunteered for Adventure Play or Field Work? Did you volunteer and get photos in the classroom or at an "all hands" or animal family meetings? How about the play? Any photos of your child(ren) at school with friends/classmates or staff?
Did you know you can import the school calendar to your own Google calendar by clicking here? No more wondering if there is school, or when something is due!
