Dear Families,
On such a beautiful day of our spring performance, it was heartbreaking to see the unspeakable events of violence in a school setting in Texas. We reach out to you in sadness, but also with a message of reassurance. We want to remind you that we take safety and security very seriously, and we work hard to ensure that our campus is safe.
We installed a door security system in recent years that keeps all exterior common doors locked during school hours. Parents and visitors must come to the front door and ring to be identified before entry.
We share a great partnership with our local law enforcement and fire department, and they are here at a moment’s notice when we need support. For large gatherings like the Jogathon and Field Day, we are fortunate to have members from one or both of those departments on hand.
Our Safety Committee meets regularly to update plans for a multitude of emergency situations. Members include staff, law enforcement, parents, and board members.
Our staff get seasonal reminders (especially as the weather heats up!) about keeping exterior doors closed during instruction time.
Students are released to an adult that staff know to be a parent OR someone on the approved list. If unknown, adults are asked to present picture ID at time of pick-up.
Students participate in safety drills so that they know the plan if an unsafe situation were to occur during school hours (please remind anyone picking up your child that they may be asked to present ID if they are unfamiliar to staff members).
In short, we do everything within our control to ensure that Coburg Charter is a safe environment for students, staff, and families. School safety is a community partnership, and so we also depend on your help. PLEASE let us know if you have safety concerns or suggestions via office@coburgcharter.org. If you notice something that is an urgent concern, please call us. You can also report potential threats to Safe Oregon via call, text, or email at: https://www.safeoregon.com/report-a-tip/ Together, we will do our utmost to protect our school.
With the rise in Covid cases recently, we remind families to be diligent in screening your children for signs of illness before they come to school. Understand that if your child presents symptoms after the school day starts, we will call and ask that they go home. We encourage families to talk about what types of protection/prevention measures they feel comfortable with. Some students and staff are wearing masks again; all students and staff are reminded to keep a safe distance from one another.
We want to extend our heartfelt gratitude to all of you for stepping up this week and providing cold lunches for your students. It’s an unprecedented week for us. Thank you also to the families that donated lunch for their entire class. We are making it through staffing challenges with a lot of flexibility on the part of all of our team members and the students, so a tremendous thanks to everyone for wearing multiple hats this week!
Best,
CCCS Admin
.Hello from the Dean of Student Services.
“Adults don’t understand kids’ feelings,” a third grader said to me last week. “Well, most of them,” she added, looking me in the eye tactfully.
I’ve heard this idea crop up a few times in the building recently. As the end of the year approaches, there is some emotional limping. Many children, families, and adults are fighting to keep the wheels on this race car to reach the finish line. We’re surviving, as cheerfully and kindly as possible.
Still, in the midst of that, little voices are speaking up. I’m not being understood is sometimes being whispered quietly.
This is tricky, if I am honest, because in classrooms across the United States, thousands of teachers have spent months whispering the same thing. Even beyond real crises, in even the most secure schools, students are struggling to self-regulate their bodies. There is often noise coming from every corner imaginable. To be an adult just standing in such a room can be (and is) exhausting.
Teachers are sitting up late at night and on the weekends, redrafting and reworking how to make things function. Who is listening to me?
The need to be listened to and understood is one of the most profound needs for most human beings. While we’ve discussed academic COVID deficits, schools and communities are feeling the deficits of individuals not feeling heard and understood - and the actions they are taking to be noticed and known, consequently.
Being listened to - not just gaining knowledge - is at the core of learning, survival, and human growth. Being seen is like sunshine. When the sun turns its face on plants and offers its attention, plants grow. It is essential to growth. Living things need not just the water and nutrients.
If we hope to make it through in good shape, we have to listen to each other and to our children. If and when we don’t listen - and treat people with honor, respect and dignity - it causes systems to buckle.
When children are not heard, they often slam on the (metaphorical) breaks and things come to a halt. Wheels fly off and we’re on the side of the road. The same thing can happen for adults, of course, though (hopefully) we’ve gained the skills to notice our own needs. We can make sure our needs of being heard and mattering are meet by building up support in our lives intentionally.
CCCS, thankfully, was founded with an awareness that children being seen and understood was part of the essential aspects of learning and growing. The mission of “roots and wings” offers this idea. Not only is the goal to provide children chances to see and listen to others (in the community) and grow their roots, but to also give them chances to be heard and grow their wings.
If you talk to our wonderful Janel McPherson, you’ll hear about how - from the get go - there was thoughtfulness on this. Children giving presentations, speaking in front of others, and being known was always part of the school’s design.
In recent weeks, the school has been able to return to some of this important work. Last week, our 8th grade gathered in the breezeway for a mentorship night. Students took the microphone and the audience laughed at their jokes, warmed to their honest reflections, and cheered for the really lovely humans we see emerging.
Mrs. Sepulveda’s Wax Museum was another recent delight. The fourth graders stood surrounded by groups of people or lone individuals who were there for that vital act - listening. The costumes, laughter, and fascinating history were icing on the cake.
Yesterday, our K-5 music program partnered with the middle school drama class to give children chances to be seen and known through their performances of dance, music, drama, and comedy. Children watched each other, too, and today comments and praise have been boomeranging across age groups. “Hey, you were Luisa!” “I liked your rat costume!” “Wow, you’re really good at dancing.”
These activities, which are important chances for children to be heard and listened to, are just re-emerging. As CCCS looks to move into next year and re-awaken our community aspects, we can keep these priorities in mind. Being heard and hearing others are key if we want our children to gain whole person growth (alongside academic success).
The year has not been a piece of cake (for anyone), but as schools work to finish strong, we can celebrate the good that is happening. People are making room to listen to each other - adults to children, families and students to teachers, and so on - and this is vital work. We will keep doing this work, and the tide will turn.
If you are feeling misunderstood, have hope, please. Let’s all turn our ears on. Let’s watch carefully, like the sun itself. Let’s offer each other as much light and dignity as we can. This is community.
.General Information.
Calendar:
Monday, May 30- Memorial Day, NO SCHOOL
Tuesday, May 31- Dental Sealants & Book Fair Starts
Friday, June 3- Jog-A-Thon & Friday Funday
Yearbooks:
2021-22 school year memories are yours to keep if you order a CCCS yearbook. You can order online at ybpay.com with yearbook code 14666122. Order your yearbook today!
Books to a good home:
The red cart at the front of the school is full of books we are giving away. Please feel free to go through them.
Lost & Found:
Please label your students' jackets and lunch boxes.
All lost and found items are labeled with the date they were found and will be kept for 6 weeks.
The lost and found rack is outside the front office.
Library:
Please note on your calendar that all library books will be due June 9th.
Used books for sale on Fridays. There will be a cart in the hallway by the office with a box for money. Please have exact change. Books are .25, .50 or 1.00
Free books outside, please feel free to take them home.
.PCS Corner.
Hello from PCS (People for Coburg School), the school's parent group. FOUR things to know or help with this week as we get close to summer break….
BRONCO BASH: WOW! We are still wrapping up and waiting for a few final expenses, but are excited to share that we expect a net total of $92,000 raised to support our school (and address the $400K+ funding gap in comparison to traditional public schools). Seriously - WOW! We are simply blown away by your generosity. Thank you again Bronco Community for your incredible support (including all the people who weren’t even able to attend but still sent in a donation or volunteered)!
JOG-A-THON: Friday 6/3 at 10:30 am. Donation envelopes have been sent home with students. Funds support our technology fund. Cash or checks can be made out to “PCS” or donate on-line through this link. And please sign up to volunteer with the day’s events. Questions? Look for the more detailed email sent earlier today or contact our Jog-A-Thon Chair, Kalee Powell (kaleepowell@yahoo.com).
BOOK FAIR: Friday 6/3 - following the JOG-A-THON. Hooray for summer reading! Stock up for your student at the Book Fair! Every purchase earns rewards for our school. For more information, including how to create an e-wallet for your student and they can shop the fair cashless, visit the CCCS Scholastic webpage. And please sign up to volunteer to help our Book Fair Chair, Shannon Hay (hayshannon@gmail.com).
FRIDAY FUN-DAY: Friday 6/3 from 10:30-12:30. If you’re already coming out for the jog-a-thon and book fair, why not celebrate the last Friday of the school year? … enjoy popcorn ball and art made/sold by the middle schoolers, visit the clothing closet (stock up on $2 pre-owned Bronco logo wear for next year), and bring your chairs and a picnic lunch to hang out with other Bronco families (grandparents and all Bronco family members welcome)!
Thanks to all our wonderful volunteers & those who were able to join last week’s PCS meeting. To stay up to date, join us on Facebook https://www.facebook.com/groups/coburgpcs. Other questions or comments? E-mail PCS@coburgcharter.org. Thank you!
.Community Corner.
Food Boxes:
We are excited to announce a new program we’re rolling out with help from our friends over at the local Coburg Food Pantry! Starting May 13, each Friday we will put together a bag of food for your student to take home for your family. If your family could benefit from a little extra food over the weekend we would LOVE to help!
You don’t need to qualify for any certain thing to take a bag of food home…if it’s helpful for your family we want you to take one! If you know you want one, please email us back to let us know how many people you have at home so we can stock your bag appropriately. It’s also ok to just show up and grab one, but to make sure we have enough it's best to reserve yours.
The first bags will be given out Friday, May 13. They will be placed by the front doors with a label for family size.
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We are so thankful the Coburg Food Pantry is helping us with this project! You can also check the info below to see if your family qualifies for the pantry (totally different from the bags that will be given out on Fridays.)
Family Size Monthly/Annual
1 $3398/$40,770
2 $4578/$54930
3 $5758/$69090
4 $6938/$83250
For each additional member, add $1180 per month or $14160 per year. For more information on the Coburg Food Pantry, call Peggy Wells at 541-345-6645 or Patty Yarr at 831-345-3866. The pantry is open every 2nd and 4th Monday of the month, 2-4pm.
Thank you to our May sponsor!
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