.Hello from the Executive Director.
“We are all broken, that’s how the light gets in”
Ernest Hemingway
When asked to come up with a theme for the holiday season, the CCCS staff chose "to be the light". This will be our theme at school during the month of December. We will also be decorating a float that will be in the City of Coburg Holiday Parade using "be the light" as our vision. (See below if you would like to volunteer to help!).
Students being back in classrooms definitely spreads the light around here and we are trying to ease toward our normal learning environment after more than a year impacted by COVID-19.
"There are two ways of spreading light: to be the candle or the mirror that reflects it," wrote Edith Wharton. We find that true every day at CCCS, where students show kindness and courage in different ways. They are "the light" by being strong leaders and also by being reliable community members who honor their classmates and the school.
One way CCCS encourages a sense of belonging is with a student dress code that encourages a team and community atmosphere to foster school pride. We want all students to feel they belong and can focus on learning and the things that matter. We are asking families to help with the transition back to more normal times by supporting the dress code policy. Please take a few minutes to talk with your child(ren) about the policy and send them off to school dressed for success!
Here is a quick refresher on the dress code:
Pants in black, blue, khaki, or denim.
No sweatpants, athletic shorts, or athletic pants.
Leggings are fine if they are under a dress/skirt/shorts.
Socks white or black with no logos.
Shirts can be Bronco wear or collared shirts in school colors (navy, kelly green, black or white).
Dresses/jumpers are fine if they have a collar (or a layered shirt with a collar underneath) and in school colors.
M-Th shoes should be athletic wear (for PE).
You can review the complete policy at this CCCS Dress Code Link
We are happy to welcome a few new staff members to our CCCS crew. Our K-5 students are working with Ms. Olive to develop their musical & performance talents! Ms. …. is guiding the students through a delightful winter performance and production to be shared with families before Winter Break. We are grateful for her expertise, creative ideas, and ability to excite kids about singing and performing!
We welcome Mr. Neto Gonçalves to our teaching team. Mr. Neto taught middle and high school for eight years in Brazil. His family lives in Eugene now. Lucky for us! He is already getting fan mail from students!
Elyse Smith is our new long term substitute teacher. She recently graduated from Bushnell University and joined our team as our long term substitute teacher. Elyse jumped right into first grade and was a hit from the start.
Best,
Lisa Jaeger
.Hello from the Dean of Student Services.
A man is walking through the woods, enjoying the view. Suddenly an arrow pierces his thigh. He did not realize the woods were full of hunters and deer.
His leg recovers fairly quickly, but his mind takes much longer. Why was I in the woods? I’m such an idiot. I should have known people would be hunting. I can’t believe I lost a week of work over something so stupid. What’s wrong with me?
The man’s thinking is the second arrow, and the one that is more powerful, cutting, and damaging.
In life, sometimes we forget how powerful our minds are and how they can impact our experience of life. Sadly, many schools do not prepare students to manage the power of their own thinking too.
A community school is a unique place because it can and does focus on whole student learning. We are working to help students to develop healthy thinking in a holistic way. Learning is not just about passing tests and subject matter. Bigger questions loom: What do I do when I’ve made a mistake? How do I make peace with myself? How do I cooperate with others in the midst of self-doubt?
At our next parent seminar - held Thursday December 9th, 6 - 7 pm - we’ll be talking about how to create learning during winter break for your students. Parents can always use flash cards, workbooks, and learning games to keep minds curious and growing. However, finding ways to build whole student learning are harder, especially when you’re trying to manage behaviors, teach kindness, and all of the other things parents do.
What if you could do both at once? I’ll be covering some options and activities for building big picture thinking skills, emotional resilience, and curiosity - all which can be done while traveling, celebrating, or seeing family. I hope to see you there! A zoom link will follow.
In the meantime, I invite you to pull any “second arrows” out of your own mind if they are bothering you today. I also invite you to be honest with your children if you notice that you are being too hard on yourself, and model to them what it looks like to catch yourself in that mental trap.
Warmly,
Liz Bruno
.General Information.
Calendar
December 2 & 6- Middle School, Center for Hope and Safety Sessions
December 9- 6:00 to 7:00pm- Parent Seminar, the topic is Winter Break Support
Staffing Update
If you are looking for a rewarding, part-time job at the school, we have an opening for an educational assistant. CCCS is a great place to work. Our team is pretty amazing, and our kids are the best! More information is available on our website at this link: https://www.coburgcharter.com/employment
We are also looking for a long-term substitute and several intermittent substitutes. If you are interested, or know someone who might be interested, please let us know!
.Community Corner.
Light Parade
CCCS is invited to participate in the Coburg Community Holiday Light Parade on Sunday, December 19 at 6:00 p.m. We are in search of a truck and trailer to decorate for the event. If you are willing to provide a truck and trailer for the school to decorate, please let Katie Brushett know at community@coburgcharter.org.
Volunteer Opportunities
Performing Arts: Help students prepare for the winter concert by signing up to help facilitate class. Use THIS link to sign up to help with the following:
-watch a small group (10 or fewer) of students rehearse
-give helpful feedback on how their performance looks and sounds
-help navigate team dynamics
-be an extra support for students
Thank you so much! Your support of the very fun student opportunity is very much appreciated!
Playground Pals
Sign up HERE to help supervise k-8th grade during recess and lunch. Being a playground pal is a fun way to help students find friends to play with, problem solve and make sure our students stay safe while having fun at recess and/or lunch!
*You must be a fully cleared volunteer to sign up for a spot.*
.PCS Corner.
Hello from PCS (People for Coburg School), the school's parent group. Three things to know or help out with this week….
Thanks for a successful November… for helping raise over $14K through the Read-A-Thon and bringing in a ton of cans & bottles for the Blue Bag Bottle Drop Matching Drive. We really appreciate everyone’s participation and support!
The Holiday Market is back! The City of Coburg is hosting Christmas in Coburg Dec. 17-19th. During the weekend of events, there is a holiday market where CCCS sells cookies and hot cocoa. We are looking for someone to lead this event, and volunteers to bring baked goods on the 17th and cover shifts on the 18th. The City of Coburg helps us with Community and Skills days every year, so this is our chance to be a part of the community. Thanks for any help you can provide! Sign up link: https://signup.com/go/MGMifpv
PCS Meeting this Friday 12/3. We’ll be discussing the holiday market, staff appreciation, and upcoming winter/spring events. Please join us in the cafeteria after drop off (8:15-9:15 am) on Friday.
Questions or comments? E-mail PCS@coburgcharter.org. Thank you!
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