.Hello from the Executive Director.
May there always be pizza in your heart and puppies in your soul.
~ Graham, 8 years old
Hello Bronco Families,
I guess I spoke too soon about the crazy weather last week. YIKES! Snow in April! I searched for a snow in April quote, but couldn’t quite find the right one. Instead, I found the quote above to warm our hearts on this cold, wet day. I hope pizza and puppies bring you a smile today.
We completed our enrollment lottery for next school year last week. The office staff is busy checking addresses, calling families, and sending postcards to new and interested families. We anticipate full classrooms in every grade level based on the number of applications received for the lottery and additional applications being added to the post lottery waitlist. Thank you for helping us create an inviting, inclusive, and positive learning environment that draws families who are looking for a friendly school community. It is amazing how far we’ve come in the 11 short years of CCCS existence.
It’s that time of year when teachers and students in third through eighth grade are preparing for state testing. You should be hearing soon from your child(ren)’s teachers about when their class will be participating in these annual assessments. It is helpful for students to have a good breakfast and a full night’s sleep all the time, and especially during testing time when they will be taxing their brains more than normal. If you have any questions about the process, please reach out to your child(ren)’s teacher for more information.
Have a wonderful afternoon and rest of the week.
Warm regards,
Lisa
.Hello from the Dean of Student Services.
The first time my daughter was able to buckle her car seat with her own hands, I felt something like electricity run through me. Strange, I thought. My idea of what is thrilling is very weird these days.
There, on Orange Street in Connecticut under fresh May elms, I felt a small epiphany. I was the only person in the world who realized this moment was a big deal. The strangers walking by on the sidewalk were oblivious. My friends and family wouldn’t care. (Save my mother, maybe.) I was seeing my child do something she’d previously been incapable of. This moment was AMAZING - one of the long, elegant progression of a person metamorphosing in front of me. I realized that no one else knew what those seconds meant but me.
Parenting can be life-altering. It provides a chance to see another human being with profound closeness. In fact, our culture jokes about some of the silly aspects of this closeness. Yes, sometimes serious adult humans suddenly start to spend all their waking hours discussing the sleeping and pooping patterns of the small, wobbly thing. It is a little chuckle-worthy.
Still, there is something to this closeness. It stretches beyond the toddler years. Parents can see and understand what their human child is experiencing in unique ways. A parent can know how an event, a song, a word, or a place will impact their child. A parent can understand what sound fragments and small gestures mean. Every rich detail of that child’s life can carry power and weight. (It’s gorgeous. It’s exhausting.)
The up-close years of baby and toddlerhood establish rhythms. Shared language and thought patterns can be formed. A parent is sometimes able to see through the eyes of their child in ways other people cannot.
This closeness, however, can also bring challenges. It can be exhausting and disorienting to carry that much awareness. (“Who am I underneath all this responsibility?”) More, the powers of closeness can be awkward and cumbersome. They take practice to use skillfully, in the same way super heroes clumsily discover their own superhuman abilities.
Figuring out how to use your intimate knowledge of your child(ren) during the initial school years (when the force is strong) can be intimidating. Parents must figure out how and when to advocate for their child, and how much to mediate on their behalf. In short, like Spider-Man (and 18th century French revolutionaries), parents are figuring out how to combine power and responsibility.
Next week, I’ll follow up and discuss ways to meaningfully use this power/responsibility of closeness and knowledge.
-Liz Bruno
.General Information.
Calendar:
April 15- NO SCHOOL
Aril 25- Board Meeting @ 6pm
April 27-29 Coyote Outdoor School
TAG:
It is time for Spring TAG testing!
For K-2 students:
If you think TAG testing is appropriate for your student, check in with your student’s classroom teacher. If you would like to request testing, contact me by April 18th.
For 3-8 students:
Instead of having 4J conduct individual TAG testing, the district uses OSAS (formerly SBAC) scores for 3-8 students for TAG identification in the Spring. This test is nationally normed and is rigorous enough to help with TAG identification. Once scores are in, we automatically look at all students in grades 3-8 who participate in the OSAS. We look for scores at or above the 95th percentile along with corroborating classroom evidence for TAG identification.
If you have any questions or concerns about this Spring’s TAG process, please contact me.
Kasey Rubash
TAG Coordinator
.PCS Corner.
Hello from PCS (People for Coburg School), the school's parent group. Three things to know or help with this week….
Bronco Bash: Ticket Deadline 4/25. An invitation was mailed to your home with all of the details about this year’s auction on May 14th. Please return your RSVP card as soon as possible - either mailing or returning to the black box in front of the school. Note: if you organize a table of 8 with other families, the tickets are slightly cheaper and the table will receive 2 bottles of wine!
Bronco Bash: Donations & Sponsorships. We are lining up some AMAZING auction items (previews starting next week)….but could use a few more if you have a business that you’d be willing to approach, and/or you’re able to donate (e.g., anything from vacation homes to tickets, baskets to gift cards). The forms are online: www.coburgcharter.com/fundraising or email sylviakidderbarry@gmail.com.
Ems Game 6/12: Sold out! Thank you to all the families that bought tickets - you should have received an email with additional details. If you did not receive an email please reach out to PCS@coburgcharter.org as soon as possible. We look forward to seeing you on June 12th! And please come to the auction so you can bid on throwing the first pitch and/or playing one of the games between innings.
Many thanks to our current sponsors: Jon Derby/Edward Jones, Kristi Blain/Triple Oaks Realty, Chvatal Orthodontics, Johnson Brothers, Slocum, Wildish Sand & Gravel, Alison Cramer/Valley Homes, Guaranty, Rosboro, Johnsen Electric, Hayward Inn, Shannon Hay/Icon Real Estate Group, Coburg Pizza Company, Central Print, and ES&A Sign and Awning Co.
Other questions or comments? E-mail PCS@coburgcharter.org
.Community Corner.
Volunteer Hours:
Thank for to our volunteers this past week! Shout out to Brenda W, Stacey A, Kelsey B, Marilee W, Jessie B, Jaime M, Rose E, Luisa B, Nina S, Katelyn G, Melissa M, Liz S, and Mary M! Thank you, Thank you!:
Thank you to Scott P, for weed eating the garden last week!
Thank you to our April Sponsor!
