 Top: CPES students conduct the Madison High School Marching Band; Bottom Left: Students react to the music; Bottom Right: The award-winning marching band performs for students in the CPES gym
Cardinal's Message
Weekly newsletter from Cunningham Park Elementary School
Dear Cunningham Park Families and Friends,
This week, our school came alive with laughter, story-telling, questioning, and much, much community-building, as children and families poured through the entrances for the first days of 2019-2020! Students have loved seeing each other and getting to know their teachers, and we could not be happier to have them back!
Teachers planned many relationship building activities in their classroom to welcome all students and build a sense of community in each room. Wednesday evening, during Back to School Night, parents were welcomed into classrooms to hear about learning adventures the school-year holds for students. We loved seeing you, and we appreciate your joining us on for the annual event.
Thursday, we started the day with our first School-Wide Morning Meeting of the year. Each grade level was greeted by the rest of the school and welcomed into the Cardinal family. For grades 3-6, Morning Meeting was followed by a concert from the award-winning Madison High School Marching Band. The band played a short concert, introduced their instruments, and were even led by a few guest Cunningham Park student conductors!
This year, we continue with our work in Concept-Based Instruction we began last year throughout the school. We are adding a lens we call “CAST,” which stands for Creative and Strategic Thinking. Using strategy games provided by the CPES PTA, teachers introduce students to the idea that thinking strategically takes creativity, and it makes our work easier and increases our likelihood of success.
Parents can cultivate CAST at home, too, it’s simple! When you go about your day, ask your child how you might best perform your next activity. What strategies might make the work easier and ensure success? As you play games, talk to your child about the goal of the game and ask what strategies might help achieve the goal(s). At dinner, ask your child what games or play he or she made up today. What strategies were used, and how did those strategies change as their free-play progressed?
We are excited for the year ahead, and we look forward to working with our families and community to cultivate success in all students. Here’s to 2019-2020!
Sincerely,
Katie Le, Principal and Jon Kemmerer, Assistant Principal
Thank You to Our Generous Supporters!
At Cunningham Park, we believe we are One School, One Community, with One Goal, and that goal is student success. We thank our community, who value our children so highly, they support us in a variety of ways.
To start the year, we thank St. Andrews Chapel (pictured left), Intercoastal Mortgage Company (pictured right), Vienna Presbyterian Church, and Project 66 for ensuring our students have all the supplies they need to grow and thrive this year! You put smiles on the faces of students and staff alike - Thank You!
 Clockwise from upper left: In Spanish FLES, 5th graders play a game using language they have learned; Ms. Drew's 3rd grade class participates in Morning Meeting; students enjoy a round of Freeze Dance in between School-Wide Morning Meeting and the band concert
Cunningham Park is Online!
Like us on Facebook and follow us on Twitter for real time photos and updates!
Dates to Remember
-
Friday, August 30 - Monday, September 2 - Labor Day Break (Schools Are Closed)
-
Friday, September 6 - PTA Back to School Annual Picnic, after school
-
Tuesday, September 10 - PTA Meeting, 7:00pm in the CPES library
-
Friday, September 13 - PTA Coffee, just after arrival
-
Monday, October 14 - Columbus Day Student Holiday: NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS
Full FCPS 2019-2020 Calendar
|
