A day of remembrance. A moment to unite.

🗽

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✅ Thursday, September 11 – October Events Open

✅ Friday, September 12 – End of LP 1

✅ Friday, September 12 – CHYA Excusals Due

✅ Monday, September 15 – First day of LP2

✅ Friday, September 19 – Last day to add/drop Boost class for a full refund

✅ Friday, September 19 – AWR and Attendance Due

✅ Friday, September 19 – i-Ready and Star Window closes

👉 Looking Ahead:

• Friday, September 26 – High School Add/Drop Deadline
• Friday, September 26 – Archived LP1 Work Samples Due

• Monday, September 29 – LP 2 Work Sample Due to HSTs

• Tuesday, September 30 – Last day to host 1st in person meeting for fall semester

Thank you for your thoughtful questions. Please find answers in the Q & A below.

New resources are available to help guide families in their ordering process.

The Ordering timeline has been updated to include:

• Sunday order submission deadlines for families
• Beginning and end dates for semester-long service

Access to Ordering Guidelines on both Parent and Staff Hawks Nest:

How To > Place Instructional Orders > Ordering Guidelines > Ordering Guidelines (button)

These resources are shared in the "What Families Need to Know" section this week as well to help families find them on the Parent Nest.

Gain valuable insights from our in-house experts as they guide you through key topics.

Jessica Klemp, Digital Literacy Coach

1:00 pm

Creator: Excite Students About Writing for HSTs

Shannon Guest, Digital Literacy Coach

2:00 pm

All About Reading Parent for HSTs

3:00 pm

Navigating the Parent Nest – for Staff

Pam Jimison, Digital Literacy Coach

1:00 pm

Acellus Overview for HSTs

Christy Conli, Digital Literacy Coach

2:00 pm

Navigating the Parent Nest – for Parents

Pam Jimison, Digital Literacy Coach

3:30 pm

Did you know you can access previous Wednesday PDs through The Nest? Check out the wealth of information from topics such as:

• Google Calendar
• Canva
• NearPod
• Singapore Math

Schoolwide happenings and specific information from the Community Department

WeGo updates – beginning with our October events we will be implementing our new category limitation.

• Pumpkin Patches will be limited to 1 trip per family this fall. In the past, we have had families take multiple pumpkin patch trips, therefore, booking tickets where other families haven’t had a chance to get any tickets. Since we offer multiple pumpkin patch trips, we will implement this limiting category and once families have signed up for one, they will be unable to register for additional pumpkin patch trips. We will include this info at the top of all these events.
• We may implement this with other trips like Sacramento Kings, Tahoe Treetops, and other highly prized trips so we can “spread the wealth” among all our families.

October Events open Thursday, September 11 at 12:30 pm on WeGo!

Don’t forget, CBC sign-ups opened last Thursday for future events. If you are looking to join in community fun, be sure to check out a few openings that are still left!

Thank you for attending our ELD training for HSTs last Friday! Attached are the slides, for your reference. Please remember to:

• Sign up for a collaboration time with Kaelyn to discuss how to best support your LTELs.

• Indicate each of your EL student’s online program choice (iReady or Lexia) as soon as possible, as this will help us monitor usage and send you updates.
• Check out our Canvas Courses for HSTs!
• Go to Clever > Canvas> Dashboard> ELD Modules

If you are new to having an EL or need a refresher, please start with the ELD Toolkit for HSTs. There, you can find information on how to identify ELs on your roster, LTEL and AR-LTEL information, and more.

Once in the course, click “Modules” to find the course content.

After your students complete their iReady Diagnostic tests, please share the “For Families” report with parents. This report is much more concise than the detailed report for teachers. You can find it by going to Reports > Student > Diagnostic > For Families

Our iReady PD slides are a great resource to bookmark! They are a great reference for how to perform essential functions in iReady. You can also find the slides linked in the Monthly Testing Check Off Sheet and on The Nest in the PD Wednesdays Resources section.

This month our TK Explorers are enjoying learning Spanish with Ms. Santana on Fun Fridays during TK Circle Time. Students are getting to explore, learn, and enjoy language in a way they may never have experienced before. We encourage all TK students to join in the fun!

Our September Newsletter went out last week with exciting news about park days, Circle Time, information about our schoolwide math initiative, and our TK Explorer pumpkin patch event coming up in October. We have linked it here for your convenience but you can find it on the TK nest page as well

Please visit the Superstar Readers Nest page with your families whenever you have questions about:

• Ordering class materials

• Accessing online resources

• Viewing class schedules and links

New for 2025: All Superstar Readers Zoom participants are required to have printed materials.

The fall semester of Boost classes has launched!

We are grateful for the partnership between HSTs and Boost teachers. Take a moment to check in with your students and see how their first Boost class went. Reach out to your student’s Boost teacher, Katie Garcia, or Holly Lutkemuller to share joys or concerns. We are in this together!

Add/Drop Period:

Even though classes have started, students can still submit a request to enroll in Boost until September 19th. The last day to drop a Boost class with a refund is September 19th.

Supplies:

If a student still has not received their supply bag, email boost@cottonwoodk12.org. Please remind your students to have their supply bags and materials from the supply lists with them for each class; these teacher-created supply lists can be found on the Nest or on class pages in Clever. If a student has received their supplies but decides to drop the class, please have your student return their supplies by giving them to their HST.

Curriculum + Materials

All curriculum, including textbooks and novels not picked up by families have now been shipped by the Lending Library. If your student believes they have not received materials they should have received for any of their classes, reach out to rise@cottonwoodk12.org.

Families should also have received this required and recommended supplies list for items students need to have available during classes. HSTs, please confirm with your parents that any needed supplies have been ordered. Hint: Supplies lists for can always be found on the RISE Nest page section for each class.

📘 Clever Apps & Student Engagement
Wednesday, September 17 · 1:00 – 1:45 pm

✍️ Book Creator: Excite Students About Writing (HSTs)
Wednesday, September 17 · 2:00 – 2:45 pm

📖 All About Reading (HSTs)
Wednesday, September 17 · 3:00 – 3:45 pm

If your student’s learning coach still needs a parent observer account that lets them view student progress, assignments, and grades, please submit 👉Parent Observer Account Request Survey

Want to learn more about Bright Thinker?

Shannon Guest recently led an excellent training session, and the recording is now available on the Nest for you to watch anytime. Staff>PD Resources>PD Wednesday Resources>Bright Thinker

Please be sure that each of your students has a parent observer account set up. You can follow these quick and simple directions to get started.

Observer Accounts: Acellus Gold

Need to make changes in one or more of your online programs? Fill out the survey below and tell us what you need.

👉Online Curriculum Change Survey

Read our September 2025 High School Coaches Newsletter created for Cottonwood Homestudy High School HST’s!

• Did you get a chance to see the CVHS HST FAQs

• All class and registration details are available on the Nest.

Sacramento Trades Day High School Registration MUST register by 9/18/2025. Families are invited to register on their own!

Find out all about Trades Day & Register HERE

Calling all 7-12th grade students! Join via Game Day Zoom Link

• The Add/Drop Deadline for the Fall semester is approaching on Friday, September 26th

• Please ensure your students who are taking a college class have submitted a proof of enrollment

• Don’t forget to bookmark the Counselor’s Policy and Resource page for easy access to important information linked here. You can also access the Early Graduation Policy there for your review.

Free testing opportunities for your students

ASVAB on October 7th

What: ASVAB (Armed Services Vocational Aptitude Battery) Test

When: Tuesday October 7th at 9:00 am

Where: 3921 Sandstone Dr. Suite 108, El Dorado Hills, CA 95762

Why Take the ASVAB?

• Discover Career Paths: Whether you’re planning to join the military or explore civilian careers, the ASVAB is a great way to find out where your strengths lie.

• Military Recruitment: Interested in serving in the military? The ASVAB is a required step for enlistment and helps determine which jobs best suit your skills.

• Personal Growth: Learn more about your abilities and how they align with potential career opportunities.

Who Can Take the Test?

Open to 10th, 11th and 12th graders

Thank you, Colleen Thomas, for all your hard work sifting through mind-boggling data to create our ever-so-important LTEL/AR-LTEL list. The EL Team appreciates you! – Kaelyn Mulligan

🌟 A big heartfelt thank you to Karly Krull and Lauren Chanda for all of your help with the TK-8 Instructional registration process this year! Your willingness to step in wherever needed—especially while some of our team members were out—made such a difference. We truly couldn’t have made it through this busy season without you, and we are so deeply grateful for all you’ve done. 💛 Katie Garcia

Nanette Todd, thank you for being attentive, understanding, and kind at the CCC/Curious Brush Painting event. Your ability to stay grounded and supportive in all situations is invaluable! – Laura Quezada

Thanks to Shannon Guest for the help with kayaking in Tahoe last week + loved having Teresa Killion join us for the afternoon! What a beautiful afternoon on the water after our staff meeting! – Lauren Amsden

If you have a staff member or department that you would like acknowledged for doing an outstanding job and modeling the Cottonwood way, please email Ammie ammie.avolio@cottonwoodk12.org with the details. We will be happy to celebrate them!

What Families Need to Know can be sent in two formats:

• Copy and paste directly from the Google Doc in the Hawks Herald in an email to families OR send this information through a S’more. Graphics included in any communication should be taken from Canva and not Google.
• Please send the information found in the What Families Need to Know section to your families each Monday (Tuesdays if we have a Holiday)

Thank you for helping us keep families informed and connected in this personal way!

Please find the information to share with your families by clicking the Button Below!

THE COTTONWOOD SCHOOL

Serving transitional kindergarten through 12th-grade students in El Dorado, Amador, Alpine, Placer, and Sacramento Counties.

Location: 3921 Sandstone Dr. Suite 100, El Dorado Hills, CA 95762, USA