Dear Families,

Happy New Year! It was wonderful to see all of the children back in school this week, and we are starting 2024 off strong. It is getting colder outside, but we will continue to take students outside as much as possible unless it is raining. Please ensure your child dresses warmly and in layers!

We have a lot of exciting events planned this month!

• Next Wednesday, January 10 will be a parent/guardian hydroponic workshop from 8:30-9:30 am hosted by our hydroponics teacher Jean Finnerty in the second-floor hydroponics lab in advance of the next harvest. Please join us!
• On Thursday, January 11 at 9:30 am there will be a special performance by CWS parent and music teacher Amos Gabia’s Ekome Feemo, courtesy of Third Street Music School.
• On Thursday, January 18 and 25 at 5:30 pm we will host our annual MLK “Honoring the Dream” Celebration. This will happen over two evenings this year in the CWS auditorium. Classes will sing songs and act out skits that honor the memory of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Teachers will be sending more details home as they are confirmed. On Thursday, January 18 these classes will perform: Suma, Elyssa & Kimberly, Davon, Ally & Shelby, Molly & Ava, Scott, Chairin. On Thursday, January 25 these classes will perform: Helen, Kiara, Jess & Louise, Susan & Jeanette, Jeff, Miriam, Taylor & Gabby, Carlos & Ashita.

If you would like a box of COVID rapid test kits, please ask your child’s teacher and one will be sent home in your child’s backpack. Please also test your child if they are showing any signs of illness including a runny/stuff nose, sore throat, cough, and fever.
If your child has a fever, they cannot come back to school until they are fever-free for 24 hours without the use of medication. If they have a fever at noon on Wednesday, they cannot come back to school until Friday at the earliest. Please let your child’s teacher know if they will be absent due to illness.

As a reminder, students should either be eating a lunch they bring from home or a school lunch during lunchtime. Recently some students have not brought a lunch, will not eat school lunch, and are asking other students to share their own food with them. For allergy and health reasons, students cannot share their own home food with other students. We will continue to encourage students to eat either their home lunch and/or school lunch. If a student declines to eat, they will be able to wait in the office until the eating portion of their lunch break is finished. 

Mark your calendars:

• Wednesday, January 10 – Hydroponics workshop for parents/guardians with Jean Finnerty at 9:30am
• Thursday, January 11 – Special performance by Amos Gabia’s Ekome Feemo, courtesy of Third Street Music School at 9:30am
• Monday, January 15 – No School, Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
• Thursday, January 18 at 5:30pm – Honoring the Dream: Suma, Elyssa & Kimberly, Davon, Ally & Shelby, Molly & Ava, Scott, Chairin
• Thursday, January 25 at 5:30pm – Honoring the Dream: Helen, Kiara, Jess & Louise, Susan & Jeanette, Jeff, Miriam, Taylor & Gabby, Carlos & Ashita
• Wednesday, January 31 – Half-Day professional development, all students are dismissed at 11:30am
• Friday, February 2 – Make-up and sibling photo day, advanced sign up required here
• Monday, February 19 – Friday, February 23 – No School, Mid-Winter Break

Let’s make 2024 the best year yet!

Warmly,
Maria