1

h -

Table of Contents Page

Jacque’s Note 2 Community News 3-10 MS News 11 HS News 12-15

February 11, 2015

Wednesday Packet

Important Dates/Information TEACHER WORK DAY AND PRESIDENTS’ DAY HOLIDAY-No School Friday, February 13 and Monday, February 16 TCS Offices Closed Monday PARENT SOCIAL Thursday, February 19 6-7:30pm At the Betts home in the Cumming Area PAC MEETING Thursday, February 26 8:00am CAMPUS BEAUTIFICATION Saturday, March 7 9:00am-12:00pm

FOUNDER’S DAY CELEBRATION Tuesday, March 10 1-3:00pm

GLITTER – Back to the Future! Saturday, March 14 6:30-11:00pm

2

Happy Valentine’s week! Love this time of year when the usual distractions give way to focusing on the more gentle side of life. We all intend to tell the folks we love what they mean to us more often, but life’s interruptions get in the way. It is easier to focus on immediate needs and tasks of the day/week/month/year. I have spent the last week reviewing old newspaper clippings and photos from our earliest days in preparation for our 30th celebration. Although the hairstyles are very different through the decades, and our dress code has definitely improved, there is one consistent theme. We have dozens of boxes full of pictures of happy teens! Playing soccer, sitting in class, goofing off at lunch, rock climbing, graduation, prom, camping, skiing…you name it, we have a picture of it! Some of the shots are clearly staged…the rows of seniors at their Senior Luncheon, but the majority of the pictures are candid shots that our student photographers captured during the course of the day. You can see on their faces the joy they feel being together. You can see in their body language that they are comfortable and accepting of others. You can see in the captured interactions that they truly care about each other…some are students with students while others are students and staff or parents at school events. I wish everyone could sit with these boxes and review all the warmth and pride that the scenes communicate. You do not have to know the names to feel the connections! We have Education majors from KSU visiting this week. We love to partner with the local colleges to allow future teachers to see our successful students and get a sense of a different way to teach. Monday a young visitor said he knew someone’s brother who graduated from here. He finally came up with the last name and I immediately filled in the first name and the career the student had been interested in pursuing. The KSU students were amazed that I knew our students so well that I remembered them years after they graduated. Of course, I would…so would any other teacher here. We can tell people all day how special this community is and how closely our staff attends to the students, but that little episode alone proved it! Our team has packed the next few months with events and celebrations. Be sure to keep track of our dates so you do not miss anything. In March the long awaited GLITTER evening will make its debut! I can tell you, it will knock your socks off! The Back to the Future theme lends itself very well to fun! Pullout your 80’s gear and be prepared to take a journey back in time…while dancing and dining the night away! Bring your friends so they can share in the fun, as well! Many parents make a corporate evening out of it. UPS is now up to three tables every year! We would love to see you all there!

HAPPY VALENTINE’S DAY

February 11, 2015

Jacque’s Note

2/10/2015

The Cottage School 2015-2016 Parents Abbreviated Calendar Semester 1 August 5 H.S. Registration (returning students) 9am-11am August 6 H.S. Orientation (new students & rising 9th graders) 9am-11am August 7 M.S. Orientation (all students) 8am-12pm August 10 First Day of School August 12 New Parent Evening Reception 6pm-7:30pm, RCC August 20 PAC Parent and Family Social, 5:30pm-7pm, Cougar Center September 3 Curriculum Night for M.S. & H.S., 6pm-7:30pm September 7 No School – Labor Day Holiday September 18 No School – All School Teacher Work Day October 3 2nd Annual Cougar Classic Car Show & Bazaar, 10am-4pm, TCS Campus October 12 No School – Columbus Day Holiday October 30 No School – All School Teacher Work Day November 2 No School – GISA Conference November 14 3 on 3 Turkey Tournament, Cougar Center November 20 Grandparents’ Day, 8am-10am, Cougar Center November 23-27 No School – Thanksgiving Break December 15-17 H.S. Sem. 1 Final Exams - ½ days December 17 No M.S. School – M.S. Teacher Work Day December 18 No School – All School Teacher Work Day December 21-Jan 1 Winter Holiday for All Students Semester 2 January 4 First Day of 2nd Semester January 18 No School – MLK Holiday January 21 – 23 Homecoming Weekend February 12 No School – All School Teacher Work Day February 15 No School – Presidents’ Day Holiday March 10 Founder’s Day March 12 Glitter April 1 No School – All School Teacher Work Day April 4 - 8 Spring Break May 16 - 18 H.S. Sem. 2 Final Exams - ½ days May 17 M.S. Awards and Graduation, 6:30pm, Cougar Center May 18 M.S. Last Day of School - ½ day May 19 M.S. Teacher Work Day May 19 H.S. Last Day of School - ½ day May 19 Senior Luncheon, 12:15pm, Doubletree in Roswell May 20 TCS Graduation, Cougar Center

IN CASE YOU WANT TO KNOW A parent recently asked me to share the story of TCS with all of you. Of course, Joe and I and our veteran staff love to talk about the early years. Until that request, it didn’t occur to me that we have a considerable number of our families who haven’t heard “the story”. So here goes. When Joe and I married, he was a business man in the Food Technology field and I was an English teacher. He started off in Vietnam and I taught at the International School in Bangkok, Thailand. That set the stage for several years of moving in the US and overseas. Wherever we were, I taught the classes of students no one else wanted. And I loved them! One senior class in rural Ohio was given no books or curriculum. None of them could read and the expectation was that I keep them out of trouble. They were the best collection of talented and good hearted kids I had ever taught. I ordered the old Scope Series that focused on career skills. We asked to publish the school newspaper and we took trips to the technical schools in Dayton to assist with their post-secondary plans. By the end of the year all but one of the students was reading and had made plans for a job or additional training after graduation. We moved at the end of that year but I still keep up with one of the students who ended up working for a large international insurance company as an Executive Secretary. As Joe’s growing corporate responsibilities became less fulfilling, he decided to go back to school to become a math/science teacher. We started our family and settled in South DeKalb County. Joe taught at Columbia and Briarcliff High Schools and at Georgia’s first alternative school. He was one of the four teachers selected in the early eighties when the federal court mandated alternative schools for students under 16 who were out of school. He and his team discovered quickly that the vast majority of these young teens had undiagnosed learning disabilities. My teaching experiences had also drawn me to students who were talented and capable but frustrated and discouraged. At that time, little was known about brain functioning and the impact of even a mild neurological condition on the academic and social development of our children. I returned to school to better prepare myself for effectively teaching this specific group of students. In the early 80’s in Atlanta, there were a few independent schools that served students with learning disabilities but very few served high school students. Joe was teaching at The New School in Sandy Springs (now known as Mill Springs Academy) where our older son had been enrolled in third grade. I was teaching learning disabled students in DeKalb County and consulting with families whose teenagers needed more attention and direction. We had often discussed opening a school that served the older teens. We wanted to offer a different approach that would allow them to master the high school curriculum required to be successful after graduation. We also wanted to provide opportunities for them to enjoy an expanded extracurricular experience to build their natural talents and foster a strong self-esteem. After a particularly frustrating week in 1984, we decided to follow our dream. We had moved our family to a farm in Cherokee County and the closest large (?) city was Roswell. We had been gifted five thousand dollars from a former parent of a student Joe had taught. Although we were extremely grateful, the amount was not enough to do the market research and set up the school. After much discussion, we decided to begin with a tutorial center, The Educational Resource Center, as a way of gauging the need for specialized educational services in the area. We rented space in an office park, brought in our card table, set up the telephone system and announced our opening! Within a few months I had a team of afterschool tutors. We sold our cars and bought a van so I could drive to the local middle and elementary schools to pick up students for our after school program. Our summer program was packed and parents were bringing their high school students during the day for instruction because they were too overwhelmed to attend school. What seemed to be a holding pattern for distraught parents became the foundation for our dream school. We maintained the tutorial center on Old Roswell Road and rented an additional house for the school. Our first student, Ken, was quickly followed by Hugh. By spring, I had six boys enrolled. I hired an additional teacher. We had PE on the banks of Vickery Creek by the old Roswell Mill. The following year we outgrew the small house and the City of Roswell amazingly approved a trailer to accommodate our growth. At the end of that year, we found our home on the hill. Joe worked with the owner of the large family estate and she agreed to 100% owner financing which allowed us to avoid a large (and impossible) down payment. That fall we moved thirty-three students into our main building. We battled our neighbors who assumed that the school was for “troubled” youth and that their property values were in jeopardy. We negotiated with a vendor in Alabama to purchase parts needed for the very expensive fire hydrant. We embarked on a roller coaster ride that delivered thrills and chills. More next week.

GLITTER GOES…

BACK TO THE FUTURE

2015/1985

"You can make your future whatever you want. So make it a good one!” Dr. Emmett Brown

Come to Glitter for a once in a lifetime event!!

The Cottage School is turning 30 and we’re

celebrating BIG!

Saturday, March 14th

You don’t want to miss the fun!

Live 80’s band Auction

Great food 1980’s attire

and surprises!!

PAC PICKS THIS WEEK

Help bring March in like a Cougar! Come join us

on Saturday, March 7 for Campus Beautification

Day from 9am – 12pm.

Spring is right around the corner and we're

gearing up for Glitter. Let's clean up the greying

of winter and get our campus ready to show off!

We would love your help. Even if you can only

make it for an hour, come join in the clean up.

PAC Breakfast Club

Join us the last Friday of every month for breakfast at a local

Roswell eatery after carpool.

Last month we met at "Thumbs Up"…this month will be???!!!

Stay tuned! Make sure your calendar is marked for February 27.

Don't forget to cut and turn in your Boxtops for

Education. There will be a Boxtops drive during the week of

February 23rd. All Boxtops must be turned in by Friday,

February 27th. More details coming soon.

The Parent Social is coming up on February 19 at The Bett’s home, 3935

Carissa Trace in Cumming. We hope to see you there!

PAC Meeting scheduled Thursday, February 26 at 8:00am. Come see how you

can help!

AAC Varsity Tournament is set for 2/11 and 2/13 @ AASD.

Times and seeding:

2/11-AAC Semi-Finals:

Girls: #1-AASD vs. #4-TCS @ 3:00

Boys: #1-Howard vs. #4-AASD @ 4:30

Girls: #2-Howard vs. #3-MSA @ 6:00

Boys: #2-TCS vs. #3-MSA @ 7:30

2/13-AAC Consolation and Finals:

Girls Consolation: @ 3:00—3rd Place trophy given after game

Boys Consolation: @ 4:30—3rd Place trophy given after game

Girls Final: @ 6:00—1st and 2nd Place trophy and MVP given after game

Boys Final: @ 7:30—1st and 2nd Place trophy

MVP given after game...along with the net ceremony

CAN YOU HELP?

TCS needs a 4-seat Golf Cart for use on campus. If you have one in good condition that might be donated

or know of one at a good price, please contact Bob Crenshaw at 770.641.8688 or

bobc@cottageschool.org.

Thank you!

Do something amazing

Save a life today.

Please Give Blood.

The Cottage School Blood Drive (ages 16+)

On the Life South Bloodmobile 700 Grimes Bridge Rd.

Roswell, GA Wednesday, February 18th 2015

8:00 A.M- 3:00 P.M.

Appointments Preferred Parents – Sign up with Ashley at ashleyb@cottageschool.org

Students – Sign up On Ashley’s Door! Please remember to eat iron-rich foods and drink plenty

of non-caffeinated beverages prior to donating

You MUST Bring a Photo ID

**Donors aged 16 must also bring a signed consent form available on the next page of the packet as well as from Ashley!**

The Cottage School is proud to be a part of the

“““No Place for Hate” Campaign. No Place for Hate” Campaign. No Place for Hate” Campaign.

Each month, a different activity will “rally the entire school

around the goal of creating a welcoming community

committed to stopping all forms of bias and bullying.”

January: January: January: Middle School - Visit the Human and Civil Rights

Museum, anti-bullying presentation, and sign

the “No Place for Hate” banner.

High School - Kick-off assembly and sign the

“No Place for Hate” banner.

February: February: February: Middle/High School - Participate in the “No

Place for Hate” Art/Written Work/Video Contest.

March: March: March: Middle School - “Be an Upstander, Not a Bystander”

presentation.

High School - “I am Unique” and Anti-Bullying Logo

Creation activity

April:April:April: Middle/High School - Surprise Activity!

MS February Activities

DATE Activity TCS$ Things to bring

2/13 All School

Teacher Work Day-

NO SCHOOL

2/16 All School

Presidents’ Day Holiday-

NO SCHOOL

Friday

2/20

Off Campus

Tellus Science Museum $377.58 All students going off campus must bring a

sack lunch unless

pre-ordered through the lunch program.

There will not be microwaves.

Friday

2/20

On Campus

Paint Day $368.90

Friday

2/20

Academics $390.60 Academic Materials

*Remember to bring an independent reading

book if you complete your work early.

Tuesday

2/24

Savings Trip

Tennessee Aquarium $806.95 from

TCS Savings Please see previous WP flyer for

additional information.

Friday

2/27

Clubs $210.80 Club Materials

Friday

2/27

Academics $223.20 Academic Materials

*Remember to bring an independent reading

book if you complete your work early.

DATE TIME Activity TCS$ Things to bring/U.S. $

Thursday

2/12

Academics

8:15

10:00

12:00

12:45

2:40

Levels

Academics

Lunch

Academics

Homeroom

$403.62

Academic material to complete work and

spare reading

materials, if you will be in academics

all day!

Off-

Campus

10:00-

2:00

The Cooler 10:00 – 12:00 Skating on Ice

12:00 – 2:00 Basketball

Court

$390.60

Fully enclosed athletic shoes

and socks *Bring a bag lunch or money for food

On-Campus

10:00

12:00

12:45

2:40

Valentine’s Day Cards

Lunch

Volleyball

Homeroom

$377.58 Appropriate jeans or shorts to change into

with TCS spirit shirt

Friday

2/13

Teacher Work Day

First Marking Period Grades / Comments

Monday

2/16

Presidents’ Day No School – Federal Holiday

Friday

2/20

Afternoon Clubs Bring Needed Club Materials

“Reward

Off

Campus”

Thursday

2/26

6:30

pm

8:00

pm

to

6:00

am

7:00

am

Bus Departs Campus

Escalade Lock In Night of repelling and rock

climbing fun

Pick Up at I Building

*Students Excused from Fri

$341.78

*Pizza Supper Provided

*Bring additional food items and beverage

*See following page for eligibility

Academics

Friday

2/27

8:15

10:00

12:00

12:45

2:40

Levels

Academics

Lunch

Academics

Homeroom

$353.17

Academic material to complete work and

spare reading

materials, if you will be in academics

all day!

HS Activities for February

(Continued)

Off-

Campus Friday

2/27

10:00-

2:00

Kennesaw

National

Battlefield Park *Hike Kennesaw Mountain

*Museum – Atlanta Campaign

*View The Battle of Kennesaw

Film

$341.78

Fully enclosed shoes *change into athletic pants or shorts with

a Spirit Shirt *Bring a sack lunch and money for snacks /

souvenirs

On-Campus Friday

2/27

10:00

12:00

12:45

2:40

Name that Tune

Lunch

Improvisational Comedy

Homeroom

$330.38

Appropriate jeans or shorts to change into

with TCS spirit shirt

*Eligibility notes on the Reward Off Campus for Escalade: 18 students will be eligible to place their name in a lottery to win a place on the “Reward” Off Campus

To gain eligibility for the lottery for this “Reward” Off Campus, students must *achieve level 2 or level 3 status

*no academics for the previous two contracting periods *academic work to standard - not on any recovery plans

*no disciplinary slips (yellow or pink) for the contracting period *no hours owed

*citizenship and leadership demonstrated in homeroom *evidence of contributions to the TCS community beyond the school day

*Students must provide a hard copy of the Escalade Waiver and a copy of a parent/ guardian’s Drivers License

A drawing for all interested and eligible students will occur during lunch on Tuesday 2/24 – 18 lucky students will take the Reward Trip to the Escalade Lock In

Participants will meet outside the gym at 6:00pm Thursday, 2/26 and will depart at 6:30! Students will have use of Escalade facility from 8:00pm – 6:00am

A pizza supper will be provided – students may bring other food items and beverages. Students will return to the I Building for pick up by 7:00 am Friday 2/27

Students participating in the Escalade Off Campus will be excused from the traditional payoff the next day!

February 9, 2015

Dear Parents,

I am expecting a baby girl at the end of February! The plan is for my last day to be

February 20, 2015 and to be out the rest of the school year for a 12 week FMLA leave. We

have Sandhya Krishnan coming in as my long term sub for Biology. Sandhya has been

working with us since this past summer. She has been volunteering and subbing with us in

our science classes, and the students are very familiar with her. Please feel free to email

Sandhya as you have questions or concerns with your student’s Biology class. I have

enjoyed getting to know your son or daughter. TCS has been a great place to work!

Sandhya’s email contact information: SandhyaK@cottageschool.org

Sincerely,

Erin Oleson

Dear Parents,

I look forward to joining the TCS family in place of Erin these next few months. Having

interacted with the student body since last September, I am eager to work with your

students in a much greater capacity as a Biology teacher. My background in neuroscience

and the medical sciences will hopefully allow me to broaden the scope and depth of their

learning as well as put the material into context that is interesting and relevant to them!

Please feel free to contact me if you have any questions or concerns in regards to your

student(s).

Regards,

Sandhya Krishnan

Parents,

If you would like to purchase candy-grams or carnations,

please email Ashley at ashleyb@cottageschool.org to

place your order!