The August edition of TCAPS District News is officially live! 📲

Stay connected with the latest stories, student highlights, and important updates from across our schools. 📚

Mobile Version: https://qr.tcaps.net/AugDistrictNews26

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#GreatCommunityGreatSchools

Kindergarten Signing Day is Thursday, August 27th from 2:00-6:00 PM. This event is for incoming kindergarten and junior kindergarten students. Families can sign up for a timeframe to come and visit our campus! Students will have the opportunity to get to know the kindergarten staff. We’ll also get to know your child a little more by conducting a 15 minute screener to support his/her needs for the start of the year. The total visit will be about 30 minutes. Please sign up for a Kindergarten Signing Day time using the link below. Click on a time and select "Sign Up" at the bottom to secure that time for your child. You and your kindergarten or JK child should attend.

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080D4EA9AC29A7FC1-65241756-courtade#/

Our office is now staffed during the day and we're putting the pieces in place to make this year another great day to be a Cougar! If you need help with anything (change in address, contact information, enrollment questions) please give us a call (231-933-5800) or send us an email so we can help you out!

Does your Cougar want to walk with our school float in one or both of the parades for the Cherry Festival? Students must be accompanied by an adult. Email erikagarvin@yahoo.com and read the details below.

THURSDAY PARADE starts at 6:30. We are asking families to be there around 6:00 (no earlier to contain chaos with the other floats) We are going to be staged at Wellington and Franklin Street. We are #79 so look out for us with a big green float but there also should be people down there who will help you find us! The destaging will be in the Central Grade School area so be sure to have a ride back to your car or plan on walking back there, we will not be able to provide rides back.

SATURDAY PARADE starts at 11:00 We are asking families to be there around 10:30 (again not much earlier, please) We will be staged at Wellington and Franklin again but we are #57 Saturday. Destaging will be in the Thirlby field area so be sure to have a ride back or plan on walking back there. We will not be able to provide rides back.

We are asking everyone to wear their red Courtade shirts or red shirts of some kind.

Our theme is the Giving Tree. We plan to have mostly 1st graders or younger on the float so keep that in mind. If there is room we can put more kids on but not guaranteed. It is also going to be hot so make sure to bring water/snack/portable fan to keep cool and hydrated! We are also requiring that if you have kids that want to join us we need a parent to walk with us as well. We are going to be busy and will not be able to watch children.

On Thursday and Saturday there are events downtown before the parades so parking is going to be crazy like usual so just plan ahead and leave early.

Reach out to us and let us know which ones you plan on coming to so we can be on the look out for you on the day of :)

Our strawberry patch is producing more and more delicious, ripe strawberries every day! Get them while they last! Anyone is welcome to come and lend a hand in the garden. And, when we have things to harvest, you're welcome to take some (except for the root vegetables... we save those for our students to dig up when we come back to school). Mr. Phillips will be there sometime during the day most Tuesdays. We also have a garden Sign Up Genius. You don't have to sign up to come, but if you want to work with someone, you can see who has signed up and when (link below). If you want to be a garden ROAR Model, we still have a pile of mulch that can be spread on the inside border of our pumpkin patch!

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/5080D4EA9AC29A7FC1-64245508-courtade#/

We bid farewell to our graduating fifth graders and beloved staff members Mrs. Piatek, Mrs. Dansingburg, Ms. Jane, and Mrs. Myers yesterday. We wish them all the best as they move on from us. We wish everyone in the Courtade community a happy summer! Stay tuned to Facebook for garden news and other summer fun happening with our school.

Reminder that Wednesday, June 10, is a half day and the last day of the school year! ☀️

Find start and dismissal times here: https://5il.co/3jfxa

View the academic calendar here: https://5il.co/3jfx6

For questions, please contact your school directly.

We jam packed our final Friday of the year! We celebrated our final ROAR Models of the year, our wonderful neighbor, Mr. Rasho, came over to help us plant the pumpkin patch, our fifth graders had an egg drop competition, TADL came for an assembly to kick off the summer reading program, and both of our kindergarten classes had fun presentations for their parents. Have a great weekend! Don't forget Field Day is Monday!

How much can we pack into the second to last Friday of the school year?

We recognized our ROAR Model award winners.

Mrs. Bevier held a special preschool graduation ceremony at Grace McDonald Park.

We welcomed graduating seniors who attended Courtade in elementary school to walk our halls one last time and have some pizza.

We had fun drinking lemonade at the second grade lemonade stand to benefit an awesome cause.

All that, and we may have even snuck in some learning!

Chef Adam was at Courtade today offering all of our students a delicious taste test of red lentils. After his work in our cafeteria, he went to Mrs. Bevier's class (where his daughter is a student), and the class made some delicious homemade pizzas! Pizza party in preschool!

Reminder: There will be no school on Monday, May 25, 2026. Enjoy the long weekend!

Congratulations to this week's ROAR Model award winners! It was a weird week, but a good one!

Tonight we celebrated the last night of the Creative Projects Program by having a pizza party and playing the games we worked so hard to create over the last eight weeks. The games our students developed are awesome! There is such a variety. They are colorful and creative. Most importantly, they really can be played and they are FUN! Great job Mrs. Helman and Mrs. Bienkowski (Ms. Cici) for leading this program. And thank you to all of our students who created these outstanding games!

For the second year in a row, Courtade is the proud home to one of the region's top educators! Congratulations to Mrs. Herron, who we surprised with the announcement at an assembly in school today. Each year, Northwest Education Services asks for nominees for the Outstanding Person in Education (OPIE) award. Last year, our very own Mrs. Helman was recognized. This year, it's Mrs. Herron.

Mrs. Herron's title at our school is Behavior Interventionist, but she does so much more than just work with student behavior. She is a constant presence in all areas of our school. She provides support, encouragement, and just an overall calm, caring and friendly presence to students, staff and parents at Courtade. Mrs. Herron is a key staff member that helps to make Courtade such a special place.

Please join me us congratulating Mrs. Herron on this amazing accomplishment and recognition! She's the best!

And congratulations to this week's ROAR Model award winners!

Opening New Chapters: The Power of the Novel Study

Did you know that 3rd - 5th graders have the opportunity to engage in novel studies through the CKLA curriculum? These Novel Study Units are where "learning to read" transforms into "loving to read." By diving deep into these specific titles, our students are building more than just literacy—they’re building character:

- Stella Díaz Has Something to Say: Students are finding their own "inner starfish" as they learn about confidence, identity, and the bravery it takes to speak up.

- The Seasons of Styx Malone: This adventure pushes kids to analyze loyalty and friendship, weighing the thrill of the "extraordinary" against the value of home.

- The Science of Breakable Things: A beautiful look at using the scientific method to understand empathy and hope, connecting lab reports to real-life emotions.

The Big Benefit: Novel studies build reading stamina and critical thinking. Instead of just skimming, students learn to track complex themes and see the world through a new lens.

Did you miss your opportunity to preorder some awesome plants as part of our fifth grade camp fundraiser?  If you did, or if you want MORE great plants, come to the carnival on Friday ready to buy!  Cash, checks and credit cards are accepted.  See the attached flyer for pricing.  Proceeds from this sale will be used for fifth grade camp.