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March 14, 2025

Dear Parents/Guardians,

It is hard to believe that March is halfway done. It won’t be long before the warm weather arrives and the end of year madness begins! As we wrap up the second week of March, we’re excited to share the progress our students have made so far—This week has been filled with engaging classroom activities, exciting learning opportunities, and plenty of enthusiasm as our students continue to grow both academically and personally. This week our unparalleled PTA  sponsored an amazing Parents As Reading Partners or PARP Author Visit at Cottle. Sarah Weeks, the author of many children’s books including Save me a Seat, Pie and Cheese,visited with our students this past Tuesday. This is another great example of the Tuckahoe PTA organizing a special experience for the students of Cottle. A big shoutout to Karen Vasquez for organizing this awesome event.

On Thursday, March 27, we will also be having another Principals’ PJ Read Aloud.  There will be two sessions:  for PreK – 2 students at 6:30 p.m. Click HERE to join and for Gr 3 – 5 students at 7:15 p.m. Click HERE to join.  We hope you can join us!  

Our spring parent-teacher conferences are scheduled for April 3rd and 4th, providing an excellent opportunity to discuss your child’s progress. As you know, communication between home and school plays a key role in your child’s success. Please keep an eye out for further information from your child’s teacher(s) about conference sign-up slots. In consultations with the Superintendent's office 4th and 5th grade parent teacher conferences will follow the same format as last year's Spring conferences. If you have any questions regarding 4th or 5th grade parent-teacher conferences please do not hesitate to contact your child's teacher(s).

This week was Girl Scout Week. March 12th was the Girl Scouts 113th Birthday.Great job by all of theCottle Girl Scouts who participated in the morning announcements.

We hope you had a chance to view this week’s Board of Education meeting that included a presentation entitled Spotlight on Cottle.  The presentation featured a performance by some of our String Orchestra players, led by Mr. Grasso, and information about the expansion of music opportunities for our Cubs.

Also highlighted was detailed information about Universal Design for Learning (UDL), an educational framework implemented across all grades at WEC this year. UDL is designed to support diverse learning styles, ensuring that every student is actively engaged and receives instruction tailored to their individual needs.

A key mid-year goal was to ensure that the median student growth in each grade reached at least 50% (since we were halfway through the year). We are proud to report that every grade, K-5, met or exceeded this benchmark. The highest median growth, an impressive 87%, was achieved in second grade, with all grade levels demonstrating strong progress beyond expectations.

Please click the link HERE if you would like to view the full Spotlight on Cottle presentation.   

On Thursday, March 27, we will also be having another Principals’ PJ Read Aloud.  There will be two sessions:  for PreK – 2 students at 6:30 p.m. Click HERE to join and for Gr 3 – 5 students at 7:15 p.m. Click HERE to join.  We hope you can join us!  

PTA EVENTS AT A GLANCE 

• 3/26 (Weds), Discovering Together Series: Indian Heritage, 3-4pm, Cottle
• 3/27 (Thurs), PJ Read Aloud, various times (more details to come), Virtual/Zoom
• 4/5 (Sat), Earth Day Celebration, 11am, Cottle 
• 4/12 (Sat), Deadline to buy Yankees tickets for 4/26 game vs. Toronto Blue Jays (ticket link below)
• 5/2 (Fri), Spring Social, 7:30pm, Wykagyl Country Club, TICKETS NOW ON SALE!
• 5/7 (Weds), Evening Event: Dr Joanna Robin on “Letting Kids Fail: Building Confidence and Resilience", 7:30 pm, TMS/HS Library 

PTA EVENT DETAILS

*NEW* PTA After School Program - Discovering Together Series: Cultures of the World: Tuckahoe PTA is excited to launch Discovering Together Series: Cultures of the World at Cottle for grades 2-5! Program will meet bi-weekly on Wednesdays through 5/7, 3-4pm. Join at any session, spaces limited. Next up is Indian Heritage on 3/26. QUESTIONS? Email Tuckahoe.PTA.DEI@gmail.com

Earth Day Celebration, April 5 + GREEN TEAM Student Volunteers Needed!: The PTA will be holding an Earth Day Celebration on Saturday, April 5. We need donations for our Earth Day Swap! Please click HERE for all the details. We are also looking for students in grades 3-5 to help form a Green Team! Please sign up your 3-5 grader to VOLUNTEER HERE. 

Yankee vs Toronto Blue Jays Game Fundraiser, April 26, 1:05 pm @ Yankee Stadium

Join the PTA at the Yankees vs. Toronto Blue Jays on Saturday, April 26 at 1:05pm.  Your ticket includes a Yankees backpack and a $15 voucher for concessions.  Buy your tickets HERE!  Deadline to buy tickets is April 12.   

PTA Spring Social, May 2, 7:30pm @ Wykagyl Country Club: Tickets are now on sale for PTAs biggest fundraiser of the year! Join us to connect with other parents, enjoy a much-needed adult-only night out and raise some money to support the fabulous programs the PTA provides to all Tuckahoe students! We will have prizes and raffles to enjoy, so bring your ‘lucky’ wallet! The night includes music, wine, beer, and a dinner buffet. Visit HERE to purchase your tickets. 

Evening Event, Dr Joanna Robin on “Letting Kids Fail: Building Confidence and Resilience, May 7, 7:30pm @ TMS/HS Library: Dr. Robin’s presentation will focus on the crucial role of allowing children to experience failure in building resilience and confidence, highlighting the importance of making mistakes and providing corrective feedback and promoting a growth mindset by encouraging effort - and much more.  More details as well as a RSVP and link to submit questions is HERE.

Cottle Yearbook: All UPK-5th grade children will appear in the yearbook, so all grades are encouraged to purchase one. 5th graders will receive a FREE copy of the yearbook at graduation. Pre-order now! Click HERE for ordering details. 

Communications Request Form

If you watched Monday’s Board of Education meeting, we discussed the following: In collaboration with our amazing PTA, we’ve provided numerous opportunities for parents to engage in school events with their children, including PJ Read Alouds, Bingo Nights, Community Service Night to name a few. We truly believe that creating more opportunities for parents and the community to interact within the school is incredibly valuable and helps strengthen our school community..

So, with this in mind, we would now like to request some feedback from you, all the members of the Cottle family.  What suggestions do you have for new or expanded celebrations or activities that you would like to see at Cottle?  You can share your ideas by emailing us or by scheduling an in-person or virtual meeting. 

In every email, every Cottle Weekly, every phone call, and every in person meeting, we always urge you to contact us directly with any of your ideas, questions, or concerns.  Now please let us know your thoughts so we can respond to your suggestions and address how we can make Cottle an even better place to learn. 

Sincerely, 

John Morash   and    Peter Kilgallen

Principal                     Assistant Principal

Important Upcoming Dates

3/18/25       Second marking period ends

3/19/25      Third marking period begins

4/2/25       Report cards accessible on Parent Portal

4/3 and 4/4/25    11:00 a.m. early dismissal for Parent-Teacher Conferences

4/8 and 4/9/25  NYS Testing in ELA GR 3-5

4/14 – 4/21/25     No School.  Spring Recess