Principal's Corner

NWEA MAP Scores and CogAT (2nd and 5th grade families)

The fall administration of Measures of Academic Progress (MAP) for 1st-5th grade students has ended and student scores are available to families within Skyward. Additionally, Fall 2024 CogAT scores will also be available for second and fifth grade families. 

To access your child’s scores:

  • Browse to http://skywardfamily.d181.org/

  • Click on TEST SCORES in the left side menu

  • Scores will be listed in a table format, with the most recent assessment scores listed at the top

CogAT Score Interpretation

Current D181 second grade students participated in the CogAT during the month of November.  CogAT scores uploaded to Skyward reflect your child’s standard age score and age percentile rank in the areas of both quantitative and non-verbal reasoning.  You will also see a composite QN score, which combines the results from the quantitative and non-verbal batteries.

Current D181 fifth grade students participated in the CogAT during the month of November.  CogAT scores uploaded to Skyward reflect your child’s standard age score and age percentile rank in the areas of verbal, quantitative, and non-verbal reasoning.  You will also see a composite QN score, which combines the results from the quantitative and non-verbal batteries.

  • Standard Age Score (SAS): The standard age score has a mean of 100. It allows educators to compare the rate and level of cognitive development to other same-aged students. For example, students with an SAS of 100 have a rate and level of development that is typical of their age group. A student with an SAS of 132 has a faster rate and higher level of development than a typical student in the same age group.

  • Age Percentile Rank (APR): A percentile rank indicates the percentage of same aged students whose scores fall below the score obtained by a particular student. For example, a percentile rank of 60 means that 60 percent of students in that age group scored below a particular student. Performance is shown as a percentile.

CogAT information for current second through seventh grade students can be found in Skyward - a student’s MOST RECENT CogAT Standard Age Score (SAS) may be used to inform their placement in mathematics (QN SAS), ELA (V SAS), and/or social studies (V SAS). Students take the CogAT in second and fifth grades, so you may need to scroll back to a previous year to view the correlating data in Skyward.

 

Dropping Off Lunch

Students need to bring a packed lunch from home each day. If you must drop off lunch for your child during school hours, please consider it as a last resort or a special occasion, such as a birthday. It is not advisable for parents to deliver lunch on a daily basis.

If you do need to provide lunch during the school day, please aim to arrive before your child's lunch period begins. This ensures that students have plenty of time to eat. When a student lunch arrives late, they may miss recess time, math instruction, and special classes, all which take place directly after the lunch/recess hour. This is in addition to the stress the children feel while waiting for their lunch, as well as the social time they are missing by not being present in the lunchroom. 

Lunch times are as follows:

  • K-3: 11:25 AM

  • 4-5: 11:50 AM

Additionally, we do not permit food delivery from external services like DoorDash or Grubhub. Any food from restaurants must be brought in by a parent or guardian. Per our Food Allergy Management Policy, students are not allowed to share food with their classmates. If you are bringing food, please ensure that it is intended solely for your child. Parents cannot bring lunches to be delivered to students other than their own child.

 

Community Speaker Series

Registration is now open for the next event of the Community Speaker Series season! We are thrilled to welcome Dr. Michele Borba to share her parenting expertise with our community. Her dynamic approach and deep understanding of empathy will be of interest to parents of all ages of children. There will be an evening presentation and a morning presentation to accommodate our audience. Both events will be held in person at The Community House. The events are free and open to all. This year, local businesses are being invited to support the CSS as community partners by providing hospitality at the CSS events. Come out to connect, learn and enjoy!

 

Wednesday, February 5

Evening  Session:

http://weblink.donorperfect.com/CSSBorbaPM

 

Thursday, February 6

Morning Session:

http://weblink.donorperfect.com/CSSBorbaAM

 

Culled from 30 years of research and experience, Dr. Borba shares why empathy is a skill that's vital for children's mental health, resilience, leadership skills, and job success and provides useful tools that parents can use to help our children become more empathetic.

 

Third Grade Concert

This year, the third grade concert will be on Tuesday, March 4th at 10:30AM in the Elm School gymnasium. Doors open at 10:15AM. The concert will feature songs from around the world. (Third grade students should dress nicely for this event.) All are invited to attend!

 

Cold Weather

As the temperature dropped this week, we want to send our school's procedures for cold weather out to families once more. The district will follow these guidelines for outdoor activities:

Recess/Physical Education Classes:

  • Feels like 0°F (or below): Indoor

  • Feels like 1°F (or above): Outdoor

  • Principal discretion if conditions are not safe

Please ensure your child is dressed warmly for school, including a hat, gloves, winter coat, winter boots, and scarf. Snow pants are advisable. Mid-Day recess is 25 minutes. The items they wear should be of a quality that keeps them warm for this length of time. We will try to go outside as often as possible for fresh air and exercise. 

 

Registration

Mark your calendars! New Student, Preschool, and Kindergarten (2025-2026 school year) registration begins February 3rd! We can't wait to welcome our newest learners. In-person registration events will be held at the District Administrative Center on Tuesday, February 4th from 2:00 pm to 7:00 pm and Tuesday, February 25th from 7:00 am to 1:00 pm. Please access the flyer linked here for more information. 

 

Young Writer’s Night

All D181 3rd - 8th grade students are invited to participate as writers and all students K-8 are invited to participate in the cover art contest. The deadline for parents to register their students for the program is January 31st. The writing and/or artwork is due by February 14th. All participants will receive their books at Young Writers Night on April 10th.

Students do not need to write something new for the book they can submit something they have already written for school and are proud of. The writing does not have to be from an LA class. In the past we have also had writing from social studies, science, and foreign language (with English translation).