Sept 19, 2016

Grade Level News
Click link below for 
grade level newsletter   

Kindergarten
1st Grade
2nd Grade
3rd Grade
4th Grade
5th Grade
6th Grade
7th & 8th Grade


QUICK LINKS
Staff

CSP Calendar

Lunch Information

CSP Handbook

TCA Website

Palmarium


Titan Creed


LATE START SCHEDULE CSP
All day classes
Grade 1-8
10:15 AM to 3:30 PM
Kindergarten
AM class--10:15-12:30
PM class--1:15-3:30  



Contact Us
12201 Cross Peak View
Colorado Springs Co 80921
(719) 487-2000








            



From the Principal’s desk…


“If you had to choose, which would it be? Loads of success and validation or lots of challenge?”
― Carol S. Dweck, Mindset: The New Psychology of Success

Since we value our partnership with our homeschool families, I thought you might find this information helpful. Did you know the CSP staff is consistently focused on helping our students tackle challenging work with a Growth Mindset, as opposed to a Fixed Mindset?

A ‘fixed mindset’ assumes that creative ability, character and intelligence can’t be changed. Striving for success and affirmation – avoiding failure at all costs – becomes a way of maintaining one’s sense of being smart or skilled. However, a ‘growth mindset’ thrives on challenges and sees failure as a springboard for growth and stretching our abilities.

Carol Dweck, author of Mindset: The New Psychology of Success, claims, "If parents want to give their children a gift, the best thing they can do is to teach their children to love challenges, be intrigued by mistakes, enjoy effort, and keep on learning. That way, their children don’t have to be slaves of praise. They will have a lifelong way to build and repair their own confidence.”

“The passion for stretching yourself and sticking to it, even (or especially) when it’s not going well, is the hallmark of the growth mindset. This is the mindset that allows people to thrive during some of the most challenging times in their lives.” Below are examples of growth mindset comments we offer students to encourage them to persevere and view mistakes as a chance to grow.

Fixed Mindset                                                      Growth Mindset

If a child says:                                                       We encourage this thought instead:
This is too hard.                                                    This may take some time and effort.
I’m not good at this.                                              What are you missing?
I’ll never be as good as her                                   Let’s figure out what she does and try it.
This is good enough.                                             Is this really your best work?
I made a mistake.                                                  Mistakes help you improve.
I give up.                                                               Try using some of the strategies you’ve learned.


I encourage you to join our CSP staff and embrace the growth mindset when offering feedback to your child.

Sincerely,


Susan Nosal
 
IMPORTANT DATES - CSP Calendar of Events

CURRENT NEWS

NOTICE OF INTENT TO HOMESCHOOL FORM
Due Thurs. Sept. 22
One form per family. Return signed form to CSP office.
Go to website for form

REMINDER: SCHOOL HOURS
Our school day begins at 8:15 am and ends at 3:30 pm. Supervision on the field and playground begins at 7:45 am. Please do not drop children off for school before 7:45 am, as there is no outdoor supervision. Please be prompt in picking up your student after school. Thank you!

NEW IEW DVD's

Are you feeling overwhelmed or confused how to help your child with their IEW KWO, Sloppy copies, Dress-ups and Clinchers? Good news! CSP’s Lending Library has two sets of IEW DVDs for parents to view here at CSP. We will set you up with our laptop and the DVD’s in-house. All you need to bring is a set of ear buds. Please contact Ruth Kozyra, rkozyra@asd20.org to arrange a date and time that will work best for your viewing.


NATIONAL STUDENT POETRY CONTEST - $500 grand prize
Gr. 3-12 students are encouraged to enter this poetry contest.
The poems are to be completed at home – not in class.
Pick up an entry form in the CSP/CP Office.
CSP teachers will give entry forms to those students who are interested.
DEADLINE: Oct. 31
*If you are the primary educator and choose to submit your child’s poem by yourself, please sign the “Teacher Submission Form” on the back of the flyer.
OR
*Our teacher will submit a class set of poetry entries. She will sign the “Teacher Submission Form”.

SUPPLEMENTARY GRAMMAR RESOURCE 
Praised by CSP parents!
IEW Fix It! Grammar in an effective supplementary Grammar resource for Gr. 3 - 8. Several CSP parents have told our staff how much their child enjoys it and how easy it is to fit a 15 min. Grammar lesson into their homeschool day.
Find Fix It! Grammar Pretests online at www.iew.com
Feel free to look through the Fix It! Pre-Tests in the Lending Library.

PAY MANDATORY STUDENT FEESwww.payforit.net
CSP 2016-17 Student Fees are online at CSP/ Fees & Forms. Pay mandatory CSP fees on-line through your Infinite Campus Parent Portal. Parents input child’s Student ID to complete the account set-up. Use payforit username and password to log onto: www.payforit.net. You may pay TCA student fees without incurring any convenience fee. (NOTE: There is a convenience fee for online lunch-money payments.) Questions? Contact Toni DeMott, tdemott@asd20.org, 488-6479.

HOT OFF THE PRESS!
Click here to read this month’s issue of the Palmarium, Vol. 30 – Civility.


DENIM WEEK – STAFF AND STUDENTS
September 26-29
Wear denim bottoms with a uniform shirt.

No athletic wear or frayed edges.
Kinder – wear denim Wed or Thursday

THURSDAY CLASSES
No hot lunch Oct 6 (FT Elem.is not in session); carpool as usual

TCA FALL BREAK – Oct. 10 – 14

CSP FALL TEACHER-TEACHER CONFERENCES – OCT. 17 – 20
No classes this week.
Students will be assigned homework to be completed during conference week. It is due when classes resume, week of Oct. 24.
Sign up for a 15 min. time slot when your teacher sends invites to parents via SignUp.com (formerly known as VolunteerSpot.com).

PREVIOUSLY POSTED NEWS

Gr. 5 READERS
Battle of the Books is a fun, enriching activity for fifth graders only. Each year a committee of teachers and librarians, from around Colorado Springs, select 40 books to be the Battle Books. Fifth graders then read as many of the 40 books as they can in order to compete on a team with three other students. The competition will be held in the spring and up to two teams from TCA Cottage school will compete against teams from all around the city. Throughout the year we will read and practice for the competition on various Fridays. It is a lot of fun as well as a lot of work! Books can be checked out at any of the Pikes Peak Public Libraries or the TCA library. If you are interested, please contact me for more information.
Mrs. Terri Hatfield
Mom of Riley Hatfield, CSP 5th grader
719-321-0415
hatfieldent@wwdb.org

KING SOOPERS REWARD CARDS AVAILABLE- CSP earns 5%
Purchase your reloadable CSP Rewards Card for $5.00 from the CSP office. Your card will be loaded with $5.00 – so the card is FREE! Every time you reload the card, CSP receives 5% back from King Soopers. Last year we earned over $1500. We purchased several Easy Grammar manuals for parents to check out from the Lending Library. The card is good at Kroger, City Market, Loaf & Jug, and other affiliates listed on the card. Please consider supporting CSP with this easy program. For more details, contact Lainie in the CSP office at 487-2021.


TEACHER IN-SERVICE TREATS

We are looking for a few parent volunteers who would like to provide treats for our teachers at their in-service meetings. The meetings will be held on January 10, March 1, and April 20. If you would like to provide a treat for one of these dates, please call Lainie in the CSP Office at 487-2021 or email lmacdonald@asd20.org.

NEW FIELD TRIP CHAPERONES AT TCA
As you know, TCA students, staff, and parents enjoy a warm, caring community that fosters the highest standards of academic, social, and emotional growth. The efforts of our parent & non-parent volunteers are a vital part of that community. In an effort to further ensure the safety of our students, TCA and Academy School District 20 require that all field trip chaperones and regularly-scheduled classroom helpers complete a background check and confidentiality agreement prior to chaperoning or working with our students. Please complete the Volunteer forms through this link and return them to the office.

If you were an approved volunteer during the 2015-16 school year, you do not need to fill out a new packet. Also, CSP will NOT need volunteer drivers for field trips this year.


 CSP CURRICULUM

CHARACTER
Our CSP staff weaves character lessons throughout our subject studies. Various character traits are taught at each grade level per month. Classes are focusing on Kindness, Love of Learning, and Curiosity in September. The TCA Creed is the cornerstone of K-12 Character education across TCA. In each CSP classroom and in Classical Elements, students engage in rich discussions about each line of the Creed to understand the values we uphold. Mutual respect is emphasized and practiced daily. We’ll share these enriching classroom experiences so you may continue character conversations at home, perhaps around your dinner table or on car rides.


K-2 PARENT SPALDING CLASS
If you are new to TCA, or you would like to have more knowledge about the Spalding program at TCA, then this class is for you. You will learn the phonograms, word markings, spelling rules, syllabication rules, and handwriting hints related to the spelling part of Spalding. We will also discuss reading comprehension strategies.

12-hour class split into

3 Saturday sessions, 4 hours each
AT TCA-Central campus in Sherry Wilkewitz’s classroom.

The dates and times are as follows:
Saturday, October 22nd - 8:00-12:00
Saturday, October 29th - 8:00-12:00
Saturday, November 5th - 8:00-12:00

The cost for this class is $35. You may send cash or check to your TCA campus office.
Please register with Sherry at wilkewi@asd20.org.
Registration deadline: Friday, October 14th.



CSP WEBSITE & D20 PARENT PORTAL

TCA’s website: www.tcatitans.org

D20 PARENT PORTAL
If you have trouble logging into IC, contact help@asd20.org or 719-234-1777.
D20 asked parents to change their student’s password on IC this summer. You won’t be able to access IC until this is done. Read CSP Handbook, sign off on IC – Extended Parent Portal – that you read this important document. Also sign off on permission for other IC docs listed in your parent portal.


INFINITE CAMPUS
Do you need help with Infinite Campus? Click here for help. 
Infinite Campus 
IC FAQ


CSP POLICY

UNIFORMS
View the elementary  uniform policy and JH uniform policy on the CSP website. **Note hair length guidelines. Neutral shoes are best. Students need to wear sneakers on PE days. JH students wear an athletic uniform for PE. Students may wear a solid color crew neck sweatshirt, cardigan sweater or TCA logo hoodie in the classroom in approved TCA colors - navy, hunter green, red, or white.

Teachers will issue uniform violation slips to students who are out of uniform. Please sign and return the slip the following week - check that your child wears proper student attire each week.


TCA FAMILY NEWS

BOX TOPS
Turn in those box tops and soup labels you have collected over the year. As you do your back-to-school shopping, please remember that Box Tops can be found on a wide variety of food and paper products as well as some Hanes apparel. You can access the complete list of eligible products at www.btfe.com. Watch for bonus Box Tops on products and your shopping receipts too. If you are an on-line shopper, you can earn e-Box Tops by logging into btfe.com, then going to your preferred website to shop. Each single Box Top is worth 10 cents; bonus Box Tops are worth more. We earn thousands of dollars every year for TCA East & CSP! If you have a King Soopers or Safeway card, you can register them at eLabelsforEducation.com and earn bonus points for TCA East. Clip the UPC codes on the label and turn them in at school. We also accept caps from eligible beverages and sauces. Find the complete list at labelsforeducation.com.


MATH MANIPULATIVES
If you or a homeschool friend are interested in math manipulatives, please contact Candace Velarde, Velardehouse@gmail.com .

TITAN CLUB
Join the Titan Club! Show your school spirit and help our kids play, sing, and act their hearts out. Over the past few years, more than $40,000 of needed items has been purchased through the Titan Club membership program. Click here to see what Titan Club approved this year!
It’s easy to join, simply go to www.tcatitans.org and click on Support TCA or click here to join today. Being in Titan Club helps our kids and you’ll join hundreds of other TCA families who show their school spirit.
And thank you in advance for your support of TCA’s Titan Club.


COMMUNITY NEWS


MOZART STRINGS PROJECT
Beginning string instruction (violin/viola/cello/bass)
Gr. 3 - 5 (2nd graders considered with previous musical instruction.)
*An Information meeting was held last Friday, Sept. 9.
Classes start Tuesday September 20, 6 pm at
Church at Briargate
9550 Otero Ave (across from TCA-Central)
Visit www.csysa.com for list of other Mozart sites and times
Space is limited! For more info or to get on our waitlist
Contact: Renee Botton 660-1310 or Renee@geekfamily.org

HOMESCHOOLER EDUCATIONAL FIELD TRIPS

    Living history days.
     http://www.livinghistorydays.com/events/info/


    Colorado history homeschool event October 4.
    http://www.historycolorado.org/event/afternoon-past-home-school-students-1

     Maker faire
     PPLD October 15
        https://coloradospringsmakerfaire.com/


Colorado Springs Children’s Chorale
OVERTURE - PERFORMANCE PREP CLASS
For young performers in grades K-3, Children’s Chorale offers Overture, a non-auditioned, fun, fast-paced introduction to pitch-matching, choral singing, basic music theory and drama!
Meets Tuesdays, starting September 20.
$150 for 9-week class.

LITERARY CONTEST
The Michael Garman Museum & Gallery is hosting their 4th Annual Literary Contest for students of the Pikes Peak Region.  Click here for more information. 


Betty Field Memorial Youth Writing Contest - 2017
All 6th through 12th grade students in El Paso County and in areas served by the Pikes Peak Library District are invited to enter the Betty Field Memorial Youth Writing Contest-2017 and earn top honors plus cash prizes. This annual mystery writing contest encourages students to develop their creative writing skills. Details at www.writingcontest612.info. Deadline for submission of entries is 5:00 PM, Saturday, February 25, 2017. The winning authors in all categories will be honored at the April 15, 2017 Awards & Recognition Program. Questions? Contact Diane Pfalzgraf, PPLD Contest Coordinator, (719) 591-2404, 10 AM to 7 PM or email at FriendsPPLD@pcisys.net


Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD) Homeschool Hub
www.ppld.org
The public libraries offer activities & events for homeschool families