CRE Weekly Newsletter Jan. 30

Dear Coyote Ridge Community,

It’s been a great week to be a Coyote!

 

Mwebaza Cross-Cultural Day on Monday was a huge success! 

Students were deeply engaged in a shared learning experience alongside our partner students in Uganda, exploring culture and community through the same lessons and activities. It was powerful to see our students build understanding and connection across continents, reminding us that learning is richer when it is global and collaborative. As always, thank you to our partners at Mwebaza for supporting us in this work!

  

 

January Student of the Month!

This month, we are proud to recognize our Students of the Month for demonstrating an extraordinary amount of courage throughout January. Courage is one of our core Pack Traits, and at Coyote Ridge, it holds special importance as it empowers students to take risks in their learning, stand up for what is right, and persevere through challenges. We are so proud of the bravery, resilience, and growth shown by these students. Congratulations to all of our nominees—you truly exemplify what it means to be a Coyote Ridge leader!

Parent/Principal/PTO Connect

Our Parent–Principal–PTO Connect meeting this week was a wonderful opportunity to learn and grow together. We were grateful to welcome special guests from Children’s Hospital, who shared valuable strategies for better supporting children experiencing stress and anxiety. Families engaged in meaningful conversation and walked away with practical tools to use at home and at school. Presentation slides and a portion of the session are now available on our website for anyone who was unable to attend or would like to revisit the information.

Kinder Hour

We loved welcoming potential new kindergarten families today for our Kinder Hour! Hosted by our amazing kindergarten team, the event gave families a chance to learn more about our school, see our classrooms, and ask great questions. It was such a joy to meet new families interested in joining the Pack, we can’t wait to welcome our future Coyotes!

 

January Golden Paw

Our January Golden Paw winners are Jen Gonci, Kindergarten Teacher, and Christina Stutzman, In-Building Guest Teacher! Both were recognized for their constant willingness to jump in wherever needed—whether lending a helping hand, sharing resources, or supporting teammates without hesitation. We are so lucky to have Jen and Christina as part of Team CRE, and we’re grateful for the collaboration, flexibility, and heart they bring to our school each day.

Support for families

Earlier this school year, when SNAP benefits were temporarily frozen, a group of incredible Coyote Ridge parents came together to support our community. They raised funds to ensure Coyote Ridge families had access to additional assistance with food purchases. Through their generosity, we now have gift cards available that can be used for local food purchases for families who may need them. If this support would be helpful for your family, please reach out to Carolyn Webb directly, and we will be sure to get a gift card to you.

 

Help Us

To help us continually elevate your child’s educational experience, I encourage you to take our annual Family-School Relationships Survey! The survey is specific for our school and will help us know where we are succeeding and where we can improve. The survey is open now through Feb. 20. Take it today: www.adams12.org/familysurvey

 

In partnership,

Carolyn Webb, Coyote Ridge Principal

 

New Clubs

Trading Card Club   Trading Club (2).jpg 

Sewing Club  Sewing Club.pdf 

 

It’s Time for the Book Fair

The Spring Book Fair is coming soon! It will be held during conferences on Thursday, Feb 19 and Tuesday, Feb 24 from 2:35 to 7:00 PM both days. A portion of all purchases from in-person and virtual sales directly benefit our library. This year we're also holding a Book Drive to help update the library at McElwain Elementary, an Adams12 library in need. Be on the lookout for more details.

You can set up an eWallet for your student and shop our school's online fair here.

Calling all volunteers for setup, registers, and pack up! We have a couple extra register slots this time, so please help if you can. You can sign up here and direct any questions to Jess Kivisto.

 

Important Yearbook Links

Purchase a Yearbook

Submit Pictures

 

Ancient Traditions and New Masterpieces: The Mwebaza Club Explores Ugandan Bark Cloth

Did you know that Coyote Ridge Elementary has a partnership with a school in Uganda? The Mwebaza Foundation is an educational organization that is dedicated to inspiring global citizenship through meaningful, student-to-student connections between Colorado and Ugandan schools. Interested in learning more? Check out their website: https://www.mwebaza.org/ .

---

Recently, our Mwebaza Club students took a deep dive into one of the world’s oldest traditions, the creation and use of Ugandan Bark Cloth. Known locally in Uganda as Olubugo, bark cloth is a textile produced from the inner bark of the Mutuba tree. This tree is only found growing naturally throughout Africa and has a deep significance for Ugandans. Our club students learned how this material has been used for centuries in traditional African storytelling, ceremonies, and daily life in Uganda. After discovering the history and resourcefulness behind this ancient craft, students rolled up their sleeves to try their hand at painting their own bark cloth pieces.

The students had fun learning about the harvesting process of bark cloth-it’s basically a massive science project that people have been doing for centuries. Instead of cutting the tree down, farmers carefully peel the bark off in one big sheet, almost like they’re undressing it. Since that leaves the tree bark exposed to the elements, they immediately wrap the whole trunk in banana leaves, similar to wrapping a scrape in a bandaid. If the farmers care for the trees, they can go back and harvest more bark from the same tree for decades.

Once they harvest the bark, it's still tough and woody. To fix that, they lay it down and hammer it with large wooden mallets until it becomes more supple and soft. A strip that started out only a few inches wide can end up being several feet wide just from the force of the hammering! It softens the fibers until they feel more like a thick fabric or soft suede.

When they first finish hammering the cloth, it is usually a pale cream color. It is then laid out in the sun to dry, and the sunlight tans the fabric, turning it that deep, reddish-brown color you see in photos. If the bark has any natural holes in it, they don't toss it out; they just stitch it up with tiny pieces of extra bark. It gives the whole thing a rugged, handmade look that you just can't get from a factory. Bark cloth is a staple in the Uganda region, used by the Bagandan kingdom as both clothing and artwork. Staff from the Mwebaza Foundation brought back bark cloth from their most recent Ugandan trip to share with the club students. Each student got their own individual piece of bark cloth and spent time painting their piece and thinking of what story they wanted their artwork to tell. 

Questions to Ask Your Student:

• What is bark cloth made from, and why is it important in Uganda?
• What story or design did you choose to paint on your piece of bark cloth?
• How does "up-cycling" natural materials like tree bark help the environment?

P.S. Want to see the process in action? Check out this video that our club students watched,  to see the process and traditions that sparked your child’s creativity!