CRE Weekly Newsletter September 11

Dear Coyote Ridge Community,

Thank you to our amazing community for helping our PTO during our annual fall fundraiser (which is still going on!) all money raised goes directly into supporting the learning environment and events here at CRE. Coyote Ridge would not be as incredible as it is without the commitment of our PTO. Thank you to everyone for your continued support of our learning community! 

For meeting one of our fundraising goals, students are invited to dress as their favorite book character next Wednesday, 9/16… we can not wait to see what students come up with!

 

Coyote Cart

A core element of our PBIS framework at Coyote Ridge is our monthly Coyote Cart, which students visited today. Students have an opportunity to spend their hard earned Coyote Cash! As a reminder, students earn Coyote Cash by displaying our PACK traits throughout the school day. Thank you to our parent volunteers and Abbey Young, our Social Emotional Learning Specialist, for all of your hard work to make our first shopping day of the year a success!

Parent Principal Connect next week!

Join us Tuesday, September 15th at 8:00 a.m. in the CRE cafeteria for our next Parent Principal Connect! This is a great opportunity to hear what’s happening at Coyote Ridge, learn more about some of our current priorities and initiatives, and hear directly from our PTO about ways they are supporting our students and school community. We’d love to see you there and continue building strong connections between our school, families, and community!

Fall Conferences

We look forward to welcoming families into the building for fall conferences in the afternoon/evening on Tuesday, October 6th and Thursday, October 8th. Teachers will be sharing beginning of the year data we have collected for your student and giving you a better understanding of what learning will look like for your child this school year. We ask that all families join us in person at Coyote Ridge for their conference. Under extenuating circumstances, we can offer a virtual conference but prefer families to join us in your child’s learning environment. Additionally, we will be offering one conference per family. If one in person conference is not ideal for your family, we can offer one virtual conference to meet your family’s needs. Teachers will be sending out their individual conference sign ups next week, so be on the lookout.

 

Mwebaza!

This week we welcomed representatives from the Mewbaza Foundation to Coyote Ridge to share more about what our partnership with our sister school in Uganda looks like. All students at CRE had an opportunity to learn more about our sister school and what types of engagement opportunities are offered through our Mwebaza Club. Our club is an excellent way for 2nd - 5th graders to have a deeper partnership with our sister school and lead our school in collaboration opportunities with the St. Paul’s school.

 

Mental Health Minute: Size of the Problem (from Ms. Young and Ms. P!)

This month, students across all grade levels are learning about the "Size of the Problem".This is a social-emotional framework that helps children measure how serious a challenge is so they can match it with an appropriate emotional reaction and next steps.

• Small Problems :

  • Examples include breaking a crayon, dropping a pencil, or losing a game turn.

  • These take less than a few minutes to fix, affect only one or two people, and can usually be solved by yourself.

  • Appropriate reactions are calm, using positive self-talk, or walking away.

• Medium Problems:

  • Examples include forgetting homework or having a disagreement with a friend.

  • These take more time and effort and may require help from a peer or a single adult.

  • Appropriate reactions involve asking for help or taking a calm-down break. 

• Big Problems (Emergencies):

  • Examples include breaking a bone, a car accident, or getting lost in a public place.

  • These involve severe safety issues, take a long time to fix, and require help from multiple adults or professionals like doctors or police.

  • Appropriate reactions include big emotions, crying, or urgently seeking help. 

Why This Concept Matters

• Emotional Regulation: Teaches kids that small issues do not need big emotional meltdowns.

• Problem-Solving: Helps kids pause, think, and choose a smart next step instead of reacting instantly.

• Shared Vocabulary: Gives parents, teachers, and children a simple, common language to talk through daily frustrations clearly.

Click Here for More Information and Resources

Have a great weekend!

 

In partnership,

Carolyn Webb, Coyote Ridge Principal