October 7, 2019

October is off to a great start!! We have a lot of exciting things happening this month.

Parent Information Nights

This year, with the help of the Cobra Well, Cooley will be hosting Parent Information Nights. The topics for these information nights were chosen based off of the feedback provided to us by parents. A survey was sent out in the beginning of the school year asking parents what they would like our team to focus on and the results of the survey help guide our efforts throughout the year. One of the top three things parents would like us to focus on is cyberbullying/social media, therefore, this month, a representative from Stand Up Placer is going to be speaking on the Dangers of Social Media/Apps. This parent information night will be held in the Cobra Well, room 90, on Wednesday, October 23rd, from 5:30-6:30pm. Moving forward, we plan on hosting a few other parent information nights with topics such as immigration and how to implement positive behavioral interventions and supports (PBIS) at home.

October is Bullying Prevention Month

Similarly to last year, rather than focusing primarily on preventing bullying, this month, we are going to focus primarily on promoting kindness, unity, and inclusion, . The bulletin board outside of my office got an upgrade with the theme this month being "How To Be A Friend". Also this month, Kindness Club, which meets on Mondays during lunch in room 68, is working on some awesome ways to spread kindness. Our first big project is going to be collecting cans at our annual Monster Mash Mile celebration to donate to those in need, but we are also going to be working on things like writing cards or creating care packages for service members and first responders, sending kind notes to teachers and staff, and passing out kindness bookmarks. Lastly, our GSA will be recognizing GLAAD's Spirit Day. Each year on Spirit Day, which, this year, is October 17, millions wear purple to show support for LGBTQ+ youth who disproportionately face bullying and harassment because of their identities. Pledging to "go purple" on Spirit Day is a way for everyone — forward-thinking companies, global leaders, respected celebrities, neighbors, teachers, parents, classmates, and friends — to visibly show solidarity with LGBTQ youth and to take part in the largest, most visible anti-bullying campaign in the world.

Attendance Competitions

New this month: our attendance bulletin board! I've dedicated another bulletin board space in the office to showcasing the winners of our new monthly attendance competitions. Each month, classes will compete for the best attendance. We will alternate between 1st, 4th, and 6th periods since these are the periods where students are most likely to be absent or tardy. Our September competition was between all the 1st period classes and the winner was Mrs. Hollingsworth class! Great job, Cobras! They won a donut party for having the best attendance for the month. For the month of October, our competition will be between 4th period classes so stay tuned for the winner!

That's all for now! We are looking forward to a wonderful month! Go Cobras!