Cobden Elementary

24-25 Cobden Unit School District #17 Calendar Update *September 20th will no longer be an 11:30 dismissal for students. Students will have a full attendance day. *October 4th will now be an 11:30 dismissal for students. Students will dismiss at 11:30 for staff to participate in school improvement activities. Changes- September 20th- Full student attendance day, 3:00 dismissal October 4th- 11:30 student dismissal

Fourth graders will be learning to use recorders during Music this year. All 4th graders are responsible for a $5 recorder fee. Please send payment to the elementary office. (4th grade ONLY)

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Cobden and Murphysboro School Districts Begin Training for Farm-to-School Scratch-Cooking Program August 13, 2024 – Murphysboro, Illinois. For three days last week, fifteen cooks from the Cobden and Murphysboro school districts gathered at Murphysboro High School to be trained in scratch-cooking methods using locally-sourced foods. The training is part of a multiple year effort resulting from a Farm-to-School Grant from the Illinois State Board of Education being carried out by the Regional Office of Education which serves the school districts in Alexander, Jackson, Perry, Pulaski, and Union Counties. The training included the preparation of multiple breakfast and lunch dishes for each of the three days. In addition to cooking skills, the staff members also learned leadership and time management skills. Sam Hampton, the Head Chef at Murphysboro High School, is excited about the training. He described the first day of training as a “very, very pleasing day” and noted, “I’m doing things that I used to do and I’m enjoying this. I hope we keep doing this.” The objectives of this effort include not only implementing scratch-cooked meals, but also to get input from students to decide what items may be included on the menu. As the school year gets started, students in Cobden and Murphysboro can expect to be included in this effort. Other objectives include the establishment of a network of local food producers for the schools to utilize as well as to reduce waste in the food service programs. The Cobden and Murphysboro school district superintendents, Mr. Edwin Shoemate and Dr. Andrea Evers, respectively, along with Regional Superintendent of Schools Matthew Hickam are excited about the program starting and seeing where it goes over the coming years. Hickam observed during the training that, “The work that goes on in school kitchens is not easy work, and scratch-cooking for an entire school is hard, but I've seen nothing but a willingness to do it from everyone here and I think that’s because they know how much better it can be for the students.” Greg Christian, CEO and founder of Beyond Green Sustainable Food Partners, a consulting firm contracted by the Regional Office of Education to lead this effort in the Cobden and Murphysboro school districts asserts, “Creating the foundation for daily learning and setting kids up for a lifetime of healthy eating starts with training for school nutrition staff on how to cook from scratch. We’re focused on increasing the culinary skills and leadership of the existing team to successfully run their own scratch cooked program.” All parties involved in this farm-to-school scratch-cooking program emphasize it will be a gradual process. While initial training has occurred and connections with local farms are being made, scratch- cooked meals will be gradually included from time-to-time in the near future as additional work occurs behind the scenes to scale up the effort in the coming months and years. About Beyond Green Sustainable Food Partners Beyond Green Sustainable Food Partners is a consulting and foodservice company that promotes scratch-cooked foods, local sourcing, and zero-waste. Founded by chef and “eco-preneur” Greg Christian, their team is devoted to client success and is pleased to provide tools that help others contribute to a healthier, cleaner, and more efficient food system while connecting with the communities they serve. To learn more about Beyond Green Partners, please visit www.beyondgreenpartners.com.

We can't wait to see you at Back to School Open House tonight! Doors will open at 6 PM. PTO has awesome items to raffle off as well!

Please use this link to see the August menu- https://docs.google.com/spreadsheets/d/1gSLrmMhkaz8I6RaCNn9-vC-sCrnEeULYXe10Iyf2qiI/edit

Our Back to School Night Open House is right around the corner! Join us at Cobden Elementary Tuesday, August 13th from 6-7 PM. There will be a limited amount of student backpacks available for those interested. We also will have an assortment of Appleknocker spirit wear for sale. PTO is also raffling off several amazing items donated from local businesses. (cash, check, or credit card accepted) You don't want to miss this! We hope to see you soon.

Use this link to access the Cobden Elementary School Supply Lists: https://docs.google.com/document/d/1l8HiIQxdiJH41mgql3aB-akyDfLoEuVjUiTWJTQGZH4/edit?usp=sharing Back to School Night Open House - Tuesday, August 13th 6-7 PM 1st Day of School for K-5th Students- Wednesday, August 14th (2:00 Dismissal) 1st Day of School for PreK- Wednesday, August 21st

Social and Emotional Learning (SEL) Series: August Five Quick Tips for Preparing to Return to School

Appleknocker Club 2024-25 Registration Appleknocker Club is an after-school care program for current Cobden students in grades Kindergarten through 5th. This after-school care will be offered on school days until 6 pm. The cost for the program is $4 per hour per student. This application and a $10 registration fee must be completed before children are allowed to participate in Appleknocker Club. Please fill out a seperate form for each individual child. If interested, please fill out this form: https://forms.gle/ouEVLsikPYY9rtgN7

Come work with us!

When registering: 📚All students must provide two proofs of residency 📚New students must provide birth certificate, immunization records, and previous school records (if applicable) 🩺School Health Requirements are as follows: Pre-K: physical exam Kindergarten: dental, vision, and physical exam 2nd grade: dental exam 6th grade: dental and physical exam 9th grade: dental and physical exam 12th: 2nd dose of meningococcal vaccine **all athletes will need a physical or sports physical to participate in school sports**

Please join us August 13th at Cobden Elementary for a Back to School Open House 6-7 pm. Drop off school supplies, meet teachers, enjoy a treat from PTO, and see your friends! Prek-5th grade students and families welcome! 🍎First Day of School (K-5th) August 14 - 2pm dismissal 🍎First Day of PreK- August 21st

Reminder- Cobden Online Registration is open! Log into TeacherEase accounts to complete. New families and those needing assistance with the online registration process may visit through office August 6-8 from 8 am - 3 pm. Please bring all necessary documents. Students must be registered before they may attend.

CUSD #17 Online Registration is now open. Please take the time to complete all sections of the registration process. Log into your Teacherease account to begin. If you have issues logging in, please contact Mrs. Wiltowski at ewiltowski@cusd17.com Ms. Stephanie at sstroehlein@cusd17.com Ms. Bri at brichilders@cusd17.com

Please use this link to learn about important information concerning 2024-25 school year registration- https://docs.google.com/document/d/1Wx5gqmHGd143jZhNAlfrdVQ7LAHR2bhE7mOtO7j3mmg/edit

Employment Opportunity

Last Day Blast! 💥

1st Grade Fun Day at the park

The state of Illinois has announced their plan of implementing the SunBucks EBT program this fall. While we don't have much information, it is our understanding that all Cobden Dist 17 students should be eligible for benefits without the need to apply individually. Here is what we know....

Mrs. Genung's kindergarten enjoying their pizza party sponsored by PTO. 🍕 😋