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Table of Contents Page

Jacque’s Note 2 Community News 3-7 MS News 8 HS News 9-12 Senior News 13

December 10, 2014

Wednesday Packet

Important Dates/Information *Elective Choices MUST be submitted for 2nd Semester. Forms are on the Parent Portal. Contact Molly Switzer with any questions. *Toy and Coat Drive Ends This Friday *January After School Program begins immediately after the Winter Holiday. Be sure to submit your payment online or directly to the Business Office. HIGH SCHOOL EXAMS – Noon Dismissal HS Tuesday-Thursday, December 16-18 MIDDLE SCHOOL TEACHER WORK DAY Thursday, December 18 No School for MS Only WINTER HOLIDAY December 19-January 2 No School TCS Offices Closed December 24-January 1 SECOND SEMESTER BEGINS January 5, 2015 PAC MEETING Thursday, January 8 8:00am In Conf. Room B HOMECOMING Saturday, January 17 in the Cougar Center

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Can we talk? As the holidays approach, the opportunities for social interaction with family and friends increase. For those parents with highly gregarious children, this is nothing new and has its own challenges. For those with children who have longed for friends, this comes, initially, as a welcome improvement, but may be a double edged sword. Although the adolescent journey remains the same from generation to generation, our social environment has changed drastically. Adolescence is a time of natural exploration and discovery. Finding the type of friends you enjoy, learning how to relate to the opposite sex, and navigating the “rites of passage” that await all teenagers is the stuff novels and movies are made of. I am sure we (adults) would be amused if several of us exchanged stories of common behavior that occurred in our own high schools. At my recent reunion (where those kinds of stories run rampant!) we reminisced about the foolish situations we had gotten ourselves into. Reality Check. Today, many of those situations could have resulted in criminal charges. The “risky” behavior of the past may now be cause for reports to the police or DFACS. What was “fooling around” can be interpreted as abuse. The age of the teenagers involved and the nature of the behavior defines the seriousness of the situation. There is no gray area anymore. The reality is that even innocent exploration can have dire consequences. Our society has taken broad steps to protect our children and the laws surrounding that goal have exponentially increased. It is critical that every parent and teenager understand the ramifications of social choices. Several years ago we invited J. Tom Morgan, a local prosecutor and author, to speak with our community about the consequences of taking risks with alcohol, drugs and sexual behavior. The title of his book is Ignorance is No Defense: A Teenager’s Guide to Georgia Law. I wish we could have him speak every year to our students, staff and parents, as his message could save lives. For the last few years we have brought in other attorneys for professional in-services to discuss the laws, particularly those related to ”mandated reporting” that apply to teachers and all who work with children. In my youth, many adults either were not aware or did not take notice when children under the age of 18 were involved in any risky/dangerous situations. “Boys will be boys.” Today, we (teachers and counselors) can be arrested if we fail to report any suspected or reported abuse, sexual or physical. We are not allowed to investigate situations; we must notify the authorities within 24 hours of the report. Cases of physical abuse have been taken more seriously for decades. The changes that parents and teens need to be more aware of are those situations involving sexual language, images or behavior. Teenagers are not immune to the temptation to send messages that are provocative or to interact with each other inappropriately. Our society flaunts inappropriate social behavior in every media imaginable and expects our teens to know right from wrong. That makes our job, as the adults, even more difficult.

Please monitor your teen’s social engagements responsibly. Know where they are and who they are with. Supervise the teens that gather in your home. Set and enforce rules that keep your teen safe. Get to know the parents of your teen’s friends. Report inappropriate/suspicious behavior to school authorities before the situation gets out of hand. Cooperate with the school should your teen make a misstep. We really are on the same side and will work to minimize the consequences when we can. Most importantly, be sure your teen understands the expectations for responsible choices and the consequences for not choosing wisely. Together, we can form a wall of protection that allows our teens to navigate these years without incurring consequences that can change the

direction of their lives.

December 10, 2014

Jacque’s Note

Advancement Angle

News you can use to help raise money for The Cottage School

It is still not too late to participate in Georgia Goal! If you have not yet signed up, please do so by December 15th to ensure your

form is submitted to the Georgia Department of Revenue on January 1st.

Click here to apply online.

Don’t wait till the last minute to make your

contribution to the Key Annual Fund!

Donate today: http://www.cottageschool.org/donate-now/

Remember- Donations to TCS postmarked by December 31st are deductible on this year’s tax return.

During the holidays, the Advancement Office will be available for gift processing. If you

are planning to make a gift by December 31st, please go online to www.cottageschool.org/

donate-now/ before midnight on the 31st, postmark your envelope by the 31st, or call

Tracy Ballot at 678-250-5103.

Emergency Preparedness at The Cottage School

The Cottage School regularly holds practice drills for various scenarios including not only for severe weather like tornadoes, but we also have practice drills for fire, evacuations, soft and hard lockdowns, and other emergencies. The more that the staff and students practice the drills, the more likely all involved will be able to follow protocol safely if a real emergency were to occur. The Cottage School has embarked on updating several of our procedures to coincide with the changes in the physical layout of our campus. Old buildings gone, new buildings are open, the use of outdoor areas such as an archery range, all keep us on our toes to make sure we are prepared. We wanted to let you know that on Thursday, December 11th, the students and staff will be practicing a hard lockdown drill. On this date, a hard lockdown drill at The Cottage School will be initiated by a scheduled announcement and will include locking all students and staff inside their classrooms. Students are required to remain silent, and to follow instructions closely. Additionally, staff and students may also utilize offices and other safe areas for security until the administration can perform a safety check and then provide an “All Clear” announcement. We realize that although this will typically be a very short drill (less than 15 minutes) it may cause a level of anxiety for some of our students. Please reinforce with your students the importance of practicing these drills as we do in our classrooms. We do plan on having additional scheduled and unscheduled soft and hard lockdown drills before the end of the year providing for other scenarios. We want to make sure that all of our students and staff understand our desire for their safety and school security while on our campus.

Winter weather is on its way…where is your jacket?

Before the winter holiday, make sure your student checks

the lost and found for personal items. Lost and found

bins are located in the ‘I’ building, RCC and the Middle

School front office. Please remind your

student to check and see if their missing

belongings are there. Thanks for your help in this

matter.

And don’t forget to label all personal items.

Roswell Rotary Club Recognition

A TCS teacher and student will be recognized at Thursday’s Roswell

Rotary Club meeting. TCS has had a long partnership with this civic

organization that has served to provide role models and exposure to a

variety of careers. The business leaders who make up the membership

value education and especially celebrate those students who strive to

do their best.

Teacher of the Month is Allen McAdams and TCS Senior Alex Lee is the

Student of the Month. Congratulations to both.

On-line forms must be submitted! The deadline is December 12th. We have

gone paperless with Elective Classes selection. Please go to the Parent Portal on

the TCS website to review the elective classes, their descriptions and then make

selections using the drop down boxes. Please select the classes your student

would like for choices one through four on both the Monday/Wednesday and the

Tuesday/Thursday afternoons. Classes will be assigned on a first-come first-serve

basis. If you have any questions about how to complete these forms, please

contact Molly Switzer.

Last Chance to Donate

Toy and Winter Coat Drive

Through Friday

When: Ends This Friday-December 12

th

Who: To benefit North Fulton Community Charities

What: GENTLY USED or NEW WINTER COATS in all sizes

and NEW, UNWRAPPED TOYS for all ages.

*Each toy and/or coat a student brings puts them into

a drawing for a special prize!! Drawing will be held on

December 12th.

**Sponsored by Interact Club **

LEGO ROBOTICS Is COMING to THE COTTAGE SCHOOL

The Cottage School is proud to offer Elementary Engineering I (LEGO Robotics) to its students beginning on Monday,

January 5, 2015, continuing through the remainder of the school year, May 2015. The instructor will be a staff member

from Youth Technology Learning Center (YTLC), www.youthtechnologylc.com. YTLC is a creative after-school Center

with a core focus on S.T.E.M. Technology Classes. S.T.E.M. education focuses on science, technology, engineering, and

mathematics concepts taught through problem-solving, discovery, exploratory learning, and critical thinking. Students are

active participants as they build, investigate, problem-solve, discuss, and evaluate scientific and design principles in

action. We must have a minimum of six students before we can offer this opportunity. Questions? Contact Nancy,

678.250-5111 or by email NancyW@cottageschool.org.

Day/time: Mondays, 3:15 PM-4:45 PM Location: Cougar Center (I Building)

Pick-up: no later than 5:00 PM or $1/minute charges apply (unless student is enrolled in ASP)

Instructor: Staff member from Youth Technology Learning Center Additional Supervision: ASP staff member

Fee (non-refundable) must be paid in advance for two-month segments: $20/week

Fee total for January/February 2015: $120-(1/5/2015, 1/12/2015, 1/26/2015, 2/2/2015, 2/9/2015, 2/23/2015)

Non-refundable deposit: $35 (applied toward January/February) If there are not enough students for the class, the

deposit will be refunded.

Name of student: _______________________________________ Age of student: __________

Parent/Guardian name: ________________________________ Cell phone contact information: ___________

DEADLINE to register for January/February is Friday, December 12, 2014.

Registration is not considered complete until application and waiver are completed/returned

with fees to The Cottage School. Thank you!

MS December Activities

DATE TIME Activity RAIN-

OUT

TCS$ Things to bring

Friday

12/12

Clubs

$210.80 Club Materials

Friday

12/12

Academics

$223.80

Academic Materials

*Remember to bring an

independent reading book if you

complete your work early.

*Make sure you have all savings checks turned into Lauren before you leave for break!*

12/18 Middle School

Teacher Work Day-

NO SCHOOL

12/19 All School

Teacher Work Day-

NO SCHOOL

12/22-1/2 Winter Holiday-

NO SCHOOL

ENJOY THE BREAK! See you January 5, 2014!

HS Activities for December

DATE TIME Activity TCS$ Things to bring/U.S. $

Friday

12/12

Academics

8:15

10:00

12:00

12:45

2:40

Levels

Academics

Lunch

Academics

Homeroom

$454.07

Academic material to complete work and

spare reading materials

if you will be in academics

all day!

Off-

Campus

10:00-

2:00

Rock Climbing

at

Escalade

$439.43

Fully enclosed shoes *Bring bag lunch or money for food

*Parents must provide waiver form and a

copy of their driver’s license

(http://www.escaladegym.com/liability.aspx)

On-

Campus

10:00

12:00

12:45

2:40

Holiday Wreaths

Lunch

Seasonal Ornaments

Homeroom

$424.78

Saturday

12/13

8:00-

3:00

Saturday School for students who owe attendance

hours

Your planner, notebooks, textbooks, study

materials, lunches and a change of clothing

for PM work detail

Monday

12/15

Final Standard School Day of

the First Semester

Last review for final exams

Remember: Return all textbooks for one

semester classes

Tuesday

12/16

Final Exam: Period One

Final Exam: Period Two

The school day ends at 12:00 noon

Wed

12/17

Final Exam: Period Three

Final Exam: Period Four

The school day ends at 12:00 noon

Thur

12/18

Final Exam: Period Five

Final Exam: HR Final

The school day ends at 12:00 noon

12/19

Through

1/2/2015

WINTER

HOLIDAY

ENJOY!

ATTENTION HS Parents and Students: In an effort to help our teenagers learn the concept of Sick/Personal Leave in the work place, we have a system that tracks their attendance hours as if they were on the job. Each student earns 8 hours (1 day) every 4 weeks and can use or accumulate up to 32 hours (4 days) per semester. If they are absent more than their allotted hours, they make them up. If they save the hours, they can cash them in for days off during exams- like we save days for vacation at work. Please check accumulated/negative attendance hours with your student, and verify with their homeroom teacher during weekly calls. Students who have saved hours are eligible to take early exams and buy-off their exam days for an extended break! Students who are eligible to buy off exam days will bring home an Exam Buy-off Form with their positive hours listed and they will need your signature to be able to take advantage of this privilege. If your student has negative hours, it is imperative that they make-up negative hours prior to Saturday School on December 13. If they fail to do so, they will have to attend Saturday School. Students who owe hours and who do not attend Saturday School will be suspended for the three days following December 13th per our school policy. This means that suspended students will miss several days of exams and will receive a ‘0’ for those exams. For students who owe hours, they may come in early from 7 to 8 A.M. (+1 hour) or stay after school from 3 to 4 P.M. (+1 hour). We strongly encourage them to make up their hours daily, so they can avoid Saturday School all together!

Thank you,

H.S. Exam Schedule Fall Semester 2014

Exam Schedule Thursday 12/11 1:15 - 2:40 7th period exam Monday 12/15 1:15 - 2:40 6th period exam

8:00 - 8:15 A.M. Homeroom

8:20 - 9:50 1st period exam Tuesday 12/16 9:55 - 10:10 Break

10:15 - 11:45 2nd period exam

11:50 - 12:00 P.M. Homeroom

8:00 - 8:15 A.M. Homeroom

8:20 - 9:50 3rd period exam Wednesday 12/17 9:55 - 10:10 Break

10:15 - 11:45 4th period exam

11:50 - 12:00 P.M. Homeroom

8:00 - 8:15 A.M. Homeroom

8:20 - 9:50 5th period exam Thursday 12/18 9:55 - 10:10 Break

10:15 - 11:45 Homeroom exam

11:50 - 12:00 P.M. Homeroom

Teacher Work Day Friday 12/19 8:00 - 3:00 NO SCHOOL

Have a great Winter Break!

DECEMBER 19 to JANUARY 4

Second Semester Begins January 5

Attention Parents of High School Students!!

After School Program and the Last Week of School before Winter Break

As you are aware, high school students will be dismissed at noon (12 PM) on Tuesday-Thursday,

December 16-18, 2014, High School Exam Week. In order to staff for After School Program

(ASP) supervision, we need to know how many of our high school students plan to stay beyond

noon (12 PM). Students staying for the After School Program should bring lunch from home or

order from Wholesome Tummies.

Please indicate which day(s) your teenager will need to stay with the After School Program

during High School Exam Week.

____ No, my student (name) _____________________________ will not participate in the

After School Program December 16-18, 2014. I have arranged transportation for my student’s

dismissal at noon.

____ Yes, my student (name) _____________________________ will participate in the After

School Program on the following dates with pick-up times:

Cost:

ASP enrolled students: No additional cost

**Students not enrolled in ASP will need to make prior arrangements with Nancy at

NancyW@cottageschool.org.

The cost is $10.00 per day.

Parent/Guardian Name: _________________________________ Date: ________________

Please return to Nancy at The Cottage School by Tuesday, December 9, 2014. Thank you!

Tuesday December 16,

2014

12:00 PM until

_______ PM

Thursday, December 18,

2014

12:00 PM until

_______ PM

Wednesday December 17,

2014

12:00 PM until

_______ PM

Congratulations to the Class of 2015

on their acceptances and scholarship awards to the following

post-secondary programs!

Courtney Connell: Kennesaw State University, The University of Alabama, Columbus State University, &

Georgia Southern University.

Zak Kitzler: Hood College- $60,000 Scholarship & Young Harris University- $52,000 scholarship

Alex Lee: Reinhardt University & Wingate University- $64,000 presidential scholarship

KJ Powell: Piedmont College- $36,000 Piedmont Pride Scholarship & $2,800 Georgia Tuition Grant

Noah Storm: Green Mountain College & Colorado Mountain College

Joseph Thompson: Capstone Program

Will Hall: University of West Georgia, University of Mississippi- $6,000 scholarship, Louisiana State

University, Georgia Southern University, University of Alabama, & Valdosta State University