August 7, 2020 - Coulter Grove Intermediate School

August 7, 2020

Dear Hawk Families,
       I’ve been playing this education game that I love a pretty long time. I still love it. I wake up every
morning excited about coming to school. My heart for serving students and families remains strong. I
know, without reservation, that our teachers and staff truly love our students, our families, and our
community. I see them walk through these halls everyday ready to serve with smiles and positivity.
Coulter Grove and Maryville City Schools are continuing our culture of excellence and service. But
this. This has been hard. There is no reason to sugar coat it. And, we know that it is equally hard on you.
        I’ve learned a lot along the way, but there is still a lot I don’t know. I’m typically pretty confident
in the answers I provide and the decisions I make. Lately, that isn’t so true. Every morning and every
night, I ask for clarity, strength and peace of mind to be able to serve well. There are so many things
that no one can control all the time but now, it is all magnified in the form of a global pandemic that
impacts every single part of our day and our students’ days. We strive to shield them from this. It is a
constant adjustment based on our environment and that, in itself, is unsettling for us all. We are all
wishing for the problems of the past rather than the challenges of today. We may not have all the
perfect answers about details like when to wear masks, how to mark attendance for every situation, or
which program is the best for a style of teaching. But, as we keep the idea of finding the best way to
serve our children at the center of our decisions, we can have confidence in what we do and how we do it.
Everyone won’t agree on the details but at least, we can come together on the why.
        We all have magic inside us (our theme this year) that allows us to overcome obstacles,
regardless of their enormity. In times of adversity, people learn new resilience and we are unbelievably
adaptable. Our children are amazingly flexible, playful and energetic. Change and learning is such a
natural state for them. It’s amazing to get to watch that on a daily basis! We know that they look to us
and our example as adults is powerful. We all have magic inside us and we all need to model it and use
it this year, more than ever. If we, as adults, can commit to loving and supporting one another, that
action will carry over to our children in a powerful way. In the end, it will help all of us to be more
understanding, patient and grateful people. The world could use that right now and together, we can
make our corner of the world a kinder, more understanding and better place for us all.
Grateful for your support,

Dr. Ramona Best
Principal, Coulter Grove Intermediate School
865-982-6345 ext. 61902

CGIS PARENTS - WE NEED YOUR HELP!
Please help us by completing the online survey and providing permission for recording of
digital classes. This will allow us to share our class sessions or portions with absent
students, allow students to re-watch portions of our lessons, and, in general, support
student learning at CGIS. All sharing of class sessions will be done privately through
Canvas or by other private means within our school community.
MCS/CGIS Online Recording of Class Permission Slip
Limited Waive of Student Privacy Rights Relating to Recording Classes for Online use by
other MCS Students. (For example, to provide the recorded class to an absent student to
catch up.)
PLEASE COMPLETE THIS VERY SHORT SURVEY NO LATER THAN TUESDAY, AUGUST
11! IT IS SHORT AND WILL ONLY TAKE A QUICK MINUTE! THANK YOU!
https://forms.office.com/Pages/ResponsePage.aspx?id=MZUbU75HG0aS8l-
mEweKguJXDemV9d5NlvxLxt38VMRUM0xGMlNGSkVHVFozNVlWM0RDSkcxMjVRQy4u

Schedule Change Requests-
We will be following our standard schedule change request procedure for parents and
students which includes completing a form and obtaining parent signature for any encore
schedule change. (Core schedules are set.) We will be changing the timing of how we
consider and process these requests. Because of how we have adjusted our master
schedule to reduce interactions, it may not be possible to fulfill requests due to restraints
in our master schedule due to cohort restrictions. As usual, we will consider requests but
please know that our administration may have to deny many schedule change requests due
to class limits, cohort restrictions, etc. Administration will review schedule change
requests on Friday, August 7th and then again on Friday, August 14th. If you wish to
inquire, please reach out to your grade level assistant principal or
cheryl.hatcher@maryville-schools.org.

GreenKeepers Earth Club                                                2020-2021 Membership Form

GreenKeepers will meet every first and third Monday that school is in session. This is a year-
long club with meetings starting August 17 and ending May 3.
Activities will cover animals, plants and ecology. We plant & maintain school gardens. Topics
                  and activities will be based on the interest of the participants.

      Cost: $20.00 (for snacks & materials) (Additional $5 in May for the field trip)
      (Members from last year: pay only $15 since our year was cut short.)
      Form: Please turn in this form to the office
      Time: 2:45 – 4:00 PM (meet in the covered patio next to the art room)
      Students will need to bring:
              A water bottle (Please label)
              Sensible closed toe shoes for walking (no flip-flops)
              Watch the weather. We will usually be outside, so dress appropriately.

                    Please cut on dotted line and keep this portion as a reminder.
……………………………………………………………………………………………………………………….......
           Send the bottom portion to the GreenKeepers Earth Club advisor, Jaquie Stiver

______________________ has permission to attend GreenKeepers Earth Club meetings and walk to the
adjoining Everett Park Ball Fields.

Parent(s) or Guardian(s) Signature: ______________________________Date_____________
During the meetings I can be reached at this phone number___________________________

My student has the following allergies: ____________________________________________

Please check all that apply:
_____ I have enclosed $20.00 to cover the cost of snacks and materials for the year.
_____ I will pick up my child promptly at 4:00 in the parking lot in front of the science labs.
_____ My child attends Adventure Club and will go there after meetings.
_____ My child will walk home after the meetings.
_____ I will send a water bottle.

For our Digital Learners, if you have Hawk Olympic donations, you can write
your Student Name, Grade, House, Business Name, Contact Name, Email, and
   Phone Number on an envelope and bring your donations to school on your
                             pickup paperwork day.