Hello Friends,

Somehow, we’re already here, with just three weeks left in the school year. Whether this season flew by or stretched long, we hope you can pause this week to take in just how far you’ve come.

There are still a few important things to wrap up:
✅ The final STAR 360 benchmark is due by the end of this week. Check in with your HST if you have questions about this.
🎉 Our Curriculum Showcase is this Friday! Whether you’re exploring and making next year’s plans or just want to connect with other families and programs, this event is always a favorite. Come be inspired!

And now, let’s talk about all those workbooks with a few unfinished pages, curriculum you didn’t quite complete, or subjects that got less attention than you hoped.

Here’s the beauty of homeschooling: You get to decide what finishing well looks like.

You can:

• 🌞 Weave in a few light lessons during the summer to keep things fresh.

• 📚 Close the book and pick up where you left off next year.

• ✨ Or move on altogether, knowing your child learned in ways far beyond the page.

There is no failure here. Homeschooling is all about flexibility, growth, and trust in the long game of learning.

If you’re looking for fresh ideas to keep learning light and joyful in these final weeks, here are some lesser-known gems:

• Wonderopolis – A daily "Wonder of the Day" that builds curiosity and cross-subject thinking.

• The Kid Should See This – Smart, short videos on everything from whales to weaving.

• Bookopolis – A Goodreads-style platform for kids to log and review books.

• The Great Plant Escape – A science mystery perfect for upper elementary learners.

• DIY.org – Self-paced, interest-based learning with projects in art, STEM, nature, and more.

As we enter these final few weeks, let them be full of connection, celebration, and the quiet confidence that what you’ve done is enough.

Kindly,
Kara Parkins, Parent Support Supervisor

As the school year winds down, it’s the perfect time to reflect on all you’ve accomplished—and get excited about what’s ahead.

Join us this Friday, May 9th from 10 am – 2 pm at the Folsom Community Center for our biggest event of the season: The Curriculum Showcase!

✨ Meet over 35 vendors and curriculum experts
✨ Explore Cottonwood-exclusive programs
✨ Connect with other families and new students joining for 2025–26
✨ Enjoy games, raffle prizes, and a whole lot of inspiration

Plus—plan to make a day of it!
🍕 Grab a bite from the Pizza Truck or Kona Ice
🚂 Bring a few dollars for a fun ride on the train
🦓 Take advantage of discounted admission to the Folsom Zoo right next door

This is a joyful celebration of how far we’ve come—and a chance to dream big for next year. Bring your family, your questions, and your curiosity. We can’t wait to see you there!

* Please note: The Lending Library and Suite 100 will be CLOSED on Friday, as staff will be in attendance at Showcase!

• Behind the Scenes, Behind the Screens: Meet Our Suite 100 Admin Assistant!

• Staff Appreciation Week is Next Week! Send your Shout-Outs!

• Campus Beautification: Help us Fill Raised Planter Beds

• Educational Design Experts: Curriculum Showcase Presentations

• Digital Literacy: Summer Online Program Access

• K-8 Instructional Programs: Registration is Open

• National Honor Society: May Service Be With You!

• CTE: Time to Register

• HS Counseling: Summer & Fall Concurrent Enrollment

• CCPA: Poetry Slam @ Coffee Republic

• And Much, Much More…

And always at the end of The Wednesday Weekly

• Registration links and schedules for Park Days, Mondays at the CCC, and the Lending Library.

You can find more info about dates and events throughout the newsletter or on the Hawks’ Nest calendar.

Remember, this list does not include all events hosted by The Cottonwood School. Please check your personal calendar and email for field trip reminders, class reminders, and more.

April 28 – May 8: STAR 360 Assessment Window Open

Friday, May 9

• Cottonwood’s 2025 Curriculum Showcase
• Lending Library and Suite 100 CLOSED for Showcase

Monday, May 12

• Mondays at the CCC (Superstar Readers activity)
• Mindset Mondays
• Storytime & Craft Club at The Lending Library, 2 – 3 pm

Wednesday, May 14

• Library on Location Van – Roseville & Antelope
• Regional Park Days – Elk Grove, Roseville, Antelope, Cameron Park
• Math Office Hours (Virtual) with Nicole Ball, 9 – 10 am

Monday, May 19

• Mondays at the CCC
• Mindset Mondays
• Storytime & Craft Club at The Lending Library, 2 – 3 pm

Wednesday, May 21

• Library on Location Van – Roseville & Antelope
• Regional Park Days – Elk Grove, Roseville, Antelope, Folsom
• Math Office Hours (Virtual) with Nicole Ball, 9 – 10 am

Friday, May 23

• Lending Library Items Due
• Last Day of School!

Whether you adore your HST, were encouraged by a specific teacher, or felt supported by someone on our staff—now is the perfect time to let them know!

Staff Appreciation Week is May 13–17, and we invite you to help us celebrate the incredible team behind your child’s learning journey.

Here are a few fun and meaningful ways to show appreciation:
💌 Write a thank-you note or have your child draw a picture
🌼 Drop off flowers or a small gift
📸 Send a short video or photo message
🍪 Share a treat or homemade card
✨ Or simply send us a shout-out!

Email your shout-outs to info@cottonwoodk12.org by Monday, May 13, and we’ll include them in next week’s Wednesday Weekly!

Let’s shower our staff with gratitude—they make Cottonwood the warm, supportive community we all love.

A local Eagle Scout candidate, Noah Baker, has taken on the task of building raised planter beds in front of Suite 100 at our Sandstone campus. These raised beds will be installed on Monday, May 12th.

We are seeking volunteers who can help fill our new raised planter beds with gravel and dirt on May 12th at 10 am. All participants must come with work gloves, wear closed-toe shoes, and bring a shovel, if possible. Any students must stay with their parents at all times during this project. If you are able to attend, please sign up using the link below.

On May 12th we will fill the planter beds with dirt. Plants will be added in August during our Back to School Open House after the irrigation has been added. Please reach out to Dianne Curtis with any questions. dianne.curtis@cottonwoodk12.org

We’ve wrapped up another successful year of instructional ordering; huge thanks to our incredible Business Services team for making it all happen!

Keep an eye on your inbox this summer for The Wednesday Bi-Weekly in June and July. We’ll be sharing important updates and reminders about the 2025–26 ordering window, which opens in July.

As we prepare for next year, we want to inform you that Instructional Funds can no longer be used for individual day or season ski passes or equipment rentals. After careful and extensive consideration, we have determined that this decision best supports our school. While we understand this change may impact some families, we are sharing this update early, as many ski resorts offer discounted passes in the spring, allowing time to plan ahead.

Please note, we will continue to offer school-sponsored ski and winter sports field trips as part of our commitment to fostering unique learning experiences for our students.

Thank you for your understanding.

Need a Math Boost? Nicole Ball is Here to Help!
Our Math Intervention Coordinator, Nicole Ball, is offering Parent Office Hours every Wednesday through May 14th. Whether you have curriculum questions, need support with pacing, or just want a little math encouragement, Nicole is happy to assist!

🗓 Wednesdays through May 14th
⏰ 9:00 – 10:00 AM

📍 Mrs. Ball’s Zoom Room

While you’re browsing curriculum, connecting with vendors, and enjoying food and fun this Friday at the Curriculum Showcase, make sure to catch one (or more!) of our Educational Design Expert presentations.

These dynamic, 25-minute sessions are not to be missed. Each one highlights a unique educational philosophy that can transform your homeschool approach. Whether you’re curious about unschooling, looking to support an advanced learner, or dreaming of a more peaceful multi-age homeschool day, there’s something here for everyone.

🎤 Presentation Highlights Include:

• Unschooling with Carey Shaw – Discover how natural learning can still meet core goals

• Advanced Learners with Rekha Mathew – Engage even the "I’m bored!" crowd

• Montessori with Shannan Chanda – Explore hands-on fraction mastery

• Unit Studies with Shannon Carpenter – Simplify with all-in-one thematic learning

• Waldorf with Catherine Lambert – Nurture the whole child through art and imagination

• Charlotte Mason with Julia Bertaina – A gentle, life-giving approach to multi-age teaching

🕥 Sessions run throughout the day starting at 10:30 am. Come be inspired, gather fresh ideas, and leave feeling re-energized for the journey ahead! Click the button below for the full schedule and session descriptions.

Wondering how long you’ll have access to Clever apps, school-supported curriculum, or paid programs after the school year ends? The graphic below provides a helpful overview of program timelines so you can plan ahead.

🔐 Some programs end with the school year
📚 Others are available year-round
📅 And Clever access will pause briefly in July before reopening in August

Take a moment to review the chart and double-check your student’s individual program dashboards for exact end dates. Stay informed and keep learning all summer long!

A big shout-out to all the parents who attended our trainings this year. Your presence, questions, and insights made them even better. We’re so grateful for your engagement and look forward to offering even more meaningful sessions next year!

🎥 Missed a training or want to revisit a topic?
You can find recorded videos on our website. Check the specific curriculum pages or visit the Educational Design Experts (EDE) page on the Nest to explore.

Office Hours:

Mondays 10 am

Thursdays 3 pm

Curriculum Zoom

RosaLee Hagstrom

Thanks to your support and partnership, our state testing went incredibly well!

Here’s a quick look at our completion rates for CAASPP testing:

• ELA: 98%

• Math: 98%

• Science (CAST): 98%

We’re so proud of our students for showing up and doing their best, and we couldn’t have done it without you encouraging them and helping them stay focused and confident.

Happening NOW: Spring Renaissance Testing

Our final round of assessments for the year—Spring Renaissance Star Testing—is happening now. These short, adaptive tests in Reading, Math, and Early Literacy (for younger students) help us measure growth and celebrate all the learning your child has done this year!

We need to achieve a minimum of 95% participation for Star testing. We have a ways to go and not a lot of time remaining!

Current participation:

• Reading: 37.1%

• Early Literacy: 49.5%

• Math: 37.0%

If you haven’t completed these yet, your teacher will be reaching out to help you schedule and wrap things up by the deadline.

Thanks again for being such amazing partners in your child’s education!

We are thrilled to announce that our priority registration for the 25-26 school year is now open for all instructional programs TK-8. Please take a moment to review the program schedule as RISE class times have recently been updated. Both the updated schedule as well as the registration form link can be found on the nest and are also linked below.

*Priority registration will be open from 5/5 until 5/16. We will then hold a lottery if needed and send out confirmations to families before school breaks for summer.

Make sure to bookmark our Superstar Readers Nest page using the quick link buttons below. These pages will remain available all summer long!

Good news: Current Learning A–Z accounts will stay active through the summer. Whether you’re a returning student or just getting started, it’s a great time to preview the curriculum, review key skills, and keep those reading muscles strong.

Let’s keep turning pages and growing as readers—all summer long!

Whether you’re looking to reinforce core skills or explore new topics, Boost classes are the perfect fit for curious homeschoolers!

Limited spots available — register now and let the learning adventure begin!

May is here, and our NHS and NJHS members are reflecting this month on the group service projects we completed in April. For a quick recap, our members raised $250 at our Maker’s Market Bake Sale. This money was then donated to three local charities: Elk Grove Animal Shelter, RedRover Animal Rescue, and Al-Misbaah Food Drive.

Our members also got up early on a rainy Saturday in April in order to volunteer at the Al-Misbaah Food Drive in Sacramento. Our members were connecting with the community directly, bagging groceries and loading their car trunks. After talking with the food drive organizer at the end of the event, he informed us that we had helped serve over 550 families in need that day. Thanks, members, for all your hard work this year!

Are you a student who might be interested in joining? Students who will be in grades 7-12 next year can access our application requirements to get more information about the application and our program. As we reorganize our program, our application period will be moved to the fall semester, opening in September next year. Students must have prior leadership or service experience to apply; if you don’t have this experience, you should seek out opportunities over summer before applying next year.

Let the advisers know if you have any questions or comments.

• NHS Adviser: Mr. L – kyle.lutkemuller@cottonwoodk12.org

• NJHS Adviser: Mr. Clark – evan.clark@cottonwook12.org

Here are the resources you need to get a jumpstart on registration:

• 2025-2026 CVHS Program Details

• 2025-2026 CVHS Live Class Schedule

• CVHS 2025-2026 Class Request Form

• 2025-2026 CVHS Class Lists & Live Class Schedule

Please click here for more information!

We’re brewing up something special at CCPA! This Thursday, May 8th at 6:00 pm, our 11th and 12th grade students are hitting the stage in our very own poetry slam! Hosted at Coffee Republic in Folsom, this event will give students the opportunity to share their original work with family, friends, and community members in a cozy real-world setting. After a few weeks of writing, editing, and building confidence, our students are ready to speak their truth and shine on stage. Their poetry pieces include thoughtful reflections that are sure to make the slam a memorable evening full of heart and creativity!

Experiences like these are what CCPA is all about! We believe that learning should extend far beyond the four walls of a classroom. Our poetry slam is just one example of how we strive to create real-world opportunities for students to show them all the different avenues they can utilize to apply their skill sets in meaningful ways. By blending English Language Arts standards with authentic expression and public speaking, our students gain experience that builds both academic and personal growth. Do you know a high schooler who would thrive in our creative and real-world environment? Reach out to us at (530) 285-2003 or email isabella.brenneman@cottonwoodk12.org to learn how to join us for the 2025-25 school year! Opportunity awaits!

Come see what we’ve been up to in the world of growth, mindfulness, and independence:

🎥 Videos of Mindful Movement – Watch our students in action as they ground themselves, breathe, and move with purpose.
🧠 Lesson Demo – Experience a live taste of the kinds of activities that help students grow emotionally, mentally, and socially.
🌟 Let Grow Excitement – Discover how we’re encouraging independence, creativity, and confidence with the Let Grow movement!

This is your chance to peek inside the heart of what we’re building together here at Cottonwood.

This May, we honor the diverse cultures, histories, and contributions of Asian American and Pacific Islander communities. We’re thrilled to spotlight one of our own Cottonwood students, Lomani-Lee, who proudly represents both her Fijian and Chinese heritage. Below, Lomani-Lee shares her family’s unique story and the ways her culture, travel, and passions are woven into her homeschool journey at Cottonwood:

Lomani-Lee is a 4th grader at Cottonwood of Fijian and Chinese descent. Her father is native Fijian or Itaukei and her mother is 2nd generation Chinese American.

Fun fact: Pacific Islanders are made up of Polynesians, Melanesians, and Micronesians. Fiji is a Melanesian nation made up of an archipelago of 300+ islands in the South Pacific.

Proudly Itaukei, a reference to the indigenous population of Fiji, Lomani-Lee has a rich culture rooted in the vanua or land of Fiji.

Being part of the Cottonwood School community allows them the flexibility in learning that they need in order to travel regularly to their second home in Fiji.

Deeply rooted in the Chinese community here in Sacramento, Lomani-Lee has the time to invest in her serious commitment to Kung Fu because of the flexibility in learning Cottonwood provides. Most recently, she won 3 gold medals at the Pan-American International Wushu Competition.

Here is a link to one of Lomani-Lee’s favorite Fijian desserts!

This school year, our Cottonwood community showed up in a big way—220 events and field trips with over 15,000 attendees (and that’s not even counting weekly park days!).

Huge gratitude goes to our amazing Community Team—including our Community Coordinators, Family Liaisons, Everybody Belongs team, and our incredible collaborators from Instructional Programs and SELF. Your creativity, dedication, and heart made it all happen.

And guess what? The fun doesn’t end with the school year!
☀️ Stay tuned for summer field trips and park days, and mark your calendars; 2025–26 field trips launch this August.

Thank you for making this a truly unforgettable year of learning, connection, and adventure. Here’s to more to come!

As the school year winds down, don’t forget to return any borrowed items by May 23rd—the last day the library will be open before our summer inventory closure.

✅ Curious about overdue items, summer checkouts, or using borrowed curriculum over the break?
Check out our Library FAQ below to get all your questions answered!

📅 The Library Schedule graphic outlines key dates for May–July, including:

• 📕 Last day to return materials: May 23

• 📦 Library closed for inventory in June

• ✅ In-person checkout reopens July 7

• 🛒 Online catalog reopens July 21 to place new orders

We’re here to help you wrap up the year smoothly and gear up for a great summer of learning!

We’re down to the final stretch of the school year, and there’s still time to connect, play, and soak up the sunshine with your Cottonwood community!

Check out next week’s Park Day line-up for May 14:
📍 Elk Grove – Kammerer Park, 10 am (with Alaynah M.)
📍 Cameron Park – Rasmussen Park, 10 am(with Saralynn D.)

📍 Roseville – Kaseberg Park, 10 am –12 pm (with Amanda B.)

📍 Antelope – Dry Creek Park (Roseville), 10 am – Join us for crafts! 🎨 (with Maria O.)

💬 El Dorado County/Folsom friends—where are you? Attendance has been light, and we’d love to see our local families show up and build community! These park days are a great way to meet new friends, and just enjoy the slower side of learning.

🔔 Stay in the loop all summer and into next year:

Join your local Remind group to receive updates on Family Liaison-led park days, cancellations, and more!

REMIND: Rocklin/Roseville/Lincoln Park Day

REMIND: 50 Corridor: Folsom/Placerville/Rancho Cordova

REMIND: Elk Grove Park Day

REMIND: Antelope/Fair Oaks/Citrus Heights

Ms. Becca will be at Curriculum Showcase! Come by and say "Hi," and let us know what you’d like to see at Mondays at the CCC next year!

For the last two weeks of school, we’ll just be spending time together doing schoolwork, playing games, and wrapping up the year together. Bring your schoolwork, board games, art supplies, and more!

Swing by the Family Liaison table at the Curriculum Showcase to get the inside scoop on all things summer! We’ll be sharing details about upcoming summer park days and field trips—with registration opening next week in the Wednesday Weekly.

Come say hi, ask questions, and start planning your summer adventures with Cottonwood!

• OFFICIAL Facebook Community Group
• Official and private, moderated by Cottonwood School staff.
• Ensures accurate information and verifies active members as parents/legal guardians.
• A secure space for information, updates, and community connections.
• Public Instagram
• Pinterest – Tons of resources and ideas to be found.

Click the links below to add yourself to our REMIND list for our Park days. A weekly text will be sent to remind you of our upcoming event. Additionally, if there are last-minute location or time changes, you will be updated.

REMIND: Mondays at the CCC

REMIND: Rocklin/Roseville/Lincoln Park Day

REMIND: 50 Corridor: Folsom/Placerville/Rancho Cordova

REMIND: Elk Grove Park Day

REMIND: Antelope/Fair Oaks/Citrus Heights

• The Parents Hawks Nest – Everything you need to know and more is found here.

• Past Wednesday Weekly Newsletters
• 2024/25 School Calendar

THE COTTONWOOD SCHOOL

Serving transitional kindergarten through 12th-grade students in El Dorado, Amador, Alpine, Placer, and Sacramento Counties.

Location: 3921 Sandstone Dr. Ste 100, El Dorado Hills, CA 95762, USA