PRINCIPAL'S MESSAGE

May 2008

Dear Cherokee Families,

It is hard to believe that the school year is nearing its conclusion and summer vacation is "just around the corner. " Thank you for working with us as a team so that our children can benefit from strong positive role models. We can attribute much of our success to our faculty, our staff, our parents, and our community. At Cherokee we have had a plethora of volunteers everyday and we know that they have made a difference. Our APT Officers, Cherokee Site Council, and committees have been tremendous and I personally thank them for their support and friendship.

Just reading the school directory, you can see the numerous lists of parents that organize events throughout the year. I cannot express enough of my appreciation for the their involvement towards maintaining the rich traditions that make Cherokee a unique school. A special thank you to the Fine Arts Committees, Fundraising Committees, Social Events Committee, Education Committees, Communications Committees, Community Relations Committees and Purchasing Committee. I especially am thankful for the cheerful garden and courtyard areas that make our campus beautiful. I appreciate the dedication and hard work that went into the Art Walk and Open House/Orientation, Character Counts/Education, School Pride/Hospitality, Thanksgiving/Colonial Day, Safety/Traffic, Art Masterpiece, Book Bonanza, Tax Credit, Carnival, Game Nights, 5th grade States Day, Fundraising/Gifting, Round-Up and Express newsletters as well as the "Famous" Cherokee Auction we called Boots and Bling. Finally, I thank our room parents who work on campus each and everyday as part of the educational process and success of the students and staff. As everyone knows, the District does not have a budget for projects like we have on campus and you have all supported our Mission of Pride.

Please note that our last day of school, Wednesday, May 28th, is an early release day ending at 12:15. Lunch and transportation will be provided as usual. You are invited to join us at 8:00 A.M. on the back basketball courts for our "Moving Up Celebration” for all of our children and to say good-bye to our 5th graders who will be going to the middle school next year. The parking lot will be full so you might want to make plans to carpool.

Placement letters will be mailed home sometime in July. These letters will indicate your child's teacher for the following year. If your child is going to be a 4th or 5th grader next year, the letter will include their Special Class. If your child did not return the Special Sign-Up form, please do so before the school year ends so that we can try to place them in a class that you have chosen as a family. Cherokee class lists will be posted in the front office window the week before school begins in August. ( We start school August 11th at 7:45 to 2:15 )

The Arizona Department of Education will return the AIMS and TerraNova results to the District sometime during the summer. We have no control over their timeline, but when the test results are received by our District, each elementary school site will adhere to the same procedure for disseminating the results. Elementary sites follow different procedures than the middle school. The 5th grade results are sent to the middle school and they send home the results to families. If you are not attending Cocopah, please notify them in August so they can send your child's score to you and to your new school.

Please be reminded that Lost and Found will be donated to a charity after the last day of school. Report cards will be sent home on the last day, providing all school books and other equipment have been returned. Books checked out from the library or classrooms need to be returned as soon as possible.

In closing, I say good-bye to my Assistant Principal, Sarah Stammegna who has been selected as the principal of Cochise Elementary School. We wish her much success. All of us at Cherokee thank our teachers, staff, and parents for the year they have served our District and our school.

Sincerely,

Jan Howard