Written by Thomas Wisch, Principal
The New Year is always a time of excitement and hope for the future, but also to reflect on the past. I would like to take this opportunity to thank our staff, students, and parents (and especially our parent volunteers) for all their hard work and dedication. Our PTA has done a remarkable job this year; and their increased involvement and interest in supporting Cooks Corners academic areas is a welcome endeavor.
This being my second year as principal of Cooks Corners Elementary, I am continually amazed with the amount of caring, time, and effort displayed by our staff, students, and parents. Research shows that one of the most effective ways to increase student achievement and maintain a child’s positive attitude towards their education is to increase positive parental involvement. Not surprisingly, our most outstanding students tend to have our most involved parents. When parents and educators form positive partnerships to encourage a child’s positive efforts and hold children lovingly accountable, their future achievements are limited only by their own imaginations.
I would like to share with you some of the great things happening in our school:
Mrs. Zappia, our music teacher, and our choir have done a phenomenal job. I have heard nothing but rave reviews of their performance at “This is Our Story.” We are so proud of these children for their tireless effort and to Mrs. Zappia at guiding them to become such an amazing choir.
Our annual Variety Show at Ben Franklin Middle School was a huge success this year! Mr. Webster (one of our fourth grade teachers) and Mrs. Holland (one of our instructional aides) and the students have again done a fantastic job. We all greatly appreciate their consistent and loving effort. I realize that it’s not a “talent” show; however, I saw more courage and talent that night from our kids than I have in quite some time. Shyness is not an attribute that inhibits our wonderful group of students!
Our student council, along with their sponsor Mrs. Karol Kennedy (also one of our third grade teachers), has also done a tremendous job this year. They are a selfless, caring group of children we can be proud of and other students can look to as role models. They have worked hard to raise money for numerous charities such as; local food drives, Porter County Mental Health Association, Toys for Tots, and Riley Hospital, just to name a few. They have genuinely helped Cooks to become a more caring community.
As VCS continually strives to meet the needs of all students, I highly encourage our parents and staff to attend Dr. Melin’s presentation of the VCS Strategic Plan on February 7, 6:30 p.m., here at Cooks Corners Elementary.