Did you know NUT Days—or No Uniform Today Days—fund multiple buses to and from field trips, cover the costs of these trips for students who may not be able afford the fees, pay for classroom celebrations, and so many other student activities throughout the year? It’s one the HSA’s biggest annual fundraisers! Thanks for participating!

If you selected the pay twice per year option in September or you’ve been paying weekly and want to pay ahead for the rest of the year,  $15 per student Feb-June is due Feb. 14!* 

Send cash or check (payable to CW HSA) in a sealed envelope with a note saying NUT Day payment with your student’s name, grade, and teacher. Or pay via https://paypal.me/cookwisshsa – include your child’s name, teacher, and NUT DAY in the space for special instructions. 

*Please note, on occasion we plan special NUT Days for a specific cause—these days are not part of days included in the pay-ahead options. We’ll let you know about those special days  in correspondence through email, Facebook, and Twitter.

• Monday, 2/3: 8th Grade Dues: first payment of $50 is due. The second payment of $50 will be due by Monday, 3/16. Early payments accepted!
  Monday, 2/3 – Friday, 2/7: Scholastic Book Fair. Haven’t signed up to volunteer yet? It’s not too late! Find the schedule, sign up to volunteer, and create an e-wallet for your student here!
• Wednesday, 2/5 – Friday 2/7: Half Days (12:24 Dismissal) and Free NUT Days. Report Card Conferences will be held Wednesday from 12:30-3:30 pm and Thursday from 12:30-3:30 pm and 5-7 pm. There will also be a Girl Scout Cookie Booth on Thursday during afternoon and evening conferences.
• Saturday, 2/8: Schoolyard cleanup from 8-10 am
• Monday, 2/10: Keller Williams School Initiative Presentation from 4-5 pm at CW. KW Agent and former CW parent will present information about their School Initiative program. Professionals will also discuss logistics of buying a home, taking out loans, and more. All are welcome.
• Monday, 2/10 – Friday, 2/28: The Leukemia/ Lymphoma Society Fundraiser: Pennies for Patients. Additional information to come.
• Wednesday, 2/12: Middle School Valentine’s Day Dance from 5-7 pm at the CW Gym! Middle School Teachers sent flyers home with students. Cost is $10
• Friday, 2/14: If you chose the twice-yearly payment plan for NUT Days – or want to pay ahead for the rest of the year, payments of $15 are due! You can pay by check or cash or PayPal – find all the details here! Every Friday is a NUT Day—students pay $1 to dress down. This is an important fundraiser for the CW HSA—this money provides multiple buses to and from field trips and supports other student activities.
• Friday, 2/14: CW Choir Spaghetti Dinner at Cook-Wissahickon from 6-7:30 pm. Volunteers are needed – sign up here.
• Monday, 2/17: Presidents’ Day – No School
• Tuesday, 2.18: WSC Meeting at The Foodery at 6:30 pm or
• Wednesday, 2/19: WSC Meeting at CW at 4 pm
• Thursday, 2/20: CW teachers and the HSA invite students to wear pink or dress down and donate $1 (or whatever you wish) to help us support Friends in Pink, a local nonprofit group that raises funds to help those in the Roxborough Manayunk community who have been diagnosed with breast cancer. Send money in a sealed envelope marked “Friends in Pink NUT Day” or pay via Paypal!
• Thursday, 2/20: HSA Meeting at 6pm at CW
• Saturday, 2/22: Schoolyard cleanup from 8-10 am
• Wednesday, 2/26: Dine to Donate at California Pizza Kitchen – City Ave all day. Bring this flyer and 20% of your check will be donated to CW. Purchases include dine-in, takeout, catering, and beverages! And be sure to fill in your student’s teacher’s name—the class with the most participants can win a free pizza party!
• Friday, 2/28: Professional Development Half Day – 12:24 Dismissal
• NUT Day Fridays: Every Friday is a NUT Day—students pay $1 to dress down. On Fridays, please send in $1 for your student to participate or look at ways you can pay ahead here.

Reminders and Update
February Lunch Menu: Check out this month’s menu here!

Fundraiser Information
Mabel’s Labels Fundraiser: Log on to MabelsLabels.com and click on the upper right-hand side where it says, “Support a Fundraiser”. Type in “Cook-Wissahickon”, shop, have it shipped to your house, and CW earns money!

Box Tops For Education: We’re still accepting the paper box tops, but these traditional box tops clippings are being phased out. Now, when you see a Box Top Symbol, you can download the App and upload your receipt! This money goes directly to the school to help support student activities!  

Volunteer and Donation Needs
Volunteer Clearances: Every person who volunteers at our school—in the classroom, on field trips, at school events, etc.—MUST have clearances!

Choir Fundraiser: Want to help the CW Choir? Check out this GoFundMe page a CW student set up to raise funds for the music program to help cover the costs of the choir traveling to their championship competition later this year. Donate and/or share! Thanks in advance for your support https://www.gofundme.com/f/charters-for-champions

Library Volunteers: WePac volunteers staff our library, but additional volunteers are needed in order to allow more CW students to be able to use the library. No experience needed—you’ll be trained on what to do. If interested, email CookWissHSA@gmail.com or find WePac volunteers at school on Thursdays! They are also accepting donations of lightly used books! These books will help stock our library as well as other school libraries throughout the city!

Schoolyard Cleanups: Come out from 8 to 10 am in the schoolyard on the following Saturday Mornings: 2/8, 2/22, 3/7, and 3/21. Help us keep our schoolyard clean. Each of these dates (weather permitting), we’ll do a light grounds cleanup followed by time to enjoy the playground. The HSA and WSC will provide trash bags and gloves to volunteers. No need to RSVP. Just show up when you can, for whatever amount of time!

CW Amazon Wish List Spotlight: Want to brighten a teacher’s month? Consider purchasing an item on his/her wish list! Find all CW teacher Amazon Wish Lists here!

Clothing Donations Needed and Available: If you have gently used uniforms, sweatshirts, or coats you’d like to donate, please send to the HSA office. If you need any items, stop by the HSA office to see if we have what you need. Thanks!

Important Upcoming Dates

• Thursday, 1/16: HSA Meeting at 6pm at Terrace Street Bakery and Cafe at 3862 Terrace St., 19128. Join us for the first meeting of 2020. We’ll be discussing plans for the remainder of the year, forming an election committee for HSA elections this spring, and more!
• Monday, 1/20: No School – MLK Day.
• Thursday,1/23: The Cook-Wissahickon Winter Concert from 1:45 to 2:45 pm. K-5 students and the Orchestra will be performing in this showcase “Rock and Roll Forever.” Doors open at 1:30pm for public seating in the cafeteria for the program.
• Thursday, 1/23: Musical Meeting for Parents. Congrats to the students in grades 4-8 who found out their roles in this year’s musical, Bye Bye Birdie! This meeting is for parents of students in the show and for parents of students in grades K-3 who are interested in being involved. Time is set tentatively for 6 pm in the CW library.
• Friday, 1/24: Half day – 12:24 dismissal for Professional Development Day.
• Friday, 1/24: Dine to Donate: Cook-Wissahickon Night at Craft Hall from 5 to 7 pm. Join us for a fun evening of playing and craft beverages at Craft Hall Philly! A portion of the proceeds is donated back to CW! We hope to see you there!
• ***New Date***Tuesday, 1/28: Wissahickon Sustainability Council Meeting at The Foodery Roxborough at 6:30 pm or
• ***New Date***Wednesday, 1/29: WSC Meeting at CW at 4 pm
• NUT Day Fridays: Every Friday is a NUT Day—students pay $1 to dress down. On Fridays, please send in $1 for your student to participate or look at ways you can pay ahead here.
• January Lunch Menu: Check out this month’s menu here!

Ongoing Fundraisers:
Mabel’s Labels Fundraiser: Log on to MabelsLabels.com and click on the upper right-hand side where it says, “Support a Fundraiser”. Type in “Cook-Wissahickon”, shop, have it shipped to your house, and CW earns money!
Box Tops For Education: We’re still accepting the paper box tops, but these traditional box tops clippings are being phased out. Now, when you see a Box Top Symbol, you can download the App and upload your receipt! This money goes directly to the school to help support student activities!  

Volunteer and Donation Needs
Volunteer Clearances: Every person who volunteers at our school—in the classroom, on field trips, at school events, etc.—MUST have clearances!
CW Amazon Wish List Spotlight: Want to brighten a teacher’s month? Consider purchasing an item on his/her wish list! Find all CW teacher Amazon Wish Lists here!
Clothing Donations Needed and Available: If you have gently used uniforms, sweatshirts, or coats you’d like to donate, please send to the HSA office. If you need any items, stop by the HSA office to see if we have what you need. Thanks!
HSA Committees: We need members for our Middle School Committee and an Election Committee. Would you like to get involved? If you’re interested or want more information, email cookwisshsa@gmail.com.

Thanks for a Great 2019!
There were so many great events in the first part of this school year—the 5K, the 50th Anniversary, Fall Movie Night, Harvest Festival, Book Fair, Dine to Donates, the CW Staff Appreciation Lunch, and so much more! They were all successful because of volunteers and thanks to all who came out to support these events! Many of these events were also great fundraisers for Cook-Wiss! The 5K registrations and individual donations raised $1979.29 and our awesome fundraising committee raised another $3600 in support for the 5K bringing the total to $5579.29! Our book fair sales resulted almost $3280 in Scholastic Dollar Rewards and Profits. This was our most profitable book fair yet! Our October and December Dine to Donate events raised $287. Thanks to all involved!
We’re looking forward to many more fun events in 2020, like the music department’s upcoming Spaghetti Dinner on February 14 at 6 pm at CW (more details to come)!
We’re also lucky to have Ms. Kimmel’s husband come out for many CW events and take pictures! In case you’ve missed some of the albums we’ve shared on social media and in these newsletters over the last few months, be sure to check them out:
5K: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/zgekhty9cfyb0t4/AABeL54_e5uOyMIXb74Bg6zDa?dl=0
Harvest Festival: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1hpqcpC6gseNtarKQ59p1aPmNG8mJBO2d?usp=sharing
CW Winter Arts Showcase: https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1EH2H76u_GKbxsW6bpzd1VoMW2NJFeO0g?usp=sharing

• Sunday, 12/8: Dine to Donate at The Tap Room at Chestnut Hill Brewing Company from 12 to 6 pm. We have a private room at The Tap Room and 10% of all food sales and 20% of alcohol sales will be donated back to Cook-Wissahickon! Mention Cook-Wiss when you arrive for a wrist band. We hope to see everyone there!
• Wednesday, 12/11: All City Elementary and Middle School Choral Concert at Temple Performing Arts Center at 7:00 pm. This event is FREE to attend!
• Thursday, 12/12: CW Winter Arts Showcase from 6 to 8 pm at Cook-Wissahickon: Since the start of the year, CW elementary and middle school students have been spending a small part of their day honing a new talent or skill as a part of their Picasso classes under a Philadelphia theme. Now is the time for them to share what they have learned with their friends, family, and community! Please join them on this exciting evening and witness the hard work they have put in this year! Check out the performance lineup here!
• Saturday, 12/14: Music Department Flapjack Fundraiser – 8-10 am at Applebee’s in Andorra. If you can volunteer to help at this event, please sign up here.
• Monday, 12/16 – Friday, 12/20: Tryouts for the spring musical. Students in grades 3-8 must sign up before then with Mr. or Mrs. D. Parents of students in K through 2nd grades do not need to tryout – they just need to tell Mr. or Mrs. D they are interested in being involved.
• Tuesday, 12/17: Wissahickon Sustainability Council Meeting at The Foodery Roxborough at 6:30 pm or
• Wednesday, 12/18: WSC Meeting at CW at 4 pm
• Monday, 12/23: No school – Professional Development Day
• Tuesday, 12/24 – Wednesday, 1/1/20: No School – Winter Break
• NUT Day Fridays: Every Friday is a NUT Day—students pay $1 to dress down. This is a big fundraiser for the HSA and the money raised primarily goes toward funding buses and transportation for school trips. The three half days for Report Card Conferences are free dress down days. On other Fridays, please send in $1 for your student to participate or look at ways you can pay ahead here.
• December Lunch Menu: Wondering what’s for lunch this month. Check out the menu here!

Reminders and Update
HSA Committees: We just formed a Staff Appreciation Committee and are hoping to form a Middle School Committee and an Election Committee. Would you like to get involved? If you’re interested or want more information, email cookwisshsa@gmail.com.

Fundraiser Information
Mabel’s Labels Fundraiser: Order Mabel’s Labels and raise money for CW. Log on to MabelsLabels.com and click on the upper right-hand side where it says, “Support a Fundraiser”. Type in “Cook-Wissahickon”, shop, have it shipped to your house, and CW earns money! Order anytime you’d like throughout the year and help earn money for our school. Share this with families and friends!

Box Tops For Education: Please continue to send in your Box Tops! We’re still accepting the paper box tops, but these traditional box tops clippings are being phased out. Now, when you see a Box Top Symbol, you can download the App and upload your receipt! This money goes directly to the school to help support student activities!  

Volunteer and Donation Needs
Volunteer Clearances: Every person who volunteers at our school—in the classroom, on field trips, at school events, etc.—MUST have clearances! This must be completed before you can volunteer—no exceptions!

CW Amazon Wish List: Find all CW teacher Amazon Wish Lists here!

Clothing Donations Needed and Available: If you have gently used uniforms, sweatshirts, or coats you’d like to donate, the HSA is now collecting. Send donations to the HSA office. If you need uniforms or coats for your student, stop by the HSA office to see if we have what you need. Thanks!

We’re Grateful for Your Support
Thank to everyone who helped make November a great month at Cook-Wiss. The Book Fair was a huge success. As soon as we get the final numbers, we’ll share the details about how much we raised and how many books we bought and will buy for CW and our students! Thanks to the volunteers, to those who donated funds, and to all those who shopped! So many teachers received books on their wish lists and were so appreciative!
We also want to thank you for your continued support of our ongoing fundraisers—NUT Days, Mabel’s Labels, Dine to Donates, Box Tops, and last month’s Acme Gives Back bag fundraiser! These all go a long way in raising money to support student activities at CW!
Thanks, too, to all who supported the Wissahickon Sustainability Council’s Quilt Raffle—they raised more than $700 and the money will go toward funding the schoolyard depaving project and the greening of our school!

• Friday, 11/1: The school selection process closes at 5 pm
• Friday, 11/1: Acme Give Back Where It Counts begins! For the month of November, each time a $3.00 reusable Give Back Where it Counts Bag is purchased at the Acme at 5827-59 Ridge Ave, $1 will be donated to the CW HSA
• Tuesday, 11/5: Election Day – Schools Closed
• Monday, 11/11: Veterans’ Day – Schools Closed & Administrative Offices Closed
• Friday, 11/15: Professional Development Half Day – 12:24 Dismissal    
• Monday, 11/18 – Friday, 11/22: Scholastic Book Fair. Click here to sign up to volunteer, to check class schedules, or to set up an e-wallet for your student!
• Tuesday, 11/19: WSC Meeting at 6:30 pm at The Foodery Roxborough
• Wednesday, 11/20: Report Card Conferences & Half Day – 12:24 Dismissal
• Thursday, 11/21: Report Card Conferences & Half Day – 12:24 Dismissal
• Thursday, 11/21: November HSA Meeting at 6 pm at Cook-Wissahickon
• Friday, 11/22: Report Card Conferences & Half Day – 12:24 Dismissal  
• Wednesday, 11/27: Drawing for the winner of the WSC Quilt. Buy tickets any time before then at cookwisswsc.com
• Thursday, 11/28: CW Choir performing in the 100th 6ABC Thanksgiving Day Parade
• Thursday, 11/28 – Friday, 11/29: Thanksgiving Holiday – Schools Closed & Administrative Offices Closed
• NUT Day Fridays: Every Friday is a NUT Day – students pay $1 to dress down. This is a big fundraiser for the HSA and the money raised primarily goes toward funding buses and transportation for school trips. The three half days for Report Card Conferences are free dress down days. On other Fridays, please send in $1 for your student to participate or look at ways you can pay ahead here.

November Lunch Menu: https://www.philasd.org/foodservices/wp-content/uploads/sites/76/2019/10/Nov-2019-FS-K-8-Lunch_Website-10.25.pdf

Reminders and Updates
Clothing Donations Needed: Are you cleaning out closets as the weather changes? If you have gently used uniforms you’d like to donate, the HSA is now collecting. We’re also accepting sweatshirts and coats! Please send donations to the HSA office. We could also use some bins to make it easier to store and sort the donations. If you need uniforms or coats for your student, stop by the HSA office to see if we have what you need. Thanks!

HSA Committees: We are still looking for volunteers for our Teacher Appreciation Committee, Holiday Shop Committee, and Middle School Committee. Interested or want more information? Email cookwisshsa@gmail.com.

Fundraiser Information
Acme Give Back Where it Counts Reusable Bag Program: Hooray, it’s November! The CW HSA will receive a $1 donation for every $3.00 GIVE BACK WHERE IT COUNTS Bag sold in November at the ACME store located at 5927-59 Ridge Avenue! Please help support CW through this fundraiser!

Mabel’s Labels Fundraiser: Order Mabel’s Labels and raise money for CW. Log on to MabelsLabels.com and click on the upper right-hand side where it says, “Support a Fundraiser”. Type in “Cook-Wissahickon”, shop, have it directly shipped to your house, and CW earns money! Order anytime you’d like throughout the year and help earn money for our school. Share this with families and friends!

Box Tops For Education: Please continue to send in your Box Tops! We’re still accepting the paper box tops, but these traditional box tops clippings are being phased out. Now, when you see a Box Top Symbol, you can download the App and upload your receipt! This money goes directly to the school to help support student activities like the Ballroom Dance Program!  

Volunteer and Donation Needs
November Book Fair: We are excited for our first book fair this school year on November 18-22! Every purchase from the book fair earns rewards for our school. We need several volunteers to make this a success. You can sign up to volunteer, check out the class schedule, and create an e-wallet for your student to shop here!

2019-20 Library Volunteers: Thanks to the volunteers at West Philadelphia Alliance for Children (WePAC), the CW library is open at select times. The WePAC volunteers could use more help. And the more help they get, the better chance of more hours for the library to be open. Contact cookwisshsa@gmail.com for more information or visit the HSA office.

Volunteer Clearances: Every person who volunteers at our school—in the classroom, on field trips, at school events, etc.—MUST have clearances! This must be completed before you can volunteer—no exceptions! Please click the link above to get started or email cookwisshsa@gmail.com.

CW Amazon Wish List Spotlight: Find all CW teacher Amazon Wish Lists here!

Support the WSC by entering to win a King/Generous Queen handmade quilt. (see pics below)
$5 per Ticket, $25 for 6 Tickets, and $40 for 10 Tickets. The drawing will be held at 7 PMon Wednesday, November 27! You can also buy tickets online. Click here for details!

Thank You
The first two months of school have been busy and we’re so grateful to all who have volunteered in so many ways to make these two months a success. First, thanks to all who have joined the HSA. It’s a great way to show your support. If you haven’t joined yet, please join or renew now here!
Thanks to everyone who has sent in paper box tops and to all who downloaded the app and have been scanning your receipts.We collected $2 We also had a lot of big, fun, successful events since the start of school—a celebration of the WSC’s completion of a path to the outdoor classroom, the CW 5K, Fall Movie Night, the 50th Anniversary Celebration, and the Art Department’s Annual Harvest Festival! Thank you to all the teachers, staff, neighbors, parents, and family members who organized, volunteered, and came out to support these events.40 and had $55 scanned in from receipts for our first submission! Keep up the amazing work! All of our Box Tops checks go toward the 5th grade ballroom dancing program!
The 5K raised money for the HSA, which all goes to support school and student activities. The Fall Movie night raised more than $600 for the music department. The 50th Anniversary brought together current families and staff, past students and staff, and neighbors to celebrate CW’s 50-year history as well as what’s to come! It also included a great performance by the CW Choir!
None of this would have been possible without the support of our amazing CW community! Thank you—and we’re looking forward to another great month ahead!

The CW Art Department is hosting it 8th Annual Harvest Festival Art Fundraiser on Thursday, October 24 from 4:00-6:00 pm in the CW Cafeteria. If you pre-register, it’s $10 for 50 tickets. Your student can return the form to his or her homeroom teacher or to Ms. Kimmel’s mailbox in the office. Student names, homerooms, and grades must be provided as well as the amount of tickets with correct amount included. You can also purchase tickets at the door for $10 for 40 tickets. Tickets can be used for pumpkin painting, light food & refreshments, a card-making craft station, and games & prizes. All money raised will go toward supporting the art department.

But to make this event a real success, we need volunteers! If you are able, please sign up to help out! We’re so grateful for any time you can volunteer. Thanks in advance for your time! Signup here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70a0d4cabae2ba5fa7-fall

Also, the Wissahickon Sustainability Council is raffling off a beautiful, homemade, King-size Quilt (see picture below) – tickets will be available for purchase at the Harvest Festival (and you can see the quilt in person) or you can buy tickets ahead of time via paypal for $5 per Ticket, $25 for 6 Tickets, and $40 for 10 Tickets! Visit paypal.me/cookwisswsc to purchase tickets. Include your name, phone number or email, and 2019 Quilt Raffle in the space for special instructions! They’ll be picking and notifying a winner on 11/27!

The school selection process opened Friday, Sept. 20 and will be open through Nov. 1 at 5 pm. For important dates and more information, visit https://www.philasd.org/findyourfit/

Cook-Wissahickon’s school counselor Ms. Kelly Getts provided all 8th grade students with a copy of the High School Directory. This Directory has information on every School District of Philadelphia public High School, including all of their admission requirements.

“Students should only apply to schools in which they fit within the admissions criteria. By this point, students should be narrowing down their search and choosing 5 School District of Philadelphia schools to apply to,” explains Ms. Getts.

Some schools require essays, auditions, and/or letters of recommendation. Please check specific requirements in the Directory or PSD website. If a student needs a teacher letter of recommendation, s/he must request the letter from the teacher no later than October 1.

You can check out this information sheet about Open Houses at a number of high schools. All of the information is subject to change, but it’s up to date as of today. And be sure to visit https://www.philasd.org/findyourfit/ or consult the High School Directory for specific information about high schools for which you want to schedule tours or shadow days.

All parents, guardians, teachers, and staff members are encouraged to become involved with the Cook-Wissahickon Home and School Association by attending our monthly meetings to coordinate plans to support for our school community and by volunteering throughout the year. Everyone is welcome to participate in monthly HSA meetings. Check out some of our accomplishments from the 2018-19 school year here.

Suggested dues are $5.00 per family, per year.  To become a voting HSA member for the year, you can fill out the Google form online or you can download the 2019-20 HSA Membership Form and print it and have your student return it to his/her homeroom teacher in an envelope marked HSA Membership. Payments can be sent to school via cash or check (checks made payable to Cook-Wissahickon HSA). You can also pay via Paypal – just mark your child’s name, grade/teacher, and Membership Dues in the space for special instructions.

Cook-Wissahickon 2019-20 NUT Days 

Participating in NUT Days—or No Uniform Today Days—is a great way to help raise funds for the Cook-Wissahickon Home and School Association. For $1, students are able to dress down in appropriate non-uniform clothes for school.

Even if just about half of CW students participate in a NUT Day, we can raise about $250 on any given Friday. This money provides multiple buses to and from field trips or buses for choir students to participate in the Thanksgiving Day parade each year, and more. All money raised goes to the HSA General Fund to support our students. 

This year we are again offering pay-ahead options for those who don’t want to have to search for $1 on Fridays. Please download the form here for complete details. You can send payment in with this form or pay via our PayPal account. Please make checks payable to Cook-Wissahickon HSA. You can also pay via https://paypal.me/cookwisshsa mark your child(s) name, teacher, and NUT DAY in the space for special instructions.

NUT Day Calendar for 2019-20

The first HSA meeting of the 2019-20 school year will be held on Thursday, September 12 at 6:00 pm at Cook-Wissahickon. This summer, the CW HSA Board has been working on reviewing and revamping our bylaws so they align with our current practices and the needs of our school community. We will be voting on the changes at this first meeting. We want to be sure to have our members’ voices included in this process. Please review the proposed changes (additions in red and text being removed is indicated with a strike through) here before our vote on 9/12.

We hope to see you at the meeting. If you have any questions or suggestions before then, or can’t make the meeting, but have a comment, please email cookwisshsa@gmail.com.

We hope everyone enjoys the last few weeks of summer—the first day of school is Tuesday, 9/3!