We wanted Cougal Run Elementary to feel like a very warm and welcoming place for kids.
The first thing people say is, wow, this school is so bright and cheerful and the people are
so friendly.
We want to make sure that we honor what kids do.
We present their best work in our hallways, their artwork, their academic work.
Every piece of artwork in this school is done by the kids, which is absolutely amazing to
me.
The caring staff definitely is huge at Cougar Run, where every faculty member or staff member
really are very passionate about their job and passionate about those kids.
Our kids love it, especially our kindergartener, that when she wakes up and realizes it's
Saturday, she's generally upset and disappointed that she can't come to school.
Cougar Run is a family.
We are a family within the school and outside of the school.
So we talked a little bit about what are some great ways to recruit and retain students
because we know there's lots of opportunities for our kids and we want to become an all-encompassing
neighborhood school.
PBL is a great opportunity for our kids to gain skill and knowledge through authentic
inquiry to solve real world problems.
We don't just look at what we want for the students, we look at what the community needs
for the students as well.
Definitely with the project-based learning, bringing that community in to have those
real life experiences for the kids has been wonderful.
We've seen our student engagement rise significantly, our teacher excitement about this philosophy
really grow.
It's also very empowering for the kids because as far as inquiry and doing their own research.
So it's not only basic skills but it's also the hands-on experience of actually doing
something and I don't know about you but I learned much better that way.
So it's a collective efficacy here at Cougar Run that our staff work together to support
our students.
Our learning commons is an example of that.
So learning commons is a very flexible area.
It's still a library where it has the library books, it has technology but we're really
trying to make it a flexible space.
Instead of working in isolation as technology and library, we really combine that initiative
so that it's a natural extension of the classroom or our library and our tech teacher come together
to support students on projects.
And the students and staff can use the learning commons as they please.
We have classes that are coming and going at different times.
Every day it looks very different in here.
The learning commons when it comes to project-based learning is really just the extension of the
classroom.
Why don't you guys take a group?
Well, it's our big planting day.
Wow, look at those juicy worms.
Well, we started a school garden about three years ago.
We got a grant from the district.
It's really becoming a K6 initiative at our building.
The kids interact with each other, they show each other what they have seen.
It's a natural integration of multiple content areas including the arts.
We think about science, we think about social studies, we think about financial literacy,
mathematics.
Three.
You have to set hands on authentic learning to get some excited and it's real.
The sense of community that it has brought together, you see all the parents here today.
Seed balls are going into the garden.
So it's been basically a community PBL project so we're very proud of them, very excited
about.
Well done.
We're very proud of our Little Cougars program.
High five.
So Little Cougars is our preschool program that is academic-based.
It will allow the children to acclimate to the school and get them ready for the following
year ahead.
This is our community and family's opportunity to be here from four all the way to eleven
and twelve years old.
And it's been a tremendous success and we see the students have grown so much.
Our goal has always been being that all-encompassing neighborhood school.
And all of us working together to help these kids learn and get them on their way with
world-class learning.
High five.
If it's possible, we'll do it.
