August 2024

Our open house will be on Tuesday, August 27th from 3:30 - 5:30.  This will be your opportunity to visit the classroom, meet the teacher, and explore our school.  Families are welcome to come at anytime, but please be mindful that teachers do need to leave at 5:30.

Students will receive a folder of information that will help prepare them for their first day, and also give families additional information about their teacher, homeroom, and school.  Students should plan on dropping off any supplies they have on that evening as well.

We look forward to seeing you at our open house!

We will welcome students for their first day of school on Tuesday, September 3rd.  On this day, there will be no morning supervision and students should not arrive prior to 7:40.  

All students will gather in the gym on the 1st day of school.  Parents who are dropping their students off on the first day will either drop their students off in the car-drop off lane, or walk them to the gym to hand off to their teachers who will be gathered in the gym. We’ll do a short greeting to students in the gym before the teachers take their students to their classrooms.

1st grade students and new to CGS students will be given name tags with teacher names at our open house night.  Please ensure your student is coming to school wearing that label on the first day of school to help ensure we are getting your child to their homeroom teacher.

We will be starting our dismal process earlier than normal for the first two weeks to allow students and teachers time to learn the dismissal routines at CGS.  Parents who are picking their students up from school should still plan on arriving to CGS no earlier than 2:35.  After the first two weeks of school, we will transition to dismissal happening right at 2:50 as our schedule indicates.  Please reach out with any questions or concerns. 

As we welcome new students and families to Cottage Grove School, we want to share more information on our drop off and pickup procedures for before and after school.  At CGS, we have a dedicated loading and unloading zone for students.  This zone is created to ensure student safety as well as helping to avoid traffic backing up on the main road outside of the school.  Please ensure that you are always only loading and unloading your children in this designated area. Families should stay in their car at all times in the car pickup/drop off line, and school staff will assist in helping students in and out of cars.

Within the designated loading zone, you’ll notice that the curb is painted with different colors. Families and caregivers driving should do their best to park within the colored zones. This helps our school staff to plan and communicate with students on where to line up to load.  

We greatly appreciate your patience in the first few weeks of school as students, staff, and families get used to this process. The beginning of the year can always lead to longer wait times in the parking lot as we learn this process together. Our goal is always to get your child to you as quickly and safely as possible.

We currently have an opening for an Education Assistant. The working hours for this position are 10am-1:30pm and entails primarily supporting our school during lunch and recess with some additional time spent in classrooms supporting students. If you  or someone you know would like more information about this position, please see the job posting here. 

We also welcome volunteers to help during lunch and recess for those who aren’t looking for employment. If you would like to volunteer during the school year, please email Andrea Hagen if you are interested: andrea.hagen@mgschools.net

Ms. Bassett

Hello! My name is Lexi Bassett and I am so excited to be a first grade teacher at CGS this year! I look forward to making lots of memories and having so much fun this school year!

Ms. Gesteland

Hello everyone! My name is Ally Gesteland, and I am so excited to be joining the Cottage Grove community. This will be my third year teaching, but my first year in 2nd grade. My passions outside of being an educator include traveling, spending time with my family and friends, and staying active. I can't wait to work with you and your families this year. 

Serena

My name is Serena Mickelson and I am the new school social worker at CGS & TPS.  I have been working as a community social worker in Dane County for the last five years, and I am thrilled to be joining the MGSD team to support students and families!  Outside of social work, I enjoy games (board and video), reading, walking my two pups, and spending time outside with friends and family.  I'm so excited to meet you and your students!

Ms. Rowe



Hello! My name is Jenni Rowe and I am so excited to be teaching second grade at CGS this year. This past May, I graduated from the University of Wisconsin-Madison with a B.S. in Elementary Education, with additional focuses in Early Childhood Education and teaching English as a second language. I am now returning from my third summer leading youth at a sleep-away camp in the Colorado Rocky Mountains, and am eager to take what I have learned into the classroom. Since my own time in elementary school, I have dreamed of becoming a teacher and I could not be more thrilled to begin this school year!

Health information and forms can be found here.

Please contact our School Nurse, Nancy, for any health/medication concerns at 608-839-2184 or by email nancy.zingg@mgschools.net

The Cottage Grove PTO is changing names!

Please join us in embracing our organization as the Cottage Grove School Family Organization (CGSFO). 

We recognize that family and caregiver compositions look different across our community, and it’s important that we reflect this in our name. If you have a child in your family, or in your care, who attends Cottage Grove elementary schools, we welcome you as a member of the CGSFO.

You’ll likely see us refer to the “CGSFO, formerly known as the PTO” for a while yet, to ensure that people can still find us if they are searching different words. The CGSFO intends to carry forth event traditions of years past, while welcoming new and innovative ideas to best support our schools, children, and families across our community. We welcome you to get involved! In name and in spirit, the Cottage Grove School Family Organization aims to promote an inclusive partnership between all families and our schools.

2024-25 Meetings Dates and Fall Festival Info Flyer

5301 Monona Drive, Monona, WI 53716  Phone: (608) 221-7660  Fax: (608) 221-7688