Earth Day

In honor of Earth Day, members of student council have been collecting classroom recycling each Tuesday.  Student council is also sharing inspirational quotes with their classmates each day.  These quotes talk about how they can protect the earth and why this is important.  I am proud of how thoughtful our students are being in reusing supplies and materials!

Appreciating our Volunteers

We thank our parent volunteers for all the work they do in our classrooms and school!  We thank you for you time and efforts.  Please stop by the main office this week for a token of our appreciation.

Students Display Art Work
The following students have their art work displayed at the Lone Tree Art Center:

Dex Telford

Carson Flowers

Riley Smith

Anna Stahlecker

Brendan Beaudoin

Izabella Klemm

Olivia Brown

Eislyn Howell

We thank these artists for representing our school! 

Procedure for Weather Related Delayed Dismissals

With spring comes unpredictable weather.  I wanted to take this opportunity to review our delayed dismissal procedures that could result from lightening at the end of the day.  You will receive an email and text if you are registered to receive text messages through the District (see the email below) around 3:50.  The message will ask you to come in to the building at 4:00 PM and sign your child out of his/her classroom.  Students who attend BASE or after school activities in the building will attend their regularly scheduled activity.  Bus riders will be called to the gym and will be loaded onto buses when it is safe to do so. Transportation will ensure safe arrival. They will drop off to waiting parents at bus stops or hold students until it is safe for children to depart.  Walkers and bikers will be dismissed when the weather is clear.  If the weather does not clear by 4:15 PM, please come and sign your child(ren) out in the gym. All students must be picked up by parents and/or adults listed on your emergency contact information.

Registering for District & School Text Messages

Douglas County School District and Gold Rush provide parents with emergency information via text message. Parents need to opt-in in order to receive emergency communication this way.  Click here for instructions to set up your text messaging preferences.

Class Placement Process

Creating balanced class lists that meet the needs of all students is a difficult endeavor.  This process involves hours of thoughtful dialogue between classroom teachers, administrators and other staff members. We take this responsibility very seriously. The process for creating class lists is as follows:

• Teachers identify the social and academic needs of each student.  Teachers refer to existing data and record pertinent information to assist them in their decision-making.

• Teachers then meet as grade level teams to form class lists that are balanced.  Balanced classrooms meet each student’s academic, social and emotional needs.  Teachers consider each child’s personality, academic strengths and needs, as well as friendships, when they place each child.  Learning specialists and the specials’ team also collaborate with classroom teachers when creating initial lists.

• Each grade level team types a draft of their class list, which is then submitted to me.  I review each child’s placement to ensure that all parent input shared with me has been considered.  Classroom teachers approve any additional changes to ensure balanced classes are maintained. 

Class lists are finalized in August to reflect students who enroll in the summer. This process is consistent across grades K-4.  Our fifth grade team collaborates with teachers at Cimarron Middle School to ensure student success in 6^th grade.

We strongly believe that this process creates learning environments that benefit all students. It is a delicate balancing act that takes tremendous thought by professionals who know and care about your child.  Please remember that our ultimate goal is to create balanced class lists that promote the success of each child.  Please also know that your child is placed in a classroom for very specific reasons and that our process benefits all students.  Because of the input and thought given by teachers, parents and administrators, we are reluctant to make changes once this process is complete.  While it may seem difficult to imagine, moving one child can disrupt the balance of an entire classroom. 

We do value parent input and welcome any insight you wish to share about your child’s strengths, needs and learning style.  We will take into consideration all pertinent information that you share with me either on or before FRIDAY, May 1st.  While we welcome your input, we cannot take specific teacher requests. Please put your thoughts in writing and address them to me (Jenny Brown).  I will accept either a hard copy letter or email (jjbrown@dcsdk12.org).

I cannot express enough how important it is that your thoughts are in writing. As you can imagine, I receive a great deal of parent input and verbal information is nearly impossible to track. Further, please direct all of this communication to me as I am ultimately responsible for reviewing final class lists in July when teachers are not in session.

Calendar of Events

·       May 1 @ 6:00-8:00 PM – Talent Show

·       May 1 – Class Placement Parent Input Letters Due to Jenny Brown