The Bobcat Blast

Dear Bobcat Community,

Thank you so much to everyone who attended parent-teacher conferences! It was wonderful connecting with you to discuss your students' growth, progress, and goals. We hope your family had a restful, fun, and relaxing Fall Break. It was wonderful hearing about all the fun activities and places our Bobcats visited last week!

We have kicked off Quarter two with tremendous energy and excitement across all our classrooms! As we dive into this busy season, here is a quick summary of the important events coming up over the next week:

• Friday, October 23rd — Crazy Hair Day & Late Start PLC

  • Late Start Schedule: Breakfast and supervision begin at 9:30 AM; the first bell rings at 9:45 AM.

  • Crazy Hair Day: Show off your wild hairstyles! Student Council is collecting spare change in classroom jars for our charity drive—be sure to send in any coins before lunch.

  • Beastly Bash Wristbands: Today is the final day to get the family 4-pack discount on advance wristbands.

• Saturday, October 24th — Annual Beastly Bash (11:00 AM – 2:00 PM)

  • Join us at Larkspur Community Park (note: not at the school) for games, a costume contest, a bake sale, and fun!

• Friday, October 30th — Bobcat Halloween Parade (3:20 PM)

• Costumes: Students may put on costumes starting at 2:30 PM. Please ensure costumes follow school guidelines (no weapons, face paint, full face masks, inflatable designs, blood, or scary elements).

• Parade: Preschool will kick us off at 3:20 PM. Followed by Kindergarten at 3:35 PM, and the rest of our Bobcats 1st–6th grades at 3:45 PM. Standard car line dismissal will follow immediately after the parade.

Thank you for your ongoing support and partnership in making our school community such a fantastic place to learn and grow!

In partnership,

Julia Scott

Annual Beastly Bash: Saturday, October 24th 11a-2p

Red Ribbon Week: Monday, October 26th-Friday, October 30th

APEX Event Day: Thursday, November 5th

Thanksgiving Break: Monday, November 23rd - Friday, November 27th

Holiday Bazaar: Saturday, December 12th

Friday, October 23rd

• LATE START PLC (Breakfast and Supervision Begins 9:30a; First Bell 9:45a)
• CRAZY HAIR DAY

Saturday, October 24th

• Annual BEASTLY BASH 11a-2p @ Larkspur Community Park

Friday, October 30th

• National Guard Helicopter landing @10a
• Halloween Costume Parade @3:20p SEE MAP BELOW

Thursday, November 5th

• APEX Event Day (Time Forthcoming)

Friday, November 6th

• Teacher PD Day - NO STUDENTS

Tuesday, November 10th

• 25th Annual Veteran's Day Assembly and Lunch @10a

Friday, November 13th

• LATE START PLC (Breakfast and Supervision Begins 9:30a; First Bell 9:45a)

Friday, November 20th

• LATE START PLC (Breakfast and Supervision Begins 9:30a; First Bell 9:45a)

Join us for Crazy Hair Day on Friday, October 23rd! Student Council has created special decorated collection jars for every classroom. Bring in spare change to fill your class jar—all proceeds go directly to support our charity drive. Student Council leadership will collect the jars after lunch, so style your wildest hair and bring your coins to make a big difference!

Beastly Bash is THIS SATURDAY 10/24, 11am-2pm, at The Larkspur Community Park (NOT at the school)

• We are still looking for volunteers to help with set up, running games, checking in attendees, helping run the costume contest and more!!

• Volunteers and trunk hosts will receive a discount code for a free wristband!

• It’s not too late for businesses and families to sign up for a trunk or to sign up and donate bake sale items.

• Wristbands can be purchased in advance, but the family 4-pack discount is only through Friday, 10/23!

Holiday Bazaar Vendor Applications are live! Booths are first-come, first-serve and spaces are limited, so submit your application as soon as possible. Interested sponsors can complete the linked interest survey to get connected with the planning team, or reach out to us directly at les.holidaybazaar@gmail.com. Don’t forget to follow the Bazaar on Facebook!

Join Us for the Bobcat Halloween Parade! 🎃👻

We are excited to invite all families to join us for our Halloween Parade on Friday, October 30th!

• Costumes: Students may put on their costumes starting at 2:30 PM for the remainder of the school day. Please ensure all costumes align with DCSD code of conduct policies. Costumes must not include weapons, face paint, full face masks, inflatable designs, blood/guts, or scary/inappropriate elements.

• Volunteer Support: If you’re available to help our primary classrooms get into their costumes, please contact the front office so we can coordinate support.

• Parade Schedule:

  • 3:20 PM: Preschool kicks off our parade

  • 3:35 PM: Kindergarten

  • 3:45 PM: Grades 1st–6th follow

• Dismissal Note: Please do not take your child directly from the parade line. All students will be dismissed through the standard car line after the parade wraps up.

  
  

Check out the parade route and viewing areas on the map below—we can't wait to see you there!

Larkspur Elementary School is proud to announce that its 25th Annual Veterans Day Celebration will be held on Tuesday, November 10th, 2026 from 10-11am in the school gym. All veterans and active duty personnel are invited to join us, along with their families, as we honor their service at this beloved event. The event was first established by 2 former Larkspur teachers, Mrs. Ingram and Mrs. Eckert, who wished to educate our students about the importance of military service. The program will include guest speakers, the Larkspur Choir, and patriotic songs performed by our students in Kindergarten, 1st, 2nd, and 4th Grade. Representatives from the American Legion Harry C. Miller Post 118 will present a flag folding ceremony. After the assembly, veterans and active duty personnel are encouraged to stay for lunch with their families in the school library. The lunch is generously provided by our teachers, staff, and parent community. For more information on the event, please contact Sally Erickson, (303)-519-4251. We hope you will join us at Larkspur Elementary in honoring all those who have served, and continue to serve our country.

Calling all feeder school students and families! Join us at Castle View High School on Thursday, October 29th, from 5:00–7:00 PM for our annual Trick-or-Treat Street.

Enjoy decorated haunted houses and fun activities hosted by CVHS clubs, with plenty of free candy for everyone! Admission is completely free—just bring your costume and your trick-or-treat bag. We can’t wait to see you there!

Dear Parents/Guardians,

DCSD is committed to implementing equitable practices to increase access to advanced/gifted learning opportunities. Based on state and national recommendations and requirements, we implement Universal Screening for students in 2nd grade (February) and 5th grade (November).

5th Grade Universal Screen

As part of this process, ALL students in 5th grade not identified for gifted programming will take the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) the week of November 2nd-5th, 2026. This assessment indicates the level and pattern of cognitive development of a student in comparison to grade and age mates. These general reasoning abilities, which start developing at birth and continue through early adulthood, are influenced by experiences gained both in and out of school.

If your child is already identified for gifted programming, they will not participate in this universal screen testing. Your Gifted Education Facilitator will contact you directly with information about this process.

Gifted Identification Referral Testing

• If your child is in grades 3 and 4, and you believe they need evaluation for Gifted Identification and Services, you may refer your child for testing by initiating the Gifted Identification Process.

• NOTE: Requesting this assessment automatically initiates the process to evaluate for Gifted Identification.

• Please request CogAT testing for your child by completing the DCSD Gifted & Talented Referral Form.

• Upon receipt of this form the Gifted Education Facilitator will connect with you to discuss next steps in the gifted identification process.

Take a moment to recognize a DCSD staff member who goes above and beyond for students, brings innovation to their work, and makes a meaningful difference in our schools and community.

Know someone who deserves to be celebrated? Nominate them for an Apple Award! Let’s make sure the outstanding educators and staff who inspire, innovate, and make a difference get the recognition they deserve!

Have an announcement, update, or flyer you’d like included in this week’s newsletter? Send your details and/or flyer to jbattiatoscott@dcsdk12.org by Wednesday at 5:00 PM to be featured in that week’s edition! Submissions received after the deadline will be included in the following week's newsletter.