Principal's Message

Dear Bobcat Community,

What an incredible, action-packed week we’ve had here at school! It was so wonderful seeing so many of you outside the classroom at our Cold Stone Creamery night—our teachers had an absolute blast scooping ice cream, catching up with students and families, and sharing a few extra sweet moments together.

Back on campus, our youngest learners had an exciting milestone of their own. Kindergarteners received a special visit from Buster the Bus, who taught them all about school bus safety and even took them on a tour of a real, big school bus! Meanwhile, music has truly filled our halls as our 3rd through 6th graders officially kicked off choir. Hearing their voices echo through the building on Wednesday mornings has been nothing short of magical, setting a bright and joyful tone for the whole school.

Here are a few important scheduling updates and reminders for the coming days:

Tomorrow, Friday, Sept 18th – Late Start PLC Day: Breakfast and supervision begin at 9:30 AM, and the first bell rings at 9:45 AM.
Monday, Sept 21st – No School for Students: Teachers will be participating in a Professional Development Day.
Fall Conferences (Oct 5th – 9th): Please keep an eye out for information coming directly from your child's teachers soon. Our teachers are excited to connect with you to share academic celebrations and discuss next steps for your student's learning!

Thank you for being such a supportive part of our school community—we love making these special memories with your children! Have a wonderful weekend!

In partnership,

Julia Scott

Larkspur Elementary Lunch Menu

IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES

Parent Teacher Conferences: October 5th - 9th (information below)

FALL BREAK: October 12th - October 16th

Mark Your Calendars

Friday, September 18th

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

Monday, September 21st

NO STUDENTS--Teacher Professional Development Day

Tuesday, September 22nd

Picture RETAKE Day

Friday, September 25th

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

Wednesday, September 30th

School Accountability Committee Meeting 4p

Friday, October 2nd

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

Wednesday, October 7th

PACCT Meeting @4p in Larkspur Elementary Library

Friday, October 9th

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

Student Council 2026-2027

Important Dates for September

Important Dates & Contact Information

Applications for officer positions due: September 7, 2026
Campaigning begins: September 8, 2026 (once approved)
Speeches & Voting: September 22, 2026 @ 3:00 PM in the gym
Officer Election Announcements: September 23, 2026
First Meeting: September 28, 2026
Fee Due: September 28, 2026
End-of-Year Celebration: May 17, 2027

Contact Information

Student Council Advisor: Mrs. Brandon

Email: arbrandon@dcsdk12.org

School Phone: 303-387-5383

**Important Student Council information will be communicated via email**

Our School Needs You

Want to make a real difference and help shape our school’s future? Join the School Accountability Committee (SAC)! The SAC gives parents and community members a direct voice in evaluating and planning our school’s programs.

Key Discussion Topics:

Budget priorities & staffing needs
School safety, technology, & calendars
Academic goals (Unified Improvement Plans)
Community concerns & district policy feedback

What Being a Member Means:

Attending quarterly meetings (scheduled to fit community needs).
Staying informed on school programs and budgets.
Representing our diverse community to influence decisions that impact every student.

We are currently assembling our team for the upcoming school year! We hope to continue working with our returning committee members from last year, while also warmly welcoming new parents and community members to join—the more voices, the better!

Confirm or Sign Up: Please email jbattiatoscott@dcsdk12.org if you plan to continue in your current role or if you are interested in joining the committee.

Learn about roles: Visit DCSD District Accountability Committee (click SAC Resources > Bylaws).

Attendance Matters

Consistent daily attendance is critical to academic progress, as missing just two days a month can lead to gaps in reading comprehension, lower test scores, and higher drop-out rates. Please remember to contact our attendance office promptly whenever your student is absent. Communicating with us ensures that absences are properly recorded and support can be provided for makeup work.

While showing up every day is the goal, schools categorize absences into two groups:

Excused Absences: Planned or unavoidable conflicts that are communicated by a parent/guardian within 48 hours. Common examples include illness, doctor or court appointments, family emergencies, bereavement, and religious holidays. Students are generally given time to complete and receive credit for makeup work.
Unexcused Absences (Truancy): Days missed without valid reasoning or where the parent fails to notify the school within the required window. This includes unapproved trips, cutting class, or missing school without parental knowledge. Unexcused absences can result in lost assignment credit, disciplinary steps, or truancy interventions.
Tardiness: In accordance with 1 Colo. Code Regs. 301-78 “tardies” may be defined by the local school District. The District defines tardiness as a failure to appear on time and is considered a form of absence. Repeated tardiness shall be reported to the building attendance officer. For Department reporting purposes, a student who is present 50 percent or more of any Attendance Period during a scheduled school day shall be considered present for that entire recorded and reported period. Tardies shall not be included in the calculation of Habitually Truant students for Department reporting purposes.

We understand that scheduled appointments and unavoidable conflicts happen, and exceptions will always be made for these situations. If you have any questions about tardies or need to discuss your student's attendance schedule, please reach out to bpolacek@dcsdk12.org.

DCSD Code of Conduct 2026-2027

Colorado Student Count Day

Dear Parents and Families,

As we move into the fall, we want to highlight a critical date for our district: Thursday, October 1, 2026. Student count day is the official date each fall when Colorado school districts record their enrollment numbers, which the state then uses to calculate per-pupil funding for the year.

The state determines our funding based on three factors around this date: your student's active enrollment, their scheduled instructional time, and their daily attendance. To ensure our funding is accurate, the state evaluates attendance specifically on October 1st and during the standard two-week window encompassing the week before and the week after Count Day.

How you can help support our schools:

Make Attendance a Priority: Please make every effort to ensure your student is present and engaged in their learning on Thursday, October 1st.
Keep the Momentum: Consistent attendance throughout the entire two-week window surrounding Count Day is strongly encouraged to ensure accurate state reporting.
Communicate Absences: We understand illnesses and emergencies happen. If your child is sick, please notify our attendance office right away. Proper documentation allows us to navigate state exceptions if a student must miss the exact count date.

Mill Levy Override Information

Funding Douglas County Schools Information

Community Flyers/Events

Got News for The Bobcat Blast? 🐾

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.

Larkspur Elementary Website

Principal's Message Principal's Message

IMPORTANT UPCOMING DATES

Mark Your Calendars Mark Your Calendars

Student Council 2026-2027 Student Council 2026-2027

Important Dates for September

Our School Needs You Our School Needs You

Attendance Matters Attendance Matters

Colorado Student Count Day Colorado Student Count Day

Mill Levy Override Information Mill Levy Override Information

Community Flyers/Events Community Flyers/Events

Got News for The Bobcat Blast? 🐾 Got News for The Bobcat Blast? 🐾