WEEKLY HAWK

In observance of Martin Luther King Jr. day, there is no school on Monday, January 19.

We have some exciting announcements to share! Our 2025–26 Exceptional Volunteer is Sally Hart. Sally has been generously volunteering in our 1st grade classrooms for several years, and we are so grateful for her continued dedication and support of Homestead. Thank you, Sally!

We are also thrilled to announce our 2025–26 Educator of the Year, Heather Brownell. Heather comes to Homestead each day with a positive attitude and a genuine passion for teaching. She designs engaging, skill-building lessons that promote teamwork and is truly excited to work with every student, every day. We are incredibly fortunate to have her as both a colleague and a teacher.

Kindergarteners had a great time on their field trip to the Western Stock Show! Thank you to all of the chaperones who were able to join! Additionally, second grade welcomed in our district project support team to engage students in Matchbox Car Measurement!

Winter Star reports are available in your my.cherrycreekschools.org parent portal, in PowerSchool, in the Document Library. Please remember that Star is one data point that helps teachers adjust instruction. This assessment shows us what students have learned up to this point in the year and where there are still opportunities to strengthen skills. This Star report shows the score, percentile ranking, and student growth percentile (SGP). If you are interested, this video does a great job explaining the difference between percentile ranking and SGP.

Take care,

Katie

Join us for an unforgettable afternoon of fun, food, community, and exclusive auction items to launch the 100% Homestead fundraising event which will begin on January 30.

Use this link to purchase tickets and for more information about the event: https://100-homestead-auction-event-2026.cheddarup.com

This week's Hawks Highlights were:

Margaret: I learned from a spelling mistake.

Marvin: I was polite.

Finley: I picked up trash at recess!

Myra: I picked up trash all week!

Mack: I went to pick up the balls that were left on the field.

Please help us welcome Geniella Lester, our new part time library TA here at Homestead! Geniella is very excited to reorganize the space, add new titles to the library, and help every child grow in their love of reading! We are grateful for her passion and dedication to Homestead's library and are excited to have her in this position!

With our newly hired library TA in place, we have recently begun sending email notifications about overdue books to parents. If you received a notice and have any questions or concerns, please email Geniella at gputman@cherrycreekschools.org

Jump Rope for Heart is approaching, and all Homestead students will have the opportunity to build their jump rope skills and participate in timed challenges during PE. Last year, students jumped for a combined total of over 24 hours during their PE classes!

The class that accumulates the longest total jump time will earn Boondocks Bowling Cards and take home the Jump Rope Bragging Rights Trophy to display in their classroom for the year. Our Jump Rope NEON (Prize Day) Party will take place on Wednesday, February 18th during IA times.

While Homestead will not be participating in the fundraising portion for the American Heart Association, families who wish to donate may do so voluntarily. Throughout February, prizes will be awarded to top jumpers in each class based on performance and effort. Prizes will not be tied to fundraising, as our focus is on skill development and individual achievement in physical education.

Families interested in registering their child, completing Finn’s Mission, learning hands-only CPR, or exploring online activities can scan the attached QR code. If donations are made, the class that raises the most will earn a Choice Day in PE.

Ms. Brownell looks forward to seeing students showcase their jump rope skills while promoting cardiovascular fitness.
Go Hawks

We are approaching our second annual Integrated Arts Hobby Horse Derby! We will gladly take any leftover yarn from home craft projects. All kinds of yarn colors and textures are welcome in order to add wonderous manes to our horse heads. A yarn donation box will be located in the front entryway outside of the main office and right outside of the art room. Thanks!

3rd-5th grade are invited to join Homestead’s choir, “The Music Makers”. We have our first rehearsal for spring on Tuesday, January 13, 2026. Information and the registration link can be found here: Spring Choir 26

Wildcat Welcome Night at West Middle School

Monday, January 27 | 6:00–7:30 PM

Current 5th grade students and their families are invited to West Middle School for Wildcat Welcome Night - an exciting evening designed to help future Wildcats feel confident and prepared for 6th grade!

During the event, families will:

• Meet West Middle School’s 6th-grade teachers and staff

• Learn about elective classes, academic programs, and student opportunities

• Hear what makes West a supportive and engaging learning community

• See the building and get a feel for a typical day at WMS

This is a great opportunity to ask questions, connect with staff, and start the transition to middle school in a welcoming environment. We can’t wait to welcome our newest Wildcats to West Middle School! 🐾

For more information, click on this link: West Middle School Info Letter

In recognition of the Cherry Creek School District Board of Education, we are excited to announce a district-wide VIRTUAL donation drive to support our school-based food and resource pantries. Use the QR code on the posters below to donate!

January 29, 2026

This event is open to 5th grade families as well as current middle and high school students.

Promises Made, Promises Kept! The 2024 bond projects are well underway with improvements being made at every school across the district. I encourage you to learn more about the bond projects at our school here (link to school page on interactive map). To see the progress on the entire 2024 bond package, check out the districtwide bond dashboard here.

Please click on this link to access the flyers in different languages.

Please see attached picture for the IA schedule for the year.

Our school has started using Talking Points, a secure app that makes it easy to communicate with teachers and the front office via text. It's a great way to stay connected! If you need help or have any questions, don’t hesitate to reach out to the front office at 720-554-3700.
Download Talking Points and get more information here!

2:45-4:00 in the 3rd Grade Cafe

October 9, 30

November 13, 20

December 11

January 15

February 5, 19

March 12

April 9, April 30

All meals (breakfast and lunch) remain free for all students due to the Free Meals For All legislation that passed in November of 2022. We encourage families to complete a meal application to take advantage of other benefits offered to them and to support Title I funding in CCSD.

Meal Application: www.myschoolapps.com

Online Payments for Meal Accounts: www.MySchoolBucks.com (there is no fee for this service).

For questions or assistance with making payments please call 1-855-832-5226.

To view Menus: www.MealViewer.com

Colorado legislation has prompted greater need to screen and document volunteers in our schools. As of January 2022, we began asking every volunteer to complete a brief application to support activities in CCSD schools.

If you are currently volunteering or plan to volunteer in the future, please complete the CCSD online volunteer form. To access the form, click on the following link: https://apps.raptortech.com/Apply/NzU0OmVuLVVT or scan the QR code. It should only take a few minutes to complete and you will only need to complete this form once a year to meet the requirements to volunteer in all CCSD buildings.

Please note: if you completed this application more than one year ago, it is time to do it again!

The safety and security of our students and staff remains our top priority. Every person entering our buildings must have a badge printed from our Raptor system or a District ID.

We want to thank you in advance for your support of our schools and if you have any questions, please feel free to contact our Homestead main office at 720.554.3700.

We have several after school clubs and summer activities offered at Homestead through outside organizations such as Chess Club, Coding Club and Tennis and Pickleball Club. Stop by the front lobby of our school to see what is offered and pick up a flyer for more information. Or, click on this link to access the flyers electronically.

Download Today! Search in your app store for Homestead Elementary. Or use these links:

iPhone: https://apps.apple.com/app/id1115937231

Android: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=com.sia.homestead

What's on the app?

Attendance form

Contact info for staff

Parent calendar

School Supply Lists

Weekly Hawk Newsletters

Other resources

English:

Please contact (name of liaison) at (email) for support with this resource in your language.

Amharic:

እነዝህን መረጃዎችን በተመለከተ በቋንቋዎ ዕገዛን ለማግኘት ከፈለጉ እባክዎን ተሊሌን በዝህ እሜይል ያግኙዋት thirpa@cherrycreekschools.org

Arabic:

يرجى الاتصال ب )جميعة صباحي أو جاودة العلمي( على ) jsebbahi@cherrycreekschools.org أو

jdajanialami@cherrycreekschools.org للحصول على الدعم مع هذا المورد باللغة العربية .

Chinese:

如有需要，请经由ctaylor9@cherrycreekschools.org 与凯瑟琳•泰勒联系，以您的语言获得此资源的支持。

Dari:

لطفا برای کمک در مورد اين منابع به زبان خودتان با قزافی مهرزاد با اييمل qmehrzad@cherrycreekschools.org تماس بگيريد .

Hindi:

अपनी भाषा में इस संसाधन के समर्थन के लिए कृपया जेम्स रसाइथिी को jrasaily@cherrycreekschools.org पर संपकथ करें।

Korean:

귀하의 언어로 이 자원에 대한 지원을 원하시면 (리아 리) 에게 (llee6@cherrycreekschools.org) 로 문의하십시오.

Nepali:

कृपया जेम्स रसाइथिीिाइथ jrasaily@cherrycreekschools.org मा तपाइथको भाषामा यो संसाधनको सहयोगको िागी सम्पकथ गननथहोिा।

Russian:

Пожалуйста, обращайтесь к Ларисе Бака по адресу: lbaca3@cherrycreekschools.org для получения поддержки с помощью этого ресурса на своём языке.

Somali:

Fadlan la xiriir Omar Nur cinwaanka emaylka onur2@cherrycreekschools.org si aad u hesho macluumaad ku qoran luqadaada.

Spanish:

Si necesita ayuda con este recurso en su idioma, póngase en contacto con Ilse Chavez Maldonado en ichavezmaldonado@cherrycreekschools.org, Rosa Han en rhan4@cherrycreekschools.org, Carmen Vargas-Ball en cvargasball@cherrycreekschools.org o Monica Pantoja en mpantoja@cherrycreekschools.org.

Ukrainian:

Будь ласка, зв'яжіться з Зоряною Герман по електронній пошті zherman@cherrycreekschools.org, щоб отримати підтримку з цього ресурсу на українській мові.

Vietnamese:

Vui lòng liên hệ với Thuý Ngọc tại Lchung2@cherrycreekschools.org để được hỗ trợ về tài nguyên này bằng tiếng Việt.

You can keep up to date with the Homestead PTCO by visiting www.homesteadptco.org and our Facebook page.

Location: 7451 South Homestead Parkway, Centennial, CO, USA
Phone: (720) 554-3700