Paw Prints🐾

Fall Lockdown Drill

Dear Walnut Hills Families and Staff,

On Monday, October 26, 2026 we will be practicing a LOCKDOWN active threat drill. The intent of this drill is to practice our response to a situation where a LOCKDOWN is called, and police and district security personnel come to the school to help manage the situation.

When a LOCKDOWN alert is called, staff and students are trained to either secure themselves behind locked doors, remain silent and out of sight, or self-evacuate if they are in a position where it is safe to do so. Police and District Security personnel are trained to rapidly respond to secure the school and check on staff and students by eventually entering and/or evacuating every room.

During a LOCKDOWN, adrenaline is often high for staff, students, and first responders. Therefore, it is very important to implement strategies that can help reduce anxiety and bring everyone back to a state of calm and reassurance.

One way to do this is to communicate a “Code Word” through our RedBag software to all classrooms. It will be used by responding officers and security personnel to reassure staff and students inside locked classrooms that police are knocking on the door and notifying classrooms they are coming in or requesting the occupants to come out. These “Code Words” are not pre-determined but rather generated during the incident to allow for maximum security of the incident.

During the fall lockdown drills, will use the “Code Word” system to practice this procedure. Additionally, teachers will be using a tool within the RedBag software to take attendance of all students in the building. This tool will help with reunification if that is needed following a lockdown or any other circumstance where a verified release is necessary.

As always, during the drill we will be supported by District Security, School District Administration, Law Enforcement, and Fire/EMS personnel who will assist us in checking doors and classrooms and coaching us through the process. This is important as all of them will have a part in responding to help. Each drill should take approximately 30 minutes as we practice various aspects of our LOCKDOWN procedure.

At the conclusion of the drill, our building Safety Team will debrief the drill to discuss lessons learned and provide us with strategies to improve our response. We invite all staff and students to provide feedback and ask questions about the process so that we can continuously improve our practice.

Please reach out to me if you have any questions.

Kind regards,

Principal Williams, Ed. S

There's Still Time to RSVP To Attend Our Veterans Day Celebration Thu Nov 12th!

Scan the QR or Click This Button To Sign Up To Come!

Dont Forget to Submit Your Veteran's Photo!

Our Veterans Celebration will include a patriotic slideshow honoring our veterans! If you have a veteran you would like us to recognize, email their photo to Mrs. Hager at: jhager2@cherrycreekschools.org.

Photos need to be submitted to Mrs. Hager by Tuesday, November 3rd!

The Little Free Library is temporarily closed for full refurbishment!

Cub Scouts Pack 257, in collaboration with the Walnut Hills Elementary School's administration team, is giving the little free library in front of the school entrance some TLC so it stays clean, sturdy, and weather-proof for all our neighborhood readers.

Removal Date: Saturday, October 24th

Reopening Date: Sunday, November 8th

What's Happening? Repairs, Repaint, Artwork

Any books placed inside prior to removal will be safely returned once we reopen.

Thank you for your patience and support!

For any questions regarding the little library, please contact Kali Williams (kwilliams109@cherrycreekschools.org).

If you'd like to help out with the refurbishing project, please reach out to Quang Tran (denverpack257@gmail.com)

Announcement(s) From Our Amazing PTCO💜

🎉 Parents, It’s Your Turn to Have Some Fun!

We have two fun parents-only events coming up, and we'd love to see you there!

🎨 Canvas & Convos | Sunday, October 25, 10 a.m.–Noon

Grab a friend and join us for a relaxing morning of paint-by-numbers, refreshments and good company! Your $30 ticket includes all painting materials and light refreshments. No artistic experience required! Register Here

🍻 Trivia Night | Wednesday, November 4, 7–9 p.m.

Put your knowledge to the test at Resolute Brewery! Tickets are just $5 per person, and dinner will be available from Meaty Boyz, with a portion of proceeds benefiting Walnut Hills. Plus, there's a costume contest! Register Here

📣 Join Us for Our Next PTCO Meeting!

Have ideas, questions or just want to know what's happening at Walnut Hills? Join us for our next PTCO meeting on Tuesday, November 10, from 6-7:30 pm in the school library. Childcare will be provided!

Can't make it in person? You're welcome to join us virtually via Microsoft Teams by clicking here.

CCSD November Food Drive!

Walnut Hills is hosting a Donation Drive to support students and families this month! Cherry Creek High and its feeder schools will be collecting individually-packaged snacks, shelf-stable items, and toiletries to stock our school-based community pantries until Friday, November 27th.

Fall Parent/Teacher Conferences November 2-6!

Conference Week Schedule

teachers will reach out to families to sign up for their 30 minute conference time.

Mon. Nov. 2nd After School In Person (virtual if preferred by family)

Tues. Nov. 3rd After School In Person (virtual if preferred by family)
Wed. Nov. 4th After School In Person (virtual if preferred by family)
Thurs. Nov. 5th After School In Person (virtual if preferred by family)
Fri. Nov. 6th All Day- In person (virtual if preferred by family)

📚Scholastic Book Fair!✨

The Fair will be open November 2-6 during the following times:

7:30-8:00am
10:30am - 1:25pm
2:30pm - 3:15pm

In addition, families will be given even more time for shopping as the Fair will remain open until 6:30pm on Thursday 5th. We will also be open from 8am - 12:00pm on Friday 6th for families to come and shop together on the non-contact day!

Book Fair Flyers have already been sent home - if you need another, please send your student to the Library. In the meantime, please check out the amazing selection of books our Fair will offer online at:

https://www.scholastic.com/bf/walnuthillselementaryschool4

You can also use this link to set up an eWallet. eWallet's are easy for families to set up, lets your child shop independently and choose books they want to read. After the school’s Fair, any unspent funds remain in your Scholastic account for future Fairs.

Dear Families,

I’m excited to announce that we will be hosting our annual Scholastic Book Fair from November 2-6, 2026 in the Walnut Hills Library.

It’s one of the most anticipated events of the school year for students—but we need volunteers to make it happen. Your help is crucial in making the Fair a truly unforgettable experience for our children. We hope you’ll consider offering your time and talents to help keep it running! We have multiple cashier slots available before, during and after school. The payment system is very easy to use and it's so fun to watch our students carefully make their book selections and navigate shopping on their own!

Feel free to sign up for as many shifts as you would like using the link below:

https://www.signupgenius.com/go/10C0848A4A722A3FCC52-66875039-walnut

Please contact me with any questions at showard@cherrycreekschools.org.

Dress Up Day!

In honor of our upcoming Scholastic Book Fair, we are hosting a special schoolwide dress-up day!

When: Wednesday, November 4th
What: Students and staff are invited to come to school dressed as their favorite book character.

We want this to be a fun, stress-free celebration of literacy. Costumes do not need to be elaborate or store-bought. DIY, recycled, or closet-assembled costumes are highly encouraged! If your child has a copy of the book their character is from, please have them bring it along to share with their class.

A Few Quick Guidelines for School Safety:

Costumes must be comfortable enough to wear all day during lessons and recess.
Students must be able to use the restroom independently in their costume.
For safety, please no full-face masks or toy weapons of any kind.

We can’t wait to see our hallways transform into a living library! Thank you for supporting your child's love of reading.

Thank you! Have a great weekend!

Hearing & Vision Screenings!

👀 Eyes & Ears! November Screening Dates

Our schoolwide vision and hearing screenings are coming up in November! Here's what families need to know.

Who will be screened?

All students will be screened except 4th graders. Fourth grade students will be screened if they have an active IEP, are new to the district, or have hearing or vision concerns.

👓 Vision Screenings | November 4th

If your student wears glasses, please make sure they bring them to school on screening day!

🙋 We Need 3 Volunteers!

We are looking for a few extra helping hands to keep our vision screenings running smoothly! Volunteers will help bring classrooms to and from the screening area, pass out screening forms, and help keep everyone on schedule.

No medical experience needed! We have three shifts available, with one volunteer needed per shift.

👉 Click Here to Volunteer!

👂 Hearing Screenings | November 16th Our District Audiology Team will be at Walnut Hills to complete hearing screenings.

If you have any questions, please feel free to reach out to me in the Health Clinic at 720-554-3807.

Thank you so much for your help and support! We really appreciate it!

Nurse Jamie

More Than Free Meals: Additional Benefits for WAL Families!

Did you know that the Student Benefit Form can help connect families with additional resources and benefits beyond free school meals?

While breakfast and lunch are free for all Cherry Creek students, families who qualify may also be eligible for discounted school fees, class materials, bus passes, utility assistance, Summer EBT benefits, and more!

Completing the form also helps Walnut Hills receive funding and qualify for additional school and community programs, including resources that support the health and well-being of our students.

We encourage families to take a few minutes to see if they qualify. Providing this information helps ensure eligible families and our school have access to available resources!

Learn More:

Click this link to fill out application: Complete the Student Benefit Form / Completar la solicitud

Spanish-language application options may be available after selecting Cherry Creek School District.

Es posible que haya una opción en español después de seleccionar el Distrito Escolar Cherry Creek.

Thank you for helping us support our WAL students and families!

Preorder Your Student Walnut Hills 26-27 Yearbook!

AMAZING NEWS! This years yearbook will now include Pre-school! 🎉

Pre- order your copy and save! 💲💲💲

Scan The QR Code or Click This Button To Preorder Your Student's Yearbook!

26-27 WAL Club Schedules

Student Council Meets:

November 9,23

December 7,14

January 11,25

February 8,22

March 8,22

April 5,19

May 3- EOY Celebration!

Cougar Club 🐾

Hello Families,

Attached is the newsletter for Cougar Club for this week!

Please be sure to check out the survey for Family Day: https://forms.cloud.microsoft/r/QwFV4y8ihk

ECS Family Handbook

Walnut Hills Community Handbook!

October "Empathy & Perspective Taking"

October 30th Report Card (Sent home electronically via document delivery)

November "Gratitute & Generosity"- hearing and vision

November 2nd- 6th Fall Conferences

November 2nd- 6th Scholastic Book Fair

November 4th Vision Screenings

November 6th Non-Contact Day- NO SCHOOL

November 12th Veteran's Day Celebration

November 16th Hearing Screenings

November 19th KG Field Trip to Don't Let The Pigeon Drive

November 19th 1st Grade Field Trip to Don't Let The Pigeon Drive

November 20th 3Cs Awards Assembly

November 25th Non-Contact Day- NO SCHOOL

November 26- 27th Thanksgiving Break

December "Relationship Skills & Inclusion"

December 1st Fall Picture Re-takes

December 14th Spelling Bee 8:15a

December 21st Community Service Project & Classroom Parties

December 21st- January 1st Winter Break

District Announcements!

School Daze- West's Newest Play!

This is a great opportunity for 5th graders who are coming into West next year to experience a little bit of the play, but it can also be fun for all grades!

Our play is called School Daze, and it's a comedy about the troubles of middle school, and it's sure to bring many laughs.

Admission is 8 dollars per person, and the show is October 29th-30th from 6:30-about 7:45. It will be at West (5151 South Holly Street) and you can buy tickets at:

https://www.msbtickets.com/westmiddleschool2/event/b2o0t3x1 for the 29th and https://www.msbtickets.com/westmiddleschool2/event/p9p4j3p0 for October 30th.