CRESTHILL MIDDLE SCHOOL

September 12th-19th: Book Fair in the Library

September 13th: HRHS Relay for Life

September 16th: Fall Play Auditions

September 17th & 18th: Student Led Conferences 3:30-7:00

September 22nd: Teacher Professional Development Day (NO STUDENTS)

September 29th: Student Photo Retake Day

September 29th: HRHS Boys Tennis Feeder Game @ 3:30pm (HRHS Tennis Courts)

September 29th-October 3rd: HRHS Homecoming Week (Cresthill Spirit Week)

7TH GRADE TEAMS

• JUNIPER
• PINON

• BLUE SPRUCE
• ASPEN

• ELECTIVES
• GT UPDATE

We are so excited to have you visit Cresthill this week for Student-Led Conferences. Conferences are Wednesday, September 17th and Thursday, September 18th from 3:30-7:00 pm. A few things to know:

• These are student-led. Students must attend with parents/guardians;

• There are no set times. This is purely drop in between 3:30-7:00 pm; please do not come before 3:30.

• It is expected that the student leads the conversation (typically having prepared a script) with evidence of their learning in hand or readily available in each of their classes;

• Please note: These are not like typical conferences where parents/guardians meet one on one with their student’s teachers. The teachers will be there to support your students with their conversations with you. Teachers must be available for all students and parents. If you leave the evening with specific concerns, please plan to contact the teacher for a follow up conversation. Teacher contact information is on the Cresthill Website.

Doors will open at 3:30 each afternoon.

We are looking forward to seeing you all!

Are you ready to tumble down the rabbit hole?

Alice's Adventures in Wonderland is coming to our school stage on November 13th and 14th, and we're looking for an amazing cast!

Auditions are open to all middle school students. We need actors to play all the classic characters: Alice, the White Rabbit, the Mad Hatter, the Queen of Hearts, and many more!

Audition Details:

• When: 9/16/25 from 3:00pm-4:30pm

• Where: Commons area and Stage

We can't wait to see you there! For more information, please see Ms. O'Neill in room 1190.

We are calling on all Cresthill parents and families to make student attendance a priority!

Want to learn why attendance matters for your student and what you can do to support them? Visit our DCSD Attendance Web Page for more information.

If your student will be absent for any reason please call our Attendance Line at 303-387-2802. Please speak slowly and leave a clear message with your child's first name, last name, and the reason for the absence.

If your student needs to leave early for an appointment or any other reason, we kindly ask that you notify us in advance whenever possible. You can call the attendance line or the main office 303-387-2800. Please provide your child's name, the reason for dismissal, and whether they will be returning to school. We'll issue a pass to you student so that they are ready to leave at the specified time. A photo ID is required when picking up your child from the building.

The mission of the SAC is to inform, encourage, and provide opportunities for parent/guardian and community members to be involved in the planning and evaluation of the school’s instructional program and quality improvement processes. You do not need to be a voting member to participate in meetings. All are welcome to attend.

If you have topics you’d like to be considered for the agenda please email cresthillsac@gmail.com.

Our first SAC meeting is September 10th from 5:00pm-7:00pm in the main office. Future meetings will be held on October 8th, January 1st, March 11th, April 8th, May 6th.

Regional School Accountability Committee Training:

The district will be hosting three regional School Accountability Committee training sessions. Topics include an overview of responsibilities, bylaws, Unified Improvement Planning, and school budgets. SAC members can attend any session. The next session available is:

• East & West Highlands Ranch Regions - September 16, 2025 - 6:00 - 7:30 p.m. Rocky Heights Middle School Commons.

Yearbooks are ordered through a 3rd party, NOT through My School Bucks. Information for yearbook ordering is in the flier below.

Become a member of the Cresthill Parent Group and make a difference by:

• Supporting staff appreciation efforts
• Organizing fundraisers
• Assisting with school projects and needs
• Volunteering as a chaperone for school events
• Coordinating restaurant nights

Interested? Reach out to Jennifer Swanson in the front office.

We have 2 new Raptor Visitor Self Check-In kiosks in the front of the school for adults that will be in the building for a period of time. Please follow the steps below when visiting Cresthill:

1. Have your ID out and ready

2. Complete the instructions on the kiosk

3. A name badge will be printed and given to you by security or our attendance secretary.

Note: Frequent visitors can download the "Raptor Safe" application from the Apple Store or Google Play for a seamless visitor check in experience.

As we begin another school year, we want to remind everyone of our illness policy:

👉If your student has a cough, runny nose and isn't feeling well enough to participate in school activities, consider keeping them home to rest.

👉If your child has a fever, vomiting and/or diarrhea, sore throat, rash, or other conditions requiring antibiotics, your child must stay home.

👉A student may return to school after 24 hours of antibiotics for any diagnosed illness.

Exception: If being treated for Pertussis, students must be on antibiotics for 5 days before returning to school.

👉 Students must be free of the following conditions for at least 24 hours:

• Fever (without the aid of fever reducing medication)
• Vomiting and/or diarrhea when accompanied by other illness symptoms or due to a virus such as Norovirus)

Thank you for helping to keep all of our students safe and healthy!

Dear DCSD Families Eligible for School Bus Transportation,

We are excited to begin the new school year and look forward to serving our students and families.

Thank you so much for your cooperation and understanding as we implemented a rolling bus cancellation schedule over the past several years.

Over the past year, we have worked diligently to increase staffing to eliminate route rotation cancellations. While we’ve made significant progress, some routes will need to remain on the rolling cancellation schedule for at least the first part of the school year.

While we are pleased to have been able to restore a number of routes, we know our work will not be finished until all of our bus routes are off of the rolling cancellation schedule. Enhanced recruiting, training, and retention initiatives continue to be pursued.

We will communicate continued progress on our cancelled routes along with an updated schedule in early October so families can plan accordingly.

Please click here to view the current rotation schedule and to check if your route will be affected as we begin the new school year.

As a reminder, this rolling bus cancellation schedule is for general education bus routes only. Special education routes will continue as normal and will not be impacted.

Thank you for your continued patience and support as we work to provide safe and reliable transportation for all students and please spread the word, “WE’RE HIRING!”

Sincerely,

Jackie Millet, Chief Operations Officer

Donna Grattino, Director of Transportation

Douglas County School District

P.S. If you know of anyone who might want to join the DCSD family as a bus driver or assistant, please encourage them to apply at www.dcsdk12.org/careers.

For more Transportation Information, see our district page linked HERE.

Dear Cresthill Families,

Here at Cresthill, we make use of numerous online instructional and learning tools and applications. A number of these are used regularly, by many teachers and in many learning situations here at CMS. That being said, we wanted to offer the opportunity for any student to be opted-out from any of these instructional tools as deemed necessary by parents or guardians.

Linked below is a document that is for Opt Out purposes only -- you, as a family, do not need to take any action if you are comfortable with your student using these instructional tools in the course of their schoolwork at Cresthill.

If you have any questions, please feel free to contact Mr. Wakefield (Professional Learning Specialist) at mdwakefield@dcsdk12.org

Thank you!

Parent Letter for App or Website Use

• Honor Roll at CMS also looks directly at both content knowledge AND work habits during each quarterly grading period. CMS designates the Honor Roll using the following criteria:

• Students must exhibit work habits that “Exceed Expectations” (Grade of ‘A’) in at least 6 of 8 classes (with no grades of ‘C’ or ‘U’).

• Students must have more A’s than B’s in Content Knowledge with no C’s, D’s, or I’s. (A minimum of 4 A’s for Content knowledge grades)

If you have any questions about grades, please reach out to your students teacher via email.

Dear Cresthill Families and Students,

If you are unsure of the grading and reporting practices of Cresthill -- and, for example, why it looks like your student has a 3 out of 100 for a grade in a class! -- check out the video and presentation below. You will get clarification on what you and your child will see in their Infinite Campus gradebook and understand a lot better why and how we grade as a Standards-Based Grading school.

Check this out:

• Grading Practices at CMS & Infinite Campus Gradebook Clarifications (CMS Website)

• Standards-Based Grading Presentation

If you have any questions, please let us know or reach out directly to our Professional Learning Specialist, Mr. Wakefield, at mdwakefield@dcsdk12.org

Dear CMS Community,

If you are asking a lot of questions about AI and education -- or, don't know where to even start -- take a few minutes to listen to a presentation by Matt Miller on the topic, "10 Things for Parents to Know about AI & Education". We here at Cresthill, like Matt Miller, are very much in the process of wrestling with the implications of AI in our educational world and are constantly seeking out ways to not only make sense and good use of AI tools but also to help educate and train our students in the best uses of these resources and tools.

Check out his presentation here or scan the QR code below.

Commonly Used Applications and Software at Cresthill

Cresthill is excited to announce our PBIS store. This is a place where good behavior is rewarded and positivity thrives. Our PBIS store will be a place where students can redeem points earned for demonstrating:

• Positive behaviors
• Perfect attendance
• Fostering a supportive and respectful school environment

For our Multi Lingual Learners.....

Join Cresthill Athletics!

Dear Cresthill Families,

Our 7th grade girls Volleyball and Coed 7th/8th grade Flag Football seasons will be starting in a few weeks!!! The first day of practice is Monday, 9/15 after school. Don't wait until the last minute to sign-up! Whether your student-athlete is a seasoned player or completely new to the sport, we invite ALL interested student-athletes to join us for these exciting seasons. NO PRIOR EXPERIENCE NECESSARY- Our AMAZING coaches will provide all the guidance and support!! Follow the below steps so you’re ready for practice!

MEET OUR COACHES!!

We’re excited for you to meet our coaches for the 8th grade girls volleyball and 7/8th grade coed cross country seasons! Click this LINK to learn more about our AMAZING coaches and get ready for a fantastic season ahead!

Important Fundraiser Information:

This school year, our student-athletes participating in our 7th Grade Girls Volleyball and 7/8th Grade Coed Flag Football teams will be participating in a special fundraising effort to support our athletics programs. Please access this LINK for more information regarding our sports fundraiser.

Registration Details:

To ensure your student-athlete is properly registered to participate in either flag football or volleyball, please follow the steps/links below for the sport in which you wish to register your student-athlete in.

1. Please visit CMS Athletics Website to view important information and sport specific schedules.

2. To register for 7th grade Girls Volleyball use this LINK

• To order a Volleyball T-Shirt please use this LINK

3. To register for 7th grade Coed Flag Football use this LINK

4. To register for 8th grade Coed Flag Football use this LINK

Please note:

• All CMS student-athletes must have a current sport's physical in order to practice/play. Please use this physical waiver form to register LINK

• All paperwork & fees must be completed and paid in order to practice/play.

If there are any questions or concerns, please contact Stephanie Young at stephanie.young@dcsdk12.org or 303-387-2816 or our Athletic Director, Joe Wahl, at jwahl1@dcsdk12.org

Cresthill Community!

We are SO excited to highlight Cirilo Ibarra, Owner of David & Goliath Contracting, LLC, as one of our fantastic Defend the Den sponsors! His generous support directly benefits our athletics programs here at Cresthill, helping create memorable experiences for ALL of our student athletes. Thank you, Cirilo, for standing with us and investing in our student-athletes future and supporting Cresthill athletics!!!

See more about Cirilo’s business by reading below and visiting his website.

If you’re interested in becoming a Defend the Den sponsor, please click this LINK to learn more.

#DefendTheDen #CommunityStrong

From our Sponsor!!

"Hello, my name is Cirilo Ibarra, founder of David and Goliath Contracting and a proud sponsor of Cresthill’s Defend the Den! We are a local, family-owned construction company based in Highlands Ranch, offering residential and commercial services. Our licensed and insured team handles everything from full renovations to repairs and specialty work, including HVAC, plumbing, electrical, concrete work, and landscaping. Whether it is through a project or a quick conversation, I look forward to connecting whenever our paths cross!"

Cirilo Ibarra

David & Goliath Contracting, LLC

720.940.1755

Did you know understanding informational text is challenging for many middle schoolers? If you want to encourage your child’s reading development, challenge them to read all kinds of magazines, biographies/autobiographies, non-fiction, guidebooks, textbooks, reports, essays, cookbooks, instruction manuals, news articles, etc…. The exposure to vocabulary and the writing structure of all these resources is great for having fun and gaining familiarity with all kinds of topics.

Don’t forget our fall book fair is 9/12-9/19! Check out our fair website and volunteer here! I also am accepting donations to go directly to Cresthill students who can’t afford to come to our fair. 100% of donations go back to our school. You can donate here.

🏃For more information and details for the RELAY FOR LIFE click HERE!👈

Office Hours: 7:00 AM - 3:30 PM

Before school/bell schedule:

7:25 AM First bell

7:30 AM Period One begins

After-school dismissal and expectations:

2:45 PM Dismissal

2:57 PM Buses Depart

3:00 PM

All students are off campus by 3:00 PM if they are not participating in a sport or activity.

Students are not allowed to be on campus after 3:00 pm without permission/supervision.

Main Office: 303-387-2800

Attendance: 303-387-2802

Registration: 303-387-2810

Bookkeeper: 303-387-2816

ADMINISTRATION

Francesca Pappalardo - Principal

303-387-2805

fpappalardo@dcsdk12.org

Gina Chambers - 8th-grade Assistant Principal/Activities Director

303-387-2807

gmchambers@dcsdk12.org

Joe Wahl - 7th-grade Assistant Principal/Athletic Director

303-387-2806

jwahl1@dcsdk12.org

Mark Wakefield - Professional Learning Specialist

mark.wakefield@dcsdk12.org

Mascot: Cougar

School Colors: Black, Red, Gray, and White

A Parent's Guide to DCSD

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