WEEKLY HAWK

Hello Homestead Community,

DASH WAS AMAZING!!! For all of you who were able to come out, thank you! For all of you who were able to donate, thank you! And for all of you that were cheering your sweet one on but weren't able to attend - thank you! The community support was second to none and the kids had such a great time running their little hearts out. Thank you to all of the volunteers and our incredible PTCO for organizing such a fun event and fundraising opportunity!

I had the opportunity to walk through all of our classrooms this week and wow did I see a lot! Kinders were reading books that had their sight and CVC words. 1st grade was adding using number racks and 10s frames. 2nd grade was distinguishing between nouns and verbs. 3rd grade was developing a 51st state with geographic features. 4th grade was determining factors and 5th grade was deciding what to do when a division problem has a remainder! When checking out the 1st grade Specials rotation, Art was working on different types of lines, PE was learning techniques to catch and throw, and Music was practicing on xylophones. How fun!

New this week, we started a way to recognize all of the amazing and kind things students are doing on a daily basis. Since Tuesday, when a student receives a Hawk sticker, they are coming to the office to write their name and why they earned the sticker. Every Monday, I will draw 3 names to announce over the intercom to highlight what they did to earn the sticker. They will have their picture taken and be featured on a bulletin board and their name and reason why they earned it will be on the following "Weekly Hawk" under the title "Hawks Highlights." I want our students to continue to be recognized for all of the wonderful things they are doing on a daily basis!

Please mark your calendars:

This Thursday, September 11 - Cherry Creek High School spirit bus is coming through! Wear red, white, and blue or Bruins gear!

Next Friday, September 19 - No school - this is a teacher work day

Take care and see everyone on Monday!

Dear Cherry Creek School District families,

Cherry Creek School District conducts universal social and emotional (SEL) screening to support student wellbeing. This upcoming survey helps students report their social-emotional progress and guides staff in responses to areas of need.

Screening Dates:

• Fall Window: September 15 - October 10, 2025

• Spring Window: February 2 - March 6, 2026

Important Information:

• Additional FAQ: Available at this site, including the survey questions.

• Community Meetings - these meetings are optional times to learn more about the SEL screener

• Tuesday 9/9 at 12:30pm Click here to participate

• Thursday 9/11 at Noon Click here to participate

• Monday 9/15 at 5pm Click here to participate

• Contact SELScreener@cherrycreekschools.org for interpretation

• Results: Available upon request after Fall break.

• Follow-up: School staff will contact families if significant needs are identified

• Questions: Contact Diana Rarich, SEL Coordinator, at SELScreener@cherrycreekschools.org

Opt-Out Option: Click here to indicate that you don't want your child to participate.

Thank you for your partnership in supporting your student's wellbeing.

Cherry Creek Schools

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.

You're invited to Coors Field to watch Homestead Elementary choir perform the National Anthem live on the field!

What is student council?

A group of fifth-grade student leaders who collaborate to positively impact their school community. It provides students with the opportunity to help with school activities, share student concerns, and develop leadership skills. We collaborate with different members of the Homestead community on fundraisers, service projects, and wellness events. Meetings take place on Thursdays after school.

We are looking for students who:

-want to make a positive impact at Homestead

-consistently shows HAWKS behavior

-are willing to work hard on projects that make Homestead a better place

-are respectful and kind with the ability to contribute positively to a group

What is new this year?

This year, Fifth graders who are interested in joining Council will go through an application/interview process.

Fifth graders will need to complete the application provided at school by September 12th.

*Interviews will be scheduled by the advisors beginning at 8:00 am on September 16th for an interview. Practice questions for the interviews will be provided ahead of time in the application.

*Student council members will be notified by September 18th.

*The first meeting will be on October 9th.

*Students interested in running for an officer position will receive more information at our first meeting!

Deadlines/Dates:

September 12th: Applications for student council are due

September 16th: Interviews

September 18th: Student council members are announced.

October 9th: First meeting

Student Council Meeting Dates:

Time: 2:45-4:00

October 9, 30

November 13, 20

December 11

January 15

February 5, 19

March 12

April 9

Last Meeting: April 30

Welcome Back Homestead! Please see attached picture for the IA schedule for the year.

Thank you to all of the families who donated colored sharpies, glue sticks, baby wipes, absorbent paper towels, and Legos! It helped tremendously and the year is off to a great start. Volunteer opportunities will follow in the next few weeks. Homestead's young artists and I appreciate you!

Parents of students in Kindergarten through 5th grade, please remember to have your child wear appropriate athletic footwear, such as tennis shoes, on PE days. For safety reasons, children should not wear Crocs, sandals, cowboy boots, Ugg boots, Teva's, heels, or similar footwear during PE activities. Kindly refer to the PE schedule above to determine your child's designated PE day.

Join Choir

Click here for more information

Join Stage Crew

Click here for more information

We have several after school clubs and summer activities offered at Homestead through outside organizations such as Chess Club, Coding Club and KidsArt. 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.

Join us Friday, September 26th from 4:30–6:30 PM for dinner, games, hayrides, live music, teacher raffles, and more. Be sure to grab your meal tickets early so you don’t miss out—We'll have pizza meals and new this year: Chick-fil-A!

Purchase tickets here!

✨ Please also consider volunteering to help make the night amazing! Sign up here

Mark your calendars--Friday, September 26 is picture day!

Retakes and PreK pictures will be on Oct. 29.

We are excited to express our gratitude for staff this year with monthly snacks in the lounge and we need your help! Once a month, on a Wednesday, we set up some fun treats in the lounge for them to munch on throughout their day. Each month has a different theme and we need volunteers to provide food that goes with that theme. Items can be taken to the teacher's lounge when you drop off in the morning. We will provide the decor and set it all up! Since we are planning for the whole school year, be sure and add it to your calendar! Thanks in advance for your help!

Sign Up Below:

Monthly Staff Snacks

Get involved in your school community by volunteering for shifts in the community garden! Sign up for shifts to help water, weed and help with general maintenance. Your support is greatly appreciated!

Sign up Below:

Community Garden Volunteer

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

Sungate Kids, in partnership with Cherry Creek Schools, presents an ‘Opportunity to Prepare for Safe Family Experiences for the Holidays’

For more information and if you would like to attend this training, please click the link below.

Sungate Kids Participation Form

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

Join Cherry Creek Schools on Saturday, September 20, 2025, for an unforgettable afternoon honoring Veterans and Military members at our annual Veterans & Military Appreciation & Community Celebration!

💥 Free and open to all!

🎉 Activities, live music, military displays, and more!

🕑 Festivities start at 2 p.m. at Legacy Stadium

Come together, stand united, and show your appreciation.

🔗 www.cherrycreekschools.org/militaryappreciation

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

All Visitors to our School:

We are so happy to welcome visitors and volunteers into our building. Whenever you come to Homestead, please bring your driver's license or state issued ID with you for check in.

Playgrounds After School:

Playgrounds are closed after school until 3:00pm. We ask that all families clear campus until 3:00pm so we can make sure all of our kids are safely on their way home.

Cell Phones and Smart Watches:

Per Board Policy, it is the student’s responsibility to ensure that their "electronic communication device" is turned off and out of sight during unauthorized times. Both smart watches and cell phones cause a disruption to our learning environment. Due to this, we respectfully ask that students put their smart watches, cell phones, or similar devices in their backpacks at soft start before the beginning of the instructional day at 8:00. Upon dismissal, students may retrieve them from their backpacks. Staff will provide one warning if they see a phone or smart watch out during the day. Upon a second warning, the smart watch or cell phone will be taken to the office for the day.

If you need to communicate with your student, you are always welcome to call the front office and we will relay these important messages.

Breakfast:

At this time, breakfast remains free for all students. If your student wishes to have breakfast at school, they can come through the front entrance beginning at 7:40am.

Dogs:

Do not bring dogs onto school property. Even on a leash, dogs can still present a risk to kids…some are afraid, some are allergic. Please help us make sure they feel safe here at school by leaving your dog at home.

Bikes and Scooters:

“Walk Your Wheels”… remind kids to walk their bikes and scooters in crosswalks and once they get onto school grounds. This reduces the risk of accidents with pedestrians.

Forgotten Water Bottles, Lunches, Snacks, Coats, etc:

Deliveries of these items and others are distracting to productive learning in class. If your child forgets something at home you may drop it off in the front vestibule with the information sheet. We will do our best to get these items to students in the least distracting way possible by waiting until an appropriate instructional time to deliver them.

Attendance:

If your child will be tardy or absent let us know as soon as possible. Using the Homestead App is the most preferred way to communicate, or you may call 720-554-3795 and leave a message.

• For everyone’s safety, end all cell phone use before entering the parking lot. The traffic in the back lot goes ONE WAY only. Enter from the north side and exit through the south side. DO NOT ENTER AGAINST THE ARROWS!
• There is no left turn out of the back parking lot onto Homestead Parkway. Vehicles must turn right.
• Pull your vehicle all the way up to the crosswalk when possible before dropping off or picking up your child.
• Have your child enter and exit the car from the PASSENGER SIDE ONLY. Drivers may not exit vehicle in the drop off lane for any reason. If you need to assist your child, please find a parking space, or use the front parking lot.
• If you have dropped off your child, you may pull out and pass the cars that are curbside in order to exit the parking lot. Please pull forward slowly and anticipate that the drop off lane merges back into one lane after the crosswalk.
• Only use the designated crosswalk when going to and from the parking lot. It is very important to show students where it is safe to cross, even when they are accompanied by an adult.
• Remember that there are hundreds of students walking next to moving cars – drive slowly and attentively!

Please see the flyers below for information on Parent Academy. This event will take place on Tuesday, September 9th at Smoky Hill High School. Parents will learn about the US education system and Cherry Creek Schools.

Here is the link to the electronic versions of the flyers:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1t7BvXmdN56DnZqXyyTZ7kKJB5srZhccw?usp=sharing

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.

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