From the Fox Den

Dear Arrowhead Families,

As we enter flu and cold season, please help us keep our students and staff healthy!

Please keep your student home if they are not feeling well, especially if they have:

• 🌡️ A fever of 100.4°F or higher
• 🤢 Vomiting
• 🚽 Diarrhea
• Other symptoms that prevent them from comfortably participating in the school day

💧 Stay healthy! Encourage your student to get plenty of rest, drink extra water, and wash their hands frequently. Handwashing is one of the best ways to help prevent the spread of illness.

🧥 Cold weather is here! Please send your student to school dressed appropriately for the weather. We go outside for recess whenever the temperature is above 20°F, so students should have warm clothing, including a coat, hat, and gloves as needed.

👖 Please pack a change of clothes! Our clinic clothing supplies are limited. We encourage families to send an extra pair of pants and socks in your student's backpack in case clothing gets wet during recess or an accident occurs.

💉 Vaccination Information:
For helpful information about flu and COVID-19 vaccinations, please visit:
UCHealth: Everything You Need to Know About COVID-19 Vaccine and Flu Shots

Thank you for helping us keep our Arrowhead community healthy, safe, and ready to learn! ❤️

Kind regards,

Melanie Faherty

School Nurse

Arrowhead's website is regularly updated with information and upcoming events are found on the calendar. It will always have the most up-to-date information and you can see events that are scheduled across the year, including district events. Please be sure to check the website regularly! Please take note of the following dates and save them on your calendars:

October 12-16- Fall Break

October 20- Fall Lockdown Drill

October 23- Trunk or Treat

October 29- Picture Retakes

October 30- Maker Day, Maker Day Parade 2:00 pm

October 30- Trimester 1 report cards sent via email

November 2-6- Fall Conferences and Book Fair

November 11- Veterans Day Celebration 8:30 am

November 12- PTCO Meeting (Virtual)

November 19- Skate City Night 6:00 pm

November 25-27- No School (Thanksgiving Break)

December 3- Multicultural Night 5:30-7:30 pm

Our annual Trunk or Treat will take place this Friday, October 23 in the Arrowhead Parking Lot! We are also thankful to the group of volunteers who will be keeping the Monster Dash tradition going! The schedule is as follows:

5:15 pm- Arrive to register for Monster Dash and sign the waivers

5:30 pm- Monster Dash begins

6:00 pm- Trunk or Treat (we will keep going until we run out of candy!)

The Candy Monster is still looking for donations of candy! If you are willing to donate candy or non-food items for our Trunk or Treat event, please bring it by the Main Office and leave in the Candy Monster!

There are also still spaces available if you would like to host a trunk for Trunk or Treat! Trunk hosts may enter the parking lot starting at 4:00 pm to begin setting up.

Our annual Maker Day is happening on Friday, October 30! Our theme this year is "Incredible Inventions." Each class will be learning about an invention and designing a "float" made of cardboard and recycled materials for our Cardboard Parade.

We will need volunteers to make the day a success! Please watch for a volunteer sign-up from your child's teacher for ways to support that day! We will also need donations of cardboard and recycled materials- your child's teacher will let you know what specifically they are looking for.

Our Cardboard Parade will take place at 2:00 pm and you are invited to join us to see your child's creations and cheer their class on! Our route starts at the Cafeteria door (door 8) and goes around the playground to the front of the school where we will enter through the 3rd grade doors (door 2).

Please note that we do not wear costumes on Maker Day. Instead, students will create their own costumes and accessories as part of Maker Day that they will wear in the parade!

Nutritious snacks help our students stay energized, focused, and ready to learn throughout the school day. We appreciate families partnering with us by sending snacks that provide lasting energy, such as fresh fruit, vegetables, whole grains, or other nourishing choices.

Candy and foods high in sugar are not considered appropriate school-day snacks. We ask families to choose water or other nutritious, non-caffeinated beverages instead of soda and caffeinated drinks. To help us keep our learning spaces clean and safe, only water may be consumed in classrooms and carpeted areas. Students may enjoy juice and sports drinks during lunch in the cafeteria.

Thank you for partnering with us to support healthy habits and create the best possible learning environment for all of our students!

Students are welcome to ride their bikes and scooters to school! We have bike racks at the front and back of the building for students to use and we highly recommend students lock their bikes/scooters to prevent theft. For safety reasons, we ask students to "walk their wheels" on school grounds to avoid running into other students and community members. Our staff will remind students to walk their wheels while on school grounds and we appreciate your support in reinforcing that at home, too!

Have you filled out your Student Benefit Form yet? You can fill it out 3 ways:

1) Online at https://www.myschoolapps.com. Put in the zip code 80013 and choose "Cherry Creek School District." There is a "Language" link in the top right corner to translate the form into other languages.

2) Print out a paper copy of the form below (available in English and Spanish) and return it to the Main Office.

3) Stop by the Main Office and pick-up a form to fill out.

November 5, 2026- 6:00 - 7:30 pm at Overland HS

January 7, 2027- 6:00 - 7:30 pm at Overland HS

February 2, 2027- 6:00 - 7:30 pm at Overland HS

March 4, 2027- 6:00 - 7:30 pm at Overland HS

April 6, 2027 -PUBLIC HEARING- 6:00 - 7:30 pm Virtual

October 20, 2026- 6:00-7:30 pm Virtual

November 12, 2026- 6:00-7:30 pm at Eaglecrest HS

January 14, 2027- 6:00-7:30 pm Virtual

February 9, 2027- 6:00-7:30 pm at Eaglecrest HS

March 11, 2027- 6:00-7:30 pm Virtual

April 13, 2027- 6:00-7:30 pm at Eaglecrest HS

Kindergarten-5th Grade

8:00 am-2:45 pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday

8:00 am-1:45 pm Wednesday

Pre-Kindergarten

AM Session: 8:00-10:55 am Monday-Thursday

PM Session: 11:50 am-2:45 pm Monday-Thursday

Enrichment: 10:55 am-2:45 pm Monday-Thursday

*No Pre-K on Fridays

The school day ends at 2:45 pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. On Wednesdays, the school day ends at 1:45 pm. Students will exit from the same doors they entered.

If you are interested in our before and after school child care program, please contact Bobbie Smith at 720-886-2853. They open at 6:30 am to provide before school care and are open until 6:00 pm to provide after school care. They can only accept students who have been registered in advance. They accept Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (CCCAP) for families who qualify and give discounts for families who qualify for free or reduced price meals.

Students will enter and exit through their grade level doors (map below) each morning and at the end of the day. For safety reasons, students may not transition through the school and may only use their grade level doors. Older siblings are welcome to drop-off their younger siblings at their grade level door and then will need to walk around the exterior of the building to their grade level door. At the end of the day, older siblings will be dismissed from their grade level door and will need to walk around the exterior to meet their younger sibling. Of course, exceptions will be made during inclement weather.

Arrowhead staff members will be outside from 7:45-8:00 am and 2:45-2:55 pm (1:45-1:55 pm on Wednesdays). Outside of these times, caregivers need to remain with their child before and after school. Students may not play on the playground without adult supervision before or after school.

Please note that dogs are not allowed on school grounds. If you would like to bring your dog to drop-off or pick-up your child, please remain on the sidewalks around the perimeter of the school or in the field past the last goalpost.

Morning Arrival (7:45-8:00 am)

Kiss and Go Lanes: New this year, we are going to be using the section of Ceylon that is already marked as a loading/no parking zone as a "Kiss and Go" lane. Staff will be at the drop-off point to assist students in loading/unloading and to remind drivers that it is a no parking zone. However, they are not able to direct traffic due to it being a public road. The second "Kiss and Go" lane will be in the Parking Lot. The maps below show both locations. In both Kiss and Go lanes, we ask that your child be ready to jump out quickly to keep the lane moving smoothly. For their safety, students should exit the vehicle on the passenger side.

Parking: We highly recommend walking to school as much as possible, as there is very limited parking around the school. If you cannot find space in the parking lot, there is street parking available. Please pay attention to the signage and do not park in no parking zones. Please also be respectful of our community members and do not block the driveways of homes.

Afternoon Dismissal (2:45-2:55 pm and 1:45-1:55 pm on Wednesdays)

Pick-Up Lanes: These are located in the same places as our Kiss and Go lanes in the morning. The driver must remain in the vehicle at all times and pull out as soon as their child(ren) is buckled in. If you are using these lanes, please encourage your child to arrive at these meeting points quickly so that we are able to move these lanes through quickly.

Parking Lot: Due to limited space for our buses, we will need to close the parking lot once the pick-up lane is full (usually around 2:30/1:30 pm). Once the parking lot has been closed, we ask that you find parking on the street. Please note that if using the parking lot pick-up lane, you will not be able to pull-out until the buses do (usually around 2:50/1:50 pm).

Street Parking: We again recommend that you walk whenever possible, however, if necessary, you may use street parking around the school. Please do not park in no parking zones and do not block driveways of homes.

*Please note that any child not picked-up by 2:55/1:55 pm will be brought to the Main Office. Caregivers will need to come to the Main Office, show their ID, and sign-out their child after 2:55/1:55 pm.

We are always looking for volunteers to help with various needs around school. If you are interested in volunteering, please reach out to your child's teacher or our Community Liaison, Hunter Holguin, at hholguin@cherrycreekschools.org. Opportunities include:

• Helping at lunch and recess
• Helping with morning arrival
• Shelving books in the Library
• Putting up bulletin boards
• Supporting teachers with clerical work (copying, laminating, etc.)
• Helping with special events (Veteran's Day, Glow Run, Maker Day, etc.)
• Mystery Reader (reading aloud to the class)
• Helping with science experiments/projects
• And more!

Volunteers will need to complete the District Volunteer Application at least 24 hours prior to volunteering.

All Cherry Creek elementary schools have early release days every Wednesday at 1:45 pm for Kindergarten-5th grade students to enhance professional development and training opportunities for our elementary teachers. Pre-K students continue to dismiss at their regular time. By having this specific time set aside, there will be less of a need to pull teachers out of the classroom during the day, which creates continuity for students and less of a reliance on substitute teachers. For families who participate in after school child care, the after-school program is extended every Wednesday and runs from 1:45-6:00 pm. You can register for after school care by contacting Bobbie Smith at 720-886-2853.

Arrowhead's policy for personal communication devices (cell phones, smart watches, etc.) is as follows:

Students are discouraged from bringing personal communication devices to school. If brought to school, they must be turned off or silenced upon arriving at school. They may use them again after the bell rings at the end of the day. Devices should be kept in the student's backpack at all times and may not be used during the school day without permission, unless permitted through 504 or IEP accommodations. Smart watches may only be used to read the time and should not be used for communication or games during the school day. If a student uses a personal communication device during a restricted time for an unauthorized purpose, the procedure will be as follows:

First Violation: The student will receive a warning and will be asked to put the device in their backpack.

Second Violation: The teacher will confiscate the device and return it to the student at the end of the school day.

Third Violation: The device will be confiscated and kept in the office until a parent/guardian picks it up.

Parents/guardians will be notified each time there is a violation.

Students who need to make calls to caregivers for urgent purposes may ask to call from their teacher's classroom phone or come to the office to make a phone call.

This policy is in accordance with board policy JICJ: Student Use of Personal Technology Devices.

Please help us keep our students safe by driving safely around the school. The streets surrounding Arrowhead (Bates and Ceylon) are no u-turn zones. Please slow down, be vigilant, and do not double park along Bates or Ceylon. Children should only exit vehicles on the curb side and we ask that you pull all the way up to the curb before letting them out. Please model pedestrian safety for your child by using crosswalks.

If you see unsafe driving, please report it to Aurora Police Department. As a school, we do not have the authority to enforce traffic violations.

Did you know that your child can eat breakfast for free at Arrowhead? If you would like your child to eat breakfast at school, please drop them off between 7:40-7:50 am. Students eating breakfast will need to enter through the Cafeteria door at the back of the building (door #8). Breakfast ends at 8:00 am, so please drop your child off no later than 7:50 am to allow them time to eat before going to their classroom.

• Stickers
• Pencils
• Bookmarks
• Small trinkets/toys (school appropriate- no pretend weapons or items that can be used as weapons, no whistles, etc.)
• Goodie bags with non-edible items
• A book donation to your child's classroom (have your child sign the book so the class remembers who donated it!)

Each grade level celebrates birthdays differently and your child will be recognized on their birthday, regardless of whether they bring in something to celebrate with. If you wish for your child's birthday not to be celebrated, please notify their classroom teacher.

Please refrain from sending flowers and balloons to school for your child. Any flowers and balloons that are received will not be delivered until the end of the school day.

You can buy Arrowhead spirit wear for your child here! If you have any questions, please reach out to the PTCO.

Did you know that in addition to all the events the PTCO puts on, there are other ways to support the Arrowhead Elementary PTCO?

Questions? Feel free to reach out to your Arrowhead PTCO

arrowheadelementaryptco@gmail.com

arrtreasurer@gmail.com

arrowheadptcosecretary@gmail.com

Email: kjones100@cherrycreekschools.org

Website: https://www.cherrycreekschools.org/Arrowhead
Location: 19100 E Bates Ave, Aurora, CO, USA
Phone: 720-886-2800