Gold Rush Elementary
Principal's Message - May 1, 2026
Inspiring Purpose, Compassion & Excellence
APRIL SHOWERS BRING MAY FLOWERS
Our kindergarten students have been joyfully exploring the new season through both drawing and writing. They have been creating pictures that represent spring and sharing, in their own words, what they love most about this time of year. It has been wonderful to see their creativity and hear their perspectives!
Some of their favorite things about spring include ladybugs, baseball, sunshine, and butterflies. Students also mentioned enjoying bees and sunflowers, while others shared their appreciation for the rain—and the rainbows that sometimes follow. With the changing weather we’ve experienced this week, it’s safe to say that many of our students have been especially excited!
As we continue through this unpredictable season, I encourage you to sign up for district text alerts to stay informed about any changes to dismissal, including lightning-related procedures. This can be done through Parent Portal. Please remember that if lightning is detected within ten miles of the building, families are required to come inside to pick up their children. We had a chance to practice this process this week, and while we hope it won’t happen often, being prepared is important.
As always, thank you for your continued support!
FIRST GRADERS PREPARE FOR ZOOTOPIA WITH FIELD TRIP
Our first grade students had an amazing first field trip to the Denver Zoo Wednsday! This experience connected beautifully with their final science unit of the year, where students explore the similarities and differences between animals and their parents. Throughout this unit, students have been observing a wide variety of characteristics in plants and animals, discovering that while living things share similarities, they are not exactly the same.
The zoo provided a wonderful opportunity for students to see many different animals up close and deepen their understanding through real-world observation. It was truly a great day filled with excitement, curiosity, and learning for all!
We would like to extend our sincere thanks to our first grade teachers and our parent chaperones for making this trip possible. We are also incredibly grateful to our PTO for their commitment to subsidizing the cost of field trips across all grade levels, ensuring that these valuable off-site learning experiences are accessible to every student.
Looking ahead, our first graders are preparing for their culminating activity, “Zootopia,” where they will present their research on an animal of their choice. We look forward to learning from them and celebrating their hard work on May 18th!
BUDDY PERFORMANCES
Our fifth graders recently had the wonderful opportunity to perform for their kindergarten buddies—and what a performance it was! Students created an original soundtrack to accompany The Cat and the Hat, showcasing both their creativity and musical skills.
The performance was a collaborative effort. Some students took on the role of narrators, bringing the story to life with expressive reading, while others provided a live musical score. The soundtrack featured a wide variety of instruments, including slide whistles, ukuleles, drums, and xylophones. Each sound added a playful and imaginative layer to the story that kept the audience engaged from beginning to end.
Our kindergarten students were delighted to hear both familiar and unique instruments woven into the performance. Their excitement and curiosity made the experience even more special for our fifth graders.
We are so proud of our fifth-grade students for their hard work, creativity, and impressive sense of timing as they coordinated their music with the story. It was a joyful example of collaboration, leadership, and artistic expression—and a memorable experience for everyone involved! We also thank our music teacher, Ms. Richard, for making this possible.
Mrs Graham is already hard at work designing our incredible Field Day! We would love for you to be a part of it! Field day will be held on two mornings from 8-12:
- Monday, May 18th for Primary grades K-2
- Tuesday, May 19th for Intermediate 3-5.
