Lark Families,

Thank you for helping make March such a terrific month at Prairie Hills! Our school has been filled with excitement with so many opportunities for students to learn, collaborate, and shine!

March brought plenty of “March Madness” fun to our learning! Students competed in our March Mathness challenge, where classes worked together to complete ST Math and Beast Academy puzzles. The energy and teamwork were incredible, and we are excited to congratulate Mrs. Von Feldt's class as this year’s champions!

Our annual March Madness Make-It, Take-It competition is also in full swing. Today we are celebrating our Elite 8 finalists, and we love how our community is joining together in fun and competition. Be sure to check out the photos below to see some of the fun in action!

To capture the joy of Read Across America Month, our school community also came together around the wonderful book The Wild Robot Escapes. Thank you to everyone who joined in the celebration through dress-up days and engaging activities like our pet rocks project. These shared literacy experiences continue to build a love of reading and connection across our school.

We are also looking forward to partnering with our amazing PTA for our annual OBOS event next Friday from 6:00–8:00 PM. Join us for an evening filled with science, crafts, dancing, and much more—it is always such a special community event!

As we move into April, it is a wonderful time to see our students’ skills and confidence truly shine. Across classrooms we have been working on critical thinking and lifting student voices. We are especially excited to have introduced our third school-wide critical thinking strategy: Building Thinking Classrooms. Ask your child about our vertical wipeboards and what it has been like to solve problems collaboratively with classmates!

Some of the benefits students are already experiencing include:

Greater confidence in problem solving
More student voice and mathematical discourse
Increased collaboration and teamwork
Stronger perseverance with challenging tasks
Visible thinking that allows students to learn from one another
Higher engagement through movement and active participation
Deeper reasoning as students explain and defend their ideas

Thank you, as always, for your continued partnership. We look forward to seeing all of you on April 10th!

Sincerely,

Stephanie Auday

Principal

Jennifer Hetrick

Assistant Principal

End of the Year LARK STAFF PRIDE (Perseverance, Respect, Integrity, Dreams to Achieve, Empathy) NOMINATIONS

At Prairie Hills we believe in the importance of feedback and recognition and would like to invite you in recognizing staff within our community that exemplify the vision of Prairie Hills. Thank you to families that have already reached out- it means so much. Please help us nominate exceptional staff who support us in building a Thriving, Innovating and Nurturing Community. To nominate Lark Staff, please click on the link below. We will be recognizing two staff members per month based on nominations during our PRIDE celebrations.

Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

Lark Families,

Each year, schools are required to share information with families about immunization requirements for school attendance.

This Annual Parent Letter explains which vaccines are required for students to attend school in Colorado and provides helpful information about exemptions.

The letter also includes our school’s MMR (Measles, Mumps, and Rubella) vaccination rate and exemption rate from the 2024–2025 school year, as required by the state.

Annual Parent Letter English

Annual Parent Letter Spanish

If you have any questions about your child’s immunization records or school requirements, please contact the health office. We’re happy to help!

Thanks!

Collyn Knoles RN, BSN

Registered Nurse

Century Middle School

Prairie Hills Elementary School

Child Find Evaluation Team

Adams 12 Five Star Schools

o:720-972-3241

c:303-883-8867

Collyn.M.Knoles@adams12.org

Adams 12 Five Star Schools is committed to providing a coordinated Whole Child approach to wellness that promotes proper nutrition, regular physical activity, and the development of social emotional and mental health skills as part of the total learning environment. To support a healthy day, teachers do allow for a short time for students to eat a healthy snack. This time is a short 10-15 minute break, so snacks should be small enough to eat in that time period. Most snacks should consist of nutrient-dense foods, such as fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy products, and nuts/ seeds (with consideration for classroom allergies). Snacks should be something that provides sustained energy and helps your child concentrate better in school. With this goal in mind, the following is a list of snack ideas: Fruit/vegetables, Gogurt, Granola bars, protein bars, cereal, popcorn, rice cakes, string cheese, mini muffins, raisins, bagels, pretzels, applesauce pouches, crackers.

Please note that cookies, cakes, candy, or other sugary items are not permitted as snacks. Please also be sure students have only water in their water bottles. Thank you for your understanding and support

Please slow down and be mindful as you enter and exit our school area when driving. During these winter months we have more vehicles that may be unfamiliar with our traffic flow. Please be patient and look for the multiple crosswalks that surround our community to ensure safety.

We are excited to see so many student riding bikes and scooters to school. A friendly reminder that they are to walk always on school grounds for the safety of all. We highly encourage everyone to wear helmets, closed toe shoes and have a lock for your equipment.

Community Connection

🎟️Free & Fun

🧑‍🌾Day at the Farm - Apr 25, 10am-1pm, Bromley Farm (1594 East Bromley Lane, Brighton). Hosted by Adams County 4-H, families will be able to interact with an array of farm animals, drop by the Birds of Prey informational display booth, and learn more about antique tractors on site.

🖼️Free Days at Museums & More in April

Apr 4 – Museum of Contemporary Art Denver
Apr 13 – Denver Museum of Nature & Science
Apr 22 – Denver Botanic Gardens at York Street and Denver Botanic Gardens Chatfield Farms
Apr 24 – Four Mile Historic Park
Apr 26 – Denver Art Museum
Apr 26 – Denver Museum of Nature & Science

🐅Get Tickets on April 5 for Next Denver Zoo Free Day on April 19 - Around 9am on the 5th, click here to get your Free Day tickets. Tickets are available first-come, first-served.

🏴‍☠️Free “3 Rs” Treasure Hunt - Apr 23, 4pm-7pm (drop-in), BRITE Collaborative (528 Main Street, Longmont). Learn more about restorative justice by:

Parroting the Parrot (listening for meaning)
Walking the Plank (practice open-ended questions)
Racing to Reframe (affective statements)

Participants will be entered into a drawing to win cool prizes. No registration required, but you can get reminders here.

For Community and Caregivers

📖Be a Sidekick! - Sidekicks help Anythink staff assist library customers to find the fuel and the spark for unlimited ideas and opportunities! Apply to be a Sidekick (EN).

❣️HeaRT Online Training for Parents - has launched! This free, self-paced course offers parents and caregivers of 11- to 14-year-olds guidance on positive parenting and communication. Explore the toolkit and take the training.

♻️Recycle That Old Refrigerator! - Xcel Energy is paying a $50 rebate to recycle old refrigerators and/or freezers and pick them up at no charge. Find more info here.

❤️‍🩹Save a Life - CPR, AED and First Aid Class - Apr 4, 11am-12:30pm, Broomfield FISH (#6 Garden Center). Open to all, including children. Free if you don't need a 2-year certification card. Sign up here.