ROCK CONNECTION October 23rd, 2026

Strasburg Elementary Families,

It's hard to believe we're already nearing the end of October! We've had a fantastic start to the school year, and I continue to be grateful for the incredible students, staff, and families who make Strasburg Elementary such a special place.

As we settle into the second quarter, I want to encourage our families to continue supporting learning at home. One of the simplest and most impactful things you can do is spend time reading with your child each day. Whether it's listening to your child read, reading a book together, or discussing a story, those moments make a tremendous difference in developing strong readers and lifelong learners.

I'm also incredibly proud of the positive school culture we continue to build through our House System. It's been wonderful to see students demonstrating our ROCK values of Respect, Ownership, Compassion, and Knowledge throughout the building. Our Houses continue to create opportunities for students to build relationships, celebrate one another, and take pride in being part of something bigger than themselves.

We have several exciting events coming up! On Friday, October 30th, we will celebrate Halloween with our annual costume parade and classroom parties. These are always some of the most enjoyable moments of the fall, and we look forward to seeing our students' creativity and excitement! We also encourage families to participate in the MVF Trunk or Treat on Saturday, October 31st, and join us for our Veterans Day Assembly on Wednesday, November 11th, at 8:30 AM, hosted by our Student Council. These events are wonderful opportunities to come together and strengthen our school community.

Finally, I want to thank you for your continued partnership. We know that the success of our students depends on the relationships we build between home and school. Your support, encouragement, and involvement truly make a difference, and we are grateful to have you as part of our SES family.

Thank you for all you do to make Strasburg Elementary a wonderful place for students to learn and grow!

Four Houses ONE TRIBE

The Importance of Arriving on Time

The 1st Bell rings at 7:50am and the Tardy Bell rings @ 7:55

We want to remind families how important it is for students to arrive at school on time each day.

When students are late, they miss important learning time, classroom routines, and opportunities to connect with their peers.

Starting the day on time helps students feel prepared, confident, and ready to learn.

If you know that your child will be arriving after 9:00am and will be eating hot lunch, please notify the front office before 9:00am, the lunch staff needs to know how many hot lunches to prepare. If we do not receive a phone call your child will automatically receive a yogurt lunch, unless your child brings a lunch from home.

Thank you for your partnership in helping all of our students have a strong start to their school day!

We are getting excited for the Trunk or Treat and love your help collecting candy for this fun event.

To make things even more exciting, we are bringing a little House competition into the mix! 🐻🦬🦌🦅We will have our House buckets set for candy donations starting 10/21. For every bag of candy donated, we will award 5 House points to your house or the house of your choice!

Thank you for helping us make Trunk or Treat a fun event for our students and families!

Get your costumes ready! MVF is hosting its annual Trunk or Treat on Saturday, October 31st, in the gravel parking lot north of Hemphill Middle School. This is a great opportunity for families to come together, show off their costumes, and enjoy a fun evening of trick-or-treating!

🚗 5:00 PM – Car Decorating Begins
🍬 6:00 PM – Trick-or-Treating Begins

🚗 Interested in Hosting a Trunk?

MVF is looking for families and community members willing to decorate their vehicles and hand out candy. Those hosting a trunk can begin setting up at 5:00 PM, with trick-or-treating kicking off at 6:00 PM! If you would like to participate, please sign up using the link below. All trunk decorations and themes should be kid-friendly to ensure a fun experience for children of all ages.

Click Here to Sign Up to Host a Trunk

A big thank you to MVF for organizing this wonderful community event! We hope to see many of our SES families there!

Join Strasburg Parks & Rec, Patriot Insurance, and Jess-Yaich Post 183 for a special evening honoring the brave men and women who have served our country!

This community event will feature a FREE spaghetti dinner as a way to show appreciation for our veterans and their service.

📅 Saturday, November 7th
⏰ 5:00–7:00 PM
📍 Strasburg Legion Hall – 56423 Westview Avenue
🍝 Free Spaghetti Dinner

Dinner will be served beginning at 5:00 PM until food runs out. To reserve your spot, please call 303-622-4260.

Please help us spread the word to veterans in our community so they can enjoy this special evening of appreciation.

Thank you to all our veterans for your service and sacrifice

Strasburg Elementary School is proud to invite our families and community members to join us for our Veterans Day Assembly on Wednesday, November 11th, at 8:30 AM!

Our Student Council will be hosting this special assembly as we come together to recognize and honor the brave men and women who have served our country.

📅 Wednesday, November 11th
⏰ 8:30 AM
📍 Strasburg Elementary School

All families are welcome to attend, and we especially encourage veterans and active-duty military members to join us as we express our gratitude for their service and sacrifice.

We look forward to coming together as a school community to celebrate and honor our nation's heroes!

Spread the Word About Red Ribbon WeekNext week, our school will join millions across the nation in celebrating Red Ribbon Week, a campaign dedicated to promoting healthy, drug-free lifestyles. This year’s theme encourages students to make safe choices, respect themselves, and stand against substance abuse.

Children of parents who talk to their teens regularly about drugs are 42% less likely to use drugs than those who don’t; yet, only a quarter of teens report having these conversations. Red Ribbon Week (October 23-31), the oldest and largest drug prevention campaign in the nation, is your opportunity to get the ongoing conversation started . This year’s theme is “Make A Difference. Be A Hero. Stay Drug Free.”

Visit www.redribbon .org to learn more about Red Ribbon Week and get tips for talking to your kids about drugs. The life you save may be that of your own child or a dear friend.

Nicole Hawkins, RN, MSN-NE

Strasburg Schools District Nurse

District Safety Coordinator

Tobacco Cessation Specialist

56729 E. Colorado Ave.

Strasburg, CO 80136

nicolehawkins@strasburg31j.com

303-622-9215 ext. 620

Nicole Hawkins, RN, MSN-NE

Strasburg Schools District Nurse

District Safety Coordinator

Tobacco Cessation Specialist

56729 E. Colorado Ave.

Strasburg, CO 80136

nicolehawkins@strasburg31j.com

303-622-9215 ext. 620

We are excited to offer Homework Club after school next week for students in 2nd–5th grade!

📅 Wednesday, October 28th
⏰ After school until 5:00 PM
✏️ Students can get extra support and dedicated time to work on homework.

Students must be signed up by a parent/guardian in order to attend. Please use the link below to register your student.

🔗 Sign Up Here: https://forms.gle/YSm2WcLtUPWgaagA9

We’re excited to bring Homework Club back and provide another opportunity to support our students!

We have officially wrapped up our Bullying Prevention lessons, and we are so proud of all the learning, thoughtful conversations, and participation from our students!

First, we want to give a HUGE shoutout to all the students who participated in creating Bullying Prevention posters! It was wonderful to see so many students wanting to use their voices to stand up against bullying and spread messages of kindness, inclusion, and respect. Their posters will be displayed throughout our school as reminders that everyone belongs and kindness matters!

Throughout our lessons, students learned about recognizing bullying, understanding how our words and actions affect others, showing empathy, and the importance of treating everyone with kindness and respect. We also talked about the difference between being a bystander and an upstander, encouraging students to speak up, support others, and reach out to a trusted adult when they see something that isn't right.

One of our biggest messages was that even the smallest acts of kindness can make a BIG difference! Bullying prevention doesn't end when our lessons are over—it happens through the choices we make and the way we treat one another every day!

❤️ Up Next: Red Ribbon Week! ❤️

As we wrap up Bullying Prevention, we are excited to shift our focus to Red Ribbon Week! Red Ribbon Week is a nationwide campaign that encourages students to live healthy, safe, and drug-free lives. It is an opportunity to talk with students about making positive choices, taking care of their minds and bodies, and understanding how the decisions they make can impact their future.

During Red Ribbon Week, we will focus on the importance of making healthy choices, being confident in ourselves, handling peer pressure, and surrounding ourselves with positive influences. We want students to know that they have the power to make choices that help them grow, stay safe, and be their best selves!

Both Bullying Prevention and Red Ribbon Week share an important message: Our choices matter! Whether we are choosing kindness, standing up for others, or making healthy decisions, every positive choice helps build a stronger school community.

We are excited to continue these important conversations with our students! ❤️💙

Joy Buck

School Counselor

Strasburg Elementary School 31J

Jbuck@strasburg31j.com

(303) 622-9215 ext. 642

We are asking all parents to please take a few minutes to complete the Free & Reduced Lunch application, even if you don’t think you’ll qualify. The more families that complete the form, the more funding and resources our school is eligible to receive to support students and programs.

You can fill it out quickly and easily online at: www.PaySchoolsCentral.com

Thank you for helping us provide the best opportunities for all of our students.

Please be advised that our Adult Breakfast has gone from $2.50 to $2.55

Lunch has gone from $5.00 to $5.20

StrasburgSchoolDistrictMissionStatement

The mission of the Strasburg School District is to develop resourceful, responsible, and resilient engaged citizens who are empowered in a safe learning environment for all to achieve their full potential in an evolving world.