SIERRA SCOOP
October 30, 2026
Have clothes that your child has outgrown? We could use gently used bottoms (pants, shorts), socks, and shirts (t-shirts and long sleeve shirts). Thank you so much for your donation!
💛🖤 Tell Us Why You Love Sierra 🖤💛
The PTA is gathering testimonials from current parents to share at the Kindergarten Information Night. Help us show prospective parents what an amazing place Sierra is! Complete our 3 question survey to share what you love about Sierra Elementary and the Sierra Community.
The November election includes two measures affecting Jeffco Public Schools: 5A and 5B. We've included a factual overview of both measures to help families understand what is being proposed. Additional information is available at https://www.jeffcopublicschools.org/about/bond-and-mill-levy-overview/2026-mill-levy-override-and-special-mill.
FAMILY SURVEY CLOSES TONIGHT!
Jeffco conducts an annual district-wide school culture survey; Jeffco Listens, for students, families, and staff. Results from these surveys provide valuable feedback that helps schools and the district continue the positive work while identifying and addressing areas of needed support as specified in Jeffco’s district and school unified improvement plan goals.
We value input from our families to help guide our continuous growth. You can read more about the survey here. Please take a few minutes to complete this survey to help Sierra be the best school we can be. Last year we had 153 responses; goal for this year is at least 160. We are getting closer...120 responses. Thank you for your continued partnership!
Daylight Saving Time - Don't forget on November 1st at 2:00 a.m., clocks move back one hour! Enjoy an extra hour of sleep!
Judges are needed for our upcoming Science Fair!
Some sort of science background is preferred, but definitely not required.
Judging will take place on Thursday, November 12 from 8:00am - 12:00.
Ideally, judges would be here for around 60-90 minutes.
(You will not judge your own child's project or category.)
If you are free and would like to be a judge that day, please email Kaela at kaela.lazek@jeffco.k12.co.us and let me know what time works best for you. Thank you!
Melissa Gurley- 5th grade teacher
Hello! I am Melissa Gurley and teach 5th grade here at Sierra. I have been teaching for 19 years and have been in 5th grade at Sierra for 12 of those years. I love all things outdoors and like to stay very active. My family and I love to go camping, boating, and various water sports. I also enjoy going to concerts, shopping, and spending time with friends. I am married and have two daughters in 7th and 10th grade. I am grateful to work in a school that is so supported by our wonderful Seirra community! Go Sabertooths!!
Bethany Depps- CLDE teacher
My name is Bethany Depps and I am originally from Southern Cal. I came to Colorado to attend the University of Colorado at Boulder in 2003 and have made this state my new home. I began my teaching career in 2005 as a 5th grade classroom teacher and now I am a CLDE teacher working with students in grades K-8th. Until now, I have taught all grades from Kindergarten to 12th grade and also teach adults ESL.
Paige Martin- 3rd grade teacher
Hi Sabertooths! I'm Mrs. Martin, one of the 3rd grade teachers! I have been teaching here for 10 years, but my family and I just moved to the area. My husband, daughter, baby boy and I like to hike, visit all the coolest playgrounds, and fancy ourselves as foodies when we can get out on the town. I love to read and relax when I'm not wrangling my littles!
November 3- 3rd grade musical (check the calendar)
November 4- 4th grade musical (check the calendar)
November 12- Picture retakes
November 12 and 13- Science Fair
November 13- End of 1st trimester
November 17- PTA (5:00pm) and Sierra Family Community Council (5:30pm); both in the library and virtual
November 20- ROAR Day (Candyland) and report cards go home
November 23-27- NO SCHOOL, Thanksgiving Break
December 1- Vision and hearing
December 3- Lockdown drill (more info to come)
December 4- Modified Contact day (more info to come)
December 9- 2nd grade musical
Please ensure that you read through the Sierra Student-Family Handbook for additional school information.
AI at Sierra
With the ever increasing use of AI in our lives and in school, we wanted to share guidelines for Sierra. We anchored to policy and district language to help us make sense of what is most important for our school community.
1. We only use Jeffco approved tools. These are Gemini, CoPilot (used inside Jeffco’s data dashboards), Gemini Notebook (formerly known as Notebook LM), and Adobe. These tools are considered vetted by Jeffco and ensure student data privacy and security.
2. We will consider the balance of risk, transparency, and family comfort. When we use AI generated student pictures for anything, we will seek parent permission first. We want to be proactive and transparent to ensure families are aware.
3. Please review these resources for more information about regarding AI in education:
A Guide to AI in Education, A Guardian’s Guide to AI, Jeffco AI Info
ParentSquare
Sierra will be launching a new communication platform called ParentSquare on Monday, November 9 to help us keep you better informed and more connected with our school community.
With ParentSquare, you’ll receive school and classroom messages in one place (we will still be using email for individual and small group communication) and translated into your preferred language—whether by email, text, app or web. You’ll also be able to:
Stay up to date on news and events
Send and receive messages with teachers and staff
View calendar items and photos from your school
And more!
All school, grade-level and classroom communications will come through ParentSquare starting on November 9.
To get the most out of ParentSquare, we encourage you to activate your account and download the free mobile app, available for iOS or Android. You can also access ParentSquare from your web browser. Please note: you do not need to set up an account to receive emails, texts, or phone calls from our school.
To learn more about ParentSquare and how to get started, visit Jeffco’s ParentSquare webpage. Thank you for your continued partnership in supporting your student’s success.
Please ensure you read through Jeffco's Student and Family Handbook.
🎨 Reflections! 🎭
This year’s theme is “What my culture means to me”. This program is open to all Sierra students.
Submissions are due this upcoming Monday, November 2. Please remember to fill out both entry forms (PDF and Google form) and email the PDF to the Reflections Committee. Both of these entry forms can be found on Sierra PTA’s Reflections page.
Check out Sierra PTA’s Reflections page for more information about the categories and requirements. Colorado PTA’s Reflections page also has a vast amount of information to help! Questions? Email the Reflections Committee!
🎆🛼 Skate Night - Tuesday, Nov. 10th 🛼🎆
Join your friends for a fun Skate Night at Skate City Tuesday, Nov. 10th from 6-8 pm. The theme is “GLOW Party” so come decked out in neon colors and glow sticks! $7 Admission Fee, $5 Skate Rental, $5 Meal Deals. Beat the line and pre-purchase your admissions/rentals. Register Here. We’ll see you on the rink!
🗣️ PTA General Meeting 🗣️
Join us at our next PTA General Meeting - Tuesday, November 17 from 5 to 5:30pm. The meeting is held in the library and on Google Meet (https://meet.google.com/qfd-qaaa-zbg)
🥛🍎🥕🫑 Support Sierra While Getting Your Groceries! 🥛🍎🥕🫑
Link your King Soopers Card to Sierra Elementary and portion of your grocery purchase will benefit Sierra
Bring in Longmont Dairy Milk Caps and Sierra will receive 5 cents for each cap we collect! Caps can be dropped in the collection box in the front vestibule.
💛🖤 Tell Us Why You Love Sierra 🖤💛
The PTA is gathering testimonials from current parents to share at the Kindergarten Information Night. Help us show prospective parents what an amazing place Sierra is! Complete our 3 question survey to share what you love about Sierra Elementary and the Sierra Community.
Snacks for the Teachers Help us keep the Staff Lounges stocked by donating individually wrapped snacks and treats. Upcoming available dates:
November 2nd
November 16th
November 30th
December 14th
The Read-A-Thon is scheduled for the beginning of February, so it’s time to crack open the planning book. The Read-A-Thon committee needs all types...the creative types, the spreadsheet folks, those who like to stuff prize bags, and the tell-me-where-I'm-needed friends.
Afternoon volunteers are the highest need (2:30-2:45 p.m.)
Our Sabertooth community loves to read, and we need help getting all those books back on the shelves. Try it once, or make it a weekly commitment.
Happy November, Sierra Families! As we enter the season of gratitude, our PK–5 students are exploring several rich cultural traditions and historic observances across our school:
Día de los Muertos (Nov. 1–2): Honoring beloved ancestors and family memories! Students will learn about traditional ofrendas (altars), marigolds, and sugar skull art while reflecting on family heritage. (Check out local celebrations like the Denver Botanic Gardens or Museo de Las Americas!)
Diwali (Nov. 8): Known as the Festival of Lights, celebrated by Hindu, Sikh, Jain, and Buddhist communities worldwide! Students will explore themes of light over darkness, maybe create colorful rangoli patterns, and share stories of hope and kindness.
Native American Heritage Month: Celebrating the rich histories, vibrant cultures, and ongoing contributions of Indigenous peoples. Connecting directly with Colorado Social Studies standards, our classes will honor the Ute, Cheyenne, and Arapaho nations who originally inhabited the Front Range and Arvada area.
Thanksgiving & Day of Mourning (Nov. 26): Exploring gratitude, community, and sharing meals, while also holding space to understand the Indigenous perspective on Thanksgiving as a National Day of Mourning, fostering empathy, truth-telling, and deeper social studies learning.
We love weaving these rich connections into morning meetings, classroom learning, and AMP rotations, so every child feels seen and celebrated. Ask your student what new tradition or light pattern they explored this week!
SIERRA ELEMENTRY
Email: tennille.foerster@jeffco.k12.co.us
Website: sierraelementary.net
Location: 7771 Oak Street, Arvada, CO, USA
Phone: (303)982-0821
Facebook: facebook.com/sierraesarvada/