The FVE Fall Update

A Message from Our Principal

September was truly a whirlwind of fun events, celebrations, and time spent with our FVE community, and I couldn’t be more excited that fall is finally here. There has been so much energy throughout our school, and it has been incredible to see our students and families come together and make this such a special start to the year.

A huge thank you to our FVE community for helping us reach our Fun Run school goal and raise over $50,000 for our students. The energy and excitement from our students throughout the Fun Run were contagious, and I loved seeing them show their FVE spirit by dressing up and participating in our spirit days. And, of course, I can’t wait to get slimed in the upcoming weeks as we celebrate this amazing accomplishment together.

With October here, there is still so much to look forward to. I can’t wait to see our students get involved in Legend’s Homecoming Week Assembly, our Halloween Parade, and FVEA’s Trunk-or-Treat event. These are the moments that make being part of the FVE HERD so much fun and help create the memories our students will carry with them.

As we head into October, please remember that Fall Break is coming up as well. I hope you and your families are able to use the break to slow down, recharge, and enjoy some much needed time together. Thank you for everything you do to make FVE such an amazing place to be.

Count Day is October 1st!

As we move into the fall, we want to highlight a critical date for our district: Thursday, October 1, 2026. Student count day is the official date each fall when Colorado school districts record their enrollment numbers, which the state then uses to calculate per-pupil funding for the year.

The state determines our funding based on three factors around this date: your student's active enrollment, their scheduled instructional time, and their daily attendance. To ensure our funding is accurate, the state evaluates attendance specifically on October 1st and during the standard two-week window encompassing the week before and the week after Count Day.

How you can help support our schools:

Make Attendance a Priority: Please make every effort to ensure your student is present and engaged in their learning on Thursday, October 1st.
Keep the Momentum: Consistent attendance throughout the entire two-week window surrounding Count Day is strongly encouraged to ensure accurate state reporting.
Communicate Absences: We understand illnesses and emergencies happen. If your child is sick, please notify our attendance office right away. Proper documentation allows us to navigate state exceptions if a student must miss the exact count date.

Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT)

Dear Parents/Guardians,

DCSD is committed to implementing equitable practices to increase access to advanced/gifted learning opportunities. Based on state and national recommendations and requirements, we implement Universal Screening for students in 2nd grade (February) and 5th grade (November).

As part of this process, ALL students in 5th grade who have not been identified for gifted programming will take the Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT) the week of November 2nd-6th. This assessment indicates the level and pattern of cognitive development of a student in comparison to grade and age mates. These general reasoning abilities, which start developing at birth and continue through early adulthood, are influenced by experiences gained both in and out of school.

If your child is already identified for gifted programming, they will not participate in this universal screen testing. Your Gifted Education Facilitator will contact you directly with more detailed information about this process.

Please see the following for additional information linked below:

DCSD Universal Screening Letter to Families_Fall

Please reach out with questions!

Elizebeth Simpson

essimpson@dcsdk12org

Upcoming Events

Community Movie Night

Community Movie Night October 6th at 6:00 pm. We’re excited to join the Legend High School community for a fun evening at Echo Park Stadium! We look forward to connecting with families and enjoying a movie night together.

HOCO Restaurant Week

Support our community during HOCO Restaurant Week! Participating restaurants will be donating proceeds to Wish Week, helping support this wonderful cause while enjoying a meal with family and friends.

Homecoming Parade

This year's Homecoming Parade is October 7th at 5:00 pm. We’re looking forward to celebrating Homecoming with our community! Come out and cheer on our students, show your school spirit, and enjoy this fun fall tradition. We can’t wait to see our Frontier Valley families and staff there!

FVE Spirit Nights

Check the flyer for upcoming spirit nights. Good food supports a stronger FVE.

MOD Pizza Spirit Night

Join us October 7th at MOD Pizza, 25% of your purchase goes to Frontier Valley!

Book Fair November 9th - 13th

Our Book Fair is coming to Frontier Valley November 9–13! Get ready to explore new stories, revisit favorite authors, and find your next favorite book. Stay tuned for shopping hours and more details!

FVE Candy Drive and Trunk-or-Treat

FVE's Candy Drive starts October 21st and goes until the 27th. The classroom that donates the most candy wins a donut party! Trunk Or Treat is October 28th from 5:30 PM to 7:00 PM

FVE Fall Costume Parade

The FVE Fall Costume Parade will be a fun opportunity for students to celebrate the season and enjoy showing off their creative costumes! October 30th at 9:45 AM

Halloween Lacrosse Clinic!

October 30 from 4:15–7:15 PM! Join the Legend Boys Lacrosse Team for a fun evening of lacrosse and Halloween spirit! Students in grades 2–8 are invited to participate, and costumes are encouraged!

Highlights from September

Setting Up the Big Reveal

Behind the scenes photo of setting up the big reveal of our school mascot!

Students During the Reveal Assembly

Students patiently await the big reveal of our new mascot!

Squat-ember Challenge

Our staff is getting stronger and having fun during the Squat-ember Challenge!

A special thank you to the Ramstetter family of White Peaks Bison Ranch!

We are so grateful for their generous donation and their support of Frontier Valley Elementary!

PLCs at FVE

Our PLC work continues to be an important part of how we support student learning at FVE. Every Friday, our teams are coming together to collaborate, dig into student data and student work, and continue building a shared understanding of the standards and what students need to know and be able to do. We are also working toward greater alignment within grade levels and across classrooms, while continually asking ourselves how we can respond to the individual needs of all of our students. This is an ongoing process, and I am so thankful for the time, collaboration, and intentional thinking our staff are putting into this work. The conversations happening in our PLCs are helping us grow as educators and, most importantly, helping us create more intentional supports and opportunities for every student.

Falling into October

September 25th, 2026

The FVE Fall Update

A Message from Our Principal

Count Day is October 1st!

Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT)

Upcoming Events

Community Movie Night

HOCO Restaurant Week

Homecoming Parade

FVE Spirit Nights

MOD Pizza Spirit Night

Book Fair November 9th - 13th

FVE Candy Drive and Trunk-or-Treat

FVE Fall Costume Parade

Halloween Lacrosse Clinic!

Highlights from September

Setting Up the Big Reveal

Students During the Reveal Assembly

Squat-ember Challenge

A special thank you to the Ramstetter family of White Peaks Bison Ranch!

We are so grateful for their generous donation and their support of Frontier Valley Elementary!

PLCs at FVE

The FVE Fall Update The FVE Fall Update

A Message from Our Principal

Count Day is October 1st! Count Day is October 1st!

Cognitive Abilities Test (CogAT)

Upcoming Events Upcoming Events

Community Movie Night

HOCO Restaurant Week

Homecoming Parade

FVE Spirit Nights

MOD Pizza Spirit Night

Book Fair November 9th - 13th

FVE Candy Drive and Trunk-or-Treat

FVE Fall Costume Parade

Halloween Lacrosse Clinic!

Highlights from September Highlights from September

Setting Up the Big Reveal

Students During the Reveal Assembly

Squat-ember Challenge

A special thank you to the Ramstetter family of White Peaks Bison Ranch!

We are so grateful for their generous donation and their support of Frontier Valley Elementary!

PLCs at FVE

The FVE Fall Update

Count Day is October 1st!

Upcoming Events

Highlights from September