From the Fox Den

Dear Families,

Last month, I shared the school-wide celebrations for the first half of the year. During February and March, we have the opportunity to celebrate your individual child for their accomplishments so far this year! The first opportunity is through grade level family engagements, hosted by each grade level. Some have already happened and some are still to come! We brought these events back because you shared how valuable those were last year to able to see your child's learning in action! Our students and teachers love showing off all of their hard work and we appreciate the time you take to be a part of them!

We also have our Spring Conferences coming up! Some grade levels hold student-led conferences in which your child (with the support of their teacher) will take the lead on sharing their progress. Other grade levels will host a more traditional parent/teacher conference format where you will sit with your child's teacher and learn about their progress. Regardless of the format, please know that this is a great opportunity for you to share any concerns or ask questions you may have. If your child's teacher can't answer it, they will put you in touch with someone who does! Our staff wants to be able to support you in supporting your child, so please do not hesitate to share any concerns or ask questions that you may have!

Please feel free to reach out if there are any concerns or questions that I can help you with as well!

Kind regards,

Kelsey Jones

Principal

Last night we celebrated one of our amazing Pre-K Teachers, Ms. Wendy Hanson! She was selected as a Cherry Creek Schools All-Star, which celebrates her tremendous contributions to Arrowhead and Cherry Creek Schools. We are so proud of her and know how deserving she is of this award!

Congratulations to Arrowhead's ILC Teachers who were honored by Superintendent Smith this month for their commitment to Cherry Creek's core value of Growth Mindset:

Sara Beth Keppler

Hannah Lamb

Cassidy Studtmann

Keli Walker

We are so proud of them and appreciate all they do for our Arrowhead students, staff, and community!

Thank you for your support of Smoky Hill High School's Wish Week through your contributions to the Penny Wars! Arrowhead raised more than any other feeder school (we beat Laredo Middle School by $30!) with a grand total of $866.17! In total, Smoky Hill raised $37,000 for the Make-A-Wish Foundation and was able to grant Vivian's wish of a camper for her family! Click here to watch Smoky Hill's Wish Week Lip Dub and see Vivian and her family receive their camper at the end of the video!

Please note the following upcoming dates for report cards/conferences:

February 23: Fidelity Reports sent home for students who have READ Plans (you would have received an email in December from your child's teacher if this applied to you). If you did not receive a Fidelity Report and you believe your child is on a READ Plan, please reach out to your child's teacher.

March 1: Report cards will be emailed. Please double check that your email in Parent Forms is accurate so it is sent to the right address! If you do not receive the report card by 3:30 pm, please call our Main Office at 720-886-2800.

Week of March 4- Conference week! Your child's teacher sent the sign-up on Wednesday, February 21. If you did not receive that, please reach out to your child's teacher to schedule a conference.

Please be sure to check the Lost and Found when you are at Arrowhead for Conferences! All remaining items in the Lost and Found will be donated on March 7!

Just a friendly reminder that students need to enter through their grade level's door each morning. They are welcome to walk their sibling to their sibling's door and then walk around the exterior to their own grade level door. Of course on extremely cold days we will make an exception to this, but for safety and supervision reasons, we do need students to enter through the door assigned for their grade level.

If your child is eating breakfast, they should not enter through their grade level door and instead should go to door 8 on the south side of the building to enter the Cafeteria. Door 8 will open for breakfast at 7:40 am and we encourage you to bring your child as early as possible for breakfast to allow them time to eat before beginning their school day.

Please note the following days that we do not have school:

March 7-8- No School (Conferences)

March 16-24- Spring Break

If you need child care, please reach out to our Kit Club Director, Bobbie Smith, at 720-886-2853 or bsmith71@cherrycreekschools.org. Kit Club (Before/After Care) accepts CCCAP and gives a discount for families who qualify for free or reduced meals!

February 23- BINGO Night 5:30 pm

February 29- STEM Club Balloon Launch 8:45 am

Week of March 4- Spring Conferences

March 7-8- No School (Conferences)

March 13- PTCO Meeting 5:30 pm at Arrowhead

March 16-24- Spring Break

March 27- Class Pictures

April 8- Solar Eclipse (more information to come!)

April 9- Skate City Night 6:00 pm

April 10- PTCO Meeting 5:30 pm, SAC (School Accountability Committee) Meeting 6:30 pm

April 26- PTCO Spring Carnival (more information to come!)

If you or someone you know is interested in working at Arrowhead, please fill out an application and apply to our positions here. The positions we have open are:

Severe Needs Para Educator (7 hours/day): Support students in our ILC program by providing accommodations and academic modifications and supporting students in self-care as needed. Experience is preferred but not required, as new para educators will receive extensive training.

Instructional Para Educator (4 hours/day): Supervise students at recess and lunch—some light clerical work to support teachers as needed.

Behavior Regulation Technician (7 hours/day): Work with our Social Emotional Wellness Coordinator to support students who need breaks and help with regulation. Reinforce positive social skills during recess by supporting students with conflict resolution and engaging in play.

We are also always looking for substitute para educators and crossing guards who can fill in when one of our para educators is out. Please get in touch with our Assistant Principal, April Hrovat, at 720-886-2806 or ahrovat@cherrycreekschools.org if you are interested.

For information on working for Cherry Creek Schools, please visit the Cherry Creek Human Resources page: https://www.cherrycreekschools.org/domain/1417.

BINGO Night is tonight (February 23) at 5:30 pm in the Arrowhead Gym! We hope you can join us!

Wear your pajamas to school on March 14 and donate a dollar to Arrowhead! Jars will be at each grade level door to collect $1 donations. We appreciate your support!

Hi, Arrowhead Fox Families! Did you know that in addition to all the events the PTCO puts on, there are other ways to support the Arrowhead Elementary PTCO?

Questions? Feel free to reach out to your Arrowhead PTCO

arrowheadelementaryptco@gmail.com

arrtreasurer@gmail.com

arrowheadptcosecretary@gmail.com

The PTCO is looking to bring back the Spring Carnival! We cannot do this without volunteers. If you are interested in helping, please email: arrowheadelementaryptco@gmail.com

Kindergarten-5th Grade

8:00 am-2:45 pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday

8:00 am-1:45 pm Wednesday

Pre-Kindergarten

AM Session: 8:00-10:55 am Monday-Thursday

PM Session: 11:50 am-2:45 pm Monday-Thursday

Enrichment: 8:00 am-2:45 pm Monday-Thursday

If your child is eating breakfast at school, they may arrive at 7:40 am and enter through door 8 on the south side of the school (Cafeteria doors). Students not eating breakfast may arrive between 7:45-8:00 am and should enter through the doors closest to their grade level (see map below). Please note that supervision will not be provided before 7:45 am except for breakfast. The bell rings at 8:00 am and students who arrive after 8:00 am need to enter through the main office doors. Students eating breakfast in the cafeteria will be sent to their classrooms at 8:00.

The school day ends at 2:45 pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. On Wednesdays, the school day ends at 1:45 pm. Students will exit from the same doors they entered.

If you are interested in our before and after school child care program, please contact Bobbie Smith at 720-886-2853. They open at 6:30 am to provide before school care and are open until 6:00 pm to provide after school care. They can only accept students who have been registered in advance. They accept Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (CCCAP) for families who qualify and give discounts for families who qualify for free or reduced price meals.

All Cherry Creek elementary schools have early release days every Wednesday at 1:45 pm for Kindergarten-5th grade students to enhance professional development and training opportunities for our elementary teachers. PreK students continue to dismiss at their regular time. By having this specific time set aside, there will be less of a need to pull teachers out of the classroom during the day, which creates continuity for students and less of a reliance on substitute teachers. For families who participate in after school child care, the after-school program is extended every Wednesday at no additional cost. You can register for after school care by contacting Bobbie Smith at 720-886-2853.

The map below shows where to drop your child off in the morning and pick them up at the end of the day. Students enter and exit doors based on their grade level. If your child arrives after 8:00 am or leaves before the end of the day, they will need to use the Main Entrance regardless of which grade they are in.

All visitors must use door 1 (Main Entrance) no matter the time of day. Visitors must show ID in order to access the building or pick-up a child. There are no exceptions to this policy and we appreciate you helping us keep students safe by bringing an ID every time.

Please help us keep kids safe by following our parking lot procedures. Refer to the map of our parking lot below for where you can safely drop off/pick up.

Drop-Off/Pick-Up (Blue): This space allows you to quickly drop off and pick up at the beginning and end of the day. This is a fire lane, so you must always remain in your car. Students should enter and exit the car on the curbside (right side), as vehicles will pass in the through lane on the left side of the car.

Red Curve: This is a no-parking or waiting zone, as our buses need to be able to get around that curve safely.

Bus Parking (Yellow): Only buses may park here. Cars parked in this space will be asked to move to accommodate buses. Once the buses have departed, this may be used as additional space for pick-up/drop-off.

Through Lanes (Green): These lanes should continuously move. Please do not wait or park here, and at no time should cars be double parked.

Parking: The only space where you may park is in a marked parking spot. If a spot is unavailable, please park on the street and walk in.

Right Turn Only (2:45-3:00 pm, 1:45-2:00 pm Wednesdays): When exiting the parking lot during afternoon dismissal, all cars must turn right out of the parking lot and loop through the neighborhood. For safety reasons, please do not make a U-turn in the areas around the school (signage indicates where U-turns cannot be made).

Loading Dock (Red): This area is used by pedestrians at the beginning and end of the school day. No vehicles may enter this area or park in the loading dock.

Please help us keep our students safe by driving safely around the school. The streets surrounding Arrowhead (Bates and Ceylon) are no u-turn zones. Please slow down, be vigilant, and do not double park along Bates or Ceylon. Children should only exit vehicles on the curb side and we ask that you pull all the way up to the curb before letting them out. Please model pedestrian safety for your child by using crosswalks.

If you see unsafe driving, please report it to Aurora Police Department. As a school, we do not have the authority to enforce traffic violations.

We understand that birthdays are special days for children, and we will celebrate your child's birthday both in the classroom and with a school-wide announcement! While it isn't necessary, if your child would like to bring treats for their classmates, they are welcome to bring non-food items to celebrate. This allows us to be a community that is inclusive of children with food restrictions. Some ideas for birthday celebrations can include:

• Stickers
• Pencils
• Bookmarks
• Small trinkets/toys (school appropriate- no pretend weapons or items that can be used as weapons, no whistles, etc.)
• Goodie bags with non-edible items
• A book donation to your child's classroom (have your child sign the book so the class remembers who donated it!)

Each grade level celebrates birthdays differently, and your child will be recognized on their birthday, regardless of whether they bring in something to celebrate with. If you wish your child's birthday not to be celebrated, please notify their classroom teacher.

Please refrain from sending flowers and balloons to school for your child. Any flowers and balloons received will be delivered at the end of the school day.

Please note that dogs are not allowed on school grounds. If you want to bring your dog to drop off or pick up your child, please remain on the sidewalks around the school's perimeter or in the field past the last goalpost.

Email: kjones100@cherrycreekschools.org

Website: https://www.cherrycreekschools.org/Arrowhead
Location: 19100 E Bates Ave, Aurora, CO, USA
Phone: 720-886-2800