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The March 13th meeting also marked a significant moment as Sam Stewart sworn in as Board of Education Director. With a deep commitment to student success, Stewart emerged as the ideal candidate for this crucial role. His passion for fostering an inclusive and innovative learning environment, coupled with his extensive experience in leadership, made him stand out among the candidates.

Baker will be sworn in on April 26, 2024. Thank you both for volunteering for these positions and working to ensure the success of our students!

Sign up here: https://forms.gle/3goojDkDDqEepN6k9

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Important Upcoming Events:

• Parent/Teacher Conferences PK-12- April 1st. 11:00 am to 7:00 pm. CFL, BUE, GVMS = invite only. GVHS = all parents welcome, open house.
• Grand Valley PTO Meeting- April 3rd at 7:00 pm at the Grand Valley Recreation Center meeting room.
• GVHS Band Festival at Battle Mountain- April 3rd.
• GVMS Spring Photos- April 4th.
• GVHS Choir Festival at Rifle High School- April 4th.
• GVHS Key Club at Annual District Convention in Estes Park- April 5th.
• CFL Spring Photos- April 5th
• GVMS will have CMAS testing April 9-18, with makeups on April 19th. Please visit https://www.garfield16.org/about/state-assessments for more information on state assessments.
• Grand Valley PTO Ice Cream Social- April 10th at 6:30 pm at Grand Valley Middle School (all parents/guardians, grandparents, teachers, and staff of G16 welcome).
• The GVHS musical will be held April 11-13th at GVHS. The musical features GVHS students as well as GVMS students. They will perform “Once Upon a Mattress” April 11-13 at 6:30 pm. Tickets are $5 students & senior citizens, $8 adult at GVHS. 800 Cardinal Way, Parachute, CO 81635.
• GVMS 6th Graders will venture to Rifle Falls on Friday, April 12th, and the 7th Graders will go to the CO National Monument that same day, Friday, April 12th. More information will be sent home with your student, if you have questions, please call GVMS at 970-285-5707.
• Board of Education meeting Tuesday, April 16th at 5:00 pm. St. John’s Administration 460 Stone Quarry Road, Battlement Mesa, CO.
• GVHS PSAT/SAT Testing- April 17th.
• Colorado Opera Performance at BUE- April 17th 6:00-7:30 pm.
• GVHS Seniors class trip to Bananas April 17th. Your GVHS senior should bring home more information, please call 970-285-5705 with any questions.
• GVHS Art Club Career Day at Anderson Ranch in Snowmass- April 17th. Your GVHS art club student should bring home more information, please call 970-285-5705 with any questions.
• CFL Spring Music Program- April 18th. Kindergarten at 6:00 pm, 1st at 7:00 pm.
• GVHS Prom- April 20th
• GVHS 11th graders CMAS Testing - April 23rd. Please visit https://www.garfield16.org/about/state-assessments for more information on state assessments.
• District Accountability Committee Meeting April 2th at 6:30 pm at the St. John’s Administration Building- 460 Stone Quarry Road in Battlement Mesa. All parents are welcome
• Garfield Family Outdoor Day- April 27th at the Grand Valley Challenge Course (high and low ropes course), St. John’s Administration Building 460 Stone Quarry Road, Battlement Mesa CO 81635. 10:00 am to 5:00 pm. Register before April 26th by filling out this form: https://forms.gle/5awV1iiWVFtzQmHo9
• GVHS Spring Sports Picture- Monday, April 29th at 3:00 pm. Your athlete will bring more information home soon, if you have questions please call 970-285-5705.
• GVHS Girls Soccer parent/senior night will be Tuesday, April 30th around 3:30 pm.
• BUE Spring Musical- April 30th 2nd grade at 6:00 pm, 3rd grade and Scilla at 7:00 pm, and May 2nd 4th grade and Drake at 6:00 pm, 5th grade at 7:00 pm.
• Grand Valley PTO Meeting- May 2nd at 6:30 pm. Place TBD.
• GVHS Baseball parent/senior night will be Friday, May 3, 2024 around 12:30 pm.
• BUE Spring Bike Derby- May 4, 2024 9:00 am - 1:00 pm.
• Student-Led Conferences will be held Monday, May 6th and Monday, May 13th. GVHS will be in session on Monday, May 6th for Finals, all other schools will have student-led conferences from 8am to 4pm. On Monday, May 13th, GVHS will not be in session, there are no finals that day, grades K-8 will have student-led conferences from 11am to 7pm. More information will be sent home from your student’s school.
• GVHS Track & Field parent/senior night- Saturday, May 11th around 9:30 am.
• GVMS & GVHS Pops Concert- May 14th 6:30 pm.
• GVMS will have a Theater Performance on Friday, May 17th at 7:00 pm.
• GVHS Seniors Awards Assembly will be held Thursday, May 23rd at 1:50 pm. This will be the last day for GVHS seniors.
• Graduation- May 25th 10:00 am.
• Last Day of School PK-11- May 30th.

Find the G16 online calendars by clicking this link: https://www.garfield16.org/calendar121

Absenteeism is a red alert that students will drop out of high school. Attendance matters. Please reach out to your student's school or the School-Based Family Resource center by calling 970-285-5700 if you need help getting your student to school.

GVHS Girls Basketball worked hard at the State Tournament, ending their season at the Great 8 Tournament, losing 35 to 40 against St. Mary's. We are proud of you Lady Cards! Congratulations on a great season. The Lady Cards were the first team in 18 years at GVHS to go undefeated in regular season.

While we have received many sunny and warm days this March, it seems that Mother Nature is still making friends with Old Man Winter. We have had the opportunity to take our students out on a variety of both winter and spring outdoor experiences. Here are some of the past trips throughout the G-16 community.

CFL 1st grade wrapped up their Animal Unit with a trip to Grand Mesa Lakes Lodge for a day of snowshoeing, games and exploration.

GVHS Outdoor Club attended their annual winter survival trip March 8th-10th at Grand Mesa. Students got to experience a variety of snowy activities including a day of skiing/snowboarding, winter travel, and shelter building.

GVMS 6th grade also went up to Grand Mesa to explore the snow covered landscape during the winter ecology trip with our outdoor ed. partners in Delta County School District's, Nature Connection. Students got to visit stations lead by area experts including Forest Service Officers which focused on topics including animal habitats, snow water equivalent and XC skiing.

The GVMS and BUE Learn to Ski Club finished their season this month. We were excited to get over 20 students out on the slopes for a series of three days at Powderhorn Resort for lessons and time on the hill. The Learn to Ski club brings together students from 4th-8th grade to the lifts so that they may become confident and independent skiers and riders for years to come. Thank you to all our GVHS students who were able to come and helped support as youth mentors.

The GVMS Journalism class also attended a day of ski and ride lessons at Sunlight Mountain. Students from the electives class enjoyed a team building day with lessons and some time on the slopes together.

We love the ability to get our students on to the local area slopes and look forward to expanding these opportunities for more students to participate next season. Closing weekend for Sunlight and Powderhorn is this April 6th-7th so get out there and enjoy the slush skiing.

Big shout out to Officer Miller, the SRO at GVMS, for getting things growing in the Grow Dome. Miller has been farming away and now has harvested lettuce greens, radishes and potatoes. He is gearing up for the summer by getting new starter plants going, adding goldfish to the pond and doing some dome maintenance to prepare for the summer growing season.

Some upcoming trips and happenings next month include a trip with GVHS Environmental Science students to visit the River Stop Center with the Middle Colorado Watershed Council to learn about Colorado River uses and conservation. In addition, 6th grade will be visiting the riparian ecosystems of Rifle Falls and Fish Hatchery, 7th grade will be learning about geology connections at Colorado National Monument and 3rd grade will be touring museums in Meeker this April.

We had a great initial planning meeting to discuss all things fishing this spring and summer with local partners Grand Valley Anglers, the Parachute Library, Alpine Bank and Garfield County Outdoors. Keep an eye out for upcoming programs and events including a fishing derby, fly tying series, and high school fishing licences scholarship.

Come celebrate Earth Day with Garfield County Outdoors and other area partners on April 20th with a Rifle Creek Clean up. In addition to beautifying the Creek we will be offering games, giveaways and more.

We are hosting our annual open challenge course day on April 27th. Please check out our flyer with registration information.

Thanks for reading and we'll see you next month with all the April Showers and May flower updates.

School-Based Family Resource Center Counselor Morgan Hart and translator Melissa De La Cruz Rodriguez have started meeting with small groups of English Language Learners (ELL) at GVHS. The goal of the small groups are for ELL students to connect with each other, and have an outlet where they can express their concerns and celebrate their successes. This past week, students participated in a lesson on "Self as a Tree- Art Therapy." The activity focused on "if I was a tree today, what would I look like?" Students were able to create and paint their expressions and dissect the meaning behind their paintings. Students reflected on the roots of their tree (is your tree firmly rooted), the leaves (are they colorful, dormant, or dead, full or sparse), and what surrounds their tree. The lesson was inspired by a Paolo Coelho quote "In a forest of a hundred thousand trees, no two leaves are alike. And no two journeys along the same path are alike."

According to Mrs. Hart, "ELL students have to adjust to life in a new place, learning in a new language, and learning in a different educational setting and system. These small groups help students connect to each other and give them space to express themselves. This creates opportunities for open dialogue, addressing problems/concerns they have in school, and focuses on social and emotional learning. I am so thankful for these students and the opportunity to connect with them."

Thank you to the GVHS Key Club for organizing a "Winter Clothing Drive." Donation boxes were located at all G16 schools and our community donated winter clothing items for our "Pantry of Hope" located in the School-Based Family Resource Center. Thank you to Key Club and all who donated for ensuring families in need have access to winter clothing!

Congratulations to Rosalba Rodriguez Bautista, SBFRC volunteer and community advocate for her Garfield County Humanitarian Service Award nomination! Tickets are on sale now for the 2024 Garfield County Humanitarian Service Awards. Monday, April 1st at Hotel Colorado. Purchase tickets by following this link: https://GarcoAwards2024.eventbrite.com

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Please do not hesitate to reach out to our School Based Family Resource Center for more information.

CONTACT INFORMATION:

Claudia Flores Cruz

Center Coordinator

970-285-5262

cflorescruz@garfield16.org

Garfield 16 provides all students with counseling services through the school counselors. School counselors work with students to support their academic growth and success as well as their social and emotional development. School counselors work closely with teachers, principals, and parents to support students experiencing issues that impact their learning. These issues can be, but are not limited to, declining grades, poor work habits, organizational skills, distracting behaviors, school avoidance, anxiety, trauma, and transient personal or family issues, such as the loss of a loved one or change in family dynamic. A school counselor may work with a student on an individual basis or as part of a group. In addition, school counselors work with the administration to assess at-risk students.

At the elementary level, school counselors provide direct instruction to all students in social and emotional growth and wellbeing. Topics include social skills, recognizing emotions, problem-solving, and conflict resolution. For students who may be experiencing difficulty with social skills, regulating behaviors, or school counselors provide individual and group coaching.

At the secondary level, school counselors begin to support students with college and career planning and decision making. School counselors work with students on their Individual Career and Academic Plan (ICAP) requirements. School counselors facilitate college and post-secondary career and workforce exploration. At the high school level, school counselors work with students to ensure they are on pace for graduation.

How to contact your school counselor:

CFL:

• Referral Form
• Call 970-285-5702

BUE:

• Referral Form
• Email Mrs. Sherraden
• Call 970-285-5703

GVMS:

• Parent Referral Form
• Student Referral Form
• Email Mrs. Hoyt
• Call 970-285-5707

GVHS:

• Grades 9 and 11, email Mrs. Largent
• Grades 10 and 12, email Mrs. Paine
• Call 970-285-5705

Please review the attached guidance from Colorado Department of Public Health & Environment regarding when to keep your child at home due to an illness.

Garfield County Public Health and Garfield 16 have teamed up to offer a Vaccine and Immunization Clinic in Parachute! The clinic will be offered on the first Monday of every month, as long as appointments are scheduled. Garfield County Public Health will be stationed at the School-Based Family Resource Center from 10:00 am to 2:00 pm, by appointment only. Please call 970-625-5200 to schedule an appointment, stating that you would like to schedule for the Parachute clinic.

Menus can be found by following this link: https://www.garfield16.org/departments/nutritional-services

Our free breakfast and lunch program is a yearly grant process. Our district has qualified again for a free breakfast and lunch program for SY 2023-2024.

• Breakfast Program: All students can receive breakfast free of charge. It is important that your child arrives at school on time in order to have time to enjoy a meal before a long day of learning!

• Lunch Program: All students can receive lunch free of charge. If your child brings lunch from home, please make sure it does NOT need to be heated in a microwave as there are no microwaves available.

Please do not send soda pop in your child’s school lunch. We ask that you send a healthier choice such as juice, water, or milk.

Parents wishing to eat lunch with their child may do so, please call the school office by 9:00am if you would like to order a hot lunch. The charge for an adult lunch is $4.25 and for a visiting child it is $2.75. Please remember that the school only accepts cash or a check for payment.

Menus for the new schools year will be found on our school district Nutrition Website.

Meal Prices for Visitors:

Student Lunch $2.75

Milk $0.70

Adult Lunch $4.25

Our expectations for riding the school bus were revised.

Elementary students should have brought home a hard copy of these expectations last week. Please review this form, sign it, and return it to your student's school.

Middle school and high school parents, a copy is attached. Please review these updated expectations with your student(s). To confirm receipt and the review of these updated expectations, please fill out this google form.

Garfield County School District #16 is not responsible for, and does not endorse, any statement, sentiment, or opinion published or expressed in this document. This document is not part of, and has not been distributed as part of the District's curricular or extracurricular programs.

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