West Grand doesn't need the Luck of the Irish; however, it is always fun to see where the end of the rainbow leads. This may not be a pot of gold, but there are some "golden" highlights and celebrations of what our students and staff have been up to. Check it out!

Past newsletters will be posted on our district website.

Also, if there are specific items or questions you have, please reach out to Mrs. Bauer at bauere@wgsd.us or 970-724-3217.

We are Grand Today. Greater Tomorrow.

Go Mustangs!

This month we recognized the Profile of a Learner characteristic of Connected

Those nominated and recognized include:

• Staff: Jaime Franklin, Vanessa Gillespie
• Students: Evelyn Amaya, Makaila Gifford, Jaziel Gonzalez-Mendez

Recognition at the West Grand Board of Education meeting on March 11.

Check out the QR code below if you want to see the full document of the strategic plan:

In college and career readiness news:

• Seniors have been focusing on making decisions for the next step in their journey including:
• Working diligently on getting scholarships turned in with 7 scholarships due in the last two weeks and 9 due the week we return from break.
• Joseline Lopez was accepted and will attend Colorado Mesa University to study Criminal Justice
• 8th graders completed and presented their mini-capstones for third quarter

Check out the impact from our partnership with CNCC:

Over 226 credit hours earned from WGHS students this year! WOW!

As was shared previously, students and staff weigh in about some of the benefits of not having phones in the classroom. This has been the policy and practice at West Grand for several years, but this year there is a renewed energy and consistency in focusing on "More Social. Less Media."

There is a push at the state level to require schools to have a cell phone policy limiting their use. We are already working on updating our policy to reflect changes and to ensure consistency throughout the district.

Check out the PDFs for this month's ML connection newsletter.

WG Music Teacher, Dan Bowerly, received the 2024 DeLucia Award for music educators. The DeLucia Award recognizes those educators who have "demonstrated a passion for music education such as by teaching in an exceptional, innovative, or unique manner; impacting their communities in a substantial way; and/or using unconventional techniques, discourse, or concepts in their roles as music educators." That is a great description of what Mr. Bowerly embodied here at West Grand. See more about this award: https://mbird.org/2024/08/2024-delucia-awards/.

Mr. Bowerly retired last spring, but will always be a West Grand Mustang! Congratulations, Mr. Bowerly!

The Board of Education approved the 2025-2026 school year calendar. You can find it on our website as well as below:

The winter sports seasons wrapped up in March including middle school wrestling, high school wrestling and high school basketball. The high school hosted the winter sports awards night this past month, recognizing the student athletes and the teams. Below is a picture of senior, Mikaila Gifford, who was presented with a banner recognizing 300 steals during the season.

The spring seasons are already underway with high school track. Middle school track starts their season after spring break.

The 5th and 6th grade students were able to attend the Keystone Science School. This three day, two night experience taught the students about water rights and drainage basins. Not only did students get to explore the wintery wonderland outside, but also worked on scientific inquiry, collaboration, and civic engagement. Students had a blast!

We thank the teachers and sponsors who made this trip possible. Keystone Science School is a big commitment financially and we are grateful for the many sponsors and donors who also believe this experience is impactful for our kids!

AmeriTowne is another great hands-on, immersive learning experience that our WG students get to participate in. This year, the middle school students worked to prepare and then participate in this opportunity.

Here is a short summary of what it is:

Reaching more than 30,000 youth per year, Young AmeriTowne is an award-winning educational program offered to middle grade teachers to help students learn about business, economics and free enterprise in a fun and hands-on way. The program has received countless accolades for its engaging format and its applicability across all types of student and school demographics.

Learn more about the program and watch our video to see why hundreds of schools participate every year! LINK TO VIDEO

The K-8 continues to recognize and celebrate students through the RIDE acronym. Respect, Integrity, Determination, and Empathy (RIDE) are implemented throughout the K-8 classrooms and hallways. Students are given "tickets" when a staff member sees them demonstrating any of these characteristics and weekly winners are highlighted.

The K-5 classrooms are nominated by our teachers who show excellence in RIDE as an entire class with monthly recognition. Each quarter, the K-5 hosts a RIDE assembly where students are showcased. There is even an appearance by our Mustang Mascot! The 3rd quarter assembly just took place before students left for spring break and there was a lot of energy and excitement.

We are Mustangs and We RIDE!

State testing season is just around the corner and we want to make sure you know what's going on. There are several pieces of information to share:

1. Letter from the Superintendent
2. Letter from the District Accountability Committee (DAC)
3. Testing Schedule
4. Why we test?
5. Test Prep 101
6. Opt-out forms (must be turned into the school office by April 1st)

Make sure you follow our website and click on the calendar links to see the most up-to-date information on events and activities hosted here at West Grand. The schedule changes so often, the digital version is best!

Here is the website link: https://www.wgsd.us/calendar

MindSprings is offering several opportunities for our community members to be trained in Mental Health & 1st Aid. There is a training coming up here in Kremmling on April 22.

This is something all West Grand staff have had the opportunity to be trained in and it is a great opportunity. Check it out!

We are hosting a community connections and literacy night for all K-12 students, families, and community members. We hope to see you there.

If you haven't yet, make sure you review the information regarding the PowerSchool data breach from the start of the calendar year. There should be emails and ParentSquares that outline this incident as well as next steps you can take.

One major strategy to take moving forward is to utilize the identity protection services provided by PowerSchool.

For more information about the PowerSchool data breach, you can check out the “PowerSchool Data Breach” information page on the district website or refer to the ParentSquare post from 01/15/25 titled "PowerSchool Cybersecurity Breach"

If you have any questions about the incident that aren’t answered by the information page, or if you would like more information about you or your student’s personal information that was involved in the breach, please contact the WGSD tech department.

Mrs. Bauer and Mrs. Hooks hosted the first Coffee and Conversation of the year. It is an informal time where they will be out in our community to sit and talk about school. There will be no agenda, just an opportunity to have conversation.

Bauer and Hooks will continue to host this open opportunity the third Thursday of the month from 7:00am - 8:00am.