Gold Rush Elementary
Principal's Message - September 19, 2025
Keeping students safe is our top priority at Gold Rush Elementary. We are fortunate to have a strong partnership with the Parker Police Department and the District Security Team. Our collective efforts create a safe and secure learning environment where students can focus on what matters most—learning and growing.
Our School Resource Officer, Michael Iranfar, has a daily presence in the building. In addition to surveying the interior and exterior of the school and checking in with administration, he regularly connects with students and classrooms. Many of our students know Mr. Iranfar and view him as a trusted adult in our school community.
We are also supported by our daily security specialist, Mrs. Hemenway, who conducts perimeter walks, provides an additional presence at recess and assists with arrival and dismissal each day. In addition, district security personnel are on site daily to provide further support.
Alongside these proactive measures, we conduct regular safety drills—including fire, weather, lockdown, and delayed dismissal drills—to ensure that students and staff know what to do in the event of an emergency.
There have been some changes to the District lightening protocols. Elementary Schools across Douglas County are now required to dismiss students indoors when lightning is within 10 miles of the school as determined through the Weather Bug app. This distance was increased from previous protocols which were set at 7 miles from school. Middle Schools and High Schools are also now required to hold school buses if lightning is within 10 miles. This will impact our students who take the bus home as our buses come from our secondary schools. We anticipate a slight increase indoor dismissals due to the increase in distance and additional delays for students who ride the bus home.
As always we appreciate your understanding and cooperation in keeping students safe.
We had a blast celebrating our students’ incredible efforts at Friday’s all-school assembly! One of the highlights was watching the fastest boy and girl at each grade level “splash” the principal and assistant principal with mud. The crowd went wild, and it was a moment of pure school spirit and laughter.
Thanks to the support of our amazing community, we have already raised $27,209 toward our new school marquee. We are so close to reaching our $30,000 goal! If you haven’t had the chance to contribute yet, donations are still being accepted through September 30th via My School Bucks.
We are so grateful to our students, families, and staff for making the Digger Dash such a success—your enthusiasm and generosity made this celebration possible!
