Insights

Check out this welcome back video message to staff from Superintendent Kane.

Be sure to check out this month's newsletter from the DCSD Human Resources Department.

Many departments were in attendance to support DCSD leaders at the July 30 Summer Summit. The event continued on August 6 for Welcome to DCSD - an event created especially to welcome new DCSD employees to the school district.

Thanks to Mountain Vista High School for hosting this beginning of the year event!

From far away destinations to local landmarks, our staff has shown their Douglas County School District pride wearing their t-shirts all over the globe!

I have always loved working with kids. I started babysitting at an early age and then became a lifeguard and camp counselor. I had so much fun that I knew I needed to pursue a career in education. However, that did not happen. I was working at a Montessori school and decided to get my bachelors in Psychology. I was fascinated by what makes people tick. Soon after graduating, I again realized I wanted to be a teacher and immediately got my masters in Instruction and Curriculum. I was fortunate in my own education to have several amazing and talented teachers who inspired me along the way.

Learn more about Principal Jenna Munoz on our Principal Profiles page.

Yeehaw! We've had some fair-tastic fun as part of the Douglas County Fair and Rodeo Marketplace and Parade the last few weeks. Every year we look forward to our school bus on the parade route and greeting the student faces we've missed during the summer! We hope you were able to stop by our booth to chat with our friendly team and grab some awesome free swag. Many thanks to our volunteers who represented DCSD include our amazing high school students, DCSD's Transportation Department and Superintendent Erin Kane.

Launched in January 2025, the DCSD Senior Gold Card is available to Douglas County residents aged 60 and older. The Gold Card offers Douglas County seniors free admission to most DCSD home athletic events and discounts at most student fine arts performances. We’re also excited to offer discounts at a couple of our DCSD student-run businesses and free continuing education opportunities through our Gold Card partner, AdventHealth Castle Rock. It’s our way of saying "thank you" to our older Douglas County community for the many years of support and contributions to DCSD schools and students. Learn more about this exciting program!

Principals: Need a Gold Card yard sign for your school? Grab one at the next DLT meeting!

Coming to school is Harper's favorite part of the day and that has a lot to do with the support she gets from the staff at Mountain Ridge Middle School. Her father explains why Harper’s time at Mountain Ridge has been transformational for his entire family.

Alexis Lopez is a Chaparral High School graduate and continues to work in our district through our BASE Program. She is pursuing a degree in education and is well on her way thanks to the Teacher Recruitment Education Program, or TREP. This program has helped to finance the first two years of her education. Alexis is DCSD's first TREP graduate!

As we closed the chapter on another school year, Mark Harrell closed the book on his career as the Principal at Franktown Elementary School, but not before honoring a family tradition during the graduation of his triplets at Ponderosa High School.

Mountain Vista High School has triumphed at the United States Academic Decathlon, clinching first place nationally in its division. The United States Academic Decathlon is an extremely rigorous, team-based academic competition requiring high school students to master college-level material. Continue reading

Congratulations to VALE students Hunter Jackson and Scarlett Marrone for winning the 2025 STEM Innovation Award at Junior Achievement’s National Future Bound Competition. As team CalmPulse, Scarlett and Hunter first competed locally to qualify as one of 15 teams to attend the national pitch event. Read more

Current DCSD Comms services include:

• Public Information

• Crisis and Emergency Communications

• School Marketing, Website, and Communications Support

• Digital Marketing / Social Media

• Community Relations

• Media Relations

• Event Promotion

• Graphic Design

• Video Production

• Livestreaming of Board Meetings and Graduations

• Internal News / Event Coverage

• Coordination of Student / Staff Awards and Board Recognitions

• Week in Review - A weekly e-newsletter recap of things happening in DCSD

• Emergency Communications

• Insights - Your monthly DCSD staff newsletter

• DCSD Quarterly - A quarterly recap of DCSD happenings

• New Podcast: DCSD Notebook - Get to know DCSD!

• Parent University - A topical monthly podcast resource for parents

• Social media posts on the DCSD Facebook, Instagram, LinkedIn and NextDoor accounts

• Student and staff feature videos, highlights, live Board meetings and more on DCSD’s YouTube channel

• Good News features about our schools and our stories

The DLMC is hosting the Fifth Annual One Book One District Literacy Program November 3-7, featuring the book To See an Owl by Matthew Cordell. The author's visit takes place on November 5 at 10:00 a.m. For more information, visit our website, or email questions to: obod_dlmc@dcsdk12.org. Follow us on Instagram @dcsddlmc and X @dcsdDLMC for current information.

Opportunity Grants encourage and develop great teachers by supporting their professional development and helping make their ideas reality. Grants are funded through a combination of support from corporate partners and individuals in our community. All Douglas County schools are eligible to apply. Learn more about the grant process.

Next Meeting: Tuesday, August 19 at 5:00 p.m.

Board of Education meetings are held at 620 Wilcox St. Castle Rock, CO 80104

Watch live on YouTube or on Comcast Channel 54

Read past Board Meeting Summaries

Learn more about DCSD's Board of Education

Monday, September 1 Labor Day (District Offices Closed)

Monday, September 22 Professional Development Day (No Students)

Monday - Friday, October 13 - 17 Fall Break (No Students)

Sarah Berner, Business Manager, World Compass Academy

Liz Brady, Sub Program Leader, BASE, Bear Canyon Elementary

Stephanie Fischbach, Seventh-Grade Writing Teacher, ELA Department, North Star Academy

Jessica Jensen, Second Grade Teacher, Mountain View Elementary

Jeff Lowe, Kitchen Manager, Pine Lane Elementary

Laura Moes, Choir Accompanist, Chaparral High School

Jessica Neal, Pre-K Teacher, Early Childhood Center South

Rich Saby, Custodian, Clear Sky Elementary

Monita Sharma, Learning Lab (SSN) EA IV, Timber Trail Elementary

Katie Smith, Kindergarten Teacher, Timber Trail Elementary

Makenzie Tenney, Learning Lab (SSN) EA IV, Timber Trail Elementary

Lauren Trino, Behavioral Technician, Mountain View Elementary

Learn more about our Rock Stars and why they were nominated!