From the Fox Den

Dear Families,

Happy February! Over the next few weeks you will have multiple opportunities to visit your child's classroom and talk to their teachers through our classroom family engagement events and conferences. This is a great opportunity to learn more about the instructional work that we do at Arrowhead and what your child's learning experience is like. It is also an opportunity to celebrate the growth your child is making!

Speaking of growth, I am excited to share that Arrowhead exceeded the district average for students making typical or aggressive growth on the winter FastBridge assessment in both reading and math! FastBridge is an internal assessment that our students take three times a year (fall, winter, spring) to measure students' growth in reading and mathematics. Our school goal this year focuses on students making typical or aggressive growth in mathematics and we have spent the majority of our Wednesday early release time focusing on refining our mathematics instruction. Last year only 49.6% of our students made typical or aggressive growth in math, but this year our winter data showed that 63.1% of our students are making typical or aggressive growth! I am so proud of our staff and students for all of their hard work and we thank our families for your continued support as well!

We have some exciting community events happening over the next few months, so please be sure to check the "Upcoming Events" on the calendar and save the dates!

Kind regards,

Kelsey Jones

Principal

Arrowhead Elementary

Please join be in congratulating Mrs. Denise Barry on being honored as Arrowhead's Educator of the Year! Mrs. Barry has served the Arrowhead community since 2008 and has been instrumental in creating a culture of inclusion at Arrowhead through her advocacy for students with special needs, collaboration with colleagues and families, and leadership of Project Unify. One of the nominations from her colleagues read, "Denise Barry is an educator who truly loves her students. She continuously works to improve her craft to meet all of the individualized needs her students have. She goes above and beyond to make connections with students and families. She exemplifies the Cherry Creek core values." Thank you, Mrs. Barry, for your dedication to your students, families, and the Arrowhead community!

Please welcome our new Office Manager, Suzanne Bastien! Mrs. Bastien started with us at the end of January and has already made such a great impact. She has written the following introduction:

Hello everyone! My name is Suzanne Bastien, and I am so excited to be the office manager for Arrowhead Elementary School!

I am a chaos coordinator; I have six children and three grandsons, and along with my husband, we remain as sane as possible. My sense of humor is far-reaching, and I laugh easily, so please feel free to come in and see me. I am approachable, even if sometimes I am thinking too hard and my face doesn’t portray it.

My mother and father were both educators at the middle school and collegiate levels, so I grew up in education my whole life. I worked at Aurora Public Schools for 15 years and then for the State of Colorado for almost 2 years. Working in an industry where I feel like I am making a difference is important to me.

Fun facts to know:

● I am a geek. I love Harry Potter, Lord of the Rings and the Renaissance Festival.

● Coffee is my best friend.

● My space is always inclusive and diversity friendly.

I am so excited to meet all of you and become part of this amazing community.

Report cards will go home on Friday, February 24. Like last time, you will receive your child's report card via email. Please make sure that your email address is accurate in Parent Forms to ensure that you receive it. If you would like a paper copy of the report card or do not receive an email with your child's report card, please contact the Arrowhead office.

In preparation for the PTCO dance on Friday, February 24, we will have a spirit day that day! Students are invited to wear school-appropriate 80s fashion to school!

PTCO needs volunteers for our school dance on Friday, February 24! If you are able to volunteer, please click here for the Sign-Up Genius or scan the QR code!

Arrowhead's PASS (Partnerships for Academically Successful Students) Committee is comprised of parents/guardians, teachers and administrators, and community members.

Our goal is to foster an inclusive and safe environment to support the success of students of color. We do this by:

• Engaging community members in meaningful and effective partnerships
• Building relationships between schools and family communities
• Providing parents and guardians of students of color voice and direct access to the administration

Our next PASS meeting will be held Friday, February 24th at 8:00 am in the Arrowhead Library. Coffee and donuts will be provided! If you are planning to attend, please fill out this form to RSVP. At our last PASS meeting, we discussed that we wanted to plan events hosted by PASS. We will continue this conversation on Friday and begin planning these events.

We will also be hosting our Smoky Hill Feeder PASS Meeting on Thursday, March 9 at 6:00 pm at Smoky Hill High School. Dinner and child care will be provided. There will be an opportunity to hear a student panel of high school students as well as meet the principals of our feeder middle and high schools. Please click here for more information and to RSVP.

Are you following Arrowhead's PTCO on Facebook? Scan the QR code to start following!

Upcoming PTCO events:

February 24- 80s Dance

March 7- PTCO Meeting

April 13- PTCO Meeting

April 28- Bingo Night

May 2- PTCO Meeting

Get Ready! The Scholastic Book Fair is coming our way (YAY!). Choosing their own books empowers kids and inspires them to become Bolder, Prouder, and Stronger Readers. AND—as always—every book they buy earns rewards for our school.

Here’s what you need to know about the Fair, which will take place in the Library during Conference Week:

Monday, February 27: 2:45-5:00 pm

Tuesday, February 28: 2:45-7:00 pm

Wednesday, March 1: 1:45-5:00 pm

Thursday, March 2: 8:00-11:30 am

This year, say goodbye to cash and hello to eWallet—your child’s digital payment account.

Before the Fair, set up eWallet for worry-free, cash-free purchases.

If you can’t make it to the Fair, then shop at our school’s Online Book Fair. All orders ship directly to your home, and shipping is free for book orders over $25. Your online orders will also benefit our school.

The countdown to more Bookjoy is on! Catch you at the Fair!

February 24- Report cards go home, PASS Parent Coffee 8:00 am in the Arrowhead Library, PTCO 80s Dance 5:30-7:30 pm

Week of February 27- Conference Week

February 28- Hearing Rechecks

March 1- District Accountability Committee (DAC) 6:30 pm at the Instructional Support Facility

March 2- Indigenous Parent Action Committee (IPAC) 6:00 pm at Prairie Middle School

March 2 and 3- No School (Conferences)

March 7- PTCO Meeting 6:00 pm

March 9- Special Education Advisory Committee 9:30 am at the Instructional Support Facility, Smoky Hill Feeder PASS Meeting at Smoky Hill High School 6:00 pm

March 13-17- Cherry Creek Reads Week

March 18-26- Spring Break

March 29- District PASS at Overland High School 6:00 pm

April 5- Para Educator Appreciation Day

April 6- Arrowhead STEAM Night 6:00-7:30 pm, Indigenous Parent Action Committee 6:00 pm (Virtual)

April 26- District PASS 6:00 pm at Cherry Creek Elevation

May 4- Multicultural Night

May 5- No School

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, academic modifications, and supporting students in self-care as needed. Experience is preferred but not required, as new para educators will be provided with extensive training.

Crossing Guard (45 minutes/day): Help Arrowhead students and families safely cross the street on their way to and from school. The hours are 7:35-8:00 am and 2:40-3:00 pm.

Early Childhood Education (Preschool): If you are interested in working with our youngest learners, please click here for more information!

We are also always looking for substitute para educators and crossing guards who are able to fill in when one of our para educators is out. Please contact 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

The next HCMS Family Engagement Night is on Tuesday, March 28th. At this meeting, we will be reviewing a proposed Cell Phone Plan for the 2023-2024 school year. This will be a great chance for our community to provide feedback on how we can best support all school stakeholders, particularly students, as we navigate the complexities of cell phone use in school.

Families who attend will be entered into a drawing for a fun prize! Families/parents are encouraged to bring their students to join and ensure that student voice enhances the conversation.

The format for the evening is as follows:

• 5:30pm: Potluck Food & Social (feel free to bring snacks or a dish)
• 6:00pm: Whole-group Conversation (Cell Phone Plan)
• 7:00pm: Breakout Group Conversations (Accountability, PTCO, PASS)

Childcare and a Spanish-speaking interpreter will be provided. Please contact Dr. Brad Weinhold, HCMS Principal, at bweinhold@cherrycreekschools.org with questions.

Will your child be 4 on October 1, 2023? If yes, then….

Congratulations! Your child can be in Pre-kindergarten for the 2023/24 School Year.

Cherry Creek School District continues to plan for the implementation of Pre-Kindergarten (Universal Preschool or “UPK”) for all students who will be 4 years old on or before October 1, 2023. These young learners are valuable members of our school communities. In our prior communication, we planned to be live on the Colorado Preschool Application website by February 15. Currently, we are still working with the state to secure licenses for some of our locations. As soon as we have all licenses, CCSD will move expeditiously to get all our sites listed on the Colorado Preschool Application website for families to register. We are working with the state to have this situation resolved as soon as possible. In the meantime, families can complete their pre-registration information for CCSD by visiting the CCSD PRE-ENROLLMENT LINK. We will post updates to our web page, so please check back frequently.

Pre-Kindergarten will be offered at almost every elementary school. It will be half days, Monday-Thursday 8:00am-10:55am (AM session) or 11:50am-2:45pm (PM Session). Transportation will not be provided for students. For special education students, please contact Child Find.

More information can be found on Cherry Creek's Early Childhood Education website: https://www.cherrycreekschools.org/earlychildhood

The IPAC committee is comprised of Indigenous parents/guardians and staff. The committee meets monthly and focuses on the following:

• Illuminating the presence of CCSD’s Indigenous community

• Affirming and honoring Indigenous students’ presence and cultural identities

• Amplifying the voices of the Indigenous community by working directly with district leaders to make changes necessary to better serve Indigenous students and families

• Forming cross-district partnerships to strengthen the Indigenous community network

• Naming the continuous problems of practice embedded in the CCSD learning experience interfering with Indigenous students’ academic and social-emotional success

Further information and meeting dates can be found here.

PIN’s mission is to provide informative local and national speakers on topics relevant to current parenting and youth-related issues and to provide a forum for parents to connect and create a caring community. Presentations are held throughout the year at 9:15 am at the Fremont Building (14603 E Fremont Ave, Centennial, CO 80112).

More information can be found at: https://www.pinccsd.org/

Arrowhead volunteers need to go through our background check process by filling out the district's volunteer application. It can take some time for it to clear through the system, so please fill it out 24-48 hours before you will be volunteering. We can only have volunteers who have filled out that application. Thank you for your cooperation and helping to keep our students safe!

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

8:00 am-1:45 pm Wednesday

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.

If your child will be absent, please call our attendance line at 720-886-2895 to report the absence.

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

We have 460 students that we need to get safely to and from school each day. Please help us by driving safe in the areas around the school. Both South Ceylon Way and East Bates Avenue are no u-turn zones. Please do not make u-turns in those areas. Please also slow down, use crosswalks, and do not double park. If you see unsafe driving, please report it to Aurora Police. We have requested that they patrol this area.

It's not too late to apply for free or reduced-price lunch and breakfast! The federal government is no longer funding free breakfast and lunch for all students. If you would like your child to purchase breakfast and lunch at school, they will need to pay for it unless your family qualifies for the National School Lunch Program (free and reduced-price meals). Information about school meals can be found here: https://www.cherrycreekschools.org/Page/4035

Many families will qualify for the National School Lunch Program, which provides free or reduced-price school meals for students who qualify. In addition to receiving free or reduced-price meals, students who qualify will receive discounts at CCSD before/after programs, reduced or waived activities and athletic fees, and reduced or waived school fees. Information can be found here:

English

Spanish

To apply for free or reduced-price school meals, please complete this application as soon as possible. You can apply the following ways:

Online: https://family.titank12.com/application/new?identifier=7E9BB5. The application is available in English, Spanish, Burmese, Chinese, French, Korean, Russian, and Vietnamese.

Download a paper form and return to school: English Spanish

Pick-up a paper copy at school: We have paper copies available in the Main Office.

Instructions for filling out the paper forms can be found here:

English

Spanish

Further information about the National School Lunch Program can be found here: https://www.cherrycreekschools.org/Page/4041.

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

Drop-Off/Pick-Up (Teal): This is a space for you to quickly drop-off and pick-up at the beginning and end of the day. This is a fire lane, so you must remain with your car at all times. Students should enter and exit the car on the curb side (right side), as cars will be passing 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 corner safely.

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

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 there is not a spot available, please park on the street and walk in.

Right Turn Only (2:45-3:00 pm): When exiting the parking lot during afternoon dismissal, all cars need to 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).

Email: kjones100@cherrycreekschools.org
Website: https://www.cherrycreekschools.org/Arrowhead
Location: 19100 E Bates Ave, Aurora, CO, USA
Phone: 720-886-2800