26-27 Back to School Information

Bell Schedule:

Monday-Thursday 8:25 and 8:35 tardy bell.

Fridays 9:10 and 9:20 tardy bell.

First Day of School Only

• Homeroom Walk-Up: Parents may walk their children directly to their student's exterior homeroom door.

Starting Day 2 Onward (Independent Student Entry)

• Walkers, Bikers, Scooter & Bus Riders: Enter through the Main Front Doors. Bike racks are located on the side of the building.

• Car Loop (8:15 AM – 8:25 AM): Enter through the Main Front Doors.

• Car Loop (8:25 AM – 8:35 AM): Enter through the double doors adjacent to the courtyard.

Key Arrival & Dismissal Reminders

• Early Drop-off: Supervision begins at 8:15 AM. Do not drop students off before 8:15 AM.

• Car Loop Safety: Stay inside your vehicle; staff will assist your child out of the car.

• Left Turns in and out of our parking lot are not permitted while car loop is active.

• Construction on Highlands Ranch Parkway may cause traffic delays during the first weeks of school. Please plan accordingly to ensure students arrive on time.

• Late Arrivals: Students arriving after 8:35 AM (9:20 on Fridays) are tardy and must be signed in at the main office by a parent/guardian as all doors will close at 8:35AM.

• Dismissal: All students will be dismissed from their classroom's exterior door.

• PLC Late Start Fridays: Begins on Friday August 21st.

****Cell Phone and Smart Watches*****: Cell phones and Smart Watches are not permitted by students in the school between the hours of 8:25 and 3:30. Cell phones and Smart Watches must be turned off/silenced and stored in backpacks. The only exception is medical use. If you need to contact your teacher or child, please contact the front office at 303-387-6525. Please contact the office for questions or concerns.

Absences: 303-387-6527

-Please call the attendance line for each day that your child will not be attending school.

-Sickness-Fever over 100.4 without medication - please don’t medicate your child and send

them to school. They are contagious unless they have been free of fever for 24 hrs without medication. Vomit or Diarrhea - your child must be free of vomit/diarrhea for 24 hrs before

returning to school.

Before and After School Playground: Students are not allowed on the playground before or after school unless they are supervised by a parent or guardian. Our teachers and staff are busy in the morning and afternoons preparing for class and we are unable to provide supervision during these times.

Change in Routine: Please be sure to let me know if there are any changes in daily routines for your child. If there is a change in transportation or information you need to get to your child, please contact the front office and they will notify your child because I do not always see my email in time.

Please let me know of any changes that may affect your child (death in the family, changes at home, loss of a pet, etc.). These changes often affect your child at school. I want to support your child at school the best I can through any of these changes, and the better informed I am, the better I am able to help him/her.

Drop off and pick-up procedures: There are a few options to drop off and pick up your child each day. School starts at 8:35 a.m., but the front door of the school opens at 8:25 a.m.to welcome students at the beginning of the day. School ends at 3:30 p.m.

*No visitors are allowed to enter through our classroom door. This rule has been established for the safety of all children. All visitors must go to the front office to sign in before coming to our classroom.

Classroom: If you are walking to/from school OR parking your car to walk your child in, please have your child walk in through the front doors of the school and then proceed to our classroom. I will open the door at 8:25 a.m and 3:30pm.

Bus: If your child rides the bus, they will walk the short distance from the bus to the classroom door.

Car Loop: If you are picking up or dropping off your child in the car loop please DO NOT get out of your car. There are staff members at the curb who will help your child exit and enter the car (on the curb-side) in the designated drop off/pick up zone. For safety reasons, please do not talk on your cell phone while in the car loop.

Speedsters/B.A.S.E.: If your child attends our before and after school education program (BASE), they will walk to the cafeteria to check-in with Speedsters/BASE.

Behavior Matrix: Click here to view the behavior matrix our school uses in all school settings.

Lunch: Students will eat lunch from 11:15am-11:35am with recess after from 11:35am-12:00 pm. Your child may order lunch from the cafeteria or bring lunch from home. If your child orders lunch at school they can choose from a few different options, depending on the day. Students must choose a fruit and/or vegetable for it to be free, otherwise you will be charged. These options can be found on the NRE website. Please remind your children that students are not allowed to share food with others at school. This rule has been established for the safety of all children with food allergies.

Snacks: We have a snack in the afternoon. It is eaten inside our classroom. Please send a small healthy snack that your student can open and eat independently. Students are expected to wipe their hands and area after snack and throw away any trash.

Water Bottles: Water bottles are encouraged since we are in the mobiles.

Specials: Our specials time is from 2:10-2:45 and 2:45-3:20. The specials schedule is available on the NRE website. Our core specials time is 2:45-3:20. Please make sure students wear TENNIS SHOES on P.E. weeks.

Library: We visit the library every other Wednesday afternoon to check out books. Please help your child remember to return their library books and to keep their books safe when transporting them to and from school. Fourth graders can have four books out at a time. If your child forgets their book(s), they may not check out another book until one book is returned. If the book is lost, please reach out to Mary Peck, our librarian.

Toys From Home: Please do not allow your child to bring toys, electronic devices, Pokemon cards, stuffed animals, or any other items that may cause a distraction in the classroom to school. If an item is brought to school and becomes a distraction, the student will be encouraged to put the item in their backpack. If they choose not to put the item away, then I will take the item until the end of the day when it will then be sent home. Occasionally we will have opportunities for Show and Tell, bring a stuffed animal to school, or other events where home toys are welcome, such as a PRIDE ticket reward, etc..

Birthdays/Class Parties: Birthdays are very exciting for all students. They are celebrated all day and get to be a special helper in the classroom. We focus on school celebrations and request that no birthday treats or goodie bags are given out at school. This is because of allergies and to provide an equitable school environment for students of all backgrounds and current situations.

We will have fall, winter, and Valentine’s Day class parties.

Homework:

In fourth grade it is expected that students have an average of 40 minutes of homework per school day.

Reading Packets: Students are given leveled reading packets on Fridays. This packet is due back the following Friday. The packets include a short reading passage, vocabulary, and a variety of language skills.

Independent reading is also encouraged. We recommend approximately 60 minutes a week of reading.

Math: Students receive math skill practice worksheets. These practice sheets are due the next day.

I DO accept and want late homework assignments. Even if your child is late with homework, please encourage them to complete and turn it in. In 4th grade the ultimate goal is to do the practice and turn it in. This helps to encourage positive work habits and responsibility.

I understand that students have a variety of extracurricular activities. Creating structures for kids to do some nightly schoolwork and plan for due dates is helpful for kids to learn and develop. That is the reasoning for the two different structures with math and reading.

Special Events in 4th Grade

• National Park Passes: All 4th graders nationwide get free access to ALL National Parks for a year with their families. I will send these home on the first of September.

• Nature’s Educator’s: This is an in-school live animal adaptation presentation for students. It supports our science standards and is a fun, engaging opportunity for students.

• Water Ambassadors: Colorado water education program that teaches students about the water cycle, how we use, clean and conserve water.

• Colorado Play: A fun, spring semester musical event.

• Possible field trip: Colorado History Museum: All 4th graders are free all year, unfortunately the field trip is not free, but consider going as a family too this year.

• Monthly Family Fun emails: These are monthly emails that I will send out that highlight fun opportunities in Colorado that often have an educational, cultural or historical significance. We are so lucky to have such a beautiful place to call home. My hope is that these emails encourage your family to explore and learn together.

Communication: A class email will be emailed weekly (typically on Saturdays) and will contain information about what we are learning in class. This is also a great resource to learn about special dates, events, etc. If you do not have daily access to email, please let me know so that we can arrange another form of communication.

Please feel free to contact me with any updates, questions or concerns. The best way to do that is by email, hlcrawley@dcsdk12.org. I usually respond to emails within 24 school hours. If you would like to talk at length about a specific issue concerning your child, please allow time for us to schedule a meeting.

Thursday/Friday Folders: Your child will bring home a folder most Fridays. If there is information that needs to go home on Thursday I will send it home on Thursday. However, having the papers go home on Friday gives you more time to get to your child’s folder, review their papers, and empty it. It also gives us time to finish out our week. Please remove all the papers, read the information and return the folder to school on Monday.

I am looking forward to partnering with you this year to give your child a year full of discovery and growth. Please feel free to contact me with any questions or concerns.

Best wishes,

Hope Crawley

2026/2027 School Schedule

8:35-9:00: Morning Meeting

9:00-10:40: Reading and Writing

10:40-11:15: WINN/Intervention Time

11:15-12:00: Lunch/Recess

12:00-1:00: Math

1:00-1:20: Health Break

1:20-2:10: Science/ Social Studies

2:10-2:45: 2nd Special: Spanish, Technology, Art,

2:45-3:20: Core Specials: PE, Music, Think Tank, Mandarin

3:20-3:30: Clean up and dismissal

Library on Wednesdays (typically every other Wed. ) at 1:40PM.