TABLE OF CONTENTS Upcoming Events Page 1 From the Board Page 2 Whole School News Page 3 Student Accomplishments Page 4 Booster News Page 5 Volunteer View Page 6 Peak to Peak Communications Page 7 Fund Development News Page 8 Peak to Peak Athletics Page 9-10 Counseling News Page 11 Elementary News Page 12 News from the Middle Latitudes Page 13 High School News Page 14 November PEN Articles Page 15-16 Upcoming Film Festival Page 17 BVSD Parent Professional Partnership News Page 18 November Dine Out Info Page 19 The Puma Press Speak to Peak Sponsored by Friends of Peak to Peak Whole School News — Nothing is more honorable than a grateful heart.“ – Seneca Dear Peak to Peak community, Last month I described our K-12 goals for improving the quality of instruc- tion, assessment and the learning community. This month, each level (elementary, middle and high) will share their specific school improve- ment goals. These goals focus on student achievement in targeted areas. November 2008 Please take the time to read and discuss the goals with your family. Us- ing each child's grades (both last year's and the current grades), CSAP, Main Office: 303-453-4600 K-12 Attendance: 303-453-4605 ACT, and AP scores, the family could discuss last year's academic pro- K-12 Health: 303-453-4616 gress and establish new learning goals for this year. In addition, each K-12 Volunteer Line: student could work on creating his or her own action plan to achieve Sandy Ray 303-453-4755 these goals. Athletic Line: 303-453-4707 We have continued many of our support systems from previous years, Editor: Jill Hoekstra 303-453-4780 such as office hours and tutoring, while adding some new ones as well, like extending the library’s hours before and after school, creating a think Email all Speak to Peak submissions to: tank for the HS, adding counseling and dean support and additional inter- [email protected] vention help at the elementary and middle school. Please let me or one of the principals know if you need help in accessing this extra support. Upcoming Events We value the dreams, passions and goals of each student. As a school, we are committed to working with each student and family to provide the 11/1 P2P Pen Meeting, S Conf room best education we can to our entire community. Working together— 11/3 National Junior Honor Society Induction having a strong home/school connection focused on achievement—will Ceremony 6:00pm Auditeria Booster Club meeting, 7pm, Cafeteria ensure we achieve our mission every year: sending all of our graduates to 11/4 Choir field trip the college of their choice. Vision & Hearing tests 11/5 High school athletic awards Tony Fontana 6:30pm, Cafeteria Executive Principal 11/6 Board meeting 8:15am S. Conference room Elementary character assembly 1:45pm, S. Gym 11/7 Elementary 1st trimester ends 5th grade tour of middle school Vision & Hearing tests 11/10 Early release 1:25 Secondary periods 2,4,6 Kindergarten field trip 9:15-12:15 11/11 NO SCHOOL/Veterans Day Dining Out, CHILI's on Hwy 287 11/12 Secondary ODD block day 11/13 Secondary EVEN block day 8th grade High School Retention Night 6:00pm Auditeria 11/14 Secondary ODD block day Accountability Committee 8:00am South conference room Grandparents/Special Friends Day in elementary school 1:15pm Middle school after school event: Annual Gift 2008/2009 3:15-5:00pm Auditeria “Ach ieving O ur Full P o tential, M ak ing Every Gift 11/17 Blood drive N.Gym 11/19 5th grade science fair S.Gym C o unt” 11/20 Parent Engagement Network • Annual Gift donations are fully tax deductible…please donate today! Principal coffee 8:00am Cafeteria Board meeting 5:00pm, • Go to www.peaktopeak.org and make your donation on-line! South conference room • WE NEED EVERYONE’S HELP TO MEET OUR GOAL! 11/24-28 NO SCHOOL/Thanksgiving break November 2008 Board News Page 2 Pathways to Success Though it may be hard to believe, we have completed the first quarter of the 2008-2009 school year at Peak to Peak. The year is off to a great start and we’ve seen tremendous accomplishments already from our students, faculty and staff. One of the things that makes Peak to Peak unique, as well as successful, is the involvement of our entire community in the life of the school. Parents know their students better than anyone else and provide motivational and family support, not to mention countless volunteer hours to help make our school run. We have a talented, committed faculty who use their education and experience to engage and chal- lenge our students on a daily basis. Our administra- tors provide guidance and vision so that each pro- gram level remains focused on the academic goals of students, while working across grade levels to make sure Peak to Peak provides a cohesive K-12 educa- tion. The operational, facilities and administrative staff serve to round out the community by providing well-maintained buildings, nutritional meals, logisti- cal and organizational support, and a solid financial footing. We are proud of the level of involvement of all our stakeholders. Along with the opportunity to be involved, comes the responsibility of communicating effectively and respectfully with other community members. Since Peak to Peak’s inception, school leaders have worked to create systems that will facilitate commu- nication in a positive, effective, and consistent man- ner. As parents, one of the most important things we can do for our students is to model positive con- flict management. Our approved communication pathways diagram can always be found on our web- site at www.peaktopeak.org under “About Peak to Peak.” A parent’s first step in resolving any conflict is to speak directly with the appropriate teacher(s) in the event of a classroom or discipline issue, and to speak directly with the coach or sponsor if the con- flict involves athletics or activities. Our communi- cation pathways indicate the appropriate next step if, in the unlikely event, the parties are not able to re- solve the conflict. Many thanks to each and every one of you that are a member of this dynamic educational community. Thank you for weighing the effects of your actions on the school as a whole, as well as your individual student. Thank you for understanding that with a school of 1,300+ students, there are many sides to every issue and no single person will get the outcome they want every single time. Thank you for supporting students, teachers, faculty and staff on a daily basis, and going above and beyond when tragedy or difficulty strike members of our community. Thank you for demonstrating the way a community should feel by being vocal, not only when you’re disappointed, but when you’re blown away by the wonderful things you see happen on our campus. Last, but by no means least, thank you for choosing to be a part of Peak to Peak and working every day to make us better. 2008-2009 Peak to Peak Board of Directors: Karen Berge, Rich Bradfield, Caroline Clark, Don Ferguson, Tony Fontana, David Hazen, Rick Lawrence, Kyle Mathews, Greg Richards, Noelle Roni, Sheryl Shafer and Sam Todd [email protected] Page 3 Whole School News November 2008 PEAK TO PEAK FOOD SERVICES Peak to Peak’s Food Services program has undergone many changes since beginning as the “lunch program” in 2001. At that time, lunch consisted of catered meals such as pasta, Chinese food, pizza and cookies, served on wooden tables by parent volunteers. Since opening our present kitchen and cafeteria in November, 2002, we have added equipment and staff, eliminated most outside vendors, begun a breakfast program and now offer catering services for school events and meetings. Early on, it was decided that our program would offer food and drink choices that exceeded the requirements at BVSD, provid- ing a variety of healthier choices. Soda was eliminated years ago. Gatorade was replaced with Vitamin Water; potato chips were changed to baked chips and most sweet snacks were replaced with healthier options, including reduced-fat, whole-grain cookies baked each day. We added a salad bar containing twenty-four items daily, have a heaping fresh fruit bowl available for breakfast and lunch and use whole grain bread and rolls whenever possible. An option we offer parents is the ability to limit food choices. Our point of sale program allows us to enter notes that appear on screen when students make purchases. For example, a student can be prohibited from purchasing cookies or lunches for friends, and cashiers will enforce this. Parents have always had the option of adding cash or checks to student accounts on a daily basis. Beginning in 2008, we made available a program called PayForIt which allows credit card deposits through the school website. Parents have appreciated the convenience, and participation continues to increase. Currently, Food Services is looking into various options to obtain locally-grown, organic produce that will not result in major price increases. The philosophy and atmosphere in our program has been the same since the beginning. We are a group of moms, dads and grandparents, serving good food to our children, as we would at home. We plan balanced meals, always including fresh fruits, vegetables, whole grains and proteins that children typically find ap- petizing. We encourage students to make good choices and to try different foods. We continue to examine our offerings and improve the quality and healthfulness of our food on an on- going basis, while maintaining pricing that is affordable for our families.