THE PEEK “HOME OF THE WILLOW CREEK WILDCATS”
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Parent Bulletin #3 A Message from the Principal, Diana Price November 6, 2019 Dear Willow Creek Families, Willow Creek Elementary School 7855 South Willow Way Happy Fall! I want to start by saying how much fun the Halloween Parade Centennial, Colorado 80112 was! Outside would have been a much better venue if the weather would have cooperated. Oh, well, we can't control Mother Nature!
A Cherry Creek School Please ask your children about our new PBIS (Positive Behavior Intervention Support) assembly where we celebrated our “Families” project. The assembly was Phone: 720-554-3900 on Friday, November 1st. Carrie Hogan and a team of teachers worked very hard to make this a reality. The purpose of this project is to create smaller communities Diana Price, Principal within the larger Willow Creek community so that children make more connections 720-554-3900 with both students and adults. The structure of a “Willow Creek family” is one student per grade, K-5. Then there are groups of families that come together with a Sandy Hueser, Office Manager team of adults to become a “household”. There will be several times throughout 720-554-3903 the year when the “families” come together to work on a project, or to bond through an activity. When we have a POWER pep assembly, students will sit in their family groups instead of their grade levels. This gives our 5th graders an opportunity to Beth Perron, Secretary lead, and it gives students across grade levels an opportunity to make friends 720-554-3901 outside their grade. Our plan is to continue this in the coming years and keep the families intact with the exception, of course, of 5th grade. There will be a POWER Jodie Senter, Nurse time video in December showing highlights and pictures. You know me and my 720-554-3907 POWER time videos! Be sure you check it out.
Kay Hassan, Food Services I have heard some rumblings about drop off in the mornings now that the weather 720-554-3965 is changing and fewer people are walking or riding their bikes. Students can be dropped off at 7:45 and go directly to their doors where a teacher will be supervising by 7:50. Being at school on time is so important in getting the day Nichole Easterling, Director started on a positive note, and the drop off line goes more smoothly when Willow Creek Cares for Kids everyone doesn't show up between 7:55-8:00! It can truly make a difference if 720-554-3966 some people can be here between 7:45-7:50. I see the front drop off every morn- ing and it is rarely full until between 7:55-8:00. Please have your student ready to Randy Heston,Building Engineer get out of the car as soon as you can stop, and PLEASE do not park in the drop off 720-554-3964 lane, even if you think it will only be a minute. Every second counts! Our crossing guards are doing a fantastic job of watching the flow of cars and monitoring the Fax Number timing of letting pedestrians cross. When my schedule allows I enjoy being out in the front to greet you and your students and help move cars along. 720-554-3988 Remember to visit our website willowcreek.cherrycreekschools.org for more Weather Hotline information about our school and our district. Upcoming opportunities to be 720-554-4701 involved at Willow Creek are: P.A.S.S. (Partnership for Academically Successful Students) Monday, November 11, 5:30-6:30, and Accountability Monday, Website November 11, 6:30-8:00. http://willowcreek. cherrycreekschools.org Can you believe it is already November? Our school year is flying by! In the spirit of “Thankfulness”, I want to reiterate how blessed and thankful I am to be leading this school! The staff, students, and community amaze me each and every day! I truly love being here and am thankful every day for this opportunity. It has been an amazing first trimester and I couldn't be more proud of the hard work and success of the teachers, staff, and students. I hope you have a nice Thanksgiving break Attendance Line and are able to reflect on what you are thankful for. 720-554-3995 If your child is going to be ab- Until next time, sent or late, please call by 7:45 Diana a.m. In addition to notifying your child’s teacher, you must also call the Attendance Line. This is a 24-hour open line. Thank you. Lost and Found Cherry Creek Heroes There is quite a bit of lost and found items in Cherry Creek Heroes is a the cafeteria where it is stored. If your student new recognition program is missing a jacket or lunch box, etc., please designed to celebrate any make a point to come into the school to member of our community search thru the clothing racks and bins to who contributes to the locate your lost items. We always want to get district in a wide variety of all this lost and found back to the proper ways. If you know someone owners! This week is the perfect week during whose outstanding service or conferences to rifle thru the piles. Everything extraordinary action has made a difference to will be donated next Friday, November the students, staff or schools in CCSD, let us 15th, to Coats For Colorado. Come grab know! We want to acknowledge their work your stuff! with a formal ‘Thank you’ that includes a plaque, a small ceremony and recognition across the district.
A Cherry Creek Hero could be a volunteer who works with local students to help Parents: We Need Your Help!! continue their learning outside of the school The staff at Willow Creek would be most day. A Cherry Creek Hero could be a local appreciative if all parents could refrain from business owner who supports school events entering the classrooms during the school day or activities. It could be a high school student to drop off items for your student. If an item who mentors middle or elementary needs to be brought to your child, please schoolers, a family who engages with the leave it with the front office with an already CCSD community or a teacher or staff printed tag on it that has your child’s name member who inspires their entire school. and teacher listed. (This will save the front To nominate someone, please go to office MANY sticky notes!) The front office www.surveymonkey.com/r/CCSDHERO. staff will make sure your student Send us information about your nominee and receives the item. Also, please know that let us know why they deserve to be a hero of messages to your student(s) can be delivered our community. at the END of the school day ONLY if plans have changed for after school pick-up. STEAM-A-Palooza #5 STEAM-A-Palooza Please remember that the front office will not provides hands-on be able to remind your child about where they learning experiences to should be after the 2:45 p.m. dismissal bell students and their rings, (i.e., clubs, classes, team meetings, families. Join us as at etc.). We encourage families to devise a Grandview High School system as to where your student might find as we celebrate the 5th after school plans in their planner, on a daily annual STEAM-A-Palooza on Saturday, sticky note in their backpack, etc. Please November 9, 2019. Come see how Cherry remember that teachers will not have (and Creek students have been empowered by should not have) this information about where innovation and learning. Visit the showcase your child should be at 2:45 p.m. of student projects, participate in interactive activities, explore career fields with our Thanksgiving Book Penned by Students community sponsors, and enter free Two current Willow Creek students co- giveaways. Visit the STEAM-A-Palooza authored a new Thanksgiving book and toy website for more information at: set. All proceeds from sales will be donated to http://www.steamapaloozaccsd.com/. the Colorado Veterans Project. MARK YOUR CALENDAR: These two students are holding CCSD Transportation Dept. Job Fair a book signing and sale at Timbuk Toys at Please see page 5 of this month’s PEEK for University Hills Plaza on Sat, Nov 16th, from an important flyer announcing a CCSD 10:30 am to 1:00 pm. Address: 2526 S. transportation job fair. Cherry Creek Colorado Blvd., Denver, CO 80222. More info Schools’ Transportation Department is at www.HappyTankGibby.com. Up to $12k in looking for qualified candidates who care funds could be raised with your support! about kids to join its dedicated team of bus drivers, bus assistants and mechanics. Dates to Remember ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ Thurs. Nov. 7 3rd, 4th, 5th Graders to DCPA/Opera, 9:15 a.m. Fri. Nov. 8 NO SCHOOL—Parent Teacher Conferences Mon. Nov. 11 Veterans Day Assembly, 1:30 p.m., Gym Willow Creek P.A.S.S. Meeting, 5:30 p.m., Library Willow Creek Accountability Meeting, 6:30 p.m., Library M-F Nov. 18-22 Sister School—Cimarron Elementary Food Drive Thurs. Nov. 21 Future Bruins Night at CCHS for 5th-8th Graders, 6:00 p.m. Wed-Fri. Nov. 27-29 NO SCHOOL—Thanksgiving Holiday Thurs.-Fri. Nov. 28-29 ***WCCK IS CLOSED THESE TWO DAYS*** Mon-Thurs. Dec. 2-5 Book Fair in the Library ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
School Lunch Menu Attendance Line–Please Call by 7:45 a.m. The school lunch menu can be found on the Parents: If your child is going to be absent or Cherry Creek School District website. Paper tardy, please call the Attendance Line at copies will NOT be printed for distribution dur- 720-554-3995 by 7:45 a.m. This line is open ing the school year due to 24 hours a day. In addition to contacting your the frequent changes that teacher regarding an absence, please call the Student Nutrition De- the Attendance Line. partment makes to them. Please view the breakfast Tardies ... and lunch menus at are very disruptive, not only to ccsdcafe.org. Please take the late student, but to every note that elementary student and teacher in the school hot lunches cost classroom. School starts at 8:00 $3.00 per day and daily breakfast costs $1.85. a.m. The cafeteria is open for breakfast every day at Students should be at school by 7:50 a.m. 7:30 a.m. For parents depositing cash or and in their seats by 8:00 a.m. ready to learn. checks into their student’s account, this must be done by 9:00 a.m. in order for the account Early Dismissals… to be credited for that day’s lunch purchase. are strongly discouraged after 2:30 p.m. as Credit card payments can be made on the this is a very busy time for teachers and website listed above. students as they give final instructions and prepare to leave for the day. Weather-Related Delayed Starts Please be advised that when there is a district- School Grounds Supervision… issued delayed start at is only available beginning at 7:50 a.m. the beginning of the day, unless your child is eating breakfast, which school will not start until begins at 7:30 a.m. Supervision ends at 3:00 9:00 a.m. Students p.m. after school. STUDENTS SHOULD should not be coming to NOT BE ARRIVING TO SCHOOL BEFORE school until 8:50 a.m. We 7:45 A.M. AND SHOULD BE LEAVING BY understand that this 3:00 P.M. EACH DAY, unless you are might cause conflicts with enrolled in WCCK or eating breakfast in the parents’ work schedules, but there is nowhere a.m. or in a club/class after school. for students to stay prior to 8:50 a.m. unless you have signed up for WCCK PRIOR to the 10:00 p.m. deadline the night before. Thank you!
Willow Creek’s Website WILLOW CREEK LUNCH SCHEDULE Willow Creek has a website, and we encourage parents to bookmark this site. There is always Kindergarten 11:05–11:50 a.m. a wealth of information to be found here. Please find our site at 1st Grade 10:35–11:20 a.m. http://willowcreek.cherrycreekschools.org. 2nd Grade 10:10–10:55 a.m. 3rd Grade 11:30–12:15 p.m. 4th Grade 11:55–12:40 p.m. 5th Grade 12:05 – 1:05 p.m. Parent Information Network (PIN) Future Bruins Night at Cherry Creek High PIN’s mission is to Will your student be a future CCSD Bruin? provide informative Cherry Creek High School will be hosting a local and national “Future Bruin Night” on Thursday, November speakers on topics 21st from 6:00 pm to 8:00 pm. This is an relevant to current open house event offered for 5th through 8th parenting and graders and their parents. Students and youth-related issues parents will have the opportunity to: and to provide a forum for parents to connect and create a caring community within the * Take a Campus Tour Cherry Creek School District. PIN holds * Meet Teachers and Department monthly presentations located at the Coordinators Cherry Creek Options School,14603 East * Attend Activities and Athletic Fair Fremont Ave, Centennial. ***Please note * Visit Post Graduate Center that on page 6 of this PEEK Newsletter * Attend Classroom Experiences/Course parents will find the flyer for the PIN Meeting Offerings with CCHS Faculty for the month of November which will be held on November 12th at 6:30 p.m.*** If you have an 8th grade student, this event is not to be missed as it is a great way to see the CCSD Veterans Day at Willow Creek opportunities available at Creek! For more The Cherry Creek School District is commit- information and to sign up for classroom ted to honoring our heroes, the active service breakout sessions, please visit members and veterans who have sacrificed http://cherrycreek.cherrycreekschools.org. to ensure our freedom, our happiness and If you have any questions, please contact our safety. Since 2011, CCSD has shown Julie Hill at [email protected]. that commitment by celebrating Veterans Week, a districtwide event held in November that includes celebrations at every single building. From neighborhood parades to student concerts to community receptions, Veterans Week in CCSD features a wide array of tributes to service from the Golden Heart Award It is time to nominate for the 2019-2020 elementary to the high school level. What's Golden Heart Awards! This prestigious award more, the event provides an opportunity for is for any individual who has "opened their students to honor the veterans in their family, heart" to touch the life of a Cherry Creek and learn important, firsthand lessons about School District student with special needs. service, community and civic engagement This includes, but is not limited to, bus drivers, from local heroes. "This is the right thing to teachers, cafeteria workers, paraprofession- do," said CCSD Superintendent Scott als, specials teachers (Art, P.E., Music, Siegfried, adding that the eighth annual STEM), those in support positions, students, event offered an important bridge between and community employers. Each person who the military and CCSD students. "The receives this award has gone "above and first-person learning that our kids receive beyond" to support students with special about sacrificing for the greater good brings needs who attend Cherry Creek Schools. All their classroom history lessons to life. Talking nominations must be received by December to our veterans, shaking their hands – that 20 at the close of the business day (4 pm). makes it real." The Veterans Day Program at Please visit Willow Creek will be held on Monday, https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/ November 11th. Please watch for flyers and goldenheart19-20 for more information. announcements to come home with your child regarding the details for this very special day at Willow Creek.
CCSD Thanksgiving break, November 27-29 ****No school****