The Padilla Post 8/16/2021
August 16, 2021
Padilla Elementary School
Providing every student with the keys to open the doors of their future.
A Note from Principal Purfurst
Thank you to everyone who came out to our Ribbon Cutting and Back to School Open House! We loved seeing all of you and your children! This first week has been a whirlwind, but we have loved welcoming your students to Padilla!
As the school year has started, we have continued to examine various processes and procedures that we use. Our goal is to continually improve our work, and as a result, we will make changes when we feel we can do better. You will note some changes to our practices below. All of these are in an effort to do things better for your children. If you have any questions about changes you see below, please don't hesitate to ask!
As always, we continue to appreciate your grace and patience as we work to live intentionally!
Important Dates
Additional details for all events are below in this Post.
- Thursday, August 19th - First PTO Meeting
- Wednesday, August 25th - First day of school for Preschool students
Kindergarten Drop-Off
Starting Tuesday, August 17th, all kindergarten students will enter the building by the preschool playground. (The same location in which your kinder students are being picked up everyday.) Kinder parents may drop off their students in the horseshoe by this playground in the morning and use the horseshoe to pick them up as well in the afternoon. There will be a staff member in front of the playground to help with this process. Kindergarteners will be eating breakfast in their classroom starting Tuesday in order to help them eat breakfast in a more efficient manner.
More on Drop-Off and Pick-Up
We are currently working with our partners at the Brighton Police Department and the City of Brighton to identify additional cross walks to be painted near the school. We anticipate the need for one across Longs Peak St. and Apache Plume St. We will be sure to let you know when any new cross walks are installed.
Please don't for get that if you are dropping your student off in the hug and go lane to pull all the way forward to the car stopped in front of you when dropping off or picking up your student. This allows for more cars to pull into this lane and prevents traffic from backing up on to Longs Peak St.
When crossing through the parking lot, we ask that you please do so between the sets of cones where crossing guards are located. Please do not step out between stopped cars without a crossing guard acknowledging you are there. We are currently trying to determine the best place for you to cross, and once we do, we will have painted crosswalks installed.
Please help us be good neighbors to the families that live surrounding our school! Remember not to park in front of driveways and bock access for those who live there.
If your student rides their bike or scooter to school, please make sure to talk to them about riding them safely. We have had several students riding their bikes and scooters in the parking lot and cross the street off outside of crosswalks. Please let your child know that if they ride their bike or scooter we need to them walk their bike or scooter until they have crossed the street off of school grounds.
PTO Meeting
Interested in joining the inaugural PTO for Padilla Elementary School? Join us at our first PTO meeting on Thursday, August 19th at 6:00 PM in the Learning Commons at Padilla! Principal Purfurst will facilitate this meeting as we get our PTO up and running!
Free Breakfast and Lunch for All Students
We are excited to announce that all students will have the option for free breakfast and lunch at Padilla this school year!
Breakfast will be served in the classroom for students wishing to get breakfast at school. When students may arrive at school beginning at 7:35 AM. From there, students wishing to eat breakfast can go directly to the cafeteria, pick up their breakfast, and take it with them to their classroom to eat.
Lunch will be served in the cafeteria. Students will sit with their own classes during lunches. Students are also welcome to bring a cold lunch from home if they wish.
While all meals are free this year, your family may still be eligible for reduced fees at Padilla by filling out an application for free and reduced lunch. Applications must be completed each school year. Click below for details!
2021 Return to School Plan
Please make sure you have read the letter from 27J Schools Superintendent, Dr. Chris Fiedler. It is linked below and contains details about COVID mitigation that will be taking place at all 27J Schools, including details about vaccines and masking.
Volunteers
We need you! In particular, we are looking for immediate help with before and after school supervision to support with arrival and dismissal. We are also looking for volunteers to help with supervising recess and lunches. If you are interested in volunteering for one of these opportunities, or for another opportunity in the future, please complete the form below!
Student Dress Code
27J Schools has made a concerted effort to thoughtfully put together a district wide dress code that encompasses all students. The link below will take you to the actual policy that is on the district website.
Some highlights are: Hats, beanies and hoods are ok for students as long as they are recognizable and staff can see student faces. Also the hat must be appropriate! Please note that teachers may ask a student to take off these hats at any point during instruction.
Within the dress code policy, there is very specific language about what must be covered by clothing.
Some highlights are: All students can wear tank tops and or spaghetti straps as long as there are no visible parts located underneath the tank top or spaghetti straps.
Mid sections are still required to be covered by clothing but shorts do not have to be fingertip length. Shorts must cover the buttox as well as the male and female parts in the front of the shorts.
Please check with Mr. Hawkins if you have any questions about what can and cannot be worn at school!
Visitors
27J Schools is able to have visitors again this year! We are excited to welcome you to visit our school while students are here!
We are asking that you please wait to visit until after this week, just so we can get some of our systems with your children in place. After that point, we would love to welcome you to eat lunch with your child or coordinate an opportunity to volunteer in your child's classroom!
27J Schools does require any visitor who will be around students to be masked unless they show proof of vaccination. Please plan accordingly if you will be visiting.
