Hello Audubon Families,

The 2021-2022 school year is quickly approaching and we hope you are as ready and excited as we are for a great year ahead. We know that the past few years have had some challenges in a variety of ways, especially with COVID-19, however we have also had some amazing opportunities present themselves and this year we will be able to explore and expand those awesome opportunities.

In the message below there are some "high level" informational pieces that you will need as we get started for the year. Please know that we will be continuing to provide updated information to you in the coming weeks with things you need to know.

If you have any questions please do not hesitate to reach out and we will do our best to answer them for you. You can always reach me at aaron.ford@d11.org or 719-328-2602.

We look forward to seeing you all in the coming weeks as we start a great year!

Wishing you health and wellness,

Aaron Ford

Principal, Audubon Elementary

Mask Wearing:

• Masks are required for any person riding public transportation which includes our school busses. If your child rides the bus to or from school they will have to wear a mask while on the bus.
• Masks are highly recommended indoors for everyone regardless of vaccination status but they are not required.
• Those students or staff that choose to wear a mask will be allowed to do so - they will not be required to take them off by anyone in the school.

Showing Symptoms:

• If a student or adult is showing symptoms of being ill, especially those that are consistent with COVID, they are highly encouraged to stay home.
• If symptoms are not resolved within 48 hours then the symptomatic person would be required to get a COVID test to return. If negative, and symptoms are getting better, they could return.

Positive or Presumed Positive:

• If someone tests positive for COVID-19 they will be required by public health to isolate for a minimum of 10 days.
• They may return to school on day 11 IF they have no fever and symptoms are getting better. We know that not all symptoms may go away within the 10 day isolation window so we will work with families on what steps need to be taken.
• Families must report positive cases or exposure to positive cases to the school so that we can take appropriate actions within the building.

Quarantines:

• Due to the nature of COVID-19 and its spread, quarantines are still possible during the 2021-2022 school year.
• We have more guidance on targeted quarantines and hope to be able to keep students in school as much as possible and not have to quarantine entire classes, grade levels, etc.
• Should there be a need to quarantine we will alert families as quickly as possible so that you can make arrangements as needed.

School Cleaning Practices/Student Hygiene:

• The staff at Audubon will continue to maintain our cleaning practices that were enhanced last year.
• Multiple times daily we sanitize common areas (i.e., restrooms) and commonly touched surfaces.
• Classrooms are all provided a soap/water and mild detergent for sanitizing opportunities during the school day.
• Nightly, when students and staff are gone, we use stronger cleaning solution to sanitize all classrooms, offices, restrooms, etc.
• Our ventilation system will continue to work at 150% airflow to keep fresh air consistently moving through the building.

• Main Phone Line - 719-328-2600
• Attendance Line - 719-328-2613
• Address - 2400 E. Van Buren, Colorado Springs, CO 80909

School Day Info:

• 7:30 - Breakfast in cafeteria
• 7:45 - Students able to be dropped off
• 8:00 - School day starts
• 11:30/12:00 - Students lunch times
• 2:30 - Dismissal

Transportation:

• Some students are eligible to ride the bus depending on where they live
• D11 Transportation will be reaching out with specifics of pick-up/drop-off times and locations for the bus stops
• You can click here to see if your address qualifies you for district transportation (once on the site you can enter your address)
• If you have any questions about transportation please feel free to call our office or the district transportation office at 719-520-2940

Our monthly menu can be found by clicking here - once updates are made you will see them here.

We still encourage every family to fill out the application for "Free or Reduced" rates as that does have an impact on our school and our district with funding. It also can help qualify a family for EBT funds that they may need. To fill out the form please click the link below and submit your information:

Click here for the application

Students that are in Preschool - 2nd grade will receive an iPad and those students in 3rd-5th grade will receive a Google Chromebook. Students will be taught how to use the devices in school. If you have questions about the device you can contact Mr. Watson, our schools Library Technology Educator, at robert.watson@d11.org or call him at 719-328-2624.

The SAC is a group of parents, community and staff that meet monthly to discuss things happening at the school including activities, budget, and testing just to name a few. The primary focus of this group is to serve as an accountability committee for the school and ensure that Audubon is moving in the appropriate direction to make sure students are getting what they need. Our first SAC meeting for 2021-2022 will be Thursday, September 9 at 4:00 in the school library.

Our PTA is a strong advocacy group that works tirelessly to support the staff and students of our school. They provide students with a variety of opportunities throughout the year and also run some of our fundraisers to support staff and students. The PTA meets every other month as a whole group. If you have any questions about the PTA please reach out to our President, Mishel Fowler, at auduboncopta@gmail.com. The first PTA meeting of the school year is Tuesday, August 24th at 5:30 p.m. in the school library. Dinner and daycare will be available for those in attendance.