Thank you for another great week at Padilla! While I know the addition of masks this week has been challenging for some, I appreciate that we have worked together to ensure that any disagreements that exist around masks are not held in front of our students at school. I'm proud of how well all of our students have handled this transition, both for those who have worn masks from the beginning and those who were not able to wear masks even last week for medical or other reasons. We continue to strive to create an Inclusive community where all are welcomed, regardless of their individual needs.

8/31/2021 UPDATE:

An earlier version of this newsletter laid out 27J Schools' plan for a return to a "masks recommended" policy on September 7th. Following this newsletter's publication, Tri-County Health Department rescinded the ability of counties to opt-out of health mandates related to masks in schools and passed a new requirement that any individual older than 2 years old who is inside a school building must wear a mask. This current mandate goes into effect on September 1st. As a result, all 27J Schools, including Padilla, are required to enforce the Tri-Count Health mask mandate that all students, staff, and visitors wear masks when inside the building. Exemptions for those with certain medical conditions can be provided by filling out this form.

• Tuesday, August 31st - First (Rescheduled) PTO Meeting
  
• Thursday, September 23rd - Picture Day!

Thank you for your understanding when we had to cancel our planned PTO meeting last week due to the tornado shelter. We have rescheduled the meeting for Tuesday, August 31st at 6:00 PM in the Learning Commons at Padilla. Principal Purfurst will facilitate this meeting as we get our PTO up and running! Per current 27J Schools policy, masks will be required during this meeting for all individuals.

Save the date! Picture day is coming on Thursday, September 23rd! More details will be coming to you soon!

If your child has a Chromebook that was checked out to them from last school year, please have them bring it to school and turn it in to their teacher, or you can bring it into the front office!

Did you know that you can support Padilla just by shopping at King Soopers? Link your rewards card to Padilla Elementary and help us raise funds to support kids! Click the link below to sign up!

This week teachers engaged in professional learning where they unpacked their professional learning goal into next steps. This protocol provided staff with the opportunity to develop concrete next steps as well as it allowed them to truly think about what their classroom environment would look like and feel like when they achieve their goal. Student outcomes and learning was at the center of every teacher's goal and will be the driver of our work this year. As we continue on our journey of increased student achievement, teachers will have the opportunity to learn and grow in their practice based on the goal they have identified. We know that by allowing our staff to self identify and create their professional learning goal fosters ownership and motivation. We also know that if we, as adults, model an environment of learners then our students will develop the same mindset and become lifelong learners themselves.