Now that school has been in session a couple of weeks and things are starting to flow a little better, it is time to look at routine. Having a solid routine helps students feel secure in their day to day activities. Here are some things to remember regarding routine at school:

• Drop off is at 7:40. The middle school does not have anyone on duty before that time.
• School hours are 8:05-3:15. Students should be in their classrooms ready to learn at 8:05.
• Students have a Panther Time daily. This is a 45 minute block where they can work on homework, projects, or study for power focus areas. One day a week they have their 7 Mindsets lesson. But, other than that, they have time to work!
• Students have a 30 minute mentor time at the end of each day. They will meet with their mentor once every two weeks. All the other time is for the to finish work from the day.

Please take some time to talk to your students about their before and after school routines. This helps set them up for success and allows them to participate in family events without undue stress from school.

Yvonne Goings, Principal

Bill Phalen, Assistant Principal

We are having a Safety Day on Tuesday, September 13th. During each class, students will take a few moments to discuss escape routes, barricade materials, and any items in the class that could be used to "fight back" in the case of an emergency. At 2:10 we will have a lockdown drill. This simply means that both Merit Academy and WPMS will practice locking down and preparing to fight back. Members of the Woodland Park Police Department will be here to walk the building with administration to look for any weak spots or areas of improvement. The goal of the drill is to empower students to feel safe at school. Here is the presentation that students saw today in preparation for Safety Day.

We use the A.L.I.C.E. protocol at WPMS and Merit Academy. The A.L.I.C.E. acronym stands for Alert, Lockdown, Inform, Counter, Evacuate. Students and staff are not instructed to do these in any particular order - whatever makes the most sense for the situation.

Feel free to reach out to me at ygoings@wpsdk12.org if you have questions or comments.

The annual WPMS Color Run Fundraiser has kicked off! This is our only school wide fundraiser and we have a goal of raising $18,000 this year. All money raised goes directly to our school. A portion raised goes directly to PE to assist in buying new, innovative equipment. Other money is given to staff on a monthly basis through our Caring and Active Parents grant program.

Thank you to the business sponsors that have already donated! Hopfe Automotive, Pikes Peak Polaris and The Donut Mill have kicked off our donations and put us well on the way to achieving our goal.

Please send in any donations with your student to WPMS in the envelope sent home on Friday. We will collect donations all through September. An on-line donation link is coming soon! Also, make sure to turn in the permission slip so your student can participate. Permission slips were sent home with students who have not already turned one in on Friday as well.

Athletics are off and running! We have hosted a home cross country meet (our girls' team took first place!), a couple of home volleyball matches, and have a home football game on Wednesday, September 12th.

Most of our football games are played at the high school field in order to accommodate more spectators and build unity through our 6-12 programs. All home volleyball games are at the middle school. Both football and volleyball games start at 4:00.

The school year started off with students feeling very rushed at lunch. We made some modifications and things seem to be running smoothly. We keep each grade level for a minimum of 12 minutes before allowing them to go play. Believe it or not, most students are done eating in that time! However, if they are not done eating, they may stay and finish up. No rush to eat.

A huge thank you our District Central Office Staff and NETCO for coming in for our Warm Welcome Wednesdays. On September 14th we are excited to welcome Core Energy. Look for the flag flying high on Wednesday!

Woodland Park High School celebrates homecoming next week and we love for middle school students to get in on the action. Here are the spirit week dress up days for September 19th-23rd.

Monday: Mismatch Day! (Mix up your outfit with lots of colors!)

Tuesday: Tie Dye Tuesday

Wednesday: Panther Power Day (Green and white spirit)

Thursday: Sports and Activities Day (Wear your sports jersey, activity shirts, etc. Just represent your sport or activity!)

Friday: Spirit Day - Go all out on your spirit wear!!

Also, the homecoming parade and bonfire are set for Wednesday, September 21st followed by the bonfire at the middle school. Middle school students are welcome. It is highly encouraged that parents come with their students for supervision. The event usually ends by 8:00.

Woodland Park School District Re-2 does not unlawfully discriminate against otherwise qualified students, employees, applicants for employment, or members of the public on the basis of disability, race, creed, color, sex, sexual orientation, marital status, national origin, ancestry, or need for special education services. Discrimination against employees and applicants for employment based on age, genetic information, and conditions related to pregnancy or childbirth; is also prohibited in accordance with state and/or federal law.