Mesa Weekly News
December 5, 2021
Principal's News
Hello Mesa Families!
This week we are kicking off our '12 Days of the Holidays'. We are excited to share in some fun activities with staff and students, including a different dress-up theme for each day. Please see the dress-up themes on the flyer below (*note- we switched Mesa wear day to this Tuesday). Our PTO is also selling Holiday Grams through December 10th. Please see the flyer below for more information.
This year we will be continuing a new Mesa tradition of a Festival of Lights for Mesa students, families and the community. We would love to see all of you there on December 17th from 4:30-6:30pm! This event will give you the chance to see our amazing staff, play some minute-to-win-it games, collect fun treats, and enjoy a hot cup of cocoa while decorating a cookie. As the date gets closer, more information will be sent out to all families.
We are looking forward to these last few weeks before our Christmas break and to the excitement of being in the new, FINAL portion of our building! Car arrival/dismissal will move back to the north side (new main entry on Camino Del Rey) of the building in January and our bus students will now be picked up on the west side (old car drop-off/pick-up). Walkers may enter any door of the building in the morning and will still be met by parents on the east playground at the end of the day. More detailed information and maps will be sent out to families prior to our winter break. We are very excited to have our beautiful building complete, to get back to as many 'normal' practices as possible, and to have the chance to welcome all of you in for a celebration of the new building at the end of January.
Thank you for your ongoing support and flexibility as we maneuver so many changes during this school year. We truly have the best parent community and we value your ideas and your dedication to keeping Mesa safe for in-person learning!
As the temperature gets colder, Fountain-Fort Carson School District 8 will follow the same closure and delay procedures for inclement weather days that have been used previously. During a closure, neither teaching staff nor students will be expected to engage in remote or virtual learning. During a delayed start, all school and bus schedules will be delayed by two hours for all schools. All notifications for a delay or closure will be sent directly to families via text, phone, and email – based on information in the student information system, Infinite Campus. It is highly recommended that families log into the Infinite Campus/Parent Portal to ensure the contact information in the database is current. Any updates will also be posted on district social media (Twitter and Facebook at @FFC8schools) and on the district website at www.ffc8.org. We have many coats in our lost-and-found (located in our cafetorium). Please encourage your son/daughter to check for any missing coats - they will be needed in the upcoming weeks.
Mesa staff utilize the REMIND app as the main tool of communication with families. You are welcome to reach out to teachers via REMIND or email at any time. Please watch for weekly newsletters and updates from each grade level team throughout the school year.
We look forward to welcoming families in with opportunities to volunteer and have lunch with students starting in January, 2022 - once our construction is complete. Please access the Mesa Parent Handbook 21.22 attached below for more information on D8 and Mesa practices.
Thank you again for being an amazing support system! Please be sure to contact us with any needs or questions. We look forward to all that is to come this school year and the opportunity to work with each of you to help our students to Dream BIG, Work Hard and Make it Happen!!
Megan Oleson
PrincipalDrop-Off/Pick-Up Information 2021-2022
Please reference the photo below for guidance on our drop-off/pick-up procedures this year.
(to be updated for new practices starting in January, 2022)
Car Riders (drop-off/pick-up)
As we are under construction on the north side of the building, all car drop-off/pick-up will take place in our west lot. We ask that parents avoid a left turn into the lot in order to keep traffic moving as quickly as possible. In the AM, parents should pull as far north as possible in the lot. Mesa staff members will be there to open doors and welcome students. Students will then enter the building and go directly to class where breakfast will be served each day. In the PM, students will be with their grade level (as indicated in the photo). Parents should still pull as far north as possible. A staff member will check in with you as you pull through the line and will call for your student(s) to come to your vehicle.
Walkers
Any students who are walking home with a parent will meet on the east playground. Students will be separated by grade level (indicated by color-coded cones). Parents may approach teachers to pick-up their student(s). Students are also able to walk home without being picked up by a parent. Students walking alone and needing to head west out of the building will be allowed to leave in this direction with the grade-level staff member walking kids out in that direction. Students heading east at the end of the day will be able to access the paved walkway out to Camino Del Rey to then head east towards Fountain Mesa. Both paths avoid walking near/around the fenced construction area at the north side of the building. Please let your son/daughter's teacher know your plan for after school pick-up.
Front Office Access:
Through January, 2022, our main office will be located just off of the east playground. Signage will be posted to guide families to the office access. 10-minute parking will also be available for families to access on Camino Del Rey. Parents should follow the paved walkway just east of the gym and follow the signs to the office door.
This Week at Mesa:
The Month of December: Staff and students practice the trait of 'empathy'.
Dec. 6th: PJ Day
Dec. 7th: Mesa Wear Day
Dec. 8th: Red and Green Day; District 8 Board Meeting at 6pm
Dec. 9th: Holiday Hat Day
Dec. 10th: Holiday Plaid, Stripes, and Patterns Day
Save the Date:
Dec. 17th: Mesa Holiday Night from 4:30-6:30...mark your calendars! More info to come...
Dec. 21: Early Dismissal
Dec. 22-Jan. 5: Winter Break
Mesa Spirit Wear!
Lunch Schedule
Lunch Menu
School Safety with Officer Geri
Parents ,
Thank you for supporting us and knowing the safety of Mesa Elementary students is the top priority of Staff. The suggestion of right turns from Fountain Mesa on to Ancestra, then Monterey and into the drop off/ pick up line, is a statistically proven method of less accidents. Choosing to turn left off Monterey into the parking lot is causing difficult and unsafe situations.
Please stop and wait for crossing guards to completely clear the crosswalk prior to proceeding through the crosswalk. Even when you are walking without kids, please model for our students by properly using cross walks.
**UPDATE 10/24**Due to the high volume of cars running through the red flashing light and stop signs of school buses, speeding through the school zones and expired registrations; this is an official verbal warning.
Thank you,
Officer Geri
In order to help maintain safe drop-off and pick-up at Mesa, please remember the following tips:
- Please be mindful of the school zone speed limit of 20mph and parking lot speed of less than 10mph.
- Please do not make a u-turn near the cross walk.
- Please pull as far forward in the drop-off lane as possible without blocking the crosswalk.
- It is so important for us to model for our kids with a positive and kind spirit, allowing each other to move in jams as if we were at a concert or sporting event. Please use the courtesy of every other car merging to enter and exit.
- Keep intersections clear: do not block; move forward only if we can clear the intersection at every street and entry.
- Camino Del Rey (north side of Mesa) is used as a bus drop-off/pick-up zone. Please do not park in this area (indicated by signs) to drop-off or pick-up car riders.
Ask Nurse Janice
10/24 UPDATE:
District led hearing and vision screenings will take place at Mesa Elementary on Monday November 1st, Tuesday November 2nd and Wednesday November 3rd. Students in all grades will be screened for hearing and distance vision. If your child fails this initial screening for either hearing or screening, they will be re-screened by the school nurse at another time. If your child fails the re-screen with the school nurse, a letter recommending a professional exam will be sent home with your child. If you would like to opt out from having this state mandated screening for your child, please contact the school nurse, Janice Latendresse, RN (jlatendresse@ffc8.org) or your child’s classroom teacher before Friday October 29, 2021. If you have any questions, contact the school nurse Janice Latendresse, RN.
MEDICATION: All medication must be brought into the building and picked up from the building by an adult- students are not allowed to bring medication into the building. All medication must be approved by a prescribing physician with the appropriate forms signed. These forms can be found on the district website or by contacting your school nurse.
FACE MASKS: At this time, masks are not required but certainly allowed. At any time you can choose to send your child to school wearing a mask.
FEVER: Fever is defined as a temperature of 100.4 or higher. Students who have a fever should stay home and rest until they have gone 48 hours fever free without the aid of medication such as ibuprofen or Tylenol. If your child has a fever that lasts longer than 48 hours, please reach out to your school nurse to help problem solve what your next steps might be.
Keep up the good work! Our goal is to keep our Mesa community healthy and safe… and in person learning!
About Us
Email: moleson@ffc8.org
Website: https://www.ffc8.org/Mesa
Location: 400 Camino Del Rey, Fountain, CO, USA
Phone: 719-382-1370
Facebook: facebook.com/MesaElementaryFFC8
Twitter: @MesaElemFFC8
PARENT HANDBOOK 2021-2022
Construction Updates!
· Students able to access the music room starting in November
· Completion of the front offices, teachers’ lounge, and art room
January, 2022
· Main office space fully open to the public
· Students access the art room starting on January 10, 2022
· Return to using the north side of the building for car drop-off/pick-up
· Date to be determined for a ‘re-opening’ event