UPE News Update
February 14, 2020
REMINDER - NO SCHOOL MONDAY FEBRUARY 17
DATES TO REMEMBER
17 - NO SCHOOL/PRESIDENTS DAY
19 - PTO Meeting 3:30pm
March
6 - Dr. Seuss and Friends Character Day
11 - SAC Meeting 3pm
13 - EARLY RELEASE 1:00pm
17 - Evening Conferences
18 - PTO Meeting 3:00pm
- District World Language Night
19 - NO SCHOOL/PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES
20 - NO SCHOOL/PARENT-TEACHER CONFERENCES
23 - 27 NO SCHOOL/SPRING BREAK
How Real Muscles (and Strong Stomachs) Form
Chris Briggs-Hale
There is just nothing quite like what happens in a child’s car-seat to make you never want to look at food again. Not to mention how hard it is to put the car seat into the car in the first place. After you’ve finally pulled the belt to the required “tightness,” you are pretty much willing to let most accidents “dry” before contemplating removing that car seat again (or ever). If the gag reflex isn’t instant, it might just be fine…
I don’t think we recognize the sheer physical strength of women (or men) who can lift a car seat, a bag, and a toddler out of the car (while balancing coffee) and walk all of this across the parking lot while making it look easy (and not spilling the coffee). Frequently, this is accomplished in the usual gale force winds that long ago blew the hair off your principal’s head.
So this week, we tip our hats to all you parents who can move the world and make it look easy!
Free After School Class
Hi Ute Pass Kids and Parents!
It's the 12th annual Manitou Lantern Parade, and Ute Pass Elementary lantern building sessions start up soon!
The parade is Friday April 3, 8pm in Manitou Springs.
Ute Pass Elementary has always been part of this parade, with lantern building sessions taking place at the school. This year the sessions will be every Tuesday, starting February 18, from 2:50 - 4:00pm. (Also Spring Break workshops: March 23-27, 1-3pm at the Manitou Art Center)
Program is free and open to 4th/5th/6th grade, and younger children accompanied by an adult. Register at: https://www.connect14.org/
Transportation after the class is available, but you must email Joye Levy at jlevy@mssd14.org to get on the bus list.
Parade night schedule:
7:30 to 7:45pm: meet at Memorial Park in Manitou and visit with other lantern makers
8pm sharp: parade starts
8:20pm parade ends at Soda Springs Park, and CC Music Jam Band plays (all invited to join in).
9pm: clean up and dreaming of NEXT YEAR'S parade entries....
Safety Patrol: Concrete Couch needs 4 to 6 adults to volunteer as crossing guards.
RSVP to becky@concretecouch.org
There will be one volunteer orientation meeting
Dr. Seuss Day Reimagined Friday, March 6!
This year we are expanding our beloved Dr. Seuss Day to include other story book characters we know and love. Theodore Geisel, aka Dr. Seuss, wanted to draw children into the love of reading. In that same spirit, we would like to include characters from other great stories which make reading so memorable for children. Think Harry Potter! Think Pippi Longstockings! How about Peter Pan! Of course, we will continue to celebrate Dr. Seuss and the terrific contribution these books have made to reading literacy. Let’s make this year, the first year of “Seuss and Friends Day”, a huge success by showing our love for wonderful, memorable characters from books that have impacted us. Keep an eye out for information about our “Seuss and Friends Day”!
It’s almost time to apply for Preschool for the 2020-2021 school year!
*Applications accepted beginning Friday, March 6th
We have a limited capacity for 15 children in our preschool class, so we will be filling those spots first to in-district children prioritizing children with special needs along with considerations such as balancing girl/boy ratio, age ratio, risk factors, etc. There is no enrollment guarantee, as preschool is currently an optional program. Out-of-district applicants will be placed on a waiting list and notified in August if there is space available.
Your child must be 3 or 4 by September 1st and must be fully potty trained.
You will need to fill out an enrollment application as well as provide a
copy of your child’s birth certificate, immunization record, and $25 deposit.
You may pick up an application in the office or download one from our website.
https://www.mssd14.org/cms/one.aspx?portalId=57448&pageId=14777553
For more information, call 685-2227 / or email lgrieb@mssd14.org
School Accountability Committee Meeting Minutes February 12, 2020
Mr.Briggs-Hale provided an overview of the school improvement process required bythe State of Colorado for each school. He reviewed the Major Improvement Strategies that our school has identified from our Fall Data Dig. Language, programming ideas, and priorities were established by the School Accountability Committee as well as the teachers during their January 6 and 7 work days. Thus, the current major improvement strategies are a reflection of a wide array of community stakeholders. These major improvement strategies include:
Mathematics: A focus on research-based best practices for developing student reasoning, modelling strategies with major math concepts.
Reading: Providing research-based best professional development targeted on new research on how young students learn to read in the Primary grades. In the Intermediate grades, the focus is on developing high-impact strategies for close reading of complex texts.
Writing: Establishing gaps in our current writing program and identifying, piloting, and implementing high-impact writing instructional strategies and/or curriculum.
Scheduling: Establishing a “flooding” model for the daily schedule during year one of a three year implementation plan. This schedule will allow all non-classroom teachers to push into each reading and math classroom to provide more practice, arts/media/tech integration and or intervention or acceleration opportunities.
The SAC Team divided themselves up to review each of these strategies. The following notes were collected from the discussions within each group. These notes will be considered in our final drafts and planning of our three-year Unified School Improvement Plan.
Math Group:
● Common Language: It is important for the school to establish a common language within mathematics for parents, students, and staff. Parents expressed that despite the school having the same math curriculum, the experience for their child seems different from year to year. One process for subtraction may be taught one year and a different from another. Even the vocabulary for key things, such as “minus” versus “subtraction” doesn’t stay the same. This lack of consistency leads to confusion among parents, and, with students.
● Clear Expectations for Parents: It is important to review mathematics expectations/curriculum with interested parents at the start, during, and end of each year. This will allow parents to ask questions about a particular strategy so they can help bring more clarity to their children at home.
● Parent Resources: Giving resources to parents ahead of time to help them know how to bridge the gap between school lessons and homework. When parents and teachers use different language and/or processes, it creates confusion.
● Look at the Summer Gap: identify the topics parents can review over the summer. Provide expectations for the beginning of the year math as well of end of the year to help parents bridge the summer gap.
Scheduling Group:
● Are there flooding models we have or can observe?
● There is a need for more adults during the literacy block.
● It’s important that students are not being pulled during direct instruction.
● It’s important that all people in the building are participating. Consider using custodians, Dani, and lots of volunteers.
● We must be mindful, in any schedule draft, of transitions. They take time.
● Any new schedule must be simple enough to be implemented and do well.
● Are we spread too thin?
Reading and Writing Group:
● School wide behavior expectations and the PONY WAY. (That needs to be in place in order for teaching and learning to happen).
● Whole Language and phonics instruction.
● Reading program should take into account student interest and include developmentally relevant content for students.
● Daily journal entries-- does that still happen in intermediate grades?
● Practice naming and recognizing emotions that are experienced.
Priorities for Upcoming Meetings:
● Writing
● Developing the Social Emotion (PONY - meeting children’s needs and Mindset)
● Are we looking at an incremental shift to a new schedule - The vast number of people needed to do. Would a simple start be bringing in volunteers, business leaders, etc? Would that be an incremental step? Can we already do that?
● Could SAC organize volunteers for reading and math? Could we have volunteer incentive?
● Reading/Writing/math - who makes those decisions in our district. Who decides that and what’s that process
What Worked at this Meeting:
● Nice to be able to say stupid things out loud and people say, good idea.
● Small groups.
● Having teachers here is huge.
● Thank you for sending it out early if we wanted to.
● Snacks
What Didn’t Work at this Meeting:
● Need an acronym guide
MARKER RECYCLING
YOU CAN NOW SCAN YOUR BOXTOPS FROM YOUR RECEIPTS!
LUNCH AND BREAKFAST MENUS
CLICK BELOW TO VIEW THE 2019/20 HANDBOOK
2019-20 UTE PASS ELEMENTARY CALENDAR
Here's how you find us....
Email: dhainds@mssd14.org
Website: http://upe.mssd14.org/
Location: 9230 Chipita Park Road, Cascade, CO, USA
Phone: 719-685-2227