As I sit here and listen to the beep of the heavy equipment right outside our building, I reflect on the importance of being "under construction." This week, arrival and dismissal has been challenging (to say the least) with the improvements happening on Chipita Park Road. Add in the monsoon of a rainstorm on Wednesday, and we had to get creative! It's rough right now, real rough. However, it will eventually be a smooth road with fewer potholes and cracks, and a safer avenue for our buses and your vehicles.

We're all under construction. Every single one of us is a work in progress. One that will eventually be smoother, but also has patches of roughness. Just when we think we are smoother, inevitably a crack reappears out of nowhere. The cycle continues. Those patches, those potholes, those cracks in our pavement, are huge opportunities for learning and growth.

One of my favorite things about this staff (and there are MANY) is their ability to grow through those potholes. I consistently see this staff allow for difficult and challenging concepts in their classrooms. They don't jump in and smooth the road immediately. They also don't come through with a wrecking ball. They point out the pothole, acknowledge that it's there, and then work together to see how we can move past or around it.

I am so appreciative of our combined efforts to work together to build a stronger path for the amazing young people we share. Thank you for being such a huge part of the roadwork we are doing.

#watchusGROW

Your partner in education,

Jackie Powell, Ute Pass Principal

Our morning announcements are such a wonderful way to start the day! We have student-led announcements and singers every single day!

We want to share some of this Pony Pride from our "home" to yours! If you'd like to watch morning announcements, we are live-streaming them each day! Beginning Monday, you can watch them on our very own YouTube channel. Daily announcements will be available for your viewing pleasure as soon as we complete them for that day (usually around 8:10 am). Simply subscribe to the Ute Pass YouTube channel at this link- UPES YouTube

A healthy breakfast and lunch is a key factor in growing a healthy mind and body! Ute Pass Elementary will offer breakfast to students for $1.45 and lunch for $2.95. Menus will be available beginning next week on the district website--> departments-->nutrition services.

You can find the new free and reduced application on the district website- https://www.mssd14.org/departments/food_service.

If you don’t qualify for free and reduced price meals, please make sure that there is money in your student’s account. You can add money online at this link- https://mssd14.org/cms/One.aspx?portalId=57448&pageId=13267314

Any questions or concerns, please call Paula Faucette, Director of Nutrition Services, at 719-685-2005 or email pfaucette@mssd14.org.

Ute Pass Landsharks Running Club Fall Cross Country Series

Practices are scheduled for Wednesdays/Fridays beginning September 2nd with a celebration run to follow after the last meet. Practices consist of running games and track workouts with a strong focus on fun.

Races are held on Monday evenings at Shining Mountain Golf Course. Races will begin at 5pm on September 19th, 26th and Oct 3rd. Runners run ONE (1) of the following distances: Kindergarten & 1st grade 0.5 miles only, 2nd-6th grade 1 mile OR 1.5 miles.

Registration opened August 1st and closes September 9th at 5pm OR until we reach CAPACITY

Runners must be registered prior to their first practice. Please register online at www.Landsharksrunningclub.com

$65 registration fee through September 3rd then an additional $10/runner fee applies.

I look forward to working with your athletes! Please consider volunteering to help coach or work at our race site. If you have any questions or would like to volunteer.

Coach: Sara Striegel

Email: striegels2@gmail.com