Dear Families,

Welcome to 2022!

We have had two wonderful days back at Manitou Springs Elementary School. Students and staff are happy to be together again.

As you know, we planned to return to school January 2022, without masks. We are continuing in masks until further notice. Please remember to send your child to school in a mask. If your child is ill, please fill out the Health-Related Absences Form.

On our Professional Development Day, staff were introduced to Write Tools. Write Tools provided staff a plethora of strategies that we can use in the classroom to enhance writing. Ms. Thomson and Ms. Mussi began using the newly learned skills with our new Power Flower. Power Flowers help students come up with descriptive adjectives for a word. See the flower garden below.

Today, fourth grade had the opportunity to complete their end of the year celebration with stained glass windows made with construction paper and tissue paper and catapults to launch marshmallows. Kleo McVery-Reese, fourth grader, reported that the classes were making these for the Middle Ages unit the class has been studying in CKLA. According to Kleo, that these activities along with calligraphy were fun games that were part of the Middle Ages.

We have finished the end of the second quarter and report cards will be sent in the mail to all families. Please check your mailbox in the coming days.

Warmly,

Maria

• Jan 17 - No School - MLK, Jr. Day
• Jan 26 - Late Start Wednesday (2 Hour Delay)
• Feb 2 - Late Start Wednesday, (2 Hour Delay)
• Feb 11 - Early Release, 12:30pm Dismissal
• Feb 17 - Early Release, 12:30pm Dismissal
• Feb 18 - No School for Students - Parent/Teacher Conferences
  
• Feb 21- No School - Presidents' Day

First Grade has just started our Astronomy unit! See if your expert can answer the following questions: Is the sun a rock or a star? (star) What is the sun made of? (gas) Can you describe the atmosphere? (The atmosphere is the layer or “bubble” that surrounds Earth.) How are shadows created? (When light from the sun shines on an object, the object blocks the light and the area behind the object becomes shaded.)

Algebra, Japan, DaVinci, Shakespeare, Boticelli, Michelangelo, oh my! Fifth grade has a busy time ahead! In. math we are dipping our toes into our first exposure to algebra! Variables here we come! In social studies we will be tackling Japa. Our next CKLA unit is all about the Renaissance time period in Europe. We will learn all about what RENAISSANCE means. Ask your expert and they should know by 1/14! The artists and artwork of the period will also be studied. to bring the renaissance to your home you could cook a lovely Italian meal and plan an "imaginary" trip to Florence! We are on the final slide to middle school. Please be sure to read your child's teachers weekly emails for important information! Happy New Year!

Fifth graders have been studying the flow of energy and matter through ecosystems. Students worked in small groups to study how energy moves from the sun to the producers, consumers, and decomposers within a specific ecosystem. Students extended this learning by individually creating models demonstrating this flow of energy, as well as the flow of matter, within an ecosystem of their choice! The results were fantastic!

In Spanish, we ended 2021 with our event Spanish and cultural dances, in which the students had the opportunity to appreciate cultural dances from Panama and Spain. They also were able to dance, sing and act in the Spanish language.

Next, we will be studying food as a general topic and the corresponding units at each level.

The Intervention Team will be busy this month completing our winter DIBELS testing. The DIBELS (Dynamic Indicators of Basic Early Literacy Skills) assessment is a research- based reading test that will be administered to all kindergarten through third grades, and some fourth and fifth graders. This helps us to determine student's literacy needs. We will have a two week window to complete this testing so it will be “all hands on deck”. Thank you in advance to Elody, Luz, Eve, Maria, and Jenny! Together we are Manitou strong!

1. El Paso County Public Health (EPCPH) updated guidance to match new recommendations from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) and the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) regarding COVID-19 isolation and quarantine for the general population. The updated guidance shortens the recommended time for isolation from 10 days for people with COVID-19 to five days, if asymptomatic on day five, followed by five days of wearing a mask when around others.

If a person is positive with COVID-19 and still symptomatic, they will need to remain at home.

2. We have updated the Symptom Tracker Intake Form, which is now titled Health-Related Absences Form. This has been a critical tool for us to maintain in-person learning. Anyone who is sick or positive with COVID-19 needs to complete this form.

Please continue to enter absences in Frontline for COVID or other illness. Human Resources will work with you on assigning the correct absence reason type.

Manitou Springs and Ute Pass Elementary Schools will be working together with Champions to provide K-6th grade after-school childcare for the spring semester, beginning mid to late January. After-school childcare will take place at Manitou Springs Elementary until 6:00PM, Monday-Friday. Click here to learn more: www.discoverchampions.com

Champions safe and accredited programs have a proven track record of offering top-notch programs for over 30 years and counting. Plus, they partner with our school to extend the learning your kids are doing here each day. When your child enrolls, they’ll get extra STEM learning, literacy, arts, exercise, and more.

After School, 1-2 Days, $48/week

After School, 3-5 Days, $80/week

Registration is open now at discoverchampions.com, and space is limited. Our school office doesn’t handle registration, so please contact the Champions Family Support team at 800-246-2154 or email them at ChampionsHelp@kc-education.com with any questions.

Breakfast and lunch are free for all students. We would still like all families that qualify to fill out the Free and Reduced Lunch form on our district website.

Breakfast and lunch menus are available online here.

• Jan 17 - No School - MLK, Jr. Day
• Jan 26 - Late Start Wednesday (2 Hour Delay)
• Feb 2 - Late Start Wednesday, (2 Hour Delay)
• Feb 11 - Early Release, 12:30pm Dismissal
• Feb 17 - Early Release, 12:30pm Dismissal, Parent/Teacher Conferences
  
• Feb 18 - No School for Students - Parent/Teacher Conferences
  
• Feb 21- No School - Presidents' Day