Explorer Express
Happenings Around Dry Creek Elementary
Dry Creek P.A.S.S. Committee Meeting - Wednesday September 15th at 6:00pm
The topic of discussion this month will be focused on student's social and emotional health as we return to school.
Visitors and Volunteers
Volunteering: Our classroom teachers have opportunities for volunteers to support the classrooms in a variety of ways. If you would like to volunteer in your child's class, please make these arrangements directly with the teacher. Volunteers will need to follow the masking protocol while inside the school and must check in at the main office upon arrival. Volunteers are also expected to sign the Dry Creek volunteer agreement prior to beginning helping in classroom settings.
Visitors: We welcome parents and family members to come to eat lunch with your child on special days such as birthdays or other occasions. Parents are encouraged to provide his/her own lunch. There are picnic tables outside of the cafeteria that makes a great place to enjoy lunch with your student at school (weather permitting). All visitors are required to wear masks while inside the school. For questions about volunteering or visiting Dry Creek, please reach out the main office at (720) 554-3300.
Mask Update as of 8/31/2021
Dear Cherry Creek Schools Community,
On Monday evening, Tri-County Health Department issued a new public health order that requires the wearing of a mask by all people age 2 years and older in all school and child care settings.
Due to this new order, the Cherry Creek School District will now require ALL students and staff inside ALL school buildings to wear a mask. This universal mask requirement is for all students, adults and visitors to school buildings and applies to all grades – PreK, elementary, middle and high school. The order goes into effect Wednesday, Sept. 1.
The following is a statement by Tri-County Health Executive Director Dr. John Douglas regarding the new public health order:
“We have reached a point where transmission has increased significantly and is putting our communities at risk. We must now take the statutory responsibility and authority given to us by the Colorado Legislature to reduce the spread of communicable diseases and keep our communities safe. The new mask order will help to protect those who cannot get vaccinated and allow children to continue in-person learning.”
You can read the full Tri-County Health Department press release here.
Thank you for your partnership in following public health requirements that will help keep schools open for In-Person learning. We will continue our focus on supporting the mental health and social-emotional needs of students while providing rigorous learning experiences for all.
I am confident we can continue on a positive path for our students.
Sincerely,
Christopher Smith
Superintendent
Additional Layered Strategies
CCSD will use a series of overlapping prevention strategies to protect student and staff health this year. The district will:
- Promote vaccination and offer access to vaccines for families who choose to have their eligible students receive it – more information here;
- Ongoing no-cost COVID-19 testing for students, staff and community;
- primarybio.com/l/cherry (CCSD students and staff)
- covidcheckcolorado.org (community)
- Communicate known positive COVID-19 cases to Tri County Health Department so that they can contact trace with families appropriately;
- Sustain positive airflow through ventilation systems in schools;
- Continue high-touch cleanings in buses and high-traffic areas of schools;
- Reinforce handwashing with students and staff; and
- Reinforce the importance of students and staff staying home if sick or experiencing any COVID-19 symptoms.
Early Dismissal on Wednesdays
Elementary schools will dismiss at 1:45 p.m. every Wednesday. For families who participate in after-school child care, the after-school program will be extended every Wednesday at no additional cost. For families who need care, you can register with our Explorer Club Before and After School Program. Please contact our Director, Julie Cottorone, at jcottorone@cherrycreekschools.org for more information.
KidStage Theater - Begins September 20th
Flyer can be downloaded below for more information.
Rent the Rock!
Annual Pledge Drive
Fun Fact: If all of our families donated the suggested $150 per student during our fall pledge drive, we wouldn’t have to hold any additional fundraisers. Make your pledge today so you can feel good about ignoring PTCO emails.
During our pledge drive, participating families donate $150 per child attending Dry Creek to help update student classroom technology needs and fully fund our teacher assistants. A $150 donation per enrolled student covers the PTCO’s annual fundraising goals during the school year so you can consider yourself done. A Dry Creek T-shirt will be given for each pledge made. Your pledge drive donations can be made all at once or a little bit at a time with the Paypal subscription options below. The annual pledge drive ends October 1, 2021.
All donations are tax deductible, as Dry Creek Elementary PTCO is registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization (EIN 84-1246205).
Dining Night Out - Pollo Lima
Wednesday, Sep 22, 2021, 04:00 PM
Pollo Lima, East Arapahoe Road, Greenwood Village, CO, USA
Dry Creek Accountability Committee Meeting
The School Accountability Committee is a parent group that works in collaboration with the principal in the areas of school achievement, unified improvement planning, school policies, and planning, budget decisions, and staffing considerations with the focus on the improvement of Dry Creek Elementary. The committee welcomes participation from all members of the community.
The topic for the September meeting will include Back to School Updates and the plans for the Early Release Wednesday time with teachers.
These meetings will alternate between virtual and in-person. The first meeting on September 29th will be virtual via Zoom. A link will be sent out the week prior to the meeting date. Please RSVP if you would like to attend!
Wednesday, Sep 29, 2021, 06:00 PM
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RSVPs are enabled for this event.
Parent, Teacher, and Community Organization (PTCO)
General Meeting Dates:
- November 10, 2021 at 8:30am
- January 12, 2022 at 6:30pm
- March 9, 2022 at 8:30am
- May 11, 2022 at 6:30pm
Coffee with the Principal
Coffee with the principal begins at 8:00 am right after drop-off in the library on the following dates:
- September 28, 2021
- October 26, 2021
- November 30, 2021
- January 25, 2022
- March 29, 2022
- April 26, 2022
- May 24, 2022
District Events
Board of Education Candidate Forums
The Cherry Creek School District will have an election on Nov. 2, 2021, to choose two Board of Education directors. The two directors will be elected to serve four-year terms in Districts D and E.
The district will host six candidate forums to give parents, staff and community members the opportunity to get to know the candidates running for the CCSD Board of Education.
You can view the list of candidates who will be on the ballot on this web page. More information about the candidates will be posted in the coming days as they turn in their informational packets.
The dates for the upcoming forums are below. Please note that masks will be required for all candidates and attendees at these forums. CCSD has a mask requirement in place for all schools in the district, per the public health order from Tri-County Health Department.
- Tuesday, Sept. 14, 2021 at 6:30 p.m. in the Overland High School Auditorium.
- Tuesday, Sept. 21, 2021 at 6:30 p.m. in the Eaglecrest High School Auditorium.
- Wednesday, Sept. 22, 2021 at 6:30 p.m. in the Cherry Creek High School Auditorium.
- Tuesday, Sept. 28, 2021 at 6:30 p.m. in the Grandview High School Auditorium.
- Thursday, Sept. 30, 2021 at 6:30 p.m. in the Smoky Hill High School Auditorium.
- Thursday, Oct. 7, 2021 at 6:30 p.m. in the Cherokee Trail High School Auditorium.
We encourage you to attend a forum and learn about the candidates who are running for Board of Education in the Cherry Creek School District.
Connect with Us
Email: kwatanabe@cherrycreekschools.org
Website: https://www.cherrycreekschools.org/drycreek
Location: 7686 East Hinsdale Avenue, Centennial, CO, USA
Phone: (720) 554-3300
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/drycreekelementaryccsd/
Twitter: @DryCreekCCSD
Language Translation Resources
Families who need Dry Creek Elementary communication translated, please contact the liaison listed:
English:
Please contact Kati Brinks at kbrinks@cherrycreekschools.org for support with this resource in your language.
Amharic
እነዝህን መረጃዎችን በተመለከተ በቋንቋዎ ዕገዛን ለማግኘት ከፈለጉ እባክዎን ተሊሌን በዝህ እሜይል ያግኙዋት thirpa@cherrycreekschools.org
Arabic:
يرجى الاتصال بـ (جميعة صباحي أو جاودة العلمي) على (jsebbahi@cherrycreekschools.org أو
jdajanialami@cherrycreekschools.org للحصول على الدعم مع هذا المورد باللغة العربية.
Chinese:
如有需要,请经由ahan10@cherrycreekschools.org,与韩馥联系,以您的语言获得此资源的支持。
Korean:
귀하의 언어로 이 자원에 대한 지원을 원하시면 (리아 리) 에게 (llee6@cherrycreekschools.org) 로 문의하십시오.
Russian:
Пожалуйста, обращайтесь к Ларисе Бака по адресу: lbaca3@cherrycreekschools.org для получения поддержки с помощью этого ресурса на своём языке.
Somali:
Fadlan la xiriir Omar Nur cinwaanka emaylka-onur2@cherrycreekschools.org si aad u hesho macluumaad ku qoran luqadaada.
Spanish:
Si necesita ayuda con este recurso en su idioma, póngase en contacto con Ilse Chavez Maldonado en ichavezmaldonado@cherrycreekschools.org, Rosa Han en rhan4@cherrycreekschools.org, Helena Gognat en hgognat@cherrycreekschools.org o Milagro Nuanes en mnuanes@cherrycreekschools.org
Vietnamese:
Vui lòng liên hệ với Thuý Ngọc tại Lchung2@cherrycreekschools.org để được hỗ trợ về tài nguyên này bằng tiếng Việt.