From the Fox Den
December 7, 2022
January 23, 2023
Principal's Message
Dear Families,
As I shared with you earlier in the year, Arrowhead is now a Title 1 school. We receive additional funding from the government to ensure that all children have a fair, equitable, and significant opportunity to obtain a high-quality education and close educational achievement gaps. Arrowhead was identified as a Title 1 school based upon the percentage of our students who qualify for free and reduced lunch. There are fourteen Cherry Creek elementary schools that are Title 1 schools.
Some of the many ways we have used Title 1 funds so far this year are:
- Funding our Reading Interventionist, Instructional Coach, and Community Liaison positions
- Opening the Arrowhead Pantry and Resource Center in the mobiles
- Updating our library collection
- Hosting family engagement events in classrooms
- Reducing the cost of field trips
- Professional development for teachers
- Contracting with PlayWorks to provide structured recess activities and coach social emotional skills on the playground
All Title 1 schools develop school and family compacts. You will receive a copy of our compact at the spring conferences, but in the meantime, our compact can be viewed below. It will also be posted on our website.
Title 1 schools also focus on family engagement, as we recognize the important partnership that families play in their child's learning. Our staff is currently in the process of planning fun family nights for the spring! We also have been hosting family events in classrooms to give you a peek at your child's classroom experience. If there is anything that you would be particularly interested in learning more about, please feel free to reach out to your child's teacher or me.
Thank you as always for your partnership and please feel free to reach out if you have any questions!
Kind regards,
Kelsey Jones
Principal
Arrowhead Elementary
Announcements
Exceptional Volunteer of the Year
We are fortunate to have so many wonderful volunteers at Arrowhead. This year, Kim Kaberlein was named as Arrowhead's Exceptional Volunteer of the Year! Kim has served on our PTCO Board for the last two years and has made a great impact on helping the PTCO emerge from the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. She is dedicated to our school community, always going above and beyond to ensure our students, staff, and families feel supported. Kim is also Arrowhead’s representative to Leadership Cherry Creek this year and has been applying her learning to supporting our school community. We appreciate all that Kim does for Arrowhead and are excited to honor her as our Exceptional Volunteer of the Year! Congratulations, Kim!
Parking Lot Reminders
As a reminder, cars may not pull up or park along the curve or in the no parking area of the parking lot. Our bus has to be able to get out and it cannot safely get out if cars are parked along there. It is also a safety concern when there is ice in the parking lot as the curve gets very slick.
Welcome to Arrowhead!
Please welcome our new Administrative Assistant/Registrar, Andrea Garritano! Andrea started with us last week and has already jumped right in! She wrote the following introduction:
I am from Texas and spend my off time with my 12 year old daughter and our rescue cat Zeus. I moved to Colorado a year ago and absolutely love living here! In my free time I love binge watching The Office and Law & Order SVU, cooking, thrifting, being outside and anything that includes being outside or music related! I work a part time job doing backstage security and response team for the AVs, Nuggets, Broncos and all college and live music events for all the venues in and around town.
I have a real estate and banking background however I am ecstatic to be working at Arrowhead and meeting all the kiddos and families. Very excited to be here!
PTCO Announcements
Save the date for the following PTCO events:
January 24- Chipotle Night
February 1- Skate City Night
February 24- School Dance
School Hours
We have seen a significant increase in tardies over the last few weeks. As a reminder, school starts at 8:00 am. The doors open at 7:45 am (breakfast opens at 7:40 am) and students are welcome to arrive any time between 7:45-8:00 am. Arriving on time sets your child up for success as they have time to settle in without being rushed, make connections with their teacher and peers, and receive important instruction.
Arrowhead Pantry and Resource Center
Our Arrowhead Pantry and Resource Center is open and well-stocked with food and winter clothing. If you are in need of food or clothing support, please stop by! It is open Monday, Wednesday, and Friday from 8:00-9:00 am and Tuesdays 2:30-3:30 pm. It is located in the mobiles on the west side of the building.
Upcoming Dates
January 30- Husky Highlight Night for incoming 6th graders (current 5th graders) 5:30-7:00 pm at Horizon Community Middle School
January 31- Lockdown Drill 1:30 pm
February 1- Skate City Night 6:00-8:00
February 3- 5th grade field trip to Horizon
February 8- School Accountability Committee (SAC) 5:00 pm at Arrowhead
February 15- District PASS 6:00 pm at Smoky Hill High School
February 20 and 21- No School (President's Day and Non-Contact Day)
February 24- Report cards go home, PASS Parent Coffee 8:00 am in the Arrowhead Library, PTCO School Dance
Week of February 27- Conference Week
March 2 and 3- No School (Conferences)
March 9- Smoky Hill Feeder PASS Meeting at Smoky Hill High School 6:00 pm
March 18-26- Spring Break
We Are Hiring!
Severe Needs Para Educator (7 hours/day): Support students in our ILC program by providing accommodations, academic modifications, and supporting students in self-care as needed. Experience is preferred but not required, as new para educators will be provided with extensive training.
Early Childhood Education (Preschool): If you are interested in working with our youngest learners, please click here for more information!
We are also always looking for substitute para educators who are able to fill in when one of our para educators is out. Please contact our Assistant Principal, April Hrovat, at 720-886-2806 or ahrovat@cherrycreekschools.org if you are interested.
For information on working for Cherry Creek Schools, please visit the Cherry Creek Human Resources page: https://www.cherrycreekschools.org/domain/1417
District Announcements/Events
Universal Pre-K
Will your child be 4 on October 1, 2023? If yes, then….
Congratulations! Your child can be in Pre-kindergarten for the 2023/24 School Year.
Preschool students who are currently in a CCSD preschool will receive an email from us the week of January 23rd, with information about how to reserve your spot for next school year.
Registration will begin on February 15th, 2023 for new students. You will start with the state application. Please note, the state application is live and currently showing locations that have been licensed. With Cherry Creek Schools expanding pre-kindergarden locations, the department has not had the chance to license these locations. As such, the state application won't list CCSD sites at this time. We hope to have this resolved by February 15th. Detailed instructions will come soon. Please check back on our website for updates.
Pre-Kindergarten will be offered at almost every elementary school. It will be half days, Monday-Thursday 8:00am-10:55am (AM session) or 11:50am-2:45pm. (PM Session). Transportation will not be provided for students. For special education students, please contact Child Find.
More information can be found on Cherry Creek's Early Childhood Education website: https://www.cherrycreekschools.org/earlychildhood
Boundary Changes
There have been some recent boundary changes in Cherry Creek Schools. None of them impact the Arrowhead boundaries, but they do impact schools and communities near us. For more information, please review these community letters.
Indigenous Parent Action Committee (IPAC)
The IPAC committee is comprised of Indigenous parents/guardians and staff. The committee meets monthly and focuses on the following:
• Illuminating the presence of CCSD’s Indigenous community
• Affirming and honoring Indigenous students’ presence and cultural identities
• Amplifying the voices of the Indigenous community by working directly with district leaders to make changes necessary to better serve Indigenous students and families
• Forming cross-district partnerships to strengthen the Indigenous community network
• Naming the continuous problems of practice embedded in the CCSD learning experience interfering with Indigenous students’ academic and social-emotional success
Further information and meeting dates can be found here.
Parent Information Network (PIN)
PIN’s mission is to provide informative local and national speakers on topics relevant to current parenting and youth-related issues and to provide a forum for parents to connect and create a caring community. Presentations are held throughout the year at 9:15 am at the Fremont Building (14603 E Fremont Ave, Centennial, CO 80112).
More information can be found at: https://www.pinccsd.org/
Ongoing Reminders
Volunteer Application
Arrowhead volunteers need to go through our background check process by filling out the district's volunteer application. It can take some time for it to clear through the system, so please fill it out 24-48 hours before you will be volunteering. We can only have volunteers who have filled out that application. Thank you for your cooperation and helping to keep our students safe!
School Hours
8:00 am-2:45 pm Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday
8:00 am-1:45 pm Wednesday
The school day ends at 2:45 pm on Mondays, Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Fridays. On Wednesdays, the school day ends at 1:45 pm. Students will exit from the same doors they entered.
If you are interested in our before and after school child care program, please contact Bobbie Smith at 720-886-2853. They open at 6:30 am to provide before school care and are open until 6:00 pm to provide after school care. They can only accept students who have been registered in advance. They accept Colorado Child Care Assistance Program (CCCAP) for families who qualify and give discounts for families who qualify for free or reduced price meals.
Attendance
Dogs on School Grounds
Please note that dogs are not allowed on school grounds. If you would like to bring your dog to drop-off or pick-up your child, please remain on the sidewalks around the perimeter of the school or in the field past the last goalpost.
Safe Driving in School Zones
We have 460 students that we need to get safely to and from school each day. Please help us by driving safe in the areas around the school. Both South Ceylon Way and East Bates Avenue are no u-turn zones. Please do not make u-turns in those areas. Please also slow down, use crosswalks, and do not double park. If you see unsafe driving, please report it to Aurora Police. We have requested that they patrol this area.
Free or Reduced-Price Lunch and Breakfast!
It's not too late to apply for free or reduced-price lunch and breakfast! The federal government is no longer funding free breakfast and lunch for all students. If you would like your child to purchase breakfast and lunch at school, they will need to pay for it unless your family qualifies for the National School Lunch Program (free and reduced-price meals). Information about school meals can be found here: https://www.cherrycreekschools.org/Page/4035
To apply for free or reduced-price school meals, please complete this application as soon as possible. You can apply the following ways:
Online: https://family.titank12.com/application/new?identifier=7E9BB5. The application is available in English, Spanish, Burmese, Chinese, French, Korean, Russian, and Vietnamese.
Download a paper form and return to school: English Spanish
Pick-up a paper copy at school: We have paper copies available in the Main Office.
Instructions for filling out the paper forms can be found here:
Further information about the National School Lunch Program can be found here: https://www.cherrycreekschools.org/Page/4041.
Parking Lot Procedures
Please help us keep kids safe by following our parking lot procedures. Please refer to the map of our parking lot below for where you can safely drop-off/pick-up.
Drop-Off/Pick-Up (Teal): This is a space for you to quickly drop-off and pick-up at the beginning and end of the day. This is a fire lane, so you must remain with your car at all times. Students should enter and exit the car on the curb side (right side), as cars will be passing in the through lane on the left side of the car.
Red Curve: This is a no parking or waiting zone, as our buses need to be able to get around that corner safely.
Bus Parking (Yellow): Only buses may park here. Cars parked in this space will be asked to move to make room for buses. Once the buses have departed, this may be used as additional space for pick-up.
Through Lanes (Green): These lanes should continuously move. Please do not wait or park here and at no time should cars be double parked.
Parking: The only space where you may park is in a marked parking spot. If there is not a spot available, please park on the street and walk in.
Right Turn Only (2:45-3:00 pm): When exiting the parking lot during afternoon dismissal, all cars need to turn right out of the parking lot and loop through the neighborhood. For safety reasons, please do not make a u-turn in the areas around the school (signage indicates where u-turns cannot be made).