Patriot Notes - February 19
Home of the Patriot Lions
Patriot’s Vision – Why We Exist
For every student to become an active participant in their learning through critical thinking and self-advocacy to reach or exceed their academic, social-emotional capacity within a safe, engaging, and collaborative community.
Patriot’s Mission – Where are we Going
We stand to…
-provide a welcoming and inclusive environment that encourages healthy partnerships between students, families, and staff.
-provide student led instruction that is research based, developmentally appropriate and individualized to support student growth.
-provide excellent instruction and measurable learning opportunities through goal-setting to facilitate student agency.
-promote and support individual progress and intrinsic motivation towards achieving academic, social, and emotional well-being goals.
Dear Patriot Families,
Empowering Our Young Leaders! We are excited to announce that Student-Led Conferences will be taking place February20-21st . This is a wonderful opportunity for your child to showcase their academic achievements and personal growth throughout the school year. During the conferences, your child will guide you through their Success Binder sharing their accomplishments, goals, and reflections. This empowers them to take ownership of their learning journey, fostering a sense of responsibility and pride. We encourage you to engage in meaningful conversations with your child and celebrate their progress together.
Also, we want to remind you of the importance of open communication between home and school. Your involvement and engagement play a crucial role in your child's success, and we encourage you to reach out to teachers, staff, or administration if you have any questions or concerns. Together, let us make the upcoming months filled with learning, growth, and memorable experiences.
If you have any questions or concerns, please feel free to contact our office at 719-382-1460.
Best regards,
Mrs. Canon, Mrs. Polyefko and Mrs. Sheridan
Patriot Administrative Team
UPCOMING DATES:
2/19 - President's Day - No School
2/20-2/22 - PD/Student Led Conferences (No School for Students)
23 - School Closed
2/29 - Honor Choir Event
3/1 - Class School Pictures
3/6 - PTO Meeting 1:30
3/7 - Career Day
3/8 - Honor Choir Event
3/14 - STEAM Night
3/18 - Quarter 4 begins
3/21 - Report Cards sent home
3/25-3/29 - Spring Break
April - Month of the Military Child
4/3 - PTO Meeting 1:30
4/8 - 4/25 - State Testing Window - Grades 3rd-5th
4/18 - Battle of the Books Competition
4/26 and 4/19 - PD Day - No School for students
5/6 - 5/10 - Teacher Appreciation Week
5/17 - Pancakes with the Principals
5/22 - 8:00 Kindergarten Promotion Ceremony
5/23 - 8:00 - 5th Grade Promotion Ceremony
5/24 - 11:30 Dismissal; Last day of school!
5/9 - 3rd and 4th grade Music Program
PTO Facebook Page:
Did you know? Patriot PTO has a Facebook page!
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What are we learning in our SPECIALS classes?
STEAM/Media: Mrs. Teagardin
Essential Skill: I can work well with peers.
Learning Target: I can use strategies to understand and solve problems by developing and testing solutions.
Kindergarten and First Grade: Students will learn about forces in motion by building and testing vehicles for the storybook character, Pete the Cat.
Second Grade: Students will learn about forces in motion by building and testing three simple machines: Archimedes Screw, levers, and ramps.
Third Grade and Fourth Grade: Students will design and build a spinning top. Then, through three trials, they will collect data to see how long their top spins. Finally, they will represent their data collection through a visual graph.
Fifth Grade: Students will design and build a paper airplane. Then, through three trials, they will collect data to see how far their plane flies. Finally, they will represent their data collection through a visual graph
Family STEAM Connection: Help your child build computational thinking skills while grocery shopping! See the link below for the detailed activity.
https://www.stem.family/2019/03/20/fastest-line-at-the-supermarket-2/
Music - Miss Mellott
Hello Patriot families! In the upcoming weeks of music class, all students will be working on arranging different sounds to create their own songs. For younger elementary students, they will be able to use different instrument sounds to go along with a book or a song. Older elementary students will be creating songs using repeating sections.
Our essential skill in music will be “Staying On Task.”
Art: Mrs. Canedy
Vincent Van Gogh Inspired Sunflower Collaborative Vase Art
In Art, classes will collaboratively create and display vases of flowers inspired by Van Gogh’s sunflower paintings. Each student will create their own flower to contribute to their grade level vase. Throughout the week, we will learn about Vincent Van Gogh and his art. We will also discuss where we see art in our everyday lives and in our communities.
Physical Education: Ms. Fetters
I wanted to inform you about the upcoming unit in Physical Education (PE) that your child will be participating in. The next unit will focus on basketball skills, including dribbling, passing, and shooting.
Throughout this unit, students will have the opportunity to learn and practice these fundamental basketball skills. Our goal is to help them develop their coordination, control, and technique in handling the basketball. By learning the specific cues for these skills, students will be able to improve their performance and become more successful on the court.
It is important to note basketball can be challenging for some students. However, we will emphasize the value of trying their personal best. We want to create a supportive and inclusive environment where all students feel encouraged to participate and improve their skills. Our focus will be on individual growth and progress rather than comparing ourselves to others.
Towards the end of the unit, students will be introduced to gameplay scenarios. This will allow them to apply the skills they have learned in a more dynamic and competitive setting. It is an exciting opportunity for them to showcase their abilities and teamwork. Thank you for your continued support!
SPRING SCHOOL PICTURES - MARCH 1, 2024
Student Use of CELL PHONE:
Parent Handbook: Although children may have cell phones at school, we require that students keep their cell phones outside of the classroom and in their backpacks during the entire school day. Children may use their phones before and after school. Please understand that the school and its employees cannot be responsible for missing, broken, or stolen cell phones. If you need to reach your child during the school day, please call the school (382-1460) and we will relay the message or bring your student to the office to speak with you. If your child needs to call you during the day, they may use the school phone. Phones, electronic devices, and toys that are seen out of the backpack will be turned into the Principal or Assistant Principal. Parent(s)/guardian(s) will be notified and may pick up those items at any time. Please note that any item brought to school that is disruptive will be taken away. Students are not allowed to call parents to excuse them or take them out early from school.
Order your YEARBOOK now!
HOW MANY MISSED DAYS OF SCHOOL ARE TOO MANY?
Here’s what you need to know about attendance. By Yesenia Robles November 21, 2023, 10:02am MST
You might have seen recent headlines about the growing number of kids missing school.
In Colorado, just this fall, state officials said almost a third of students are chronically absent. The number has gone up significantly since the pandemic and schools are struggling to figure out how to get kids to return to classes.
Kids might miss school for a number of reasons, including for work, an illness, a lack of transportation, or to care for younger siblings. Absences also go up near the holidays as families go on vacation and figure a few missed school days can’t hurt.
But, regardless of the reason, research shows consistently missing school can affect a child’s learning. Missed days can add up more quickly than you think. Here’s what you should know:
What’s the big deal? Why is missing school such a problem?
When kids miss school, they miss out on learning opportunities. Just a couple of missed days might mean a child can fall behind on several topics or lessons, and sometimes, there isn’t a good way for them to easily catch up.
Research shows that students who miss a lot of school are more likely to not be able to read on grade level by third grade, and later on are more likely to fail classes and drop out of school.
“Attendance matters and being engaged in learning matters,” said Johann Liljengren, director of dropout prevention and student reengagement at the Colorado Department of Education.
Schools also stress attendance when Count Day comes up in October. Students must be enrolled and present in school during the window, so they can be counted and so the school receives state money for that student.
So, how many missed school days are too many?
The research that links bad outcomes to missing school usually looks at students missing just 10% of school time.
In Colorado, that would mean about two days a month, or about one day every other week. Over the course of the school year, that would add up to missing a whole month of school. And in schools where classes are only four days per week, it’s even easier to reach that 10% of missed time.
What is chronic absenteeism?
A student who is missing 10% of school time is considered chronically absent.
The state tracks percentages of how many students are chronically absent in a school or district. It’s a measure that can signal inequities among different groups of students and can be a red flag that shows students need more support.
But what if the absences are excused?
In short, it doesn’t matter. When research looks at school absences, both excused and unexcused missed days still have the same results because students are missing new lessons either way.
When the state counts who is chronically absent, it also doesn’t matter if those absences are excused or unexcused.
Can children or parents end up in court over missed school?
It can happen. In this case, whether an absence is excused or not does matter.
State law says that a school district can identify a student as “truant” when they have more than 10 unexcused absences in the year, or four in a month. The law doesn’t say that students have to be sent to truancy court, and many school districts will try sending parents warnings and will try to help find other solutions first.
If you get a letter from your school saying that your child is at risk of being designated as truant, the best thing to do is to talk to your school. Not communicating could lead schools to think the issue isn’t being taken seriously and to involve the courts.
I need help or I want to talk about my case with someone. Who can help?
Your first stop should be your child’s school. It will be important to talk through the barriers for your child to attend school every day. The school can then point to services within or outside of the school that might help.
For example, schools might connect a student to tutoring if they aren’t in school because they feel like they’re struggling, or might connect a family to services if the problem is related to issues with housing or health care. Some schools have had creative solutions including pairing students so they can walk to school with a buddy who can hold them accountable, and make them feel safer than being alone.
Yesenia Robles is a reporter for Chalkbeat Colorado covering K-12 school districts and multilingual education. Contact Yesenia at yrobles@chalkbeat.org.
PRACTICING ESSENTIAL SKILLS - I CAN Resolve Conflict
ENTRY TIME FOR STUDENTS:
Patriot Office Hours: 7:00-3:30
Patriot Breakfast Served: 7:00-7:25 (In cafeteria)
Students having breakfast may enter at 7:00 and go directly to the cafeteria.
Patriot School Hours: 7:10-2:25
Students will be allowed in the building at 7:10am (unless eating breakfast)
Tardy bell rings at 7:30
REPORT YOUR CHILD'S ABSENCE
Student Parent Handbook 2023-2024
Arrival and Dismissal
ARRIVAL
• For safety reasons, please do not drop off any students prior to 7:10am. We begin active supervision starting at 7:10am. If students are arriving for breakfast, they may be dropped off in the back and enter at 7:00 am.
• Parents are asked to not exit their vehicle in order to keep the line moving as quickly as possible.
• Please observe speed limit and be cautious of students in the cross walks.
• Kindergarten students riding a bus will be dropped off in the front of the building by the kindergarten wing, small drive thru; Students will be assisted out of their cars, directed to the kindergarten side door, and will be supervised as they proceed to their classrooms and down the hallway. *Siblings of kindergarten and first grade students will be allowed to enter with them at this location.
• Daycare students will be escorted to school by the daycare and will enter the side kindergarten door.
• 1st, 2nd and 3rd grade – Drop off in back parking lot; enter in door by the gym and proceed to classroom (or cafeteria if having breakfast).
• 4th and 5th grades – Drop off in back; enter 4/5 back door and proceed to classroom (or side door to proceed to cafeteria if having breakfast).
• Students arriving after the tardy bell (7:30), must enter through the front door to get a tardy slip prior to going to class.
• All walkers will enter the door assigned to their grade level. Siblings of kindergarten students may enter the K/1 entrance with their sibling and proceed through the building to his/her classroom.
• Students do have the option of having breakfast when they arrive to school. If a student plans to have breakfast each morning, he/she must arrive between 7:00-7:15 and go directly to the cafeteria. They will enter in the areas described above.
DISMISSAL
• Dismissal is a quick process in order to ensure safety for all. If you have questions you need to ask your teacher, please do so via email.
• Parents are asked to not leave their vehicle and to wait patiently in the car pick-up line. Cars will line up in the front of the school. Please do not block any crosswalks.
• Kindergarten students will be released in the front kindergarten drive thru.
• If a kindergartner has an older sibling, they will meet in a specified area inside (with supervision) and the oldest sibling will pick him/her up and they will proceed to the OLDEST sibling’s color square`.
• Parents will not be allowed on the back asphalt, we ask all adults/family members picking up students to wait outside our gate/fence.
• If students are walkers, they need to immediately start walking home. They will meet all siblings on the back asphalt prior to walking home.
• If parents would like to walk up to the school and pick-up their children, please park in the front parking lot and walk down the sidewalk to the back fence.
• If you need to pick up your child early, please do so before 2:00. After 2:00, students will be dismissed as they usually dismiss.
Does your family need additional support?
“Change Happens… such as loss of housing, homelessness, job and need for resources. If this is you please reach out to your District Liaison. There are a number of resources including school pantry, clothes closet, HOT meals program, parent resource nights and much more. We are here to support you! Contact Promis Bruno, MSW 719-492-8810 or pbruno@ffc8.org.”
“El cambio sucede… como la pérdida de la vivienda, la falta de vivienda, el trabajo y la necesidad de recursos. Si es usted, comuníquese con el enlace de su distrito. Hay una serie de recursos que incluyen despensa escolar, armario de ropa, programa de comidas calientes, noches de recursos para padres y mucho más. ¡Estamos aquí para apoyarte! Póngase en contacto con Promis Bruno, MSW 719-492-8810 o pbruno@ffc8.org.”
Title I Parent Right to Know
Patriot Elementary is a Title I school. Under the provisions for Title I all teachers serving students must meet the qualifications for “Highly Qualified” as an elementary educator. We are proud to inform you that all teachers at Patriot Elementary met these rigorous standards. As a parent you have a right to inquire about the qualifications of your child’s teacher or paraprofessional. In order to do so you should contact Mr. Joel Hamilton at (719) 382-1300. He will be able to provide you with this information. If you have any additional questions about our Title I status or programming, please feel free to contact Mrs. Canon, Principal at 719-382-1460.
FFC8 Food Pantry Information
ELECTRONIC LIBRARY CARDS:
We are excited to announce that as of Mon., Sept. 19, through a partnership with Pikes Peak Library District (PPLD) your child now has access to all the materials available at the Library by using their Student I.D. with a new program called PowerPass! All students in FFC8 are automatically enrolled in PowerPass.
What is PowerPass?
PowerPass is a student e-library card from PPLD that gives your child access to the Pikes Peak Library District’s online resources like homework help and live tutoring. They can also access eBooks, music, movie downloads, and much more!
Your child will be able to check out five (5) physical items at a time from any of the 15 PPLD locations and mobile library services. Just visit ppld.org/library-locations to find the location near you.
Below are instructions about how to access and check out PPLD’s resources using the PowerPass:
1) The student’s login will be FFC8 [student ID #].
a) For a student with the ID # of 12345, their login would be FFC812345.
2) The student’s pin number will be their student ID#.
a) For a student whose student ID # is 12345, the pin number would be 12345.
All students are encouraged to use their PowerPass for projects, school assignments, homework, and fun! Just go to ppld.org or visit our eLibrary (ppld.org/eLibrary), PPLD Teens (ppld.org/teens), or PPLDKids (ppld.org/kids). Once you have found the items you want, click on My Account, and use the instructions above to login and check out your items.
For more information about what is available to your child, please visit ppld.org/PowerPass.
4th and 5th Grade Student Chromebooks:
Just a reminder that all 4th and 5th students will be assessed an annual laptop fee of $40 for the first child and $20 for each sibling.
In need of additional support?
Change Happens… such as loss of housing, homelessness, job and need for resources. If this is you please reach out to your District Liaison. There are a number of resources including school pantry, clothes closet, HOT meals program, parent resource nights and much more. We are here to support you! Contact Promis Bruno, MSW 719-492-8810 or pbruno@ffc8.org.
El cambio sucede… como la pérdida de la vivienda, la falta de vivienda, el trabajo y la necesidad de recursos. Si es usted, comuníquese con el enlace de su distrito. Hay una serie de recursos que incluyen despensa escolar, armario de ropa, programa de comidas calientes, noches de recursos para padres y mucho más. ¡Estamos aquí para apoyarte! Póngase en contacto con Promis Bruno, MSW 719-492-8810 0 pbruno@ffc8.org.
We support our Army!
Need Homework Help? Military Tutor - All Students Invited
All students grades 3 -5 were trained on a tutor/homework help site to visit. Students can log in to the site (tutor.com/military) and receive tutoring on homework. The interactive online clasroom features a whiteboard, easy to use tools, and instant messaging. Active duty service members, their grades K-12 children may use this program for FREE. A student can connect with a tutor within minutes.
Tutor.com/military is funded by the U.S. Department of Defense to provide on-demand online tutoring at no cost. Visit the website to watch the "How it Works" video.
Patriot Elementary
Email: mcanon@ffc8.org
Website: https://www.ffc8.org/Patriot
Location: 7010 Harr Avenue, Colorado Springs, CO, USA
Phone: 719-382-1460
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PatriotElementaryFFC8/