Hawk Highlights
August 25, 2021
Dear Friends and Families of the Hollys,
We have had a fantastic start to the school year. Staff and students are back in the swing and beaming with pride! We have enjoyed connecting with the wonderful students, staff and families of our great community. It was wonderful to see so many families at “Back to School Night.” If you were not able to attend, reach out to your child’s teacher for a copy of the presentation. I want to keep families informed and connected to school. I value your partnership and encourage you to get involved. I will communicate with you through bi-monthly newsletters called, “HAWKS HIGHLIGHTS.” In this first edition, I want to share our vision and goals for the school year. I aim to bolster our ability to achieve the Cherry Creek School District Mission: To Inspire EVERY student, to think, to learn, to achieve, and to care!
THE HOLLYS VISION
To be the most student-centered school
providing a rigorous and equitable educational experience
where students are agents for their learning,
empowered to grow academically, socially and emotionally
in a community united.
GOALS FOR THE HOLLYS
2021-22 SCHOOL YEAR
Goal 1: Strengthen the organization by being a strong and committed Principal
· Develop a positive culture and climate where all humans feel valued, connected and celebrated at the Hollys
· Teach and set explicit expectations related to conduct, evaluation, educational practices and policies for staff and students
· Maximize resources
· Communicate, communicate, communicate
· Make decisions based on what’s best for our students
· Engage ALL parents and community members
Goal 2: Implement the professional development model of PROFESSIONAL LEARNING COMMUNITIES (PLCs) with fidelity
· Provide meaningful and relevant professional development
· Promote growth and reflection among all employee groups
· Capitalize on individual strengths within the organization
· Model the way for others by demonstrating a personal commitment to professional growth and collaboration
· Focus PLC work on:
- Culturally Responsive Education & Equity
- Trauma-Informed Education
- (New) Fundations Wilson Language https://www.wilsonlanguage.com/programs/fundations/
- (New) Orton-Gillingham explicit, sequential, systematic, and multi-sensory approach to teach literacy https://imse.com
- Science of Reading with emphasis on Phonemic Awareness K-2
- Bridges Mathematics
- (New) Inquiry Journeys Social Studies https://www.inquired.org/inquiry-based-social-studies
- Bolstering Student Voice
- (New) Kagan Structures https://www.kaganonline.com
- (New) Teacher “What I Need” Time Professional Development – T.W.I.N.
Goal 3: Sustain high expectations for student achievement
• Implement an intervention block of time for all students called “What I Need” time or W.I.N. time
• Maintain data-driven decision making
• Align and collaborate
• (New) Implement the FastBridge assessment framework: universal screening, diagnostic reporting, and progress monitoring tool to combine Computer-Adaptive Testing (CAT) with Curriculum-Based Measures (CBM) for reading and math https://www.illuminateed.com/products/fastbridge/
Goal 4: Building Cultural Competence
Cultural competence is having an awareness of one’s own cultural identity and views about difference, and the ability to learn and build on the varying cultural and community norms of students and their families. It is the ability to understand the within-group differences that make each student unique, while celebrating the between-group variations that make our country a tapestry. This understanding informs and expands teaching practices in the culturally competent educator’s classroom.
Provide laser focus for our team around 6 themes of culturally responsive education at The Hollys. Our courageous conversation and staff development focus:
· Relationships
· Cultural identity
· Vulnerability
· Asset-focused factors
· Rigor
· Engagement
Goal 5: Provide intentional focus on positive behavior interventions and supports (PBIS) and social emotional learning
· Trauma-informed instruction
· Emotional regulation
· Mindfulness
· Social/emotional curriculum called Second Step
· Restorative practices
· Renewing school spirit for PBIS with our acronym SOAR: Safe, Open-hearted, Achieve and Resilience with the help of our HOLLY HAWK mascot
· Implement SOAR pep assemblies to teach our SOAR rules and behavioral expectations
· Bolster student council and student leadership roles in holding everyone accountable for SOAR rules
· Maintaining daily community circles
· (NEW) Implement “The Playworks Program”: Six Simple Principles of Play https://www.playworks.org
· Implement the H.E.A.R.T.S. framework in collaboration with consultants from Resilient Futures https://resilientfutures.us
Goal 6: Bolster student and school safety
· Review and implement district policy, procedures and practices
· Provide daily vigilance and assign supervisory duties for all staff members
· Enhance our application of crisis and safety procedures at The Hollys https://iloveuguys.org/The-Standard-Response-Protocol.html
· Promote a caring community and effective discipline system
· Use a consistent and defined PBIS system with explicit training and communication for teachers, para-educators, and parents
· Strengthen the Hollys’ community partnerships with law enforcement and CCSD security specialists
I will delve into each goal with explicit information about how we are addressing school improvement throughout the 2021-22 school year. Please get involved and join us for community events, parent nights, and teacher conferences. We value your partnership and need your support!
The Hollys’ caring community is dedicated to excellence and it shows!!!
Together in education,
Molly Drvenkar
Principal
Please Bring a Water Bottle to School
Due to COVID-19 restrictions, school water fountains are not available, so please make sure your child brings a reusable water bottle to school every day.
CCSD Para Educator Job Fair - Saturday, August 28
Do you have a passion for working with children? Do you enjoy being a valued member of a team? Do you have the ability to relate positively to children? Are you kind and selfless? Do you have a heart of gold? If you answered yes to any of these questions then The Cherry Creek School District might have a job for you.
Consider interviewing for a position on our team as a
Special Education Para Educator
When: August 28, 2021
Time: Appointments 8:00am-12:00pm Sign Up Here: https://forms.gle/ptxPS6oXecBa7Ztz8
Where: Student Achievement Resource Center (SARC)
14188 East Briarwood Avenue
Centennial, CO 80112
If you are hired as a Special Education Para Educator, you will work as part of a team of educators supporting students with special education needs. You will make a difference in the lives of our students by helping to implement their individual plans. We have positions available in all of our programs including autism classrooms, behavior development classrooms, severe emotional needs classrooms, and independent learning classrooms (ILC). We have positions available at all levels, high school, middle school, elementary school, and preschool. We have positions available at locations all across our district.
Job Description: (Classified-Para Educator-Severe Needs): https://applyto.cherrycreekschools.org/JobDescriptions/Jobpost.exe?Action=page1&ini=cherrycreek&Type=Master
Starting Wage: $15.75/hour
Daily Hours: 7 hours/day, start and end times depend on school
Calendar: Follows the CCSD school calendar.
Basic Qualifications: High School diploma or equivalent, no experience required
Benefits Package: https://www.cherrycreekschools.org/domain/2323
If you would like to explore further the idea of joining our team as a Special Education Para then follow these steps:
Step 1) Complete an application with the Cherry Creek School District here: https://applyto.cherrycreekschools.org/workspace/
Step 2) Sign up for an interview here. We look forward to meeting with you.: https://forms.gle/ptxPS6oXecBa7Ztz8
Notes:
· When you sign up for an interview there will be a place to provide 3 references with their email addresses. If we offer you a position then providing this correct information now will significantly speed up the hiring process.
· When you come to the interview consider bringing a US passport or Driver’s license and social security card. If we offer you a position this will significantly speed up the hiring process.
Community Outreach
A Message from the Hollys PTCO
Lil' Bruins Girls Basketball Tryouts
Do I need to stay at home?
Please leave your child's first and last name and the reason for their absence. If you child is not feeling well, please describe in detail the symptoms they are experiencing. For example, do they have a fever? Do they have shortness of breath, cough, runny nose, upset stomach, vomiting, or diarrhea?
Thank you for your partnership as we work to keep our students and staff healthy.
Am I ready to go back to school?
Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
Additional Resources
Translation Services
English:
Please contact (name of liaison) at (email) 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.
Holly Ridge Primary School
Website: cherrycreekschools.org/Page/53
Location: 3301 S Monaco Pkwy, Denver, CO 80222
Phone: (720) 747-2400
Holly Hills Elementary School
Website: cherrycreekschools.org/Page/53
Location: 6161 E Cornell Ave, Denver, CO 80222
Phone: (720) 747-2500