Dear Families:

Manitou Springs Elementary School is a small town school with big charm and we want to share our school with you. MSES has opened our choice window for families and students who live outside of the Manitou Springs area. If you live outside of our district and have a child you would like to enroll at MSES, or any of our district schools, please see our district website and click on the Choice Enrollment "button."

We want to make sure you know we hear your concerns about drop off on Pawnee Avenue in the mornings. If you want to park your car and bring your student into the school building, please park at the Manitou Congregational Church on High Street and Pawnee, across from MSES. There is a parking lot behind the church that families can use from 7:30am-8:15am each morning at 103 Pawnee. If you are dropping off your child school in front of the school, you must pull your car all the way to the curb. This is a "kiss and go lane" only. We have both security and an administrator out front to keep traffic moving smoothly and safely.

It is time to sign up for conferences!. Conferences will be held February 17th and 18th with both a virtual and in-person option. Please remember we have a half-day Thursday, 2/17, with an early release at 12:30 and no school 2/18. Please make sure you stop at Lost and Found to recover lost items. Sign up here for Conferences.

Champions Childcare is available. Registration is ongoing, so please sign up your child if you are interested, www.discoverchampions.com.

Since we have been unable to host a fundraiser with COVID, we are selling shirts to support special events at MSES. Check out the link below.

Have a lovely weekend!

Warmly,

Maria

Click here to check out our new online Manitou apparel store and help support our school! The store will close at midnight on Friday, February 18th, so get your orders in soon!

For every item sold, $4.00 will go directly to things like classroom treats, games/craft supplies, playground supplies, and more. Below are just a few examples of our new items!

• 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
• Mar 2 - Late Start Wednesday (2 Hour Delay)
• Mar 9 - Late Start Wednesday (2 Hour Delay)
• Mar 16 - Late Start Wednesday (2 Hour Delay)
• Mar 21-25 - Spring Break
• Mar 30 - Late Start Wednesday (2 Hour Delay)
  

Artists K-2 are learning about the Elements of Art: Color and Value. They are mixing primary colors (Red, Yellow, and Blue) to make Secondary colors (Orange, Green, and Purple). Since Primary means "1" and Secondary means "2", the following art equations demonstrate how art and math work together. When you add Primaries together, they will equal a Secondary.

R (1) + Y(1) = Orange (2)

B (1) + Y(1) = Green

R (1) + B(1) = Purple

When you want to lighten or darken the value of a color, you can add White or Black.

Ask your art expert to solve the following art equation.

R + B + Y= ?

Answer: (Brown)

Ask your art expert if they can explain why the colors on a color wheel are placed where they are. Use the color wheel below as a visual.

K-5 artists at MSES have a digital art portfolio on Artsonia, where their artwork is stored each year they attend MSES. Artsonia is a valuable tool for students and parents as it allows families to view and share their child's artwork. To access your child's uploaded artwork, you must grant permission by using the following QR code. If you have not been to Artsonia before, check it out! This free resource is amazing and super useful. Please scan the following QR code and follow the simple steps for verifying your child's account.

This past week, kindergarten has started learning all about Seasons and Weather. We are having fun exploring the weather world and learning about the different characteristics of each season. Here is a list of questions you can ask your little:

What are the four seasons? (Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall/Autumn). What are some characteristics, or ways to describe each season? (Answers will vary…winter is cold and snowy, spring is when trees and flowers begin to bloom, summer is hot, fall is when leaves change colors on trees). What are some activities you can do in each season? (Answers will vary… During the winter you can build snowmen or go sledding. In the spring you can fly kites; baby animals are born. In the summer you can go swimming and eat ice cream. In the fall, school starts and you can play in the leaves). What is your favorite season? Why? (Answers will vary).

In Second Grade, we are still learning about Westward Expansion. Students have also been learning about the Erie Canal. Can you believe it's 363 miles long, and was all dug by hand? Here are some great questions that you can ask your expert. What made Sequoyah famous? (He created a writing system for the Cherokee) Why were canals like the Erie Canal built? (to transport goods and services long distances in less time) What was an advantage of steamboat travel? (it could move faster, cheaper, and was more reliable)What did families take with them on their journey west? (anything that could fit in their wagon or be carried).

In fourth grade, we are continuing our exciting invention-based unit, Eureka! Student Inventor. Students have been working hard to develop the skills and systems needed to become an effective inventor themselves! Ask your expert: What does “invention breeds invention” mean? (Previous inventions inspire new invention ideas; old inventions can be used when creating new inventions; inventions help us see “problems” to solve that haven’t been solved yet). Tell a family member about how the lightbulb is an example of an invention breeding an invention (Possible answer: Because of lightbulbs, headlights on cars were invented and made driving so much safer.). Some classes have begun the process of documenting their invention ideas. What do you need to do when drawing an effective diagram? (3D drawing, descriptive materials label, explanation of how things work).

Here are some photos of our young inventors competing in two different challenges! Students created inventions to help "lazy" teachers take out the trash from two feet away! They also choreographed a short dance to show their understanding of simple machines!

Mrs. Elms's 3rd graders explored hip hop this week with Soul Science Lab! We learned the song "Hip Hop Hooray", created our own beat box sounds, and set portions of Maya Angelou's "Caged Bird" to soundscapes created on the keyboard. Special thanks goes to the Carnegie Foundation, which provided this outstanding free opportunity.

Did you know February is Love the Bus Month? We want to celebrate our wonderful bus drivers who are often the first people your child sees in the morning and the last person your child sees in the afternoon. Pass a smile and wave to your child's bus driver. Visit Love TheBus.org to learn how you can celebrate our drivers.

If you would like to view our COVID numbers, please go to the district website under information or use this link: Current Number of Positive Cases of COVID-19. The district website also has provided updated COVID guidance: Health Update for Parents 1/19/22.

Kidpower provides experiential, developmentally appropriate, evidence-based programs that teach children skills that help them stay safe from abuse and harassment, including bullying.

The following classes are for Manitou Springs Elementary 1st through 5th graders AND their parents/adults. These sessions are all free thanks to generous grant funding.

You may enroll in one, two, or three workshops! They build on one another but may be done separately! Space is limited, first come, first served.

Enroll here: https://kidpowercs.org/manitou-springs-elementary-virtual-kidpower-workshops/

Part One: Safety In Public – Skills to Be Aware, Take Charge, and Get Help
Tuesday, March 1, 2022. 6-7 p.m.

Introduces safety rules for when kids are in a public place or on their own. Kids will learn how to walk, stand and move with awareness and confidence; Families will learn how to create Safety Plans for many situations when they are on their own including school, overnights, at the pool, skating rink, movies, or even in the front yard or neighborhood.

Part Two: Safety with Strangers – Using Your Voice and Body to Stay Safe
Tuesday, March 8, 2022. 6-7 p.m.

Kids will learn rules for staying home alone including with a sibling or for brief periods of time. They will learn the Kidpower Safety Rules to Check First/Think First before getting close to or talking to a stranger; taking anything from a stranger; changing the plan about who they are with or where they are going; and getting help in an emergency. They will learn and practice how to use strong, clear voices and to move away to safety when needed.

Part Three: Boundary Skills with People We Know
Tuesday, March 15, 2022. 6-7 p.m.

Kids will learn what boundaries are and how to set effective boundaries with people they know. They will practice using clear language to deal with emotional coercion and bribery. They will learn to tell an adult if they feel unsafe and to persist until they get the help they need. Kids will also learn ways to protect themselves from words that hurt.

Learn more at www.kidpowercs.org or call (719) 520.1311.

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.