WHES Highlights
Welcome to the 2023-2024 School Year!
This information is a repeat of what we previously sent in hopes to catch all of our new, recent enrollments and ensure all families are set to start the year. Watch for a welcome email this afternoon from your child(ren)'s teacher! We hope to see your family at the Back to School Bash on Friday, July 28th (more details below)! We will send another edition of the WHES Highlights on Monday, 7/31, as we prepare for the first day(s) of school. Please call the office with any questions or needs at 719-495-5500.
Welcome to the 2023-2024 school year at Woodmen Hills Elementary School! If you are returning to us, welcome back! If you are new to us, we can't wait to meet you!
**You are receiving this email because your child(ren) is/are registered at WHES for the 23-24 school year. If this is an error OR you need to complete the withdrawal process, please call the school office at 719-495-5500.
This Highlights newsletter contains all of the information you need to start the year with us! Please read through this information carefully, and please reference our Family Handbook & Information - the handbook contains processes, procedures, and systems all geared towards your child's entire day with us here at WHES.
We have annual forms that need to be completed as we start a new year! We will have school devices for you to complete these items during the Back to School Bash or you can complete them ahead of time, too. Please read more information in regards to completion...
- Annual Health Information Form (complete one per student)
- Free/Reduced Benefits Program (complete one per family regardless of family income to support with many benefits throughout the year)
We will continue to send this information with any updates and to reach families who are continuing to register/enroll. You can check our website for more back-to-school information. Our main channel of communication is the WHES Highlights newsletter sent to all families weekly via email on Fridays.
Please like and follow our school Facebook page for happenings and celebrations all year long! https://www.facebook.com/WHESTornadoes/
Our school office has now reopened for the new year. You can stop by or call (719-495-5500) with questions or needs on weekdays between 9:00am - 2:00pm.
We are eager to start another great year and feel so honored that you have chosen us as your partner in education!
See you soon, Tornadoes!
Bethany Stegman
719-495-5500
Amanda Bower
719-495-5500
New WHES Staff Members (or those changing roles)
We have some staff members who retired, moved out of Colorado Springs/Colorado, or changed careers last school year, so you will see some new faces and names at Woodmen Hills this fall! We also have many others who changed roles and we are sharing that information below.
Mrs. Chapman
Music Teacher
Mrs. Besler
Moving from Kindergarten Teacher to Instructional Math Coach
Mr. Busovsky
4th Grade Teacher
Mrs. Carter
Special Education Generalist Teacher
Mrs. Harmon
Moving from 3rd Grade Teacher to Kindergarten Teacher
Mrs. Howe
Moving from 4th grade Teacher to 3rd grade Teacher
Mr. Howe
Mr. Hughes
Building Custodial Technician
Mrs. Moore
Kindergarten Teacher
Mrs. Moyer
Moving from General Education Paraprofessional to Library Assistant
Mrs. Sawyer
Moving from General Education Paraprofessional to SPED Paraprofessional
Mrs. Winters
Mrs. Unthank
Mr. Woodward
Moving from Custodial Technician to Building Manager
New Staff/Staff Changing Roles without Photos
Ms. Buller - Preschool Teacher
Ms. Fitzgerald - SSN Paraprofessional
Ms. Funk - Preschool Paraprofessional
Ms. Leonard - Lunch/Recess Monitor
Ms. Nelms - 4th Grade Teacher
Mrs. Reyes - Preschool Paraprofessional
Ms. Taylor - Preschool Paraprofessional
Upcoming Dates
July 25th: Kindergarten Assessments and Tours
July 27th: Around 4:00pm Classroom Placements Released via email from Classroom TeachersJuly 28th: 4:00-5:30pm Back to School Bash (more information below)
August 1st: 4:00-5:00pm Kindergarten Family Social and Signing Day
August 2nd: First Day of Kindergarten (half of the students for half of the day)
August 2nd: First Day of School for all 1st-5th graders
August 3rd: First Day of Kindergarten (other half of the students for half of the day)
August 4th: Full day of Kindergarten for all students
August 4th: WHES Spirit Day - wear your Tornado gear or blue!
August 7th: First Day of Preschool
August 11th: Elementary Assessment Day; students attend by appointment only
August 18th: No School; Professional Learning Day for Staff
August 23rd Picture Day
September 1st: No School; Professional Learning Day for Staff
September 4th: No School; Labor Day
*More information about many of these upcoming dates is below.
School Supply Lists & Activity Fees
If you ordered school supply boxes through 1st Day School Supplies, your supply boxes will be in your child(ren)'s classroom when you arrive for the Back to School Bash on 7/28!
Also listed on each list (at the top), you will see activity fees by grade level. Activity fees are $20 per student, for all grade levels, and are set by grade level teams/teachers and approved annually by the Board of Education. Teachers shall determine a basic course for each class which can be completed with materials furnished by the school. However, students may be charged a fee for expendable supplies and materials used in the course. Fees for expendable supplies and materials shall relate directly to the actual cost of providing these materials to the student. Students shall be required to pay for materials that go into shop, crafts, or art projects that are above the basic requirements for the course and are to be retained by the student. These fees are published on the school supply list each year (you can find those lists linked on this site) and can be paid via cash, check, or the online payment portal (please call the school office to set this up). We greatly appreciate your help with providing separate payment for each child as individual classroom teachers maintain records on who has paid fees. You can read the Board Policy regarding student fees linked here.
We offer assistance with fees, too! For more information and to apply for free and reduced meals and other benefits, see below and go to www.d49.org/freeandreduced.
Classroom Placements - released on July 27th
Watch for an introduction email from your child(ren)'s teacher on July 27th around 4:00pm! This email will also contain information regarding Assessment Day on August 11th.
Back to School Bash - July 28th 4:00pm-5:30pm
We will also have food trucks on site for families to grab dinner or a treat!
We have annual forms that need to be completed as we start a new year! We will have school devices for you to complete these items during the Back to School Bash or you can complete them ahead of time, too. Please read more information in regards to completion...
- Annual Health Information Form (complete one per student)
- Free/Reduced Benefits Program (complete one per family regardless of family income to support with many benefits throughout the year)
We can't wait to see you, Tornadoes!
Kindergarten Family Social & Signing Day - August 1st 4:00-5:00pm
This information pertains to Kindergarten families only...
Kindergarten families are invited to Family Social and Signing Day on August 1st from 4:00-5:00pm on the WHES Playground! Join us to celebrate the start of the year at WHES - meet other Kindergarten families and enjoy some social time with your child and their soon-to-be friends! We will celebrate our newest Tornadoes with a fun 'signing' event, too! This is also a great opportunity to join WHES PTA and hear about other ways to get involved at school!
First Days of School / School Hours
August 2nd OR 3rd - First Day of Kindergarten (your child's teacher will let you know which day your child will attend)
August 2nd: Half of the Kindergarteners will attend 8:15am-12:00pm
August 3rd: Half of the Kindergarteners will attend 8:15am-12:00pm
August 2nd: First Day of School for all 1st-5th graders
August 4th: All Kindergarteners attend all day
- August 7th: First Day of Preschool
School Hours:
Regular, on-time attendance is important for student academic success. Students that are not in school miss out on valuable educational instruction that often cannot be made up. We appreciate your support in getting your child to school on time each day.
Kindergarten: 8:30am - 3:30pm
1st - 5th Grade: 8:30am - 3:40pm
AM Preschool: 8:00 am - 11:00 am
PM Preschool: 12:00 pm - 3:00 pm
Office Hours 8:00 am - 4:00 pm
Breakfast: WHES offers a breakfast program in the cafeteria, and students coming for breakfast may line up outside the main front doors at 8:05am.
Morning Arrival: At 8:15am, outside supervision begins and doors are opened for students to go directly to their classrooms for school to begin at 8:30am. Please do not drop students off at school before this time if they are not eating breakfast.
View the Family Handbook & Information for further arrival and dismissal details, too.
Elementary Assessment Day - August 11th
On Friday, August 11th, we will have an Elementary Assessment Day in which students will attend school by appointment only. This is an opportunity for us to measure baseline assessment information during this beginning of year benchmark assessment timeframe.
Teachers will send more information about signing up for an assessment time via their welcome email.
All students will arrive and be dismissed at the front main entrance (including Kindergarten and 5th grade). You may use the kiss-and-go lane in the front of the school to drop off your child(ren). After drop-off, you may either leave school or park in the front parking lot. At the end of your child(ren)'s one hour assessment appointment, please either drive back through the front kiss and go lane to pick up or walk up to the main entrance. Please reach out if you have any questions!
Health Information
If your student has a rescue medication (inhalers, epi-pens) they can be sent in along with their orders/action plans in a plastic bag labeled for the health room when you drop off your child's school supplies. Our Health Room staff will be available for medication drop off for students needing controlled, daily medication to be kept/given at school. A physician's note must accompany all medication students may/will need at school. That form is linked here.
More information can be found here - D49 Nursing Services.
Nutrition Services
Woodmen Hills Elementary School offers both a breakfast and lunch option to all students, or children may bring lunch from home. Menus are linked here and published each week in our WHES Highlights. During the 23-24 school year, students do not need to have money in their lunch account to support purchasing breakfast and lunch as D49 will participate in the Colorado Healthy School Meals for All Program. This results in free meals for all students!
The free and reduced lunch program goes well beyond school meals for families who meet federal, qualifying guidelines. Children who qualify for the free and reduced program are not identified, and all information provided is confidential. Families have to reapply each year - you can read more about the Free and Reduced Benefits Program at this link.
You can view more information from D49 Nutrition Services linked here.
Free & Reduced Meal Program - well beyond meals with many benefits for families
Dear D49 Families,
The window to apply for Free and Reduced Benefits is now open!
As a participating district in Colorado’s Healthy Meals for All Program, D49 will serve both breakfast and lunch at no cost to all enrolled students. Each student is entitled to one breakfast (if their school has a breakfast program) and one lunch per school day.
*Note: Any remaining balances from school year 22-23 are still due. Please review your PaySchools accounts to close any outstanding fees.
Online payments for account balances or Ala Carte purchases can be done at: PaySchools
If you have any questions, please contact:
Monica Deines-Henderson
Nutrition Services Director
719-495-1106
WHES PTA
PTA provides a partnership between families and schools. We are fortunate to have a strong PTA who supports all students and classrooms, while also providing various activities and platforms for families to connect and engage at Woodmen Hills Elementary School!
Get involved - become a member!
We welcome all parents, teachers and community members to attend our meetings. However, if you would like a vote or the ability to bring ideas to the board you must be a member. Please follow this link https://woodmenhillspta.new.memberhub.store/store to renew or purchase your membership and join Memberhub. Memberhub will be our primary communication platform. We encourage you to sign up, and start conversations and stay up to date on events and services that are important to you.
EmpowerFZ - The Falcon Zone
Falcon Zone has a strong tradition that dates back to 1900. That tradition carries on today with six highly successful schools. Falcon Zone offers the following programs: Academy of Health Sciences, Academy of Finance, Academy of Information and Technology, Air Force JROTC, FBLA, Distributive Education Clubs of America, Link Crew, National Honor Society, Student-to-Student program and many others. The zone offers more than 20 advanced placement and CU Succeed classes. Its schools have performed well on CMAS and SAT. While the Falcon Zone greatly honors tradition, we also embrace that our learners today deserve a different learning experience from yesteryear—one that will prepare them to be successful in our ever-changing world.
Through Empower Falcon Zone (EmpowerFZ), we aim to empower our learners by offering three main things:
- Engaging Environments
- Enhanced Opportunities
- Elevated Instruction
We want our students to have more voice and choice in their education. We desire to cater more to their interests and needs, while at the same time providing them with unique, challenging, expanded and blended learning opportunities. We remain focused in our vision is: We want our students to have more voice and choice in their education. We desire to cater more to their interests and needs, while at the same time providing them with unique, challenging, expanded and blended learning opportunities.
More information regarding EmpowerFZ can be found here ---> https://www.d49.org/falcon-zone. Below is a brief history video of how Falcon, CO has grown and transitioned to the modern age.
Community Events
Backpack Bash
D4.9k Run/Walk
Help support your school and join the fun at the D4.9k Run/Walk September 30, 2023 at Falcon High School. This favorite D49 family-friendly event is for all staff, students, parents, and friends. Our goal is to provide a fun, low-cost, healthy event for all participants. The school with the highest percentage of participation will receive the Golden Shoe award, and a cash prize. Please make sure to select your students' school name when registering in order for your school to receive credit.
Event Highlights:
- Free 49 yard kids dash
- Door prizes to include 2 refurbished MacBook Air Laptops
- Swag bags & event shirts for paid registrations
- Prize awards for the overall top 3 male and female finishers
- Finishers medals for participants that complete the course
Registration Information:
- Register HERE
- Register by August 10th, to guarantee shirt size
- Register by September 5th for early bird prices
- All registration for the event ends Thursday, September 28th at 12 Noon
For more race information please see D49 Wellness Website. Hope to see you there.
Own your own business and want to support D49? We have many donation and sponsorship levels available. Please contact CharLynn Stegman, D49 Health and Wellness Specialist, charlynn.stegman@d49.org or 719-495-1190 for more information.
High Plains Little League Challenger
WHES Links & Support
WHES Information
Phone Number: 719.495.5500
Address: 8308 Del Rio Rd., Peyton, CO 80831
Website: https://www.d49.org/whes
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/WHESTornadoes/