Shannon Riker, 7th Grade Individuals & Societies Teacher at Horizon, has been working hard to keep her live lessons interactive and interesting. "She is one of the most positive and friendly people" said Dustin Horras, principal at HMS. "Mrs. Riker is great instructionally, very organized and caring towards our students".

Riker goes above and beyond to make her students feel comfortable in an online venue and to keep the learning environment light and positive. Mrs. Riker allows students to take notes in the form of pictures or drawings, piquing their interest enough to stay tuned in to instruction. "I miss my students" said Riker of the switch to E-Learning. "I am highly relational and I think that is the most important thing for our students right now. I am trying to keep our relationships healthy and positive. I feel confident that if a student needs to talk to someone, they can reach out to me".

"Colonel Pontius and Chief Brown have been instrumental in leading our ROTC program and modeling extraordinary leadership skills, not only for our ROTC students, but for the entire student body at Sand Creek High School" said Audra Lane, Campus Director at Sand Creek. "Colonel and Chief assisted the ROTC Student Leadership Team in providing Thanksgiving baskets for families in need and making a positive impact on our community. They truly make a difference!"

Thank you to Colonel (ret) Pontius and Chief (ret) Brown for coordinating and thank you to the students who helped our families have a great holiday.

Students that earned a 3.0 or higher at the end of Spring Semester were also celebrated with a certificate, Creek Nation tshirt and a Sand Creek mask. Congratulations to all qualifiers from the Spring! Sand Creek will recognize a new group of students with their qualifying grades for the Fall 2020 semester in January.

This year, students wore red on their in-person day to support a Drug Free school and also wore Halloween costumes to "scare away drugs". Teachers showed videos during class and counselors handed out treats for students that dressed up with the theme!

Evans held some Healthy Choice Days at the end of October. During these days, students learned about and did activities in their classroom to promote healthy choices. Students and teachers talked about the importance of love, empathy, exercising bodies and minds, and eating healthy. To spark interest and excitement for the event, Evans staff participated in a spirit week!

• Love Day- Pink, red, purple, hearts
• Be Strong- Superhero clothing
• Take Care of Yourself- Pajamas, comfy clothes
• Be Uniquely You- costume day

Horizon Middle School had 24 female students who participated in the Lockheed Martin Women in Engineering (WIE) Day on Friday, December 11th. This is their second year having this opportunity and Lockheed Martin did an amazing Zoom experience for them. Thank you to Monica Glickman, Alex Hurdel, Toni Lunden, and Kathy Schmidt for supporting this event and participating in the activities!

Students had the opportunity to learn about many STEM fields. They participated in the Hour of Code (first time coding for many students as well as teachers). Many of the girls shared how fun it was and how they planned to share the website with friends and family. They were able to speak with four women in various STEM fields for their panel. It was fantastic to see them engaging and asking questions to the panelists and other volunteers (Lockheed Martin employees). The students were able to ask honest questions about what it has been like as a woman in male-dominated field and were inspired to continue in these fields that interest them. The volunteers and panelists were able to share what they wanted to be as kids and how it developed into their current careers. It connected with many of our students on where they are now and where they could go based upon their interests. They were able to talk about life skills they need to be successful in college and their careers. A huge emphasis they made was working on a team, always being willing to learn, and failure is okay as long as you keep trying.

This past weekend, Family Engagement Liaisons and Counselors coordinated wish lists with students and those families were able to drive thru and pick up toys for each child, a cookie decorating kit, a gift for the parents, wrapping paper and bows and a gift card to Walmart.

Thank you so much to everyone who has supported our families and a HUGE shout out to Woodmen Valley Chapel!

On Saturday, December 5th, The JOI Club from both Horizon and Sand Creek hosted their 7th annual Christmas Event for foster families. This year, the event took place in a drive thru style where families could pick up gifts that ranged from infant age to high school. Students from both HMS and SCHS JOI Club, senior nursing students from UCCS and local volunteers helped to coordinate the event. Not only were gifts handed out but they also had speakers set up for music and even Santa and Mrs. Claus attended the event! "We were truly blessed by all the people who helped" said JOI Club sponsor at Horizon, Kittrie Glen.

Brian Newsome, Director of the Fostering Hope Foundation, had his staff put together the thank you video below for everyone who helped support the event!

Each week, the Family Engagement Liaisons of the Sand Creek Zone host a food box distribution at Evans Elementary and Remington Elementary. The event is open to all families in the Sand Creek Zone and its community. Each week is a little different but each box typically contains a gallon of milk, a pound of cheese, sour cream, yogurt, a bag of apples, a bag of potatoes, chicken or hot dogs, and onions. The last distribution of the year will take place this week!

Volunteers from around the zone help put boxes in cars and fill out paperwork for Care & Share, the organization that delivers boxes to each school. Students from Sand Creek High School have volunteered as well as principals, Community Engagement Advocates, D49 personell and individual school staff that are available.

Tess Davis, from Remington Nutrition Services, has proudly been serving her kids. Wanting to help raise money for her village in the Philippines, she decided to make and sell face masks to Remington staff. "Her masks are hands down the best" said Sadie Russell, Family Engagement Liaison for RES. "We were happy to purchase them, especially for a good cause!"

Her designs and comfort won the hearts of her co-workers and she used the profits to purchase meals for families in her native country. "Together, we distributed 3 meals each to 71 families back in my neighborhood in the Philippines" said Davis. "It was a total surprise for them just in time for the holidays."

12/19-1/6: Winter Break. NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS

1/7: E-Learning & Virtual First Day for Students

1/18: DISTRICT CLOSED: NO SCHOOL FOR STUDENTS

1/21: Sand Creek Zone Partners Meeting via Zoom (look for an invite from your school)