Eagle Crest Family Newsletter
February 10, 2022
Principal's Message
Hello Eagle Crest Families,
On Tuesday we had a visit from the Colorado Shakespeare Festival Education Outreach Program. Each year they partner with the Center for Violence Prevention at CU in order to produce a performance and student workshop that connects Shakespeare to learning about bullying prevention and response. This year our 3rd-5th graders learned about and watched a performance of Twelfth Night and then participated in a workshop with the actors from CSF. (Special thank you to our PTO for sponsoring this experience!)
Both during and after the workshops, the actors and their coordinator were very complimentary of our students and teachers. They bring their tour from school to school, and I am very proud to share that they told me that the students at Eagle Crest were super prepared, very engaged in the discussions, and shared deep and critical thinking. When I popped into our classrooms I saw that our students were polite, thoughtful in their responses, and eager to participate. The director also complimented our teachers in creating safe and respectful classroom environments, where kids felt comfortable to share.
I’m always proud of our school and our students, and this praise aligns with what we all know to be true. Eagle Crest is a special place, with incredible students and staff, and a very supportive community.
Warmly,
Amanda
Amanda Holden
Principal
Dean of Students Message
Hello Eagle Crest Families!
As you know, we are making great progress on our school-wide reading challenge. We have already met 70% of our end of year goal at 354,000! This project is very special to us because research has shown that reading is one of the most important skills we can cultivate in elementary school that will impact students' future success. In the primary grade levels we spend a lot of time at Eagle Crest developing each student's skills to be a proficient reader. That includes a focus on systematic phonics instruction and developing a student's fluency and automaticity as they read. As students transition to the second half of elementary school, we now want them to be "reading to learn" instead of just "learning to read". The key to that shift is engaging students in different topics, genres, and helping them see how reading can be an enjoyable and valuable experience.
Reading nightly at home is one of the tasks teachers always assign for homework. While at times it might seem tedious, this infographic does a great job explaining how much better your child will be prepared for middle school if they read nightly for just 20 minutes. If you need help engaging your child in reading at home, ask your child's teacher at conferences about getting some take home books or our digital options myON and Sora.
All the best,
Lindsey Cheney
Dean of Students
Upcoming Dates
February 10th, 15th, 16th - Virtual Family / Teacher Conferences
February 14th-17th - Kindness Week
February 18th-21st, 2022 - Presidents’ Day Break
February 23rd, 2022 - Last Day for Teacher of the Year Nominations
ECES Reading Challenge
The Reading Challenge is Back!
Since December, students have read an additional 67,000 minutes! That brings us to 354,000 total reading minutes since October. 70% of our school wide goal. Way to read Eagles!
To celebrate all that reading...it is Free Book February!
Congratulation to this week's FREE BOOK WINNERS:
Kindergarteners - Aubrey in Butterfield, Andrew in Loos, Bryant in Woolaway
1st graders - Owen in Phillips, Clara in Bauer, Aung in Doyle
2nd graders - Nathaniel in Dudley, Rylee in Hammond, Sage in Murfitt
3rd graders - Eva in Gaccetta, Stella in Brennan, Ryan in Whitt
4th graders - Logan in Potter, Kuyler in Sudbeck, Ireland in Cooper
5th graders - Autumn in Blaser, Heather in Dumler, Jacob in Eskridge
So grab a book, read and log reading minutes. You might be next week's Free Book Winner!
Upcoming Author Visit
Our PTO is providing a great opportunity for K-2 to meet author Pat Zietlow Miller. Classes will be visiting with her on Friday, February 11th to talk about her books "Be Kind" and "Be Strong". PTO purchased a copy of "Be Kind" for classrooms so that all the kids have access to the book after the presentation. If you are interested in purchasing one of Pat's books, our friends at Barbed Wire Books in Downtown Longmont have a limited supply of her "Be Kind" book on sale and can order her other books at a discounted price.
PTO Update
Dear Eagle Crest Families,
A huge thank you!!! We filled all of our meal slots for tonight's conferences. Staff members will be so excited to have dinner delivered right to their classroom door. We still have slots open for next Tuesday and Wednesday evenings. Visit our SignUp Genius to bring a meal to a staff member or treats for the staff lounge.
Have a great week,
Jenn Pensy, PTO president
Visit us online at www.EagleCrestPTO.com
Mwebaza Sister School Update
Do you have a RED Eagle Crest “Laps for Leadership” shirt that doesn’t fit anymore?
Last year the Eagle Crest PTO donated shirts to the students and teachers at Mwebaza Annex. THANK YOU EC PTO! Mrs. Hansen took them to Uganda in October and they love them so much they are starting a tradition of wearing them every Friday. Each Friday afternoon all students are working in the vegetable gardens and learning first hand about sustainable gardening, composting, recycling, and reusing!
With the school enrollment going up each week they have asked us for more shirts so they have enough for everyone. If you have the RED shirt from last year’s “Laps for Leadership” and it doesn’t fit anymore please consider donating it to Mwebaza Annex. Another trip to Uganda is planned for March 17th and all donated RED shirts will be brought to our partner school!
There will be a tub in the front area of the school for students to drop off shirts.
THANK YOU SO MUCH!
Preschool openings available for next school year!
February Lunch and Specials Schedule
Our Music, PE, and Art classes are on a 3 day rotation. Each day we have school is either a Red, Gold, or Purple day. These colors are shared on our school lunch menu to help families plan ahead for necessary supplies like sneakers for PE.
About Us
Email: holden_amanda@svvsd.org
Website: eces.svvsd.org
Location: 4444 Clover Basin Drive, Longmont, CO, USA
Phone: 303-485-6073
Facebook: facebook.com/eaglecrestes
Twitter: @eaglecrestes