Week of September 24, 2018

Thursday Folder Flyers:

No Flyers This Week

Congratulations to Ausyel Mulloy! 
Of our three finalists from IHE for the Rockies Essay Contest, Ausyel Mulloy was chosen by the Rockies to go on the field during the pregame ceremony for Honorable Mention! Congratulations Ausyel! 

Conferences Next Week:
Next week our teachers will be sharing data and next steps with you in regards to your student. We are excited to share what your child has been working on for the last several weeks. If you did not sign up for a time, please contact Janet Nolan in the office for support. 

Conference Meals: 
If you would like to sponsor a staff member meal or help to support the staff meal, please sign up here:
Individual Staff Sign Up
Staff Italian Meal Sign Up

Volunteers Needed:
We are gearing up for our Fall Book Fair next week and need your help! We are looking for volunteers to set up/clean up, to help students find books, and to run the cash registers. Please view the Sign Up Genius HERE to help support our school. All shifts are 2 hours in length. All funds from the book fair go back into the hands of kids in the form of books and library supplies. 

Rent the Rock:

"Rent the Rock" to recognize a student's birthday, show school spirit, thank or recognize teachers or staff members, congratulatory events, etc. It is a great way to spread positive messages and increase excitement in our community!  The Iron Horse PTO would like to thank you for supporting our school through your donation to paint the Spirit Rock! Donations made to paint the rock directly benefit our school and its' programming for students.  We hope to keep the Spirit Rock as a fun and exciting tradition for students and parents for years to come. The Spirit Rock is located on the East side of the light pole at the sidewalk entrance to our building. 
Spirit Rock Policies:
Reservations are on a first come, first serve basis.The cost for the reservation is $10 per day. Here is a link to sign up: 

• www.SignUpGenius.com/go/10C0F49AFAA2CAB9-ihespirit 
• Payment is due when the reservation is made. You may pay by cash or check, payable to IHE PTO. Payment must be dropped off at the IHE Office at time of reservation - please note SPIRIT ROCK, name & the date you are reserving in the memo or on the envelope if paying by cash.
• Reserve the date you want!!!! Once reserved and paid for, you have the rock for 24 hours, from 4:00 pm on the afternoon prior to your reserved day until 4:00 p.m. on the reserved day.  (If your child's birthday is on March 2 - book March 2. Then at 4:00 p.m. on March 1st, you may begin painting).
• It is your responsibility to paint the rock or find someone to paint it for you. The PTO will not paint the rock.
• The family or organization must supply paint, rollers, brushes and appropriate clothing for painting the rock. All supplies and the area around the rock must be left as you found it. Please clean up after yourself and do not leave any paint or materials on or around the rock or on school property. Any damage to school property as a result of painting the rock will be taken care of by the family or group that reserved the rock for that day.
• Plan to use 2-3 cans of paint as the base coat. More will be used if the color you are covering is dark or bright. Exterior paint works best. 
• In the event of inclement weather, a family or organization may revisit the calendar and choose an open date for a substitution. This may or may not be the next school day as that may already be reserved. We apologize we are unable to make refunds.
• In keeping with the IHE Code of Conduct and Behavior Guidelines, Iron Horse will not allow any bullying, profanity, obscenity or derogatory language. Please refrain from any political or discriminatory remarks. If there is any question to the wording or symbols painted on the rock, we reserve the right to remove/repaint the rock without notice

Upcoming Events:
October 2: Fall Conferences 3:40-6:00pm
October 4: Fall Conferences 3:40-8:00pm
October 6-14: NO School - Fall Break
October 16: Artisan Pizza Night for IHE
October 17: PTO Meeting 3:45-4:45pm
October 17: Feeder SAC Meeting 5:00-6:30pm at Iron Horse
October 18: Picture Re-Takes
October 22: Texas Roadhouse Roll Sales Starts
October 26: Trunk or Treat 

Week of September 17, 2018

Thursday Folder Flyers:

DCSD Colorado Rapids Night

DCSD Community Events

October Student Count:

Our student count day is Tuesday, September 25th. This is a VERY important day as our funding from the state of Colorado for each student depends upon their attendance on this day. Please make every effort to have your student in attendance on this day. Thank you!

All Pro Dads:
Please join us for All Pro Dads on Thursday morning at 7:45am. This is a great opportunity for dads to have breakfast with their kiddos and talk about a variety of topics. 

Fall Conference Sign Ups:
Conference sign ups are now open!  Classroom teachers, as well as all of our specialists (Moderate Needs, School Psychologist, Speech Language, PE, Music, Art, ESL, Reading Recover, etc), will be available to meet with you to discuss your student's progress so far this year. Heather Cunningham, GT Teacher, will not be available to meet as she is manning our book fair that evening. If you would like to meet with her, please send her an email to set up a time. Please see the instructions below to sign up for conferences. If you determine that you would like to meet with a specialist, please make an additional appointment on their page. 

To sign up, please go to the Iron Horse Website. 

Once you are at the website, click on the Parent Resources.

Once there, you will click on "Online Scheduler"

This will direct you the the Online Scheduler page. From there, please select "IRON HORSE ELEMENTARY" and click "Go". Then you will need to enter your student's ID number (same as their lunch number) and the password "engineer". From there, you will be able to select a date and time for your student's assessment. 

                               

Volunteers Needed:
We are gearing up for our Fall Book Fair and need your help! We are looking for volunteers to set up/clean up, to help students find books, and to run the cash registers. Please view the Sign Up Genius HERE to help support our school. All shifts are 2 hours in length. All funds from the book fair go back into the hands of kids in the form of books and library supplies. 

Our New Spirit Rock - Donated by Melanie Morgan

Rent the Rock:

"Rent the Rock" to recognize a student's birthday, show school spirit, thank or recognize teachers or staff members, congratulatory events, etc. It is a great way to spread positive messages and increase excitement in our community!  The Iron Horse PTO would like to thank you for supporting our school through your donation to paint the Spirit Rock! Donations made to paint the rock directly benefit our school and its' programming for students.  We hope to keep the Spirit Rock as a fun and exciting tradition for students and parents for years to come. The Spirit Rock is located on the East side of the light pole at the sidewalk entrance to our building. 

Spirit Rock Policies:

• Reservations are on a first come, first serve basis.The cost for the reservation is $10 per day. Here is a link to sign up: 
• www.SignUpGenius.com/go/10C0F49AFAA2CAB9-ihespirit 
• Payment is due when the reservation is made. You may pay by cash or check, payable to IHE PTO. Payment must be dropped off at the IHE Office at time of reservation - please note SPIRIT ROCK, name & the date you are reserving in the memo or on the envelope if paying by cash.
• Reserve the date you want!!!! Once reserved and paid for, you have the rock for 24 hours, from 4:00 pm on the afternoon prior to your reserved day until 4:00 p.m. on the reserved day.  (If your child's birthday is on March 2 - book March 2. Then at 4:00 p.m. on March 1st, you may begin painting).
• It is your responsibility to paint the rock or find someone to paint it for you. The PTO will not paint the rock.
• The family or organization must supply paint, rollers, brushes and appropriate clothing for painting the rock. All supplies and the area around the rock must be left as you found it. Please clean up after yourself and do not leave any paint or materials on or around the rock or on school property. Any damage to school property as a result of painting the rock will be taken care of by the family or group that reserved the rock for that day.
• Plan to use 2-3 cans of paint as the base coat. More will be used if the color you are covering is dark or bright. Exterior paint works best. 
• In the event of inclement weather, a family or organization may revisit the calendar and choose an open date for a substitution. This may or may not be the next school day as that may already be reserved. We apologize we are unable to make refunds.
• In keeping with the IHE Code of Conduct and Behavior Guidelines, Iron Horse will not allow any bullying, profanity, obscenity or derogatory language. Please refrain from any political or discriminatory remarks. If there is any question to the wording or symbols painted on the rock, we reserve the right to remove/repaint the rock without notice.

Upcoming Events:
September 21: NO School - Teacher PLC Day
September 27: All Pro Dads 7:45-8:15am
October 2: Fall Conferences 3:40-6:00pm
October 4: Fall Conferences 3:40-8:00pm
October 6-14: NO School - Fall Break
October 16: Artisan Pizza Night for IHE
October 17: PTO Meeting 3:45-4:45pm
October 17: Feeder SAC Meeting 5:00-6:30pm at Iron Horse
October 18: Picture Re-Takes
October 22: Texas Roadhouse Roll Sales Starts
October 26: Legend Feeder Trunk or Treat @ Legend High School

Week of September 10, 2018

Thursday Folder Flyers:

A Taste of DCSD @ Chaparral

Volunteers Needed:
We are gearing up for our Fall Book Fair and need your help! We are looking for volunteers to set up/clean up, to help students find books, and to run the cash registers. Please view the Sign Up Genius HERE to help support our school. All shifts are 2 hours in length. All funds from the book fair go back into the hands of kids in the form of books and library supplies. 

3rd and 4th Grade Battle of the Books Teams

Battle of the Books is a bowl-style trivia tournament that’s all about books, engaging hundreds of young minds every year. The program is active at Douglas County Libraries’ Castle Rock, Highlands Ranch, Lone Tree and Parker locations. Dozens of teams in grades 3-6 compete against each other in inter-school battles and finals tournaments to determine a districtwide champion for all of Douglas County. You can find more information at https://blogs.douglascountylibraries.org/battleofthebooks/.

Mrs. Hayes will be holding a book club for 3rd and 4th graders who are seriously interested in participating in Battle of the Books.  They will meet weekly and students will be expected to read all 10 books and meet minimum requirements to be considered for the final team which will be seven students. Five students can compete at once and there will be two alternates. Students will take turns sitting out on battles, so that everyone has a chance to participate. Students will meet with Mrs. Hayes in her classroom on Tuesdays before school from 7:40 - 8:15 am. If a student is not actively reading, participating, and contributing, they will be asked to leave the club. Battle of the Books is so much fun, but there is a rigorous academic component to it. The team chosen has to rely on each other and trust that all members have done their part.

Students should start reading now as the list came out during Labor Day weekend. Mrs. Hayes has the list and more information on her website. https://ihe.dcsdk12.org/classrooms___departments/third_grade/mrs__hayes/battle_of_the_books_2018-2019 She also has a few copies of the books in her classroom for students to borrow but parents need to support at home with getting books from the public library. There are long wait list times for the library, so some families choose to purchase the books. But please reach out to Mrs. Hayes at lydia.hayes@dcsdk12.org to see if she can get some books for your child. If your child is interested, please fill out the form on Mrs. Hayes' website and return it to the office ASAP.   

Art News:

Thinking of gifts for the family?  The Original Works Art Fundraiser is back!  Help support the art department budget and purchase wonderful gifts at the same time.  Follow the link to see our "Look What's Coming Letter."  

https://ihe.dcsdk12.org/cms/One.aspx?portalId=140345&pageId=6272957&action=view

Upcoming Events:
September 19: PTO Meeting 3:45-4:45pm
September 19: SAC Meeting 5:00-6:00pm
September 21: NO School - Teacher PLC Day
October 2: Fall Conferences 4:00-6:00pm
October 4: Fall Conferences 4:00-8:00pm
October 6-14: NO School - Fall Break
October 16: Artisan Pizza Night for IHE
October 17: PTO Meeting 3:45-4:45pm
October 17: Feeder SAC Meeting 5:00-6:30pm at Iron Horse
October 18: Picture Re-Takes
October 22: Texas Roadhouse Roll Sales Starts
October 26: Legend Feeder Trunk or Treat @ Legend High School

Week of September 3, 2018

Thursday Folder Flyers:

Colorado Rapids Night

IHE Texas Roadhouse Night
IHE Vision/Hearing Screening

Homecoming Parade:
A HUGE Thank You to Betsy Mendenhall and Becki Gonzales for our homecoming float! While we were unable to join in the fun, our float will also be at Trunk or Treat in October. 

News From PTO:

Dear Iron Horse Parents;

We want to say hello from PTO now that we are all in the school GROOVE!

We are thankful for Iron Horse Elementary and our great Principals, Staff and Parents! (OH and the Kids!)

We wanted to reach out and give you some updates.  Some of you have already stepped up to volunteer and we are so happy to have you! Please feel free to reach out to us if you’d like to be a part of our PTO team, and we will plug you in! Otherwise, you will receive some Signup Genius’s for events throughout the year. AND you will receive info in Mrs. Bloomfield’s weekly blog, as well as PTO Newsletter.

Here are some fun happenings for our upcoming months!

Teacher Conferences and Teacher Meals- Oct 2nd and 4th

Restaurant nights each month-  Sept. 10th 4-10 pm

Trunk or Treat – Oct 26th Legend High school 6-8 pm

Read a Thon-  Nov 1 - Our Largest School FUNDRAISER!

Texas Roadhouse Roll Sale- November

PTO Board:

Janel Neuenschwander: President – janel@janelneuhomes.com

Pam Valentine: Vice President- valentinefamilyof4@gmail.com

Dosha Borcherding- Secretary – Doshagarred@hotmail.com

Kris Cannode- Treasurer-  cannode45@yahoo.com

Lindsey Baker- Communications- lindseybaker11@gmail.com

Art News:

September student artist of the Month goes to Nadia Halstead in Mrs. Maag's Kindergarten class.  Nadia's artwork can be viewed under "Artist of the Month" on Ms. O'Hara's webpage.  

Fall Family Art Night starts September 25th.  Deadline to sign up is September 17th.  Cost is $15 per item.  Go to the calendar; September 25th, on Ms. O'Hara's web page to sign up or follow this link; https://goo.gl/forms/jundYNMLdRhDowcw2 . Come join me in the art room to create family memories and have some art fun with your kiddos.  We will be making a slab constructed bowl using the handprints of your family.  Beginning on September 25th, we will have a series of four sessions where you can create and glaze your hand print bowls as memoirs for your family, presents to share with loved ones, or just to be creative.

The Town of Parker is having an art contest that closes September 14th.  To find out more information, look under "contests and art shows" on Ms. O'Hara's web site.

Upcoming Events:
September 10: Texas Roadhouse Restaurant Night for IHE 4:00-10:00pm
September 19: PTO Meeting 3:45-4:45pm
September 19: SAC Meeting 5:00-6:00pm
September 21: NO School - Teacher PLC Day
October 2: Fall Conferences 4:00-6:00pm
October 4: Fall Conferences 4:00-8:00pm
October 6-14: NO School - Fall Break