Week of May 20, 2019

Thursday Folder Flyers:
IHE Summer Hours
I Am Yoga Camp
Legend Summer Camps

The Iron Horse Staff wishes you a wonderful summer vacation! 
The "Principal Blog" will resume the week of August 5, 2018 and will be sent out weekly on Fridays next year. Enjoy your summer!

Spring Elementary Progress Reports (EPR) Released May 29th

Teachers are celebrating students’ growth as they complete spring Elementary School Progress Reports (EPRs).  EPRs will be released to parents on Wednesday, May 29th, through Parent Portal. You will be able to access your child's EPR on this date by following the directions below.

· Go to the Iron Horse Website 

· Click on the Parent Resources Tab

· Select Parent Portal and use your credentials to log in.

· Click "View Elementary Progress Report" under your child's picture

Summer Lunch Program:

DCSD is offering a free summer lunch program daily at the Hilltop apartments from 12:15 to 12:45pm beginning on Tuesday, May 28th and continuing until August 2nd. No lunch is provided on July 4th. All children 18 years and younger are eligible. Please take advantage of this great offering! 

IHE Summer Office Hours:
May 28th - May 31st 8:00 am- 3:00 pm

June 3rd - The office is closed

June 4 - June 14th   8:00 am - 12:00 pm

June 15th - July 14th - The office is closed

July 15th - August 6th 8:00 am- 3:00 pm

Class Letters:
Class placement letters for the 2019-20 school year will be sent home the week of July 29th. Please expect them to arrive by August 5th. 

Back to School Open House:
We will be holding an open house at the beginning of the year to meet your child's teacher and drop off supplies. More information on the dates and times will be coming over the summer.  

Start of the 2019-20 School Year:

On Wednesday, August 7th, we will begin our school year with our rolling start. Students will enter the school on their own between 8:18 AM and 8:35 AM.  Staff members will escort students who need additional assistance to their classrooms.  To ensure all students’ safety, we ask that parents

1) Not drop off their child before 8:18 AM

2) Say good-bye to their children outside of the building

Supervision, including cross walk supervision, will not be provided prior to 8:18 AM so it is essential that students not arrive prior to that time.

Assessment Day: 

In an attempt to gain more targeted information regarding your child’s academic strengths and needs, Iron Horse will continue to hold an assessment day on Tuesday, August 27.   Each child will come to school to complete classroom assessments.  Having students complete assessments with their teacher after they have been in school for a few days allows students to adjust to classroom practices and procedures.  The assessments administered will allow educators to alter their instruction to meet your child’s individual strengths and needs.Parents will be able to sign up for an assessment and meet the teacher time using the online conference scheduler.  More information will come at the beginning of the school year. 

Welcome to Our New Staff Members:

I'd like to welcome the following new members of the IHE Staff - we are so excited to have such quality educators joining our family! 

 - Kim Betschart (from Pioneer Elementary): PLS (Professional Development) and Literacy Specialist for 4th/5th grades

 - Jennifer Miller (from Pioneer Elementary): G/T and Tech

 - Kim Thompson (from World Compass Academy): Kindergarten
 - Erin Richards (from Silt, CO): 3rd Grade

 - Jessica Bustos (currently at IHE): 3rd Grade
 - Katie Ehlers (from Pine Grove Elementary): 4th Grade

 - Samantha Fullington (from Kansas): Moderate Needs

 - Steve Whited (from New York): Moderate Needs
 - Matt Weidner (currently at IHE): Occupational Therapist

 - Alejandra Chavez-Stuart (from Sheridan School District): Counselor

 - Annie Basham (from Denver Public Schools): Social Worker

 - Lauren Diamond (from Chicago): Speech Language Pathologist

 - Annette West (from Pine Lane): Reading Recovery

 - Janet Nolan is moving to the Admin Assistant position

 - Angie Chesher is moving to the Registrar position

 - Donna Valeriano (currently at IHE): Educational Assistant

 - Andrew Gonzalez (from California): SSN Educational Assistant
 - Jen Kester (currently in the district): District Nurse

Week of May 13, 2019

Thursday Folder Flyers:

DCSD Elitch's Tickets

Swirls Night for IHE

Tennis and Golf Summer Camps

THANK YOU!
A HUGE thank you to all of the wonderful volunteers who helped to make our field day a big success! The students had a fantastic time playing together as a class and enjoying the outdoors. Our field day would not have been a success without you! 

Reminder for Kindergarten and 5th Grade Parents:
As a reminder, our students in Kindergarten and 5th grade will be dismissed at 11:30am. There will not be bus transportation available at this time, so parents will need to make other arrangements. Please contact your child's teacher for more information. 

SAC Members Wanted:
We are looking for School Accountability Members for next year. This committee provides feedback to the principal around the areas of safety, budget, and parent engagement within the school. We will be holding elections in September. If you are interested in serving, please send a short note indicating your interest and a little about yourself to kirsten.bloomfield@dcsdk12.org. Thank you! 

District Accountability Committee Members Needed:
The District Accountability Committee (DAC) is now accepting applications to fill two (2) vacancies currently open or opening on June 30, 2019. The current vacancies on the DAC are for parents with child(ren) currently attending DCSD neighborhood school(s). Please reference this link for additional information and to apply online.

Year End Wrap Up:
As the school year comes to a close, our minds and hearts are filled to the brim. It’s been a fantastic year! Together we’ve learned much and shared experiences that will long remain with us in the years to come. The strength of our community and wholehearted passion to make our school a wonderful place of learning for our children makes Iron Horse a truly special place.

Special thanks to all of you who have contributed in ways small, large and unimaginable! Thank you for working in the Junction, chaperoning on field trips, helping with school pictures, providing food and/or organizing treats for teachers, organizing events, working at these events, showing up to support your children, serving on SAC or PTO, sharing your talents, helping with traffic, and providing the resources to do what we dream and know is good for children. Thank you for getting your kids to school on time each day, for kind notes of encouragement that mean more than you know, for sending your kids with healthy lunches or snacks obviously packed with love, for making sure homework gets done… and turned in. Thank you for providing rich and engaging, well-rounded experiences for your children and knowing that education is about joy, wonder and fostering curiosity, along with the development of social skills so needed to succeed in life. For these, and a million other things, we are truly grateful.

As we reflect on the year, staff has worked so hard to learn and implement the Thinking Strategies within their classrooms in order to increase student critical thinking skills. They have engaged in ongoing professional development in ways to incorporate these strategies into all content areas, as well as how to utilize the workshop model for instruction. They have opened their doors to others, as well as each other, to learn from one another and improve their practices. They continue to implement and refine literacy practices through the use of guided reading, write from the beginning, and thinking maps. Moving into next year, we will continue to refine our practices in these areas.

To those who are leaving us for new places and adventures, we wish you all the best in your future! Stephanie Duffy, school psychologist, is retiring from DCSD. Arlene Myers and Lynette Fernando, special educators, will be pursuing new opportunities next year in other schools. Molly Moore is moving to teach at a school closer to her son's school. Heather Cunningham is leaving to pursue a Doctorate in Technology. Erin Louden will be leaving us to care for a family member in Colorado Springs, but will be subbing for us as a teacher and office staff member throughout the year. Jill Ward is leaving to pursue a Master's degree in Social Work, but will be subbing for us throughout the year. Kari Dunn is moving to another Reading Recovery position within the district that is closer to her home. Alex Maag has made the decision to stay home with her adorable son, Oliver. We know that amazing things are on the horizon for all of these wonderful ladies! When you see them next week, please wish them well on their new adventures! 

It has been a tremendous year of learning and growing, both for staff and students! We are so excited to continue this learning next year with our students, both new and returning. 

Kirsten

Upcoming Important Dates:
MAY 17: Swirls Night for IHE
MAY 23: Legend Graduation
MAY 24: Last Day of School - Kindergarten and 5th Grade Released at 11:30am

Week of May 6, 2019

Thursday Folder Flyers:

DCEF Elitch's Tickets
Ford Drive Event at LHS
Rockies Tickets

Legend Basketball
Swirls Night for IHE

Mother/Son Event

End of Year Staff Gifts:
Would you like an easy way to purchase a gift for the staff at Iron Horse? Our PTO has a great new way to give to everyone on your list. Here's how it works - click on the link below, determine how much you want to give to each staff member (in increments from $1-$15), total the amounts, and pay on MySchoolBucks. Staff will have the opportunity to determine the gift card that they would prefer and will receive a gift card worth all of the funds collected along with a personalized card with all students/family names who donated listed. This is an easy and quick way to get this off your list! All funds are due by May 17th in order to allow time to process and purchase the gift cards. 
Link to the Gift Form

End of Year Book Fair:
We will be holding an end of year book fair next week! All books will be buy one, get one free. We are looking for volunteers to help with the fair. If you are interested, please sign up here - link .

EDGE Summer Courses:

Legend High School and the EDGE program are offering some exciting learning and engagement experiences through the EDGE Summer Camp for incoming 6th-9th Grade Students. Check out our website and click on Camps & Dates to see the camps we are running. All camps are $200 per half-day camp per week.  They can use the Code: EDGE2019 at checkout to receive a 5% discount. 

SAC Members Wanted:
We are looking for School Accountability Members for next year. This committee provides feedback to the principal around the areas of safety, budget, and parent engagement within the school. We will be holding elections in September. If you are interested in serving, please send a short note indicating your interest and a little about yourself to kirsten.bloomfield@dcsdk12.org. Thank you! 

District Accountability Committee Members Needed:
The District Accountability Committee (DAC) is now accepting applications to fill two (2) vacancies currently open or opening on June 30, 2019. The current vacancies on the DAC are for parents with child(ren) currently attending DCSD neighborhood school(s). Please reference this link for additional information and to apply online.

2018-19 Field Day:

Our field day will be on May 17th. We will have a morning session from 9:30-11:30 and an afternoon session from 12:50-2:50. Half day kindergarten, 3rd, 4th and 5th grade will participate in the morning. Full day kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade will participate in the afternoon. I will have 5th grade helpers running stations in the afternoon. 

We are looking for volunteers to help run stations in the morning. If you are available to help from 9:20-11:30, please fill out your contact information for Mrs. Perkins on the attached google form - volunteer sign up contact information. 

Upcoming Important Dates:
MAY 10: Mother/Son Event 6:30-8:30pm in the Gym (see flyer above)
MAY 13-17: End of Year Book Fair
MAY 16: Muffins for Moms 7:45-8:15am in the Cafeteria
MAY 17: Field Day
MAY 17: Swirls Night for IHE
MAY 20: Field Day (Rain Date)
MAY 23: Legend Graduation
MAY 24: Last Day of School - Kindergarten and 5th Grade Released at 11:30am

Week of April 29, 2019

Thursday Folders Flyers:

IHE Mother/Son Event
School Supply Flyer

End of Year Book Fair:
We will be holding an end of year book fair May 13-17! All books will be buy one, get one free. We are looking for volunteers to help with the fair. If you are interested, please sign up here - link . Here is the link to our Home Page for the fair.

School Supply Orders:
If you would like to save time this summer and get your shopping done, you can order your child's school supplies from us. Cash/Check orders will be accepted until May 17th. Online orders will be accepted until June 16th. Please find the information above in the school supply flyer. 

Muffins for Moms:
Please join us for muffins and juice in the cafeteria on May 16th from 7:45-8:15am to celebrate mom! 

Mother/Son Event:
Our Mother/Son event will be held on Friday, May 10th from 6:30-8:30pm in the Gym. Admission is $5 per mom/female adult and includes dessert and a movie (The Princess Bride). Please RSVP to attend - you can view the flyer above for more information. 

We are also looking for volunteers to help support this event (set up/serving desserts/clean up). If you are interested, please sign up here: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0F4BADAA2EA20-mother.

SAC Members Wanted:
We are looking for School Accountability Members for next year. This committee provides feedback to the principal around the areas of safety, budget, and parent engagement within the school. We will be holding elections in September. If you are interested in serving, please send a short note indicating your interest and a little about yourself to kirsten.bloomfield@dcsdk12.org. Thank you! 

DCSD Strategic Plan:

Over the past few weeks, the Douglas County community has provided valuable input into our strategic planning process. In March, approximately 300 community members and 500 staff participated in facilitated conversations where they provided feedback about Douglas County School District. That input was used to craft questions for an online survey.

In early April, over 30,000 staff, community members and students participated in that online survey, which helped outline community priorities for the upcoming strategic plan.

Now, we encourage community members to attend an upcoming meeting to learn more about how community input is being incorporated into the creation of DCSD’s new strategic plan. Attendees will learn about the strategic plan themes that have been generated from community feedback, so far, and have the opportunity to provide input into the Strategic Plan Framework.

Parker

Monday, May 6 | 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Legend High School

22219 Hilltop Road, Parker

Castle Rock

Tuesday, May 7 | 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m.

Castle View High School

5254 Meadows Drive, Castle Rock

Please help us make sure that the Iron Horse voice is well represented at one of these upcoming community conversations. No RSVP is required. However, it is so important for our community members to provide input and insight into this plan. I strongly encourage you to attend!

Help us determine the next steps necessary to ensure that each and every student in Douglas County School District is ready for a successful life after high school, and beyond.If you have any questions about the DCSD strategic plan, or these community conversations, please reach out to me.

District Accountability Committee Members Needed:
The District Accountability Committee (DAC) is now accepting applications to fill two (2) vacancies currently open or opening on June 30, 2019. The current vacancies on the DAC are for parents with child(ren) currently attending DCSD neighborhood school(s). Please reference this link for additional information and to apply online.

Yearbook Sales:
Yearbook sales are open (http://community.pictavo.com/c/317309). Yearbooks sales will continue until May 10th. The cost is $24 per yearbook. Buy your yearbook now! 

SSN Spring Store:
The SSN (Significant Support Needs) Classroom will be hosting their annual school store “The IHE Depot” May 6-9th.  We will be selling school related items including pens, highlighters, erasers, bookmarks, stress balls, etc.  Mother’s Day gifts will be sold again this year. More information will be available in Thursday folders.

2018-19 Field Day:

Our field day will be on May 17th. We will have a morning session from 9:30-11:30 and an afternoon session from 12:50-2:50. Half day kindergarten, 3rd, 4th and 5th grade will participate in the morning. Full day kindergarten, 1st and 2nd grade will participate in the afternoon. I will have 5th grade helpers running stations in the afternoon. 

We are looking for volunteers to help run stations in the morning. If you are available to help from 9:20-11:30, please fill out your contact information for Mrs. Perkins on the attached google form - volunteer sign up contact information. 

Upcoming Important Dates:
MAY 6: NO School for 5th Grade ONLY
MAY 10: Mother/Son Event 6:30-8:30pm in the Gym (see flyer above)
MAY 13-17: End of Year Book Fair
MAY 16: Muffins for Moms 7:45-8:15am in the Cafeteria
MAY 17: Field Day
MAY 17: Swirls Night for IHE
MAY 20: Field Day (Rain Date)
MAY 23: Legend Graduation
MAY 24: Last Day of School - Kindergarten and 5th Grade Released at 11:30am