Cherokee Trail

• PSP NEWS
• IMMUNIZATION INFO
• HEART CHALLENGE & GO RED DAY
• PLE PARENT NIGHT - RESILLIENCE
• BE EPICER
• WHAT'S HAPPENING IN WELLNESS
• COUNSELOR'S CORNER
• CALENDAR
• FROM THE PRINCIPAL
• NEW FLYERS 

At Cherokee Trail we focus on six traits, teaching and fostering them in our classrooms and school-wide in order to create learners who are strong academically and socially. They are:

ENTHUSIASM * PERSEVERANCE * INTEGRITY * COURAGE * EMPATHY * RESPECT
Read more on the EPICER page!
In January we will be focusing on EMPATHY. The indicators for empathy at CTE are:

   * I actively listen to others to understand their feelings and the situation

   * I  can put myself in someone else’s shoes 

   * I notice clues about how others are feeling: their words and body language

   * I celebrate how I am the same and how I am different from others

   * I consider other people's feelings/wants/needs when I act

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN WELLNESS - NOELLE DUNKER
Grades K/1/2: This week, we focus on being thankful. Students will learn that being thankful means you are happy for what you have, who you are, and what you have done.

Happy New Year!  Wow- I can’t believe we are starting the second half of the school year! What a great time to reflect with your child and discuss what short- and long-term goals they are working toward. Discussions could include refining household habits, academic efforts, or setting personal goals such as increasing physical activity or saving money. 

Classroom Lessons  

This month, I will be finishing a lesson series on Human Rights with all of the 5th grade classes. So far, students have learned the history of how the concept of Human Rights evolved and have begun diving into several of the 30 rights. 

In first grade, I will begin a 7-lesson series teaching different aspects of safety. Topics will include identifying unsafe situations, “trusted triangle” of adults, using an assertive voice, and safe and unsafe secrets. Parents will receive an informational sheet after each topic is presented to be able to reinforce these important concepts within their family.

Kindergarten and first grade classes will also be taught a lesson on career exploration. This lesson is intended to begin widening their knowledge about various career areas and begin thinking about what areas they may be interested in.

Later in the month, I will begin a 4-lesson series with all 6th grade classes on Bully Prevention. I will be teaching the Bully Prevention unit from our Second Step curriculum. This unit will cover topics such as recognizing common types of bullying, different perspectives of bystanders and targets, and using various upstander strategies.  

Family Resources

DCSD Virtual Calming Corner

Life can be challenging at times! The great news is you have the power to overcome these challenges by integrating purposeful pauses throughout the day to calm both your brain and body. Maybe you need a quick nature fix, a guided relaxation practice or some quiet music in the background. Enjoy it all and explore! Be careful, some of these links can be rather mesmerizing -- you may want to use a timer ;-).

Safe 2 Tell Colorado

Do you know how to report a concern that threatens you, your friends, your family or your community? Safe 2 Tell Colorado is an anonymous reporting tool for parents and students. There are 3 ways to make an anonymous report – via website, app, or phone call.

Weekly snack/food bags provided by Parker Task Force – If your family is interested in having a bag of snacks/food sent home in their student’s backpack weekly, please fill out this brief form.

Families with housing instability

Free/Reduced Meal Benefits

The Principal Chronicles continues...
Another week down and of course more cold and snow. It seems like every day when I am out in our carpool line I hear people say that they are ready for Spring. Personally, I am not quite there yet as I don't mind the cold, but I don't like all of the sidewalks, roads, and trails covered in slick ice and snow. Makes running outside extremely difficult.
As I write this, I just came from our Heart Challenge Kickoff assembly. It was so awesome to see this finally come to pass; Mrs. Whittingham made a decision last year to look into something different because all the hard work and money she and our school raised didn't go where she wanted it to go. Instead of just going with another company, she took it upon herself to create something entirely on her own. She connected with a local hospital to donate a portion of the money, worked with the other specials teachers to help raise money for them, and found prizes to give out to our students to reward them for their hard work. It was absolutely amazing to see it come together and I was so proud of her for sticking her neck out and doing something completely brand new. I can't wait to see how much money we bring in. Thanks in advance to our community for supporting us.
On the home front, my daughter spent the night at a friend's house last weekend. This friend lives over in Lakewood and during the evening they went bowling. At some point during the night, a young man approached her told her she looked very pretty, and asked if he could have her snap. This is how kids roll these days by asking for their social media so they can communicate. So far, my daughter and this boy have a lot in common and have been snapping and face-timing quite a bit. Allegedly he keeps asking her to hang out despite the fact that he lives 45 minutes away and can't drive. Of course, my daughter has her Sadie Hawkins dance coming up here in a few weeks so we shall see how this all shakes out. Never a dull moment that is for sure. 
That is it for this week's edition, stay tuned for next week when the Principal Chronicles continues...

NEW FLYERS

NONDISCRIMINATION NOTICE: The Douglas County School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, sex, sexual orientation, gender identity/expression, religion, national origin, ancestry, creed, age, marital status, genetic information, or physical characteristics, disability or need for special education services in admissions, access to, treatment of, or employment in educational programs or activities. The School District’s Compliance Officer is Ted Knight, Assistant Superintendent, 620 Wilcox Street, Castle Rock, Colorado, [email protected], 303-387-0067. Complaint procedures have been established for students, parents, employees, and members of the public.