Cherokee Trail

• PSP NEWS
• LMC BOOK FAIR & COIN CHALLENGE
• MLO/BOND INFO
• BE EPICER
• WHAT'S HAPPENING IN WELLNESS
• COUNSELOR'S CORNER
• CALENDAR
• FROM THE PRINCIPAL
• NEW FLYERS 

 
CTE STALLIONS ON FACEBOOK
Do you Facebook? Have you followed our CTE Stallions page? Never miss the stories and photos from our classrooms, follow us now!

SAVE THE DATES

October 28th: Trunk-or-Treat 5:30pm (flyer)

November 5th: Spirit Night at Code Ninja's (flyer)

November 11th: Donuts with Dudes 7:30am

November 29th: PSP Meeting 5:30pm

December 5th: Spirit Night at The Chicken Shack

December 21st: Spirit Night at Urban Air

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FROM THE LMC - KAREN NOTTINGHAM

Put it on your calendar! The Happy Camper Book Fair & Coin Challenge is just around the corner. We open with Donuts and Dudes on Friday, 11th and then run through the next week, 11/14 - 18. The Late Night Family Event is Tuesday, 11/15. Click on this

FLYER LINK for more details!

We need volunteers! Please email Karen Nottingham for sign-up information.

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FROM DCSD - MLO/BOND INFORMATION

Superintendent Erin Kane talks about the $60 million Mill Levy Override (5A) and the $450 million Bond (5B) that will appear on November's ballot in 2022. Superintendent Erin Kane also addresses some common questions and misinformation about these two ballot initiatives.
Election day is quickly approaching. Be sure to turn in your ballot by November 8. Find a ballot box or voting location near you - www.DouglasVotes.com. Be sure to complete both sides of the ballot! 

Like many school districts across our state and country, @DCSDK12 faces many funding challenges. Additional Funding Would Help DCSD to Provide:

- More competitive pay for teachers & staff

- Safe, efficient, quality learning environments

- 3 new neighborhood schools & additions to 2 existing middle schools #myDCSD

@DCSDK12 has one of the highest graduation rates in the Denver metro area. This wouldn't be possible without our amazing teachers and staff supporting our students and our schools. A $60 million Mill Levy Override, if passed by voters, would be invested into making district-wide compensation more competitive with other school districts so we can hold on to our valued teachers and staff. #myDCSD

@DCSDK12 is the 3rd largest district in Colorado, yet our per pupil dollar amount is nearly four times less than that of our neighboring district, Cherry Creek Schools. This equates to more than $124 million annually, based on our current student count. A Mill Levy Override, if passed, would help to lessen this gap and ensure that DCSD continues to be a great place to learn and work! #myDCSD

DCSD’s average teacher salary is over $18,000 less than Cherry Creek Schools and nearly $11,000 less than Littleton Public Schools. In addition, other staff such as Educational Assistants, Bus Drivers, and Campus Security Specialists can earn higher wages at local retail stores and restaurants. This gap makes it difficult for us to compete for high quality teachers and staff. If passed, MLO funds would be used to provide pay that is more competitive so that we can retain our wonderful teachers and staff. #myDCSD

As some areas of Douglas County grow, so does our need for new schools in newly developing neighborhoods. We haven't built a neighborhood school since 2010! Additional bond funding, if passed by voters, would enable DCSD to build new neighborhood schools in Crystal Valley, The Canyons, and Sterling Ranch, and to construct expansions to Mesa and Sierra Middle Schools. Bond funds would also be used to repair, maintain, and update DCSD's existing schools. #myDCSD

Per the 1994 School Finance Act, the state legislature sets total funding for each school district each year. Think of our funding as a bucket, set by the state and filled with state and local funding.

Local Share = Fixed tax rate set by the state of Colorado applied to all taxpayers in our school district and across the state.

State Share = Funding from State Income Tax and Sales Tax allocated by Legislature.

We can make the bucket larger through voter approved local funding via Mill Levy Overrides and Bonds, providing local dollars to support our students, staff, and schools. #myDCSD

If @DCSDK12 were to pass a $60 Million Mill Levy Override and a $450 Million Bond, it would cost taxpayers $1 per week per $100,000 of assessed home value. For example, a Douglas County resident with a home valued at $500,000 would pay approximately an additional $250 per year if both measures are approved. #myDCSD

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BE EPICER @ CTE

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!
This month, we will be focusing on PERSEVERANCE - here are the indicators of how this trait might look at school:

* I use determination to try to finish a task

* I have a growth mindset

* I continue through tough times and problem solve

WHAT'S HAPPENING IN WELLNESS - NOELLE DUNKER

All Wellness students: Please wear shoes that slip off and on easily for our stretching portion of Wellness.

Grades K/1/2: This week, we will learn ways to help grow our confidence.

A Little Spot of Worry Feelings Song
Grades 3/4/5: Communication is key when working in groups. We will practice how to give and receive feedback.  Grade 6: We will explore the benefits of creating quality time with friends and family.

 

October has been a busy month!  All classrooms have now received a guidance lesson.  The most recent lessons have been in K-2 grade classrooms.  

In Kindergarten, I taught a lesson called “The Very Beary Listener”.  We used a stuffed bear to discuss all of the parts of the bear’s body that are used to show good listening in the classroom.  Students were able to brainstorm sounds that are important to hear and focus on in class as well as sounds that should be ignored.

In first grade, I read “The Rabbit Listened” by Cori Doerrfeld.  This book was about a little boy who encountered a frustrating situation and all of the ways his animal friends tried to help him.  In the end, the boy simply needed someone to listen to him.  We then related the book to the role of a school counselor.

In second grade, I read “The Smart Cookie” by Jori John.  The story was about a cookie that never felt smart, no matter how hard she tried.  Her journey helps her discover her unique talent which develops her confidence and voice.  Students then completed a sheet that outlined things they already felt confident about and things they were still working on.  

I am in the process of visiting all fifth and sixth grade classrooms to discuss safety and tools they have available to ensure the safety of themselves and others.  We discuss the importance of safety at home and school.  The students are provided information about Safe 2 Tell Colorado and how they can report a concern.  We also discuss the importance of having at least 3 adults they can go to if they have a concern or need help (trusted triangle).  Adults can also report concerns to Safe 2 Tell.  Please read additional information below.  

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.  

IMPORTANT LINKS

Family Resources:

*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

Parent Articles:

A Look Inside the Young Adult Brain

Mental Health Resources: * Is your child or someone you know struggling with anxiety?  The district has partnered with Dr. Scott Cypers to release a series of videos for parents with a ton of information and how to help someone.  All the videos can be found here. * I Matter – Parents and youth (ages 12 and older) can take a brief mental health screening and schedule 3 free counseling appointments. * STEM Center for Strength – mental health and well-being resources

The Principal Chronicles Continue ....

As I write this, it is Wednesday after Fall Break and we are firmly back into the school routine. That first day it was a little rough to try and get back into school mode, but by Tuesday everyone on staff was back up to full strength. It is a busy week with Halloween, Trunk or Treat, and our Halloween professional development day. Besides that, I think I speak for our entire staff when I say: we cannot believe it is already November. In the coming weeks, there are going to be all kinds of different things happening. The holiday season is always so busy. 

On the home front, my Fall break was spent in Chicago. My daughter is figuring out where in the country she may be interested in going to college. So far, the requirements are: wherever she goes has to have lots of desserts to eat, be close to copious amounts of shopping, and have Wifi. So why not Chicago? Luckily for us the weather was amazing, lots of food was available, and Chicago is stocked with shopping opportunities.

Our first day there was spent exploring the Magnificant Mile which is a giant street filled with stores (shocking that we spent our first day there, isn't it?). We literally walked close to 20 miles and explored every nook and cranny. Luckily I didn't need to take out a personal loan as my daughter brought her own money. In the end, she decided that a $100 pair of sweatpants and some Nike Air Force 1's were worthy of purchase. 

Our next day we started off consuming about 8000 calories at breakfast and spent the day biking and exploring all the cool museums located around Chicago. It was a lot of fun not only to bike everywhere but to not be hurried to see everything. Plus since it was fall break all of these places weren't very crowded at all. In many exhibits, we were the only people there. 

Our last day was spent finishing up our museum tours, shopping, and finally going to see the Blue Man Group. If you have never seen them before, just imagine three adult males with blue facial paint who don't speak at all but play lots of music with non-traditional instruments. They also really enjoy making a giant mess. It was a lot of fun and we enjoyed it a great deal.

Overall our trip was awesome, I was able to get out and run along the lake, make tons of poor food choices, and most importantly spend quality time with my 15 year old daughter. I don't have much time left with her so spending as much as possible makes every second valuable. 

That is it for this week's edition, stay tuned for next week's episode when the Principal Chronicles continue ...

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.