Cherokee Trail

• PSP NEWS
• EPIPEN SHORTAGE
• SAC MEETING MINUTES
• BOOK FAIR REVIEW
• KINDERGARTEN 23-24 REGISTRATION
• COLORADO SKI PASSPORT PROGRAM
• BE EPICER
• WHAT'S HAPPENING IN WELLNESS
• COUNSELOR'S CORNER
• CALENDAR
• FROM THE PRINCIPAL
• NEW FLYERS 

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 INTEGRITY - Integrity is about making good choices. It is doing the right things for the right reason.  It is about being honest with yourself and honest with others. It is doing what is right when no one is watching. Integrity takes practice!

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 our focus is love. We will be learning about how to give and receive love. We will also talk about how love can grow happiness.  

A Little Spot of Happiness by Diane Alber

Grades 3/4/5/6: We will be learning about our brain and how our limbic system works.

With the second quarter of the school year coming to a close, we are reminded that the holidays are quickly approaching.  This is a great time of year to reflect on your family’s values and reconnect with each other.  Check out this list of children’s books that inspire gratitude.

Classroom lessons: I’ve really enjoyed visiting classrooms to teach about career exploration.  So far, I’ve visited all classrooms in grades 3-6 and will soon visit K-2.  Career activities include learning about career cluster areas, career interest surveys, and various occupations.  It is never too early to begin discussing careers and goals.  As a parent, one way to help your child with career exploration is to simply share about your own career and choices you have made (successes and failures).  Your child will begin to understand that their interests and abilities should align with their intended career path.

This month, I look forward to beginning a 3 lesson series on Human Rights with 5th grade students.  In the past, students love this lesson series.  The discussions broaden their perspective to learn about life in various countries around the world and the history of the Declaration of Human Rights.        

Denver Behavior Consultants – Social Skills groups now forming in Parker

PARENT ARTICLES

Managing Parenting Stress Over the Holidays

Parenting and the Power of Gratitude

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 Continue ....
We are full on into the holiday season now that the countdown has begun to Winter Break. Currently, we are in the midst of our winter diagnostic and we are waiting patiently to see how much progress our students have made this year. Our staff has worked so hard this whole first semester to meet our student's needs. It is going to be a crazy month, especially considering we get out of school about an hour before Christmas. We have assemblies, concerts, parties, and maybe - if we are lucky - some actual learning.

 On the home front, I spent the majority of my break in Estes Park. My parents rented some cabins and we hosted a few of my extended family from New York and South Carolina. It was fairly interesting as we haven't seen that side of my family for a very long time since they live so far away, so it was really nice to catch up and get to know them again. As always, I ate my way through the week enjoying all of the spoils of Thanksgiving and consuming lots of things I typically don't consume on a regular basis. I may or may not have eaten multiple pieces of pie in one sitting, and I can neither confirm nor deny having not only seconds but thirds on Thanksgiving.

 Lastly, it is World Cup time so I spent a large amount of my break watching as many games as I could. It is such a strange time of year to have the World Cup. Typically it is played in the summer and I have so many fond memories growing up of watching games and then going outside and trying to emulate the players. Although I am a few years removed from my time working for the MLS, I am still excited to see some of the players I worked with finally get a chance to play in a World Cup. If you aren't spending time watching the games, you are missing out. No matter who is playing, it is an amazing experience.

 That is it for this week's edition, stay tuned next time 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.