IN THIS WEEK'S NEWSLETTER:
- PSP NEWS
- COLORADO STATEWIDE ASSESSMENTS
- CHAP WISH WEEK
- BE EPICER
- WHAT'S HAPPENING IN WELLNESS
- COUNSELOR'S CORNER
- CALENDAR
- FROM THE PRINCIPAL
- NEW FLYERS
PSP NEWS
12APR - Spirit Night at Noodles & Co
28APR - All School Dance @ 5:30-7:30pm
MAY - School Supply Kit Orders due
1-5MAY - Teacher Appreciation Week
PSP Meetings @ 5:30pm
April 25th
COLORADO STATEWIDE ASSESSMENTS
Students at CTE will be taking the Colorado Measure of Academic Success [CMAS] tests 10-20Apr23.
State assessments matter. CMAS testing will allow families and teachers to see yearly academic growth since the pandemic and will provide more insight into the areas where students continue to be impacted by the disruptions from the pandemic.
Benefits to Students and Families
* The tests help students, families and educators know how students are performing compared to their peers across the state. They also help inform student academic growth over time.
* The statewide assessments provide information on how well the state’s education system is meeting the goals of helping every child attain academic proficiency.
* Assessment results help students, parents, schools and districts understand if students have mastered the content they need to know by the end of the school year and whether they are on track for college or careers after graduation.
* Assessment results let parents/guardians know how their student is doing compared with their peers across the school, district and state.
Benefits to Schools
* School ratings are based on average scores on state assessments as well as growth students show from year to year on assessments.
* Data from state assessments can help schools (and feeders of schools) build master schedules, offer appropriate coursework, and meet the needs of all students, particularly as they transition from one school to the next.
CMAS At a Glance
This fact sheet offers a succinct explanation of this spring's statewide tests, including the expected dates and duration of each test: English (PDF) | Spanish (PDF)
What to Expect for 2022-2023
This fact sheet provides background information about statewide assessments in Colorado: English (PDF) | Spanish (PDF)
Role of State Assessments
This fact sheet explains the role of statewide assessments in increasing academic achievement: English (PDF) | Spanish (PDF)
This fact sheet explains why participation in statewide testing matters to students: English (PDF) | Spanish (PDF)
CHAP WISH WEEK - CAITLYN WEYHRICH
THANK YOU to everyone who participated in this year's Wish Week events: spirit days, Staff talent show, restaurant fundraisers, t-shirt/star/crown purchases, 5K, and festival ... In all, CTE raised $3,700 for this year's Wish Kid Aria, and for Make-a-Wish Colorado!!
CTE StuCO members presented the check at Chaparral during their closing assembly along with all of the other feeder schools ... it truly is the happiest week of the year!
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!
WHAT'S HAPPENING IN WELLNESS - NOELLE DUNKER
Grades K/1/2: Our focus this week will be honesty. Honesty is more than just telling the truth, it’s about building trust and having integrity. We will be doing an activity using Jenga pieces to discover the importance of being trustworthy.
Grades 3/4/5/6: We will focus our attention on effective communication by playing “Back-to-Back Draw”. This activity highlights the importance of clear communication.
Needed for Wellness:
We are in need of tissues. Please feel free to send a box in with your child. I am grateful for your support.
Please click on the links attached for information on Mindful Mornings with Mrs. Dunker. We still have a few spots left. Thank you.
Grades K-2
Grades 3-6
APRIL COUNSELOR'S CORNER - JANE STEINER
Healthy Activities Night! Sierra Middle School is hosting a healthy activities night for the entire community! There are a lot of activities planned for ALL ages, bring the whole family! (flyer)
CLASSROOM LESSONS
In fourth grade, we completed our bully prevention unit from Second Step. The students took a pre and post survey to assess specific attitudes, knowledge, and skills taught during the unit.
Pre-survey grade 4 average 78%
Post-survey grade 4 average 96%
Wow! That is an increase of 18 percentage points!
In fifth grade, we started our bully prevention unit from Second Step. This unit has a total of 4 lessons that will cover 1- recognize, report, and refuse bullying 2- bystander power 3- bystander responsibility 4- cyberbullying. The students have been very engaged in situational discussions and sharing experiences.
If you are interested in reading more about bullying or how to help your child, take a look at this website. Bullying can also be reported to Safe 2 Tell Colorado.
Stay tuned- in second and third grade, I am planning a 2 lesson series to teach students about the brain and regulating emotions.
PARENT INFORMATION
Which Parenting Style Works Best?
What Is Digital Self-Harm?
Mental Health Resources:
* Do you know someone who is dealing with a serious mental health crisis? Are you concerned about their immediate safety and well-being? Colorado Crisis Service is a free service that offers immediate assistance in 3 formats. You can call for expert help 24/7, visit one of the various walk-in locations, or chat with them online.
* Denver Behavior Consultants – Social Skills groups now forming in Parker
* 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
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
UPCOMING CALENDAR HIGHLIGHTS
FROM THE PRINCIPAL - JOSH MILLER
The Principal Chronicles continue ...
CMAS is here, let the testing season begin. I remember a year ago at this time, I was running all over the place trying to get things organized and up and running. This year our PLS, Ashley Jakubowski, is taking on the role so she can gain some experience in testing. So far, she has done a WAY better job than I ever did and we are set and ready to go. We are trying to get everything done in a week this year so we have a little bit of a break before our diagnostic. We are hoping this translates to a better testing season. Either way, it is a great way for our students to show us all that they have learned and we can blow this test out of the water.
On the personal front, I am headed to Portland next week to recruit teachers to come work for our District. Typically the District sends me out every year and I really enjoy talking up our District and more importantly, utilizing the opportunity selfishly to see if I can bring talent into our building if we need someone. It is just a quick trip but it'll be fun.
Outside of that, my daughter and I have finally turned a corner with her driving. She took her second driving lesson through the company where she got her permit. Since that time, we have decided any time we are together in the car, she will be the one driving. I have to admit, she is a decent driver but it is really hard to be sitting in the passenger seat all the time. She gets her license in July and I can't wait because it is very challenging to get her to all of the places she needs to be. Especially now that she has a job. It has only been a week since she became my full time driver but considering we have only nearly died twice, I feel like it is getting better. Of course, as I write this, I need to pick her up this afternoon and it will be her first driving in inclement weather. Super.
That is it for this weeks edition. Stay tuned to for next week when the Principal Chronicles continues....
NEW FLYERS
ARCHIVED FLYERS (ALL)
* Co-Ed Summer Volleyball Camps (flyer)
* Douglas County Cotillion 2023 (flyer1 | flyer2)
* DCSD Community Events (flyer)
* Lego Masterbuilders club (flyer) *corrected dates*
* Robotics & Coding club (flyer)
* Chap Youth Wrestling Club (flyer)
* LEGO Storytelling: Marvel vs. DC (flyer)
* Science Matters - before/after school STEM Clubs (flyer)
* Chap Dance Team - The Mini-Wolverines (flyer)
* Robotics & Coding Club (flyer)
* CTE STEM CLUBS from Science Matters (link)
* Cub Scout Pack (flyer)
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.