Welcome!
My name is Piper Hepburn. I am so excited to meet all of you and start our school year! I look forward to getting to know each child and their families. Preschool is going to be a wonderful time for your child!
Contact Info
If you need to reach me during school hours, the phone number here is (720)652-7906, and my extension is 22647. You can email me anytime at [email protected]. If you ever have a question or concern, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
Volunteer Opportunities
I love to have parent help in and out of the classroom. To volunteer in the classroom, you must first complete an application and training. If this is something you are interested in, please let me know!
Enrollment Paperwork
Please make sure you have turned in all enrollment paperwork before the first day. We also must know if your child has any health conditions, including allergies, and if he or she will be needing medication while at school. Never put medications in your child’s backpack.
Preschool Handbook
Please be sure to read both the SVVSD Preschool Parent Handbook and the Spark Preschool Parent Handbook. These were given to you at Parent Orientation and are available at sdpk.svvsd.org in both English and Spanish. Under the Parents tab, click on Parent Handbooks. The handbooks supply important details about our policies and what we offer.
Drop-off and Pick-up
Drop-off time is 8:30 for the AM Session and 12:25 for the PM session. If your child is in enrolled in Wrap Around Childcare before and/or after preschool, a parafrofessional will escort your child to and from preschool. For everyone else, please have your child line up outside at Door #8. This is also where you will pick up. Your child must be dropped off and picked up by someone 18 or older. All children must be signed in and out each day. We will have a binder available for this at the door. Only people authorized by parents or guardians may pick up a child. Anyone we do not know by sight must provide a photo ID. Please let us know if someone different will be picking up your child. Pick up time is 11:10 for the AM Session and 3:05 for the PM Session.
Sometimes drop-off is hard, especially in the beginning. This is normal! Let your child see that YOU are not nervous and keep goodbyes brief. We will do our best to make this transition comfortable for your child. While parents are welcome in the classroom, they must check in through the front door, not our classroom door.
What to Bring
Please send a backpack with your child every day. This should contain a change of clothing and weather appropriate items, such as a jacket. LABEL EVERYTHING! We will go outside every day, weather permitting. Please do NOT allow your child to bring toys from home. These create conflicts and distractions. If your child has a special item (like a stuffed animal) that is hard to part with, please talk to me and we will come up with a plan together.
Curriculum
St. Vrain Valley Schools use Teaching Strategies GOLD and its assessment for our preschool students. Each child’s development is tracked using developmentally appropriate, ongoing assessment. This assessment helps me to plan lessons and create individualized support for each child.
We also use the PATHS (Promoting Alternative Thinking Strategies) social-emotional curriculum. PATHS provides support in learning impulse control, problem-solving, reasoning, empathy, and handling emotions.
Additionally, Spark uses Learning Without Tears’ “Get Set for School” materials. These build critical skills in Readiness & Writing, Language & Literacy, and Numbers & Math. We also use Zoo Phonics, a language arts program that builds vocabulary and articulation, based on phonics and phonemic awareness.
My Background and Philosophy
This is my second year with St. Vrain Valley Schools. However, I have worked in early childhood education for over 20 years. I hold a B.S. in Psychology and an M.A. in Early Childhood Education with an Early Childhood Special Education Specialist license.
I strongly believe in the importance of the early years in a child’s life. These years are critical to setting children up for developmental and academic success. Positive, high-quality early education experiences lay the foundation for future learning. I also know that children only get to be this young once, and need to have fun. If we aren’t having fun, we’re not doing it right!
Ms. Jen Weddle, Paraprofessional
Jen Weddle has been working for the past three years as an assistant teacher in private preschools in the Chicago suburbs. She has volunteered as a reading mentor for elementary school children, was a middle school volleyball coach, and has a passion for working with children.
Jen moved to Colorado with her fiance and dog in December 2017 and has been taking advantage of the beautiful state by hiking and paddle boarding in the summer. She can’t wait to work with the children at Spark! Discover Preschool and celebrate all their significant accomplishments and milestones!
Ms. Julia (JJ) Jennings, Parafrofessional
JJ lives in Erie but is originally from El Paso, TX. She and her husband, Jim, have been married for 25 years. They have 3 kids: James, 20, Katie, 16, and Emily, 14. James is currently looking into becoming a pilot. Katie and Emily go to school at Erie High School, junior and freshman respectively. They love to camp and play Dominoes. JJ loves to golf, cook, bake, watch TV and movies. She loves the Rockies, Broncos and the Packers. She has a degree in Interdisciplinary studies and a minor in early childhood education. She previously taught K-3rd grade. She was a stay-at-home mom until 6 months ago, when she started working for SVVSD. JJ loves children, and can’t wait to meet our kiddos!