Dr. Sandy McTaggart – Spark! Discovery Preschool Counselor
This school year we are grateful and excited to inform our parents and families about the school-based mental health and counseling program and services, provided by Dr. Sandy McTaggart, who is our school’s part time counselor and part time school psychologist. If you or your student need counseling please reach out to Ms. Sandy via email at [email protected] or by calling our main office at 720-652-7906, and Ms. Sandy’s extension is 22626.
Click to learn more about Counseling at Spark
Click to learn more about Counseling Resources for use in the home
Click to learn more about the Wellness curriculum used in preschool in SVVSD
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There is Room in PK programs and Childcare in SVVSD:
St. Vrain Valley Schools offers a variety of high-quality early childhood education options, including preschool and wraparound pre-k care programs, designed to meet the needs of families in our communities. St. Vrain Valley’s programs provide a comprehensive and supportive learning environment for our youngest learners. Space is still available at various district locations for children ages 3 to 5.
Click to learn more about early childhood education options and how to enroll your child.
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Family Resource Center at Spark’s Main Entrance
Read more about our Family Resource Center entrance- Spark! Discovery Preschool. Click here to read more about these resources, including coats for children, Birthday Kits to-go in a bag, Food kits, the Lending library, Toiletries, and loaner learning games.
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Native American Family Night
We invite your Native American students and their families to join us for our first Native American Family Night on September 24th, from 5:00 to 7:00 PM at the Longmont Youth Center.
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Health Services Update from Sophia Yager, our SVVSD lead Nurse:
From The New York Times: Five Things School Nurses Want Parents to Know
School Nurses and School Attendance Teams: A Collaborative Approach to Addressing School Health
In the educational system, ensuring the well-being of students is paramount. A critical aspect of this is maintaining regular school attendance, which directly correlates with academic success. However, various health-related issues can impede a student’s ability to attend school consistently. This is where the collaborative efforts of school nurses and school attendance teams come into play, working together to identify, address, and mitigate the health barriers that contribute to chronic absenteeism.
The Role of School Nurses — School nurses are frontline healthcare providers within the educational system. Their primary responsibility is to manage and care for the health needs of students, ranging from acute illnesses and injuries to chronic conditions that require ongoing management. School nurses serve as a bridge between healthcare providers, families, and the school, ensuring that students receive comprehensive care both at school and at home.
One of the significant roles of school nurses is to monitor health-related issues that might affect attendance. This includes recognizing patterns of illness or other health conditions that could lead to frequent absences. For example, a student with asthma may miss school frequently due to poorly managed symptoms. By identifying such issues, school nurses can intervene early, working with families and healthcare providers to manage the condition more effectively, thus reducing absences. There is a large body of research demonstrating the positive impact nurses have to reduce chronic absenteeism.
Collaboration Between School Nurses and Attendance Teams — The partnership between school nurses and attendance teams is crucial in addressing health-related attendance issues. School nurses bring a holistic nursing approach to address behavioral and physical health factors that may be contributing to a student’s absenteeism, while working with attendance teams who have a broader context of the student’s overall situation.
Key roles of the school nurse:
- Identifying students whose health conditions may be contributing to chronic absenteeism.
- Developing individualized health plans
- Providing health education
- Continuous monitoring and follow-up with families
- Care coordination with healthcare providers
- Identifying non-specific physical symptoms that may be related to anxiety and depression and collaborating with school teams to connect students to support.
When school nurses and attendance teams work together effectively, the impact on student health and attendance can be profound. Students receive the care and support they need to manage health issues, leading to improved attendance and, consequently, better academic performance and outcomes. Families also benefit from a coordinated approach, as they receive consistent messages and support from both health and education professionals.
Resources:
- Managing Chronic Health Conditions in Schools: The Role of the School Nurse. https://www.cdc.gov/healthyschools/chronic_conditions/pdfs/2017_02_13-factsheet-roleofschoolnurses_final_508-002.pdf
- Chronic Absenteeism, School Nurses – An Integral Member of the School Team Addressing – National Association of School Nurses. www.nasn.org. https://www.nasn.org/nasn-resources/professional-practice-documents/position-statements/ps-absenteeism
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A note from the SVVSD Family Engagement Team
There are so many opportunities for our St. Vrain Valley families and community to engage in and to learn more about our incredible school district. As we begin the fall semester, we have attended town halls to listen to our Superintendent, back to school nights at various schools, soccer and softball sporting events, and so many other great opportunities that our schools have to offer and every one of them has been inspiring and a great learning experience. As the year progresses, we encourage you to show up and engage in what our schools and communities have to offer. As for the Office of Equity and Community Engagement, we will be hosting our Leadership St. Vrain Diversity Parent Committee meeting on Friday, October 25th at Frederick High School, following the Leadership St. Vrain general meeting session. Mark your calendars, the meeting after October will be held on February 7th, 2025 at Frederick High School. This is a meeting where our community and schools come together to listen and learn about the excellent work happening in our school district.
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Spark! Discovery Parent-Teacher Organization (PTO) – Believe Fundraiser Info
This week we sent home information in your child’s take-home folder regarding fundraising opportunities. With your help, we will be raising funds to support the following types of activities throughout the school year:
- Babysitting for events and meetings (various events throughout the year)
- The cost of hosting the Spring 2024 school-wide carnival (May)
- Ice-Cream Social (August 2024)
- BooHoo Breakfast (August 2024)
- Support for our Positive-Behavior Intervention supports (prizes for each classroom prize box, games, Star-Power tickets, etc.)
- Staff appreciation activities
- Staff grants for new and innovative ideas – fall and spring
- Trick or Treat Street expenses
- A school basket for the Education Foundation Innovation Gala auction
During the previous school year (2023-2024), we made about $5,300 from this fundraiser, and we are hoping to beat this amount by raising over $6,000. Funding for these activities and events does not come from other sources.
Online orders are shipped directly to your home in a relatively short amount of time. Orders using the paper forms sent this week, as well as any frozen items, are delivered to the school and will need to be picked up by families in November. Order packets can be turned in to the office or your child’s teacher. All orders, both paper order form or online (linked here), are due Monday, October 7th, by 3:30 pm.
Sincerely, Your Spark! PTO
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St. Vrain Valley Schools Hosts Annual Musical Instrument Drive
Donate gently used musical instruments to support St. Vrain Valley Schools’ music program during our annual collection drive. Drop off your contributions at the Lincoln School building at 619 Bowen St. in Longmont on Thursday, Oct. 3 (12:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m.) or Friday, Oct. 4 (9:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.) and receive a donation receipt. Your generosity enriches our classrooms, provides instruments for students, and enhances our district’s music programming. Click to learn more.
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Imporant Dates at Spark! Sept 23 – 27, 2024
Mon, Sept 23
Big Idea of Early Mathematics Math focus: SETS
STEM profile of the Month: RESPECTFUL
FUNDATIONS: Gg, Hh (ECE and ECSE)
STEM UNIT #1- Starts September 23 for all preschool classes and runs until Oct 6th:
People and Places in my Community- Ms. Danielle H. & Ms. Amy N.
Making Music- Ms. Noreen R. & Ms. Kaylee C.
Simple Machines- (A Study in Motion) – Ms. Tori M., Ms. Kiersten P., & Ms. Marie B.
Expressing Ourselves through Art- Ms. Kelli W., Ms. Miranda B., & Ms. Polly J.
Anima Arts – FAMILIES MOVING TOGETHER – 4:30 – 5:30 pm (sign up required/space is limited)
Fall Conferences Night #1 at Spark!- 3:30 – 7:30 pm
Wed, Sept 25
Fall Conferences Night #2 at Spark!- 3:30 – 7:30 pm
Thurs, Sept 26
PTO Meeting – Spark – in Cafeteria / Gym – 6 – 7:30 pm.
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2024 Superintendent’s Town Hall Meeting- Monday, 9/30/24, 5:30 – 7:00 pm, at Mead High School.
St. Vrain Valley Schools invites parents, teachers, staff, and community members to join Superintendent, Dr. Don Haddad, for one of our upcoming Superintendent Town Hall meetings. These annual open forums in each of our geographic areas provide an opportunity for Dr. Haddad and other district leaders to listen to our community’s questions and suggestions, share our many successes, and discuss our bold vision for the future.
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Leadership St. Vrain Now Accepting Applications
Leadership St. Vrain is a program designed to provide parents and other community members the opportunity to deepen their knowledge of our district’s mission, operations and strategic priorities. The program is especially beneficial for those who want to obtain a foundation in district operations and governance and become more active participants in St. Vrain Valley Schools. Click here to learn more and apply. All meetings will be held in-person and rotate locations each month. Meetings will run from 9:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m. on the dates listed below:
Friday, October 25: Investing in Public Education and District Finances
Location: Frederick High School
Friday, November 15: Advocating for Public Education and District Governance
Location: Erie High School
Friday, December 13: Advancing Learning through Technology
Location: Skyline High School
Friday, January 17: Elevating the Teaching Profession
Location: Silver Creek High School
Friday, February 7: The Success of All Students; Special Education & Student Services
Location: Mead High School
Friday, March 7: Student Engagement and School Culture
Location: Niwot High School
Friday, April 11: Operational Excellence
Location: Longmont High School
Friday, May 9: The St. Vrain Advantage
Location: Innovation Center of St. Vrain Valley Schools
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A message from our Campus Supervisor, Alicia Sheahan-Hall, [email protected]
Please remember that parking in fire lanes, even for just a few moments, is prohibited. Kindly use a dedicated parking spot and walk your child into the school. During drop-off and pick-up times we experience traffic around all sides of the school. We encourage you to talk with your student about parking lot safety. Holding hands and looking both ways are great first steps. At this age, students can get excited and may run off unexpectedly. Your ongoing coaching on these safety tips will help instill good habits for the future, especially when you’re not there to guide them directly. Please stay informed by checking our updates throughout the school year. We’ll continue to share relevant information. If you notice any safety concerns, don’t hesitate to contact our Campus Supervisor, Alicia Hall. Thank you for helping to keep our campus safe!
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A message from our Registrar/Attendance Clerk, Amy Yanez [email protected]
October count determines the official enrollment numbers that the state uses to set school funding. This year’s official October Count is Tuesday, October 1, 2024. For the next two weeks, Spark! Discovery Preschool attendance will be monitored very closely, so that the exact number of students attending each day can be determined. This culminates on Tuesday, October 1st when we will count the number of students in the school at a specific time of the day. These attendance measurements are then used to calculate the many needs of the school and school district. Funding for important programs are based on the “October Count” including the number of Full-Time Equivalents (FTE) teaching positions we have. We ask that you have your child attend school during this period if they are well enough to do so, particularly on October 1st. Please keep this in mind as you make appointments for your children in the upcoming days.
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A message from our Health Clerk, Amanda Rivera [email protected]
Hello parents! We understand that this is the first year of school for many of our students as well as our parents. Spark! Discovery Preschool has a process for reporting all injuries, and part of that process is to contact parents or guardians. We will call you for EVERY bump and scrape. We will start with the first emergency contact and either leave a message, or move down the list, depending on the severity of the injury. If there is an injury above the shoulders then we will also send you an email with the required district Head Bump Notification form. As you can imagine, we make a lot of phone calls for Band-Aids, so thank you for your patience and understanding. Please check your Infinite Campus to ensure the contact list is in preferential order, and that phone numbers and emails are correct.
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Coming next time:
- Van Gogh School Individual Picture Information
- Fire Prevention Week